Dead Man Walking
Disclaimer: BLAH BLAH BLAH
Story written & developed by Nightmares Around Winter. BETA read by Leaf Ranger.
Author Note: Sooooo yeah. Sorry for the long wait, since between re-rewriting first male nin due to it being deleted by the admins (for more information then please look at my profile and don't spam with stories with 'reviews' asking me about because that shit is honestly annoying and rude) and certain family issues. I am glad that the chapter for this story if finally up! Remember that if you have suggestions for the harem then please send me a review or a PM with choices and note that girls with more details as to why they should be in the harem would be given extra consideration but isn't exactly required. Also, if you want to know the complete harem list for this story then please PM from now on as I will now make the list a secret for those who want to keep it a surprise! One again thanks for your support!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
*Sounds*
"Demonic/otherworldly voices or thoughts"
Jutsu
(Jutsu Translation)
(Author's Note/Translation) The ANs are that are numbered are at the bottom.
Chapter 7: Stalking Prey
Shikamaru and Chouji stared at the Kumo team in front of them as Ino, their self-appointed leader, had a smile on her face as she stood between the two teams. "Soooo?" She asked with a sweet tone. "What do you say?"
"No!" Chouji said instantly.
"Yeah...that just doesn't seem like a good idea," Shikamaru said. "Strategically it makes sense as we are both looking for the same kind of scrolls but how can we trust any of you." He said as narrowed his eyes at the blond male.
"Well the truth is that we are here in order to strengthen the relations between Kumogakure and Konohagakure," Naruto started. "After all, that is the reason we took care of your teammate here. Besides, Konoha and Kumo working together could be a nice little show that if we can work together in such circumstances then surely our two villages could work together in peace time and maybe together during harsh times."
Shikamaru sighed. "You may have a point...but..."
Naruto smiled at them. "You still don't think that I am really Naruto...do you?"
"You still saying you are?" Shikamaru shot back.
Naruto chuckled lightly. "I know, I know...pretty big claim with not a lot of evidence but," he said as he fixed the three with a small grin, "isn't this your chance to find out if I am who I claim I am?"
Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji looked at each other before Shikamaru turned to him and said. "We're going to have to talk it over."
"By all means," he said as the three Konoha nin moved behind a tree as his own teammates approached him.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Omi asked concernedly. "I mean, I wasn't around when you guys captured that Yamanaka girl but working with Konoha nin on a test like this doesn't seem right. What if they try to betray us or even kill us when they get the chance?"
"Well I'm pretty sure we got Ino on our side," Naruto started. "She's the kinda girl that is very weak to compliments so I'm fairly certain she wouldn't try something...well...except trying to get inside our heads for info but just keep an eye on her and she shouldn't be able to get inside our heads. As for the big boy I can smell the fear on him. The one we should be careful of is that Nara. If I remember correctly that clan is famous for producing strategists and their clan specializes in some form of shadow manipulation Jutsu. So if we have to worry about these guys trying to screw us over, the plan and motivation willprobably come from him, but then again I heard most Nara are lazy as hell. So I guess we'll have to wait and see."
Omi merely stared at him blankly. "Well...if you say so."
"I still think we should be at least somewhat watchful of them. If they don't try to betray us when they can they could hold us back, namely that 'Ino' girl. She seems more into her looks then actually being a kunoichi." Karui said offhandedly.
Over with the three Konoha nin, they huddled close together as they whispered softly. "Ino...just what are you thinking?" Chouji started. "It's one thing to have us working with a foreign team but you had to pick the one with the creepy bastard?!"
"Hey! Naruto isn't creepy! He's actually a decent person!" Ino snapped at him.
"What exactly did they do to you to make you so friendly with them?" Shikamaru asked. "Ever since you left to scout out the area and didn't come back we thought you were dead and when you came back you started to talk about those guys and that 'Naruto' person as if you were talking about Sasuke."
"Who?" Ino asked generally confused.
Chouji and Shikamaru looked at her in shocked. "You know...Sasuke..." Chouji said but only got Ino tilting her head to the side in an unsure manner.
"...You know...the Sasuke..." Shikamaru said only getting a shrug from the girl. "Pale guy...last of the Uchiha...allergic to smiling...you know...the ONE dude you would never shut up about..."
"Oh! THAT guy!" Ino said with a faint nod. "Well I don't know, I guess I just got over him or something. Look, I'm going back to Naruto and the others, shake his hand and maybe we can actually get some work down whether you two like it or not." She said in an annoyed tone as she left two shocked people staring at her blankly.
"Shikamaru...I'm scared."
"So am I Chouji...so am I..."
At That Time
Darui and C stood before A as they just delivered the news of the killed Kusa team. Mabui stood by but her dark skin seemed to have gotten pale from hearing the details. "You said their faces were...melted?" He asked unsurely as if the information is just now being processed. "And the ANBU expected it be the work of the missing nin Orochimaru."
"The Snake Sannin," A said before turning to Mabui. "What information do we have of him?"
"Orochimaru, no family name, was trained under Sarutobi Hiruzen along with Senju Tsunade and Jiraiya. However, he was ousted when it was discovered that he was performing certain experiments. What the nature of these experiments was classified so they weren't described in the bingo book and our spies couldn't know what the experiments were like entirely. Only that they were considered as 'inhuman' and 'highly disturbing' by ANBU records," said Mabui. "He is one of the most infamous criminals in Konoha's history. Which...worries me. If he did kill those Kusa genin in order to infiltrate the exam then what is he after? It can't be Naruto-kun could it?"
A shook his head. "I don't think so, unless he knew in advance that we would be coming and that Naruto will take part in the exams. Which doesn't make sense because that would mean that he also knew that Naruto survived his own 'death' and that he ended up with us. He's after something here, in Konoha." He said as he turned to Darui and C. "Try to find as much as you can on Orochimaru's crimes. Tell me as soon as you find something."
"Yes Raikage-sama," C said as he and his partner left.
Mabui still seemed concerned. "You care a lot for Naruto, don't you?" He asked making the secretary jump.
Mabui's cheeks had some red in them. "W-Well yes, Naruto is a good kid and-and it would be a shame if anything were to happen to him!" She said uneasily.
A merely smiled. "He is a good kid, but you and I both know that he can take whatever is thrown at him."
Mabui couldn't help but smile at A's words but soon started to frown slightly. "Sooo...um have you ever decided who Naruto-kun should marry yet?" She asked as casually as she could.
"Hm? Oh, no I haven't. I'm just waiting on them to decide who should be available." A confessed. "Truthfully, I expect them to try and put it off as long as they can."
Mabui couldn't help but smile at that. "Oh...well no reason to worry, Raikage-sama."
At That Time
Naruto was in the lead with the rest of the team was following him back from several feet. Occasionally, Naruto would stop to smell the air and hear for any odd noises. During one of these stops, Shikamarulooked over at the red-head of the team. "How long have you known this guy?" He asked.
Karui didn't look at him as she remained fixed on Naruto doing his tracking. "Ever since we were students." She admitted.
"Sooo...what's his deal?" Chouji asked.
"Deal?"
"Yeah...like where did he come from and all that." He said as he stared at the dark-skinned woman.
"I thought that was obvious. Judging how everyone calls him by name around here and stares at him as if he is evil personified," Karui said as Naruto gave them a signal to move out. As they started to leap through the trees.
"Look, the 'Naruto' we knew died when he was a kid, murdered, and buried six feet under as well as being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi." Shikamaru commented. "So surely you can understand why a lot of us have a hard time buying that."
"All we know is that Naruto was adopted by our Raikage and has very powerful kekkei genkei." Omi stated. "Everything else is up in the air for us."
"What Kekkei Genkei is that?" Chouji asked.
"None of your business," Karui shot at him. "But you are guaranteed to see what it can do eventually."
"Well what can you tell us?" Shikamaru asked.
"Well...for starters his senses are much stronger than any other humans, especially his sight, hearing and smell. That's why he's on point."
"How strong?" Chouji asked.
"I can hear you even though you're whispering." Naruto told them making the Konoha genin jump. "I smell the open bag of barbecue chips the Akamichi has and I noticed that when the Nara is annoyed his eyebrow has a slight twitch." He turned his head over to them with a coy smirk. "I also can smell that that Nara has AB type blood while the other two have type B." He said as he turned his head back.
"D-Damn," Ino said with a faint blush on her face, "that's pretty impressive."
"You'd be surprised," Karui said. "We have a few nicknames for him back in Kumogakure. One of them is 'the Predator of Men'."
"'The Predator of Men'?" Shikamaru asked. Karui nodded in response.
"Well there are some others too," Omi said. "There's also 'Shinigami's Child', 'The Man-Hunter', 'Death's Bane', and 'The World's Most Unpredictable and Gruesome Shinobi'."
The Konoha genin looked at each other at the list of nicknames till Naruto ordered them to stop and gestured them to come to him. "What is it?" Shikamaru asked.
"I smell blood..." Naruto stated as he sniffed the air. "Down below us," he said as he looked down into the canopy before he dropped down. He landed softly as he followed the scent with the others following close behind. "Found it!" He said as he gestured to them. They came over, the Konoha team being more and more impressed and baffled by the time they came to a bit of blood on a leaf.
"How old is it?" Karui asked as Naruto started to sniff it.
"A day at least," he said. "Type...AB." He said as he sniffed the air. "The trail goes this way." He said as led them.
Karui looked over at them. "See what we mean?" She asked as she followed after him.
"Okay...that's pretty creepy," Shikamaru said.
"Yet super helpful to us," Ino said simply as she joined them.
Naruto kept low as he moved through the brush as quietly as he could with the others following. Chouji had some trouble moving due to his girth and accidentally stepped on a twig causing it to break making the Kumo Team send glares over at the big-bodied genin. "Sorry." He mouthed to them as they turned forward to sneak till the group came across a large opening with a hollowed tree. "The scent is coming from there." He said as he pointed to the tree.
Ino came up and saw a familiar shade of pink. "That's Billboard Brow."
"Who?" Naruto asked.
"Sakura...Haruno Sakura." Ino said.
"Friend of yours?" Kauri asked.
"She used to be," Ino stated.
"She doesn't look that badly hurt, the blood must be coming from one of her teammates inside that tree." He whispered. "Other words: easy target but...we aren't the only ones scoping them out."
"Hm?" Ino asked, as Naruto merely pointed at the three approaching the group.
"Sound notes?" He asked as he noted the symbol on their headbands.
"Oto." Karui answered. "Some new village."
"Hmmm...I see?" He said as he turned to the Oto nin as they started harassing the pink-haired girl. "Welp, here goes." He said he dashed out of the brush.
"What the-." One of the Oto nin managed to get out as Naruto grabbed them behind and slammed his head into the ground with a suplex by unnaturally binding his own spine.
"Where did he come from?!" The girl called out as she pulled out senbon needles.
"Who the hell are you?" A hunchback ordered as he pulled up his sleeve to reveal a strange gauntlet.
"Naruto of Kumo." He said. "Here, I'll make you a deal. Give me your scroll and I'll let you leave here."
"Bold words," the hunchback stated. "And if we refuse?"
"You saw how quickly I took down your friend here without trying?" Naruto said as the Oto nin started to come to only to have Naruto kick him across the face knocking him right back out. "How quickly do you think I can take the both of you out when I'm actually trying?" The remaining two didn't seem fazed as Naruto sighed. "Okay, how about this: Each of you hit me with what you got and if you can get me on my knees then I will give you whatever I have on me and you can do whatever you want to pinkie over there."
"Wait a second!" Sakura shouted. "Don't go deciding my fate without my say-so!"
Naruto turned to her. "Hey, shut up! I'm trying to help you!" He said before turning to Oto nin. "Do we have a deal?"
The girl merely smirked at him. "How surprisingly noble of a Kumo nin to risk his body to help out a rival."
Naruto shrugged. "Well...truthfully part of the reason we are here is to help build a better relationship with Konoha. If that wasn't the case then I could give two shits about what you do with those three and would just wait to attack you later when you had your guard down or were roughed up by that guy in the trees," He said as he pointed to a bowl-headed boy with thick eyebrows and a green jump suit. "But we're here to play nice with all the little Konoha nin so...let's get this over with."
The boy jumped down from the tree. "How did you know that I was there?!" He asked.
"I smelled you; you reek like sweat and fresh dirt." He said offhandedly before turning to the Oto nin. "So are you going to do it or not?"
The two, annoyed with his abrasiveness, glared at him. "You go first Kin." The male ordered as he moved to the side as the girl stepped forward with needles in each hand. Naruto noticed that each needle had a bell tied to each of them.
"Hope you aren't too attached to your ears," she stated confidently, as she tossed the needles at him. Naruto noted that the needles slice into his skin and penetrated the ground behind him. The bells jingled sending a sound wave through the air with her chakra. She smiled, certain that she got him as the vibrations would soon force him to cover his ears and beg for it to stop in a manner of minutes.
Naruto merely stared at the bells and back at the girl. "Is...Is that it?" He asked. "I mean...I feel weird but...I just thought that could be because I haven't eaten anything in awhile."
Kin stared at him. "Wait, how are you not on your knees? I created vibrations that would deafen most people!"
"Is that what you are doing? I just thought the bells were some sort of accessory." Naruto said offhandedly.
"Bastard!" Kin snapped at him as the Hunchback charged at him as he delivered a punch to Naruto's gut, the gauntlet creating sound-waves out of the holes that rattled Naruto's ears. Naruto merely smirked making him stare at him with his one eye. "W-What?!"
"Okay," Naruto said with a chuckle. "I'll give you that one, I think you may have broken some of my inner ear bones on that one, but if you want to get me on my knees, you're going to have to do something a bit more physical than that."
"T-The hell?!" The hunchback stuttered. "How are you still standing?! Even if you were deaf those vibrations would still cause you great pain! How are you still standing!?"
Naruto merely smirked. "Trust me; you're not the first person to ask me that." He said as flashed the two a grin where for a split second his teeth became pointed and serrated before turning to normal.
The Oto Team noticed the slight transformation as the hunchback pulled out his scroll and gave it to him. "Here, we'll leave." He said as he picked up the downed one before leaving the way they came. Naruto turned to the pink-haired girl who was staring at the scene with a confused look on her face.
"I...thank you." She said with a bow. "I don't know how many people would have helped me."
"I would!" Lee said with a large smile on his face. "And I have to say, I respect your courage!" He said as she shook his hand. "That was impressive how you took such attacks and barely flinched!"
"Thanks, I guess, but don't think me too much." He said as he turned to Sakura. "Seeing how I saved you and your teammate's asses, how about you give your scroll as payment?" He said with his hand out.
Sakura looked at his hands in shock. "B-But you already have a scroll, why do you need mine?"
"It's nothing personal. My team and I are already working with another Konoha team." He said as he gestured to the bushes where they were at as the others came forth.
"Ino?" Sakura said as she stared at the blond. "Y-You're working with these guys?"
Ino merely shrugged. "They aren't that bad once you get to know them...well, save for the red-head." She said as she pointed to Karui who merely gave her the finger in response.
"Anyway, give me the scroll and we can call it even." Naruto said.
Sakura held on to her scroll tightly. "I...I can't. I...appreciate what you did for me but I can't give you this scroll."
"Wait!" Lee said as he pulled out an Earth Scroll. "Would this be good enough?"
Naruto looked down and back at the bowl-headed genin. "Are you...willing to give up your scroll for her?" He gestured to Sakura.
"Yes...consider it my thanks for helping out the one I love!" He said with a happy look on his face. Sakura twitched as if someone walked over her grave while Naruto couldn't help but crack a small smile.
"Sooooo you two are dating? No wonder why you were so concerned for her." Naruto said in a joking manner.
"Well no but someday the flames of love will reach her!" Lee said loudly causing Naruto to laugh loudly.
"Well I wish you luck with that!" He said as he grabbed Lee's and gave it to Ino. "Here, you can take this one."
"Thanks!" Ino said as she gave him a tight hug much to the confusion of the people around them, save for Karui who gave the Blonde a harsh glare. "Hope we meet up with each other soon." She said in a husky whisper as she realized her hold on him. "Come on boys! The tower awaits us!" She said as she left for the central of the tower with Chouji and Shikamaru walking close behind her.
When they left Sakura turned to them. "How did you and Ino-pig so close?" She asked him.
Naruto merely shrugged. "Is it that surprising? I can be very charming when I went to be." He said as he turned and left. "I wish you luck in your future." He said as he and his team left leaving to go deeper into the forest. After several minutes he turned his eyes to the side when he saw a flash of grey out of the corner of his eye.
"Did you see something?" Omi asked as they kept walking.
"No...I didn't." He lied as he led his team deeper into the forest. Just as a pale skinned kunoichi wearing a cream and grey colored hoodie emerged from behind a tree, her pale pupil-less eyes locking with the back of the blond hair boy.
"Naruto-kun..." She said under her breath as she clenched her hand, her fingers digging into the wood as she made an angry scowl.
From,
Nightmares Around Winter
Sooooo...yeah that's the chapter, sorry if it was too short but I tell you what: the more reviews this chapter gets (that isn't about First Male Nin) the sooner I will get this updated. Remember: If you have suggestions for the harem them feel free to send it to me via la Review or PM and note that those who give detailed reasons why girls should be added will be given special consideration.
