I've edited this chapter: some people have brought it to my attention that it's not as good as my other chapters, mainly because I've been treating Naruto like an idiot. Sorry! Writing Naruto is a challenge for me sometimes, mostly because I've used to much of the Idiot!Canon!Naruto approach, methinks. I guess at this point people don't want canon, they want Asskicking!Smart!Naruto...
I'll do my best, but remember, he is still in his teens. Teenagers, even superpowered shinobi teenagers, make mistakes. I'm not out to write a Super!Naruto story here you guys.
As for the Kunoichi question where I stated I couldn't really think of many kunoichi in the Second War... man, you guys proved me wrong! Thanks! Now I have at least five I can have feature in this story, more if I characterize the more minor characters like Senju Taka.
Oh, by the way, I've disable my anonymous reviews. I've had a few little bitches think they can call my story a 'piece of trash' and tell me to 'get out of their sight'. My first flame. Joy. I actually laughed a little when he said, and I quote "I HATE STORIES LIKE YOU ARE WRITING; THEREFORE, I WON'T READ THIS!" Doesn't that sound a little off to you?
At least my first basher wasn't that intelligent. I've been lead to believe they usually aren't.
By the way, I don't think critisicm is bashing- Megadeth and all other who gave me advice on how to make this better... thanks!
Sakura had trained herself to wake in an instant. Unlike Naruto, she didn't have the half-awake, drowsy state of contentment that often precluded getting out of bed- often she had to bolt out of her futon for an emergency surgery at all hours. She didn't have the luxury of deep sleep, something she found she envied more than Naruto's impressive chakra capacity and abilities.
Thus, when Naruto's chakra spiked, Sakura catapulted out of bed- brandishing the senbon needle she always had tucked into the collar of her shirt.
"Eh…?" she muttered, noting no enemies in the sparse, grey little room she had been sleeping in. "Naruto…?"
The chakra pulsed again, tickling Sakura's finely tuned senses. She twitched. When she had asked Tsunade-shishou to be able to detect chakra she hadn't expected it to affect her this much. While it definitely came n hand
Sakura frowned, slipping her feet into her boots that were placed beside the door and tugging on her kunai pouch and gloves that had been dumped into a pile next to them. Naruto was getting riled up.
She flinched, unconsciously speeding up. She might have to put together little bits of Tsunade and Jiraiya if they got in the way.
Naruto smiled to himself as he balanced in one of the trees overlooking the clearing, sage mode off as he stared down at the resting squad of shinobi. Two jounin and six chuunin; Naruto dismissed them, his eyes riveted to the dark haired, pale figure in a jounin outfit.
Orochimaru.
The young Sannin's youth had thrown Naruto off balance for a brief second- only enough to marvel at the snake's lack of height and threatening aura- before he jumped back into his more analytical thoughts.
Definitely still a ninjutsu user. he mused to himself, eyeing the lack of taijutsu muscle on the snake's thin limbs. Too young to get into kinjustu. Probably.
"Psst!" Naruto flinched, jumping a little as Sakura's voice filtered toward him through the leaves. He looked behind, seeing her pearched on a branch. He was a little sheepish; she had managed to sneak up on him, even if stealth was one of her better skills- she had to make up for her smaller chakra reserves somehow...
Sakura bounded to his limb, the one overlooking most of the patrol. "Konoha?" Her breath puffed against his ear.
Naruto nodded, pointing down at the pale form of Orochimaru.
Sakura blinked, squinting to make sure she was seeing right. "Orochimaru?" she asked, incredulous, still almost impercepteably quiet.
"Should we kill him?" Naruto asked, his voice as quiet as hers. "You could make it look like an accident." Despite his attempts at proffessionalism, Sakura knew that he'd have no problem snapping the little sannin's neck.
"We still need him." Sakura said, dissapointed despite herself. "He's useful in the wars. We can probably kill him when the Fourth Hokage is chosen- I think that's when he really started his mad scientist thing."
"Hmph." Naruto snorted. "Never thought that having Orochimaru alive would ever be a good thing. At least he's useful."
Sakura nodded.
"Border Patrol 8!"
Naruto nearly fell out of the tree when he heard Orochimaru's jonin partner bellow- his voice booming and echoing through the trees. Birds screeched at the sudden sound and took to the air.
"Border Patrol 8, this is Jounin Arisawa, leading a back-up team that you requested by messenger hawk three days ago." The man's voice retained its impossible decibel level. "I have the forensics personal and the coroner here to attend to the bodies. Please, show yourselves!"
Naruto shared a quick look with Sakura before shrugging and both of them dropped silently to the grass behind the group. They didn't turn around.
We weren't all that quiet, he thought, frowning as the Jounin continued to call for Jiraiya and Tsunade to show themselves, are they really that bad at-
Naruto stilled as he felt the telltale sting of cold steel on his throat. "Name, rank, and number." The voice that hissed out from behind him was cold and merciless; Naruto's blood boiled in rage.
Orochimaru.
"Namikaze Naruto, chuunin, no number," He said shortly, his teeth gritted together. "-and if you don't remove that kunai from my neck, I'll remove your arms from their sockets." The dark tone in Naruto's voice left no doubt he would follow through on his promise.
He may not be able to kill Orochimaru but he'd be damned before he'd allow himself to be threatened like a green genin.
To his left, he could hear Sakura getting much the same treatment, except with more leering and innuendo. He smiled when he heard the crack of knuckles on jaw and smirked when the disrespectful chuunin was launched half-way across the clearing.
"Pervert." Sakura snapped, rubbing her fist on her shirt to wipe the blood from his bruised jaw off of her knuckles.
"Ahem." Jounin Arisawa coughed, slightly embarrassed by his chuunin underling. "Yes, well," he straightened. "We received your message and we're here to conduct our investigation." He jerked his head at three of the chuunin, two of which had small red crosses embossed on their flak jackets. "We've got medics to tend to the survivor."
Sakura perked up, smiling slightly at fellow medical nin. "He's down in the bunker. I had to perform an emergency-"
To her surprise, she merely got a dismissive sniff and a toss of the head before the duo stepped past her toward the complex.
"Kunoichi."
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she picked up the whispered insult. It was in the same tone as one would sneer insults along the lines of whore or slut.
Ah, so that's how things stood. Sakura, and every other kunoichi in service, was aware of those kunoichi who didn'tserve their country by fighting; they were chosen to do their part by sleeping with yakuza and top administrators of foreign governments. They were necessary, but that didn't seem to matter to the two dismissive men in front of her. Her fist tightened, causing the leather of her gloves to creak; didn't they know that the intel they based their entire lives on was bought with the shame of the women they spit on?
Her generation had been lucky; she had been saved by Tsunade-sama, Ino and Hinata were protected by their families and Tenten... well, Tenten had managed to get a few scars that would've been hard for a whore to explain away as simple accidents.
Naruto was oblivious to all of this, however. He was rather focused on Orochimaru; watching like a hawk watching a mouse. One false move and Naruto didn't care- he was probably going to take the kids head off from his nervous twitching...
"Teme!"
Naruto jerked, blinking, half expecting the dour face of Uchiha Sasuke to peer out from behind a tree, smirking and smug. Instead, he caught sight of Orochimaru's resigned face moments before Jiraiya came hurtling out of the complex, a broad grin that reminded Naruto of his obnoxious genin days plastered to his face.
Tsunade came after, trailing behind at a more sedate pace but still smiling. Happy.
They were like Team Seven all over again.
Naruto sighed and relaxed totally, letting the tension ease out of his muscles. He watched distantly as Jiraiya thumped Orochimaru on the back and Tsunade struck up a casual conversation and cringed.
Dammit, now he'd feel guilty if he killed the little viper.
Shit.
