So I was taken to a mental institution for saying Naruto was mine and as a result I have to be careful with what I say….so I don't own Naruto.
I am proud of how far I have gone in just a short span of time, this story is nearly close to hitting 100 000 words and I will keep updating regularly at a moderate pace (probably weekly or within two weeks).
Anyway it has been brought to my attention that this story should have more reviews than it currently does. So I would like to ask those who believe it should to Review because the unbelievable thing is that this story has accumulated and eclipsed 31 000 hits and many favourites and follows which makes me wonder really where the reviews 'disappeared' to.
So please review but do not feel obligated to, because the review is YOUR opinion, feedback or critique of the story and YOU decide whether you want to post it or not. So if you don't feel the need to, don't do it…
Chapter 9: Aftermath, Stolen Memories and Summons
(Namishu)
The wind howled past the trees of a desolate and destroyed landscape. The once tall, towering trees were turned upside down and had been eviscerated; now lying on the ground in mere splinters of wood and seemingly pitiful shells of their former selves. The earth itself had also been torn apart with the remains of some houses and large boulders seemingly having been disintegrated into fine dust. The howling wind drowned out the soft chirping of birds in the dreary wasteland or any other activity as it blew about with whistling wisps. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains, its afterglow washing the area in the magnificent orange glow that was the sunset.
Amongst the trash of rubble lay a small figure whose body was slightly buried within a small blanket of dirt. His dirty mop of hair and whiskered face was peeking out from underneath the pile of loose earth which was fraught with small bits and pieces of debris.
It was evidently obvious that this area had just endured a very intense battle that had left it demolished beyond recognition.
Naruto stirred briefly before he awakened from unconsciousness with a low groan as he got up and shook the rubble of dirt off of him. He soon realised what a mistake that would be as he was immediately greeted with a stinging and pounding headache in the back of his head that made him drop to his knees. As he dropped to his knees and his hands made contact with the ground, he immediately felt something being held in his hand. It was strangely neutral in feelings or to the touch and wiggled feebly in an attempt to escape his grip.
What greatly confused Naruto was while he could feel he was holding something he felt as if it had no material form, almost like…an apparition of some kind. It was there but at the same time, it had a feeling to it which warned the blond it wasn't. He looked on through lidded eyes to his right hand and once he did, his ripple-eyed gaze was met with the sight of a wide-mouthed light purple-ish spectre being held firmly in his right hand while it squirmed in his grip. Naruto's eyes went wide with dismay as suddenly the earlier events of the day came crushing back into his head and he flung the immaterial thing he remembered to have pulled from out of Danzo into the air.
He slowly wobbled to his feet and cast a look around and was met with destruction only, a wide mile-spanning crater remained from the explosion the dangerous pillar of lightning his sensei had summoned and Danzo's Kinjutsu had caused as they went off against the other. A large trench separated from the crater and the water Higure had summoned from the ground had collected to form a winding stream and water flowed now seemingly as a new addition to Mother Nature.
A slightly glazed over look entered Naruto's eyes as for some strange inscrutable reason he felt himself be drawn into his mind, not the mindscape, but the part of his mind that accommodated memories.
(Absorbed memories manifestation -first person view)
Tears poured down Naruto's face as he stood before a cemetery filled with countless graves and people all weeping and looking gloom. He was the lone person and had no one with him while he stared at a countless gravestones all which ended with the last name 'Shimura'.
His shoulders were sagged and the river of tears wouldn't abate as he just let them flood down his face "Tou-san, Ojii-sama…" he choked out, wiping at his face in a futile attempt to stem the wave of tears.
Naruto found himself standing along with two young people who were both staring forward with eyes filled with intensity and undivided attention. A few feet away from him and behind a large table sat a fair-skinned man with white spiky hair and he was clad in blue metal-plated armour with a black jumpsuit underneath. His pale orange red eyes were scrutinizing the young men before him while his face which had a marking under his chin and single marks under each of his eyes.
"You called Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked the man while he perched on one knee with his face bowed as a sign of respect, the others beside him in the same stance.
The man regarded the three who were clad in black Shinobi clothing with his intense eyes "Hai. I have decided that you, Kagami and Torifu will serve under me as a side team I have compiled."
Naruto envied the man greatly for both his position and his attitude and it was because of that he wished to one day be classified in the same category as the Nidaime Hokage.
"One of us will have to divert their attention" the voice came from a youth with shaggy black hair which framed his face and legendary Sharingan eyes.
"A decoy? It means certain death. So who?" a young man with a robust build, short spiky black hair and black eyes with markings under them and on his face asked while looking at his comrades with an intent filled look.
A long uncomfortable and tense silence followed the chubby boy's question as everyone mused within themselves.
"I will go" the sudden declaration voice brought a shocked look out of Naruto before he looked toward the owner.
"Sarutobi…" a young man wearing glasses and with dark brown hair said with some measure of surprise in his voice.
Naruto felt those words slam against his body like a blow from the Kyuubi.
"Hiruzen, you…"
"Don't worry! I may not look it, but I know I'm better than any of you. I won't die" Naruto just stood there, feeling his body strangely static with shock.
Naruto felt his figure stop trembling in fear and relief wash over him before his head lowered in shame for reasons unknown to him. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder and looked to see Sarutobi smiling at him brightly "Look after the others, Danzo. I know you'll-"
Naruto slapped the young man's hand away, glaring at him with a look filled with intensity "SHUT UP! I was planning on volunteering! Don't try to steal the spotlight! I'll be the decoy!"
The other teen just blinked at him, some measure of surprise in his eyes at seeing him behave in such a manner "Danzo…"
(Short Real-Naruto POV)
Danzo? Naruto wondered while on the outside he spoke against his will…what did the younger version of the Sandaime mean when he referred to him as Danzo. Couldn't they see who he was? What was actually going on here? Where was he exactly? He felt as if his mind was playing weird tricks on him and that he was losing his mind. He was seeing things which should not be real and he knew for some reason that he had seen the elder man in blue armour that was with the group before.
He could see that he was there but that he wasn't physically. He could nearly feel the sensations one would experience but it felt as if he was watching through someone else's eyes.
(End Naruto POV)
You are all the carriers of the will of fire and young as you are, you will need to defend Konoha in the future" a man dressed in blue samurai-esque armour began, the group of youths crouched around in a circle sending their stares toward him. His calm and composed voice and posture despite the situation told the obvious that the man was quite powerful and for a strange reason he felt as if he had seen the man before.
"No! You are the Hokage! There's no greater Shinobi in the village than you!" Naruto's voice interjected "There's no greater Shinobi in the village than you!" there was a glimmer in the man's eye almost as if he had just gauged something from the statement by the black-haired.
"Danzo, you are always competing with Saru over one thing or another, but what's necessary here is for you to unite and work together as comrades. Do not make this a personal fight" The man berated Naruto with an inscrutably-calm voice.
He continued "The fact is, you took too long to reach a decision. You must first look at yourself rationally and know yourself. Otherwise, at this rate, you will place your comrades in danger." Naruto's head fell at that as the man continued listing his mishaps.
"In any case, Danzo and Saru…you two are still young, so don't be hasty. Your time will come. Until that time, stay alive"
"Saru…" the man called the young Hiruzen's attention as he stood up, staring down at the young man with a clan stare of his pale pupilless orange eyes "Protect those who love the village and those who believe in you. And nurture those to whom you can entrust the next generation."
The man levelled an eye at the youth; his calm facial posture remaining as it usually was albeit with a slightly serious intensity to it "Starting tomorrow, you are the Hokage!"
Slowly Naruto blinked as the whole landscape transformed yet again and he found himself sitting in a large room filled with men and women clad in the Konohagakure-nin Uniform. His heart froze at the sight of the familiar room they were in and loud alarm bells rung wildly in his head. Just as he tried to move he found himself incapable of doing so, almost as if he was bound to the seat he was perched atop. He sent an awkward glance to his right to see an elderly man with grey hair, a beard and wearing glasses. His face was set in a frown but his posture showed a calm demeanour. He was wearing a garb Naruto recognised to be similar to the Hokage's and ones which the elders of Konoha's council would often frequent. To his farther left sat the Sandaime Hokage and next to him sat an elderly woman Naruto normally saw in the office.
The air was tense in the room and Naruto did not like it. His fears of being captured in Konoha weighed down on him, stripping him of his ability to think clearly or even speak for that matter.
He tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
What is this?
What's happening to me?
"We repelled the Kyuubi, but the sacrifice was far too great" the Hokage said as he levelled an eye at those who sat before them, his statement making Naruto's eyes widen in both confusion and dread.
"Let us save that for another time. Right now Konoha is without a Hokage" the elderly woman interjected with a clam voice.
"Someone from the generation that came after Minato's would be a good choice" a man with two scars on his face, and black hair tied back into a ponytail and clad in the Konohagakure flak jacket with a deer-skin overcoat spoke. There was a slightly lazy look about him but his eyes screamed of immeasurable competence and power.
"Yes, we have nurtured fine Jounin but none of them have the experience necessary to take over the helm" Koharu said calmly, her seldom open eyes coming into view for a brief moment of time.
"Well then is there anyone else?" Shikaku asked regarding the elders with a questioning look.
"Well…" Naruto was surprised as his form shifted in response to the question, words flying out of his mouth without his control. He was just about to stand up but was halted when the Hokage stood up. His abrupt action drawing surprised looks out of everyone.
"It cannot be helped. This is a critical time in the village. I shall return to the helm of Hokage" Hiruzen declared calmly, his eyes showing his absolute seriousness.
"Oh, that is wonderful" Homura spoke with a smile, his gaze focused on the former Hokage.
"If you are willing then…"
"You stepped down once. Are you up to the task this time? Regardless of the fact that you went after the Kyuubi, you still failed to save the Yondaime" Naruto said, sending a scrutinizing low stare to the Hokage.
"That remark is uncalled for" Homura said sternly.
"Despite your criticism, you were not even there at the time…"
The intense atmosphere was swept off when the Sandaime let out a somewhat out a dryly humorous laughter while he looked toward Naruto almost as if daring him to argue. "Just indulge this old man. Let me fill in as Hokage until we can groom the next one"
Naruto just felt himself grind his teeth in anger before the scenery changed once more, surprising him once more.
Another flash Naruto found himself on another time, it was Konoha yet again and he was standing next to the Hokage with various wrapped up human sized bundles surrounding them with a few ANBU standing over them and transporting them. The silver moon lit up the sky beautifully with the slight glow of the moon bathing the area in a pale twilight, adding to the suspenseful scene and horrifying scene that surrounded him.
He was standing in the middle of a street within a large district, one he had ventured out to only a dozen times during his time in Konoha. It was filled with countless corpses and bodies of dead people. The Sandaime stood in front of him with his back turned to him and his hands folded behind his back and his tensed posture displayed he was greatly displeased.
The aged man was glaring at him over the corner of his eye as he spoke "Danzo, I cannot allow you to act on your own authority any longer. As of this moment, you are relieved of your duties as second in command."
"But Hiruzen, I did it for…-" Naruto just closed his lone visible eye as he spoke. He could feel the anger and disgust in the other man's voice at him for what he had done.
"'The good of Konoha'?" the other man interrupted him, cutting him off from saying what he was about to say. "Well then, the Uchiha clan belonged to Konohagakure."
Sarutobi turned around, giving Naruto a sideways glare with his intense eyes "Your ANBU and FOUNDATION will be dissolved! I will deal with you later. Until then, you are confined to your quarters!" the Hokage's intense tone unnerved Naruto greatly and he found himself having no retort to answer the man. With that said the man left, leaving Naruto behind who turned around not mere seconds afterward and strode down the district in the opposite direction.
Two Anbu appeared at Naruto's side as he walked along the streets. Following and walking beside him clad in dark hooded cloaks "Danzo-sama, the body count doesn't match up." The Anbu on his right began.
Naruto looked toward the man as he spoke "What did you say?" they stopped in the middle of the illuminated street as Naruto's gaze regarded the man.
The man looked toward Naruto as he gave a response "It's like they just disappeared."
Naruto's aged black eye narrowed before he sent a low glance to his left to the Anbu in the bear-mask.
"I witnessed everything" the Anbu began, his shadowed eyes coming into view and showing his red three tomoe eyes. Suddenly the wind grew much colder and thicker as it gave a wisp, blowing leaves around the area and fluttering the cloaks of all three men while Naruto and the other Anbu stared at the bear-masked Anbu. "And I will continue to watch" Naruto gave a slight wince as he felt the cold and now evolved eyes of the man which resembled a bladed pinwheel bore into him.
"If you as much as touch Sasuke, I will pass on classified village Intel to every nation." With that said, the bear-masked Anbu burst into a murder of black crows, disappearing into the night.
"Damn you…" Naruto grinded his teeth at the now disappeared masked man.
They were standing on the outskirts and the Hokage monument was visible from the background.
Naruto measured the blond before him who was staring at him with wide eyes and slight fear in his eyes. He saw as the blond Jinchuuriki before him nervously glanced about at the group of Anbu surrounding him who had pulled out their weapons and were staring at him as if daring him to.
That's…me? This happened before. What's going on here?
Naruto just stared at the boy before him impassively before his wrinkled lips moved as he spoke "And just where you think you are going Kyuubi?"
Naruto inwardly gulped as the Sandaime Hokage levelled him with an intense glare. The other man was sitting just opposite of him atop a similar Tatami mat in his office. The air in the room was tense and Naruto had not seen the Hokage look at him in such a manner ever since the Uchiha clan massacre and to see him looking at him like that now unnerved him greatly.
He found himself struggling with the urge to squirm uncomfortably under the man's intense gaze.
"Danzo, you don't know how extremely repulsed and disgusted I am with what you have done. You have gone too far this time"
Naruto found himself snapped back to the real world suddenly like a newly lit light-bulb. He was panting harshly and was clutching at his head as it continued as if it was a computer running on autopilot.
What is this?
What am I seeing?
Are these memories?
This was too much for his mind to take in. The endless amount of knowledge filtering into his head drove him mad. He didn't know if he could take any more of the visions. He found himself somewhat confused with who he was.
He blinked as he felt himself suddenly pulled into another vision.
Naruto found himself staring at a pale-white skinned man with long slick hair and purple markings around his eyes and golden predatory looking eyes.
Naruto just calmly stared at the man as he leant forward, an ear-splitting grin coming onto his pale face. His eyes glinted in a twisted manner as he chuckled lightly, his lilting tone drowning out the silence and echoing through the empty hallways of the room they were currently in.
"You're playing a very dangerous game old man, I like it" the man's visage twisted into a very sick toothy smirk.
Naruto found himself upon a more recent and familiar scene as he stood before a calm but slightly tensed Higure Uzumaki and the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Slowly he withdrew his hood, revealing his mop of black spiky hair and wrinkled face.
He saw as the Jinchuuriki's face twisted into a look of abject shock and then fear…ah that's it. That was the effect he truly hoped to bring out of the boy but one that he was hoping to banish once he became part of his foundation.
"I have found you, Kyuubi Jinchruuriki"
More and more clear flashes of activity came and went in quicker succession. They passed before his eyes in the speed of light, making him strain his eyes shut in an attempt to stop the strange visions but even when he closed them he could still see because they were not in his mind but rather his head and you didn't need eyes to see visions concocted by the mind. He felt his brain almost churning at the influx of information and knowledge he hadn't possessed before. His young fragile mind was not up to the task of mentally living through an entire lifetime of memories within only a brief span of minutes.
A lifetime of foreign memories were being filed into his mind at a rapid pace, far too quick than he could handle "ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH" Naruto screamed loudly, clutching at his head as what little resolve he had finally snapped it, the cluster of foreign memories proving too much for his sensitive and fragile young mind. The blond fell face first into the ground and merely lay there.
Drool escaped from the corners of his lips while his face laid skin to earth on the hard surface. His skin was pale and his rippled-eyes wide as saucers and incapable of blinking while he took long intakes of breath. He slowly felt the tell-tale signs of unconsciousness seep into his system as his eyes fell gradually and his mind warped him into the blissful call of sleep.
He awoke 10 minutes earlier later with a groan, and to the unpleasantly welcoming feeling of another throbbing headache which made its self-known the moment he raised his head as he stood up. He swayed slightly with shaky legs, having to retort to balancing himself on one knee to prevent himself from caving in. After a short of growing accustomed to his pulsating headache, he let his heavy lidded eyes roam the now darkened area around him, trying to work out the knots in his eyes that made opening his eyelids feel like a task that required great physical strain. The world around him seemed different somehow and his eyes looked at it differently as well. He certainly didn't know but it seemed as if he had wizened up and was aware of even the smallest details of what was around him.
He couldn't quite comprehend his new identity. Was he Shimura Danzo or Naruto Uzumaki or was he either both or neither both?
He certainly felt as if he had gone through and fought in a very gruelling and bloody Shinobi war. He knew that he was mentored by the Nidaime Hokage at some point or was he? He had done some very horrible things in his life, from the massacring of the Uchiha clan or even the interference with the Akatsuki organisation that led to the demise of that young man who was the leader of the revolutionary group from Amegakure no Sato.
The blond was caught up between two contrasting personalities. He felt as if there were two identities vying for control inside of him. So as Naruto stared ahead with heavy drooping eyes while balancing himself on his knees using his hands, he found himself suffering a bad case of identity confusion.
"Who...am I?" he mumbled softly with a whispered tone. His hands falling limply at his sides as he regained the balance he had lost moments prior. His face was bowed down and he was looking down at his shadow on the ground.
"Who am I!?" he repeated again absently.
"WHO AM IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!?" he shouted out to the heavens loudly, his lone voice echoing throughout the desolate place and silencing the night critters. For some strange reason he felt a nagging feeling telling him to lift up his shirt and so he did and he was greeted to the sight of a partly faded black intricate seal with eight trigrams. His Chakra was wildly fluctuating with his moods and it had drawn out the seal keeping the Kyuubi at bay.
That train of thought was derailed as Naruto's eyes widened as realisation dawned on him. A possible solution to his case of his identity mix-up, it was very simple really and the presence of the seal on his navel had provided the most basic and undebatable answer.
He was Naruto Uzumaki…
Naruto walked with dull lifeless steps as he pondered on what to do now. The darkness surrounding him from the recent docking of nightfall not bothering him at all as he just aimlessly wondered through the lifeless area.
Higure and Hotaru were gone. What was he to do? Where was he to go? He had lost everything in a short span of time and had been left 'orphaned' for a second time in his life, however this time he was conscious enough of the heart-wrenching pain of loss and the memories of seeing the ones you love being murdered before your very eyes.
What angered him so much was that he couldn't waste the rest of his life seeking to bring justice to the cause of his pain, because they were gone and they had had the last laugh and had basked in the agony written across his face as they took everything away from him and left him empty and broken beyond repair. All he wanted was to be left alone, to live out his life in perfect ignorance toward the world and in a society where he would be accepted. He had found acceptance in both Higure and Hotaru and had been happy, however brief it was but fate still had other ideas for him. It deemed him not worthy of happiness and as such it had been mercilessly stripped away from him by the cruel hand of Karma.
That was just the way it was for him.
The world took from him and all he did was give or endure.
He gave up his freedom the day he was born, his happiness for that of Konoha and in return Konoha spat on him and then finally the world took his loved ones. The last thing he had had as well been one of the many things that had been taken from him by the cruelty that was fate.
He felt bitterness, anger and sorrow but above all he felt loneliness slowly peer into his broken heart. He had no reason for living, no family to look forward to. No Higure to tell him right or wrong or guide him in every turn. No Hotaru to scold him, indulge him and make him feel special and wanted. Her bright smile which lit up his world had vanished along with the cold sharp steel that claimed her life.
He was simply alone…again, alone to face the haunting nightmares of his life up to this point and it hurt more than anything he had ever imagined could hurt as bad. His life was messed up.
That thought made him stop abruptly.
His life?
Feh! What life?
His life had been one pathetic lie from the very start. Days, months and years of being constantly lied to by those he trusted with all his life plagued his time in Konoha and for a short time…here in Namishu as well.
Apparently his mother was a Jinchuriki before himself. He wanted to know what happened to her, to find out If she was dead also. There were two sources which could provide him with the desired answers but he didn't wish to see neither. Not after all that had happened and not with being angry at both of them. If he was still in Konoha and still naïve he would've considered it, but he now knew enough about the world to know it wasn't black or white with these new memories he had absorbed from Danzo, memories of which were in many ways unpleasant. It made him wonder how the man slept with all he did, but then who was he to judge? This world was ruled through deception and lies, it was all political, propagandist and things such as Jinchuuriki were part of that framework.
Another issue he had was Higure. He didn't know whether to be angry at the man for not telling him the truth about who he was or to be happy that he got to know his true grandfather, even if it was for a bleak period of time. He had so much he wanted to ask the man, but he knew he couldn't, given the situation he was in. it made his anger boil how unfair everything all was. He felt his Chakra rise up along with his rage before he released it all in one hard punch that split and tore through a large tree that stood behind him. He let his head fall at this feeling of helplessness, but before anything more could happen he felt something burn up along the entire length of his left arm, bringing a wince of pain out of the blond.
He clutched at his throbbing arm to alleviate the pain as he directed his pained gaze to his left arm to see numerous and countless Kanji burn themselves along his entire left arm, encoding within them a message of some sort in the form of Kanji symbols which coloured his arm black from how many they were.
He focused his gaze and began reading from his wrist-up.
"Dear Naruto
I'm sad to say my time with you has come to an end. I understand if you are in turmoil over what you learned in the events of this treacherous day regarding your heritage and I'm sorry you had to learn in such circumstances. I engraved this message seal unto you when I did the Kawarimi with you because I understood that you'd be lost and without guidance. It is a seal I had developed for such occasions a couple of months after I met you. This world is full of dangers and evil, scheming individuals like Shimura and now that you are by your lonesome…they will come for you, either looking for what you possess or your eyes.
At this moment you are still far too weak to defend yourself accordingly against some of them despite the training I put you through. I do not wish to see you spend out the rest of your life in suffering or….ending up like me. Which is why I have double layered this seal and beneath it is a Summoning contract scroll seal, which when it does appear you will be required to wipe out a small portion of your blood on in order for the contract scroll I sealed within you to appear. You will have to do two things from there on, which is writing your name on the contract with your blood and by placing all five of your fingerprints in blood on the scroll. To summon the summons you will have to offer another small blood offering and do this every time you attempt to summon, channel and mould your Chakra through these hand signs in this order; Boar, dog, bird, monkey and ram and plant your hand on the ground.
The summoning contract is yours and be prepared for the summons because they are….eccentric is the term, they have quirks but despite their notoriety they will treat you like family.
I'm sorry I couldn't spend more time with you, but I'm glad I got to know you and I'm sure your mother would agree as well.
However that isn't the main reason for my writing of this final message. That reason is, you're going to have to go…to Uzushiogakure no Sato. Home is where the truth lies about our clan and their relations with Konoha. Uzushiogakure has a cluster of scrolls hidden inside a large slightly-collapsed tower. You can utilise all of them for your training but be careful, our clan's techniques are not ones to be practiced without adequate training or knowledge in the art of Fuinjutsu. The summons would be able to help you get to your destination, just tell them your name and that you are the new holder of the summoning contract.
In regards to your Rinnegan eyes I believe that I have glimpsed a bit of understanding from watching your battle with Shimura and his men. The abilities that you have which you call 'Ningendou, Gakidou, Shuradou and Tendou' are part of the six which I believe gave the Rikudou Sennin his notorious godly name. I have also hypothesised that Tendou is the path that may be involved with the tale of the Sage and the moon, the fact that you have some measure of gravitational powers of repulsion and the recently acquired attraction means these two must have been involved in the creation of the moon which means that the legend of the Sage is indeed real. You already possess four abilities of the six paths which means there is two more to go if legend is correct, half of it which already is as proven by your abilities which connect with the story.
However what happened today just goes to show Naruto that you are going to have to watch your back. If an ill-willed person were to get their hands on those eyes, the effects would be catastrophic for the whole world. Train hard and do not grow complacent with your strength or become arrogant, there is always room for improvement and a Shinobi never stops learning or training both body and mind.
I hope you can learn to move on and make new friends and find new loved ones. It will not be easy but the least you can do is to try. Happiness is for everyone Naruto.
Well this is goodbye then Magomusuko. I will miss you dearly; my only regret is that I never told you how much I loved you…
-Your idiotic senile Grandfather"
As the small scribblings faded into nothingness, tears were freely rolling off of Naruto's face. However he forced them away as he saw that now only a black wrist-covering marking remained on his arm. He bit his palm and wiped the blood on the seal and a poof of smoke appeared and a large scroll fell out of it and to the ground. Naruto picked up the scroll which was slightly taller than he was and strapped it to his back.
He turned around before walking away, now to do his role and fulfil the old man's wish.
It was time to face the world. He was no longer going to be bound by fear, emotions or the norms which bound man to his duty and coaxed him to live life in a specific manner that adhered to the rules.
He was not a puppet. He was no one's toy and his life wasn't anyone's but his to toy with. It was not he rose above the fear of never being accepted and it was now time he stopped believing things will change and that his life would become better. It was time he gave up believing the world would change overnight and that he would fit in within that system. He had tried but it rejected him, some would call it misfortune but for Naruto, now armed with a great deal of knowledge and experience knew it was all political.
He was born out of sacrifice and witnessed hell in the first few moments of his life. He had seen the uglier side of mankind, had been a victim of circumstance and thus he knew the struggle would have to end. He was a wolf trying to fit in amongst sheep and his life was a constant struggle of trying to prove that point but no more.
Today he had seen hell, had experienced sorrow, pain, agony and heartbreak and had spilled blood in his vengeance and retribution. If the world had it for him and if Kami got her kicks out of making him suffer then he was going to blow through whatever any deity threw his way. It was him against the world and he was ready…
(An Hour later)
Thunder ripped through the sky almost as if in the sign of a bad omen, washing the area in a fleeting wave of light that was lightning. Dark rainfall clouds loomed over the area and it was clearly evident the heavens were going to let loose very shortly.
Drip. A single drop fell on Naruto's face but he paid it no heed, not even seeming to notice it at all.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Another fell on his cheek and then another on his forehead and another on his back in quick tapping sounds.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Then a shower of falling water broke out as the heavens opened up, the natural showers of cleansing tears being turned on by the almighty deities above.
The agonizingly soft and cold pitter-patter sounds of rain rang throughout the clearing. Naruto was standing in the middle of all this, just taking it all and his dozen of clones standing beside him, carrying a large lamp they had salvaged from the ruins which served to provide them with the necessary source of light in the darkened desolate area.
There were a dozen of the blonde's clones which were carrying two wooden makeshift caskets which Naruto and his clones had created. Two six feet deep triangular holes of varying lengths were dug up and creating high mounds of upturned earth around the hollow spaces. The two wooden coffins were closed and it was obvious this was not a humorous event but a painful and unpleasant rushed burial.
Naruto was staring at the two dreaded containers, not quite willing to accept that both of his loved ones were stuffed within them. He knew the truth and that was they were gone but he couldn't quite bear the fact that he was going to be sending them into the deep, cold and eroding earth to be degraded and eaten by the soil. He couldn't accept this; he couldn't absolutely accept the fact that these two would now be mere nourishment for whatever crawled underneath the ground. It was sickening to even think of but it was the belief that when all humans die they should be returned to the earth and become a part of it. He remembered how he had read about that a few months ago but had cast it aside, not believing he would one day be in a situation where he'd be the one to prematurely administer his loved ones' journey to the afterlife.
Thus, here he was…
"Oyabun…?" a clone looked at the real blond with a questioning and expectant look. After a long uncomfortable silence of Naruto not speaking he eventually nodded to the doppelganger which turned to its fellow copies to convey the message. Naruto just stood there staring at the deep holes with an inscrutable look in his eyes and his face strikingly impassive. He didn't even regard the Kage Bunshin as they separated into two groups and began shuffling the two coffins into their respective awaiting resting places.
He just lifelessly stood there. The pounding rain washed over him and soaked him to the bone while his eyes just stared at the freshly dug up soil which was now large mounds of muddy earth. Naruto's eyes had a look of forlornly in them while he aimlessly stared ahead as the sounds of shovelling and steel hitting ground began as his Bunshins moved the soil back into the empty space it had been recently removed. With every spadesful shovel of muddy earth into the holes and atop the coffins which held the bodies of Higure and Hotaru Naruto felt his heart drop and ache, he found himself struggling to resist the temptation to stop his clones from filling up the burial holes. He somehow held on to the fleeting childish fantasy that they might still be alive but the endless amount of knowledge and experience he had stolen from Danzo told him it wouldn't make a difference because they were long gone. Their cold to the touch and pale skins had shown that much earlier when he retrieved them. Besides he knew that if he left them lying around and hoping they would awaken then they would start to break down and that would be certainly unsavoury and not something he would like to see happen.
Naruto turned around before leaving, his heart refusing to accept the scene before him.
At times like these he was glad he had learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, because he was sure he would've broken down if he had to do all that by himself.
After walking for almost twenty minutes, he felt the memories of his Kage Bunshin slowly seep into his mind as they dispelled, telling him they had finished the job of burying Higure and Hotaru. It seemed they had the forethought of even putting something to indicate who was buried where and for that Naruto was glad somewhat. It pained him how helpless he felt at the moment and how alone he was as he walked calmly amongst the quiet and noiseless clearing. Naruto merely closed his eyes in an attempt to shut off the pained feelings that threatened to rack his heart before steeling his eyes and his resolve.
He stopped as the landscape changed and gave way from the previously pitiful and damaged clearing to a fairly greener and tree-filled area of land. Looking around him to ensure there was adequate space for what he was about to attempt, he sighed as he saw that there was in the form of a wide grassy clearing. Closing his eyes and recalling his instructions, Naruto cut his right hand thumb with his canine before he hand brought his hands forth and weaved through the summoning handseals very slowly paying no heed to the pouring rain which was causing his black outfit to cling to his surprisingly masculine build.
Naruto slammed his hand against the ground, a seal matrix spreading from his palm "Kuchiyose no Ju-"
"BOOOOMMMM!" a large cloud of red smoke exploded suddenly before Naruto could even finish calling out the name of the technique. The large veil of smoke obscured Naruto's view, making it hard for him to see what it was he had summoned.
"Oy, it's been a long time since someone summoned me…" Naruto heard a booming voice declare from behind the towering cloud of smoke.
The cover of smoke that obstructed Naruto's view slowly lifted and as soon as it did he found himself face to face with large amber coloured eyes and a long black beard. "Well are you the one who summoned me…pipsqueak?" the strange creature asked in a relatively carefree voice.
"Eh?" Naruto blinked at the sight of the creature, unlike normal summon animals, what he had summoned was…well didn't fit that category and was far from being called an animal. What stood before or rather floated was the appropriate term, was a being with an upper torso that was identical to a human being's and complete with arms, a head with long slick black hair with a few red strands and other normal human features. It was donning red and black samurai-esque armour that covered its shoulders, chest, and had bronze-coloured skin with large fiery red veins traversing its skin with a bulky and heavily muscled frame. The lower half of its torso or rather the lack of one was what caught Naruto's undivided attention. It was made of fiery smoke from the hip-down which was what helped the figure before him float. It stood tall, its figure towering over everything else within the wide green tract of land.
Naruto blinked and blinked and then blinked again. This…whatever thing before him was a man, well, a half man with smoke for legs. This thing couldn't be what he had summoned, there had to be a mistake. Naruto repeated the hand signs again and slammed his hand on the ground and in another fiery cloud of smoke another one appeared, but unlike the other one it had a fierier ember coloured skin and rippling muscles with black hair and donned the same samurai-esque armour. A slight look of concealed contemplation appeared in both of the eccentric looking humanoid creature's eyes as they finally glimpsed at Naruto's eyes, something which Naruto didn't miss it.
The other one looked between Naruto and the first creature he had summoned and waved "Hi…" it spoke politely, discarding and throwing whatever intimidating atmosphere it had established about itself out of the window. Naruto's jaw just fell slightly but he kicked himself back into composure a moment after but the signs of shock were still clear on his face.
Naruto managed to compose himself enough to speak "How can you be Summons? You're not even animals..." he asked incredulously.
It was the first bronze-skinned summon which moved to answer "And we are neither human too, because our kind cannot be classified as humans it means we can form pacts or contracts with humans should we wish to. Well I formed one with humans for my kind because I was a bit…bored?" it added at the end its fairly wise posture disappearing.
Naruto blinked and groaned slightly and sent confused glares toward the two behemoths. "Then what kind of…creatures are you?"
The black haired giants grinned mischievously before nodding to one another and the two transformed into two singing monkeys, and then into two drunken naked men who spoke in succession after one another "I am the bad, the incredible, Jinyancha" the first summon went into a ridiculous stance with its hands spread wide apart in a flying posture and its left knee folded in a magical girl pose.
"And I am the slick Mosuurei" the second summon entered its own pose.
"AND WE…ARRRRREEEEEE THE MIGHTIEST OF THE MIGHTY…" they shifted into another form, taking the form of a very curvaceous woman who blew a kiss at Naruto and then finally into a very large eagle and settling back into their true form.
"JINN CLAN!" they exclaimed both at once while staring at Naruto, before snapping out of their ridiculous stances and bumping their fists against the other.
Naruto just blinked, causing a large sweatdrop to fall down Jinyancha and his brethren's back.
"I have no idea what that is…" Naruto said with a bored tone in his voice causing a look of abject and comedic dejection to appear on Mosuurei and Jinyancha's face before their shoulders simultaneously sagged and in a puff of smoke an umbrella appeared in each of their hands as rain clouds swelled over their head. They had also shrunken down to almost the same size as Naruto in comedic style.
"Seriously kid, you sure you don't know?" the now shrunken Jinyancha mumbled lowly in questioning bringing a slight smile of mischievousness out of Naruto.
Naruto just looked up in a feigned attempt of a thinking posture before he spoke "Never, dragons are better tho-" he was cut off from finishing that thought by Jinyancha, who was the larger and taller of the duo with his rough bronze-coloured muscles which had orange fiery veins.
"WHAT! I'm telling you Jinn are the coolest creatures and summons that one can find. One we are smart, two we don't have fire for breath nor fart thirty times a day and three, we actually have brains larger than a peanut" the summon creature said absently, behind it Mosuurei nodding his head along before his eyes widened along with that of the speaker as realisation dawned on both to what Jinyancha had just casually said.
Naruto blinked in surprise with a single eyebrow rising at that statement, his cheek puffed up somewhat as he struggled to resist the urge of laughing. His refusal to simply allow himself to burst made his form shake violently while his hands were holding his mouth in a futile attempt before eventually he burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.
"Wait, I didn't say what I think I said did I?" Naruto just nodded in response while he still shook with laughter.
The clouds and umbrellas disappeared from the two genie's hands as they both went back to their true size and form "Ah anyway, I'll have you know. I can turn into a dragon and it certainly isn't comfortable. I couldn't locate my ehm…certain anatomical parts and when I did, they were embarrassingly small" the bearded Jinyancha spoke with a shrug of his shoulders, his statement drawing some surprise out of Naruto but he now understood that complete shape-shifting and not henge-ing was one of the Jinn summons' prime abilities. However that had to mean that Jinyancha had been alive during the age of the revered and feared mighty fire beasts, which made Naruto wonder how old the carefree giant actually was.
The abrupt question drew Naruto out of his musings "Anyway, why am I here kid and what happened to Higure?"
The moderately humorous and light atmosphere fell at that as the smile on Naruto's face fell and a look of realisation dawned on Jinpachi's face. "Oh I see then…well I am sorry young…?"
Naruto just gave a forced smile as he answered "Naruto…Uzumaki Naruto"
"Well Naruto, am I to assume that you are the new holder of the Jinn summoning contract?" the humanoid creature asked as his whole manner of speech and attitude took a stunning U-turn, his voice and mannerism conveying the knowledge and wisdom of one who had lived for centuries.
Naruto nodded while a slightly pensively sad expression had returned to his face but lighter in comparison to the one he had adorned earlier when the events of Higure and Hotaru's deaths were still fresh in his mind "Yes I am…he gave it to me…" his rippled eyes were focused on the wet grassy ground as the harsh rain fell on each small strand of green with soft tapping sounds.
Mosuurei interrupted the conversation between the two as he spoke, his own voice as well having a serious and urgent tone to it "Jinyacha-sama, I shall deliver the news of Naruto-sama as the new holder of our contract to the elders right away"
Jinyancha nodded his head and in a large puff of blue smoke Mosuurei disappeared and Jinyancha turned back to Naruto "I would like for you to tell me the story behind your eyes or the Bijuu you hold…it is not every day one gets to meet a Jinchuuriki but better yet the wielder of the mythical Rinnegan"
"You know…?" Naruto questioned with a clearly-audible surprised tone of voice.
Jinyancha merely gave a nod while he drank in the modest measure of surprise on Naruto's face "Well yes I can sense malevolent entities and Bijuu are especially easy for me to pick up?"
Naruto sighed smoothly before with a slight tilt of his head he stared at the gigantic summon as he offered a nod of concurrence "Well it's a long story; I'll have to tell you while we're on our way" he spoke as he slowly edged closer to the bronze-coloured genie with slow, calm steps.
With an eyebrow raised tenderly, Jinyancha stared thoughtfully at Naruto his mental screws turning as he wondered where they could be going at this time of night "Oh, we are going somewhere. Is that the reason you summoned me?"
"Hai…can you turn into something which can travel long distances fast. Preferably one that can fly" Jinyancha nodded before he was engulfed by smoke and in his place stood a mighty giant of a bird with golden wings and a yellow feather-lined skin with golden stray feathers and a tail which had many colourful curved plumages which were covered in magnificent bright flames, lighting up the whole area. It had the same coloured amber eyes as Jinyancha's proving that not everything changed when he transformed.
Naruto found himself drawn to the magnificence and beauty of the bird species Jinyancha had morphed into, its colourful appearance had a mythical and legendary appearance to it that one only heard of in those fairy tales or folkloric tales. Its bright flame engulfed form gave off a warm feeling and it shone as bright as and almost more magnificently than the sun and surprisingly didn't burn at all.
Naruto knew this was another legendary mythological creature and thus he made sure to savour and relish the sight of Jinyancha's new form.
"And where is that? Grandson of Higure" the now transformed Jinyancha queried, while looking at Naruto with his amber eyes, in fairly the same tone as in his normal Jinn form.
Naruto took a long relaxed intake of breath as he almost felt a strange sense of nostalgia as he considered what he was about to say "Home…" he simply muttered making Jinyancha's eyebrow raise in a sign of clear elaboration expectation. Naruto leaped onto the back of Jinyancha's feathery shoulders, careful to use Chakra to keep himself from falling losing balance as he settled himself onto the back Jinyancha's neck, grabbing his large golden feathers in his hands "We are going to Uzushiogakure"
With a nod of understanding and knowing exactly where that is, Jinyancha took off with a quick beating of his mighty wings which consequently roused a large cloud of dust to pick up and leaving behind stray small flames which scattered around from Jinyancha's form. Soon they were in the sky with the wind rushing past their forms and flapping Jinyancha's wings against Naruto's face which held a slightly serene look to it as being so high up; despite being frightening brought a reasonably calming feeling to him. The rain hadn't abated but it was now slightly better that Naruto didn't mind it and had his eyes plainly squinted to keep the drops of water out of his eyes.
His eyes were filled with intent but for now he was focused on one task and putting off feeling sorry for himself.
Making his family proud…
The two disappeared into the sky in a golden blur with a few stray flames forming a trail behind them which could be seen all the way down from the ground.
(Konohagakure- 1 day later)
"Koharu, Homura" Hiruzen calmly spoke as his two senior advisors walked into the room in tow.
"Sarutobi, we need to talk about our 'issue'" Koharu said, not feeling the need to troll around the issue as she and Homura came to a stop before the village leader who sat behind his large desk.
Homura nodded as he continued, a composed atmosphere clearly surrounding him despite the frown on his face "Our village cannot go on without its Jinchuuriki. The balance between the five nations has been disturbed with the disappearance of Naruto"
"If other villages were to find out about our Jinchuuriki-less status, it could put us in grave danger" Koharu continued while Sarutobi calmly filled the contents of his pipe before spitting a small flame of fire into it, igniting the contents within it.
Sarutobi took a long drag of the contents of his ever present pipe before releasing it all in one long weary sigh "I understand your concerns, however you know as well as I do that until we find Naruto. We will be threading on thin ice. If one of the other villages happens to stumble upon or learn of our current predicament, then we would have to prepare for the worst."
Homura frowned visibly, the trench on his forehead widening a bit more "But surely Jiraiya and his connections can find the boy"
Sarutobi turned in his chair, focusing his eyes on the outside where the rain was thundering harshly throughout Konoha in thousands of swift tapping sounds. It was times like these he worried about whether Naruto even had a shelter wherever he was and if he was eating adequately because he suffered from malnourishment even when he was here in Konoha. So did that mean was Naruto better off wherever he was? He didn't know but for now he just needed reassurance, to see whether Naruto was safe and whether he was being taken care of. The rest about his return to Konoha could wait, he at least wanted him to come and do his final year in the academy here in Konoha.
"Hopefully, but for now we will have to wait, remember there is still Danzo to worry about" the Sandaime responded to his fellow male and advisor.
Koharu frowned at that statement; her eyes squinted to the point where one couldn't tell whether they were open or closed "I still cannot believe that Danzo would go to such extreme measures for the boy…"
"Yes, we all know Danzo has always been ambitious but to directly go against you and abduct the boy behind you…"
Sarutobi frowned but just dismissed their statements with a wave of his hand "I don't care about Danzo right now. I just wish for Naruto to return, to return to his home. What would Minato or even Kushina say to me when I tell them I failed to protect their son barely Nine years into his life?" his eyes squinted in a melancholic expression as he finished speaking, almost imagining the disappointment that his predecessors and mostly his wife would fell toward him.
"I understand but we all failed the Yondaime so do not put the blame on yourself Sarutobi" Homura said as he rubbed at his forehead with his hand, a rare glimmer of guilt in his bespectacled eyes.
"Yes but the good news is that I dispatched two teams of Anbu black ops two days ago and I believe that we are now on the right track. Jiraiya sent information stating he had pinpointed his location. It appears he is still within Hi no Kuni and now all we would need to do is find him before he could escape the borders of the country"
The somewhat gloomy and depressing atmosphere was lifted off like a veil with that statement as it drew smiles out of both advisors "That is excellent news Sarutobi"
The Sandaime nodded before a knock interrupted any more conversation that were about to take place.
"Enter" Sarutobi declared before the door was slowly peered wide open and a person clad in the Anbu black ops uniform entered before bowing to the elders and the Hokage. "Ah Tenzou…I see you have returned"
The man nodded calmly before he spoke in a slightly muffled voice that was altered by the mask he wore "Hai Hokage-sama and I bring some…disturbing news"
There was an obvious disgruntlement that came with that statement as Sarutobi paused, not liking that statement at all and hoping it wasn't one which would drive him into an early retirement or possibly to his death. "Well..?" he asked while impressively managing to maintain his calm posture.
Tenzou spoke while his eyes were firmly focused on the Hokage's slightly anxious but hopeful ones "There were bodies, lots of dead bodies however the target was luckily not amongst them. They appeared to have all been killed using this… " the ANBU commander produced a black rod and handed it to the Hokage who seemed a little relieved but a bit depressed to hear they had not found Naruto.
Sarutobi took the black blade from the man while Homura and Koharu moved closer to have a closer analysis of the black rod. Looking at it curiously and noting how it felt warm and seemed to emit a low vibration, Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he felt something "Well…this blade is used to transfer Chakra but it is quite sturdy and dangerous as well. But what I am worried about is the feeling of the Chakra I can feel coming from it, it feels familiar"
"Yeah, the feeling of its Chakra matches that of Naruto-kun's, but how he was able to use such weapons and even distribute his Chakra through them is a mystery. The material as well is strange and I have never seen anything like it and what is puzzling is that they were tens of them lying on the ground and either stabbed through the bodies of the victims"
"So it is safe to assume that Naruto was the one using these?" the Hokage asked impassively, his expression suddenly turning into one which Yamato couldn't quite read or determine but there was the intensity that he somehow could discern.
"Hai and also Hokage-sama, it seemed he used THAT Chakra again"
"What do you mean by that Tenzou-san?" Koharu asked pensively as they all as advisors to the Hokage knew about the ANBU commander's incredible sensory abilities and were thus dreading his answer.
"I mean that while on the way there and still about a day away, we could feel a large Chakra source from our position. I would surmise that Naruto was using close to four or five tails of the Kyuubi's Chakra for us to be able to sense it from how far we were."
"WHAT!" the obvious bellow of disbelief was surprisingly let out at the same time by the three elders as they stared intensely at the Mokuton wielder.
"Are you sure this is true Tenzou-san" Homura asked with a weary tone in his gruff voice, his glasses seeming to have now become a tad too big for his face.
Tenzou was thankful for the rigorous training he had received in ANBU because otherwise he would be shivering with fear at the untold amounts of murderous intent that was rolling off of the village leader in immeasurable waves. He composed himself as he continued "It is true. It seems Danzo-sama had found Naruto again and a battle had broken out and it ended with the annihilation of the entire ROOT faction"
"That fool…." Sarutobi said as he slammed his hand on the table, cracking it and drawing shocked reactions out of Koharu and Homura who seldom ever saw him loose his temper. Homura plopped himself to a seat tiredly, his elegance and calm clearly forgotten.
"And what of the fool? Did you find him?" Sarutobi still had a glimmer of anger in his aged sharp eyes and they were piercing through the ANBU commander. The Anbu knew that he wasn't looking at his lenient and calm headed Hokage but the legendary professor.
Understanding who the Hokage meant the masked man shook his head 'no' "Unfortunately we couldn't find him or even his body to gauge if he met the same fate. The scene appeared disturbed as well, almost as if someone had recently been there"
He leaned back down onto his seat "I see, was there anything else of noteworthy?" he gave a disappointed sigh rubbing at his grey goatee.
There was short pause as Tenzou mused on his thoughts to determine whether he had left anything out before giving his answer "No. actually yes. There was one thing…" he trailed off, drawing looks of interest out of the three former teammates.
Koharu looked at Tenzou quizzically as he was oddly quiet for a few seconds "Well…?"
The brown haired man braced himself as he opened his lips to speak "There were graves, two of them. One had the name Hotaru and the other…." The man nervously gulped down a mouthful of saliva as he gave a short pause, drawing looks of curiosity from the trio of Konoha elders.
"Tenzou-san?" Homura asked as the man again went silent almost as if afraid to speak.
"It had the name…." the elders leaned forward, fearing the worst case scenario which was Naruto's death "Uzumaki Higure on it" despite assuring the Konoha elders fears it didn't help them at all as their eyes all widened in shock. A wave of incredulousness rushed within the forms of the three at the shocking news presented to them.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Koharu bellowed with eyes glowing with disbelief and obvious shock to the news.
The other elder two men's eyes went wide in the same inelegant fashion as well. Sarutobi gently set his pipe on the table before letting out a strained sigh. His face now certainly looked aged and the wrinkles had now become more pronounced and the bags under his eyes were much thicker and darker. Overall it was clear the poor man was worried and driven mad by this issue involving Naruto.
It was days like these that he certainly felt his increasing old age.
His eyes narrowed wearily as he proceeded to scratch his white goatee in thought and careful contemplation "Is that so…?" he asked absently but there was a thoughtful expression on his wrinkled face.
"Hai" Tenzou gave the simple curt answer with a calm tone of voice.
The aged Sandaime asked the brown-haired ANBU whose short brown hair went in opposing ends above his mask "Was there any body?"
Tenzou's black almond-shaped eyes narrowed at that from behind his mask, his grim looking red and green marked mask shadowing his eyes as he moved to speak "No that is where the problem lays Hokage-sama. There were no bodies; they had all been…dug up. The graves had been defiled by someone" the ANBU commander uttered while looking up momentarily from his standing position.
Sarutobi hid his alarmed expression by maintaining a calm demeanour "Hmm, who could have done such a thing? It must be someone looking to cultivate the Uzumaki clan abilities or genetics for something and only one name comes to mind…" Sarutobi's eyes narrowed as he said that, everyone else understanding what he meant with his implicit statement.
Tenzou gave a nod of his head as he moved to respond "Yes I believe the snake is on the horizon yet again" Hiruzen sighed wearily once more before looking at the white porcelain-masked man.
He stood up, bearing and wincing off the cramps that knotted within his old but not yet frail body "Well thank you for the information Tenzou-taichou. You may leave Commander, you are dismissed" the man merely gave a curt nod before flickering out of existence in a blurrily-quick whirlwind of wind that was the Shunshin.
After the ANBU commander had left, a calm silence had settled between the three members of the former team Tobirama. The silence was broken when Koharu sighed softly before she spoke "Do you honestly believe that man was alive all this time? It is preposterous"
The aged Hokage gave another tired sigh as he looked at his former teammate with his sharp but sunken eyes "It certainly isn't improbable but it just complicates things with our case. From what I have glimpsed, it seems Naruto met Higure and was living with him. That means he knows the truth about our pact with Uzushiogakure, and his mother's fate"
The three all hummed in agreement to that, knowing about the pact made between Higure and Tobirama Senju which listed that those from the Uzumaki clan's head family had to provide a Jinchuuriki for Konohagakure no Sato in order to maintain their alliance and good relations. This was something which could be done through many methods, such as in Kushina's case where she had a son with a Hokage and creating a possible legacy of prospective Jinchuuriki in a line which only the heir could continue…
If only he hadn't ditched Konoha and ran away.
(Otogakure no Sato- 1 day later)
"Well…enlighten me" a lilting and softly purring voice spoke. The room they were in was dark with only a few candles providing light in the room. The man who had spoken sat atop a large chair with a young man in glasses and a devious smirk standing before him.
Kabuto pushed his glasses up with his hand, producing a glow out of them and giving him an ominous appearance that always intrigued Orochimaru whenever the boy would do it around him "Hmm, it was quite dangerous to collect such valuable data. I was lucky to escape with my life, but I suppose one needs a little bit of thrill and danger in life because it was quite the bloody battle as well." He spoke in a soft voice lined with carefreeness and slight arrogance which was very hard to pick on given his cheerful voice.
Orochimaru hummed as he looked at the smirking teenager with a curve on his own lips as well "What about the boy. Anything of noteworthy he displayed?" the Sannin immediately knew he had hit the right button with that question as 'the glimmer' appeared in Kabuto's bespectacled eyes while he smirked and pulled out three cards which he held up in-between his fingers.
"Well he certainly didn't disappoint. He brutally murdered close to 35 men and didn't even bat an eyelash. The bloodbath of the battle was…breath-taking. However there was a point where his tenant made itself known. But in the end the power of his great eyes and the Uzumaki legend's efforts brought Danzo to his knees"
Orochimaru's face broke into a baleful predatory grin as he digested the news brought forth to him "Kukuku, that is quite fascinating indeed Kabuto. Did you secure the bodies?" he asked as he leaned back into his chair, revelling in the tingling feeling of having things going well for him yet again. He wasn't disappointed that Danzo was dead. In fact he was glad the old fool had kicked the bucket or had it kicked for him in this instance and that only meant that all those connections he had made with the help of the man would be more cooperative and also he would be able to have Otogakure all to himself and at the same time erase Konoha from the map of the Elemental Nations without worrying about it being rebuilt again.
Kabuto moved closer to the man, standing beside him while the pale-skinned Sannin sat on his high chair, not even regarding the young man "Yes all three of them. I wasn't sure whether or not to leave Hotaru-chan's but I figured she would be a useful tool for leverage when the time comes."
The Sannin's golden slit-eyes gained an amused glimmer within them at something from the statement "Oh, he was attached to our little runaway toy wasn't he?" he questioned calmly while his gaze peered through the darkened hallways of the room. He always did love the darkness, there was something about sunlight that put him off and rarely did he leave or travel from his hideout.
Kabuto hummed in response as he answered "Very so, he practically lost it when she was killed. She's….his greatest weakness" he again toyed with his glasses producing that 'glimmering effect' which luckily no one was there to see beside Orochimaru who did so out of the corner of his eye. Whenever the grey-haired boy did that pushing of his glasses action it always made him look as if he viewed people, or other living beings as toys or something very complex to be broken down. It was the same look he had given Naruto when he commented him about his eyes.
It was unnerving and even to Orochimaru although he was intrigued by it as he often wondered what it meant.
The Sannin bared his relatively sharp canines as he smirked widely "Excellent news…" there was a brief reprieve of time of no words being exchanged between Orochimaru's and his trusted subordinate.
Kabuto spoke after a few minutes of comfortably creepy silence which did not bother the two men "Are you going to go after him? He has gone off to Uzushiogakure. Chances are he might run into our 'friends' soon. This is the best time to secure his eyes and his body as a vessel" the young man looked toward man as he chuckled. Kabuto was confused, he had thought his master would move for the boy but the man hadn't even mentioned anything involving that subject in their conversation.
Orochimaru's chuckle gave way to a thin sly-ish smile "No…for now we will leave him be until the time comes. Let us not forget they will not start lurking around until after a couple of years and when that time comes we will make our move. I will show those fools never to underestimate me" He just gave another ear-splitting grin as he casually looked at the grey-haired young man with an ominous glimmer in his own, but unlike Kabuto's which inspired unease this was totally terrifying as the man's long dark black hair fell over his face, with only one of his slitted golden eyes visible.
This was the smile of a predator.
"For now I still have a small project I wish to delve into involving the Sharingan and the Uzumaki clan DNA's abilities. You see I have made a shocking discovery"
Kabuto's eyebrow rose as he hummed in thought while a look of childlike intrigue appeared in his eye as he regarded the man whose gaze was now back on the dark halls of the room "Oh? And what might it entail? Orochimaru-sama"
A sinister laugh followed the question as Orochimaru stood up before looking at Kabuto with his ear-splitting toothy grin "Kukuku. Oh Kabuto, you always have to ask too many questions however this time I will indulge you. I have discovered a means to achieve…." His eyes practically glowed impossibly as he raised his pale-skinned hand and looked at it curiously.
"….True immortality"
Translations
Jinn (Arabic term) - 'Genie' (THAT CRAZY THING THAT COMES OUT OF A POT AND SAYS "I CAN MAKE YOUR WISHES COME TRUE")
Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Summoning Technique
Author End-notes
If you are confused, let me make it clear for you. Naruto didn't read Danzo's memories in the last chapter when he activated the Human path. He was about to but because of Danzo's Juinjutsu he couldn't as he was blasted away. As such because he pulled away the man's soul, he 'absorbed' his memories and they came back when he gained consciousness.
I don't know if that concurs with Kishimoto's theory but if not then it's mine…
Well now that that's over, the story will start moving and we will finally get our long awaited time-skip...review and tell me what you think about...well everything.
Non-Rant:
*I will only say this once* - One: To those who don't like my way of writing or my stories in general, that's your right. You're entitled to criticize my work and you're entitled to a right to hate me if you so wish to (for no particular reason or for a reason) but I'm not the type of person who will rise to your taunts, 'my belief is in being the better man in any given situation'. Life has so much more to offer and I will not spend even a minute of my life telling someone I dislike them or what they do simply because I can…*as I say type this little non-rant, I'm as calm as a daisy*
It is quite sad really but that's the world we live in these days.
It's a world that is ruled by the terms 'because I can' and 'I don't give a fuck'.
Two: I don't write in the preferred, traditional and famous method of writing fanfiction because I feel it is overused. So if you don't like this story because of that then spit on it, crush it under your shoe, go read other stories that meet your preferences and don't look back. I try to combine both styles when I write but if that's not enough for you, well…
I'm sorry if I may come off as an Ass here but I'm not trying to insult anyone, it's something I don't like to do.
If you have any suggestions about whether my writing has improved or not, please hit me up on my PM. I actively responding to my mails these days so don't fear the lack of a quick response.
The immortal signing out…