Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, the original characters and plot of this fic belong to me.
Author Notes: I would just like to say, once again for those who are becoming confused, to disregard the story of the manga while reading this. The way the events played out will be explained gradually. As always, it was interesting to read your thoughts and comments.
Chapter 3: Changing Plans
There wasn't a cloud in the sky, leaving the blazing sun unobstructed to shine down on the village of Iwa and spread heat wherever its light touched. The temperature, although pleasing for some, was becoming bothersome for a certain blonde who was sweating as he walked through the crowded streets towards the dome fashioned building which stood out from everything else.
Naruto sighed as he wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead. He wasn't in the greatest of moods due to the fact he had gone to retrieve his cigarettes from the hot springs only to find they were wet beyond recovery, probably due to what happened there with the pink haired beauty. He gave an inward leap of relief as he neared the dome shaped building and walked near the entrance only to have the guard block his way.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, an offended expression across his visage, "What are you doing?"
The guard's face was without emotion, "I'm sorry but I can't let you through."
Another civilian passed Naruto and the guard moved out of the way, allowing him to enter, "Why exactly is that?"
The guard didn't look directly towards Naruto, instead a few inches to his side, "You must have permission."
Naruto scratched his head, "You just let that other guy through."
The guard remained in his upright stance, "He is a resident of Iwa."
Naruto nodded, understanding his reasoning before speaking, "So am I."
The guard shook his head, "No, you aren't."
Naruto was impressed by the guard's firm response, "How do you know I'm not?"
The guard cleared his throat, "This job involves standing here during the whole day and requires a great memory so I can identify people. At some point, every resident of Iwa has passed this building and as you can see, I'm quite old so I've been doing this a long time."
Naruto folded his arms, "Is that so?"
The guard remained in front of the door, "Yes."
"I believe you." Naruto had an annoyed look on his face, "I only said that to get the last word. I have a request though, concerning the Tsuchikage."
The guard looked at Naruto directly for the first time, "The Tsuchikage is leaving Iwa for important purposes. He is no longer here."
Naruto tapped his chin as he acknowledged all of the information, "Not bad, you answered well but didn't give away anything important. You're a good guard but it wouldn't kill you to do something about your teeth." The guard's expression changed from that of indifference and he seemed insulted, "Not so emotionless after all."
The blonde turned around laughing as he created some distance between him and the dome shaped building before taking to the rooftops. Jumping through them swiftly, he scanned his surroundings in order to find the Tsuchikage. After searching for a few minutes, he caught sight of a carriage being driven by two white horses along with a few escorts around them.
The carriage was nearing the exit of the city as Naruto landed on a rooftop nearby so he could get a closer look at who the person inside it was. Focusing on the curtains, which served as the entrance to the carriage, he caught a glimpse of the individual inside who was wearing the hat of a Kage. Satisfied that it was indeed the Tsuchikage, Naruto placed his hand on the edge of the rooftop in order to jump down but stopped as he saw a woman reveal herself from the other side of the carriage.
The familiar pink hair garnered his attention as he began to closely observe the rest of the escorts. They were the same ones he had encountered at the hot springs the day before and this time he could see the black haired individual without any steam clouding his vision. His mind raced backwards into his past as he saw the sun shining off the young man's face, showing it clearly. Naruto took a step back, "Uchiha Sasuke…" His eyes darted to the other two before seeing their forehead protectors, "Konoha…" He moved farther back, making sure he was out of view, "What are Leaf shinobi doing here in Iwa?"
Rubbing his forehead, he tried to make sense of the situation. The villages of Konoha and Iwa had a brutal war decades ago where many lives were lost. The relationship between the two villages had remained bitter and volatile ever since but now there were shinobi who were considered enemies escorting the Tsuchikage, no doubt to their own home. The blonde took a peek as he saw the carriage leaving Iwa, "What the hell's going on?"
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Sasuke had his hands in his pockets as he left the shinobi village in Earth Country. The sound of the horse hooves making contact with hard ground was the only audible noise. His eyes shifted towards his right as he looked across the horses to see his white haired ally.
The masked Leaf-nin only had one eye exposed as his forehead protector covered the other one, "Not looking forward to returning to Konoha?"
Sasuke remained silent; for the first time in two years he was allowed to experience sovereignty but he was now returning to the place where he would receive hateful glares. After a few moments, he replied, "You already know the answer."
The white haired shinobi nodded, speaking calmly, "Yeah, I do." He moved backwards so that he was walking alongside the carriage.
A few minutes passed before the voice of the Tsuchikage could be heard through the curtains, "I am honoured to have the great copy ninja escorting me. It is a great gesture from your Hokage…or a display of power. After all, your numerous feats speak for themselves."
The masked shinobi continued walking alongside the carriage at a steady pace, "There are many others with impressive accolades also."
A laugh could be heard from the Tsuchikage, "Certainly Hatake Kakashi, though I must thank you for a particular accomplishment, the death of an S-ranked criminal from Iwa. His name was Deidara I believe."
Kakashi's eye remained focused on where he was heading, "There's no need to, I was on a mission to bring back a comrade and he happened to be in the way at the time." Leaving the conversation where it was, he slowed down before he was at the back of the transport, "How do you feel Sakura?"
The kunoichi's hands were clasped behind her back as she walked, "It's going to be a long journey."
Kakashi looked at the narrow path they were treading, next to which was one of many small canyons, "You seem distracted."
Sakura looked towards the ground, "Yesterday; that was the first time anyone's seen me like that…"
Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, "You shouldn't let it worry you."
Sakura tightened her fist, "I just wish I could've hurt him." Her eyes were lit with fire as she finished.
XXXXXXXXXX
Naruto's shirt was tied around his head, acting as a hat, leaving his sweat covered upper body glistening in the light. Having left Iwa after buying a well needed pack of cigarettes, the Uzumaki had summoned Genkei to guide him to the North where he was planning to get on a boat. They were currently heading through a rocky region which had multiple streams of water.
"It does seem unexpected after all the trouble they've had in the past as well as their relationship since." Genkei gave his take on the situation with the Tsuchikage and the Leaf-nin.
Naruto blew out some smoke, "That's what I thought."
Genkei's mind was hard at work, "But you should give the Tsuchikage the benefit of the doubt. Ever since the war and gaining that position, he's given the Confederation his full cooperation and allowed them to set up an encampment in secrecy."
Naruto put the cigarette back in his mouth as he nodded, "Yeah…even after what they took from him."
Genkei looked at his summoner, "That's why you should trust him."
Naruto let his cigarette hang at the end of his mouth, "He's probably just trying to mend the mistakes of his predecessor but…"
"What you want lies in Konoha also, so you can delve further and find out more if the need arises or if you have doubt." The horned beast finished speaking before glimpsing at his summoner's stomach, "How're you doing?"
Naruto looked at the black and red scaled dragon, knowing of what he was referring to, "It's getting worse…"
Genkei's long tail waved around, "I see…" The duo stopped as the port they were heading to could be seen in the distance.
Naruto folded his arms, "Finally, I was getting roasted."
Genkei began laughing, "You really can be dense. There are lots of small streams here; you should've used the water to cool yourself." After a few moments, the dragon turned around and tilted his head, "You feel that?"
Naruto looked behind him, "Yeah…I'll handle it." He waited until two figures could be seen approaching their position. Shaking his head, Naruto recognised the duo from the restaurant the day before, "I don't believe this."
Genkei had a weird expression, "I know, one's big and the other's small, where's the one who is just normal?"
Naruto shook his head, "That's not what I meant…"
The duo came to a halt a few feet away from Naruto. The larger man of the two clenched his fist, "I've wanted to beat you to a pulp since yesterday. Imagine my surprise when we saw you leaving Iwa."
Naruto sighed, "I really don't want to imagine anything to do with you."
Genkei laughed as the two were alerted to his presence. The thin man spoke in a condescending tone, "This is what you have with you for help, a physically challenged lizard. I'm really afraid." The man broke out into a snorting chortle before turning to his partner for approval but was met with an awkward look.
Genkei slammed his tail into the ground causing the rocks to move, "I'm a dragon…"
Both of the men's eyes widened before their fear could be seen as they quivered. The thin man spoke shakily, "D-dragon; that means you're from the Confederation b-but I thought that's just a myth." He let out a frightened scream before moving back as his partner performed a similar action.
Naruto threw his cigarette to the ground, "What the hell was that? They just knew because you're a dragon?"
Genkei ignored the two men who had begun to run, "There's a lot of stories floating around about the Confederation; most are bunch of crap while others have a bit of truth to them. There's one about how whenever the Confederation would want to erase those who knew of them, they would call upon a dragon. When a victim would gaze into the dragon's fierce eyes, he would know his end has come. Actually, I'll start from the beginning, it's really cool…"
Naruto waved his hand, "That's alright, I don't want to know but why didn't you tell me of this?"
Genkei shrugged, "There's a reason I don't go with you into public places."
Naruto scratched the back of his neck, "You should've stayed quiet." He sighed as he saw the two men who hadn't gotten very far, "Well, I can't just let them go…."
Beginning to run at a fast pace, he saw the smaller man look back at him making him smile menacingly. Increasing his speed, he appeared right next to the larger individual and slammed his fist into his back, making him buckle. The thin man tripped over his own feet and went rolling as he saw his partner so easily disabled.
The frightened man scurried backwards and put up his hands, "Please, w-we won't tell anyone what we saw! Don't kill us!" He sweated profusely with tears in his eyes.
Genkei arrived on the scene and whistled as he saw the damage to the large man, now unconscious on the ground, "Not bad but you're slower…a lot slower."
Naruto ignored the analytical words since he didn't care as he walked closer to the small man. Seeing him tremble in fear, he realised that he was just a petty bandit who must prey on loners and steal things to survive. An idea came to his mind as he began to speak, "I'll let you live on one condition…"
The thin man stared at Genkei with dread as he frantically nodded his head, "Anything, y-you name it."
Naruto had an emotionless face, "You were talking of a crystal yesterday, something about it maybe being of legend. What did you mean?"
Due to his anxious state, the man closed his eyes trying to remember in fear of his life, "Uh…it's…"
Naruto grabbed the smaller man by his collar, "You're not very clear."
Clicking his fingers, the small man spoke quickly, "I'm not too sure about it, the crystal was supposed to grant its bearer control."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Control?"
The thin man gulped before answering, "Yeah, it was said to be able to restrain a bijuu's power, meaning you'd be in control. Its power is of legend."
Naruto's grasp loosened as the man fell to the floor and instantly began to run, disregarding his partner. Genkei stared at Naruto who was unmoving and visibly deep in thought, "What are you going to do?"
The Uzumaki's mind was racing from one point to another as the sound of the small streams of water splashing against the rocks sent thunderous waves to his ears, "I'm going to Wave Country…"
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Sasuke slowly removed the last of the fish from his sword before placing it back in his black sheath. The group of Leaf-nin along with the Tsuchikage had taken a short break in order to gather some food as they neared the border of Earth Country.
Tying a rope around the fish, Sasuke stood up and made sure he had a firm grip. He stopped momentarily as he stared into the water in front of him; the reflection of his face gripping his attention.
Looking into his own eyes, he saw the unrest and confusion he felt within his heart for so long. The Uchiha was glued to his spot as he saw the reflection slowly distort and form another face, one which used to haunt his dreams while he was young. Staring into the remorseless sharingan eyes, he felt his heart beat rapidly as he relived the last moments of his older brother.
"Sasuke-kun…" The voice snapped the Uchiha out of his dwelling as he turned around to find his pink haired comrade looking at him, "Is everything alright?"
The black haired teenager brushed his hair slightly, "I caught the fish; we should get going."
He walked past Sakura, in direction of the decrepit forest, as she looked towards the ground knowing of his uneasiness ever since he had returned.
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Naruto travelled through the multiple piers, having bought a ticket for the only ship remaining which was bound for Fire Country. The blonde had wasted no time upon entering the small town and headed straight for his destination without any breaks.
As he got closer to the entrance to the ship, he was asked to show his ticket before being let onto the large vessel. Naruto looked around as numerous people hauled their luggage or were getting comfortable in preparation for the long journey. Setting his sights on the main cabin where the captain of the ship would reside, he made his way through the crowd and up the stairs towards it. He was planning to persuade the captain of the ship to lengthen the journey a little and knew it wouldn't be too hard to do so as most people would easily listen to requests with the right kind of persuasion.
Opening the door, he was met with questioning looks from the few people inside as well as an old man, who he assumed was the captain, "Are you the captain of this ship?"
The old man clothed in white nodded, "Yes but you're not allowed to be here unless you're a part of the ship's crew."
Naruto walked towards him, "I need you to take a detour towards Wave Country."
The old man chuckled, "That's impossible; hundreds of people have paid to arrive in the Country of Fire in a week's time. That is this boat's destination."
Naruto sighed, "There are no other boats leaving today, you're heading to the East from here and are going to head down the river which runs through the border of Lightning Country, right?"
The captain looked towards the map pinned on the wall, "Yes, I am."
Naruto pulled off his rucksack and looked through it before coming upon his money. Taking out 100,000 ryou, he showed it to the elderly captain, "All I'm asking is for you take a detour to Wave Country. From there, you can leave to the Country of Fire without waiting. It'll only delay your arrival by a day and as you can see, it's profitable for you."
Naruto inwardly smirked as he saw the old man grin and scratch his chin before responding, "When you say it like that, I'm sure something can be arranged."
The Uzumaki placed the money in the old man's hands, "We have an understanding then." He turned around and made his way to the exit as he heard the crew of men laugh joyfully, now that they had received some extra pay.
He left the cabin and counted the amount of money he had remaining, resulting in him shaking his head as he realised that it wouldn't last him very long at all. The whistle of the boat could be heard making a deafening sound as it signalled the departure with the people cheering and laughing.
Most of the people on board were those that were leaving the Country in order to make a living elsewhere, since it was too hard for them to do so where they were currently. Naruto walked towards the rear of the ship and took out a cigarette, lighting it. Resting his arms on the railing which separated everyone from the blue sea below, his thoughts were on the crystal he desperately wanted to see, 'Control, the last time people aimed to control bijuu…I lost you.'
Author Notes: So, things are slowly being set in motion. Due to the length of this fic being around the same of my previous one, some things will remain unexplained until later chapters since that makes it interesting. Laters.
