Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2). They are owned by Masashi Kishimoto and Activision/InfinityWard respectively.
A/N: Well, Ob3s3N1nja, I can only answer part of your second question. I only answer it like this as opposed to in the story because real use of guns doesn't come in for awhile yet. I want to get in just a little bit of character development before the slaughter. No, he will not be a maniac criminal or psycho with guns. That's about all I'm willing tok actually say. XP As to your first question, that comes this chapter. By the way, thanks. I try to have things make sense when I can.
Long chapter title too.
Key:
"Speech"
Thought/Emphasis (You can use the context, can't you people?)
'Onomonopia'
"Demonic/Divine Speech"
Demonic/Divine Thought
/Transmission/
"Writing"
Flashback
Chapter 4:
The Prelude to the Chapter, The Consequences of Your Spontaneous and Unexpected and Unannounced Return, and the Subsequent Results You Must from the Lack of Foresight Thereof. Namely Involving Your Friends and Mentors
"...Naruto." Hiruzen's voice was quiet, and unusually venomous considering who he wast talking to, and the killing intent he was letting off was enough to make even the hidden ANBU some skittish, but Naruto and his companions didn't seem to notice the oppressive energy, nor the drop in temperature. Instead, Naruto's reply was calm and almost jovial.
"Yeah old man?" The room suddenly got even cooler. Now even Naruto's wide grin seemed to dim as his eyes narrowed slightly.
"I want a very, very good explanation. RIGHT. NOW." Now the ANBU were very nervous, they had never before faced this much raw killing intent before, especially not from their Hokage. Now on edge, they were ready to jump in and hanlde these so-called 'guests' at a moment's notice. Naruto, now atleast assured that they weren't going to be immediately attacked, lightened up, if only slightly.
"Well, I believe that introductions are in order before any explanation can be given, no? However, before any of that, why don't you have you ANBU step out. We know that they're here, and where they are, so it would be nice to have some semblance of trust in the room." The ANBU froze, but Hiruzen nodded. He doubted that this Naruto was bluffing, and he might as well humor him for now. Appearing as if from nowhere, the ANBU stepped into vision, though still did not draw attention to themselves through any extravagent movements. Naruto spoke once more, introducing the Hokage to the company unfamiliar with the aged shinobi.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato." To this, the third youngest of the group, Alexander stepped forward.
"Captain Alexander Chase, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army." He stepped back and his younger brother stepped forward.
"Sergeant First Class Levi Chase, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army." He stepped back as well. Then a significantly older man stepped forward, mohawk drawing some attention. He spoke in his heavily accented voice, and though he was understood, Japanese clearly was not his first language.
"Captain Jo-" He was interuppted by a smug cough from Levi, before he could continued. He shot Levi a glare but continued, his opening slightly different this time. "Staff Sergeant John MacTavish, A Squadron, 22nd SAS Regiment." He too stepped down. Now it was Naruto's turn.
"Sergeant Naruto Uzumaki, 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, United States Army." A dark haired man with rather fair skin, who looked to be in his mid twenties, introduced himself. His green eyes not even blinking as he stared down the Hokage.
"Sergeant Archibald Persh, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, United States Army." He was followed by a far more skittish young fellow, who seemed a few years older but definitely more nervous.
"Corporal James Greene, 4th Infantry Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, United States Army." He seemed glad to step back. Slick, short blonde hair and dull blue eyes made the next, rather short soldier, seem somewhat uninteresting.
"Corporal Nathan Beck, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines." Next to introduce himself was a redheaded boy of average height. He spoke fast, though not out of nervousness. He seemed to simply talk that way.
"Specialist 4th Class Edward Webb, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army." Next up was another dark haired man, though he was tall. he seemed to be almost 7 foot, and look to be in his early twenties.
"Private First Class Daniel Marcus, Marine Special Operations Regiment, United States Marine Corps." Last up was a short, rather stocky and solidly built young man which shocking white hair peeking out from under a black military cap. Just as distinguishing as his hair were his slate grey eyes. When he spoke his voice was unusually monotone, and deep, though he still seemed quite young.
"Private First Class Alan Dunn, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division, United States Army." Finally he too stepped back, appraising the Hokage. Naruto waited a few moments before decideding that he had to break the awkward silence, lest Hiruzen started killing people.
"So, explanations hmmm...? Well, when I disappeared, I was taken by the Captain and Sergeant Levi."
"Sergeant First Class squirt."
"Whatever. Anyway, they trained through slightly different methods from ours. They combined shinobi training and I was also put through the Ranger regime. So, it was really just training for a few years. That answer your question?" The Sandaime Hokage did not seem the least bit pleased, at stated this immediately.
"No Naruto, that doesn't really give me much. Not only does it not explain your utter disappearance, but it doesn't give me any reason not to arrest you all and hand you over to Ibiki." His voice no longer sounded vicious, but still quite angry, and rather frustrated.
"Eh... I think Alex might be a bit more qualified to answer your question then." Naruto replied as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Alex hesitated for only a second before moving to explain to the Hokage. Naruto hurried back into the group, earning a smack from Levi.
"Well, if you would like any kind of debriefing on the information that I am at liberty to disclose, it might take some time. Perhaps my men could be dismissed and allowed to find temporary lodgings before we begin. Under supervision of course." Hiruzen's face seemed to become less tense at this, accepting the logic and respect in Alex's voice. He motioned and all four of the ANBU stood behind his desk withtin a second.
"Bird, Bear. Please escort those eight to find-" He was interrupted however when Alex made a small cough. He stopped and allowed Alex to speak.
"Lord Hokage, I believe it would be prudent to have Naruto accompany the others. There are no questions that he can answer that I cannot, and quite honestly there are some facts that he is not cleared to know, that you might find rather... Interesting." The Hokage merely quirked an eyebrow at this before saying to the ANBU and Naruto,
"Very well Naruto. Accompany them to find a temporary place to stay. Bird, Bear. Escort them. On second thought, Rat, go as well. Tenzou, you stay." A chorus of 'Hai' rang out before the office was emptied, leaving only Alex, Hiruzen and the now named Tenzou. "So, Captain. Shall I get a debriefing on Naruto's training and these other details, or do you intend to remain there, twiddling your thumbs?"
Unfazed by the light barb, Alex replied calmly,
"Well Lord Hokage, if your are comfortable, I shall begin. Naturally I cannot tell you too much, classified, sensitive information and the like, you understand. However, I believe that by the time we are finished you should be more than happy with young Naruto's growth, no?"
-oxXBitWXxo-
"Un-fricken-believable. Thirty minutes he's been gone, what the hell could they be talking about?" Naruto complained loudly, trying to ignore the three ANBU in the already highly cramped room. They were currently cramped in a sitting room meant for five, with eleven people. In a word, uncomfortable. Levi, in just as bad a mood was quick to respond.
"Quit your bitching Naruto, it's bad enough without having to hear your squeaky ass voice." A swig from a bottle of amber liquid soon followed the complaint.
"Both of your shut it. Bleedin' brats the pair of you." Soap mutted from across the room, nearest the ANBU. However this was a somewhat poor decision on everyone's part, as Levi's next comment caused a bit of a commotion.
"I'm sorry, what was that, Staff Sergeant?" Came the smug shot, and it sent the man over the edge.
"Cause of you, you arrogant little blighter!" with that yell he lunged at Levi, clumsy in his anger, only to be grabbed by Alex. Yanked back by the collar, he fell to the ground, pride more hurt than anything else.
"Stop it, the two of you. NOW. Cause of that little stunt, you two can take graveyard shift for watch... Two nights in a row. You wanna push me farther? Go ahead." His voice still held that commanding tone, only a hint of frustration creeping into it. Even the ANBU were impressed by his composure, all three guessing that this was a regular occurence. Nodding, Soap retreated back, muttering under his breath as he did. Though no one caught most of what he said, the last part was heard by everyone.
"Why the hell do I have take orders from two bloody kids?" Alex was quick to answer Soap's undoubtedly rhetorical question, this time making an obvious show of authority.
"Because Uncle Sam says so, and as long as you're in this squad, you do what the fuck Uncle Sam says, got it?" Soap said nothing, but leaned back against the paneled wood that made up the walls. Alex now turned on Levi, though Levi seemed to care far less.
"And you, did you forget how many times I've told you to stop with the jokes, or are you just so stupid you don't understand when I say it? And get rid of the whiskey, before I take the liberty of getting rid of it for you." Levi said nothing, though his facial expression demonstrated just how much he didn't care about Alex's threats. However, thsi gave way to a bored acceptance, showing more a humoring attitude than a subversive one. Despite this, no more comments were made, and Alex continued.
"Now, I have managed to get us a base of operations in Konoha, it's not much, but more than enough to operate out of for now. The Hokage has accepted us and has offered to assist us in our mission if, and only if, it becomes a direct threat to Konoha, so apart from asylum here, we're on our own. Understood?" the the majority of the people in the room let out a shout of 'sir, yes sir!', while Alex's rebellious younger brother gave more of a sleepy affirmative before giving a lazy salute.
"Ok, now that we have that solved, can we get to drop our shit off at this place so we can get some food?" Levi's exhausted voice rang out.
"Yeah, seriously. I'm hungry and tired as hell. And it is god awful humid in here, let's go." Naruto also tired affirmative was heard. Unable to form a coherent answer, and without the energy to give any kind of clear confirmation, the rest of the squad barely managed a tortured groan, which Alex took as agreement.
"Let's get going then." Alex replied happily, smiling widely.
Walking through the cheerful streets of Konohagakure, it soon became easy to forget the ANBU shadowing their trip down the street, easy to ignore the strange looks they were getting, and with that gentle breeze that had picked up, much easier to forget the sweltering heat of their heavy, cumbersome, OPPRESSIVE equipment. And for Naruto, he could almost forget the years of abuse and hatred suffered here. Without the dirty looks to remind him, and the cool breeze ruffling his hair and sneaking through his facemask, he could remember the happy times. Then again, maybe his childhood memories were being drowned out not by the pleasant atmosphere, but by the memory of Peru, Somalia, Afghanistan and Uganda... Oh well.
As they walked, sights that were normal to him were quite new to most of the men on his squad. the small, quaint shops and houses, the Hokage Mountain, the gates of Konoha. However the majority of their sentiments was summed up by the resident ginger, Eddy Webb.
"Everything is so damn small. I mean seriously, when you said village, you meant village man." The words shot out of his mouth quick, though they were all used to it. In fact, after two weeks straight of it, they barely even noticed. One might ask how they got used to it after only two weeks. He talked alot. However, the squad began to look past the relatively small scale of the village to the sights itself, and they were just fine with the calm setting. A flower shop here, a bareque there, a clothing boutique, a-
"BARBEQUE!" Jumping back at the volume of the yell, the members of the squad looked at Eddy in irritation and surprise, even Nathan's dull blue eyes were twitching. Unable to stop his newfound enthusiasm, everyone within reach (which amazingly and humorously enough was everyone) was dragged by their feet into the grille. Once sat and awaiting their fifty ribs, Nathan worked up the sense to ask quietly,
"How the hell did he flip us upside down and grab our feet so quick?" Flicking his eyes nervously to the ecstatic Eddy, who was currently bouncing up and down in his seat, he cowered.
"I have no idea." Naruto hissed out, terribly frightened. That was all he managed out before Eddy's head snapped in their direction, mouth issuing an eloquent 'huh?' This elicited a number of reactions from the soldiers at the booth. Naruto and Nathan quickly and frantically ducked under the seat, Levi jumped through the window, ignoring the shattered glass, James yelped, while both Alex and Alan commenced the headdesk (or in this case, headtable). Slowly peering back above the table, Naruto asked cautiously,
"Where the hell did Levi go? Oh, screw him, food!"
Insert ANBU sweatdrop
-oxXBitWXxo-
Fifty ribs, and two distended stomachs later, the group was ready to exit the grille. Leading the way into the street was an irate Levi, who muttered angrily in part to himself, and in part to Naruto and Eddy,
"One rib. One rib, are you kidding me? You two fatasses had 21 motherfuckin ribs each." Alex raised an eyebrow before responding cooly,
"Not appropriate language, this is a public area Levi." This hardly served to calm the younger sibling down, as when he spoke again, his voice was louder.
"Fuck you, I'm hungry!" Flying around on his heel, Levi raised both hands, middle fingers being raised to their well worn position when a voice interrupted him. Quickly swinging back around, he saw several mothers standing in the street, cracking their knuckles, off in the backgrounds young children shouting something. No one could quite hear them clearly, but their mouths seemed to be making familiar motions. One of the mothers spoke in a dark voice, stepping forward and actually making a crater in the ground when she did.
"Glad to see you taught my son a new word." A worried gulp was heard.
"Really, he just taught my daughter a new word as well. Should we all thank him together?" another mom spoke up. All the mothers agreed somewhat to happily, wicked smiles now stretching their faces.
"Oh shit." Levi whimpered. Naruto chose that moment to speak up.
"Levi."
"Yeah?"
"You're not helping your case very much."
"I know."
"I suggest you just shut up, or replace that 'oh shit' with 'troublesome'." Promptly after this, and directly around the corner, came a violent sneeze.
Someone is talking about me? How troublesome... Thus are the lazy thoughts of the biggest procrastinator in Shinobi history. Shikamaru Nara. His relative silence was cut off by a rather loud rant.
"EW! Shika, did you just sneeze on me?" *smack* "Learn some manners you lazy bum!"
"Sorry Ino," he replied from the ground, not sounding in the least bit sorry. But under his breath he finished, "you troublesome woman... Hey, anybody else hear a dying animal up ahead?" Cocking his head to one side in the direction of the sound, he was sure of it. Just around the corner was a small cat in immense pain. This train of thought was interrupted by an all to familiar voice, which sounded from very near where the dieing cat seemed to be.
"Kick his ass!" Shikamaru racked his brain for where he remembered the voice from, but for the life of him couldn't remember. Deciding that rounding the corner would be the best way to find out, he strolled around to view the oddest spectacle he had ever seen. A group of angry mothers were beating the snot out of a rather unorthodox looking shinobi, while obvious comrades sat and cheered. On the opposite side of the street, there were a number of children playing tag while the phrase 'motherfucking' seemed to float over quite a few times. What caught his attention though, was unforgetable, undeniably blond mop at the fore of the audience.
But no, it couldn't be. That was impossible, right? It had to be... But there it was, right in front of him, clear as day. Unable to repress his shock, Shikamaru let out a strangled call, part question, part statement.
"Naruto?"