Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh: Curse of the Namikaze Chapter 4: Darkness in Daylight, a naruto fanfic

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back to the Chronicles of the Seventh. As always I like to begin by stating that I do not own Naruto.

THANK YOU

A special thanks to those who reviewed my previous chapter: 25BAM50; *GUEST*; MyHikari; reverse read; GodRealm; Duesal10; Narusaki Heaven; *guest(2)* & leafstone.

RESPONCES

25BAM50 - Thank you. Glad it gave you a chuckle.

*Guest* - Thank you

MyHikari - Hmm, Why do you keep missing these? Hmm...IDK...leprechans? Yeah...let's go with leprechans. And yes...Kiba is gone. Now you should know that this decision did not come easy. But when I decided to do this story it quickly came to me that I needed to kill someone off fairly early on. And I thought about who it would be and Kiba just...fit. And yes, the K11 kids are growing up. Aren't kids anymore. Lol! It will be touched on from time to time. As for Kabumaru? Shh! I can't tell!

reverse read - Answers will come in time. Patience my friend. Glad you liked the humor I placed in it. I wanted to show that despite the fact these guys have grown up, they are still the same characters at their core.

GodRealm - Lol! Yes! They are everywhere! I'm friends with many of them it seems! Lol! Yeah, TenTen is one of the under appreciated characters in Naruto. But I like to show her every once and a while. I think she can be interesting if you use your imagination. Glad you liked the Naruto "rape" scene. I enjoyed writing that one.

Duesal10 - I LOOOOVE CLIFFHANGERS! It keeps people coming back! Lol! Always leave 'em wanting more is the old saying! Let's not mention Kishi right now though. He and I are not seeing eye to eye right now. I personally can't stand what he's doing in the canon. But that's just me. Of course Naruto will grow as Hokage. Growth and learing is what this story, in the end, is really what its all about. As for powerups...no comment. Lol! And thank you for the well wishes Duesal. Seriously much appreciated.

Narusaku Heaven - Sorry to hear you lost your account. But glad to see you reading my new story. I hope you continue to enjoy it and that I can live up to your expectations.

*Guest(2)* - Thank you so much. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

leafstone - Thank you.

MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR

Hear is the latest chapter of Chronicles. I hope you enjoy it. Please remember to leave a little review when done and expect a new chapter in two weeks. Next week will be a new chapter of my other series "Seven Sins". If you haven't checked that out yet, please do. Peace!

******Konoha Maximum Security Prison – 4:48AM******

Her name is Moriko Hirayama. She is eighteen years old. She is a chunin who graduated from the academy five years ago. She isn't overly skilled or talented. She's never really stood out in any real way. But she loves her village and the people in it. So when she graduated, she jumped at the chance to become a member of the Guard Corp.

Her parents, though proud of her accomplishments, weren't very enthused about her joining this hard core unit created to guard the most dangerous criminals and terrorists in the Land of Fire. They were even more apprehensive when they found out she would be working the night shift. But Mokiro was determined. If this was what she could do for Konoha, then so be it.

This night had started out like all the others. She kissed her parents goodbye and made her way to work. Most of the night was quiet, with very few disturbances outside of a few inmates who were clearly restless and would whistle after her or make lewd gestures. Nothing she'd never heard or seen before. Nothing she couldn't handle.

Then she heard something coming from a nearby cell. It was the sound of someone gagging. She followed the sound to the cell of a new inmate. He was apparently the leader of a small band of thieves claiming to be the remnants of Akatsuki. Mamoru was his name, she recalled. Knowing that she needed to be careful but also realizing he could be in distress, Moriko cautiously opened his cell. "Mamoru?" she called out. "What's wrong?"

She saw him doubled over in the center of the room gagging and coughing. "Hey!" she called as she grabbed his shoulder. "Are you..?" She never finished her sentence. To her amazement, Mamoru turned and stabbed her in the chest with what looked like a knife made of stone with an ornate handle fashioned after a cobra.

"Just fine." Mamoru said as he watched the girl collapse. Mamoro pulled the blade from the girls heart and used a nearby piece of cloth to wipe the blood off. He then grabbed her keys, stepped over the fallen body and walked out of the cell.

Moriko lay frozen on the floor. Her mouth hung open as she tried to scream for help or to warn her comrades. But no voice could escape as she felt warm liquid escaping from her would. She could feel her hands and feet numbing. Her world was darkening.

Her name was Moriko Hirayama. She was a chunin who graduated from the academy five years ago. She wasn't overly skilled or talented. She never really stood out in any real way. But she loved her village and the people in it.

Naruto: Chronicles of the Seventh

Book IV: Curse of the Namikaze

Chapter IV: Darkness in Daylight

******Konoha Maximum Security Prison – 5:12AM******

Toshiro Nara coughed and gagged as he rose out of the rubble. Blood from his head wound streaked his face. His body ached and he was sure that at least a few of his ribs were broken. Looking around at his office that was now annihilated, Toshiro scanned for any signs of the young guard who was with him in the room at the time. He saw the man's hand sticking out a pile of debris and Toshiro painfully pulled himself to his feet. He made his way over and began to move piles of stone, wood and charred books and scrolls away, desperately trying to save his comrade. As he removed the last of it, Toshiro saw the unconscious guard and immediately dropped to his knees and checked for a pulse. Nothing. He thought as he sighed heavily.

Toshiro quickly got to his feet and limped to the doorway and looked around. The room next to him had been left an ashen pile of rubble. How could this have happened? He thought. There were no signs of any of the prisoners making this far. Who could have done this?

But there was no time to ponder it as several guards came running down the hallway. "Tai-cho!" One of them yelled excitedly. "We heard the explosion! What happened?!"

"It looks like someone planted explosives in the room next to me." Toshiro responded.

"Who could have..?" The ninja began to ask.

"It doesn't matter now." Toshiro replied impatiently as he cut the man off. "Right now we have a bigger crisis on our hands." Toshiro ignored the pain that shot through his body as he hustled down the hallway with his men in tow. "Give me a status report!"

"From what we can tell we have a one hundred percent jailbreak." One of the guards replied. "It appears to be quite a calculated strike. All of the guards that were in the barracks were quickly overwhelmed. We've received no communication from that sector. We believe they may all be dead."

"How is that possible?" Toshiro asked. "The prisoners aren't armed and the chakra inhibitors…"

"Were shut down." the guard quickly stated.

Toshiro stopped in his tracks. "Shut down?! Impossible! They're designed to prevent anyone from turning them off easily. Only someone with the use of their chakra and knowledge of the deactivation jutsu could do that. In other words only a member of the Guard Corps."

"We are looking into the possibility that we have been infiltrated." Another guard said as the group began to walk again. "But right now things are in chaos. We've sealed the barracks. We believe we were able to prevent about twenty percent of the inmates from leaving that area. The others are currently on the other side of the prison fighting with our men."

"Then that's where the hell we're headed!" Toshiro replied.

Just then, the radio on one of the guards screeched to life. "H-Hello? Is…anyone there? Can you read me? Hello?!"

Everyone stopped and looked at the guard as he quickly placed the headpiece in his ear. "Who is this?"

"This…this is Fujiwara…Yori Fujiwara." Yori stuttered.

That kid?! Toshiro wondered. He's still alive!

"Fujiwara!" The guard said. "What's your status? Where are you!?"

"I'm…I'm trapped inside the barracks." Yori replied. "I'm hiding out in one of the empty cells. There are…I think about fifteen or so inmates still trapped in here with me."

Toshiro snatched the earpiece our of the guards ear. "Yori, this is Captain Nara! What's the status of the other guards?!"

There was a brief silence on the other end. Finally Yori responded. "Dead, Tai-cho. They're all dead. We were ambushed. One minute the place was quiet then all the cells somehow opened at once and all the inmates flooded out. They…swarmed on us before we could even raise the alarm. Tai-cho, I'm so sorry."

"Never mind that kid! What's you're status?!" Toshiro replied.

"Wounded." Yori answered. "I was stabbed. One of the inmates, the one called Mamoru, had a snake blade made of stone. He must have thought he'd killed me. But I was…able to drag myself here. I stopped most of the bleeding…but…I don't know…"

"Alright kid," Toshiro said. "You did good."

"Tai-cho," Yori continued. "You should know that somehow they were able to remove their inhibitors. And one of them, that guy Shojimaru, is still in here. He's killing everybody. And I think he's planning to bust out. Tai-cho, if he gets out…"

Toshiro took a deep breath. If he gets out then all hope of holding the inmates back is lost, he thought. "Alright kid," Toshiro said. "Hold tight. We're coming to get you." Toshiro cut the feed and then addressed his men. "Change of plans! We need to get the barracks under control. Once we've got that area secure we hit the main force. Let's move out!"

A few minutes later Toshiro and his group turned a corner and reached the hallway that lead to the barracks. The entire hallway looked like a bomb had gone off. The walls and floor were scorched and streaked with fresh blood. Several bodies of inmates and guards alike littered the floor. Finally they reached the entrance to the barracks. A large metallic wall, which was used to lock down the area, had been slid down in front of it. There were two guards standing watch. "Tai-cho!" One of them yelled as they ran up to him.

"Status!" Toshiro demanded.

"We were able to lock down the barracks, sealing several inmates inside, sir," the guard answered as he gestured to the large steel wall just ahead of them. "There was lot of noise coming from the other side; mostly banging against the wall and screams. About five minutes ago all screaming stopped. It's been quite so far."

"Alright!" Toshiro responded. "We need to secure the barracks. You two open the gate then stay here and continue to guard the door. Anyone outside of us tries to get past you, kill them. The rest of you come with me."

The two guards quickly ran to either side of the metal wall and grabbed the heavy metal chains and began to pull on them, causing the wall to rise, revealing the barred entrance behind it. "Let's move out!" Toshiro ordered as he fearlessly entered the area.

As they entered the barracks their senses were assaulted by the by the stench of fresh blood and death. The floors and walls were adorned with pools of blood and bodies littered the ground. "My god." One of the ninja mumbled as they looked about the massive expanse.

One ninja stopped and bent down as he came to the body of a guard laying face down in a pool of blood. The ninja turned the body over and gritted his teeth. "Minori." He whispered. "What did those bastards do to you? I'll make them pay!"

"Quiet!" Toshiro commanded in a hushed tone. "Now's not the time for any of that. We need to get this barracks back under control! Now stay sharp!" Toshiro looked around; he could hear the sounds of fighting emanating from the right hallway. "This way." As they walked down the hall Toshiro spoke into his radio. "Yori, you still with me?"

"Yes, tai-cho." Yori answered. "I'm on the first floor on the right. At the third cell."

"Understood." Toshiro replied. "Sit tight. We're on the way." As they continued on the way, more and more bodies littered the floor and the stench of death grew thicker. Finally, they reached the stairs heading down to the first floor and cautiously they made their way down.

"Something's not right." Toshiro said as the reached the bottom. "Where is everyone?" He then spoke into the radio. "Yori, are you there?" No answer. "Yori?" Just then Toshiro looked up and saw several tags attached to both sides of the wall. "Shit! Everyone get d-" But it was too late. The explosives ripped through the hallway surrounding the men in chaos and thunder. Toshiro's world was suddenly turned into white light as his body was tossed about by the sheer force of the explosion.

Toshiro wasn't sure how long he was out as he opened his eyes. He wasn't even sure if he was still alive. But as he looked around at his surroundings; as he saw the rubble and the body parts and dead soulless eyes of his men, he knew he was alive; because even hell couldn't compare to this. He wasn't sure how he'd survived. But he was alive. That's all that mattered. For the second time tonight he'd pulled off the impossible.

Crawling to his feet, his arm broken, his body bruised and bleeding, his clothes torn, Toshiro limped along looking for someplace to rest when he heard someone call out to him. "Yori?" He asked. "Is that you kid?" Toshiro saw a blood stained hand poke out of a darkened cell for a brief second before disappearing back inside.

Toshiro limped as quickly as he could until he entered the room. Sitting just behind the door, holding a sword was Yori. He was pale and blood stained his clothes. "Tai-cho!" He said weakly. "What happened? Where is everyone else?"

"They didn't make it." he said sadly as he slumped against the wall and slid down to the ground. "How about you?"

Yori showed his wound on his side and smiled weakly. It was a bad cut but it looked as though Yori had treated it. "I'll live." Yori answered. "Shojimaru is back in the center of the barracks preparing. I think he's killed any opposition already."

Toshiro grunted as he sat up more. "Then we have no choice. We have to try and stop him. We can't allow Shojimaru to join the others. He's too powerful a shinobi. If he does, our men will surely be overrun. You do realize what that means right?"

Yori looked at the ground for a moment. Toshiro could see from the boys expression that he was working things out in his head and, most importantly, residing himself to the fact that this would likely be a suicide mission. "I…understand, tai-cho," Yori said. And then with a smile that shocked even Toshiro, Yori continued, "This is what is expected of the most hardcore ninja division in all of the Land of Fire, right?"

Toshiro smiled. "C'mon." he said as he willed himself to his feet. He then reached down and pulled Yori up. "Let's make the Guard Corp proud."

A few minutes later, Toshiro and Yori found themselves further into the complex. Peaking around the corner, Toshiro saw the massive man called Shojimaru standing in a large expanse alone. With only one hand he was holding a member of the Guard Corp suspended in the air by his neck. Toshiro silently signaled Yori to follow close behind and they snuck up towards their target. Stealthily, they moved from one column to an overturned table and then some debris as they closed in.

Without saying a word, Shojimaru stared deep into the guards' eyes before snapping his neck with a simple squeeze and then tossing the body aside. Damn it! Toshiro thought as he cursed himself for not getting there in time. He quickly stepped out into the open. "Shojimaru!" He yelled as he quickly made several hand signs.

Shojimaru slowly turned and merely stared indifferently at the enraged captain. He made no effort to attack or defend himself. Suddenly several surrounding shadows extended out from Toshiro and connected with Shojimaru's shadow. Shojimaru found himself unable to move. Once satisfied that he was caught, Toshiro moved in closer. "You have ten seconds to tell me what I want to know Shojimaru! Who orchestrated this break out?! And for what purpose?!"

Shojimaru remained perfectly still and merely glared at the captain. Toshiro gritted his teeth in frustration and with a mental command the shadow began to creep up Shojimaru's body while taking the shape of a hand. It then stopped at his neck as the shadow began to squeeze. "You will tell me what I want to know!" Shojimaru commanded. "Who orchestrated this break out?! It's obvious it's someone on the inside! Someone planted those traps for me and my men and someone was able to release you from the chakra inhibitors! Who is it!?"

Still, even as Toshiro squeezed tighter and tighter, Shojimaru remained stoic. He showed no fear, no hesitation or even concern for his safety. He merely glared at his attacker in silence as the shadow squeezed his windpipe tighter and tighter.

"Damn you Shojimaru, speak!" Toshiro yelled. To his amazement, Shojimaru began to raise his hand despite the Shadow Imitation Technique that should have bound his movements. He can move?! He's as powerful as I was told if he can move so easily!

Shojimaru raised his hand and signaled Toshiro to halt. Realizing this, Toshiro released his strangulation technique just enough for the man to speak. "The person you are looking for stands behind you."

"What?" Toshiro asked in confusion. A moment later he felt a sharp pain as he looked down to see the blade of a sword piercing out of his chest. "Wh-Whuh…" Toshiro looked behind him to see Yori with a wide, toothy smile plastered on his face as he held the hilt of the very sword that was now in Toshiro's back.

Toshiro could feel his heart racing; he could hear it beating loudly in his chest. He was surprised how numb he suddenly felt as all strength seemed to leave his body and he fell to his knees. All the while Yori, the young ninja he took under his wing, simply smiled.

"Was all this really necessary?" Shojimaru asked Yori as the young boy pulled the sword out of Toshiro's back.

"I already explained to you that Nara Toshiro is one of the most powerful members of the Nara clan and was a master of the chakra sealing jutsu." Yori answered as he looked at his bloody blade. "Not only that, but his tactical prowess is second in the Nara clan only to that of Shikamaru Nara and of course his father. We couldn't allow him to join up with his men. This worked out perfectly."

"Although I must admit even I am impressed with him." Yori said as he stared at Toshiro. "To think you'd survive not just one, but both of my explosive traps." He laughed. "You're quite the man, tai-cho."

"Nevertheless, I don't like using such dishonorable methods." Shojimaru answered.

"Not my problem." Yori replied as he fearlessly faced the hulking man. "Our mission is what takes precedence. Our master expects flawless completion and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Shojimaru answered. "What do we do about him?"

Yori turned to see Toshiro on his knees; his eyes vacant; his wound gushed blood. Toshiro tried to hear what the two men were saying but he couldn't. All he could hear was his own heart. A heart he could feel getting weaker by the second. His vision was fading. Yet all he could think about was Yori. How could he have been such a fool? This boy, who once looked at him with almost wide eyed innocence and admiration, now looked upon him with a cold and calculating indifference.

The boy raised the sword in the air. "Who?" He asked in answer to Shojimaru's question. With one swing he sliced Toshiro's head clean off his shoulders sending it tumbling to the floor. "All I see are the dead."

"Speaking of which…" Yori said as he looked around at the corpses that lay at their feet. "Is there a reason you killed these men?"

"Traitors to the cause." Shojimaru replied. "This is what Mamoru told me."

"Ah, I see." Yori answered. "I'll have to speak to Mamoru about acting on his own when we meet up." Yori swung his sword to remove the wet blood on it and quickly sheathed it. "Come," he said. "We need to move on to the next phase of the mission."

Shojimaru paused as he watched the boy walk away. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable taking orders from someone as young as you."

Yori stopped at the door and replied, "It wouldn't have come to this if you had completed your mission five years ago."

"That fact can't be denied I suppose." Shojimaru answered as he began to follow. "But are you prepared for what is to come next?"

Yori looked back at Shojimaru with an icy, contemptuous stare. "I don't care who you are. Question my resolve again, and I'll kill you. Konoha will burn with the rising sun and these people will remember the feeling of despair. It is as the master commanded."

******Konoha Mansion – 5:53AM******

"What the hell is going on Konohamaru!?" Naruto yelled as he exited the mansion. Sakura followed behind him as several guards pouredout into the courtyard as they met up with Konohamaru and several dozen ninja.

"We're still trying to get a handle on things ourselves." Konahamaru replied. "Neji dispatched us to secure this location and ensure your safety first."

"That's not necessary right now!" Naruto yelled.

"Right!" Konohamaru replied before turning to the men. "What are your orders?"

"Send word to Neji that I want the village locked down." Naruto replied. "I want all movement on the streets restricted to vital personnel only. All citizens are to remain indoors until we figure out what the hell is going on." Naruto then looked behind him. "Sakura!"

"I'm on my way!" Sakura responded as she immediately leapt away. She didn't need Naruto to say the words to know exactly what he wanted her to do.

"You three escort her to the hospital!" Naruto commanded as he looked to several guards. Without a word they took off behind her. "Ok, the rest of you men remain here and secure the location."

"Naruto, I was instructed to keep you here until we could assess the situation." Konohamaru replied. "For all we know you could be the target. It's too dangerous to just have you moving about. Shikamaru and the rest of your cabinet are on their way and…"

"Konohamaru how long have we known each other?" Naruto asked as he glared at the flames in the distance. Konohamaru remained silent. "My village is burning. What makes you think I can sit still and wait for reports?" Now you can either sit here and wait to explain to everyone why I'm not here. Or…you can go with me and help save lives."

"Right." Konoahamru replied. "Let's move out!"

******Sometime Later******

"Mamoru seems to be doing an effective job." Yori said as he and Shojimaru leapt across the rooftops. They could see several plumes of smoke in several parts of the village. Flames illuminated the night sky as the screams of citizens could be heard everywhere. Yori smiled. "The village is in chaos! Tonight, Konoha will know despair!"

Shojimaru looked to his right at all of the destruction. He could see the Hokage Mansion rising into the night sky like a beacon. He then looked to the left and saw Konoha's other beacon, the hospital that rose almost as high in the distance. The surrounding area was quiet and dark, in stark contrast to the chaos that took place on the other side of the village. "This is where we part ways it would seem." Shojimaru said as he and Yori came to a stop. "May we both find success in our missions."

"Success is the only option." Yori replied as he leapt away leaving Shojimaru alone.

Shojimaru turned and looked at the blazing flames and listened to the din of screams and yelling rising throughout the village. "Indeed." He said before vanishing.

******Konoha Medical Center – A short time later******

"Someone get me some IV for this patient!" Moegi yelled as she checked on the wounds of the woman on the gurney.

"Moegi!" Sakura yelled as she strode through the halls. "What's the situation?"

"Most of the wounded that are coming in are guards from the prison." Moegi responded. "From what I can gather it looks like there was a full prison break. Most of the guards are either dead or dying. Luckily most of the explosions are happening in low populated areas."

"Prison break huh?" Sakura pondered. "Alright, let's get to work. I'm heading to my office to get my instruments. I'll be right back."

As Sakura walked the halls towards her office she didn't notice the stranger who moved in shadow behind her. He smiled as he saw her moving alone. Looking at the blade he had hidden he couldn't help but be excited at what was to come. Tonight, Konoha will know despair.

******End of Chapter IV******

Next Chapter: Despair