A breeze blew idly by as Naruto gazed upon the snake summon underneath Anko's feet. He regretted not focusing more clones on her from the beginning. She was reckless, powerful, and cunning. She was a student of a Sannin. Naruto had many discussions about the Sannin with the Sandaime. Their strengths and weaknesses. Kabuto was especially wary of Orochimaru. Tsunade was a Senju. Jiraiya was his father's sensei. Anko would have learned straight from the mouth of one of the best. He could feel her anger like a bonfire. He had enraged her.
That was almost as bad as it was good. The summon lunged forward and took out twenty clones at once. The remaining army wasted no time and dashed towards the towering serpent. The clones grouped up into squads and acted as one. They divied up into long-range, mid-range, close-range, and sensor squads. He would have to thank Anko for such a challenge- and the Sandaime for preparing him for it.
The Sannin were known as such for one single feat- fighting Hanzo the Salamander to a stand still. Through their teamwork and their summons. Hiruzen had admitted without their summons that his students would have fallen like so many others before the might of the Salamander. Their use of summons were so integral to their styles that they were their monikers; the Toad Sannin, the Slug Sannin, and the Snake Sannin. Summons were game changers and summoners were fiercely guarded resources of their villages. Naruto had been taught how to deal with them. In fact, he had taught himself. The best way to fight a summon was to banish it back from whence it came.
The snake was an armored behemoth but Anko was not. Naruto sacrificed dozens of clones just to get a single squad on the snake's back. Anko wasted no time in engaging them. She fluidly dodged their chakra scalpels with terrifying speed. Whenever she moved forwards to engage a hail of kunai and shuriken would intercept her. He had to keep her on her toes and keep her from syncing up with her summon. Break their rhythm and break their synergy.
The snake raged beneath her. Whole squads falling to it's lunges. Anko held off the clones only to hear the crinkling of paper as she stepped back. Her eyes widened as she saw the edge of a seal and her heart froze as the esoteric markings flashed and ran up her leg. With an explosion of smoke her summon disappeared from beneath her.
Naruto watched as the chunin glared at the one hundred and twenty clones surrounding her. Her breathing was ragged and her anger slowly grew past normal aggression. Hatred was overcoming her. She was consumed with it. Naruto gagged from how strong it was.
"Surrender, Anko-san or else-"
"I will not be branded! Take it off!"
Naruto was paralyzed as he watched Anko charge the nearest clone. Her hatred peaked and then she yelled in agony and collapsed to the ground clawing at her neck. Her screams resembled some buried memory or long-forgotten dream and Naruto felt a great sadness emanate from Kurama.
As she started to sob and writhe he broke from his trance and rushed to her side. He was there in a moment and his clones quickly joined him. He removed the Summon Disruption Seal. When she didn't calm down and continued to scream in pain, Naruto closed his eyes and allowed his enhanced senses to envelop Anko. He could sense every darkness within her. He understood her and knew her on such a profound level it felt wrong- too easy. All her little pet-peeves, all her bitterness and regret. Shame. Fear. Hatred.
He eventually located the source of the trauma. He pulled her jacket down from her shoulder and saw the pulsing, shifting seal on her neck. Her emotions were a hurricane of blind hatred and rage, but through the tempest he was able to discern its origin.
Orochimaru.
A cursed seal then. Kabuto had taught him about them. Naruto had known that she had one, but he hadn't thought it would be so reactive. Anko was violently struggling on the ground, her blood smearing in the dirt. His clones tried to hold her steady. He unsealed his brush and ink and tried to clear his mind. He had never used his empathy so closely on someone in so much pain before and it was hard to remain calm. He dipped his brush and moved to begin. Then he hesitated.
'The exam is still happening. I am supposed to act as a Jounin- she isn't a Kunoichi of the Leaf right now she is my enemy. If I help her will that affect-'
'Naruto-kun. Listen to me now.' Naruto's hand stilled as the words of his best friend spoke with such passion from within him. 'I have no love for most of the human race. The hatred I bear for them will last for centuries to come… But, look at her, child. She is truly suffering. You can stop it. You can ease her pain. Be a force of compassion, as my father wished for me and my siblings to be. Don't weigh what you gain from inaction against what's right.'
'Yes. Thank you.' Mind at ease, Naruto quickly began writing the seals that he had offhandedly discussed with Kabuto. In all of their conversations and plans removing this seal hadn't been a priority but as he worked on undoing it he realized that it should have. Orochimaru's sins weren't his to pay for- nor were they even Kabuto's to repent for. But, it was evil left alone in this world and Naruto was fairly certain that he was the only one in the village who would have been able to fix it. Because of that, Anko suffered, and that was on him.
He'd start off with amplifying the strength of the original containment seal. He had to adjust for her spasms as his clones held her down. She had just lost her senses to the pain and had been reduced to shuddering on the ground. He activated the additional containment and she gasped loudly and her body came to a rest. She softly sobbed before her breathing evened out as she lost consciousness. He relaxed and his clones moved her to a more comfortable position and he rested her head in his lap to better work on the seal.
Naruto would have considered stopping it there, but the words of Kurama and his own guilt had made that impossible. He was removing this cursed seal, no matter the cost. He started to create the required sealing matrix when he realized the Sandaime, Kakashi, and a few others were suddenly behind him. It seemed the exam was over.
"That's enough Naruto-kun." Naruto didn't hesitate as Kakashi rested a hand on his shoulder, but continued his work. Naruto withheld the urge to reprimand his older brother for touching him while he was drawing an unfinished seal.
"I'm helping her. I'm taking it off of her."
"That seal was placed by Orochimaru of the Sannin, chunin." That gruff voice could only be Ibiki. Naruto had only ever encountered him as Agent Konoha, so he didn't expect him to realize he wasn't an actual shinobi- but was almost disappointed that the leader of Torture and Interrogation hadn't realized who he really was by now.
Oh- no, he just had a soft-spot for his little protege. It seemed like he had sponsored and encouraged Anko for this exam and was wary of the repercussions of Naruto's actions against Orochimaru's work. His respect for the man grew for that.
"I'm not a chunin, and I know. If this was the Toad Sannin's work I wouldn't dare… But, I should be able to handle this." Naruto sensed their disbelief, even Hiruzen's, but grinned as Kakashi slowly let go and stepped back. When the Hokage spoke, it wasn't for Naruto's benefit.
"Let's see what he has in store."
Naruto felt pride flow through him and his grin grew wider as he began to write. This would be his true test as not only a sealer but as a jounin. He started by taking five minutes to observe the seal. Time he never would have had out in the field.
The seal was evil, and a work of art all the same. It preyed upon negative emotion in the user and had other purposes. It was vile and twisted. Naruto's disdain of Orochimaru grew and thoughts of exactly what he'd like to do to the Snake Summoner were only met with an agreeable growl from Kurama. Hearing stories was one thing, feeling Kabuto's fear and Hiruzen's regret was one thing- this… This was almost too much.
As the seconds ticked by he became more and more frustrated. The mechanisms of the seal were… all wrong. It was just an enhancement seal it was housing something. It was more like his very own Death Reaper Seal then anything else.
Kurama realized what he was missing before he could piece it together, and was snarling in pure shock and disgust.
'His SOUL! He has implanted his soul within her!'
Orochimaru's soul. Or a fragment of it. Within another person- another unconsenting person.
Disgusting.
Degrading.
An act born of the Shinobi World.
His mind raced with possibilities- the soul had to be expunged to remove the mark, that much he knew. If he expelled it out it would either perish, form a weak body, or latch onto another host-
Another host. Orochimaru would threaten anyone in the village.
Everyone except for him. He housed the Nine-Tailed Fox. His seal could hold the shade of the Sannin, no matter how twisted it may be.
'It is the only course we can take at this time. I will handle him from within, Naruto-kun. I'm proud of you.'
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he worked. There was no specific seal for this- the transference of a soul from one host to a jinchuriki seal. He'd have to improvise.
That was his favorite part of sealing.
'Be careful, you nearly killed us last time you improvised.'
'I got it, I got it, you big baby.'
If five minutes of dissecting a seal was a long time, taking thirty minutes to draw out a sealing array was a lifetime. When he completed the last brush stroke he took a deep breathe he didn't know he needed and allowed his senses to expand to their usual strength and reach. He realized that most of the injured had been cleared from the field, and only one medic-nin remained hovering over a worried and obstinate Kurenai. It seemed that Anko had more people who truly cared for her then she realized.
He resealed his brush and sighed. Someone must have kept Anko asleep as he worked. A subtle genjutsu from Kakashi that wouldn't have interfered with his sealing was his best guess.
"I must admit, Naruto-kun, that I have never seen a seal like this one." Naruto chuckled sheepishly at the unasked question.
"Honestly, Jiji, I just made it up."
Ibiki's concern and distrust flared like the sun. He took one step and opened his mouth but found himself frozen in place by a quick look from Hiruzen. The aging Kage sighed and tried his best to look over his student's work.
"Well… I must confess, it seems like it will work. You intend to… reseal it within the Yondaime's seal?"
Naruto could have nodded, but he had already resolved himself not to lie to his guardian again- and not when the welfare of one of his shinobi was on the line.
"There is a fragment of Orochimaru within the seal… That is what I will be transferring to me. It is the only way."
Any other kage would have denied it. Not only was Naruto not a true seal-master, he was not a true shinobi yet, and he was a jinchuriki. Any chance of damaging one of a village's strongest weapons was a terrible idea. Naruto knew this. Kurama had taught him as much.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi only smiled in faith of his student and nodded his head.
"Do it."
The seal activated and Naruto watched as a dark and sickly purple chakra began to flow from Anko's neck and into his stomach. It burned. It was akin to condensed negative emotion. As it entered his chakra network he grit his teeth from the pain and rested his forehead on Anko's. Kurama's chakra was quickly overcoming the vile intrusion and breaking it down, stopping it from coalescing within the seal.
'This will take time, Naruto-kun… But, I will endeavor to reduce his chakra so that his influence will not work it's whims upon you. Be wary though… This will only end when you have completely absorbed every last trace of his chakra.'
'I understand… Thank you.'
He sighed in relief when the process was complete and took great joy in the fact that Anko's neck was unmarred by the brand of the snake. He looked up at those watching silently and smiled as tears fell down his face.
"I saved her. I saved her."
Torune and Fu worked quite well together. The benefits of the Yamanaka jutsus with the special technique of the Aburame had been quite a blessing to Danzo in the past. After Konoha had taken over he had sent them out into the field after assessing their loyalty. They both understood, of course. They had been Danzo's personal bodyguards. Of any Root agents, they were the most likely to still resemble loyalty to the war-hawk. The fact that Konoha was even younger than Torune spoke volumes of his skill and prowess as a Shinobi. He even seemed to have Danzo's respect.
Yet, in making use of their skills it did more for Konoha's benefit then retiring them as Konoha had done to more… insubordinate agents. That being said, even the emotionless pair had some apprehension about their current mission. To locate Roshi, Jinchuriki of the Yonbi in the middle of the Land of Earth. Getting as far as they had into the farmlands of Iwa had not been easy, and yet they had done it. They had posed as young rice merchants and so far it had worked wonders. Torune's bugs had been spread insanely thin to find some trace of their foe. And they had found his trail. Only to realize that he had found them.
Torune and Fu worked quite well together, and that was the only thing keeping them alive as they fled the angered Jinchuriki.
Torune cursed as Fu pulled him out of the way of a gout of lava, "Have you sent the message to headquarters?"
"Of course what do I look like-"
He was cut off as the ground erupted around them and magma walled off their escape. The form of Roshi slowly walked towards them, lava dripping from his body, "Now, why don't you boys stand still for a bit and tell me who sent you and what you want."
Torune ground his teeth as Fu sighed in defeat. Fu sat down and utilized his training to appear emotionless- Torune was not as experienced as him and Konoha had stopped all emotional conditioning. He was forced to hold his terror back with every ounce of self-control he had.
"We were sent to find you by our master. He wishes to speak to you both."
Roshi snorted and crossed his arms. The older shinobi had red hair and an unamused expression on his face. He did not wear the traditional garb of a shinobi; his armor was more consistent with the attire of the Warring Clans era than anything else. "Who, me and Han? Fat chance."
"No- you and Son Goku."
Torune nearly bit off his tongue when he realized that he and Fu were held up in the air by their necks, almost pressed into the wall of lava. Torune couldn't help but marvel at the show of power- the control over the lava to not burn them even from that distance was terrifying. The man was a monster.
"How does he know that name?"
"We don't know- but he'd like to speak with you. He- He said that he and Kurama had something to ask of you. A favor- and a deal."
Fu was a much better talker then Torune was, because if it had been him to open his mouth he was pretty sure he would have fucked it up. Torune was regretting not getting benched- Konoha was crazy. Danzo wouldn't have thrown his assets away so brazenly. They were going to die here because the child had overestimated his hand and Roshi was going to call his bluff and-
"Fine. One week- that's all I'm giving him."
Torune and Fu didn't wait to thank the merciful jinchuriki. They ran.
Naruto stood at attention alongside Kurenai in the Hokage's office. She had been bandaged up, and had her tendons repaired. Naruto had apologized and had been scolded by Kakashi for using such a technique against fellow shinobi, but Kurenai had brushed off the pervert's admonishments and had hugged him. She kindly smiled at him and praised him for the fight. She was pretty great- he liked being around her.
He could feel her nervousness as they stood there and almost envied her. He knew what the verdict of the exam had been the instant that he had sensed his Jiji's presence behind him in the field. That still didn't settle his own nerves as the Hokage of Konohagakure stood up and smiled at them both.
"That… was quite a showing. Kurenai, I wish to commend you and Hayate's performance. Unfortunately, due to the first exam you and Hayate will not be promoted to full jounin this exam." Naruto winced as he felt her disappointment and shame. She had desperately wanted to move through the ranks- well, if the old man would just hurry up and not leave her hanging she wouldn't feel so bad.
He realized his annoyance must have been evident in his stature as the old man chuckled and held up a certificate to her, "But, your promotion to Tokobetsu Jounin is more than fairly earned."
Kurenai smiled widely and slightly teared up, "Thank you, Hokage-sama… And, what about Anko-ch-san?"
"After much deliberation… She has also been promoted to Tokobetsu Jounin. You may convey the news to her, if you wish." If it was possible her smile only grew wider and she bowed deeply, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
"Uzumaki Naruto." His smile disappeared and irrational nervousness entered him once more. He knew he was to be promoted. Full jounin. It was impossible to surprise him.
Yet, he feared the answer all the same.
"Congratulations. You've made your sensei's proud. You are hereby instated as a Jounin of Konohagakure. You've earned it, that much is impossible to deny."
Naruto teared up. The tears threatened to spill over as his role-model, the closest thing to a parent, praised him… And at the message hidden underneath. The one only he would be able to understand.
'Itachi would be so proud of you, son.'
He had to wait as Kurenai left to go tell Anko the news, as the Anbu were suddenly dismissed, before he could run forwards and embrace the man who had blessed his life so completely.
"Thank you, jiji. I love you."
"I love you too, Naruto-kun. You've made us all so proud."
In that instant, he felt truly happy and focused. He was on the right path, and the way forward was clear to him. He was a tried and true Shinobi of the Leaf now.
It was time to get serious.
Anko opened her eyes after making sure that Kurenai was the only one in the room. She was in a hospital room it seemed. Waking up after combat was always frightening. The uncertainty and disorientation was dangerous. That's why recovering patients were left alone whenever possible. Kurenai must have been really worried to have stayed.
"Hey, so how'd the promotion go?" She smirked as Kurenai smiled in exasperation, "Y'know Anko, it's good to see that your optimism is still standing strong."
Anko grinned at her best and only friend, "Yeah, well, I could tell from your face. If you didn't get promoted then you'd be an icy piece of shit right now." They both laughed and Kurenai scooted forward and grabbed her hand.
"You know, you really went all out at the end there. I didn't know you could summon a snake that big!"
"It's not about the size, Kurenai-chan, but thanks for appreciating it's girth." She laughed loudly as Kurenai smacked her lightly, "I'm being serious Anko! You deserved to get promoted."
"Did I? Full jounin?"
"Yes- and no. Tokobetsu. For both of us." Anko grinned, but it didn't have it's usual edge to it. It felt hollow. A half-step. She knew that she could have put on a better showing if that kid-
The memories of her fight rushed back to her at once and she groaned, "Fuck! I totally just bitched out at the end! I couldn't even… What was that kid's name? Did he get full jounin? He owes me some fucking dango regardless when I get my hands on him-"
"Anko." Her friend's worried tone made her look to her. Something in Kurenai's voice was off. It was hard to tell if it was good or bad, "Yeah? What is it?"
"Well- yes, Naruto-kun was promoted to full jounin, but-"
" 'Naruto-kun'? That kid is the reason that we didn't pass the first-"
"Anko! At the end of the fight between you two your… cursed seal acted up, and then he…" Her blood ran cold and she grit her teeth, "What? Did he see it? Try to kill me?"
"No, Anko… he removed it." The room was dominated by silence and then Anko yanked her hand away from Kurenai, "Bullshit! Don't fuck with me about that-"
"Anko- he did! It's gone now and-"
"They said it was permanent! I tried to take it off- I cut off the skin it was on- it was there underneath! It can't be removed-"
"Anko!" Her friend was crying now and handed her a small mirror, "Look! Just look!"
Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the mirror. She didn't know what scared her more as she raised it up to her neck. To realize Kurenai was playing some cruel joke on her or…
Or it was gone. All she saw was her unblemished fucking neck. Pristine. Empty. Hers.
She was free, and had been unconscious during what would have been one of the happiest moments of her life.
"Where is he? Where do I find him? I'm either gonna punch him or kiss him and I'm going to do it now, so stop looking at me like that and tell me where I can find Naruto-Fucking-Uzumaki immediately. They damn better have given him jounin for this!" She didn't even realize that she had started crying before Kurenai laughed and started to cry harder herself. As her friend embraced her she realized that it was a sunny day outside.
She had forgotten how bright the sun could be. It had been a long time since she had noticed it. The sky was so blue, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So she sat there in the arms of her best friend, and she did both.
Naruto trained unlike any other ninja before him. Everyday he made two hundred clones and sent them out to pre-determined areas of study. He, Kurama, and the Hokage had talked quite in-depth about the limits of his schedule and how much he should or should not push himself. Naruto could easily make one thousand clones a day, but for maximum effect Kurama and Sarutobi had forced him to stick with two hundred. Two hundred clones a day that trained each for six hours. Twelve hundred hours of memories a day- plus his own memories stacked on top. Near a year and a half of training in two days. Now, in all fairness, in some areas it was not the same. Muscle-memory was almost completely lost in translation, so his taijutsu was handled by himself nearly every day. The majority of his clones focused on chakra control, ninjutsu, some attempts at genjutsu that never really seemed to go anywhere but Jiji and Kakashi and Kabuto were adamant he worked on it so whatever, and book reading.
The libraries of Konoha had been inundated with henged Naruto clones, and due to how frequently they were in them it had started a recent societal trend of increasing the popularity of reading. The village as a whole had become more literate, and book sales had begun to go through the roof. Of course, some clones were at a loss.
The Yamanaka were getting annoyed. Naruto couldn't turn his empathy off. That was by design, of course, but Kurama even admitted that it might have a been a good idea to mute it every now and then. The Mind-Walker clan had gotten wind from one of their own who had the unfortunate pleasure of being in Naruto's Jounin Exam- and they were out to catch him. Hiruzen still adamantly protected his identity, but there were two hundred shadow clones in the village. Every day. Most of them were in the Hokage's personal training ground, but the Yamanaka's had started to realize that the libraries were full of empaths.
Then they realized that they were shadow clones and that… well. If a clone was cornered it was 'popped'. The Yamanaka's were prideful and apparently they were somewhat offended that the Hokage had a shinobi that could beat their own ninjutsus. They felt threatened. Naruto completely understood how they were reacting.
It was just annoying that he had to constantly be on alert for them.
He had grown tremendously. Kabuto placed him at mid-A-rank without any of Kurama's chakra. He was seven years old and was already quite the little killer. Naruto was proud of how far he had come. Especially, from having been an Anbu previously. He finally felt that he had earned his position in the village.
Now he just had to make a name for himself!
He was currently working on his taijutsu when he felt the sudden rush of memories of a clone on the outskirts- someone was coming! His clones immediately began to dissipate into clouds of smoke and he put on his dopiest smile and turned as the intruder entered his sense- only to realize who it was.
Anko Mitarashi. She was still somewhat bandaged up but she was limping towards him quite determinedly. Her emotions were a whirlwind and Naruto felt himself freeze up as she walked right up to him. She knelt down and looked him in the eyes.
"Naruto." She leant forwards and hugged him.
"Thank you. Thank you." She clutched him tightly and he didn't know what to do. He slowly hugged her back but was at a loss as to how to react.
"How did you do it?" She pulled back and looked into his eyes, her brown eyes watery and red from crying.
"How did I do what?" She frowned and her eyes scanned him for tells. It seems she had learned a lot while under Ibiki.
"You know what I'm asking. How did you take it off?" He sighed and looked away uncomfortably, "I can't tell you. How I knew what to do, but… I like sealing. Is that enough?"
She was scared, confused, and frustrated. If he didn't have his empathy he wouldn't have detected a single bit of her inner turmoil from the soft smile she was giving him.
"Yeah, kid… That's fine. Well, thank you. I can't wait to see what you got!"
"Uhm- sorry?" She laughed and ruffled his hair- just like Itachi used to do.
"You don't get to perform a miracle for me and then get away, kid! Someone's gotta teach you how to enjoy being a jounin, and I have decided to look after you!"
He nearly grimaced, "Well- doesn't that seem odd? I mean- shouldn't I be your senpai?"
He paled as he realized what he had done, as he saw her snake like grin, and she wrapped one arm over his shoulders and pulled him tightly to her side, "Ooooooh, so little kid already want's a hottie to be his kohai, eh? Is that how it is?"
"N-no! I am much too young to be thinking about getting a girlfriend!"
"Damn straight kid! I know I'm sexy but we got more important things to worry about! Like you helping me and Kurenai ace our next Jounin exam! You know how to get the inside scoop, you made a joke of that last one! You owe us kid, and I'll make sure that you pay out!"
He groaned as she picked him up and started walking him to the village. He hadn't realized what he had invited into his ordered life. She was walking chaos, and it seemed she had decided that she liked him now.
"But, but, I'm busy!"
"Nope!" She sung childishly, "I know how many shadow clones you can make! It's impossible for you to ever be busy!"
He paled once again. She knew. There'd be no denying her now.
"Just get used to it, Naruto-kun! We're going to be the best of buds now! We're jounin of Konoha! It's time to celebrate!"
Agent Konoha stood before the latest messenger. Kabuto stood at his side, as his personal bodyguard. He didn't trust anyone in Root, and he was Naruto's last line of defense from betrayal. He wore a snake mask and was referred to as 'Agent Snake' at Naruto's request. A little on the nose. Kabuto worried that Danzo already knew of his identity and was just biding his time.
"Master Konoha-sama. We have heard word from Torune and Fu. They have located Roshi and have delivered your message. He awaits you in three days time."
"Thank you. Dismissed." The messenger nodded and disappeared from view and Naruto sighed and slumped into his seat.
"Roshi didn't' give us much time, apparently…"
"It's a trap. If you arrive, you will be worn ragged and exhausted from the journey alone. You know this, yes?"
"I do."
"Yet, you are still adamant about this."
"I have to speak with him. Especially if he is actually going to give me a chance."
"Take a squad with you."
"No- they'd slow me down. I'll meet up with Fu and Torune, they shall be my guard."
"How will Naruto Uzumaki justify heading out to Iwa on his own?"
Naruto grinned, and Kabuto's blood boiled. He would always grin like that when he thought he had done something clever.
"Kakashi let me know that Iwa and Kumo are having another summit! It's the perfect time for me to head to Iwa!"
Kabuto knew that the only way he could convince Naruto not to go was to play on their friendship. To beg him not to. He stood in front of him and put his hands on the boy's shoulders. He looked him in the eye.
"Naruto-" That was when a snake slivered from out of the shadows and up to Kabuto. They both looked down at it. It was white with red eyes, and in it's jaws was a note.
In that instant the roles were reserved. Naruto's hands latched onto his as he pulled away.
"You don't have to go, Kabuto-kun. You're not ready yet. Please." The irony of the situation was almost too much for him as he smiled helplessly. He had to go.
They both had to leave each other when it was the worst thing to do.
"We have to do this, Naruto-kun. It's okay… I'll come back if you do. Promise?"
The boy's eyes steeled as his words from when they first met came back to him. 'You can't break a promise- and I promise that I won't break any of mine.'
"It's a promise, Naruto-kun. A promise of a lifetime."
Kabuto was watching that night as Naruto left the village. The Copy-Cat, Kakashi, had walked him to the village gates to see him off. Kabuto knew someone would have. Someone that could move freely in the village, that wasn't constricted to the shadows. Someone who lived in the light of the world.
He stilled as Kakashi looked up at him. The Anbu Commander couldn't have known who he was, masked and in the shadows of the rooftops, but he closed his eye as he smiled and nodded. It seemed he didn't care who Kabuto was- he knew why he was there and was appreciative.
Good. At the very least it seemed Kakashi didn't mind of breaking the rules if it was for Naruto's sake. Kabuto wondered to himself how far Hatake would go for the boy… He didn't realize that he was still thinking of Naruto until he was already halfway to Sound. He was worried and there was nothing he could do.
Goddamn, he had forgotten how hard it was to care for people.
Shisui cursed as he once more burnt his hand pouring tea. Rehabilitation was a slow process, but it was one that had been fervently pursued. He had been known as 'Shunshin no Shisui', or Shisui of the Body Flicker. The Shunshin was one of the peaks of agility and accuracy. A title like that demanded dexterity and precision; of mastery of one's own body.
How low he had come, to where he was pouring scalding tea onto his own, rested hand and missing the cup entirely.
He was in some cabin on the outskirts of the village. A safehouse. The windows were all boarded off, not that it made much difference to him. He was constantly in the darkness.
That was the worst part. Always living in the pure blackness. The colors of his memories were so vivid… He didn't even know what color his clothes were. Uchiha were not made for blindness. It would drive the weakest of them mad.
Shisui Uchiha wasn't weak. That's what he told himself. He bitched, brooded as was customary of an Uchiha, but he was working on his rehabilitation consistently. Konoha-sama had been rather helpful in that regard. He had provided him with several alternatives that would allow him to once more become fighting fit.
A genjutsu to place on himself that would allow him to 'see' sound. If his opponents realized how he was 'seeing' then they could use loud noises against him. Good, but not perfect.
A chakra technique that included sending pulses of chakra out into his surroundings to get an echo-location. Costly and not very subtle.
No, he had not found the right fit but he was working consistently to try to find something that would work. He gave up before and it cost him his clan and his eyes.
He had promised to never give up again. He wouldn't fail.
He cursed as he accidentally knocked his tea cup off his little table and it broke on the floor.
'I hate tea!'
Itachi sipped his tea and eyed the villagers of Kirigakure from beneath the brim of the absurd hat that was apparently 'Akatsuki uniform'. A black cloak with red clouds, nail polish, and wide hats with bells and ribbon attached. Not very subtle, but when you only had the best of the best wearing them Itachi supposed that it made up for it. He had paired up with Biwa who was something of a buffoon. A loud-mouth. The wielder of the Kubikiribocho, or Executioner's Blade.
The idiot was wearing it in the middle of the village. Itachi was just waiting for it to be noticed to make his escape. He wouldn't sabotage any of the organization's missions himself, but if his partner wanted to out of idiocy he wouldn't stop him. He almost wished Naruto was here to see if Biwa was looking to start in a fight in the village he had defected from.
He blinked and had to take a second to catch his breath. That had been the first time in a few months that he had allowed himself to think of his brother. He had devoted himself to the work handed to him from Madara and was content to bide his time until Sasuke was strong enough to avenge the Uchiha Clan.
When his attention was brought back to the present, it was to Biwa grinning widely at a figure walking down the street towards them.
The Yondaime Mizukage. Yagura Karatachi. Jinchuriki of the Sanbi.
"Well, well, Itachi-san, it looks like we get to see if we are really strong enough to take on a Jinchuriki like Leader says."
"Come. We're leaving." Itachi didn't wait and cast a quick genjutsu to hide their escape. He knew that he couldn't fool the Kage for long, but he had no intention of fighting in the very center of Kiri. No, it would be better to fight amongst the trees- even if it was filled with mist.
He wouldn't die here. Not yet.
Naruto would be devastated.
A wasn't pleased. He was a simple man. Of simple pleasures. Sitting across from him was the Sandaime Tsuchikage, Onoki of Both Scales. They were discussing the current political climate and the finer points of the Konoha-Kumo alliance. A had thought that they would be of similar minds in how to proceed against the Konohan threat, but Onoki seemed perfectly fine with scheduling summit after summit. They had been meeting for more than a year with no results.
A decided that it didn't matter which nation he was talking to- Konoha or Iwa. Any Sandaime was a pain in his ass.
"I think we should call the meeting here, Raikage-Dono. We have covered enough for now. Are your accomodations to your liking?"
"Yes, Tscuchikage-Dono. The room is fine. When are we meeting next? I hope to finalize our talks and decide on some course of action. I am tired of waiting."
"Very well… The next time we speak we will finalize our plans. Very well." A rose from his seat and left the chamber, Darui at his side.
"What news, Darui?" His right-hand sensed his frustrations and got right to the important details.
"We believe that Iwa is going to go ahead with the plan to attack Konoha. They are marshalling a force of over fifteen hundred. It seems that Onoki was not able to dissuade the Daimyo from inaction. They will commit and assist us in our plans."
"Onoki is smart. If he wanted to fully commit, he'd send ten times as many shinobi. Is Bee ready? He and I will be the center-point of the Kumo task-force, with Iwa's Jinchuriki being their main assets."
"Yes- but, well.. I have some intel that I can't determine the validity of."
"Oh?"
"Yes- It comes from one of our men. Who had been imprisoned in Konoha until this point." A stopped. He got a feeling in his gut that he wouldn't like what was going to be said.
"And what message does he bring from the prisons of Konoha?"
"That Iwa is going to be losing one of their Jinchuriki." A snarled and punched a nearby wall. It shattered into dust and he and Darui were met with the terrified screams of a young couple on their honeymoon. Darui stayed behind to placate the couple and the shocked and angry hotel staff and A stormed to his room barking for his shinobi.
He had to verify this information. If Iwa wasn't able to bring their full might into this invasion, then it would be Kumo that suffered the greater losses.
It seems that the Old Monkey's sight and reach was far. He still remembered the threats made against his own Jinchuriki. If Konoha was going to start retaking the Tailed Beasts then the rest of the Five Great Nations, and the Lesser Villages would rise up in protest. If they took the Four Tails, then these plans would have to be scrapped.
It wouldn't mean the end, though. It just meant that he'd have to be smarter.
Naruto walked into the clearing and felt the magma cooking underneath. He hadn't stopped running for nearly three days, and his guards had been exhausted by the journey. He was insanely glad for his Uzumaki stamina and Kurama's influence, or else he never would have been able to make it.
He had been brought to a section of forest that had been leveled down and replaced with a sheet of obsidian floor. Standing across from him was Roshi. It couldn't be anyone else- he sensed the Yonbi in him clear as day.
"Good day- thank you for meeting me. I am Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuriki of Kurama- the Nine-Tailed Fox." Naruto sensed Roshi's distrust spike but he walked forwards all the same. They stood apart, two titans of their villages. In a meeting that was treasonous at best.
"I'm Roshi, but I'm guessing you know that. Whatever you have to say, save it. Me and Goku have thought things through, and before we say anymore we want to see where you two are at."
Naruto gulped as Roshi's body was suddenly overcome by a vicious red chakra, and two tails grew out of his back. The Jinchuriki of Iwa grinned a bloody smile and spoke with a voice that could only be described as demonic.
"Well come on, kid. Let us see the strength of the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails!"
Lava started to shoot up from the ground and Naruto yelped as he dodged the heavy swings that aimed to seperate his head from his body!
'I thought you said he'd be willing to talk!'
'The damn monkey was always a bit unpredictable! He's the kind that talks things out with his fists! How was I supposed to know he'd want his vessel to fight a child!? Get back!'
Naruto jumped back as Roshi opened his mouth and shot a stream of lava towards him. This was not going according to plan- hopefully Kabuto was having an easier time than him!
"Tell me, Kabuto-kun…. What do you know about the Akatsuki from Sasori of the Red Sands?"
Kabuto smiled and tried to hold in his panic. He could do this. He could lie to Orochimaru and get away with it.
"Nothing."
Oh gods, he was going to die today. It wasn't even time for lunch yet.
