Senju Naruto- The Rise of a Hero
Chapter 4 – To Hell...
Inspired by 'The Hope of the Senju Clan' by Aragon Potter
"…"–talking
'…'-thinking
""-demon/Jutsu
Naruto does not belong to me.
-0-
Ten years after the orphanage incident. At Rebel Camp, Kiri Civil War.
It had been two hours since his arrival at the camp. But 'patience is a virtue' and he was quite good at waiting.
The guard at the gate was looking at him quizzically. He was wearing standard Kirigakure shinobi suit. Based on his green flank jacket, he was probably a Chūnin. The constant war had sharpened his shinobi senses, but a bit of curiosity still reflected in guard's eyes.
According to the mission statement, Kirigakure had been under constant war since the Fourth Mizukage came to rule. Corruption became a plague. It had bled its resources and the superior had become power hungry. When the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, came to power five years ago, he suddenly declared war on all the bloodline users for unknown reasons. The hidden village of mist was chaotic. Many bloodline users lost their lives. Soon after, the bloodline users formed the rebel army to oppose the Mizukage's actions and end this war. But it had been too long and damage too severe.
His orders were simple- 'Go to Kiri, stop the war, form alliance between Konoha and Kiri.'
And Naruto aka 'Tendou' was going to do just that.
-0-
Same time, Konohagakure
Smoking pipe in mouth, Hiruzen Sarutobi was silently admiring the village through his office window. It had been around 13 years since his successor died and he re-claimed the post of Hokage. One could easily see his age creeping up on his old bones but his knowledge, experience and power were still second to none.
The door of his office opened and a figure walked in, tap of wooden stick on floor distinctively audible as the figure moved towards the chair across the table. There was a tense silence before the Hokage sighed and turned to face his friend and rival, Shimura Danzō.
"Old age is creeping on us Danzō." Said Hiruzen.
"Indeed. But it has also made us wiser, Hiruzen." nodded Danzō.
"That's true. I want to pass on the baton to the younger generation now."
"As I remember, you already did that once. And it was handed back to you. Those who are strong enough don't want to return to the village now and I don't want our village position to deteriorate." Retorted Danzō. Hiruzen sighed. He knew that his friend was talking about his three students. One turned out to be a traitor, second left due to loss of family and third left due to the loss of his student, the Fourth Hokage.
Silence hung heavy in the room. Before it stretched out, Hiruzen spoke up.
"How is he?"
"Who? Naruto?" asked Danzō.
"Yes, Naruto. If you remember, his tenth year with you is about to end. It is about time he joins my command." Danzō could sense a bit of anxiety in his rival's hardened voice and decided to take out the main guns.
"When were you going to tell me that he is a Senju and Yondaime's son?" asked Danzō abruptly.
Hiruzen's face lost its colour for a moment before he regained his senses and glared at Danzō, "Who told you about it?"
Danzō almost laughed. "Seriously Hiruzen. You think you can hide things like these from me! For your information, nobody told me. His skills and blood speaks for himself."
"What do you mean?" asked the Hokage, keeping his glare leveled.
"Actually, he is the best I have." Said Danzō.
"What? He is only 13."
"You know better Hiruzen that age doesn't matter in respect of skills. You looked at Uchiha Itachi. He was a Chūnin by 10. And an ANBU captain by 13. And Kakashi, he was chūnin at 6 after graduating at 5." Danzō continued shaking his head, "I have never seen a prodigy of this level before, Hiruzen. A leader, natural in shinobi arts and a superb sensor. He absorbs everything like a sponge."
Hiruzen was stunned but he wanted to know more, so he kept his straight face. "Break down his prowess and skills to me, Danzō. I want to know where he stands."
"His personality matches Tobirama-sensei. A quick and pragmatic thinker. His chakra is as dense as the First Hokage. An all-round fighter. His strength lies in his stamina, Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu, has moderate skills in Taijutsu. He has advance chakra control and shows keen interest in Fūinjutsu. He can give you a run for your money."
"That's quite a healthy repertoire at such a young age. What about nature affinities?" asked Hiruzen?
Danzō thought about it before replying. "He has three natural affinities. Very high Doton (Earth) and Suiton (Water) and low Futon (Wind) affinity."
Hiruzen was stumped but controlled his emotions. That was too much for a young boy. "Explain 'very high', Danzō?"
"His mastery in Earth manipulation is similar to that of sensei's water manipulation. He can perform various A-level Doton techniques using just a single hand seal and can form rock solid walls while standing on a deep water source. Last year, he even started extracting metals from deep down using Earth Manipulation." Danzō could easily see emotions running on Sarutobi's straight face and couldn't help but smirk inside.
"This is nothing! Best of all, he is a natural Mokuton (Wood Release) user. He is a perfect Senju of the forest!" exclaimed Danzō.
The Hokage was literally perplexed now and Danzō was enjoying every moment of it. It was always implied that the Mokuton Release was just a genetic trait which was lost along with the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama. But a second Mokuton user just disapproved the hypothesis.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me that before?" asked the Hokage.
"Because I didn't want the world to know that we have a natural Mokuton user in our forces. He would have become a target of many. I have ordered him not to use it anywhere unless the situation demands it." Hiruzen settled down a bit after hearing that. Everyone wants the power to control Biju (Tailed Beasts). Though he wanted to know that fact beforehand, he agreed with Danzō's thinking. Before Hokage could speak, Danzō again spoke up.
"But there is a problem. Root isn't a good place for social interactions. Even though I didn't put him through any emotional or social conditioning, he isn't very social." Hiruzen knew about the mental conditioning practiced in Root. Though he was very much against it, he couldn't help but agree that some missions require such conditioning.
"He is okay with teamwork during a mission. But he doesn't socialize well outside the mission. So if you are planning to put him in team, and don't even think about making him genin, you have to be careful." Concluded Danzō.
"Hmm. I will think about that. So where is he now?" asked Hiruzen, scratching his beard.
"I had sent him to Fire Daimyo two years ago, after your son Asuma came back. He is one of the Shugonin Jūnishi (Twelve Guardian Ninja), the youngest ever. His contract will be ending this year before the academy graduation in two months." Answered Danzō, as he internally cherished the reaction on his rival's gaping face. He got up and turned to walk out of the door.
"I'll send him to you when he returns. He is strong, Hiruzen and capable enough to defend himself and the village. He is like a son I never had. Don't deny him his birthright when he returns." Said Danzō as he walked out of the office.
-0-
Terumi Mei, the leader of the rebels and her second-in-command, Ao were sitting in the command centre at the main rebel camp. Mei was a beautiful woman in her thirties. With her green eyes, long auburn hair and blue dress showing a bit of her bust, she easily enticed men's hearts. Whereas Ao had a stern look to complement with moussed-up blue hair and patch covered right eye. They were discussing some future strategies when a chūnin bust through the door.
"What is it, chūnin? Why didn't you ask for the permission to enter first?" chided Ao with stern look on his visible blue left eye.
"I apologize Ao-sama. But I have an important news that you and Mei-sama would want to hear. An emissary from Konoha is here at the gates." Said the chūnin as he kept his eyes on the floor.
The news straightened up the commanders in the room. They had earlier received the news from the Water Daimyo, who was secretly helping the rebels to gain victory over Yagura's tyranny on Kirigakure, about his request to his friend, the Fire Daimyo, to help the rebels to gain an edge in the war. Though it was a blow to the pride of Kiri shinobis for asking help from outside to sort out their homeland conflicts but with the war stuck in a stalemate, any help was welcome.
"How many have come?" asked Mei.
"Only one, Mei-sama."
"One?" inquired Mei. Both she and Ao were in deep thought why there was only one person from Konoha to help. 'He might be just a messenger.' They both concluded.
"Yes, Mei-sama. Should I send him in?" asked the chūnin messenger.
"Hai! Send him in." The messenger quickly bowed and left to fetch the guest from Konoha.
Soon after, a young cloaked figure walked in the command tent, tailed by two Kiri chūnin. He was around 5 feet tall, wore a plain black face mask over the nose and lower-half of the face. He had sparkling blue slit eyes, a mop of long spiky blonde hair tied up in a small ponytail on the back of his head. He wore a greyish cloak on top, black ANBU pants and steel-toe boots. Despite of a young figure, he looked like a dignified and experienced ninja.
"Welcome to Water country, Konoha shinobi. I am Terumi Mei, commander of Rebel Army. May I ask you the reason for your visit?" asked Mei.
The figure bowed his head a bit before speaking in a deep and clear tone, "Greetings Mei-sama. I have come here on the request of Fire Daimyo to help your army gain a win over the Fourth Mizukage's forces and end the war."
"I am grateful for Fire Country's help in stopping this needless war. May I ask where your team is or are you just a messenger." Said Mei.
"I am the only one here to help you from Fire country. I am also acting as a messenger between you and the Fire daimyo." Said the figure with no emotion in its voice.
'They sent us a kid to stop a war! A single kid! Damn Konoha and Fire Country! How dare they do this!' thought the livid Kiri rebels.
The chūnin guards and Ao quickly went for their kunai pouches as the figure's right hand went inside his cloak to take out a scroll. He extended the scroll towards Mei before Ao got hold of it. He opened laid it on the table and saw a storage seal on it. He slammed his right hand on it and channeled the chakra and a smaller scroll with Fire Country symbol poofed out of it. Ao tried to open it but saw a blood seal on it.
"Let me help you, Ao-san!" said the figure extending his right hand. A shocked look was clearly visible on Ao's face.
"How do you know my name Gaki?" asked Ao.
"When I was sitting near the gates, the guards kept talking and giggling to themselves about someone called Mei and Ao. Though I couldn't hear them, I am good at reading lips." Replied the cloaked figure, unnerved by the 'Gaki' comment. The chūnin guards' faces were red with fear and shame.
"And what were they talking about?" asked Mei, eyeing the guards behind.
"Most of them were about the sexual interactions between you two." replied the masked boy, his voice emotionless as ever, without a glint of snickering as if he was just stating a fact. The chūnin guards just wanted to squeeze his throat to death but they could see their deaths in Ao's eyes. Mei just stood there silently for few before she started laughing. 'That was good! I needed that!' she thought.
"You two have some explaining to do after we are done with this, chūnins!" ordered Ao, his teeth clenched hard, as handed the blood scroll back to Naruto. Naruto bit his thumb a bit and let the trickle of blood flow on the seal. It glowed a bit before the scroll opened with a click.
"That was a blood seal I designed using my blood. It was to make sure that the scroll doesn't fall in the wrong hands." Explained Naruto, as he handed the scroll back to Ao. He didn't read it as it was his commander's job and handed it further down to Mei. She opened the scroll and quickly read through the details. Closing her eyes, she weighed down the pros and cons of the agreement given in the scroll. She opened her eyes, which had a glint of acceptance and handed the scroll to Ao for him to go in the details and give any possible suggestions. He looked at Mei and gave her a slight nod, adding his acceptance.
"Before we accept this offer," Mei spoke, "What is your name and please remove your mask. I want to see who I am working with."
"I cannot share my real name with you but you can call me Tendou." Replied Tendou. The Rebel commander looked into those blue eyes before replying, "It's alright Tendou. Now please remove your mask."
The messenger nodded and removed his black mask. Beneath it, the Kiri Rebel leaders saw a face of a kid hardened with the course of timed. Round face with no baby fat along with mystifying deep blue eyes with slit-like pupils betrayed no emotions and it unnerved them a bit. But the most prominent feature was three whiskers on his cheeks. Mei thought they looked cute but Ao saw a beast ready to kill without a moment of hesitation.
Signing the message scroll, Mei spoke up, "Tendou, we agree with the terms and conditions given by the Fire Daimyo and won't publically name Konoha or Fire Country as our ally till we have our victory over Yagura's army. Though we had thought of getting teams from Konoha instead of only one man, if you can prove yourself worthy in the oncoming days, I will happy to pay you an S-rank mission pay. You will be working directly under Ao's command and take orders from him. Show us what a Konoha shinobi is capable of."
"Hai! You won't be disappointed." Saluted Tendou.
-0-
A month has passed since the help from Konoha arrived and Kiri rebels have never been happier. Except for commanders and the two chūnin guards who swore to secrecy, nobody knew the help from Konoha arrived. Tendou was given Kiri shinobi clothes to mix up better and to avoid doubts. Plus, he was given an ANBU mask to avoid unnecessary questions from other shinobi in camps.
Team Ao, led by Ao and consisted of Chōjūrō (wielder of Hiramekarei, one of the famous Seven Swords of the Mist), Hozūki Tengetsu and an ANBU called Tendou, had become quite popular within a month across the Water Country. Every mission or raid they conducted, they came back successfully completing them and bringing the rebels closer to their victory.
Mei was extremely happy today. In team Ao's last raid at one of Yagura's army camp, they came across the Intel that Mizukage along with his 50 strong Jounin-level shinobi is going to cross Water Country's border to meet up with Raikage and discuss a possible alliance to help them with the rebels. This was a chance to end the war once and for all. Yagura had closed himself within the walls of the village was finally coming out and this was a perfect opportunity to take him down.
The help from Konoha was more beneficial then she thought. Tendou was a hero in her eyes, a perfect shinobi, even though his individual achievements were never publically announced and were often declared as team effort. Any type of mission, whether it be a raid, Intel gathering, assassination, interrogation, he could do anything. Give him mission details and forget about it because he would accomplish it within the provided time limit.
But he also scared her. She had passed through the Kiri's bloody academy system and killed her friends at the age of nine even then Tendou scared her. She and Ao often wondered what kind of hellish training he underwent to become a perfect shinobi. In a mission, he would properly interact with everybody, give help and tips in Kenjutsu and Water Element to Chōjūrō and Tengetsu, discuss his plans with Ao and even report properly to Mei. But as soon as the mission is gets over, he's gone. Not even her best trackers could track her. He had just given seals to her and Ao. He would appear in front of them within 5 seconds after they channel their chakra in them. He was an unsolved mystery which got complicated every passing day.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she entered the command centre to discuss plans to ambush and kill Yagura. Inside, she saw her three lieutenants, Ao, Kurosuki Raiga and Akebino Jinin, waiting for her. Raiga was the member of the Seven Swordsmen of Mist along with Jinin and wielded the thunder sword, Kiba. Jinin was the member of both old and new generation of seven swordsmen and wielded the blunt sword, Kabutowari.
"Ao, please summon Tendou, his presence and advice is necessary today." Said Mei, as she took her seat at the head of the table. Everybody saw Ao taking out a paper seal and channeling chakra to it and in no more than 5 seconds, there was a loud knock on the door.
"Come in", ordered Mei.
The door opened and a masked boy walked in through the door. He made a formal solute to everyone in the room and silently stood behind Ao. Nobody except two knew the real info about Tendou and it was about to become a major issue in the upcoming meeting.
"Mei-sama, may I ask why a member of Ao's personal team allowed to attend one of our meetings?" asked Raiga. Mei looked at Tendou who didn't look affected a bit by the question, his expression hidden behind his black mask (A/N: Tendou only wore ANBU mask during missions) and his eyes devoid of any emotion. She then looked at Ao, who slightly nodded.
"It is an S-class secret that I am going to tell you today. Tendou here is not from Kiri. He came from Konoha to assist us in the war a month ago." Mei stopped to check the expression on her lieutenants' faces, which was a bit of astonishment but no anger. Satisfied, she continued, "The Water Daimyo had requested his friend, the Fire Daimyo and asked for help to end the war. So he sent Tendou here to assist us. Worry not, he didn't send a single ninja to make fun of us but he believed in his abilities. I believe in his abilities. You know about the achievements of Ao's team recently and now know that Tendou's contribution was a major part of it. He even found the genuine Intel about Yagura's possible treaty with Kumo. Now I want this secret to remain a secret and not spread among our faction like a wildfire after this meeting. As the part of the contract, we are not allowed to connect Konoha with the war till it ends." She concluded adding a bit of killing intent to get her point across.
Raiga and Jinin, who were kept in the dark till know, had their own doubts about Tendou even before the meeting. Being the part of Seven Swordsmen of Kiri, who were the strongest among Kiri shinobi, they often had the knowledge about who was strong in Kiri and Tendou stood out of the rest because of his sudden presence and increasing success rate of missions and raids. Recently, they hadn't heard of a Kiri ANBU being so strong who was just a kid. But that was a question on every Kiri Rebel Commander's mind.
After getting a quick nod from Raiga, swallowing his pride for asking help from outside, Jinin spoke up, "Tendou-san, we appreciate your and your country's help on the noble cause of protecting who aren't guilty. You have our heartfelt thanks for that. I hope the relations between our two countries become stronger after the war."
"You are welcome, Jinin-san, Raiga-san." Replied Tendou, with a bit of appreciation in his voice.
"Now with that aside, I would like to proceed with the meeting." Mei spoke up, getting everybody's attention. "Now according to the Intel found by Ao's team 3 days ago, Yagura with a team of 50 Jounins is going to cross the borders near Mangrove forests at the Kiso river basin in 10 days that is 7 days from now, to reach Kumo and discuss an alliance. And we cannot allow that to happen. So do you guys have any possible plans for ambush?" asked Mei.
As Mei's lieutenants were contemplating the Intel, Tendou raised his hands. According to Ao, Tendou's plans had very high success rate. He thought quickly, he acted accordingly and if something goes wrong, his re-evaluated plans were quite swift and successful too. Wearing a little cheerful smile, Mei spoke up, "Yes Tendou, do you have something in your mind?"
"Hai, Mei-sama. I think that Yagura's team will mostly consist of Jounins that are skilled in guerilla warfare, silent killing and capable of fighting underwater. And the fact that they are planning to do it at midnight further proves my assumptions. There will be good amount of water to perform and sustain Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in the Mist technique). And with porous roots of the Mangrove and rising water level at night, it will be easier for them to hide and attack if we ambush from the open. Plus, even though it was recorded 50 ninjas, I think we should assume more and take better backup."
"Damn Tendou! You sure know what you are doing. Don't you?" Raiga said.
"It is because of better tactical warfare done by Konoha shinobi that it has never been successfully seized all these years." Said Ao. "I agree with Tendou's assumptions. Yagura is intelligent and would have already thought about us ambushing him. We have around 800 shinobi in our lines out of which 150 are Jounins. I say we should take 100 shinobi in front lines including 50 Jounins and 50 chūnins and 100 shinobi as a backup including 25 Jounins and 75 chūnin and Iryonin (Medic-nin)."
"What about Yagura? Who will fight him?" asked Raiga, excited about getting his hands on Yagura.
"Jinin, you will lead the Backup forces. Ao and Raiga can handle the Frontal attacks. And I will fight Yagura." Concluded Mei.
"But Mei-sama, you cannot be serious. Yagura is a jinchūriki and it won't be easy to stop him once he starts using his Biju chakra. We would be fighting him on his domain (A/N: Water) and it could easily destroy our plans. We might even lose you." Reasoned Ao.
"I am a ninja first, Ao. And ninjas die on the field. It's occupational hazard. And it would be an honor. Believe in me." Said Mei, confidence and strength brimming in her voice. But before she could continue her speech, Tendou raised his hand again.
"Yes Tendou, you have something to add." Asked Mei, clearly not glad about someone interrupting her patriotic leader speech.
"Hai Mei-sama." said Tendou, taking out a paper seal which had a complicated seal drawn on it. "This is a Chakra-suppressing seal I was working on after my mission. What it does is it can supress Biju's chakra in the system when applied on Jinchūriki's forehead when they draw its power, thus leaving them fatigued. All you have to do is before it reaches its full form, stick it to their forehead." He said, handing out one paper seal to each commander. There was complete silence in room before Mei stood up, walked closer to Tendou, and hugged him. He tensed a bit but slowly eased up with Mei's ministrations on his back.
"Thank you, Tendou. Thank you very much. You don't know how easy you made things now. You came like blessing on this cursed land. And I cannot thank you enough." Said Mei, slowly backing up, adorning a small, genuine smile.
"You are welcome, Mei-sama. I am happy to help." His face was still straight as ever but his voice had a hint of appreciation in it.
-0-
7 days later. At Kiso river Basin
"So you came out Mei." Said Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage. "I knew you would come out. I purposely asked my men to leave such Intel at our camp. I can't believe you took it. Now I have a chance to end the rebels and bloodlines once and for all." He said, taking out his hooked staff.
The assumptions laid by Tendou were almost true. As expected, Yagura had planned it all along and brought out a unit of 100 Jounins with him instead of 50. They were planning on ambushing Rebels, expecting them to be in lower number but were sandwiched by the frontal attacks and backup attacks of the rebels. The guards of Mizukage were having a hard time defending the Mizukage against Raiga's brutal attacks and left him open to Mei and Ao's team.
They saw that despite being an adult, Yagura rather had a child-like experience. He had pink pupil-less eyes and a long stich running down his left cheek.
"Ao, you and your team will stay behind back me up. I will take him on." Mei said as she formed the hand signs.
"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu" (Water Release: Water Bullet Technique)
She expelled a large torrent of water towards Yagura, hitting him right at the chest but he exploded in form of water using a Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone). Mei looked around to see her opponent but couldn't find him. She suddenly sensed chakra being molded above her. She tried to move out of the way of the attack but was a bit late.
"Suiton: Mizurappa" (Water Release: Water Trumpet Technique)
"Futon: Daitoppa" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)
Suddenly a great wind picked up and it distorted Yagura's attack on Mei. They both looked on the side and saw Masked Ninja/Tendou blowing the wind.
"Ah! So he is here to. The reports given to me have mentioned an ANBU masked ninja quite a bit. And finally, I got to meet him." Said Yagura, landing on the ground. For some reason, Tendou could sense another chakra source, different from Biju, inside Yagura's body.
To confirm his suspicion, Tendou looked behind at Ao, "Ao-taichou, please use your Byakugan on Yagura. I sense a strong genjutsu casted upon him." It stumped everyone, including Yagura himself. Ao quickly activated his Byakugan and could sense a third chakra present around Yagura's eyes.
"Yes Tendou. You are right. Mei-sama, Yagura is under very strong optical illusion."
Tendou was in his thoughts now. 'Optical illusion. But only a Sharingan user could do that. Then that would mean…'
"UCHIHA" shouted Tendou, "Who are you?" Now everyone's focus was on Yagura, who was standing as rigid as a rock. Suddenly he slacked like a puppet on a rope and started laughing. His voice completely different than his own.
"HAHAHAHA! So I have been caught, and by a kid nonetheless. I might be losing my touch." Said the overridden Yagura. "My plan was going great, Kirigakure no Sato would have been wiped out if you hadn't interfered. I should eliminate you for this." Said Yagura as his Biju chakra began to rile up. He was about to go in his transformation state when Tendou appeared in front of him and pressed the Chakra-supressing seal on Yagura's forehead. Yagura stumbled due to sudden loss of chakra when Tendou unsheathed his wazikashi and chopped Yagura's neck off his body.
A heavy silence washed over the grove as Yagura's head slowly made its way down to the ground. Soon, a loud cheer erupted in the rebel forces as the day they were fighting for had finally arrived. Now peace was not a distant dream for them.
The tyrannous Mizukage was dead.
The Kiri Civil War was over.
-0-
It had been a week since Yagura was killed in action. Across the Water Country, although there were some accidents, the Mizukage's forces surrendered to Rebels as soon as they heard the news about their leader's death. In Kiri, the council members unanimously declared Mei, a dual-bloodline user, as the Fifth Mizukage. She quickly passed the decree to forgive Yagura's shinobi albeit they surrender to her completely.
Tendou was slowly making his way towards the villages' gates. Mei promised to visit Konoha around the next Chūnin exams held in Konoha to discuss details about a possible alliance between Konoha and Kiri. His mission was complete and he had to report back to Fire Daimyo. At the gates, he saw Mei and Ao waiting.
"Going already?" asked Mei.
"Hai, Mizukage-sama. My mission here is complete. I have to report back to Daimyo-sama."
"Why did you reject your mission pay then?" asked Mei.
"Sorry about that, Mizukage-sama. I cannot accept pay for stopping a war in a foreign village started by my village's former shinobi. It's against the ethics and moral code. I hope you accept my services as an apology for what was done to your country indirectly by Konoha." Tendou replied bowing to Mizukage.
"So strong but still so pure. That's what I like about you. Take care of yourself and those close to you." Said Mei, hugging him and kissing his forehead. She broke the contact and after giving a quick nod to both Mei and Ao, Tendou walked out of the gates.
They watched him walk when he stopped suddenly. He stood still for a minute before turning his head back.
"Naruto. That's my name." he said before disappearing using a Shunshin.