"Why is ramen so delicious?"-thinking
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- jutsu
YOU LITTLE BRAT/you little brat- demon speech/Inner Sakura
You look delicious- Black Zetsu
Tempered By Divine Winds
Chapter 4: To Catch A Fox
Outskirts of Mizu no Kuni
A little red-haired girl in a red cloak could be seen pulling a taller blond man in a black cloak through the thick mist towards the border. They both had blue eyes and the blond man had three whisker-like marks on each cheek.
"Mou...Otou-san, hurry up! We're going to be late!"
The blonde man sighed.
"Natsumi, we are going to get there way before the festival begins."
"But I want to see Mei-chan before the festival begins. And the sad man with funny eyes will be there too."
"And bawl and scream when we it's time to leave?"
"I DON'T DO THAT!"
"I have witnesses to last year's incident. So do pout all you want but I am not hurrying into a repeat of last year...dattebayo."
"Mou...Otou-san is a meanie...dattebane."
Iwagakure no Sato
Ryuutenbi no Onoki paced up and down his office, his KI rolling off him in palpable waves. Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi and Tsukiwa exchanged nervous glances with each other.
"What is he thinking?"
"I haven't felt such KI since...ever."
"Are the deaths of Han and Ryota affecting him THAT much?"
Onoki's thoughts were centred on the blond Uzumaki.
"You cocky little brat. I'm going to take a whole lot of pleasure in mounting your head on our gates. You think you can just waltz in here and do what you want...I'LL SHOW HOW WRONG YOU ARE!"
The Tsuchikage's thoughts went back to that day...
Flashback
Onoki snarled as he looked into Naruto's impassive face. Naruto barely twitched as he dropped Han and Ryota's corpses. Doing so made the Tsuchikage's KI spike even higher but Naruto still remained impassive.
"This is your final warning, Tsuchikage. Leave me and all that is related to me alone. You have not felt the depths of my wrath."
He turned and began to walk away.
A vein pulsing in his temple, Onoki flipped through seals at a rapid pace.
"DOTON: DORYUUDAN NO JUTSU (1)!"
A huge dragon made of earth burst out of the ground, roaring all the way. It twisted about in the air and charged at Naruto's back, jaws open wide.
Naruto looked back almost disinterestedly and stomped his foot on the ground.
A shockwave ripped through the ground, knocking the Tsuchikage backward and off-balance with earth-shaking tremors. Losing concentration, the dragon fell apart into a pile of mud.
Naruto scoffed and flickered away.
Onoki ground his teeth as he walked back to the chair behind his desk.
"You three!"
Akatsuchi, Kurotsuchi and Tsukiwa stood at attention.
"Select any ninja you need, take whatever means necessary to complete your mission…just bring me Uzumaki Naruto's head."
He took out a scroll embossed with his seal.
Our spy reports that he is in Kiri and will be there with that girl for a week. Take the girl alive, if she is who I think she is…she will be of great service to us.
Kirigakure no Sato – Mizukage Tower
Terumi Mei smiled as she looked out her office window at the hidden village she was now in charge of. It had seemed hopeless at some points but now...the dream is a reality.
"Mizukage-sama."
She turned to see Chojuro and Aoi entering her office.
"What is it?" she asked as she took her seat.
"Our patrols have spotted him approaching. They are awaiting your orders."
"Let him through." She immediately replied.
As Chojuro hurried off, Aoi stayed a bit longer.
"Mizukage-sama...this plan of yours might make a permanent enemy out of Konoha. Is this man worth a war?"
Mei lips stretched into a knowing smile as she returned to look over the village.
"Ah, but you seem to have forgotten...a single man turned the tide of the Third Shinobi War and a single man turned the tide of Kiri's civil war."
She sighed and turned away from the window to face Aoi.
"You didn't fight Yagura, Aoi. You didn't feel his oppressive killing intent...his utter disregard for human life...you didn't truly see how he far he was willing to go. Yet he was defeated, by that man. We need strength like that."
"But you had to pay him to fight for us; he may be the noblest mercenary I've ever seen but he doesn't desire a village setting. He loves his life too much."
Mei smiled at that.
"There are many ways of convincing people. We need to find one that works for him."
Sunagakure no Sato
Gaara's green eyes swept over the entirety of his village from his vantage point on top of his office. The desert wind ruffled his red hair and Kazekage robes. He breathed in deeply and let it all out with a sigh.
"Gaara." a voice from behind him reached his ears.
Turning he saw Temari, Kankuro and Baki, prepared for their mission.
"I trust that all is well." He spoke softly.
"...we don't have to do this, Gaara. The Hokage will understand the circumstances." Temari whispered.
Gaara stared at them with a blank expression before replying.
"Naruto is a good friend but Konoha still remains our ally...however shaky our alliance is currently we can't afford to make an enemy out of Konoha. Go and represent Suna with pride and honour."
The three ninjas nodded and disappeared in a flurry of sand. Gaara sighed after they left, turning to face the village as he did so.
"I hope my message reached you...that man is causing you more problems than you know of."
Kumogakure no Sato – Raikage's Office.
A scowled as he read the report. With a spark of lightning, he incinerated the scroll in his hand.
"So you think you can play me for a fool? I'll show you how wrong you are!"
"…them fools can't stop me…I'm the one and only Killer Bee…hah, perfect!"
"Can the crappy rhymes!" the Raikage snapped. "I don't have the patience for it…Uzumaki Naruto has continues to elude us. I don't want him opening the Raisaishuu (1) scroll."
A blonde woman in a jounin vest walked in followed by two other kunoichi. One was also blonde and the other was a dark-skinned redhead.
"I thought Omoi would be here already. He was going on and on about how the Raikage was about to declare a state of emergency." Spoke the blonde in the lead.
"You know him Yugito, probably got distracted by a squirrel and thought it was a spy sending messages out of the village." The redhead remarked tiredly.
"Settle down you three, I'm sure he'll be here soon…but we can start without him."
He threw a folder with a familiar face on it, one with blonde hair, blue eyes and whiskers on his cheeks.
"Uzumaki Naruto has been spotted in Mizu no Kuni. From his direction of travel, he is going to Kiri. I need you to intercept him when he leaves, interrogate him and find out where the scroll is."
Yugito frowned as she thumbed through Naruto's file.
"It's officially confirmed that he is a jinchuuriki…he is the son of Namikaze Minato…he is capable of defeating Orochimaru and his lackeys in one night…how are we supposed to catch him?"
A thunderous knock sounded on the door to the Raikage's door. A grin appeared on A's face.
"Here's how…"
Meanwhile
Zetsu phased through the floor and Tobi was waiting for him.
"No one saw us come in but the boy is missed. We need to move quickly."
Tobi nodded and faced the unconscious red-haired man.
"So this guy…Omoi, right…is on the Kumo team looking for Uzumaki Naruto. Are the preparations complete?"
Zetsu held up a white pill.
"As you requested."
He opened Omoi's mouth and forced the pill down his throat. Tobi nodded when the deed was done.
"All right, next stop…Konoha"
Zetsu frowned at that.
"Our spies report that the Kyuubi jinchuuriki is on his way to Kiri. Why are we wasting time on this endeavour?"
A chuckle escaped from behind the orange mask.
"After five years of staying of the grid, our spies suddenly find the trail of what he's been up to ever since he left Konoha? Please, that's way too easy. He's up to something…something that requires all our attention on him."
He walked up to the window, staring out at the horizon.
"Your father only required a few moments to throw my plans off schedule…you've had five years to plot and plan. I will play your game…but my move will end it all."
Amegakure no Sato
Konan wrapped herself in her cloak even tighter as she stared out the window. Soon she would be leaving on her mission to find the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.
"Are you ready?"
She turned and faced the Deva Path.
"Yes, I have everything I need."
He nodded impassively and turned to leave.
"Take Itachi and Kisame with you. The reunions promise a whole lot of violence."
"I can take care of myself." Konan spoke in a dismissive manner. "I can take Itachi but not Kisame."
"If the rumours about the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki are true, you will need Kisame much more than Itachi."
Konohagakure no Sato – Ne Hideout
Danzo poured over the reports as a pale, dark-haired boy with an expressionless face walked in.
"Sai, you're just in time to receive your mission. The Hokage is deploying a team of chuunin and jounin ninjas to apprehend Uzumaki Naruto in Kiri."
"Am I to assist the mission?"
"No...Uzumaki's absence has been strangely beneficial in a way I never foresaw and the hell he's raining down on the other nations has allowed us some breathing room. Your mission...is to deliver a warning."
"A warning?"
Hokage's Office
"Can we use that?" Ino asked; a malicious smile on her face. "Kidnap the girl and use it as leverage."
"Yes we could...and he could do to us exactly what he did to Iwa." Tsunade replied scathingly. "We need him as an ally...not a leveraged one at least."
"We could lure him here with news that he would be happy to hear." Kakashi replied.
"Like what?" Tsunade snapped.
"Why are you jumping down my throat? I didn't banish him."
Before the Fifth Hokage could react Jiraiya interrupted.
"Kumo tried something like that and tried to entrap him. You already know how that worked out."
A growling sound emanated from Kiba. Neji glanced at him, a barely discernible scowl on his face.
"Something you want to say, dog-breath?"
"We don't need that…we don't need someone like him. He's a risk, a loose cannon a…"
"…a rabid dog that needs to be put down?" Neji smirked at Sasuke's comment.
"I agree with Kiba." Sakura spoke up.
"Of course you do."
Sakura glared at Sasuke.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said Haruno."
"…Why don't we just kill him and be rid of this issue?"
Silence fell in the room as all eyes turned to Hinata who had finally spoken up.
"...because you can't?" Sasuke spoke, his humour evident in his voice. "You really believe someone who is playing cat and mouse with Kumo, Iwa and Oto sleeps with both his eyes closed?"
"And that will not achieve our objectives." Tsunade added. "No, we need a plan that leaves us some leeway…"
A snicker escaped from Sasuke's lips and all eyes turned to him.
"Am I amusing you, Uchiha?" a dangerous note was in Tsunade's voice.
"You don't need a plan, just be blunt and direct. Naruto hates cloak and dagger stuff like that, just be upfront and tell him what you want. If the you have the funds, he'll back your…"
"What are you talking about Uchiha?" Neji frowned. "You make him sound like…"
"…a mercenary? He had to make a living somehow."
A small smile crossed Shikamaru's face.
"I have an idea…but you're not going to like it."
Kirigakure no Sato - Festival Grounds
"WOW!"
Natsumi squealed as she saw the giant park and all the stalls that were going to be chock-full with goodies and games when the festival rolled around. There was so much to see and the festival hadn't started yet.
"Otou-san, can I go look around? Please?"
The cloaked man sighed, and nodded.
"Don't stay away too long, your uncle is on his way."
"HAI!" she cried out as she scampered away.
Turning around, the blond man saw the beautiful Godaime Mizukage walking up to him. Her face was expectant and hopeful…then her eyes fell on him.
"I thought the other one was coming." Cold steel edged her voice.
"Mizukage-chan! How's life treating you?" He easily shrugged off her hostile intent.
"Don't fool around here!" she thundered with anger. "I still remember when you…"
"…I almost killed Naruto. Calm down, he will be here…if he's still alive that is."
Mei's killing intent spiked and the blond man who waved his hands at her frantically.
"Okay, okay! Bad joke, very bad joke!"
Mei sighed as her murderous aura settled, her glare still trained on the blond man in front of her.
"Why does Naruto keep you around?"
The man closed his eyes and his lips curled into a feral grin. His canines lengthened and his whisker marks became more pronounced and darker. When he opened his eyes, the cerulean blue had been replaced by a malevolent red.
"I honestly have no idea…but I'm just along for the ride."
Next time on Tempered By Divine Winds
The stage has been set for the one of the biggest missing-nin confrontations in history...but what they find shocks them to the bone. With Naruto running the show and everyone else struggling to keep up, there is nothing they can do to stop the...
Inevitable
Or is there?
A/N: It's been way overdue and much shorter than you expected, I know but I'm ending the chapter here for now. Read & Review!