Chapter 2

Revelations

Tsubasa trembled in fear, looking at the most dangerous none-shinobi to ever walk the earth. He knew just how dangerous Kaimu was by his reputation. He didn't want to die. He hoped not to ever face this man. But he had a duty to uphold. He gathered his courage and made a few hand seals… only to be stabbed in the neck. When Ikuto came to, he saw what the criminal did to his friend. He gathered all his strength to stand up and disappeared. When he reappeared behind Kaimu, he made the final hand seal.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet!" he called, blowing highly pressured bullet of air at the enemy. Unluckily, he merely scratched him. Kaimu growled at the fact and slashed the ninja. However, when he thought he got him, Ikuto managed to use substitution. The Leaf-ninja appeared behind Kaimu, ready to stab a kunai into his heart. He was so close, yet so far. The criminal swordsman managed to block the shinobi weapon. As they struggled, the man with manipulative eye kicked the shinobi away. But this was what Ikuto was waiting for. Now was his chance. He made a few hand seals. "Wind Style: Grea…!"

*SLASH*

"Sorry, lad. We're not havin' ye use another of 'em jutsu of yers." Kaimu said to Ikuto, who was now cut in half. Surprisingly, the ninja still tried to use the jutsu. But the pirate stabbed him in the head. After a few seconds, he left him to rod and made his way further down the corridor. He had his objective to complete. He had to get someone out of this prison. But before he could enter another hallway, one of the guards body slammed a wall before him. Kaimu looked in the direction the ninja came from, to find some of his men, bleeding and sweating. "Make sure, lads, that nobody tries to interfere with ye plan." He ordered, continuing his walk. The sounds of battle were the only thing to be heard throughout this complex.

Meanwhile…

Raiga brought his blade down again, making the lightening strike forward. But it missed. Naruto and Neji were fortunately agile enough to dodge the attack. But that did not discourage the swordsman. No, it only got him more excited. It was a long time since he fought someone capable of dodging his attacks.

"Lightening Style: Grand Dragon Jutsu!" he called, raising his blades upwards. A lightening hit a few times, before forming a dragon. It roared, getting ready to attack. And before long, it dashed. Neji managed to dodge, while Naruto was forced to use his Three Imperial Guards, his strongest defensive jutsu. As Raiga's jutsu finally dispersed, one of the flaming lion heads disappeared. The blonde looked at his jutsu before focusing back at the enemy.

'So I have two saves left. This might be rough, unless we can get close enough to disarm him. But the chances of avoiding his attacks will drop drastically. On the other hand, this jutsu drains hell lot of chakra. I can't rely on it for too long.' Uzumaki kid thought, before he was forced to block another lightening attack. Now he was down to one head. It troubled him.

Raiga slashed another lightening bolt towards Neji. The Hyuga found himself cornered, so he used rotation, deflecting the projectile. But as he stopped, he felt his body go numb. But why? That last attack shouldn't have affected him, unless… Now he understood it. This attack was to be blocked. The jonin fell to his knees, paralyzed, watching as the rogue ninja was preparing to strike. "Lightening Style: Storm Funeral!" the swordsman called. And a pillar of light came down. Neji closed his eyes. And heard a cry of pain. When he opened them, he saw Naruto standing above him. The blonde struggled to keep his balance. This last jutsu had a lot of destructive power. Enough to make the blonde feel the pain. Plus, his body also went numb. Raiga smiled at the sight. He would have two ninja brats down with one strike. He prepared to deliver the blow…

But something blocked his blades from behind.

As the swordsman turned, he found his blades wrapped in a chain. He followed it with his eyes, seeing the man who stopped him. It was a certain dark skinned jonin with spiky bracelets, a goatee and cat-like eyes. Kuromaru smiled at him.

"Well, well… You seem to handle the blades quite well, swordsman." The team leader commented with a smile. "Yet, I wonder if you can use them in an actual close combat."

"Hmph… don't get carried away." Raiga scowled. "If you want a funeral soon, then just wait a little longer. I'll just finish these two."

"Oh, right, sorry. I didn't notice you're a little cowardly princess, who can't take on a challenge from a weapon master." Kuromaru mocked. It seems it provoked the swordsman. Raiga's hands were trembling.

"What did you say…?" he asked with his voice on edge.

"You heard me. Unless… that's the problem. That I read your true nature, thus revealing your true level of abilities, worm."

"WHY YOU…!" he roared and got ready to summon another lightening attack. But before he could do that, he had to lower the blades to block the claw. Nekokage was pushing the swordsman until he pressed him to the tree. Raiga's eyes widened as he got a better look at the jonin. While he recognized the Brute of the Leaf, he just felt ecstatic. He finally found a real challenge. He pushed the Leaf Enforcer away and engaged him in a fight of blades. The sparks were flying everywhere as the two were running at blinding speed. The two shared a psychopathic smile.

The Shinobi Prison

The deeper into the prison he walked, the darker it got. The hallways were also getting wet, cold. No longer was the sound of battle the only thing he could hear, but also the sound of dripping water. Kaimu looked to the left, first, then to the right, looking at the guards who tried to stop him. All of them were killed by him. But it was no easy fight. His red jacket was a bit torn, his breath heavier. Yet he still won. He placed his eye-patch back on his right eye, seeing no need to continue using its power and continued. He was getting close to his destination. The cell of the one he was to free.

And he reached it. He raised his blade, the legendary Godzilla Deathfang, and slashed the lock, opening the cell. He entered it, ready to kill anyone stupid enough to try and attack him.

"You're a bit late, Pirate." A mocking voice addressed him. Kaimu just chuckled.

"Don't ya worry 'bout me, ya stinkin' sand-kisser." He replied. "Ya'd better be glad me 'n' m'boys accepted this job to save yer sorry ass."

"Too bad he didn't pay you by teaching you proper grammar." The prisoner joked.

"So ye wanna stay in 'ere then?"

"Of course not, you idiot! Get me free!"

"Fine…" Kaimu cut the chains holding the prisoner. The man stepped into the light, revealing his black hair on the right side and pink on the left. His pink eyes shined in the light of the torches. He walked out of his cell, but instead of going towards the exit, he made his way to the cell next to his.

"Wha' are ye doin' now, Izo? We must get outta 'ere." Kaimu instructed the man.

"Patience, Kaimu. There is someone who may be of use to our plans." The man known as Izo informed the pirate. He made a few hand seals, before he calling out a jutsu. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he called. Though he had poor supply of chakra, he did manage to melt the lock. As the cell opened, he looked at the inmate. A tall, white haired man, who became muscular while his stay in this place. Izo smiled seeing him. "Well, are you coming?"

The man just stood up. As he revealed his face in the light, he had a huge smile. "Of course I'm coming."

"Then welcome, Mizuki." Izo said. And the three made their way to the exit.

With team Kuromaru…

Another bandit has fallen. This fight proofed to be quite troublesome because the 'hostage' were actually another group of bandits. But despite the advantage in numbers, they were no challenge to the shinobi. Shikamaru called out his jutsu after Sakura delivered another punch, finishing the remaining group. The training she was receiving from Lady Tsunade was paying off. Her red china-styled shirt was covered in mud, which got her angry. She wanted to end this mission fast so she could change. The two turned their attention to the source of the clashing metal. They saw Naruto and Neji trying to get some distance from the fighters, knowing full well they would be of little help.

Raiga delivered another horizontal slash, but missed. But in return he blocked another stab. The two were going like that for a pretty long time, clearly enjoying it. If only this could be shown, instead of described. So much sweat on their bodies, blood… it was heaven.

"Finally, I found myself a worthy rival!" Raiga shouted, as he raised his blades. "Lightening Style: Lightening Armor!" He called, covering his whole body with electricity. Kuromaru growled and performed his own jutsu.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he slammed his hand to the ground. There was a puff of smoke. As it cleared, there was a black cat with golden eyes sitting. It turned its head towards the summoner.

"So you remembered about me, Kuro-boy?" the cat said with a famine voice. "I was beginning to believe you decided to break our contract."

"This is no time for jokes, Yoruichi." The jonin said. "I need you to distract him for a second."

"Alright, lover-boy." As Yoruichi said that, she jumped upwards, towards the swordsman. "Ninja Art: Fur Ball Bullet Jutsu!" she called, launching a fur ball from her mouth. It hit the target in the eyes, but you could not tell what his reaction was. Did he get hit? Or did the armor of lightening protect him? When he finally moved, he got hit with a huge hammer, send flying towards a big boulder nearby. As he hit, his jutsu dispersed. Raiga tried to get up, when…

"Ninja Art: Lazy Catnap Jutsu!" Yoruichi called, making her eyes glow, as she jumped onto the swordsman. To his surprise, the rogue-ninja's body felt heavy. He tried to get up, but it was so difficult. Yoruichi merely chuckled. "Sorry, fish-lips, but it'll be hard for you to move unless I disappear." She said in a flirty tone. Kuromaru appeared next to the summoned cat, wielding a huge hammer. He was about to take the rogue for interrogation. He wanted to know why this entire circus to call them out.

But then a kunai stabbed Yoruichi, making her disappear. Raiga, who found himself able to move again, grabbed his swords and jumped away, just in time. Still, that last strike from the enforcer must've broken his ribs. The swordsman had difficulties breathing. Plus, he was out numbered. He decided to fall back. He did his job already. He jumped towards the forest.

Seeing that, Naruto decided to catch him. "Get back here, you coward!" he called, following him. Shikamaru wanted to stop him, but collapsed due to chakra exhaustion. Kuromaru decided to follow, when he found his leg wrapped in glowing chain and pinned to the ground.

Naruto followed a bit, hoping to reach Raiga before he escaped. It wasn't hard, for the swordsman was wounded. He could catch him.

Or so he thought.

As he approached the swordsman, he sensed something from his left. At the last moment, the blonde blocked a kunai. He eyed the opponent attacking, and found it to be a mask person. He recognized that person. He recognized this long, red hair. The same person who saved him from Itachi and his partner, Kisame, a year back, when he and Jiraiya, his master, were searching for Tsunade, the current hokage. But now, as he got a closer look, he could tell that he was facing a girl, obviously older than him. As he pushed her back, he eyed her. It would appear he would need to deal with her first, if he was to follow Raiga.

"You… You're that person from one year ago." Naruto said.

"So what if I was, kid." She asked. One could wonder if her voice was angry or emotionless.

"So why are you in my way now?"

"An order. Not that the answer matters."

She dashed at him. The two were exchanging blows. The sparks danced. The branches supported them. Finally, their kunai slipped from their hands, making them switch to taijutsu. They started trading blows. One tried to kick the other, the other tried to deliver the blow. But the girl seemed to have the upper hand. Her taijutsu style, which reminded the blonde of a dancing, was unlike anything he ever saw. Fortunately, he seemed to make up for the taijutsu style with his endurance and stamina.

Then Naruto noticed something strange about this situation. It felt wrong. Her speed, strength, reflexes, her presence… they felt familiar. This battle felt like something that shouldn't have taken place. But this was no time to wonder why. At one point, Naruto managed to notice a kunai nearby, so he reached it at delivered a vertical cut. He cut her cheek, getting some of her blood on the kunai. But as he took a look at the revealed part of her face, he got stunned. And apparently she also got shocked. The two just stood there like that for a while, until…

"Naruto!" Neji's voice reached them. The girl regained her senses and jumped away. Naruto didn't make a motion. Soon he was found by his teammates. Sakura walked over to him to talk to him.

"You idiot. What happened to you?" she asked him harshly. She didn't get an answer. "What happened? You lost it?"

Naruto just turned to face Neji and Shikamaru. "I lost him. Sorry." Was all he could say.

"Naruto, you just cost us information." The pink haired kunoichi scolded him. "You have any idea how hard it…!"

"Enough!" Kuromaru ordered. His voice just sounded so full of threat, that Haruno, though she wanted to belittle the blonde more, lost her courage. "Naruto, what happened? Were you ambushed?"

"In a sense… yeah." He answered. Kuromaru wanted to ask him more, but saw confusion in the blonde's eyes. He decided it was better to let it go for now.

"Alright, then we know at least who was the attacker. What we don't know is why."

"I could use my byakugan to track him down." Neji suggested.

"No, you're too wounded. Sakura needs more time to heal you." Shikamaru commented. "Plus, he might be beyond our range by now."

"Then we are going back to the Leaf Village, maggots. Take some rest and we're movin' out." Kuromaru ordered. Naruto looked the kunai in his hand. There was some blood on the edge. Her blood. Something gave him more to think about.

Hidden Leaf Village

The team returned to the village hours ago. Kuromaru gave everyone permission to go home and rest, while he went to report to Lady Hokage. Naruto took this opportunity and went to the Leaf Medical Lab. Though it was late, he found Shizune still working. He approached her.

"Hey, Shizune. Do you have a moment?" he asked.

"Uh… Sure, but… what's wrong, Naruto?" She asked carefully. 'Why?' you ask? Because a month ago, Naruto had a mission to the Tea Country. When he returned, he reported that the daimyo's son, who was assumed a tyrant-for-a-successor, turned out to be blackmailed by a rogue ninja from Hidden Waterfall. Fortunately, if it wasn't for the blonde's big mouth, the truth would never come out. Naruto suffered a major wound to the legs, but succeeded. That victory made Shizune accidentally comment on how much he reminded her of his mother. That made Naruto remember the promise the Third Hokage, Tsunade's sensei and predecessor, made to him years ago about telling him of his family should he make it chunin. However, Tsunade, for some reason, denied him any information on that, claiming it to be too classified, and that he misunderstood. Naruto was to learn of his family should he become JONIN, not chunin. An argument took place, where Tsunade just swayed him off. For three weeks Naruto avoided talking to the blonde hokage, trying to ask others, who also stayed silent.

"I have some suspicions I'd like to clear." Naruto said, pulling out a kunai. "When pursuing a rogue ninja leading those bandits, I ran across a stranger ninja. I found something familiar about her. You think you could analyze this blood.? See if they're related?" he asked, pulling a vial from his pouch.

Shizune took the two items from the kid with a confused look. "Okay, but whose blood is it?" she asked.

"Can't tell. Not now…" there was some pain in his voice. Apparently the suspect was his close person. Could it be Anko? Was he suspecting Anko to cooperate with someone outside the village? Were those bandits then working for Orochimaru?

These trains of thoughts made Shizune get to work. If it was this serious, she must have the results by the next day.

Morning…

The streams of the morning sun shined through the window. The golden rays hit the blonde's eyes, as if gently waking him up. Naruto growled at first, but eventually opened his blue eyes. He looked around, carefully, looking out for a certain purple-haired girl. When he found no signs of her, he sighed in relieve. He stood up, stretching his muscles. He walked over to the mirror. These birthmarks were still there, as if he was hoping they'll disappear. The three whisker-marks on each cheek and the stripes on the right side of his torso and right arm- five in total. He stood there for a while, till finally he got the usual view. His reflection's sclera turned red, and the face had a more psychopathic expression.

"G'morning, Idiot." Dark Naruto greeted him. "So when will you get the results?"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked him while walking over to the closet.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that. You know what I'm talking about. That blood you gave Shizune."

"SHUT UP!" Naruto roared.

"Did I strike a nerve? But be careful. Your anger is my opening to taking over, you know."

"Why must we do this every day?"

"Because it's fun." Dark Naruto mocked. "Besides, you have no alternative. I am part of you, born as a result of removing that curse seal the Snake-Bastard placed on you by accident. Have you forgotten already?"

"Of course not." Naruto answered, as he put on his orange jacket. Then he reached for his forehead protector and tied it around his neck. "I'm out of here."

He jumped out the window onto the rooftops. He needed to clear his head.

Hokage Tower

Tsunade had a headache. She had a talk with Kakashi earlier. She tried to convince him, again, to return to his duties as a Team 7 leader. Just as usual, he declined. Ever since Sasuke's defection, Hatake Kakashi, the man who had the sharingan in his left eye, had become more distant. She had never expected a man like him to be broken over something like that. It was troublesome as Shikamaru would put it. Can't he see that his actions could ruin the other two's carrier would it be not for her and Jiraiya? And now this!

Two advisors, Koharu and Homura, came to her to discuss about Naruto. This time, however they were accompanied by another person. A tall, dark in his presence man, with short black hair, who had most of his body wrapped in bandages. The man was in his 80's, and walking with cane. Tsunade knew this person all too well. He was a rival to her sensei in youth, and ambitious enough to consider him dangerous for the village as well. His name was Shimura Danzo.

"Tsunade. I am very displeased with the fact you didn't have the boy suspended from his duties yet." Danzo spoke. "Have you forgotten his behavior on his first assignment as a chunin?"

"Of course not, Danzo." Tsunade answered, not trying to hide her annoyance. "I just don't see his harsh behavior as a reason for that."

"You favor the boy too much, Princess. What if he was to start a war? These have started for smaller things than this."

"Perhaps. But many of our shinobi got away with bigger things than this." She countered.

Danzo, as usual in his manner, didn't show any emotions. "The fact stays, Tsunade. The boy is dangerous. Since you made him chunin and gave him under the tutelage of Jiraiya, he became dangerous."

"Dangerous for whom, Danzo. As far as was told, especially from the Enforcers and Jiraiya, he's more reliable as a Leaf shinobi than half the village, which spitted at the Fourth's name by disrespecting his final wish." Tsunade stood up, slamming her hands at the desk, before anyone could speak. "You don't really have anything on him, do you? You just want to get to him because he's proven to be different than what you accuse him of. So let me make this clear: if you come here again, without anything solid on the boy, I will show you just how much you risk provoking me." She released some killer intend, making her statement clear. While Danzo didn't seem affected, the other two decided not to say a word.

"Believe me, Tsunade, you will be given something solid on the boy." Danzo said. "But then, I expect you to do what is best for the village." He turned to the other advisors let them know to leave. As the door shut, Tsunade head butted the desk. She hated the man. But he was right. If there were to be evidence on Naruto posing a threat to the Leaf Village, she would have to take action. The question was- could she do it? Haven't she already done enough harm to the boy by denying him the right to know of his family? How much more has he got to suffer before experiencing some happiness?

The hallway

Danzo has parted from the others long ago. Now he was walking to the exit, to his office. Tsunade was too gentle. Too emotionally attached to the boy to do what is right. That was unacceptable. He needed to handle things himself. He stopped in a dark corner.

"Rat, come out." He said. And before him appeared a young, masked boy, wearing a black set of clothing and a short katana on his back. "You are to observe the one name Uzumaki Naruto. Should something happen, you know the instructions."

"Yes, Lord Danzo." He answered. Then he disappeared.

Leaf streets

Ryu and Anko were staring at each other. You could tell they were about to have a fight. This tension, this heat… it was unearthly. The two were curling their fists that a loud crack could be heard. Some people could even see sparks between them. They were ready. One would prove his or her superiority.

And started digging in. Both were eating a shark fin soup at such speed it was sickening. Not to mention the mess. But that would not stop them. They have already started another bowl. Then the next. The bystanders were ready to puke, even though some were the Akimichi. They finally reached for the tenth, final, bowl. Oh the horror. The way they were devouring the soup will leave a mark on people's psyche. Finally…

"Finished! I win!" both announced. It was irritating. Their rivalry always ended up in a draw, even in shinobi stuff. The two were annoyed by each other. This seemed like a pointless little thing. Then again, no one else could be a match for them.

"Why don't you just admit it. I win!" Ryu demanded. In response, he was caught by his leather jacket by the purple-haired kunoichi.

"Are you brain damaged. I won!" she yelled.

"You wish."

"Then we can do only one thing."

"You're right."

"We'd like to order another round, please!" both shouted to the shop owner, getting everyone sweat-drop.

Naruto watched them from afar, somewhat enjoying the view. Anko has finally cheered up after how she learned the truth about herself. The sad truth of being an artificial being, meant to be a super soldier, created by Orochimaru, the traitor of the village. He decided not to bother the two. He looked at the sun. Maybe it was time to visit Shizune? Find out what she learned? Yes, it was about time. So he made his way.

Leaf Medical Lab

Naruto was sitting in the hallway, waiting for Shizune to come with the results. Man, he was lucky when he heard from her she just finished. He couldn't wait. But why?

Then Shizune exited the office and approached the blonde, handing him a file. Naruto took it, opened and read it. After a minute, there wasn't any reaction, until… Wait, what was that? Something shocked him.

"Shizune, are these accurate?" He asked her.

"Positive." She answered. "There's no mistaking it. So whose blood was in the vial?" She never got the answer. Naruto stormed out of the building with the file. He was furious. He was so furious he rammed down the door. He needed to talk about it to Tsunade.

Hokage Tower

Tsunade finally finished the paper work for today. Now she could relax. And it was so peacefully. Her smile seemed untouchable, the smell of sake empowering it and no sign of stress. This evening seemed just perfect. Now, if only she could get some place fun…

It all ended. The door opened violently as a well known blonde chunin entered. Judging by the look on his face it was serious. So the Fifth Hokage decided not to scold him until after she learned what was this all about.

"Granny, you lied to me!" Naruto accused.

"Lied? What are you talking about?" she asked truly confused.

"Don't play dumb with me! You know perfectly what I'm talking about!" He threw the file onto her desk. "Why didn't you tell me I have a sister?"

To be continued…