Gah! I totally apologize for not updating in like, forever. Really, I am sorry! I've been so busy with school and stuff; I'm not allowed to get c's. C's = grounded. Grounded = no updating on FF. So, I had to keep up my grades!
Anyways, I'm not going to keep you much longer. Just a heads up, I have a contest that I'm adding to this chapter, its not that long, but it'll make the chapter contents a little longer. Please take a lookie!
But I found out what Hangyaku actually means!… Treason. xD I 3 that.
Now, Onward and Enjoy!
Legend
"Talking/Jutsus"
'thinking/signing'
"Bijuu talking/special effect noises"
'Bijuu thinking'
Summary:
Team Seven, also known as Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku, was a force to be reckoned with. And when they are assigned to go back and stop nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, how will the trio change the fabrics of time? Will the three be able to stop the reoccurring pattern of past Team Seven's? Tight-bonded Team Seven (brother-sister relationship), minus Kakashi. 100% chance of no yaoi. So relax.
0o0-0o0-0o0
Naruto woke up with a yawn, feeling very content and warm. Making to get out of bed, Naruto found that he couldn't move. Frowning a little, he looked to the source of his confinement and smiled. Naruto remembered the first time that Gaara had slept after having Shukaku's soul; he looked peaceful that time, but this time, he looked even more peaceful. 'Maybe its because Chiyo-baa-chan didn't have to die this time.' Naruto thought with a content feeling before sighing. He probably could get a little more sleep before he had to get ready for the day.
1 hour later
Naruto awoke again an hour later, knowing that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep after this. Looking at the clock, Naruto was surprised to see it was already eight in the morning.
'That sealing must have taken a lot out of me, for me to actually sleep this long is rare. I haven't slept in this long since I was twelve.' Naruto thought to himself. Moving to shake Gaara awake, Naruto noticed that Gaara's sand didn't halt him at all. 'Must be because I helped Gaara out,' the blonde mused, shaking the sleeping red-head's shoulder to wake him.
Groggy green eyes met Naruto's bright blue ones as the blonde greeted Gaara. "Ohayou, Gaara."(1) Naruto said, still partially sleepy himself.
Letting go of the blonde, Gaara lightly stretched the kinks out of his body before returning the blonde's greeting. "Ohayou, Naruto."
"Sleep well?" Naruto inquired, getting out of the comfortable bed to change into new, clean ones.
"Yes, I did," Gaara replied, "it was nice to actually be able to sleep for once." Gaara had a small smile on his face that Naruto knew he didn't wear often back in the original timeline. 'But maybe that'll change now that Gaara's seal has been fixed.' He thought, smiling gently himself.
Going over to the counter where he had his seals placed, Naruto unsealed one with the clothes he had bought yesterday with the money the Council had given them before they left for their permanent mission. Taking out two sets, he handed one of them to Gaara, and then began to strip of his old clothes; though it wasn't much, some of the blood he had used from the cut on his shoulder had splattered onto his pants. Now, while he had traveled in dirty clothes for weeks on end multiple times, whenever he had the chance to wear clean clothes, he always wore them.
Raising an eyebrow, Gaara too began to strip and put on the cleaner clothes. After a few minutes of silence, the red-head asked, "Why do you keep your scrolls out in the open? They could be stolen."
Naruto smiled. "Yes, leaving my scrolls out would be dangerous. But," A mischievous grin appeared on out blonde protagonist's face, "these aren't just normal seals. You see, I've sealed all these seals with an altered blood seal."
"An altered blood seal?" Gaara asked, slightly intrigued.
Naruto nodded. "Yep, altered blood seals. The way the seal is activated is fairly simple; the owner of the seal puts their blood on the seal, and it opens up to the owner's blood only. It can be modified to include family if you choose, but mine are just for me. But that's not what makes these seals special. The reason why I call these seals 'altered blood seals' is because of what happens when someone other than the owner of the seal tries to open it with his blood.
"What happens is that, when the wrong blood is applied, a shock runs through the body, most of the time knocking them unconscious."
"Interesting," Gaara said, grabbing his gourd of sand to place on his back. Smiling widely, Naruto opened the door, and walked out, letting Gaara go behind him.
Once the red-head was out of the apartment, Naruto activated his seals and traps, so that no one could break into his apartment while he was gone. Though he was going to be living in the Uchiha Compound from now on, he still wanted to use his apartment as a work space; after all, it was where he worked on his calligraphy and seals the most.
The two shinobi walked down the main street of the village, heading to a dango stand to grab some breakfast. Over their dango, the two chatted with one another as if they were best friends. It was what the remainder of Team Ayatsuru and the Subaku siblings found themselves looking at.
"Get enough beauty sleep?" Sasuke teased the blonde as he ambled over, a teasing smirk on his face.
"I did in fact," Naruto replied with his nose in the air, making the rest of the group chuckle. "And I look better than you, too." The blonde stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha, who merely chuckled at the blonde's antics, already used to them.
Meanwhile, Temari and Kankuro were checking up on their little brother, to see if what Sasuke said about the new seal on their baby brother was actually working.
"How did you sleep Gaara?" Temari asked. "When we checked up on you earlier, you were out like a light, even though the sun was already up for a couple of hours."
Gaara smiled, surprising his two elder siblings. "I slept very well. The bed was very comfy, and so was my pillow."
Temari giggled while Kankuro chuckled at what their little brother said.
"I'm glad I was so comfy," Naruto replied with a grin, his two teammates smiling as well.
Nodding, Gaara looked to the sky to see what time it was. "It appears we must take our leave for now. We'll come see you again when you're available." Gaara stated, a small smile on his lips.
"Well, we'll catch ya later then, Gaara," Naruto replied, knowing that they had to get to the Hangyaku meeting soon.
Nodding, Gaara walked in the opposite direction of where Naruto's apartment, to the hotel they were staying at for the duration of the Chuunin Exams.
"So the seal was successful, huh?" Sakura asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear Naruto say it anyway, knowing it always made him feel happier when his two teammates took interest in his abilities.
"Yup!" Naruto exclaimed with an incredible brightness that brought smiles to the faces of the remaining two members of the team. Seeing Naruto happy after what he had been through in life was a gratifying feeling for them.
"Gaara was able to sleep great," Naruto continued, "and he slept through the whole night, which shows how well he's adapting to the seal." As Naruto explained more about the seal and its workings, the trio walked to a certain part of the wall between the South and West gates. You would only be able to locate it if you were shown by a Hangyaku member, or, in the trio's case, the ones who found the entrance.
Arriving at the aforementioned place, Naruto did a set of hand seals that opened the entrance to a long path that would lead you out of Konoha and into the forests created by the Shodaime Hokage.
Closing the entrance with the same set of hand seals after all three were across, Naruto led Sasuke and Sakura down the familiar path to the meeting place of the Hangyaku. The trio walked until they came to what seemed to be a clearing. But Naruto wasn't fooled, and neither were Sasuke or Sakura; there was a password which you needed to get in to the Hangyaku HQ.
"Keikoku o totte kaze no tsubasa ni, wareware wa, man-shuuri no tsumi o kuiaratameru shinakereba naranai." (2) Naruto repeated the password phrase to allow entrance to the HQ, knowing it by heart. All of a sudden, it seemed as if the air was rippling, but the trio knew what it meant: they had been accepted into HQ. Part one of their plan was underway.
0o0-0o0-0o0
Being a member of Hangyaku had its ups and downs, at least that's what Neji believed. Today was the perfect example if it: being put on guard duty. No one liked the job, but everyone did their share of the guarding, and it just so happened to be Neji's shift before the meeting they were having today.
It was while he was thinking about the meeting when the entrance to the HQ rippled, alerting to someone's presence. Knowing that everyone had arrived, Neji knew who to expect when they came in through the entrance.
Unfortunately, he was the only one.
So, when the rippling of the entrance started, it put the shinobi inside of the barrier-minus Neji- on guard, with their weapons of choice at the ready. But when there wasn't anybody coming in, confusion spread throughout the shinobi. 'What was going on?' were the main thoughts going through everyone's head as they waited for the attack that wouldn't be coming.
All of a sudden though, a flash of yellow, reminding many of the Yondaime Hokage, came flashing through the entrance to the HQ, landing on the back of one unsuspecting Morino Ibiki. Blinking, Ibiki realized it was the blond brat from the first round of the Chuunin Exams. But why was he here…?
Ibiki's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as two more flashes came through the entrance-one pink and one black-, causing the rippling to halt. Looking over to where the other two flashes went, Ibiki snorted. The pinkette was secured on the back of one Shiranui Genma, who was blinking in surprise, his senbon hanging limply from his mouth. The pinkette had a satisfied look on her face. Ibiki realized that the pinkette, too, was part of the first round of the Chuunin exams as well.
Meanwhile, the brunette was on the ground, standing by Neji, with what looked like to be a combination of a scowl, glare and a pout. Ibiki noticed that Neji was trying to reign in his laughter, and almost failing. Apparently Neji knew what was going on, and Ibiki wanted answers.
"Neji-san," Ibiki stated, causing the laughing genin to look over at the scarred jounin, "can you please explain the reason for this" he pointed to the blond brat on his back, "that," he then pointed to the pinkette, who was still on Genma's back, "and that?" He pointed to Sasuke.
"You should know them, Ibiki-san," Neji stated, his laughter more under control now, "after all, they were in the first round."
Concentrating a little more, Ibiki realized that all of the brats here were from the Chuunin Exams.
"But why?" Ibiki asked, starting to get a bit irritated.
"Because," The blonde brat on his back said, gracefully back-flipping off of Ibiki's back to land in the middle of Sasuke-who had his arms crossed- and Sakura-who had her hands on her hips- to look at the crowd of shinobi with eyes they hadn't seen since the Yondaime's death.
"We are Team Ayatsuru of the Hangyaku."
0o0-0o0-0o0
Naruto listened to the whispers going through the crowd of shocked and surprised shinobi. He knew that Team Ayatsuru was well known in the past and future. The blonde could understand the confusion; after all, they were all supposed to be much taller, not some group of brats that had just come through the first two rounds of the Chuunin Exams.
Naruto glanced over at Neji, who, despite controlling his emotions well, had amusement showing clearly in his eyes. Catching his glance, Neji looked at him, and then Sasuke before snorting in laughter, which didn't go unnoticed. But that was a matter for another time; right now, Naruto and his team had to get through the interrogation he knew he they were going to get because he had created the rule that no one be allowed into the HQ building without being interrogated first himself.
Looking over to Ibiki, who was still suspicious, he began to list off his questions.
"Who are you three?" Ibiki asked.
It was a trick question, Naruto knew. The three of them had to answer by who they were referred to on the battlefield, rather than their real names.
"Saino no Aru Iyashi-Shu ," (3) Sakura started off.
"Saino Sento," (5) Sasuke continued.
"And the one behind the works of the team, Soju Suru Hito." (6) Naruto finished.
Nodding, Ibiki asked another question. "Who's the leader of the team?"
"Naruto." Sasuke answered without any hesitation.
"Where are the tattoos you have, and what do they represent?" Ibiki shot off.
"The first is the handles and strings to control the puppet," Sakura explained, "they mean to keep balance and control."
"The second part is the body, which contains the body of the puppet, as well as three faces: joyous, saddened, and angered." Sasuke began his explanation. "They symbolize the emotions each team member has."
"The third part of the tattoo is the whole tattoo." Naruto stated. "This part is to combine both the force of emotions and the balance and control that make the perfect ninja." Naruto finished.
Ibiki stared at the trio, mainly Naruto, who stared right back at him with unwavering eyes. Naruto wasn't about to give up so easily; the dominant persona he had created demanded that he be treated with the due respect a leader of his caliber deserved. Finally, though, Ibiki nodded, subtly letting Naruto know that he had won this battle.
Smiling, Naruto began walking towards the entrance to HQ, with Sakura and Sasuke behind him. Soon after, the remaining shinobi followed the trio into the HQ and to the meeting hall.
0o0-0o0-0o0
"I believe introductions are in order," Neji stated once everybody was seated. Agreeing, people began to state their names, what rank they were-in the village and the Hangyaku-, what they did in the group and how long they had been in it. When it came to Neji, the information stated was surprising to most.
"My name is Hyuuga Neji, I am a genin in Konoha and a A-Class Jounin for the rebellion. I'm the Head of Information and Interrogation for the Hangyaku. I've been with the Hangyaku since I was seventeen until I came here when I was twenty-four. I joined the Hangyaku again when I was eleven years old." Neji explained in the calm and collected temper he was known for throughout the rebellion.
Next was Ibiki. "My name is Morino Ibiki, I'm a Jounin for Konoha as well as the rebellion, an A-Class nin. I'm the Head of Torture Department for the rebellion. I've been with the Hangyaku since I was twenty-three. I am now thirty-two."
After Ibiki was Genma, who was taking everything. "The name's Shiranui Genma. I'm a jounin for both Konoha and the Hangyaku. I work under Neji in the Interrogation and Info Department. I've been here for eight years, and am twenty-eight."
Next was Sakura, who had a smile on her face. "My name is Haruno Sakura, genin for Konoha and a SS-Class nin for Hangyaku." At the hearing of he rank, many of the shinobi paled. "I'm a Healer for the rebellion, and part of the elite team Ayatsuru. I've been in the Hangyaku since I was sixteen until I left when I was twenty-five to come back here. I've been here for about one day."
"My name's Uchiha Sasuke, genin of Konoha and SS-Class nin for the Hangyaku. I train all new recruits in combat as the Head of Combat and Strategies, and am a part of the elite team Ayatsuru. Joined the Hangyaku at age fifteen until I was twenty-five. I, too, have recently arrived." Sasuke explained his in the normal Uchiha manner, though he was more amiable than most Uchihas. Naruto noticed that the shinobi that were present at this meeting were more comfortable with Sasuke now than they had before. Smiling slightly, Naruto introduced himself.
"Yo! I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto, though most of you know me as the demon brat." Naruto stated with enthusiasm and a slight bit of smugness. He saw how they shifted uncomfortably, however subtle it was; picking up on the small things such as that could mean the turn of a battle, and that was why he was known as the Soju Suru Hito out on the battlefields.
"I'm a genin for Konoha, and a SSS-Class nin for the Hangyaku." Naruto kept his face blank as he saw how pale the shinobi in the room went. "Without Kyuubi's power, of course." That seemed to make matters worse, though no one besides the members of Team Ayatsuru and Akamaru knew that he no longer contained the Kyuubi no Yoko in him. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart, remembering his tenant, though the relationship between the two was not what you would think. After Naruto had returned to the village without Sasuke, the villagers had shunned and spewed hatred against his image even more. It was during that time that he and the Kyuubi started communicating with each other. Naruto had learned that the Kyuubi was an intellectual being with thousands of years of wisdom that he was willing to offer Naruto. And the Kyuubi had become like an older brother figure, maybe even a father figure, always reminding him to wash regularly, scolding him when he did something stupid, and praising him when he did something well.
Sighing lightly, Naruto returned back to the conversation, pushing the thoughts of his old tenant away fro the time being.
"For the Hangyaku, I am the leader of the elite team, Ayatsuru. I do many things for the rebellion, but mainly I am the resident Fuuinjutsu (6) Master, as well as the right-hand man of the Leader." This created whispers among the shinobi, though Naruto paid no heed. They had a meeting to get through, and a lot of information to go over. "I've been with the Hangyaku since I was sixteen up until I was twenty-five. I just recently came to this Hangyaku, like the rest of my team."
"Now that we are done with introductions," Naruto said, causing everyone to stop their chattering and pay attention to him, "we have many things to go over, and we must act quickly.
"While some of you may be aware, most others aren't, so I will state the reason why Team Ayatsuru has come back here." Silence met Naruto's finished sentence. Nodding slightly to himself, Naruto began filling in the rest of the team.
"We were sent back here in order to stop one nuke-nin Orochimaru from killing the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, Sarutobi Hiruzen. It is to our advantage that we have already been through this timeline, and with the right timing and work, we can save the Hokage from using the Shiki Fuuin (7)." All shinobi present were attentive, taking the chance to be lead under one of the best ninjas in the Elemental Nations.
"In order to do that, we need to start spreading rumors of the Hangyaku, as well as taking up missions to let our rebellion be known to the shinobi nations. Starting today, we will start accepting missions with allies we have outside Konoha. Genma-san," Naruto turned to said man, "when is your next village, how long will it be and where will you be going?"
Responding accordingly, Genma told Naruto the basic info. "I've been assigned to head over to Wave in Nami no Kuni in order to assess the economic growth since the downfall of the tyrant Gatou. I will be leaving at 15:00 today, and should return in two weeks' time."
Nodding, Naruto plotted the course for the revealing of the Hangyaku.
"Good," he commented. "On your way there, you're bound to run into bandits as the downfall of Gatou was only a few months ago-Team Seven under Hatake Kakashi was there to protect the bridge builder, Tazuna- and the economy still isn't at its peak. Assuming you do run into the bandits, which most likely will be assaulting a defenseless family, you will defeat them, and say it was in the name of the Hangyaku."
"What will I use to hide my features? After all, there will be people who recognize me as the diplomat from Konoha." Genma asked. "The Shinkiro no Jutsu?"(8)
Naruto nodded his affirmation. "Yes, the Shinkiro no Jutsu will work for this. And when you leave the bandits by the city prison, label them all with our sign." the sign was like a logo, in a way; it represented who they were through simple means. The insignia for the Hangyaku was a phoenix with the kanji for the five elements.
Standing up from his seat, Genma made his way towards the door. "Roger that, taichou(9)," Genma stated, turning the knob of the meeting room door. "I'll see you in two weeks' time." And with that, Genma left, his mind preoccupied with both his missions.
Popping his back, Naruto turned his attention from the door to the rest of the shinobi.
"Alright, we've made some serious progress here already, people. Now, catch us up to date. How are our allies in Kiri…"
0o0-0o0-0o0
And that's a wrap! How'd ya'll like it? 'M sorry that this took so long, but I managed to get it done. As I said earlier, the contest is stated below, please read it…
Glossary
(1)- Good morning.
(2)-Through the valley and upon the wings of the winds, we shall repent man-kind's sin.
(3)- Gifted Healer
(4)- Genius Fighter
(5)- Manipulator
(6)- A sealing Master, like Jiraiya or Namikaze Minato.
(7)- The seal that was created by the Yondaime Hokage and placed on Naruto's stomach to contain the Kyuubi.
(8)- The Mirage Jutsu. Allows you to alter your appearance slightly so people won't recognize you.
(9)- Captain.
Alright, he's the challenge for anyone who's (hopefully) interested…
I decided that I'd like to try and put up a challenge. So here it is!
Basic summary of what story should revolve around:
After Naruto brings Sasuke back from the Valley of the End, he is abused even worse than he already is, and ignored by most of his friends, save for a few. After a gruesome beating, Naruto comes into contact with the Kyuubi no Yoko once again, who is disgusted with the way the villagers and shinobi have treated Naruto. Not wanting his host to live in such a vulgar village any longer, Kyuubi tells Naruto of a village where the demons live, where they will treat him better. Knowing that he had no future in Konoha, Naruto leaves in search of this village and becomes one of the most powerful shinobi to brace the world.
You don't have to use the summary above, but the outline of the story has to be along those lines.
Things to know
*The Kyuubi is to be male, simply because I've read too many femkyuubi stories, and it'd be nice if the Kyuubi were male for once (though I have nothing against femkyuubi). There doesn't have to be a pairing; if you want one, the relationship has to build up over the chapters, meaning it can't be an instant love. (they don't have to hate each other from the start though). It can be boyxgirl or boyxboy, just put a notice on the summary if it is yaoi, so no one flames you.
*Shikamaru is to be one of the few remaining friends Naruto has because Shika is awesome. Also, the number of friends he has left can't be more than four. (4) If you use the Ichirakus, I will consider it one (if you want; it doesn't have to be).
*Good grammar! It doesn't matter if you have a beta for this; better to you, I say! I'll be reading all the stories that are posted for this challenge (if anyone actually does it), and I know that everyone appreciates a story with good grammar.
This competition will start on May 14th, 2011. You are allowed to start this as soon as you read it if you so choose. The date it ends is June 28th, 2011, a Tuesday.
Now for the fun part: Prize!
If you win this challenge, you will be able to choose the next two topics for my story, Going Back: One-shot Style. I know a lot of my readers have been wanting to know what's happened to Itachi and all that fun stuff, so if you win, you could ask for it to be the next one-shot. Or, if you haven't read Going Back or Going Back: One-Shot Style, you can request me to write something (as long as it's in my abilities). That's okay too.
To win this challenge, its fairly simple: you need to have the most reviews by the end of the challenge. Simple right? It should be. All you'll need to do is send me a message or review (message preferred) when your story is up and running, with the title and what not.
Don't forget to have fun! (= Gah, I sound like my band teacher! o.O)
Ja, blucross