Updated:4/18/2007
(I hope you all enjoy the new and improved version of this chapter. I want to thank Falconrok5 for being kind enough to take time to help me Beta the story. He was willing to rework this chapter, and I think he caught some important things that took away from the quality of the story. He will be helping with future chapters, so don't forget to say thanks to him as well in the reviews if you feel so inclined.)
All Rights to those who earned them first.
Rekindle: Return to Hiding
Minato brushed back a bit of Naruto's hair from his face, and watched him as he slept. Tsunade had given him a clean bill of health that morning, saying that he just needed rest and was one lucky kid, surviving such a beating. He and Kushina had agreed that they wanted one of them there and awake when he woke up, and seeing how Kushina was still a bit weak-kneed from using so much Chakra, he had offered to stay by Naruto's bed first.
Sitting there, he couldn't help but think of the past events that had occurred that very day. After he had rushed back from joining the Anbu of Suna to assassinate the impostor, the council members of Suna had surrounded him.
Each one had their own questions and comments for him, with their own petty agendas that made even Minato's patience begin to wear thin. The most prevalent question had been one he had expected the moment they decided to enter the city to rescue the children.
They had wanted him to become their new Kaze Kage. Most claimed that as a powerful ninja who had done them a service in the war he deserved the position, while some even went as far to say it was his fault for Orochimaru's rise to power, and thus his responsibility to protect them. He had been trying to find a way to get out of the possible political mess a refusal could cause when he received and unexpected ally on the council. The only council member who had been standing back and hadn't greeted him had finally decided to speak up.
"I disagree on making this man our leader." He stepped up and nodded to Minato. "My name is Hiroshi, and I mean no offense, former Hokage of Konoha. Listening to the story Jiraiya has told us, however, I assume it would not be in your best interests to remain in any one nation for an extended period of time, at the moment, is that correct?" Minato had nodded, glad someone on the council understood his position. Jiraiya had pointed out the man, and had been generous with his praises of him, though warned him also of how he appeared kind but was seemingly the head of the council despite his soft mannerisms.
He had seen it first-hand as well. Minato could still remember the way the man had stood up to the council and gotten them to listen. Hiroshi had explained the assassination risks of staying in a large village, as well as the need for secrecy in which to train. He hadn't said they were training the children to fight, but he had a feeling that Hiroshi knew more about how things really were than he let on. Minato didn't doubt that if the man were a ninja, he would have been a perfect candidate for the position of Kage.
As it was, they still wanted him to help choose a new Kage in time, as well as to have the right to use his name as a means of buying some security from people too scared to attack the combined strength of Suna and an infamous ninja like himself.
After being forced to listen to discussions of potential candidates for a time, he had managed to escape by expressing his desire to visit his son, and had promised to speak to Hiroshi at a later date.
Minato looked down at Naruto and sighed. Part of him wanted to stay in Suna, and let the children have a chance to experience a slightly more normal life than they had been living, but he knew it was an idle fancy. There was no way Orochimaru would grant any peace to Suna if he knew that they made permanent residence there. It always stood the chance of a direct attack from Orochimaru himself, but without him there to aggravate the point, they stood a better chance of Orochimaru simply biding his time for a better moment at which to strike back at the Sand. He also had the matter Hiroshi pointed out. If he didn't keep moving, it was likely some ninja would take the chance to attack those around him, and most likely the children. He was good, but it was not difficult to perform an assassination in an entire town full of potential ninja waiting to strike out at him and those he cared for.
The children had grown into extremely powerful ninja, especially for their age, and definitely much stronger than they probably could have hoped for if they had grown up and gone to the academy like normal kids aiming to be Ninja. They had even done an admirable job against the boy Gaara, though if he had been any more in control of the power the demon offered him, he didn't think he would be sitting here with his son at the moment. Yet they weren't ready to face hardened ninja who would attack them from the shadows at a moment's notice through stealth and opportunistic circumstances.
He was drawn out of his thoughts when he saw his son's face start to scrunch up, and slowly his eyes opened to look up at him. "Dad?" He started to sit up and winced a bit at the motion.
Minato smiled at him and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, gently pushing him back in to a lying position. "Your mother's and Tsunade's orders. Lay back, rest, or they will kill you." Naruto glowered, "Some bed side manner." He chuckled at Naruto's antics, glad to see he was well enough for sarcasm. "Naruto. Most grown ninja would have died doing what you did today. Let them have their moment and just deal with their coddling. You have no idea how annoying your mother can get when she wants to be." He grinned at Naruto and he grinned back, glad he felt well enough to take part in some playful banter.
The laughter turned into silence though, and they sat together without saying anything for a few minutes, and Minato was reluctant to break the silence first. His son was often a whirlwind of activity, and his silence probably meant there was something on the boy's mind he was struggling with.
A moment later Naruto spoke up, "Hey Dad. What were the Ninja Wars like?" Minato kept the confusion off his face and looked at him. "Horrible. It was a wasteful loss of lives on both sides, all because of something incredibly petty."
Naruto nodded, but didn't say anything for a moment. "But, how did you get through something like that?" Minato thought for a moment, "If you mean the danger-" Minato didn't get a chance to finish before Naruto shook his head and looked up at him.
"I mean seeing your friends get hurt or die. How'd you get through that part?" Understanding flooded through Minato. "You keep fighting so they don't get hurt again, or so others won't die." He gave Naruto a long look, "I won't lie to you. It never gets easier, and it shouldn't, otherwise things like what you did today would never happen. Everyone is proud of you for the way you faced down Gaara to save Hinata and Shikamaru, it's something a true Konoha ninja would do for any of his comrades, but more importantly, it's a sign that you're a good person." Naruto blushed at that and scratched his cheek, trying to hide his embarrassment from him.
"But if you had already become numb to the fact that friends die in battle, and believed that sometimes you just can't save everyone, do you think you would have fought until your last breath like you did?" He saw Naruto think for a moment before shaking his head. "It's not easy, but you have to remember how precious each person is to you, so you will always fight to your best ability to protect them. If you hadn't, not only you would have died, but Hinata and Shikamaru would have as well. Back in Konoha you would have been rewarded by the Hokage for such bravery on a mission, but things are a bit different I suppose. How would you like me to go get some Ramen for you before your mother wakes up to find out?"
He laughed when his son's eyes practically twinkled at the thought. For all the rough mannerisms he picked up from his mom, his love for ramen was one thing he definitely got from his father. He just hoped he had enough cash on him to afford to feed the both of them.
X X X
Naruto was halfway to the door when he heard his mom's voice from the other room. "Get back in that bed Naruto, before I tie you down to it." Cursing to himself, and doing it quietly enough so she couldn't hear it, he got back in to bed and leaned back to stare up at the ceiling.
He was just about to complain again how boring it was when the door to his room peaked open, and in came Hinata and Shikamaru. Both had been healed by Tsunade and seemed perfectly fine, though they both had their heads down and looked depressed. Grinning at them, he sat up. "Hey! You guys had me worried! Did Auntie patch you up well?" Both winced, and he guessed he said something wrong. "I mean, you guys were doing great. It's only natural to get a bit banged up against a super strong guy like that."
The next thing knew, Naruto had a sobbing Hinata on his chest and he could even see tears in Shikamaru's eyes as he glared at him. Looking between the two, he wasn't sure what was going on, but just put his arms around Hinata and tried to comfort her like he had seen his mother do with her when they were younger.
He saw his mom poke her head around a corner in to the room investigating the noises, but she just smiled and left, leaving him to fend for himself. He glared at her back for a second before Hinata's sniffles started to subside, and seeming to realize what she was doing, pull away with a dark crimson blush on her cheeks. She hung her head and he could just hear her whisper an apology for what she did, but he just laughed, "It's fine. But mind telling me why you did it?"
Hinata just kept her head down and didn't say anything, and even Shikamaru looked uncomfortable at the moment. Finally, in a voice so low he almost missed it, Hinata whispered, "Why did you do something so stupid as taking on Gaara? You should have run away."
That was twice in a as many days he had seen Hinata scold anyone, but this time it bothered him. "You're my friends! What was I supposed to do, leave you there to die?!" Both of them looked cowed before he took a moment to breathe. He had a habit to fly off the handle, but he didn't want to do that with his friends. "Look guys. We grew up together; we've done practically everything together since we learned how to walk. I love you both like family, there was no way I would let you, or anyone else for that matter, stay there to die just to save myself."
He wasn't sure what else to say from there, but knew that he had to find something to say, because it looked they still didn't believe him. He was saved for the moment, however, because now was the time his mother decided to come out, and she walked over to kneel in front of Hinata and Shikamaru. "Naruto is right. I know you two didn't mean it that way, but if he won't even stay to defend those he cares about, even if they don't want to see him hurt, what kind of person would he be?"
She reached out and pulled the two into a big hug. "I'm also very proud of you two for being more concerned for my son's safety than your own. I'm sure there will come a time for you two to return the favor and save him instead when he finds himself in over his head." At this she turned to smile at Naruto, who didn't like the idea that the two of them would get hurt for him, but he still didn't want to be a hypocrite. He would just have to make sure that nothing like that ever happened.
His mom stood up and gave Hinata and Shikamaru a moment to get themselves together before she clapped to get their attention. "All right you three. As much as I want Naruto here to stay in bed, it's only a matter of time before he finds a way to sneak out, so I want you three to go change into your best clothes. We're to be having dinner with the council in appreciation for how you three helped stopped Gaara. Because of you, it was possible for the first time to get at his seal since he had begun to lose control of the demon. Jiraiya and Minato have already begun working on a more permanent solution for it, so it will be a feast in your honor." She grinned wide at them, "Now you get to know what it is like to deal with politicians."
X X X
Shikamaru rubbed his temples again, trying to stave off the urge to strangle one of the busy body council members who kept approaching him. It would be far too much trouble to follow through on any of it supposed, but it didn't stop the urge to tell them exactly what he thought they could do with their bribes and plays at power.
He sighed and looked out a nearby window to see the sun making it's last appearance for the day before it slipped below the horizon, making him envious of it's ability to escape the annoyances of everyday life. Today had been a long and emotional day, and he didn't like being so wound up with different emotions; it left him feeling even more lethargic than normal, and all he wanted to do right now was sleep and forget what the past few days had been like. Maybe even a nice relaxing game of Go with Kakashi. Looking back out at the sun again, he sighed again before turning to face yet another politician who wanted to talk to him.
After close to another hour of nodding politely to various diplomats or ninjas, and even politely refusing a few requests to take him on as an apprentice ninja of the village, the banquet finally seemed to be dying down. He turned to try and attract the attention of Naruto and Hinata, only to find himself face to face with the same girl he had seen when he arrived in Suna.
She appeared to be glaring at him, but once he rose an eyebrow at her, she seemed to realize what she was doing and grimaced, putting on a slightly more polite face. Though, to tell the truth, he could still sense a bit of animosity coming from her, and wondered what he had ever done to deserve the girl's ire.
"You don't look that tough." Shikamaru just blinked at what she said. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he didn't want her to know she had confused him. "I don't know how my brother was beaten by a shrimp like you but...thanks. Next time you're going to have to fight me, though, you got that?" With that she left, still looking sour, as if the token of gratitude had left a bad taste in her mouth. He stared after her for a second, trying to understand what that had been about. She was kind of cute, but seemed way too bossy to ever become friends with. Shrugging it off, he found Naruto and the others and they went back to their rooms, glad to escape the limelight.
By the time they got back to the rooms, he had hoped they could just fall in to those comfortable beds, but the adults had kept them up and seemed to be looking between themselves, an uncomfortable look on all their faces. Shikamaru had sighed, expecting this from the time they had entered the city, "It's time to leave, isn't it?"
Jiraiya sighed, "I wish you would stop doing that and act like a kid for once." Shikamaru shrugged, he couldn't help that it had been the only obvious outcome. He knew that it would be too hard to stay safe if they weren't underground. Even though they could probably return to Suna on occasion, if they didn't leave before Konoha's forces started to patrol the outskirts of Wind Country, it would be much harder to get safely back into hiding.
Naruto whined next to him. "Do we have to? It's nice here, and they even offered to make us into real ninja here!" Shikamaru turned to look at him with a look that showed how dumb the question was. "So even with the help of 5 of the most powerful ninja alive to train us, we're still not ninja?" Naruto blushed and hid his face. "Of course we are, but, it's nice having a place to call home, ya know?"
Shikamaru didn't answer him. Despite the logic of their having to leave, he enjoyed being here too. He would go, but the job of explaining the reason to Naruto was best left to the adults.
Instead he turned to Hinata who was sitting quietly. "All right there, Hinata?" She looked up for a moment and gave him a smile. "I'm fine Shikamaru." He grunted and dropped the subject. He could tell Hinata liked Suna as well, but she was even more stubborn than Naruto when it came to stating the things she liked and didn't. It wasn't like they would never see the place again, if even one of those councilmen had a brain, they would be honor bound to return. He suspected the councilman they had met, Hiroshi, would be the one to approach Minato about Suna needing his protection. Their interference was sure to gain the attention of Orochimaru, and they would need Minato to return to protect them should they find themselves under attack.
So Shikamaru just yawned and tuned out the rest of the talk about their preparations to leave the very next day.
X X X 4 Years Later X X X
Orochimaru stared down at the businessman in front of him, and felt a smirk twitch at the side of his lips as he watched the man considered to be the lord of the black market, practically cowering in front of him. He listened as the man made his request for Orochimaru to send aid to ensure the failure of a bridge being built, stating that the team would only have to dispose of one old man. What he heard though, was a lie, and he sensed that the fool was holding back information from him, probably because of security measures said bridge builder had taken to ensure his longevity.
Normally he would have killed him outright for such an act, but the man could prove to be useful given his position, and he was in a very good mood that day. For that reason alone, he stayed his hand from ending the fool's life on the spot.
He waved his hand, signaling for the man to stop talking. The man looked angry for a moment, but seemed to hide is well for a civilian, and he looked down at him. "Your request will be granted. Though normally I would charge you more for an assassination mission, for such a simple target, I think something special can be arranged if you find yourself accommodating. The Anbu will show you out, and I will contact you in the next few days. Now leave."
The man bowed, and left with an Anbu who had appeared beside him. Looking down at his desk, he looked at the few sheets of paper on it. The rest was to be handled by those he deemed fit, as such a task was beneath him. These files, however, held information on the latest Genin, and those who were considered for the curse seal to be placed upon them. This would be a good mission to test their true skills on, and should he find them passing, he would bestow the mark upon them before they returned to the village. Of course, that would mean having to go to a small backwater town such as this one, but he found that it amusing watching the actions of those weaker than him at times. The thought that if he were to remove himself from the shadows he could easily destroy everyone there, a god in the shadows, pleased him immensely.
Of course, he had bigger worries at the moment, and most of them had to do with the damnable country of Suna and it's small alliance of other villages that opposed him behind the scenes. It was almost time to end their interference once and for all, and having three more ninjas blessed with a fraction of his power would make the work just that tiny bit easier.
Orochimaru grinned in a way he knew would make anyone's blood run cold to see. It had taken him a long time for his chakra coils to adjust to the additional power he wrested from the fox. The beast hated him too much to try and aid with helping recreate them, and he had to bide his time until his frail human body grew strong enough to handle all nine tails. Still, he had just unlocked the third tail of the demon's youki, and the land of waves was a perfect place to visit to celebrate. It would be nice to stretch his legs and test out the power he had gained against those who thought to challenge him.
X X X
Naruto grinned up at the ninjas standing guard to the gates of Suna, pleased to see them waves to him and his friends as they passed through the gates. They were just returning from a training session and it was good to know they had gotten guards who wouldn't make them go through the annoying procedure to get back inside this time.
He placed an arm around the shoulders of the other two, and leaned down on them slightly, a little bit taller than the two of them now, and grinned. "So, I hear Mom is gonna let us go on a mission for Suna finally as a way to get some experience. Dad had to take a lot of time to convince her, but it will be the first time we get to travel somewhere alone, I can't wait!" Shikamaru grunted, but Hinata just laughed a bit.
"Calm Down Naruto." Something had changed between him and Hinata over the past year, but he had never been able to place it. He had noticed the change with her about a year ago, and since then she had been a lot more open with him, but he never was able to get her to tell him why she was so much more relaxed and friendly. She was always nice before, but it was as if she had forgotten how to be shy when around him.
She just gave him another smile, "I hear there are a lot of interesting sites in Wave Country, and though it's going through a hard time right now, we probably will get to see some of them while we're there."
Naruto grinned and nodded, "Yeah, exactly! Just a few more days here in Suna then we're off to go help that old man with his bridge. I bet you he names it after us for being so cool as to help him, what do you think?"
Shikamaru just grunted, letting Naruto know just what he thought, and caused the blond to pout towards Hinata. She smiled at his antics as they headed back to the Kage's tower to spend a few days of rest and relaxation in Suna before their first big mission.
X X X
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter more than I enjoyed writing it. :p
Well, the gang seems to have a new semi permanent home. I did it obviously to give them allies, but I feel my characters are very shallow and empty right now. I am relying on the show for their character at the moment, without working on their own growth and progression in the story. The village gives them a place to grow. They lived a sheltered life where it is difficult to show much interaction with outside sources that help them develop. So I am going to take awhile before their mission, just a chapter or so, of them in Suna to help work on this. I'm sorry for those who want me to send them into danger right away, but I really need the work on helping characters grow, and I want them to grow for various reasons.
Now, about the mission in Wave. Am I a complete bastard? Oh yes, I am. However, I will say this much. They are not strong enough to win yet, should they fight the snake. Will they? Who knows, except for me. I won't say anything about what happens, but it should be interesting I hope. Also expect to see some other familiar faces crop up in the country of the Waves. It will be the beginning of some important stuff. :)
And for those of you who like your romance, well, they're still a bit young, but it's going to start appearing more as they are almost 13 at this point. So just hold on a bit longer for me, please. :p
Sleep well all, and stay safe!
