Sup folks. Here's the latest installment in my story. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Chapter 4: Fall of the Uzumaki Clan
Kakashi and his fellow Anbu had been on the road for about four days and finally they were nearing the location of the Uzumaki Compound. There were twelve Anbu including Kakashi sent on this covert mission.
The squad of Anbu halted a short distance away from the building as they looked to Kakashi. He waved them over into a circle.
The group of Konoha nin stood anxiously awaiting his orders. "Alright, for those of you that don't know the full details of this mission, we are going to completely destroy the remains of Uzushiogakure. This building right here is one of the few remaining places that stand from that village."
Everybody remained silent as Kakashi took a breath. The copy-nin continued, "This is the Uzumaki Compound…for those of you that don't know, they are one of the most powerful clans in the world. Or at least they used to be."
"What happened to it?" a purple haired woman asked curiously. Kakashi shook his head and sighed, "It is considered an S class secret on par with the Kyuubi itself."
"Well isn't that special?" The purple haired woman sighed sarcastically.
"Before we destroy this place however, the Hokage has requested that we scour for any relevant information. This place was home for several missing nin recently," Kakashi stated. Everyone nodded and followed Kakashi as he snuck inside.
The Anbu group did a quick sweep of the place and found it to be completely deserted. "I want Team one to go downstairs and check the basement levels. Team two stay with me and look through the upper levels."
Everybody silently nodded as they set off on their searching. Kakashi looked at a portrait in the main room and saw a beautiful red headed woman on it. She had two buns of red hair and an elaborate kimono on.
He read the nameplate below it, 'Mito Uzumaki…founder of the Uzumaki Clan and wife of the First Hokage. It's a miracle that Naruto didn't see this…'
The purple haired woman walked up behind Kakashi, "Who's that Kakashi?"
"Well, Anko, read the nameplate and find out. She was the daughter of a powerful warlord. She created the Uzumaki Clan," Kakashi answered.
Anko looked at the portrait closer and read the nameplate to herself. After a moment she turned around and laughed, "Shodaime-sama, married this woman?"
Kakashi nodded his head, "Yes, Mito Uzumaki was his wife. Some say she was the strongest Kunoichi ever…she was also the first jinchuuriki of Kyuubi."
Anko looked perplexed, "What? I didn't know that Kyuubi had any other containers…besides the fox kid."
Kakashi sighed, "After the battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, the Kyuubi was spotted on a destructive rampage near the Valley of the End. Neither Mito nor Hashirama were able to subdue the beast. In a desperate move, Mito sealed the beast into her own body."
"Why would she do that?" Anko asked confused.
"Minato-sensei told me why…he said that the Uzumaki Clan is actually closely related to the Senju. Both clans have incredible vitality. Due to the Kyuubi's destructive chakra, it would destroy any other host if they didn't have a powerful enough body to withstand it," Kakashi explained.
"So what you're saying is that the Uzumaki Clan is the only one capable of containing the nine tails?" Anko asked perplexed.
Kakashi nodded his head, "Well technically, the Senju probably could as well. Although, there have only been three hosts for Kyuubi…all three of them from this clan. Mito Uzumaki was the first, Kushina Uzumaki was the second, and her son Naruto Uzumaki is the current one."
"I don't get it then…what happened to this clan?" Anko questioned.
Walking into the room, another Anbu member answered her, "They were wiped out by order of Sandaime-sama…"
Anko eyed the newcomer intently, "Well, Yamato, care to elaborate?"
He sighed before answering, "This clan's destruction is tragic. Nobody knows what happened exactly. The Clan's leader simply lost it. Despite being close allies with Konoha, Mito turned against us and attempted to destroy Konoha."
"What?" Anko's eyes shot open surprised.
Yamato nodded his head and continued, "There are several theories as to why she did it, but nobody knows for sure. Mito simply transformed into Kyuubi and single handedly tried to destroy the village. Thankfully, she never made it because Lord Tobirama intercepted her halfway."
Kakashi nodded his head and cut in, "Mito was defeated by Tobirama, who then sealed the Kyuubi into his grand niece Kushina at the cost of his own life and Mito's. The girl was then secretly brought to Konoha due to the lack of trust we had for Uzushio."
"I'll bet that pissed them off." Anko stated plainly.
Yamato sighed, "Since the battle was such a secret, the Uzumaki Clan falsely believed that Tobirama assassinated Mito…and after they learned of Kushina's whereabouts and abduction, Uzushio declared war on Konoha."
"I don't blame them…why didn't anybody tell Uzushio about what happened?" Anko questioned.
Kakashi shrugged, "Danzo and the elders believed that the Uzumaki Clan couldn't be trusted and just wanted Kushina back so they could conquer Konoha. This led to rising tensions until finally Sandaime-sama was forced to order the complete annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan."
"So we wiped out an entire clan because they were retaliating against us for killing their leader and abducting their heir?" Anko asked disbelievingly.
"It's very sad to think about…but in the end it was necessary. Uzushio could not be trusted with Kyuubi after Mito transformed into the nine tails," Yamato stated.
"Why would she attempt to destroy her husband's village and people though?" Anko asked skeptically.
"Nobody knows…some say she was corrupted by Kyuubi, and others claim that she was just power hungry. It is irrelevant in the end however…" Kakashi noted.
"Technically, the Uzumaki Clan isn't completely destroyed...there are a few members left living in other countries," Yamato added.
"Wow…I wonder what the fox kid would say if he found out about this?" Anko thought aloud.
Kakashi shook his head with a worried look behind his mask, "Naruto must never be allowed to find out. That's the whole point of this mission…we need to destroy all of the evidence to prevent it. He wouldn't understand…"
Suddenly, another Anbu member ran up the nearby stairs, "Kakashi-senpai, I found something interesting here!"
The Anbu member handed Kakashi a black covered journal. The masked copy nin eyed it curiously as he opened the front page. Upon reading the top of the page he was shocked, "Zabuza's Journal…this might be useful."
"Well at least something beneficial came out of this colossal waste of time," Anko sighed.
Kakashi pocketed the journal and looked towards the Anbu member who brought it to him, "Good work…get the rest of your team to keep searching. Make sure to be thorough."
The man nodded and ran back downstairs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sasuke's training had been developing nicely. She had been working harder at her lightning training, but still had a long way to go.
The Uchiha's mind had been solely focused on training for the past four days. She hadn't even left the Uchiha Compound during this time. The raven haired girl panted heavily as she collapsed to the ground. She added more to her resistance training yesterday. It made everything much more exhausting.
Nevertheless, Sasuke kept doing it because she wasn't satisfied with her current speed.
The girl rolled onto her back and stared at the sky as she panted heavily. She saw a heart shaped cloud floating directly overhead. This instantly caused her to get angry and jump back up.
Sasuke sighed as she shook her head, 'There must be some way I can become stronger…wait, didn't father have a scroll with a list of Uchiha specialty jutsus on it? I need to go find that!'
The raven haired girl ran into her house nearby and into her parents' room. She rarely went in there after the massacre. The image of Itachi standing over her dead parents never went away. She timidly walked into the room and looked around for any kind of chest of vault.
She felt her stomach turn as she looked at the floor. It still had bloodstains in it…they never went away. Sasuke stepped over them and spotted her father's own personal desk. As she approached it, she saw a scroll sitting on top.
Sasuke picked up the scroll and opened it. 'This is definitely what I am looking for.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Team ten was chilling at their training ground in their usual carefree manner waiting for Asuma to arrive. Shikamaru shook his head and sighed deeply as he stared at the sky, "Another boring, pointless day…"
Chouji who was eating a bag of potato chips nodded in agreement, "I am bored of these D rank missions."
Ino sighed at the two and shook her head, "Guys, the chunin exams are coming up and you're not even training of anything!"
"Stop being so troublesome, Ino…" Shikamaru sighed as he stared at the cloudy sky. The blonde got annoyed and cracked her fists, "You two are so damn lazy! Even Naruto makes you two look bad!"
This caused the two of them to eye the girl curiously. Shikamaru sat up and placed a hand on his chin, "He's so troublesome…"
"Why does Asuma-sensei always compare us to him?" Chouji asked confused as he finished his chips. Shikamaru shrugged carelessly, "Maybe he's trying to insult us or something for being lazy."
Just then, a bearded jounin spoke up from behind the shadow user, "No, I compare you three to him, because Naruto is one of the best genin in Konoha. You could learn a lot if you had his spirit."
This caused all three members of team ten to perk up with confused looks on their faces. Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, "Do you even know how much of an idiot he is Asuma-sensei?"
The jounin laughed in response, "Believe what you will kids…but you'll be in for one hell of a surprise when you see him at the chunin exams."
"How do you even know Naruto?" Ino demanded. Asuma shrugged at the girl, "No need to concern yourself with that…I'm not going to say anything until Naruto himself decides to."
"I have to know now!" Chouji shouted comically. "You must be smoking something funny if you think Naruto is the best genin in Konoha, Asuma-sensei. I mean he's a nice guy and all, but he is a troublesome idiot," Shikamaru muttered.
"Maybe you three should get to know him…he is a lot more than he appears to be," Asuma responded.
"Tell me about it…I ran into him at the Dango stand the other day and he seemed so different," Ino said distantly as she remembered the embarrassing events several days ago.
"So what are we going to do today?" Shikamaru changed the subject.
"Train for the chunin exams…what else?" Asuma laughed.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru shot back.
"I'll show you troublesome…" Asuma laughed causing the three genin to look concerned.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kakashi's Anbu squad finally finished demolishing the Uzumaki Compound after three long days of salvaging and transporting every last piece of evidence.
At first everybody was happy about finishing early, but then they were disappointed when they found a map revealing two additional bunkers. Currently, the team was halfway through the first bunker and were dumping a majority of the building off the nearby Cliffside.
As this was going on, Kakashi lazily read the first entry in Zabuza's journal which he had acquired three days ago"
I decided to start writing down my thoughts in this stupid journal. Life really sucks right now…me and my henchmen were unable to kill Yagura and had to flee the village. Not really what I was expecting, but what can I do now?
It's that stupid bitch Mei's fault! I would have killed Yagura if she hadn't shown up. There's just no way that I could stand a chance against lava and shit…I mean where the fuck does somebody learn how to do that? I guess it has to be some sort of bloodline, but I have absolutely no idea what Clan can do that.
I've never heard of a Terumi Clan, so I'm guessing that isn't really Mei's name. It doesn't matter in the end though…I just want to kill that stupid red headed bitch.
At any rate, Kirigakure is a lost cause now and so is my hope for becoming Mizukage. Whatever…I don't need some stupid comrades and some stupid village to hold me back anyways.
Now there's the question of what the hell am I going to do? I have given it a fair amount of thought and I suppose I'll just start traveling and hope for the best. I'm a missing nin now and a former swordsman of the mist so I'll have a lot of people after me.
I suppose that maybe I should go to the Land of Snow or someplace similar and find a place to lay low.
Kakashi found the first entry to be rather interesting. He was particularly curious about the woman Zabuza mentioned.
'Lava is an Uzumaki bloodline trait and I am pretty sure most people from this clan have red hair…this woman must be a member of the Uzumaki Clan. I wonder what she's doing in Kiri though?' Kakashi wondered as he continued reading.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto's training had been exhausting to say the least. He had almost forgotten how difficult it was to train with shadow clones. Thankfully though, it paid off for the boy. In the past week he successfully managed to perform his new jutsus.
Even though they still needed work, the blonde had mastered the essential basics and only required more practice. Naruto barely slept during his time in the Forest of Death. The location he was at was heavily covered by trees in an open clearing making it extremely dark.
Of course the glowing flashes of an army of clones practicing jutsus managed to light the clearing up.
In the past week, Naruto managed to find a place to eat and drink. Not far from his clearing, was a small shaded stream with crystal clear water.
This stream was full of fish which is the thing that the blonde had been eating for the past several days. As much as he enjoyed his own outdoor cooking, Naruto was completely sick of eating fish for breakfast lunch and dinner for seven days straight.
Sadly, he knew that he would have to do so for another week. Naruto sighed deeply as he pulled a skewered fish off of his fire. He ate the fish slowly as he watched his clones train endlessly. Naruto made a point to mass dispel them every couple hours so he wouldn't kill himself or end up in a coma from overuse.
This made him extremely tired, but the blonde's unstoppable stamina continued to prevail. As he finished eating his fish, Naruto started channeling a large Rasengan. It took a bit of concentration, but he managed to bolster its size considerably.
It was decent progress, but not nearly enough. Naruto wanted his Rasengan to have more of a flare to it. 'I wish Jiraiya-sensei was in the village…he said that it was possible to use elemental chakra in Rasengan, but I have no clue how that would work.'
The blonde began to sweat profusely as he started to channel another Rasengan in his other hand. It took intense concentration but after a few moments he managed to create a second ball of chakra.
"You need to learn your bloodlines now…your Rasengan is already proficient for the time being."
Kyuubi's interruption caused Naruto to lose his focus causing the Rasengan in his right hand to dissipate. 'Damn it Kyuubi, you messed me up!'
"It's for your own good…you need to learn how to deal with distractions like that if you are in a real fight."
'Yeah because you are the greatest teacher of all time…' Naruto replied sarcastically.
Naruto sat down again and opened the scroll revealing his bloodline abilities in it. 'Well I guess I should try the first one on the list. Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu.' (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique)
The jinchuuriki stood up and went through the appropriate hand seals. Naruto launched his attack but was shocked as it backfired. This caused an explosion blasting the boy against a tree. His clones were all dispelled upon his impact.
Naruto stood up and dusted himself off as he laughed, 'Well, talk about your royal backfires.'
"You stupid idiot…you combined wind chakra with that attack not earth! Do it again this time…and try not to blow yourself up!"
The genin sighed as he went through the hand seals again, "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique) This time, Naruto managed to successfully combine fire and earth into lava. Although there was a slight problem.
Naruto spit out some lava but it solidified as soon as it shot out of his mouth. The boy started coughing as he cleared his throat from the hardened lava. 'Damn…what am I doing wrong?'
"It is important to keep both elements properly balanced at all times until you successfully launch your attack. If you use too much earth then that shit will happen, but if you use too much fire then you'll end up melting your own face off."
'This sucks…I didn't think it was going to be this difficult!'
"Cry me a river bitch…complaining isn't going to make you any better at it."
Naruto sighed deeply, 'I guess you're right.'
The bijou laughed maniacally in Naruto's mind, "I am always right!"
"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto shouted summoning an enormous number of shadow clones. He ordered them to start practicing as he himself read over the scroll again.
The genin skimmed over the writing until something interesting caught his eye at the bottom, 'To properly use Lava, one must maintain perfect balance of both chakra types. Releasing both at the same time is dangerous…release fire chakra first and combine it with earth. Earth is supplementary in the combination.'
"Hahahahaha! They should put warning labels on these for people like you."
Naruto shook his head and laughed, 'Well, that ought to make this a bit easier.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next three days were very uneventful for most of Konoha. Of course there were a few exceptions such as Sasuke. She had been hard at work practicing the Uchiha Clan's specialty fire jutsus.
They weren't too difficult for Sasuke due to her affinity for fire and natural talent with Fire jutsus. Sasuke was standing in the Uchiha training ground facing a large wall. This wall was completely charred and covered in burns.
Sasuke had her Sharingan activated as she went through several hand seals, "Katon Karyuu Endan!" (Fire Dragon Flame Blast) A dragon shaped stream of fire shot from the girl's mouth and completely incinerated the wall. Wasting no time, the girl leapt back and performed another jutsu, "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" (Balsam spread fire)
A flurry of fire balls launched from the girls' mouth as she further devastated the wall. After the blast subsided, Sasuke took a deep breath. The girl had become slightly frustrated with lightning and had been working more on her fire attacks lately.
Granted, Sasuke spent about half the day on Lightning training still. Nevertheless, the Uchiha's mastery over her clan's fire jutsus was nothing short of amazing. The porcelain skinned girl sat down against the wall and took a break for the first time today.
She sighed deeply as she stared at the ground, 'Ten straight days of training and I'm still not good enough! I got the hang of every stupid fire jutsu on that scroll but it still isn't enough. There's got to be a way I can do more with fire.'
Just then, an interesting idea came to the raven haired girl's mind. 'I wonder if it's possible to combine fire chakra with taijutsu…'
Instantly leaping to her feet, Sasuke went through a series of ideas in her head. She took a deep breath and held in it as she channeled her chakra. Suddenly, the girl started to go through hand seals and spit a small amount of fire from her mouth.
Concentrating hard on it, Sasuke managed to cover her hands and feet in fire. 'Focus…one mistake and I'll end up in burn ward.' Sasuke kept her meditated mind focused as she channeled more chakra into the fires.
The girl then opened her eyes and kicked towards the wall sending a large blast of fire from her foot. 'Now this is what I am talking about!' Sasuke sent a punch towards the wall and launched another blast of fire.
'This is crazy…why didn't I ever think of this before?' Sasuke thought as she began to cycle through a taijutsu exercise launching fire with each punch and kick. The Uchiha took a deep breath and then exhaled spitting an inferno from her mouth.
Suddenly a lapse of concentration caused the fire around her hands and feet to dissipate. She knelt down and panted heavily afterwards. 'Damn…I lost it.' Sasuke stood up and took deep breaths.
'How did I do that again? Shit…I need to try it again.' Sasuke managed to redo her previous feat, but would periodically lose it. This continued for another hour until the girl was completely exhausted and out of chakra. Sasuke collapsed on the ground and rolled on her back as she panted heavily.
'Wow, that takes a lot out of me…I really need to get better at doing that. I am burning way too much chakra with it right now.' The girl sighed deeply, 'I suppose I should keep trying. Lightning is a lost cause until Kakashi-sensei gets back…I am going to need his assistance with it.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Over in Wave Country, the Anbu squad was working on demolishing the second bunker. They didn't find anything useful in the buildings and quickly began to tear it down.
During the past few days, Kakashi had been reading more of Zabuza's journal and learned a great deal about the man and his minions. Although that wasn't what interested the copy nin. The thing that he found fascinating was the entry where Zabuza first took refuge in the Uzumaki Compound:
We barely managed to avoid an bunch of hunter nin back in Tea Country. It's been tough with the constant traveling, but me and my gang are rather good as bounty hunters. The work is good and nobody asks questions.
Recently, this little bitch of a criminal lord named Gato sent a personal request for me. I decided to accept it and came to meet the guy in Wave Country. This entire country is just fucked up. I hear some powerful clan used to live here but whoever they were…they're long gone now.
I swear you'll find more cheer in a graveyard than you will in this gods forsaken country.
So anyways, after our long boring trip, we found a nice little place to set up base over here.
I should probably check the place for valuables before those bandits get here…I sent the Demon Brothers to tell Gato to meet me here. In the mean time I'll just check out the treasures this place is probably loaded with.
After reading page, Kakashi nodded his head as he began to understand Zabuza's entire role in Wave Country. The Copy nin flipped to the next page and began to read the next entry as his curiosity began to soar:
Well…this place is more than just some piece of shit ruined building. It is apparently the remains of a compound that belonged to a group called the Uzumaki Clan. I found a ton of interesting stuff here…also I located a scroll about the Uzumaki bloodlines.
Lava and Boil…those are two of the main Uzumaki bloodlines. It all makes sense to me now…Mei Terumi is a survivor of this dead clan. Very interesting…although I can't quite figure out what the hell happened to this place.
The secrets shrouded around these remains are just astonishing. There's a portrait of a woman in the main room. I was surprised to find out that this clan is married into the Hokage line…that would make them close allies with Konoha I am assuming.
Although since this place is close to Konoha…I wouldn't doubt if something happened between the two. Stupid Konoha ninjas are selfish, tyrannical, and oblivious. They started all the wars with Kumo and Iwa so I wouldn't doubt if they did the same to this place.
They always go on about their stupid will of fire and try to justify every war they start. It sickens me how ignorant Konoha has become. Those people actually think that they are the good guys. Judging by the widespread use of fire and the few Konoha headbands I located, I am inclined to believe that Konoha wiped out this place. These are the remains of Uzushio.
Such a shame too…judging by the contents of this bloodline scroll and my previous encounters with Mei, I wouldn't doubt if this was one of the most powerful clans ever. I am definitely keeping this scroll…maybe it'll come in handy.
Kakashi was completely astonished by Zabuza's intuition. Another thing that shocked him was the mention of a surviving Uzumaki scroll.
'Damn…we didn't find any scroll back at the compound. Zabuza must still have it on him. Shit…maybe I should have killed him.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sakura quietly walked through the village with her mind wandering in thought, 'It's been a week and a half, and I haven't seen Naruto at all. I wonder where he is?' Ever since her little lunch date with Naruto, Sakura hadn't been the same.
She felt a sense of determination from her team mate. The fact that a guy like Naruto could work hard to become strong was something that genuinely impressed Sakura. The pink haired girl still remembered the events of Wave Country clearly in her mind.
Sakura felt her heart skip a beat every time she relived the memory of Naruto tackling her to the ground saving her life. 'I would have been dead right now if it wasn't for him.'
Images of the boy fighting off Zabuza without an ounce of fear caused her to smile. Without realizing it, she lost herself in her memory and ended up waking straight into somebody.
"Hey watch it!" A girl's voice sounded loudly bringing Sakura back to reality. "Oh Sakura, it's you!" the girl said as she eyed the flustered Sakura.
"Where have you been Sakura?" Ino laughed.
"Oh sorry, Ino, I was just thinking is all," Sakura replied. "Why are you blushing?" Ino giggled at her friend causing Sakura to look confused.
"Was I blushing?" Sakura asked.
"Are you kidding me? You looked like you were lost in some perverted daydream or something…so Sakura, what's his name?" Ino demanded.
The two girls conversation caught a few passing onlookers' attention. Sakura looked around embarrassed and scratched the back of her head, "Hehehe…well I would rather not discuss it in public."
"Fine, come to my house…I've got to hear this!" Ino squealed in delight as she took Sakura hand and led her down the street.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Upon reaching Ino's home, the two girls made their way upstairs into Ino's room. The blonde closed the door quickly and anxiously stared at Sakura who was now seated on her bed.
"So…tell me who is he!" Ino asked curiously.
The pink haired girl remained silent for a moment, 'I can't tell Ino that I like Naruto…she'll end up interfering like she does with all the guys I like.'
"Well I would rather keep it anonymous, but all I am going to say is that you don't know him," Sakura finally said.
Ino looked irritated, "Aw c'mon, Sakura, you can tell me. I won't say anything to him, I just want to know who he is."
"Like I said, you don't know him…" Sakura repeated.
"Then tell me what his name is? I might know him…" Ino shot back as she sprawled out on her bed staring at Sakura.
"Listen, Ino, I'll tell you when I feel more comfortable about it alright? There's just a lot of weirdness involved and I don't want to go off assuming anything until I am certain he likes me back," Sakura responded.
"You're no fun…aw well whatever. Anyways, Sakura how has your team been lately?" Ino asked curiously.
"I haven't seen any of them in well over a week…Naruto and Sasuke are both off training by themselves and Kakashi-sensei is on a mission," Sakura answered.
Ino looked confused, "What? Why would your sensei leave you guys by yourselves when the chunin exams are weeks away!"
Sakura shrugged, "I don't know why he went on the mission. He said it was urgent or something. Although Kakashi-sensei said that the three of us were probably ready for the chunin exams already."
"So tell me more about Naruto? He seems so different lately. Not to mention Asuma-sensei won't shut up about how great he is," Ino sighed.
Sakura was surprised to hear Naruto's name but regained her composure. "Well yeah, Naruto is very talented. He is able to do elemental jutsus and all sorts of cool stuff."
Ino cocked her head at the mention, "Haha, who would have thought…although I gotta say he looked really hot in that outfit I saw him wearing a week ago."
'What the hell is she talking about?' Inner Sakura yelled.
"When did you see Naruto last week?" Sakura asked curiously. Ino looked down and blushed at the mention, "Well it was really weird…I kind of had breakfast with him at this Dango Restaurant."
"How did that happen?" Sakura questioned.
"I don't know…it just sort of did. Although, he got up and left in the middle of it. I tried to tackle him but he pulled a blade on me. It kind of turned me on…I didn't know Naruto was such a bad boy."
Sakura looked petrified at the mention, 'Damn it Ino…why do you always like the same boys that I do!'
Ino giggled as she looked at her friend, "You should put in a good word for me or something…I wouldn't mind dating the guy!"
Inner Sakura sounded like a dragon right now, 'WHAT THE HELL DID SHE JUST ASK ME TO DO?'
The pink haired girl nodded her head, "I guess I could say something to him…but I haven't seen him in days so it might be a while."
"Want to spend the night Sakura? We should share stories about our team mates…I want to hear more about Naruto and Sasuke," Ino suggested.
"Well…I guess," Sakura agreed causing Ino to hug her.
"So tell me about Sasuke? It must be pretty strange working with the number one rookie genin all the time."
"Sasuke is a complete nutcase…she is a psychotic, emo bitch," Sakura gossiped. Ino's face lit up at the mention, "Yeah, she always got on my nerves too. She thinks she's so much better than everybody else."
Sakura nodded in agreement, "Tell me about it."
"How do you and Naruto get along with her?" Ino asked.
Sakura sighed heavily as she answered, "Well, for some reason she and Naruto get along most of the time which is shocking to be honest. I on the other hand rarely even get the courtesy of hearing Sasuke talk to me directly."
"Wow…she likes Naruto more than you? Damn…I thought Sasuke hated Naruto," Ino responded. The pink haired girl shrugged, "I have no idea what the deal is between them…although I think Naruto is better off avoiding her."
"I think everybody is better off doing that. You know I hear she lives all by herself in the Uchiha Compound after her clan got slaughtered," Ino said.
Sakura looked apathetic at the mention of it, "It was a tragedy no doubt, but it doesn't give her an excuse to be so mean to people."
"True enough…" Ino agreed.
"So, Sakura…tell me more about Naruto. I mean since you're his team mate and all I'm sure you've gotten to know him a bit," Ino requested.
Sakura sighed and shook her head, "Naruto's a mystery…he rarely tells anybody anything and always avoids questions about himself. I barely know anything beyond the fact that he said he was an orphan."
Ino looked unconvinced, "You've got to have more juicy information than that…"
Sakura didn't bother answering as she stood up, "On second thought, I should probably get going. Take care Ino."
The blonde looked surprised, "What? Where are you going Sakura?"
"Home." without another word, Sakura rushed out of the room leaving Ino alone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sakura was fairly annoyed by her earlier encounter with Ino. She didn't like the way that Ino always seemed to move in on the guys that she liked.
The girl was glad that she didn't tell Ino about her crush on Naruto otherwise it would have created a very awkward situation.
Although Sakura found herself torn two ways from this new dilemma. On one side, she didn't want to jeopardize her friendship with Ino, and on the other Sakura selfishly believed that Naruto should date herself instead.
It was a frustrating situation to say the least. All of a sudden, something clicked in Sakura's head, 'Wait a minute…I'm jealous that somebody else likes Naruto. Does this mean that I like Naruto that way?'
Sakura's realization towards the situation caused her to reflect more on the way she felt about her blonde team mate. 'Well…I never really liked him much until we became team mates. He is such a nice guy and is always cheering me on.'
A small smile graced Sakura's lips as she thought more, 'He's always asking me out on dates and I turn him down…maybe I should date him. I mean the guy saved my life and he is really caring and strong.'
Sakura had more of a mental attraction to Naruto. She did think the boy was cute in his own way, but the real thing that she liked most about Naruto was his genuine, caring personality.
Without realizing it, Sakura was beaming at the thought of the boy's smile. 'I can't believe I am thinking this…I should date Naruto.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kakashi was still reading Zabuza's journal. Most of the following entries talked a lot about the swordsman's encounters with Gato and odd jobs the man had him do. Of course it took a while, but Kakashi finally managed to locate an interesting part again:
So I ran into these Konoha nin while trying to kill the bridge builder today. I was expecting an easy slaughter, but they put up a good fight for a bunch of wimps.
I found out that the leader of this group was the famous copy nin Kakashi. I wasn't expecting Konoha to send him alone on this mission…but I almost couldn't believe that it was just him and a genin squad. That is almost insulting in my opinion.
Although after fighting them I am disinclined to think so. It just blew my mind how strong those genin kids were. I was thoroughly impressed by this blonde boy in the bunch. The kid had the bluest eyes I've ever seen and these strange marks on his face. I wasn't sure what they were, but they looked like whisker marks.
He was performing jutsus way out of normal range for somebody his age. Not only that but the kid was capable of performing two different types of elemental jutsus…wind and water. He would have been a jounin by now if he lived in Kiri.
Although he wasn't the only one that surprised me. There was this girl that blew fire at me. It isn't that surprising to see somebody from Konoha using fire jutsus, but it seemed way more powerful than it should have been for somebody that age.
In the end I had to get the hell out of there. I am definitely going to need Haku's help if I want to take down the copy nin and these super genin kids…
Kakashi quietly laughed at Zabuza's writing.
He couldn't help but find Zabuza's amazement to be comical.
'I'm almost done with this journal…I might as well finish reading it.' Kakashi thought as he sat down against a tree and began to read the final entry:
Somebody broke into my room today…I don't know how it happened, but I know for a fact that it had to have been a ninja because all of the stairs were covered and the window had been busted open.
One of Gato's goons decorated the rocks at the bottom. It wasn't a pretty sight…
I have no idea how this could have happened. Haku and I left the room to investigate some supposed demon sighting until we heard a loud crash.
I wasn't gone for two minutes and when I got back, the window was busted and the vault had been robbed. I have no idea who could have done this…but whoever they were, they disappeared fast. I suppose it might be possible that a surviving Uzumaki Clan member stole the scroll…but I have no clue.
Judging by the professional extraction, I am guessing that it had to be Mei or some other member of the Uzumaki Clan that I don't know. At any rate…whoever has that scroll didn't steal it to sell. I had priceless jewelry and all sorts of trinkets in that vault and the scroll was the only thing taken.
Well at least I can take comfort in the fact that whoever has the scroll now will put it to good use…
Kakashi's eye shot open horrified upon reading the final entry in Zabuza's journal.
'No…could Naruto have done that? He did say he wasn't in the Compound for long…but why wouldn't he ask me about the Uzumaki Clan then? None of this makes sense…I hope the Hokage knows what to do.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Finally after a long trip, Kakashi and his squad were finally home. The jounin decided to keep the contents of the journal to himself. He knew that he couldn't tell the others without revealing the confidential encounter his team had with Zabuza.
The silver haired jounin was very distressed by the situation. His mind kept wandering to Naruto and he couldn't fathom any logical reason as to how or why the boy would have stolen the scroll and not told anybody.
'Even if he was capable of stealing it…I know for a fact that Naruto would ask me something about the Uzumaki Clan. Same thing when Zabuza mentioned it in our battle on the bridge. Something just doesn't add up…Naruto has no reason to distrust me.'
Kakashi had been working up several theories in his head about the situation, but none of them sat well with the jounin. His first theory was that Naruto was simply innocent and oblivious about the whole situation and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The second theory was one that the jounin did not like at all. It was possible that Naruto stole the scroll for himself and knew a lot more about his clan than anybody thought.
This second theory was terrifying to Kakashi. Although it was also the one that he found to be the least likely due to Naruto's brash pride and kind, honorable nature. The jounin simply couldn't fathom Naruto keeping something like that to himself.
The final theory that Kakashi came up with was one that seemed the most likely. Naruto didn't know the truth about his clan but managed to steal the scroll.
The third theory seemed the most reasonable to Kakashi due to the blonde's oblivious attitude towards Zabuza's remark about the Uzumaki Clan and Naruto's strange behavior.
He didn't want to believe it, but Kakashi was convinced that Naruto was the thief of the Uzumaki Scroll.
'The Hokage is going to kill me when hears about this…'
It had been a long two weeks but the Anbu squad were finally in Konoha again. It was dark outside, around midnight, so almost everybody decided to head home.
Well everybody except Kakashi and Yamato. The man followed Kakashi as they headed towards the Hokage's office.
"Are you feeling okay senpai?" Yamato asked concerned.
Kakashi shook his head and sighed, "No…No I'm not okay. The Hokage is going to kill me after he finds out about what happened."
Yamato looked confused, "What do you mean? Our mission was a success."
Kakashi shrugged, "Well feel free to stand in and listen to me explain it to him. Although I'll warn you…he's probably going to make you clean up my corpse."
"That bad huh?" Yamato asked.
The jounin nodded his head, "You have no idea how bad…"
The two men continued onward to the Hokage's Tower.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sarutobi stared blankly at Kakashi as he finished reading the journal entry about the Uzumaki scroll.
For the first time ever, Kakashi saw the man genuinely pissed off. Sarutobi growled in irritation as he chucked the book at a wall, "So what you're saying is you think Naruto has this scroll then?"
Kakashi nodded slightly afraid, "Yes…It's just a theory, but judging on the evidence and Naruto's odd behavior on that mission it seems likely."
Sarutobi sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "I was afraid of this…but if what you say is true, then Naruto knows that he is a member of a clan. However, this may still be salvageable since he didn't learn anything about his clan other than their bloodline."
"What do you want me to do Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked sincerely apologetic.
"Nothing Kakashi…Naruto obviously doesn't trust you if he kept that scroll to himself. I am going to need somebody else to keep an eye on that boy when he isn't with you or his team," The hokage stated as he looked over at the man behind Kakashi.
Kakashi turned around and looked at Yamato.
"Yamato…I want you to watch Naruto. Keep a close eye for any suspicious activity the boy does and try to find evidence of him using this scroll," The Hokage ordered.
Yamato nodded his head, "Of course Hokage-sama."
"Couldn't you use your crystal ball to do that?" Kakashi asked curiously. The Hokage shook his head, "No…I have been unable to locate Naruto with it which is even more of a reason for you to find out where he has been."
"How could Naruto be immune to the crystal ball?" Yamato asked perplexed.
The Hokage sighed, "There are ways to keep it away…one of which is knowing of its existence and hiding your power level whenever it searches for you."
"It has been two weeks…Naruto should show up to Team Seven's training ground tomorrow. Look for him then Yamato," Kakashi added.
The wood user nodded his head, "Very well…I'll be discreet and respectful."
The Hokage nodded his head as he stood up and walked to the window, "You two are dismissed…report any unusual activity to me."
Both men nodded as they left in a puff of smoke.
Sarutobi began to smoke his pipe and sighed, "I am getting too old for this shit…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sasuke plopped down on her bed and let out a long exhale. She rolled onto her back and began to climb underneath the sheets.
After getting comfortable the Uchiha yawned sleepily. She had been hard at work trying to perfect her fire nintaijutsu as she had come to call it. The girl managed to keep a consistency to her new ability now, but it still needed work.
Nevertheless, it was still quite devastating and Sasuke couldn't wait to unveil it against an unsuspecting foe in the chunin exams. As for the Uchiha's other training, she was moderately proficient at the clan's fire jutsus and practiced them everyday.
Sasuke's lightning training on the other hand was something she had hit a wall with. She simply knew too little about it to replicate it consistently. The girl decided that she would ask Kakashi for assistance in the matter.
The greatest thing that Sasuke's endless training had accomplished was it drastically improved her speed. Sasuke's resistance training had paid off and allowed her to keep up with her Sharingan. Overall, the girl was one step closer to being the best genin.
As her mind crossed that thought it drifted to a familiar whiskered face. Naruto's face flashed through the girl's mind as she relived a vivid memory of sitting under a tree next to him.
Despite her usual bitchy attitude on the subject, Sasuke quietly gave in to her wandering mind as she began to think about Naruto, 'I should apologize to him…Naruto was just trying to be my friend and I spit his generosity right back in his face.'
The Uchiha's never ending training during the days usually kept the blonde boy out of her thoughts, but at night she couldn't think of anything but Naruto.
Some nights such as tonight, Sasuke would silently lie awake and think about all the things she could say or do to make Naruto like her again. She would push Itachi, and every other problem out the window and just think about him.
'I could apologize…and maybe try to explain my situation to him. Naruto's an orphan after all…he's sure to understand me.'
Just then that interesting thought began to take shape as Sasuke saw herself sitting next to Naruto and apologizing. The next thing that happened was the girl pounced on him and began to kiss him. Sasuke quietly drifted to sleep as this happy image flooded her mind.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto quietly snuck out of the Forest of Death and was on his way home. The boy was very crafty and made sure nobody saw him until he appeared on a main street. He then casually made his way home through the dying late night crowds.
The past two weeks were very beneficial for Naruto. He learned some new jutsus and had finally gotten the hang of his bloodline. Although it was anything but easy. Naruto would occasionally mess up his jutsus or have them backfire, but thanks to Kyuubi's chakra, he didn't die or scar from the several burns he acquired.
He was anything but a master at it, but nevertheless, Naruto could officially create Lava and steam. This was a very nice addition to his attack variety and he was proud of himself for his hard work.
The boy also managed to get more practice with his Rasengan in, but unfortunately didn't get to experiment with it like he had wanted to.
Overall, Naruto's private training was something that he couldn't wait to unveil at the chunin exams. 'I am going to use lava in the finals and blow everybody's mind! They'll all start respecting me once they see how strong I have become…'
Upon hearing Naruto's thought, Kyuubi burst out laughing, "Yeah right…the day these people start respecting you is the day that I start using your name. Face it kit, when they see your display, they are going to be terrified of you. Hopefully even try to kill you…that'll give you an excuse."
'An excuse for what?'
"To go on a killing spree…"
'For that last time Kyuubi…I am not going to go on a killing spree! I am not a monster demon fox hell bent on destroying everything that breathes.'
"Maybe you should be…maybe I know things that you don't. You're naïve…the world doesn't work the way you think it does and this village isn't innocent in any way whatsoever. You'll just have to learn that the hard way I guess…"
'I'll take my chances with Konoha, Kyuubi…'
"I can't wait until the walls come crashing down…you're going to cry for days and I will be laughing in your head because I told you it was coming."
'What the hell are you talking about? I am going to become the Hokage one day. You are such a pessimist.'
"A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist…one day you are going to wake up and understand that." (A/N: Damn right I just stole that line from Mass Effect!)
Before Naruto could respond, he bumped into somebody on the street.
It was a civilian girl probably a few years younger than Naruto himself. Upon realizing his action, Naruto caught her before she hit the ground.
The girl looked relieved that Naruto caught her. "Sorry about that…I wasn't watching where I was going," Naruto apologized as he inspected the girl.
She had white eyes and brunette hair. He didn't recognize her, but he upon seeing her eyes he instantly figured she was a Hyuuga.
"It's okay…thanks for catching me," The girl said as Naruto set her back down. Naruto nodded his head and smiled, "No problem…by the way you're part of the Hyuuga Clan right?"
The girl nodded her head and quietly eyed the boy. "Well, I was just wondering if you knew a girl named Hinata? Is she feeling any better? She fainted the last time I saw her."
The girl looked curious, "How do you know my sister?"
"She's a fellow genin…I also used to see her in the academy."
Hanabi thought for a moment, "Well I should get going…farewell."
Naruto nodded his head as he waved at her, "Tell Hinata, that Naruto hopes she is feeling better."
The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around, "You're Naruto?"
The blonde smiled widely, "Yep, the one and only! You know me?"
The girl simply shook her head, "No…" Without another word Hanabi left.
Naruto was a bit confused by the girl's well mannered behavior but pushed it aside as he continued home.
He passed several stores but nothing very interesting occurred until all of a sudden a fist came flying at Naruto's face.
He easily caught it and threw the assailant over his shoulder pressing his knife against the person's throat as he knelt on top of them.
Everybody in the street looked shocked by the action. "What the hell?" Naruto inspected this assailant closer and noticed it was one of the unnamed genin from the academy.
Out of the twenty or so students that passed the exams in the academy, only nine became official genin. This poor chump was one of the people that didn't make it.
"Hey watch yourself Uzumaki!" Another voice called out. Two more academy students ran at him with kunais drawn. Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto easily disarmed and grounded both boys with ease.
The one who previously attacked him suddenly charged him from behind until Naruto spun around and roundhouse kicked the boy in the face.
Afterwards, all three academy students were crying in pain as they held different part of their injured bodies.
Passing civilians began to shout upon seeing the act and began to point and yell at Naruto.
"Where's your fucking optimism now? This is the nature of Konoha…behind all of the pretty views and fake bullshit, these people are petty."
'What the fuck…I can't defend myself?'
"Maybe you should have scorched these kids with lava…that would give the villagers an excuse to never come near you again Hahahaha!"
"Hey! Get away from those kids you monster!" one woman shouted as she tried to get in Naruto's face. The growing crowd began to shout random obscenities until suddenly a jounin landed in front of Naruto, "These three just assaulted him…I saw so myself. You people need to move along!"
The crowd reluctantly backed away upon seeing the infamous purple haired Anko standing in front of Naruto. She turned around and shook her head, "You alright kid?"
Naruto nodded his head, "Yeah I'm fine…although those three are going to be bruised for a while."
Anko laughed at his comment, "Hahaha, well anyways kid, move along before their parents show up and cause a scene. I'll take care of this for you."
"Wow thanks…" Naruto said kind of surprised. Anko smiled as she winked, "Take care kiddo, try not to get jumped by any more academy students."
"The Next time you get jumped you are going to kill them without an ounce of pity!"
"Next time I get jumped I am killing the person who does it!" Naruto said in a rather annoyed manner as he kicked one of the boys in the face before stepping on another's neck.
Anko simply laughed at his attitude as she shook her head, 'I just can't wait to do paperwork on this…'
Naruto's good mood was completely ruined by the encounter he had with the small crowd of villagers.
He had a pissed look on his face as he shoved random gawking villagers to the ground on his walk home. Several people tried to threaten him, but due to the killing intent leaking from the blonde, most just fled as he made eye contact.
The whole walk Kyuubi kept droning on about the situation, "Save your anger kit…wasting it on villagers is pointless."
'Why does something always go wrong? I mean I can't go for a fucking walk without something stupid like this happening?'
"You're a pariah…is it really that surprising? Consider it a gift. You are one of the few people who have the potential to see Konoha for what it really is…don't forget the events that occurred tonight. They are a prime example of the petty weaknesses that fill the hearts of these envious mortals."
'I just want to sleep in my bed…maybe tomorrow will be better.' Naruto sighed as he walked through his front door.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The next day, Naruto wasn't the first person to the training ground as usual. This time it was Sasuke. The Uchiha sat in Naruto's usual spot and sighed as she thought about how she was going to apologize to him.
'I can't just keep ignoring him…Naruto is going to pass me by if I shut him out of my life. I can't let him end up with Sakura…that's just disgusting!' Sasuke thought as she leaned against the tree.
Suddenly, the Uchiha heard a noise coming from the bridge and looked anxiously at it, 'Oh Naruto is finally here!' Naruto casually walked across the bridge and noticed Sasuke sitting under their tree.
The raven haired girl eyed him as he walked up and sat down next to her. There was dead silence for a few minutes until finally both turned to speak:
"Naruto, I'm sorry."
"Sasuke, I'm sorry."
Upon hearing the other apologize their was an awkward silence between the two as they stared at one another.
Sasuke was the first to break their eye contact as she looked down shamefully, "I shouldn't have been such a bitch to you Naruto…you truly are a good team mate and you would have made a great friend."
The blonde was empathetic as he nodded, "I should have handled it better…I can understand what it's like to not trust somebody."
The girl looked at him and smiled, "I trust you Naruto…and I do want to be your friend."
Naruto was rather surprised to hear that from the girl. "Thanks Sasuke, it means a lot to hear you say that. I know you're the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan…that's gotta be tough."
"Do you want to hear about it?" Sasuke asked shyly as she scooted closer to the blonde. He nodded his head, "Yes."
Sasuke took a deep breath before starting, "Well…the reason why I am so…weird I guess you could say, is because I need to avenge my clan. They were all brutally murdered by my brother Itachi…on the night it happened, he spared my life and told me that I needed to be strong and to hate him if I ever stood a chance at taking revenge. I am the way I am because I have to be!"
The Uchiha looked sad as a single tear fell down her face. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and looked empathetically at the girl, "I'm sorry about your family Sasuke…I wish I could understand but I can't because I never had one."
Naruto wasn't expecting what came next. Sasuke suddenly embraced him in a hug and silently whispered, "We have each other, Naruto…"
Sasuke pulled away and the two stared at each other silently for a moment. The Uchiha girl was trying to work up her courage to kiss Naruto but to her utter surprise he kissed her.
It was a brief kiss, but Sasuke quickly pulled away in disbelief, "What the hell are you doing?" the girl demanded in a defensive manner as she pushed Naruto back. Naruto looked confused by her attitude, "I…I don't know."
Before Sasuke could apologize for her defensive outburst, a loud pink haired girl came charging across the bridge.
"NARUTO-KUN! Where have you been the last two weeks?" Sakura shouted as she ran over towards the blonde paying no heed to Sasuke. Naruto stood up and shrugged at the girl, "I was training Sakura…"
Sasuke nearly gagged at the way Naruto's name rolled off of Sakura's tongue. Something about the way the girl said it seemed venomous and repulsive.
The raven haired girl didn't bother giving Sakura any acknowledgement as she looked away bored, "Hmph."
Sasuke's change in attitude made Naruto believe that he made things awkward, 'Damn it…now Sasuke hates me again because I kissed her! Why does this crap always happen to me?'
"So how's your training been going?" Sakura asked. Naruto shrugged again, "It's been uneventful."
"We should start training together Naruto! It would be fun!" Sakura suggested.
'Why can't she just die? I hate this bitch so much!' Sasuke thought as she glared daggers at the girl.
"I like training alone…it gives me time to meditate and reflect," Naruto said.
Sakura looked disappointed for a moment until a smile graced her lips, "Hey Naruto can I talk to you for a minute?"
He remained silent as he focused his gaze on her. Sakura briefly looked over towards Sasuke and back over to Naruto, "In private…"
The jinchuuriki sighed and nodded his head, "Alright, let's go…"
Sakura held Naruto's hand as she guided him a short distance back across the bridge. She made sure to stay within Sasuke's hearing range however.
As they crossed the bridge, Sakura grabbed Naruto other hand and began to smile as she eyed him cheerfully, "So…I was just thinking about you lately…and well…how would feel about being my boyfriend Naruto?"
The blonde was completely taken by surprise by Sakura's question. Upon hearing Sakura's request Sasuke's head jerked over towards the direction the two were at and she began to glare.
Naruto was silent for a moment as he looked across the bridge towards Sasuke. The Uchiha was glaring angrily the blonde as the two made eye contact.
"I don't know Sakura…I mean with the chunin exams so close and all the training we have to do…I don't think we'll have time for a relationship."
Sakura was not expecting that response and dropped Naruto's hands looking down sadly, "I thought you liked me Naruto…I like you too, so what's the problem?"
Naruto briefly made eye contact with Sasuke across the bridge. The girl looked away with an angry look on her face.
"It's not you…it's me. I am just not boyfriend material…" Naruto said as his mind wandered towards Sasuke.
"That's a load of crap…you are so nice and strong and you're always looking out for me. Why don't you want me?" The pink haired girl sadly looked to the ground as she turned to walk away.
She was about to start crying. "Wait Sakura!" The girl immediately turned around and hugged Naruto tightly before he even started speaking.
"Naruto, I know you want this…you can trust me," Sakura said quietly as she began to run her arms across the boy's back.
"I never said I didn't want to date you Sakura…I was just saying that you're better off with somebody else. Although if you insist upon it then I won't say no," Naruto responded.
Sasuke had never been more jealous in her entire life. She burned with envy as Sakura locked lips with Naruto. The Uchiha girl felt a hundred things at the moment and just couldn't watch the two so she ran away from the training ground.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Well that was chapter four…I hope you guys and the girl or two enjoyed reading it.
Can you believe some random academy students would jump Naruto? Neither could I…
Poor Sasuke…she was so close…one small misinterpretation completely ruined her moment with Naruo. I know that might have been sad for some of you to read…but fear not, Sasuke will have her revenge in due time.
Yeah as for the whole Uzumaki Clan thing…Konoha is going to be in a sticky situation once Naruto finds out. When that mess hits the fan, things will be pretty interesting.
Anyways thanks for reading.