Disclamier: Don't own anything from the Naruto Universe
Alright I worked hard on this chapter as it is the basis for my story. Please review and tell me what you think.
"We're almost there, just hold on for a little bit longer." Said a male voice.
"How much further Obi? The children are tired and hungry. If we don't find shelter and food soon they aren't going to last much longer." A female voice responded.
"The Leaf village domain is only about 2 more miles Sara. Once we reach it they should be able to supply us with shelter and food." The one known as Obi answered her.
"That's only if it hasn't been destroyed already." Mumbled another male voice.
Several small cries followed that statement before being hushed.
"Quiet Menos, you scaring the children." Sara scorned him.
"Just saying." Menos said.
"Do us all a favor and don't say anything at all. Besides, we would have been able to tell if Orochimaru and his army had been through here. There would have been thousands of footprints and the forest would be damaged. Since that isn't the case we have beat them here." Obi stated.
"But I wonder just how far away they really are. Our small numbers have enabled us to stay this far ahead of them so far. But the woman and children have slowed us down to a degree. I would estimate they are no more than two or three days behind us." Said a male with glasses.
"Thank you for the math lesson Shingo. But leave the worrying about the enemy to me. You concentrate on your task as a medical ninja and keep track of everyone's wounds, got it." Obi commanded.
"As you wish Obi-san." Answered Shingo pushing up his glasses.
"Are sure they will even accept us Obi? The fire village was taken without much of a fight. We took down very few of their numbers while they took many of ours. Perhaps the Leaf shinobi will consider us weak and not even worth taking in." Said a female voice named Citrine.
"We are not weak, those bastards ambushed us!! Those cowards didn't have enough honor to declare war openly. If the Leaf rejects us because they think we are weak I say to hell with them! We can survive on our own. Perhaps find where our people who survived were taken prisoner. If we free them and others we can make our own army and crush Orochimaru's." Menos said with anger.
"That's enough, out of all of you!! The Leaf will accept us, they are honorable people. As for the rest we have no idea where the Triad are holding their prisoners of all the villages they have defeated. Looking for them would waste time that we do not have. Not to mention they will probably be well guarded and we would loose people in the failed attempt. No, our only recourse is to seek aid from the Leaf Village. Only they and Sand are the remaining strong powers in the land." Obi finished.
After that no more words were spoken and the group continued on in silence. The group consisted of refuges who had escaped the land of Fire's demise. All together there were 29 of them. 16 children, 7 women, and 6 men. Of the men and women eleven of them were ninja. Four Genin, five Chunin, and two Jonin. As one of the two Jonin Obi declared himself the unofficial leader. The other Jonin, Sara, kept watch over the children and their safety. It had been a long and difficult journey to escape the massacre of the Fire village. They had to survive long droughts and hot sun rays. As well as animals and plants that roamed the wild. So far all had survived but there had been injuries. Shingo the only medic-nin in the group did his best but was without proper supplies he was limited in his abilities. They had to reach safety and soon. Or eventually they would loose some people to starvation and sickness.
Even though Obi was glad he had been able to stop the argument his mind was still troubled. He had only reached the ranks of Jonin four months ago, hardly enough time to become a leader. But Sara was the only other Jonin and she had confided in him she was not a leader. She had been one of the teachers at the academy. She did fine with paper work and schedules. But leading survivors to safety was out of her area of expertise. Still, if pushed come to shove she was a capable fighter and he would be pleased to have her watch his back.
Other than that he wasn't sure what would happen once they reached the Leaf Village. He spoke the truth we he said he was sure they would take them in. But what after that? As Shingo had pointed out the Triad wasn't too far behind them. It would only be a matter of days until the Leaf Village was attacked as well. Even prepared as they probably were they stood no chance against such numbers. Then where would his people have left to go, Sand? They were still rebuilding from the Akatsuki attack a few months ago when there Kage Garra was attacked and had his demon removed. No, Sand would serve as no sanctuary for his people. That meant that the last stand had to be made at Leaf. Which also meant that he and the other ninja's would have to fight as well. Obi didn't mind getting out some payback, if only he didn't think the effort would proof futile in the end. Also to consider was the ninja who had let them escape. He did not know the man's motives and wondered what would happen if they were to meet again.
Obi was brought out of his musings when his feet suddenly stopped moving. He tried to look down to see what had happen but discovered that he couldn't move his head as well.
"What the hell is this?!" Menos yelled.
Others replied with similar words at suddenly finding themselves frozen by an invisible force.
"I think the better question would be just who are you." Came a voice from the shadows.
Obi looked into the direction of the voice while tightening the hold on his spear in his right hand. Out from the forests shadows came the form of a boy, or at second glance maybe a young man. To Obi he looked around seventeen or eighteen and about 5'10'. He appeared to carry no weapon and simply walked up to them with a calm stare.
"We will not answer any questions until you tell us who you are and what you have done." Obi responded coming to the conclusion that this person was responsible for their present predicament.
The small smile the young man let slip let Obi know he was correct.
"You are in no position to be making demands." The stranger responded.
It was then that the group found themselves surrounded by four people in strange uniforms and wearing animal masks. The ninja in the group immediately recognized them, they were Anbu black ops.
"As he said, you are in no position to make demands. Now state your purpose for being here." One of the Anbu's demanded.
"I would listen to him, he is not a very patient man." The stranger who first approached them said.
Obi took a moment to consider his options. He knew every major village had Anbu's and these were quite possibly from Konoha. If that was the case they would have escorts the rest of the way. But if they were not from Konoha and Orochimaru's people in disguise then they were in big trouble.
"You filthy bastards, is that all you know how to do?! Ambush people and kill them before they even have an chance to fight back.!!" Menos spat at them.
The stranger turned his attention to Menos and shook his head with a sigh.
"This is not getting us anywhere. Fine if it will move things along my name is Shikamaru Nara of the Leaf Village. My companions here are Anbu Black Ops also of the Leaf Village. I have you currently trapped in my Shadow Possession Jutsu." He took a pause to yawn. "I think that answers your questions so how about answering mine. Your head bands say you come from the Land of Fire but we need more proof than that before we let you go any further." Shikamaru explained to them.
Obi let out a relief sign at this but was also angry at himself. He was a Jonin for goodness sake, he should have not allowed his mind to wonder and be trapped like this. It would be easy to blame the lapse on fatigue and hunger but he refused to do so.
"My name is Obi Kawano, and I am a Jonin of the Land of Fire. The group you see with me are from Fire as well. As I am sure you have heard our village was attacked and destroyed by the Triad."
"Triad? I thought it was Orochimaru and his army that destroyed Fire." Shikamaru questioned.
"It was, but they go by the Triad. Besides Orochimaru they are led by the Hokage's of the Cloud and Lighting Village respectfully. Therefore there are three, Orochimaru, Tanith, and Kensai." Obi told him.
"Hence the name Triad, I understand. Please continue." Shikamaru said nodding his head.
"As I was saying when it became obvious Fire was going to be defeated my old sensei ordered me to evacuate as many women as children as I could. As you can see I only partly succeeded and these were all I was able to save. Since then we have been on the move to escape the Triad and seek shelter and protection. It was I who decided we should seek the Leaf Village. Of the two remaining strong ninja nations you are the more powerful."
"Wise." Commented Shikamaru.
"Through our travels we have suffered many hardships but have remained vigilante in our goal. We were closing in on Konoha when you trapped us. I can give you no proof except for my words and the state you see us in. Our bodies our mal nourished and we suffer from sickness and fatigue. There is no Genjutsu to disguise that. The choice to believe us or not is yours." Obi said.
For a while no one said anything as both groups looked back and forth at each other. Shikamaru then looked to one of the Anbu's and nodded his head in the 'come here' gesture. An Anbu in a bunny mask did so and now stood beside Shikamaru.
"It is my personal opinion that you are who you say you are. But in this time of war one cannot be too careful. So to settle this I must ask you to allow my companion to enter your mind. It requires nothing on your part except for not blocking your mind. If satisfied me and my companions will escort you the rest of the way to Konoha where you will be fed and given medical attention. Shortly after that you will meet with our Hokage and tell her everything you know concerning the Triad. Is this acceptable to you?" Shikamaru asked.
"No way, its some kind of set up. Don't trust these creeps Obi!!" Menos literally screamed.
It was then that the form of Sara disappeared to be replaced by a log. Quickly after that the real Sara jumped down from a tree and put her hands to Menos's temple. Menos's eyes closed soon after and he fell asleep standing up.
"Sorry for the interruption but he doesn't know when to shut up sometimes. I also figured if we are going to trust each other I should reveal I wasn't really trapped in your Jutsu. Obi, I think we should believe them and allow them to enter your mind. We hold no secrets that are significant during this time of war." Sara said.
Obi would have shaken his head if he could have. The woman never stopped surprising him. He looked back to Shikamaru and noticed the semi-shocked expression on his face. He then shook his head and mumbled what sounded like 'women' under his breath. The Anbu beside him gave him an elbow to the ribs and he straighten.
"Very well, I will allow my mind to be probed." Obi finally answered.
The Anbu nodded its head and stepped a few yards in front of him. The hands then rose and seemed to make a square.
"Release." Came a strong but femine voice.
Before Obi could be surprised by the Anbu being a woman he felt dizzy and then his mind went blank. When he could see again he was in a white room surrounded by viewing screens. Upon closer inspection he could see that they were in fact his memories.
He saw himself as a small child jumping rope. A young boy entering his first day at the ninja academy. His first mission with his Genin team. On and on it went until it reached the present with the attack on Fire and him leading the Refugees away. He then noticed the Anbu looking at these visions as well. Eventually it seemed the Anbu was satisfied as she nodded her head. The Anbu then snapped her fingers and he found himself standing in the forest at night once again.
"He speaks the truth, you can release them Shikamaru." She said.
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
"Alright then." Shikamaru then did a few quick hand signals and called back his shadow.
Obi found that he could move his body again and looked back to the others. Sara was calming the children and Shingo was holding Menos's sleeping form.
"This guy sure is heavier than he looks." Shingo joked.
Obi let loose a tired smile at that and turned his attention back to the Leaf Village ninja.
"I believe it is time you escorted us the way and provide us with everything you said you would." Obi said to them.
Shikamaru smiled a little and turned towards the village.
"I am a man of my word, let's go."
Before he walked off Obi was sure he saw Shikamaru and the Anbu caress hands momentarily. He wasn't sure if he really saw it or not but shook his head and followed their escorts to their sanctuary.
Back inside the borders of Konoha the ninja's who had recently been referred to as the elite three were making their way towards the Uchiha district. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all currently lived in the main house. Although mansion might have been a better word for it since they all had their own bedroom and bathroom. The decision to live together was based on many factors. One was so Sasuke wouldn't be lonely and possibly revert to the selfish, evil jackass he had became after his family's death. Another reason was the village wanted an eye kept on Sasuke and his two teammates seemed the best choice t do so. Because of their past experience and power levels they could deal with the Uchiha if he got out of hand. The last reason was Naruto lived in a crappy apartment and Sakura wanted her independence from her parents. Moving into the Uchiha compound solved all their problems.
They eventually reached the compound and Sasuke put his hand on the heavy metal door. He used a little charka and the door unlocked. The doors and windows had been designed to allow only the charka signatures of either Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi to enter. Anyone else would be rejected or if forced open alarms would go off. Such a design had been created by Sakura combining her vast knowledge. It was also Sakura's knowledge that if done correctly would give them the power to stop Orochimaru and his forces. So they hoped.
Naruto was the first in and stretched his arms letting loose a loud yard.
"Man, even that light training has made me tired. Must be because I haven't eaten anything today. I hope there is still some Ramen left over from yesterday." Naruto said.
"There is, you left it on the stove. I had to put it up so it wouldn't smell overnight. You have to take better care of your stuff Naruto. We all share the same kitchen, I'm tired of cleaning up your messes all the time." Sakura complained.
"Hey, its not my fault. Ramen makes me tired and I go to sleep right after eating it." Naruto countered
"That's because you eat too much. If it wasn't for the fox's charka giving you a fast metabolism you would be a fat ass by now. You really need to watch what you eat Naruto." Sakura warned him.
Naruto pouted at her.
"Sakura, why are you always so mean?" He said
Sasuke simply rolled his eyes and walked pass the two bickering. Those two would never change, and frankly he didn't want them to. It felt good to be near something so familiar. It also felt good not to be alone and with some semblance of a family. Naruto was like a little brother to him. As much as he hated to admit it Kakashi was the closest thing he had to a father figure. Then there was Sakura. He was still having trouble placing her in the mix. What he felt for her was not that of a sibling or parent. Which left-
POW!!
Sasuke turned his head and saw Nartuo sitting on the floor rubbing the big bump on his head. Sakura meanwhile had a calm expression on her face and walked right past Naruto ignoring the pout. Sasuke watched her go before walking over to Naruto and giving him a hand up.
"Damn, I wish she would stop doing that. One of these days she is going to give me permanent brain damage." Naruto complained.
"Just be glad she held back her strength dope. Or else you would have been in a coma long ago. Now lets get some food, and try to avoid saying anything too stupid." Sasuke told him.
"Screw you teme!" Naruto responded.
"I don't go that way, but maybe you should ask Kiba. He seems like the type to go for that sort of thing." Sasuke said walking off to catch up with Sakura.
"That's not funny Sasuke." Naruto grumbled following.
Soon they reached the kitchen where Sakura had already set three plates. On each plate was a small salad mixed with tomatoes and carrots. Naruto opened his mouth to complain but Sasuke shook his head signaling him it would not be a good idea. The two boys sat at the table and Sakura brought them some juice and herself. She then joined them at the table and started eating without saying a word. The boys followed her example and they enjoyed a peaceful meal. After they were all done Sakura put up the dishes and brought the second course with was spaghetti and meat balls. They ate that and talked a little about what was to come.
"Is everything in the living room all set?" Sasuke asked after swallowing.
"Yes, I moved all the furniture that was in there into the basement. I'll put it back after we're done." Sakura answered.
"Just how much blood do we have to give?" Naruto asked.
"As I explained to you before enough to make a pentagram that is big enough for all of us to fit into. Don't worry, I know as a medic the safe amount of blood a person can afford to lose. We will have enough to spare not to do our internal organs any damage." Sakura assured him.
"Do you have the rest of the things you need?" Sasuke asked to be sure.
"Yes, the candles, scrolls, and knife all already there. The only thing needed now is us." Sakura told him.
Naruto put down his silverware and let out a sigh. He then looked at his closest friends with a serious face that he had shown a lot more lately.
"I know I sound repetitive guys but are we really sure about this? If it works it would be great but what if it doesn't? I'm not doubting your abilities and knowledge Sakura but you yourself said this has never been attempted. It kind of sounds like something Orochimaru might try, and I want nothing to do with that snakes habits." Naruto stated.
Sakura stopped eating and met Naruto's serious expression.
"Trust me Naruto, this is noting like what Orochimaru does. He creates different techniques by stealing the very souls of others. He manipulates and mutates them into something entirely different and evil. What we are doing requires completely freedom of will and utter trust and confidence in each individual involved in it. Orochimaru knows nothing about such things. If he even attempted this ritual he and those involved would most likely die. He could never form the connection that we have." Sakura explained to him.
"Naruto, we have taken every precaution. Sakura even lengthen the ritual into smaller amounts over a period of time to see if there were any negative side effects. There haven't been, we share some power and have taken on some of each other personality traits but nothing else. Once the ritual it complete so will our change." Sasuke encouraged.
"I guess your right. I don't mind taking own some of you guys traits but I still want to be me. I guess that's what I'm really afraid of, losing myself." Naruto said mournfully.
Sakura got up from the table and walked over to him. She did picked him up out of his chair and gave him a big hug.
"I promise you'll still be the loud mouth, idiotic, never surrender Naruto we have come to know and love." Sakura said softly.
Naruto blushed slightly but returned the hug.
Sasuke himself felt a strong impulse to join them but shook it off. He could feel the changes too but he wasn't scared. He was at his best when he was with these two. He slowly got up and cleared his throat.
"I think its time." He said.
Sakura and Naruto separated and nodded their heads at him. All three then left the kitchen with the leftovers on the table. They navigated their way up the stairs until they reached the living room. As Sakura had promised it was bare except for candles, scrolls, books, and a hand sized knife. They all went into the middle of the room and looked around.
"So what do we do now?" Naruto asked.
Sakura bent down and picked up the knife. She then slid it against her index finger releasing a trail of blood. She stepped to Naruto and waited. He got the idea and raised his head as she cut his finger as well. Sasuke stepped up and offered his finger and Sakura did the same.
"I made sure not to cut anything vital. Start from the outside and draw a pentagram leading to the middle where we will meet with your blood. Afterwards I seal the wound." She told them.
Naruto and Sasuke went off in different directions and bent down wiping their blood on the floor. All three made their own lines starting from the outside coming in. While they did so Sakura used her free hand to hold a book and read some words from it. They were whispered so the boys couldn't hear but they trusted her to do them no harm. Eventually they all met in the middle and a perfect pentagram from formed. Sakura put the book away and healed all their wounds with her charka.
"Alright, sense there are three of us we must face each other like a triangle. I have written the revised words on scrolls that each of you must hold. Don't worry about reading them I will take care of that. After I finish reading you each must speak from the heart what you hope to gain from this and are willingly to offer. It must be truthful, one lie and the spell will dissolve and have bad consequences for all. After you finish talking power up your charka to full. Each of us will do this after our turn, I will be last. After I power up we must say 'The bargain is given, sacrifices are met. Make us as one now and forever'. Do you understand?" She explained.
Both Sasuke and Naruto nodded that they understood. Sakura then walked out the pentagram and retrieved three scrolls. She handed two to the boys and kept one for herself. They were now facing each other with the scrolls held in front of them. Sakura rolled hers down and began to read.
"Elemental spirits we call upon your blessing. Grant these vessels before you the power in which they seek. We are humble servants who wish to protect our land. Accept our bond of friendship and unity and allow us to become whole. By all the deities we wish your grace and honor in this. Hear our words and judge us worthy." She read from the scroll.
As soon as she did the candles flickered and the small flames turned into big ones that reached the ceiling. But they would not burn. The pentagram itself glowed bright red from their blood. The floor beneath turned black and appeared to be a bottomless pit. Still the three stood where they were and did not fall. A harsh wind swept through the room but the flames did the falter and neither did team 7. Sakura nodded to Sasuke giving him the signal to start.
"I am Sasuke Uchiha of the Leaf village ask for you to honor this union. I wish to protect my village, friends, and restore my family name. I wish to never be alone and fall back into darkness. I wish to kill my brother but not lose my soul in the process. Grant me the powers of my friends to accomplish my goals. In return I offer until them my Sharragan, intense speed, and all charka powers I posses. I do this with full knowledge and no regrets." Sasuke yelled.
He then powered up his charka covering himself in blue energy. The energy he put off was immense but they all remained calm. Naruto took that as his cue to go next.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf village believe it. I too ask for you to honor this union. I wish to protect my home, friends, another nations, and one day become Hokage so everyone will finally respect me. I wish never to be seen as a monster and always have friends who believe in me. I wish to stop Orochimaru and all other evils from hurting people. Please grant me my friends powers to do this. In return I offer the charka of the red fox, my jutsu's, and my determination to never give up. I do this because I want to and trust my friends." Naruto yelled.
He then charged up as well flooding the room with red charka. Combined with the blue charka it seemed to be pushing at the very walls to escape. But it remained stable and Sakura was next.
"My name is Sakura Haruno of the Leaf Village and I created this ritual combining my vast readings. I wish to protect my family, friends, and all those who fight to protect others. I wish to never be left behind and become the weak girl who use to drool over boys. I wish to grow strong and be at the same level as Sasuke and Naruto. I also wish to make their dreams come true. To gain this I offer my perfect charka control, vast knowledge, and all my skills as a medic ninja. I do this not only for them and myself, but for all Konoha and the innocents who need protecting around the world." She yelled.
She then charged her own charka and a strong green energy radiated from her. It wasn't as strong as the blue and red but it was powerful in its own right.
"THE BARGAIN IS GIVEN, SACRAFICES ARE MET. MAKE US AS ONE NOW AND FOREVER!!!" All three screamed.
From high above them the three chakra's swirled together and appeared to be about to crush the room and the entire house. The flames roared even higher causing them to sweat. The winds became razor sharp tearing some of their clothing. The bottomless floor appeared to even become larger. The blood brighten to the point that it became blinding. But through all this they stayed strong and held the scrolls upright. This went on for what seemed like hours but was only seconds.
Suddenly the three chakra were sucked into the bottomless pit along with the winds and the fire from the candles. Even the wood from the walls were sucked up and from somewhere water flowed inside. The four elements and the chakra seem to form some kind of huge energy ball beneath their feet. The ball seemed to hang in space for a moment before rocketing upwards and slamming into all three members of team seven. All three were lost from sight in a bright flash the lit up the entire mansion.
And for a brief moment every ninja in Konoha felt the spike of unbelievable power. Before they could even begin to wonder what it was it disappeared.
"Tsunade-sama, did you feel that?" Shizune asked with her eyes wide.
Tsuande herself said nothing as her skin went pale. Not in her entire life had she ever felt a power like that. Just by the brief glimpse she could tell that power could move mountains with a thought. She had nothing to measure it against, the power was just that strong.
"Lady Tsuande?" Shizune asked nervously seeing the Hokage's face.
Tsuande shook herself from thoughts and looked at her assistant.
"Have every ninja scout the entire village. Make sure that an attack as not began without our knowing. This has priority over everything else." Tsuande commanded.
"You don't think it was Orochimaru do you? Not even he and his cruel methods of gaining power could be the source of this, could he?" Shizune asked with fear.
Tsuande sat back in her seat and let out a sigh.
"By the gods I hope not. Hopefully it was just the concentrated powers of a large part of his army. But even if that's true we are in for a bigger fight than I ever thought." She said.
"But Lady Tsuande, it felt like one big power. Not many combined." Shizune countered.
Tsunade had no answers for that and told Shizune to carry out her orders.
The other Jonin of the village felt the power spike but had no idea of its origin.
"Damn Kakashi, I wonder what the hell that was." Asuma said around his cigarette sweating.
Kakashi looked off in the distance before responding.
"So do I." He finally responded.
TBC
I hoped you liked that. Keep reading to see what happens next.
