Sorry I'm late. I actually finished this chapter, but scrapped it at the last moment because I didn't like it. This chapter's more focused on developing things for a bigger set-up. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I think I was able to reply to about half of them. :) Sorry to the rest, I'll try to get you guys for this chapter.
OH! AND YES! You guys are totally right. Sorry, I fixed the Bingo entry to say that Naruto is a SS class criminal, not a missing-nin. Haha, thanks for catching that everyone.
Chapter 4: Deception
-One week after the Uchiha massacre-
It was a nice, calm night in Konoha. Despite the towering pillar of black fire overshadowing the village, things had settled down. The Hokage was doing his routine paperwork and the ninja of the village were already growing accustomed to not having the Uchiha police force around. Yes, in times of turmoil, a ninja village needed to be able to adapt. However, the tranquil peace that had settled into the Hokage's office that night would soon be disrupted, as an urgent messenger suddenly broke into the Hokage's office with all the force of a tempest coming in with him.
"HOKAGE-SAMA! UCHIHA SASUKE HAS STARTED TO SHOW SIGNS OF CONSCIOUSNESS!" The Chuunin messenger panted heavily as he gripped the side of his ribs with one hand.
The Hokage's head flew up from his work as he shoved everything aside and immediately began walking towards the hospital. "Direct me towards young Sasuke's room."
Surprised at the speed with which the venerable old leader had reacted, the messenger looked stupidly at the Hokage before rushing forward to lead the way. "Hai!"
OooOo
Sasuke jerked up from his bed as he felt his muscles scream from having been in an atrophic state for so long. Opening his eyes widely, his eyes caught several blurry figures standing in front of him. Closing his eyes and concentrating, he opened them again as his retinas finally got used to the light. In front of him were several ninja and the Hokage—a surprise in itself. Looking around, an irrational thought, no doubt a product of just regaining consciousness, made him expect his brother to be in the crowd, but he quickly realized the folly of such a thought.
Clearing his throat, the Hokage spoke first. "Sasuke-kun, do you remember anything that happened?"
Sasuke seemingly ignored the man's question as he looked out the window. It was already nighttime.
Keeping his eyes affixed on a rusty old lamp post outside of his window, he quietly spoke. "How long was I out for, Hokage-sama."
The Hokage leaned back into his chair. "Seven days."
Sasuke whipped his head towards him as he felt his muscles groan with protest. "Seven days! Did you catch him? Did you kill him yet?!"
The Hokage and all the ninja in the room visibly tensed as they looked at him cautiously. "Exactly...who are you referring to." Pausing a bit, the Hokage's voice shrank as he felt his courage start to fail him. "Are you talking about Naruto?"
Sasuke stopped as he looked at the Hokage in puzzlement. "Naruto? I meant my brother, or rather, the man who was my brother. That bastard—Itachi!"
The ninja froze as the Hokage felt his heart flutter in brief hope. However, his happiness was placated as his role as the leader of the village overtook him. "Itachi? Are you saying that Itachi was the one responsible for the Uchiha massacre?"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously as his voice took on a sharpened edge. "Yes. That murderer even killed our own parents in front of me. After that, he used some doujutsu, causing me to relive..."
Images of the townspeople screaming in pain flashed into his mind as he saw his aunt, uncle, friends, and family all die under his brother's sword. A young girl, begging for her mother's life was silenced by the cold steel. Each scream and spray of blood tore his own, fragile heart to pieces. Eyes widening, Sasuke grabbed his head as he tried to force the images out of his mind.
The other ninja in the room, including the Hokage, suddenly stood up in fear that the boy would revert back to his comatose condition. Taking a cautious step forward, the Hokage lightly placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. The effect was immediate. Sasuke's erratic breathing became normal again as he felt his body's parasympathetic nervous system kick in and relax his taut muscles. Having calmed him down, the Hokage went back to his chair and looked at Sasuke carefully for any other signs of distress.
One of the ninja in the room, unaffected by the whole ordeal, turned to the Hokage as he raised his voice. "Sir, it might be the demon-"
A glare from the Hokage made him pause.
"I mean, the boy known as Naruto under disguise."
Sasuke looked up at the man in confusion as he turned to the Hokage. "Why do you guys keep bringing up Naruto? Was he involved in the massacre too?" A dark fear suddenly gripped his insides as he wondered about the fate of his blond rival. It wasn't like they were best friends, but it was incredibly difficult not to be fond of said blond after meeting him. Moreover, Sasuke and he had developed an understanding and they had learned a lot from each other. At that point, he didn't know how he would be able to forgive himself if Itachi had somehow involved Naruto too.
The Hokage thought for a second before sighing. If anyone had the right to know, it was the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan.
"Listen carefully Sasuke-kun. What I'm about to tell you must not leave this room. Approximately seven days ago, Uchiha Shisui's house was set on fire by Naruto, and about twenty ANBU were murdered by him. We have no direct evidence that Naruto was the one to massacre the entire village, but our men tell us that he had the sharingan. At the moment, we believe that Naruto stole the sharingan from Uchiha Shisui and-"
"That's bullshit!"
The Hokage paused as he saw Sasuke glare at them angrily.
"It's true, I never would have believed that my own brother would have been capable of doing such a thing, but I know that Naruto would never have hurt Shisui-san, let alone kill him! They were closer brothers than Itachi and I ever were. This has to be a plan set by Itachi. The Naruto I know, as strong as he is, would never betray anyone he cares about. Even if he did do something bad, he was probably tricked by that man! Can't you see you're falling for his plan?!"
The Hokage became still as he felt his heart reach out to the boy. He desperately wanted to believe that Naruto was blameless, that he could still be the hero he was meant to be. But cold logic proved otherwise. Naruto had, regardless of any set-up, killed twenty Konoha nin and had run away. Though he was not a ninja, his time as a private student of Itachi and Shisui had made him dangerous. Either way, Naruto was a weapon—though it pained him to think of him as that—Konoha had unleashed.
"I see. We do not have any evidence supporting your ideas-"
"It's the truth!"
The Hokage cleared his throat. "But we will continue to investigate it. And remember, anything we discussed will never leave this room. Rest now, and the council will call you after you have healed to ask you some more questions."
The Hokage and all the ninja left the room, leaving Sasuke alone with his thoughts.
How many more lives will you ruin? It's over—our bond has broken and has become my new path. For myself, our family, our friends, and Naruto, I will kill you with my own hands... as an avenger.
OooOo
Hinata growled to herself as she threw her shirt at the laundry basket. Pulling on her sleeping robes, she angrily looked at the black coat hanging precariously over her bed before shoving her head into her pillow. She had waited all day for that stupid blond boy to show up. The audacity! Frowning, she closed her eyes as she relaxed her fists. Anger soon faded as her true feelings emerged. Rejection and loneliness were not good feelings. Not knowing what to think, she flipped around and pulled the covers up to her chin.
"Baka gaki." (Stupid brat)
OooOo
Naruto walked around town as his eyes looked around in slight wonder. It was so different from Konoha here, or rather, the people were different. Everyone seemed focused on their own tasks and the air had a chilly feel to it. The fishermen all had scarred and rough faces, their muscular arms proof of their hard work. The children, instead of playing with each other, were throwing kunai at the carcass of a pig. Everyone kept to themselves and showed total dedication to their work.
Closing his eyes, he took in the salty atmosphere as he felt his body shiver from the new feeling. It was a strange sort of peace—the fact that no one was looking at him. No glares, no attention, no...nothing. Here, he was just a passing existence that held no meaning. His peace was short lived however, as a few shouts suddenly came from his left. Twitching an eyebrow, he turned towards the commotion and activated his sharingan. Though it was only level one, it still helped him take in observations with much more clarity.
There appeared to be three boys and a girl with one of the boys hiding behind the latter. He hadn't had much interaction with children his age, but he could tell that the dispute was about to escalate into a fight soon.
Well, it's none of my business anyways. However, despite his thoughts, his feet seemed compelled to move him towards the dispute.
"Stop it! You know the academy forbids you to pick on weaklings!"
Naruto smirked a little as he heard that the boy behind the girl mumble a little about being called a weakling by his savior.
"Ehhh? So you're going to defend this kid? He's the one that's at fault. He should have known that you don't get in Hira-sama's way. You said your name was Natsumi? Well, in case you didn't know, I'm the number one ninja at the academy! "
The girl known as Natsumi glared at them. "Well, that's still no excuse to beat on weaklings idiot."
A third boy then spoke up as he pulled a kunai out of his pocket. "Well, why don't we decide this now. Since you're more like a boy than a girl anyway, let's have a fight." Looking to the other boy next to him, he grinned. "I'll take care of her, Hira. You just make sure you teach that guy a lesson after."
At this point, Naruto turned away as he lost interest. If they were going to continue to be loud, he would just find a quieter place elsewhere. The voices behind him were eventually drowned by the distance and the sea, and he finally found a nice little bench in front of a shoe selling shop to sit on. Taking off his hood, he let the sea breeze claim his hair as his golden locks swayed. Closing his eyes, he let his chakra move around inside his body as he tried to make sense of what had happened last week. The last seven days had left him no time to think since he had been busy trying to survive the cold winter dunes of Kiri's borders. Unfortunately, he had only a black overcoat and even his traditional shinobi garb was slightly tattered. That meant that he had to use more chakra to keep his body at an acceptable range.
Leaning back, he placed a hand over his right eye before sighing. He understood that someway or another, he had obtained a strange Sharingan known as the Mangekyou. He had wanted to ask the Kyuubi about it, but the demon fox had turned incredibly silent the moment they had left Konoha. He knew that they were powerful though. The illusion Itachi had put on him was countered. And that black fire... But these eyes seemed more like a curse than a gift. Every time he saw those crimson eyes, he thought of Shisui, Itachi, and that man, Madara. It reminded him of betrayal, of happiness, of murder...
Shaking his head, he decided to go for a walk in the village to clear his thoughts. From what he had learned from Shisui, Kiri was continuously shrouded with mist from the nearby seas and ocean. Known as having some of the most vicious ninja, they were a small village overall that had only survived due to their ferocity and courage. Notorious of them all were the seven swordsman, each thought to possess the powers of demons themselves. The academy trained future ninja at a young age, ranging from six to eight. Overall, they followed a strict and severe policy. Of course, such a policy was needed for survival.
Walking down a myriad of bridges to abate some boredom, Naruto stopped in front of a large building that stood as the Ninja Academy. Obviously, the funds of the village went towards the said institution. Built from steel frame and reinforced with refined metal and plaster, the building towered well above the rest of the village and shot up even higher than the Mizukage tower. Feeling a sense of awe fill his being, he was about to step inside the courtyard of the school when he suddenly heard some crying from his left. Curious, he stepped towards the noise and found the girl and boy from before, the latter sniffling like mad with the girl condoling him.
"Sh... It's okay Osawari. You just need to pretend that there's no pain."
Naruto watched silently as he saw the young boy nurse a bruised cheek. In his opinion, the girl looked way worse as she had several cuts, no doubt from the kunai that the boy had been sporting earlier, on her arms. And from the way she seethed every time she moved her torso, it was obvious that she had sustained a serious injury to her ribs.
The girl suddenly turned though, with surprise celerity, and positioned her body in a fighting position.
"Who are you!"
Naruto looked at them apathetically as he pulled off his hood. "No one. I just heard some noise and wondered what it was. Forgive me, I'll take my leave now."
Turning to go, he suddenly stopped though as he heard the boy begin to cry again. Sighing, he stepped over to the child and looked him fiercely in the eye. The girl simply sat in silent stupor as she looked between the two.
"Listen kid. Crying won't get you anywhere. You're training to be a ninja aren't you? Well in battle, there are things much worse than a simple bruise on your cheek. You'll wish for death sometimes and find that even that will escape you. Every time you sleep, you'll feel the psychological agony of death floating around you. In time, you may lose a finger, an arm, a leg, or even your heart. So grow up now while you still can."
The boy stared at Naruto in shock and slight admiration as he felt his runny nose go. Taking a slight breather, Naruto stood up as he closed his eyes. It was not like him to get so riled up. Calming himself, he decided to be at least a little cordial.
"So, who are you guys?"
The spiky haired brown haired boy eagerly answered first as he raised his hand. "I'm Sasaki Osawari. I want to be a cool ninja like one of the seven swordsman, Aniki!" (Older brother)
Naruto raised his eyebrow at the tone of respect before looking at the long black haired girl.
"My name's Kojiro Natsumi. I've been Osawari's friend since birth. This coward doesn't like to fight, but he's actually not that bad if he becomes serious. But besides that, who are you? I thought you were a ghost before, but now that I see you up close, you just seem like a sun-deprived child. You don't look that old to me, yet something about you..."
Naruto ran a hand through his hair before sighing. My age and name are of no concern to you. I merely heard you two and fell victim to curiosity.
Both Natsumi and Osawari pouted as they frowned. "Ehhh? That's not nice!"
Naruto mentally swore. It was just his luck to run into an admiring crybaby and a tomboy. Shaking his head, he looked at the two one more time. "Well, what are your ages?"
The boy answered eagerly. "We're both twelve, and we'll be graduating this year."
Naruto resisted the urge to slap himself in the head. These kids were about to graduate? Wasn't Kiri supposed to have the toughest ninja curriculum of all the ninja villages? Letting out a low breath of air, he sighed as he shook his head. He guessed that he could at least give his surname and age to them.
"My name's Naruto..."
The two kids nodded eagerly as they urged him on.
"...and I'm eight."
OooOo
"Haku, do you feel that presence?"
The young child nodded as she looked up at her caretaker. "Yes. However, it is non-hostile and moving with two weaker chakras. I will go and scout out this possible threat."
Zabuza smirked as he patted her head. "Good boy."
Haku smiled as she placed her Hunter nin mask on. Boy or girl, it didn't matter to her. She was Zabuza's weapon and would protect him until she died. Gender made no difference. Tying back her sash, she made some seals with her left hand as the wind slowly revolved around her. And then, as a leaf fell slowly from a nearby tree, she disappeared.
OooOo
"Hey, why are you guys following me?"
Naruto looked back at the two as he walked at an increasingly fast pace.
"We don't have anything else to do." Came Osawari's happy reply.
Naruto sighed as he felt his annoyance slowly ebb away. It was nostalgic of his time with Shisui and... Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts out of his head as he clenched his fists.
"You know... I'm a killer."
The girl and boy looked at him seriously for a second before bursting into laughter. "But but but you're eight!!" Naruto glared icily at them as a cold wind suddenly blew from him to the rest of the village. Store owners suddenly shivered as they looked up at the sky for signs of snow.
Speaking harshly and sarcastically, Naruto's voice became as guttural as possible for an eight year old. "And how is that relevant?"
Osawari and Natsumi looked at each other for a second before bursting into another set of laughter. Apparently, icy demeanors had no effect on them.
"Ahhh, you're funny Aniki!"
Naruto's eyebrow twitched with annoyance as he repeated the name. "Aniki?"
The boy smiled as he wrapped an arm around Naruto's neck. The blond's first impulse was to quickly use his sword to cut off said arm, but his mental control reigned supreme.
"Yeah, Aniki! Despite your age, you seem kinda smart!"
Naruto groaned as he continued to walk forward. He preferred the crybaby Osawari over the happy go lucky one.
From the bushes, Haku watched with fascination as she took notes. The blond boy was obviously skilled; his gait and body posture told her volumes and his eyes had been constantly searching the area for any threats ever since she had started watching him. However, her main skills were observation and reconnaissance—even some of the greatest ninjas weren't able to pinpoint her exact location. Watching carefully for a few more minutes, she frowned as a strange beacon kept going off in her head. It was almost as if she had seen him before. But for some reason, she just couldn't remember exactly where she had seen that blond hair and light blue eyes.
"May I ask what you are doing, Hunter-san?"
Haku suddenly turned as she pulled out several senbon needles in reflex. She had been detected?! "How...?" Shifting her eyes, she saw the blond still walking down the avenue with the boy and girl. "Bunshin?"
Naruto stood in front of her on a thin branch, just four feet away from her, with his eyes watching her every move. "I suggest you explain what you were doing."
Haku regained composure as she stood up straight. With slight satisfaction, she noticed that she was a few inches taller than him. "We felt a large chakra in this area and I was sent to investigate. What is your name and business in Kiri."
Naruto frowned as he tried to see her eyes to tell if she were speaking the truth. Trying to open up an opportunity, he replied cooly. "My name is of no importance. I am simply a wanderer."
Haku smiled at his taunt as she crossed her arms. "A wanderer at such an age? You must be at most eight years old."
Naruto, in turn, smirked as he too crossed his arms. "The same goes for you, hunter-san. From your voice and height, I'd say you were about my age."
Haku felt her muscles tense as she continued to try and remember where she had seen that face. That pallid complexion and sorrowful blue eyes...
"Well, if you won't talk, I guess this conversation's over. Turning to leave, he was about to dismiss himself when Haku suddenly stopped him."
"You... I've seen you before. Though I can't exactly..." Haku's eyes widened as she suddenly recalled his face in the bingo book. "You're that new addition, Naruto of the Jagan!"
Naruto's eyes shifted to curiosity as he sensed the Hunter nin's chakra climb. "What do you mean, 'of the Jagan'? And I'm in the bingo book?"
Haku gulped as she decided for a tactical retreat. Alone, she probably wouldn't be able to face such a threat. She needed to report this to Zabuza-sama as soon as possible to-"
Mangekyou: Fuben Maboroshi (Mangekyou: Evil Vision)
Haku paused in her speech as she suddenly felt a piece of her mind rustle. It was a foreign feeling that left her bewildered for a few seconds. Regaining her thought process, she glared at him while making some handseals in preparation.
"What did you just do?" She bit back her next sentence though as her heart began to race with fear. Those eyes... Cold and merciless, they were more like a demon's than anything else. She began to pant with exhaustion as she tried to look away from him, but found that she was held in place by its mysterious glow instead. Was this...the Jagan?
Two crosses of black in a red backdrop with a multiple seals surrounding them in a perfect circle stared back at her as the boy frowned. With the sharp contrast of his crimson eyes and pale skin, he looked more like an akuma now. "I simply looked into your memories. You've been lying to me, Hunter-san. You actually follow a missing-nin, Zabuza I believe."
Brought out of her stupor by her mentor's name, she bit on her lip to regain some control and raised her chakra to dangerous heights. "If you try to hurt him..."
Naruto shook his head as he suddenly appeared behind her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he squeezed a pressure point, causing her to unconsciously relax."
"It wouldn't do for you to attract attention since we're both criminals."
Haku smiled as she stood upright. "Indeed, you are correct. However, it seems my grip slipped and I missed my chance to interrogate you further."
Naruto frowned as he finally noticed the senbon lodged deep in his shoulder. This ninja was strong, despite being so young.
"Although, I'm surprised that you haven't disappeared right away." Taking off her mask, she placed it on her hip as she stepped a couple of feet back. "You must have plenty of chakra to spare if your clones are able to sustain injury for that long."
Naruto showed a shadow of a smile on his face as he too stepped away to a nearby tree branch. "I see. I learned much from you. Thank you Hunter-san, you have been most helpful. I mean you and your master no harm, so please let me be. Otherwise..."
Naruto's eyes suddenly shifted into the normal sharingan, though it only had one tomoe in each. "I'll have to take care care of you." With that extra use of chakra, the clone finally dispersed in a plume of smoke, leaving Haku alone on the tree top. Taking a slight breather from the whole ordeal, she focused her chakra as she sped towards Zabuza. She needed to tell him of this immediately."
OooOo
Naruto frowned as all the information that the clone had learned came into his mind. So he was a SS Class criminal? It would be troublesome but...
Continuing to ignore Osawari and Natsumi's continuous babble, he felt the lower ends of his mind smile sinisterly. Let them come...
OooOo
"We will retreat for now. You are not as strong as I want you to be yet, and I don't want to risk losing my newest weapon."
Haku bowed as Zabuza began walking away. "We will leave Kiri once again and come after this...Naruto figure once you become stronger than me. At that time, we will collect his bounty and I will achieve my dream."
Haku nodded as she picked up their items and ran after him. Taking a short look back, she smiled for a brief second before picking up the pace.
OooOo
Naruto looked up at the sky as he felt the moon and stars watch him with weary eyes. It seemed as though even the celestial beings feared him. Shifting his head to the side, he watched the ocean with a strange sense of peace. That annoying girl and annoying boy had finally gone home, leaving him to relax under the night's sky on the docks. Raising his left hand up towards the moon, he frowned as he saw a long black tattoo running from the middle of his shoulder up to his right clavicle.
That wasn't there before...
Looking at it carefully, he noted with slight interest that it was shaped like a bird with a sword coming out of its mouth. Activating his sharingan to try and detect any abnormalities, he noticed a strange aura surrounding it. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and sent an immense amount of chakra to his eyes, forming the Mangekyou.
Analyzing the tattoo with his new eyes, the result was almost spontaneous. The black tattoo's aura suddenly flared to life as a black flame suddenly enveloped his entire figure. Screaming in pain, he felt his skin peel, repair itself, and peel again as the crosses in his eyes became circles due to their accelerated rotation.
And then, the black fire suddenly disappeared from his body as he fell into unconsciousness, missing the two voices calling out to him from the background.
OooOo
"Where am I? The last thing I remember was a black flame covering me and..."
Naruto softly groaned as he tried to move his body up. The surface he had been sleeping on was surprisingly soft. Looking around, he tried to get into a more defensive position as he noted that he was sleeping in a home. Judging from the multiple cup ramen and littered trash bags, he realized that it was most likely a man's home. Standing up despite his body's protests, he calmly sent chakra to his eyes to dilate his pupils. Taking in more light, the dark room became as bright as day, allowing him to maneuver through the trash filled halls and step into a room that had a chakra presence in it. Realizing that his sword and other weapons were absent from his person, he clenched his fists as he placed his hand on the door. Turning the door knob, he ran inside and grabbed a nearby pole. Flashing over to the person who was laying on the bed, he pointed it at his throat and was about to stab it through his jugular when he suddenly paused. It was the boy from before—the crybaby/annoying one. What was his name...
"AGHH!!" Naruto looked down at the now awake Osawari who was currently staring up at Naruto in fear. "What the hell are you doing? Oh my god, I was about to wet my pants..."
Naruto sighed as he walked towards what he supposed to be the light switch and turned it on.
"Why am I here?"
Osawari rubbed his eyes as he pointed outside. "Well, after we left you alone, Natsumi and I wanted to see what you would do. So we came back to find you. But you suddenly collapsed on the pier so we brought you to my house. It sure beats sleeping outside, right?"
Naruto nodded stiffly as he felt his body relax a little. "I see... And you live alone?"
Osawari grinned. "Well, I have a dad. My mom passed away a couple years ago. My dad's out on a long term mission now though. He hasn't been here for over three years."
Naruto refrained from calling it a case of abandonment and simply nodded in fake sympathy. He was about to give a word of thanks for providing some shelter though, when he suddenly felt a multitude of chakras flare a fair distance away from the house.
"Osawari... You shouldn't have brought me in here."
"Eh, it's fine. Natsumi helped me carry you, so it was no big deal."
Naruto forgot himself as he quickly turned to Osawari. "You mean... That girl's in here too?"
Osawari nodded as he pointed outside. "In the opposite room. She was too tired to go back home so she just crashed here."
Naruto swore as he felt the group of chakra moving faster towards the house. How did they find him? Paling, he suddenly remembered his little incident with the tattoo. At that moment, he had unleashed an excessive amount of chakra in the form of his black flames. Anyone knowing what to search for would have felt it miles aways. Clenching his fists until they turned white, he barked at Osawari. "Where are my weapons? I need to leave immediately!"
Osawari scratched his head as he looked around. "Umm.. They should be in your room. But why do you have to leave right now? Do you need to go to the bathroom?" With a slight pause of hesitation, he then added. "With your weapons?"
Naruto glared at him before lowering his voice. "I am a SS Class ranked criminal from the Hidden village of Konoha. At this very moment, there are at least seven high level ANBU coming after me. At my present state, I would have a hard time fending off just five of them. I need to leave now to avoid bringing you and that girl into the fight."
Osawari laughed as he patted Naruto's shoulder. "Ahhh... Continuing with the jokes Aniki? Hahaha, you're too much!"
Naruto stared at Osawari with cold, unrelenting eyes, before turning to go to his room. "Regardless of what you wish to believe, this is where we part. Pausing for a brief second, he bit his lip. "Thank you for before." With that, he quickly sprinted to his room to equip his items.
Seeing the blond disappear into the corridor, Osawari ran into Natsumi's room and quickly turned on the lights.
"Natsumi, Naruto's leaving right now. He says that there are ninja after him."
Natsumi yawned as she rubbed her eyebrows. "Wha? Did he have a bad dream or something?"
Osawari grew serious as his voice became low. "No. But there's something definitely coming. This may cause some deviations."
Hearing her friend turn serious, she nodded. "I see." Grabbing his shoulder, she looked him in the eye. "If things get dangerous, don't just rely on it. Even if you'll end up losing the target."
Osawari nodded gravely as he ran to Naruto's room. Sighing, Natsumi clipped up her hair before jumping out of the room's window. Concentrating, she felt seven extremely strong chakras rush towards their position.
We should have figured that there would be other people after him. Either way, we won't let them have him, even if the opponents are ANBU.
Jumping down from the roof, she ran towards her house with quick bursts of chakra. However, if someone had been paying close attention, they would have noticed that the wounds from the day before had already disappeared.
OooOo
Naruto finished strapping his chokuto horizontally to his lumbar region and threw his black cloak around his body. Walking briskly out the door into the open night sky, he was suddenly met by Osawari's smiling face.
"What do you want?"
Osawari continued to smile as he flexed his arms. "So, how many should I take on?"
Naruto groaned in annoyance as he felt the ANBU's presence become imminent. "I don't have time for your jokes. Hurry up and hide in your house. This is no time for bravado."
Osawari nodded as he looked to the trees. "Ah... I know. But Aniki, you don't need to face this alone."
Naruto looked at him incredulously. "Are you telling me that you're going to fight?"
Osawari smiled as he shook his head. "Of course...not! I'm going to go hide and root for you in the background!"
Naruto resisted the urge to slap himself in the head for the umpteenth time as he drew his sword. "I don't have time for this." Ignoring his muscle pain and chakra exhaustion, Naruto pulled his cloak over his head and flew into the trees.
Osawari stood there in silence, looking at the area where Naruto had gone into. If he was right, the fight would take place about three miles from here in the middle of the forest. Flipping out a bingo book, Osawari grinned as he placed a large check mark next to Naruto's picture. It was finally time to put this plan into action. After all this time, he would finally...
OooOo
"Team Alpha, are you in the precinct?"
"Roger. The structure is in view. Orders?"
The ANBU captain frowned as he hung back on a tall bamboo tree. He had taken three squads with him for a routine check on Konoha borders when they had all felt the flare from the Kyuubi's chakra. As veterans of the attack eight years ago, all of them had immediately recognized the unique, evil feel of the power and had realized at once that the Jinchuuriki was nearby. Sending a messenger to Konoha to report their findings, he had taken the liberty to go after the boy first to make sure that his escape was not an option. But even with the highly trained jounin around him, he couldn't help but feel that something was horribly wrong. Speaking softly into his head set, he quickly whispered again.
"Team Alpha, Team Beta, are you in position."
"Hai, Team Alpha is in position."
"Hai, Team Beta is..."
The Captain immediately frowned as he listened for more. Light static shot into his ear. Biting his lip, the ANBU leader was about to send out his first team when another stream of static entered his other ear.
"Team Alpha?" Hearing no response, the Captain swore before motioning to the men beside him. "The target is SS ranked. He is to be brought in alive for interrogation. Use any means necessary to bring him in."
"Hai!"
Following normal ANBU procedure, all of them vanished into their respective scouting spots and waited for even the slightest movement.
Down below, disguised as a cracked rock via a henge and a clone, Naruto waited patiently as he used his ears to spot their positions. The first two teams had been a laugh. Talking that loudly was like signing your death warrant. In a forest like this, position and secrecy was everything. Making sure to keep his chakra low, Naruto continued to wait. It was a game of patience. Since he didn't have the energy to call upon the Mangekyou at the moment, he needed to make do with his basic skills. Sadly, as he only specialized in speed and secrecy, he wouldn't have stood any chance against the ANBU in a full frontal battle. Waiting for another thirty minutes, Naruto was about to send out a feint to draw out a ninja when he suddenly felt a presence lightly flicker just thirty meters away from him. Smiling, he immediately undid his henge and zipped towards the signal faster than a flying kunai. In a matter of seconds, his sword cut through the man's neck, causing his sharingan to activate unconsciously from the act. However, he immediately noticed that something was wrong, as his target suddenly turned to stone and fell from the tree branch. The heavy impact immediately uncovered his presence, causing Naruto to swear before trying to run away. He was too late though, as he felt three chakra surround him in a fifteen meter radius. He had been careless. Cursing his impatience, Naruto's eyes returned to their steely blue as he took of his hood. His blond hair seemed to bathe in the moonlight, making him seem ethereal. If the ANBU had not been so focused on taking down their target, they would have almost believed the boy to be some sort of spectral being. More dead than living, he seemed to embody a transition of sorts. However, this was not a routine mission, and this boy was definitely not one to underestimate.
Naruto continued to look between the three men as he felt his left arm begin to twitch uncontrollably. Taking a brief look down, he was shocked to find the tattoo again, this time with the sword entering the bird's mouth. Puzzled, he tried to examine it closer but had to immediately snap his head back up as he felt a change in the wind.
Placing his sword in front of him, he deflected the shuriken as he summoned six clones with his other hand. He didn't have that much chakra left in him, but it was still enough to summon at least another fifty clones before completely running out. Sheathing his sword, he breathed in deeply as he saw two of the ANBU come at him from his peripheral vision. Jumping up, he dismissed his clones, thus causing a massive smoke screen, and blew a giant fireball into the hazy clearing. Throwing several kunai in with explosive tags attached to them, he then jumped away as the tree he had been standing on splintered into several thousand pieces. Turning to run, his face was suddenly smashed into the tree though as a gloved hand grinded the entirety of his head into the splintery wood. Naruto quickly recovered as he pulled out his sword and tried to swipe the man. The attacker simply blocked the blond's attack with his metal forearm protector before stabbing his ANBU sword into the boy's shoulder. Growling in pain, Naruto felt his arm grow limp as he tried to take a peek at the man through the ANBU's fingers.
"Give up Uzumaki Naruto of the Jagan. You are outclassed. Return to me with Konoha. There you will await your trials until further notice. You will not kill another as long as I'm here."
Naruto groaned as he moved his other arm to attack the man. With surprising speed, the man took Naruto's sword and slammed it into his other shoulder, effectively pinning the boy against the tree trunk. Stepping back, the ANBU's hand glowed with green chakra.
Using his sharingan, he recognized it as a medical technique in which it severed the target's nerves. Struggling even harder against his bonds, the swords started to budge slightly. But even as he moved forward little by little, a small feeling of fear began to creep into his mind. Was it over already? Was his purpose already finished? Staring at the oncoming man, Naruto vanquished the thoughts from his head and relinquished the sharingan. He didn't want to resort to this since it would make him mostly useless for a good time after, but...
Taking a deep breath, he gathered the rest of his chakra and then some at an attempt to summon the Mangekyou. However, in doing so, a sudden pain struck him in the back of his head as his mind began spinning. Focusing harder, he tried once again to call upon the demonic eyes, but instead ended up with a searing pain on his arm. Looking down, he became surprised as the tattoo from before glowed vibrantly. With the man's attack imminent, Naruto coldly stared at the incoming attack without fear.
"AGHHHHHHH!" The sudden scream, brutish and full of anguish, had come not from Naruto or the ANBU, but instead from underneath them. Pausing in his attack, the ANBU forgot about his target as he looked over to check what had made the sound. Even Naruto forgot his problems as he turned his head to the side with curiosity.
Staggering towards the clearing, one of the ANBU from before walked into the clearing with a bloody stump where his right arm should have been. Taking a few steps forward, the ANBU then collapsed onto his knees before falling apart, literally. The man's body had split into four neat pieces, each part contributing to a bloody cross on the forest floor.
Naruto looked back at his attacker as he saw the ANBU stare dumbly at the scene. In sheer trauma, the ANBU shook with anger. Jumping down to his comrade's body, he rested a hand on one of the pieces before standing up solemnly.
"Who did that? In the name of the Hokage, I will end your life for your act."
Naruto groaned as he took the time to pull out both blades and sheath his own sword into his scabbard. Throwing away the other sword, he felt the Kyuubi heal the puncture wounds as he felt an oncoming presence.
Emerging from the forest where the ANBU had stumbled out of, Osawari and Natsumi walked out. One look at Natsumi's blood covered figure said everything. At her side was a naginata with the blade of the long weapon bathed in crimson blood.
Growling, the ANBU stared at the two before pulling out a second sword. "You two... Who are you?"
Osawari stepped forward as he waved to Naruto. "Oii! Aniki! Sorry we're late! Natsumi wanted to pack our stuff first. I tried to help you, but the man was too strong. Thankfully, Natsumi arrived just in time."
Biting back a globule of blood, Naruto jumped down as he slowly walked towards them. "What are you two doing here? And more than that..." Staring at Natsumi's blood bathed figure, he narrowed his eyes. "What are you?"
Natsumi smiled as she licked the blood off her arm. Leaning against her weapon, she smiled, showing two feline-like canines resting on her bottom lip. "Sorry we didn't mention this before Naruto. But we're professional bounty hunters. I'm known as Neko-chan and Osawari's... Well, he doesn't have a code name since I'm the one that does all the killing."
Naruto looked between the two in disbelief as he continued to try and stand up straight. "So you two lied about attending the Academy?"
Osawari nodded as he stepped forward. "Yes, we needed you to come to us to avoid suspicion. But in the end, you really were funny!" Turning towards the ANBU captain, the boy happily smiled as he stepped forward. "Sorry ANBU-san. I can't let you have this target. I need him for something. Oh, and about your other men, we had to erase them."
The ANBU captain cursed as he clenched his fists. These damn children had slaughtered all of his men? This was impossible. It was supposed to be an easy catch mission. All of them were demons. Before, he had thought the Kyuubi jinchuuriki to have just been misunderstood, even giving him anonymous presents on the boy's birthday to try and make up for his village's heartless attacks. Clenching his fists in anger, the man shook his head as he took a brief glimpse at Naruto. He had been wrong after all and his team had been right; the boy was a demon. Swearing to avenge his comrade's lives, he looked back at the smiling white haired youth and charged after him in an attempt to cleave his head. He was shocked to find his sword blocked by the girl's naginata instead though. Looking at the two in fear, he simply watched as the boy walked up to him.
"Sorry ossan. I didn't want to resort to this, but he's been wanting to get out ever since you guys came."
Naruto looked at them in puzzlement as he leaned against a nearby tree for support.
Osawari bent his head down as shadows cast over his eyes. Natsumi looked at him in concern but quickly turned her attention towards the ANBU after finding out that her opponent had chosen to leap back.
"Natsumi. I'll take care of this."
Natsumi nodded as the naginata disappeared in a plume of smoke. Looking over to Naruto, she yelled over to him. "Take a good look at this Naruto. This is the reason why I usually fight and he stays in the sidelines. It's actually a lot cleaner."
A plume of gray chakra suddenly erupted as Oswari's head snapped up, revealing glowing gray eyes. "About time you let me out Osawari!"
Naruto gripped the tree for support as he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. The chakra was familiar.
"Ch... Is this guy my opponent? I thought I told you to feed me strong ones! This guy's mind is too weak. Did you already break him mentally? Geez... Next time, let me have some of the fun."
The ANBU looked at the boy in puzzlement before shaking his head. He would avenge his comrades. Flying into seals, the man took a deep breath.
KATON: GOUKAKYU NO JUTSU (Grand fireball technique)
Naruto eye's widened as he felt an immense chakra come from the boy. It was nothing compared to the demon fox's or the Mangekyou, but regardless...
The battle ended before it started. The ANBU's body, petrified to stone under some unknown force, cracked apart into several pieces as Osawari looked at his handiwork in glee.
Doton: Ishi Hakachi (Stone graveyard)
Even as the ANBU's body turned to dust, Osawari stepped over to Naruto, his glowing gray eyes countering Naruto's wary ice blue ones.
Raising his hand as a greeting, Osawari grinned evilly as he revealed fierce canines.
"Nice to finally meet you sharingan user. I'm this guy's other side, Osawaru. Or maybe it'd be better to refer to me as the Jinchuuriki for the Sanbi."
TBC...
A/N: Okay, I'm sure some of you are like "WHAAAAAA?" But yeah. Next chapter will definitely be more interesting. In terms of power, Naruto's still the strongest, ranging at around a Kage's level with the Mangekyou. But with his regular skills, he's only about High/Low Jounin. But with the Mangekyou, he'll still be stronger than Osawaru and Natsumi. But then again... Something seems to be wrong with the Mangekyou! Was it simply chakra exhaustion or...
OH! And I'm wondering if I should include romance in this fic. I dunno... SO PLEASE TELL ME! Just give me your usual wonderful review, and then add "No romance" or "Romance" depending on what you want. If it's "no romance", it'll be fine. If it is romance though, I assure you guys that I'll make it something no one's ever done in the fanfiction world before. Or maybe they have... Either way, it'll be fun either way, so please tell me now so I can work on the next chapter! Thanks everyone, and remember, leave a review!