Uzumaki Tales
Chapter 10
Sakura glared at Naruto with a rather heated glare. She could never forgive the blasphemy he committed when he slapped her beloved prince, Uchiha Sasuke. From that day, henceforth, she wasn't going to forgive him, not unless he paid the price she deemed worthy to redeem him for such a sin. How Sasuke could permit such a person to exist in his sight was a mystery he couldn't even begin to fathom.
She was barely holding herself from pouncing on him!
''Sakura, is there something you have in mind?'' Kakashi questioned, in a rather stern tone after seeing the glare she was sending Naruto. The Jonin did know that Naruto's actions would make things a bit tricky with team 7, but he didn't think Sakura would be so blunt about her new found level of dislike for Naruto.
The said blond was blissfully ignoring the girl like she wasn't even there to begin with. Kakashi wondered how the blond could remain so calm and composed without so much as twitching with how the pink haired girl was glaring at him. The girl had been staring at him since they gathered! Though the glare wasn't directed at him, Kakashi felt ticked off by its continuation.
The person he had expected to be seething right about now was Sasuke, but the Uchiha was way calmer than usual. The aloofness was seeping out of him in abundance though. Still, Sasuke wasn't famous for keeping his temper in check; he was known for his outbursts, and yet after the embarrassment he suffered in the hands of his teammate, the Uchiha had yet to explode.
Upon hearing Kakashi's stern tone, Sakura shook her head, ''no.'' Kakashi wasn't going to do anything to Naruto if she told him of her thoughts. He was most likely going to paint her in the wrong way. She'd noticed that the Jonin seemed to like Naruto, much more to her disgust.
''Good,'' Kakashi responded with an eye smile, his tone light. ''Let us get on to the main point of my I called you here,'' the ears of the genins zoomed into the voice of the Jonin upon those words leaving his mask. ''We are finally going to do a C-rank mission!''
''For real?'' Naruto asked, while Sakura stared at Sasuke to see his reaction at this good news, sadly for her, the Uchiha gave no outward reaction; his body remained stiff.
Kakashi nodded, ''We've done a fair number of D-rank missions, and I think you're ready for the outside world, well that is if the C-rank mission involves you leaving the village...'' the Jonin smiled when he saw Sasuke's eye brows twitch at his last words. Well, at least he was reacting to something.
''Are you saying that there is a chance that the mission we might get may be done within the village, even though is it a C-rank mission?'' Sakura asked quietly. She wasn't that well prepared to leave the village to face the outside world. While she could be happy if Sasuke was, she would rather spend her time in the village where she could be close to her friends.
On the plus side of things, if they do get out of the village, Naruto's facade of a strong genin may be exposed. She would very well revel if he was exposed as a fraud and all this was just a mask he wore to impress their Jonin-sensei. A good mission meant that Sasuke could exhibit his skills as a shinobi, which would do well for his image.
Why hasn't the Uchiha hired her as his publicist anyway?
Kakashi nodded in response to Sakura's question. ''C-rank doesn't necessary mean that the mission ground is outside the village; the higher rank only means that there is high risk and much more difficulty in the mission.''
Finally, Sasuke found his voice. ''Be that as it may, I will not accept a C-rank mission that is within the confines of this village. I want to do something that will challenge me.'' The voice was firm, almost as if he was demanding that Kakashi get him a challenging mission. ''You did you say your thought we are ready for the outside world.''
Well, he did say that, but it wasn't he who decided which mission they were going to take; it was the Sandaime who did. However, since they were deeply curious with Naruto, he was positive the Sandaime would send them out of the village to do a somewhat challenging mission.
The famed Jonin looked at Naruto and posed a question. ''Are you in the same page as Sasuke?'' Asking Sakura was a waste of his time since he knew the girl would side with Sasuke in anything, even if the raven haired was thinking of doing something murderous. The girl certainly had problems.
If he knew this, why wasn't he doing anything about it? Did he think that she would eventually realize that her way wasn't going to do any good to her? Experiences were the best teacher, and the Jonin believed that someone like Sakura would never learn by mere words. He'd seen her kind before, and things tended to end nasty if they didn't learn soon enough.
Kakashi could only hope that the girl learns some valuable lessons about the shinobi world soon...
''Yes,'' Naruto said calmly. ''Something that will make me work is appreciated. As Sasuke has said, something that is challenging is needed.''
That wasn't a typical response from Naruto. Kakashi was expecting along the lines of ''eh''. One thing that was the same was that he was neither against the idea nor thrilled about it. He seemed neutral. Well, that was something that he wasn't expecting to change.
''Does this mean we're going to do a mission outside the village?'' Sakura asked in a rather subdued tone. One could see that she wasn't too excited about the idea, but she was holding it in, for Sasuke. Yes, she couldn't afford to do anything to disappoint her prince.
Kakashi nodded, ''But before we do that, I will tell you this; when going outside the village, you're most likely to come across bandits. I'm sure they taught you what bandits do in the academy. With the chance Coming across such people means that you always have to be on your guard. If you sleep, you're likely to fall into trouble.
We are going to do this as a team to insure that we succeed in this, and if someone sleeps, the teammate wakes him/her up. Teammates are supposed to look after each other's and look after the backs of their teammates. I expect nothing less from you three; you are going to have to work with each other. It is not in every situation where I will fight by your side; there are situations where you have to fight by yourselves, as a team.
But don't worry; I'll always be watching you. I won't allow anything to happen to my comrades,'' the Jonin offered his iconic eye smile to give the genins some assurance.
'Nothing more than mere words dipped in milk and honey,' Naruto thought in distaste. While he was certain that Kakashi wasn't just telling them to give them the feel good factor, Naruto knew that such words in the shinobi world shouldn't be thrown so casually.
He wondered how many times the Jonin has regretted saying those words. Nothing was concrete in the shinobi world. Saying that I'll always protect you was nothing more than flat out lies that were made to sound sweet like a soothing melody, and smell good like the favorite dish the insides crave. Insides those flavored words was nothing but disappointment.
The fact was that Kakashi couldn't always protect them, not in the shinobi world. The Jonin has to know of this. Perhaps he was wrong, Sharingan no Kakashi believed he could always watch over his students and would always be around them to insure they are protected.
Well, he was open-minded; he could accept that it was possible if the Jonin does succeed. However, his believe was that such a concept in the shinobi world didn't exist, not unless you were kami. Even gods of shinobi couldn't protect everyone. Madara couldn't protect his brother; the Sandaime couldn't protect his wife from being killed by Obito.
Shaking his head, Naruto banished his thoughts and looked at Kakashi once more. The jonin had finished talking and was walking away with his other two students. Kakashi looked back at Naruto, ''Are you coming?''
It was so much of a surprise to Kakashi to see Naruto like that; he was so caught up in thought that he'd lost sense of his surroundings. Though the blond made it appear like he was oblivious to his surroundings, Kakashi had discovered that he was much more aware that he made it look. So it was a wonder to see him so zoned out like that.
What could he have been thinking about that would cause him to zone out like that?
''Yes,'' Naruto said as he followed the Jonin and his teammates. He wouldn't ask where they were heading to since he figured they off to see the Sandaime Hokage for the mission they were about to take.
Konoha
Sandaime's Office
Hiruzen shook his head in slight disappointment; he was looking at a letter Jiraiya had recently written for him. His way ward former student had left saying he would be back soon, but now he'd postponed his return saying that something had come up. It was always like that with Jiraiya; there was always something to shift him away from what he was supposed to do.
He understood the need to monitor things with his spy network, but discarding his responsibility towards Naruto wasn't something that he could congratulate Jiraiya on. The Sannin was made Naruto's godfather, meaning in the absence of both Kushina and Minato, the timer ringed for him to honor his responsibility.
However, so far, Jiraiya had yet to do any of that. He, the Sandaime Hokage, has been watching Naruto from the day his parents died; even now he was still doing it. Where was Jiraiya?
It has been years since they last heard of anything about the Akatsuki, he couldn't say he was investigating them. The group was dangerous, as even his former genius student, Orochimaru had joined them. However, it has been nearly four years since they did anything outrageous. So, Jiraiya didn't have any reason to investigate their ''activities''.
''Sandaime-sama, are you alright?'' Iruka asked with concern evident in his tone and expression. The skin of the old man was shrinking, and he looked to be in deep thought. It seemed that he was troubled by something. Whatever it was, it had to do with the scroll he was reading.
Brought out of his thoughts, the Third smiled at Iruka and responded. ''Yes, I was just lost in thought,'' he said. ''Now, where were we?''
Before the scroll from Jiraiya came, he was busy with Iruka working on mission assignments. It was pretty much what he did at this time of the day whenever the chunin was free from his duties at the academy.
Just when Iruka was about to respond, the doors opened as Team 7 walked inside. The professor smiled upon seeing his favorite blond, he wasn't the only one smiling at the sight of Naruto, Iruka as well. The chunin hadn't seen the blond in some time.
''Ah, Kakashi, you are here for a mission, I presume?'' The God of shinobi spoke lightly, while looking straight at the Jonin.
''Hai,'' Kakashi nodded. ''We would also like a C-rank mission. I think my team is ready for an upgrade,'' the Jonin said, much to the hidden excitement of Sasuke.
''The others are still doing D-rank missions...'' Iruka pointed out the obvious. ''You're still one short of the required D-rank missions to be able to request a C-rank mission.'' This statement only earned the academy teacher a silent glare from Sasuke.
''It is alright, Iruka,'' the Sandaime said. ''Team 7 has actually done more D-rank missions than any of the new teams; it just hasn't been updated in your report, Iruka.''
''Oh'' Iruka mouthed.
Naruto silently shook his head. Iruka was a bit overprotective, and no doubt if it was up to him, he wouldn't allow them to take a C-rank mission, not until he deemed them prepared by his standards. If the man was a father, his children would surely love it if he usually disappeared from home. They wouldn't even question his whereabouts.
''I have the perfect mission for your team, Kakashi,'' the Third Hokage said, smiling. ''You will be on guard duty, much detail will be given once the client gets here; I've already sent someone to fetch him.''
Kakashi nodded and remained still. Just when he was starting to think that Sakura wouldn't be questioning anything in front of Hokage, the girl did what she did best. ''Are we going to be guarding someone important, like a princess or prince?'' she seemed excited about the prospect of guarding a princess especially. Well, it was every kid's dream to meet a real life princess.
The Sandaime chuckled lightly seeing the barely contained excitement in the girl's eyes. ''No,'' he said much to the disappointment of Sakura. He saw that the girl was going to ask another question and shook his head, silencing her. ''As I said, I will explain much about the mission once the client gets here.''
A few moments of silence settled in before Iruka spoke. ''So, Kakashi-san, is Naruto giving you headaches? I know he can be a handful...'' the chunin said, smiling at bit.
Naruto looked at Iruka with a raised brow, but Kakashi answered before he could, ''Not at all,'' the Jonin said. Well, that wasn't entirely true; Naruto had made things hard with Team 7, well neither did Sasuke and Sakura help matters. This mission would test whether this team could survive or not. If not, they would see other options.
''I was not much of a brother, Iruka-sensei. In fact, I was probably the quietest student you had, well aside from Hinata that is,'' the last words were said in a whisper as Naruto defended himself from Iruka's accusations.
''That was the handful part Naruto...'' Iruka said with a sigh. ''How are you anyway?'' he asked Naruto.
''I'm well,'' Naruto said before looking at the Sandaime. However, before he could speak, the client arrived in the office, eyes turned to face him.
''Team 7, this is the client, Tazuna. He is a bridge builder from the Wave country. You will be guarding him until he reaches the Wave country and while he completes building his bridge. The mission shouldn't be that difficult,'' the Sandaime stated giving off a smile.
''Is this it?'' Tazuna questioned leaning against the door frame. ''I was expecting something a bit more than these,'' he said looking between the kids who were going to be guarding him.
''This is what you paid for, Tazuna-san, and you shouldn't underestimate them, they will surprise you,'' the Sandaime stated before Sakura could say anything; the girl looked insulted by those words from Tazuna.
Kakashi decided to speak before anything could be said by anyone. He was facing his team when he spoke. ''Okay guys, go home and fetch your travelling gear, as well as shinobi equipment. This mission might take about a week since we are travelling w a civilian. After packing everything, meet me at the village's gate in an hour. Don't forget your tents.''
The genins nodded before walking away, but not before the Sandaime said something to Naruto. ''Oh and Naruto-kun, do behave on the mission, will you?''
''I can't make any promises, old man...''
One hour later
Village gates
Naruto's brow furrowed when he found Kakashi at the gate with their client. He was about 25 minutes early from the time set by the Jonin, and yet he'd found Kakashi already waiting. If more than anything, he had expected the Jonin to be on time rather than arrive before the time he set. Well, for serious matters, some at least, the Jonin didn't wear his tardiness.
Kakashi had more time being a shinobi; he didn't need time to prepare for missions. Even if he was called for an S-rank mission, he would be ready within the time the order reaches his understanding. The Jonin was experienced within the shinobi world, and had many years under his belt. A simple C-rank mission shouldn't be something to make him sweat.
The client was standing, not far away from Kakashi. He still smelled unbearable with the stench of alcohol. Naruto had tolerated the smell while they were at the Sandaime's office. It wouldn't bother him that much since nature would be supplying him with undiluted air.
Kakashi looked at Naruto carefully; the blond wasn't holding a single thing. ''Aren't you a little under-prepared?'' the Jonin questioned looking straight at Naruto. Even he was having a backpack, but Naruto didn't have that.
''I'm prepared,'' Naruto said digging his right hand into the right pocket of his pants. He took out a scroll, showing it to Kakashi, before putting it back into his pocket. ''The things I'll need are sealed in the scroll. I didn't want to carry a bag.''
Losing some weight on him was one of the benefits of knowing Fuinjutsu. Naruto excelled well in the art of sealing. But Kakashi also knew a bit of the sealing art. The man was a student of his father after all. His father was a seal master; you could never forget to credit his mother for Minato's success in Fuinjutsu. Naruto had no doubt if he spoke a sealing language, the Jonin would surely understand him.
Kakashi nodded. ''You don't seem too thrilled about this mission,'' he noted. Nothing had changed with Naruto, he still wore his usual expression, and wasn't even bothering to stare outside the village gates.
''Eh,'' naturally, Naruto shrugged. ''It is only a C-rank mission, with which we have to guard a bridge builder, from bandits, as assumed in the mission parameters,'' Naruto paused for a moment before asking a question. ''Do you think Sakura is ready to undertake this mission?''
In his opinion, the girl wasn't ready for this mission, even if mission parameters say the only chance of trouble was from bandits. Sakura was pathetic and her mindset wasn't compatible with a shinobi. If they were faced with a troubling situation, the girl was going to be a burden more than anything. She couldn't really do anything.
Kakashi had tricked her into believing that Sasuke was dead with a D-rank genjutsu. What would happen if an enemy did a B-rank genjutsu on her with something much more devious than what the Jonin did?
''Honestly, I don't think she is ready,'' Kakashi responded with a sigh. ''But I do believe that experiences such as the one we are going to have outside the village will help shape her. Words just seem to bounce off her forehead when said by anyone other than Sasuke. Perhaps if she experiences something troubling, she will change.''
''Ah, you're one of those who believe that experience is the best teacher. Well that is indeed true,'' Naruto said a thoughtful. ''Let me give you a bit of a warning, Kakashi-sensei; do not always trust experience, not with the attitude of Sakura. If something happens to either her or Sasuke, she won't learn from it until a certain point, she is most likely to blame you and me for it.
When it comes to Sasuke, that girl has no mind. She wouldn't even mind to curse the Sandaime all for Sasuke. She lacks maturity, and trying to force maturity into her might break her, especially when she is a fragile girl. Another factor you must consider is that, while experiencing something troubling, she may get fatally wounded.''
Kakashi nodded, not surprised by Naruto's depth understanding of things. ''I know that, but I believe that if we all watch her back, we can protect her.''
''You must know that it is not always that you'll be able to watch her back, Kakashi-sensei. There will be a situation where you can't watch her without exposing yourself to danger, and you'll be forced to make a choice, save a useless girl or save yourself. In your case, you're most likely to save her, she is your comrade after all,'' Naruto said looking over to the heavens. ''But I must ask you - other than clearing your conscious, what would saving someone as useless as Sakura do?''
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Naruto, ''Are you saying you would abandon her?''
''Sometimes you must ask yourself some questions, Kakashi. It is good that you value your comrades and wouldn't think of abandoning them. Even I somewhat believe that comrades are not to be thrown away cheaply.'' Naruto paused, sorting his thoughts. ''However, often we're left with a choice to make, between two things, save the other and allow the other to die. If you gave up your life for Sakura, with her current mindset, what good do you think she will do?
Sakura can't fill your shoes; she can't protect what you hold dear. If you gave up your life for her, and this village, your friends, and an enemy presents himself, who'll be left to protect them? Sakura can't do that. Sometimes you must consider the potential and value of what you're trying to save before giving up your life.
The Yondaime Hokage gave up his life. Yes, it wasn't that he didn't have a choice in the matter. He could have temporarily sealed the Kyuubi inside of him, or something while things calmed down. I'm led to believe that he wasn't the type to do anything without a reason. As his student, you ought to know this better than anyone.
If he didn't do anything without a reason, then he wouldn't have sacrificed himself. Yes, there had to be a reason he chose to make me a Jinchuriki, and a reason he chose to die that night. I understand that with creating a Jinchuriki, the Yondaime saw the potential of someone could protect his beloved village, someone who could fill in his shoes. Even if he died, the Sandaime, Jiraiya, even you could fill in the void he left, don't you think so, Kakashi-sensei?'' Naruto asked turning to face the Jonin. ''Your teammate also died in your stead during the third shinobi world war, wouldn't you say he saw the potential in your to be greater than his and decided to trust you with everything?''
How Naruto knew something that only those in his generation knew surprised the Jonin. Yes, Naruto wasn't stupid, but that part of his life was hidden and he didn't really share it with anyone. He wouldn't deny that Obito died in his stead and made him promise to take care of what he held dear, Rin, yet he failed in protecting her.
Yes, his sensei never did anything without a reason. He wouldn't have put on the burden of becoming a Jinchuriki on his son without a reason. He must have counted on people like him and Jiraiya to nature his son while he was dead. He trusted and had faith in them to see the potential he saw in Naruto to create someone who could be a better protector than he was.
All that faith wasted. While he was denied the opportunity to do something, Jiraiya had literally abandoned Naruto.
Kakashi stayed silent until Sasuke appeared with Sakura. The Jonin shook his head when he saw that Sakura was wearing make-up and seemed to have pampered herself like she was going on a vacation.
''Okay,'' Kakashi said as everyone had now gathered. The ''okay'' was just to assure himself that everything would be all right. ''Now that everyone is here, let us leave,'' he said.
Naruto walked up to Tazuna, who by was holding a bottle of liquor, he swapped away the bottle and threw it away, earning a glare from the bridge builder. ''What the hell are you doing, gaki?'' the Wave man demanded.
''What you just witnessed,'' Naruto responded in a simple manner, while still looking straight at the old man.
''Why did you do it? Do you know much that cost me?''
Before Naruto could respond, Sakura opened her loud mouth. ''Yeh, why did you do it, Naruto? Even though our client is not what I was hoping, you have no right to treat him like that. He is the one who hired us after all.'' The girl looked ready to lunge at the blond and shred him to pieces for such behavior.
Sasuke merely shook his head. Though he was a little surprised that Naruto would do something like that to the person who hired them for this mission, he didn't care for it, not even a little. It would only be a problem if the client decided to drop them because of such actions. If that occurred, he wouldn't have a mission to fulfill, and he wasn't going to accept such an outcome.
''I would rather not be obliged to guard a drunken man. If he is allowed to get drunk, he is likely to do something stupid that will make things messy, and for a C-rank mission, I don't want to do anything messy,'' Naruto stated calmly as he proceeded to walk away.
He did have a good point and Sakura was forced to admit it, but she wasn't going to drop it like that. ''Be that as it may, you only had to talk to him nicely as he is our client. You have to apologize!''
Naruto turned to face the pink haired girl with a look that made it appear like she had something ridiculous. Honestly, sometimes Naruto didn't have words to say to the girl. ''Eh,'' he shrugged and faced the outside of the village.
''Let it go, Sakura,'' Kakashi stated. ''Come on, let us not waste time any further,'' the Jonin said as he followed Naruto from behind; Tazuna and Sasuke did the same without saying a word.
Sakura was forced to play catch-up.
Once they'd walked for a few minutes, Kakashi ordered his team to follow the proper formation. Tazuna was put in the middle; Kakashi covered the back while Naruto covered the rear, Sasuke covered the right side, and Sakura was on the left side - the diamond formation was completed.
Silence was the main subject as the group walked in a civilian pace towards the Wave country. Running at shinobi speeds wasn't going to do it since they had an elderly civilian, who couldn't even run with Sakura. Naruto was buried inside his black book, it was the same with Kakashi - he too was buried inside his familiar orange book.
Sasuke preferred the silence over hearing anything from Sakura. She mostly sprouted things he didn't want to hear. It was somewhat different when Naruto spoke, the blond didn't have time to sprout nonsense. He mostly said things that were either amusing or interesting - he wouldn't it this to anyone though.
Tazuna was in the same page with Sakura; both found the silence unbearable. Tazuna had his own worries, and the silence just made his thoughts even more troubling. He liked to believe that these kids could protect him, but the fact remained, they were just kinds.
''So Tazuna-san,'' Sakura started quietly. ''What is the Wave country like?'' She asked - the curiosity evident in her tone. She'd never heard of anything about the Wave country before. Her knowledge was based on the things around Konoha and not everything of the outside world was made available to all eyes to see.
''It is a good country,'' Tazuna said vaguely. ''You'll see more of it when we get there.''
Anyone smart was able to note that the man had not given Sakura the answer she needed. His last statement was also said in a bit of a nervous tone. Anyone from a good country wouldn't mind boasting about it.
Such a response only piqued Sakura's curiosity even further. ''Come on, Tazuna-san, I want details,'' the girl had now lost her focus on her surroundings, all senses turned on to Tazuna just so she could feed the thirst she felt.
How could he tell them of what the Wave country is like given its current situation? He couldn't afford to do that, not now at least. He would only do that if he was forced, at this moment, he had to be tight lipped. ''As I said, you'll see it when we get there.''
Sakura wasn't deterred, she asked another question. ''Isn't there shinobi in your country? I mean if there were, wouldn't you have hired them instead of outsiders?'' Leave it to Sakura to ask the smart questions - she was rather good at that, sometimes.
It was Naruto who responded in place of Tazuna. The blond knew it was a simple question that the bridge builder would be able to answer, but he still answered anyway. ''The Wave country is located in a remote island, close to the Fire country. Its location makes it a shipping magnet and business hub. The country has no shinobi; it doesn't have a shinobi village within it. They mostly hire Samurai and Shinobi from other villages for protection. Being in a remote location, the country is able to exist without influence from the major countries or villages.''
Tazuna released a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Both Sasuke and Kakashi noted this action, but chose to keep quite.
''Then the country must be rich. I wonder if Kakashi-sensei will allow us to go to the beach...'' by now, the pink haired girl was in thought.
Kakashi shook his head at hearing those words. It was really going to take much for the girl to develop a kunoichi mentality. Even while they were on a mission she was thinking of such things? If an enemy were to attack right about now, she wouldn't be prepared; unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she was completely oblivious to her surroundings.
''How do you know this, anyway?'' after leaving her heaven, Sakura felt the need to ask. Roles were reversed; she was supposed to be the one who knew it all, not the weirdo. How could she impress Sasuke if he appeared to be more knowledgeable than her?
''I read a lot,'' Naruto gave his not so clearly answer. Sasuke suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at the typical response. Naruto never gave away anything that he didn't want to, and Sakura, by now, should know that the blond wasn't going to talk unless he wanted to.
''That isn't really an answer, Naruto,'' Sakura said. ''If you didn't want to answer, you should have just said so.''
While Sakura was waiting for a response, that wasn't coming, from Naruto, they passed a puddle. Kakashi noted that both his 'good' students noted that it wasn't a normal puddle of water. He was happy that they'd chosen to be quite about it. Well, anyone smart enough would notice is since it was clear daylight, and there wasn't even a single cloud in the sky.
He did note that Naruto had slightly twitched, a bit irrationally at something. Perhaps he had already sensed the enemies just as he had. If that was the case, then it would mean that Naruto was very good sensor than most genins. Well, that was good for him and the team.
If Naruto was twitching with irritation, did this mean that he thought little of the work of their enemies to the point where it irritated him? For a Jonin, the trap was nothing but child's play, but for a genin? Well, Naruto wasn't by any means a normal genin.
After the group passed the puddle of water, two figures came out of the puddle of water slowly and silently. They made their exit silent so that they couldn't be sensed by the Konoha shinobi. Both lunged towards the group, alarming the Konoha shinobi of their presence. They flanked both Kakashi sides.
Both had gauntlets on their each of their hands. A chain was connected to the other through the gauntlet, the chain was also retractable. The chain was swung towards Kakashi, surrounding his entire body - it was also spinning like a chainsaw. Kakashi appeared shocked about the sudden action, and seemed to be unable to react in time. He was sliced down into pieces. Blood seemed to blood all over was Kakashi was shredded into small pieces.
''One down,'' the enemies said together as they prepared for an attack to their second target.
''K-kakashi-sensei!'' Sakura shouted fear gripping her firmly. Her sensei was just killed right in front on her eyes!
Both Naruto and Sasuke were not shocked as Sakura. In fact, Naruto didn't even show the slightest reaction to the supposed death of Kakashi, neither did Sasuke.
In a blitz, a blade was on Naruto's left hand while a scythe was on his right hand. The blond dashed towards the figure that'd appeared on Kakashi's left side. Despite the fact that Sasuke was a lot closer to the enemies than him, Naruto reached them far faster than the Uchiha. His movements were a blur to Sakura who couldn't keep track of mere chunin speed.
Naruto threw the blade on his left hand towards the opponent on the right side. The blade was flung straight towards the enemies' chest. Naruto still didn't stop moving towards him. The enemy was forced to jump up to avoid being pierced by the fast projectile. The blade passed through beneath him in a flash.
However, before he could even think of breathing, Naruto was right in front of him in midair. The blond spun around, swinging his scythe from the right side, level with the opponent's neck. The opponent shifted a bit to the left since he couldn't pull the chain further because his other half was on the ground, held from moving closer to him by Sasuke.
He brought the gauntlet to his right to block the scythe from cutting through his neck. The scythe connected with the gauntlet in a clash of metal. The blade of the scythe got behind the gauntlet. The gauntlet hit the handle part of the scythe. The enemy had known that if he'd hit the blade of the scythe with his gauntlet, it would've been damaged.
Naruto smiled as he could now use his scythe like a hook. He forcefully pulled the opponent towards him by his weapon, while doing so; gravity had started to pull them down the ground. The blond didn't seem to acknowledge this though. Once the opponent was closer to him, they hit the ground. One thing that worked well was that the chain had now been cut, thanks to Sasuke.
With the close proximity, Naruto smiled again at his opponent. He let go of the grip on his weapon, before twisting around to the left. He came back on the right side with his right foot raised. While the foot crashed onto his opponent's left shoulder, Naruto's right hand grabbed the handle on the scythe again.
With the scythe still hooking the right hand on the opponent, he wasn't allowed to go anywhere as Naruto didn't loosen the grip on his weapon. The opponent still fought to pull back, but Naruto stopped resisting. However, he pushed the scythe forward, hitting the chest on the opponent with the back of the scythe's blade. This action forced him to lose his footing.
In a swift movement, Naruto twisted his scythe and brought it to his right side. It was again flung towards the unbalanced opponent. The enemy froze, as the blade of the scythe touched the back of his neck. Naruto had stopped it just after biting the skin. It was put as a hook again; with the handle touching the opponent's left shoulder.
''Well, we only need one of you alive, so...'' he didn't finish his sentence. Wind chakra was already coated on the blade of the scythe, and he pulled it in one fast and swift movement, cutting through the neck of the opponent.
The head dropped down the ground while the rest of the body followed...
The horrors!
Yet Naruto just flicked his scythe, cleaning it of the blood, before it disappeared from his right hand. He turned around to see the others looked at him with wide eyes, Sakura was even more horrified. The pink haired girl had never seen anyone dead, and now her supposed teammate had just killed someone in front of her! She was just getting over the fact that her sensei wasn't actually killed but alive and well. The jonin had just finished helping Sasuke tie up their catch.
Sasuke just showed little surprise before his expression went black.
''What?'' Naruto asked walking over to the others. Sakura took an unconscious step away from a killer of a teammate. Her mind couldn't wrap itself around the fact that Naruto had just killed someone, and didn't even look disturbed by it.
''You just killed someone, Naruto,'' Kakashi said standing beside Sasuke, their catch between them. A little further away, Sakura was now standing behind their client instead of standing in front of him.
The fact that Naruto showed no outward reaction to killing someone baffled the Jonin greatly. He was used to it since he's been a shinobi for a long time; he'd even lived through the Third war and took part in it. Death was something that didn't actually shock him since he'd seen it so many times. But to see a mere genin who graduated from the academy two and half months ago kill without so much as flinching was disturbing.
Naruto didn't respond for a moment. ''Yes, I did, and the normal reaction for a genin would be to puke my guts out. However, my intestines are not that disgusted by the thought of my hands killing that I would lose my breakfast. People die every day, tomorrow I may be next, and the next it may be you. Death cannot be completely evaded; it only has to be embraced.
The thought of my hands committing murder is not sickening. If i was going to think like that, I wouldn't have become a shinobi. We are shinobi; to protect, to save, and to complete our missions, we mostly have to kill - we are trained to do this after all.
The academy teaches us to throw sharp weapons towards the target. Is the weapon we throw simply to miss? No, we hit and precision is beat into us. The objective of a sharp weapon is to pierce through what it cuts.''
''Are you trying to justify the fact that you just murdered a human being?!'' Sakura shouted, feeling sickened that he actually had the guts to justify his actions. There was nothing that could justify killing someone that coldly!
''Not at all; I've no reason to try to justify myself. Once we try to think of reasons to justify our actions, we are most likely to fall into the wrong path. With each step, even evil, one will always think of a reason for justification to sooth the soul. If I feel bad for killing, I will embrace the feeling without faltering,'' Naruto responded calmly. ''What I was saying was directed to both you and Sasuke, especially you Sakura. You are a foolish girl who doesn't understand what it means to be a shinobi.''
Before Sakura could respond, Kakashi spoke. ''Shinobi are not always killers Naruto,'' he said rather sternly.
''Shinobi who kill to protect aren't called murderous because they have a ''good'' reason, and because they don't actually enjoy killing. However, killing is killing, regardless of the reasons behind it. Our existence is somewhat acceptable to society because those who kill to protect are called ''heroes'' to those they protect. At the same time, these ''heroes'' are called murderers to the close ones of those they killed.
I'm not saying that we as shinobi are evil and murderers decorated in red roses, I'm simply saying that killing is part of being a shinobi, whether genin, chunin, or jonin. The thing that is left to do is to accept this and learn to live with it.''
Naruto had some merit in what he was saying, Kakashi wouldn't deny that. He tried understanding the bigger picture Naruto was trying to paint. ''Are you saying that you aren't showing any reaction to killing because you've accepted that as a shinobi, you were bound to do it anyway?''
Naruto didn't respond to the question. He turned towards the remaining enemy. ''You're the Demon Brothers, C-rank missin-nin from Kirigakure, what reason do you have attacking us and who hired you?'' He asked standing closer to the bound man, between Sasuke and Kakashi.
The man glared at Naruto hatefully, ''You killed my brother!'' he snarled. ''I won't say a word to anyone, not until you drop dead!''
This was the shinobi. It was either me or the other; such an interesting world, full of many contradicting ideals. Man sought peace, yet at the same time, he chased after conflict. It was almost as if humanity couldn't agree with itself. So many humans had contradicting view of things. So many humans branded themselves heroes, yet did so much evil. Hypocrites.
If he was preaching justice and peace with the kind of life he lived, then he too would be one of those hypocrites.
''I see,'' Naruto said in response. ''I have many ways to make someone talk. However, they all involve extreme pain. I can't do any of that; the girl has seen enough, if she sees more, she is most likely to break.''
''I take offence in that!'' Sakura yelled at Naruto, somewhat over her shock of seeing the blond kill someone. She was blissfully ignored though.
Kakashi sighed; he would have much to report to the Sandaime after this mission, especially since it has now turned to be troublesome. Naruto was much more than he anticipated. His views of the shinobi world were of someone who had seen much of it, however, as far as he knew, the horrors Naruto had experienced came from the people of Konoha.
None of it could make him think like this. Perhaps he could have turned far much worse than this because of everything he was forced to endure. Kakashi couldn't say that the blond was unstable. No, he was stable, much more stable than Sasuke. His reasoning was not that wrong, in fact, he was just stating things as they were. He was being realistic, telling it like how he saw it.
Kakashi could understand some of the reasons; they were reasons he couldn't deny. Even some of the things he wouldn't agree with, he could understand because there was the truth in them. He just had a little more faith than Naruto seemed to have. He would have to talk to the blond about this, soon.
The Jonin walked over to the enemy pulled him towards a tree, away from the genins. He tied him to a tree, and lifted his head band, exposing his left eye. He used the Sharingan's mind tricks to get what he wanted before turning to face his Team and the client. The latter was sweating under the stare of the Jonin.
He went through hand seals and completed the Summoning jutsu. He summoned his dog nins to send a message to Konoha so that they could send someone to collect the bound Mizu-nin and the other corpse. Normally, Naruto would receive the bounty for his kill's head. He guessed the Sandaime would figure something out.
The Jonin faced Tazuna again, ''They are missing-nins from Kirigakure, and associates of Zabuza, an A-rank missin-nin also from Kiri. They were sent to kill or capture Tazuna,'' the Jonin stated before pausing. ''It makes you wonder what an A-rank missin-nin would be after a simple bridge builder...''
At this time, Tazuna was sweating bullets profusely. He was caught now and there would be no way to escape without coming out with the truth. If he does come out with the truth, there was a chance that they would abandon him here since he'd lied. If they did that, he was most likely to be killed before he even reaches the Wave.
''A person who had to have hired someone of Zabuza's caliber has to be with money. Zabuza's fearsome reputation surely makes him an expensive nin to use.'' Naruto started, speaking to no one in particular. ''The Wave Country hasn't been doing well recently since a certain rich midget showed up. The country is in its worst and since it is in a remote place, away from the pressures of other countries, not many are likely to know of what happens within in it.
Only Tazuna-san can answer the question to why he is being targeted by missin-nins. He doesn't appear to be such an evil man who could've done something bad. Right now, he even looks like he wants to burry himself...'' Naruto's gaze fell into the bridge builder who in turn cursed him for his big mouth.
''Explain, Tazuna-san,'' Kakashi stated sternly.
''My country is poor, and I didn't have enough to pay for a higher ranked mission; I could only afford to pay for a C-rank mission with the money I had, and to get it I had to gather funds from my fellow countrymen.''
Kakashi sighed. ''You should have told us the truth from the beginning, Tazuna-san. The Sandaime isn't that bad of a man; I'm sure he would have worked something with you in order to free your country. Your lies here have put my team in risk. These are genins...'' the trailed off looking between Naruto and Sasuke. At least those two were capable.
''I'm sorry for lying to you, but I didn't think I had a choice. You can leave me if you wish to...''
''If we continue any further, this will no longer be a C-rank mission but an A-rank mission since we are likely to face Zabuza.'' Kakashi looked at his students, ''What do you think?''
''I say we continue,'' Sasuke was quick to respond. Kakashi had no doubt that Sasuke didn't care about the situation in the wave country. The raven haired just wanted to continue because of the increased danger on the mission.
''I have no problems if we continue; I relish the chance to be a hero.''
Kakashi blinked, well that was unexpected. He still felt obliged to ask his other student. ''What do you think, Sakura?''
''W-well, if Naruto and Sasuke-kun are fine with it, I'm also fine if we continue. Besides, it wouldn't look good on Konoha's image if we abandon our client,'' despite saying those words, the girl didn't look too sure about anything.
''Okay, I guess we will continue, but know this; this is no longer a C-rank mission but an A-rank mission. Chances of danger have increased. We will have to be on guard more than we've been since we may be attacked at any time.'' Kakashi said.
''Sakura, this mission will either break or make you,'' Naruto said and then turned to Sasuke. He mouthed something that the Uchiha could only read. Whatever he said, it seemed to bear a reaction from Sasuke.
A little while later
The group had already reached the Wave country, and was now travelling through the foreign land, matching towards where Tazuna led them. The way into the country had been fine, without any troubles. Along the way, Tazuna had taken the time to explain the situation of the country after the midget, Gatou, appeared and sought to control them and the country's wealth.
Without a shinobi village within the country, the wave was subjected to Gatou's influence and many people suffered because of the man's evil ways. The fact that the country wasn't allied to any other hidden village meant that no one would be coming to their rescue without demanding something outrageous in return for their services.
Even though Gatou used mere thugs and bandits, the wave people were still powerless against such people, and the man was using fear in a way that discouraged anyone who had the balls to attempt to fight him. Powerless people were always subjected to will of the strong man, and Naruto had no doubt that someone in the Sandaime's position knew of this reality.
Yet what was he doing about it?
It is such things that made this world even more complex and Naruto desire to understand it much more to form his conclusion and see what he dreams come through. He already knew what he wanted in this world, but he was still unsure which way to go about it.
'Ah, the enemy has finally decided to come out,' Naruto thought mildly as a kunai appeared in a small cloud of smoke on his left hand. The kunai was flung towards the left side into a small green bush. The blond didn't even look to see what he'd hit, nor even when he flung the kunai.
Kakashi was quick to note this fact. He figured that Naruto's senses must be really great if he was able to sense something before he, an experienced Jonin, had yet to sense. Kakashi kept on moving since Naruto kept on moving with his eyes buried on his book.
''Naruto what was that for?'' Sakura demanded sternly glaring at the side of the blond. It wasn't good for her health that he throws kunais around just for the sake of it. She would be afraid thinking that an enemy was attacking them if he was throwing kunais like that.
''I was merely trying to wake you up since you seemed to have fallen asleep,'' Naruto gave a light response, not even bothering to face the pink haired girl.
''I wasn't sleeping!''
Hidden in the trees, Zabuza narrowed his eyes. He could now understand why the Demon Brothers failed their mission. With someone of Kakashi's reputation, those kinds couldn't do much. The kids weren't a problem to him. In his sense, genins weren't full-fledged genins; they were nothing more than mere children playing ninja.
The Demon of the Mist prepared himself for the inevitable battle that was going to occur.
Naruto didn't respond to Sakura's outburst, but he stopped walking and the book on his right hand disappeared. Kakashi was first to speak, ''Get down everyone!''
From the front, a projectile was coming towards the group in a swirling movement; it was coming down fast, and looking deadly. Everyone got down on the ground to avoid being hit by the projectile.
Naruto himself didn't know if it was his stupidity or arrogance, if he had any; but he didn't duck under the projectile. Even Kakashi was cursing, and his muscles had already prepared for a quick movement to save the blond if there needed to be a saving. Naruto had stood still with his scythe held in front of him with both his hands; it was also enhanced with wind chakra to make it strong.
The projectile hit Naruto's scythe and a few sparks ignited. The collision of the two weapons pushed Naruto a considerable amount of distance backwards. It was a wonder to Zabuza who he had even remained on both his feet given that the projectile was a rather large blade.
Zabuza himself appeared in front of Naruto, his right hand on his blade. He didn't waste time as Kakashi had started to move towards them upon his appearance. He used his full power to overpower the blond, plus the weight of his blade magnified the force behind his swift push. Naruto was flung backwards rather quickly, much to joy of Zabuza. The missin-nin then disappeared off to the nearby river, halting, and Kakashi's movements.
The blond flipped several times in midair as he was being carried by the momentum of Zabuza's push. He touched the ground with both his feet while in a crouched position, he was still going backwards as he did. The scythe on his right hand struck the ground by the tip of its blade, stopping Naruto's movements.
Naruto recovered, well and Kakashi flashed by his side as he stood up. The scythe disappeared in a puff of smoke. Instead of asking if the blond was okay, Kakashi said something else. ''You seem to favor that weapon... Which is unusual, as I don't see shinobi using it.''
''It is much more effective in my style of fighting than a straight sword,'' Naruto responded calmly, eyes firmly fixed on Zabuza. ''I was thinking you were going to try to catch me,'' he said. His eyes shifted to the Jonin for a second before he looked back the enemy, Zabuza.
Kakashi nodded, he had questions over where he learned to fight with it though. And stopping Zabuza's thrown blade had to have taken some considerable amount of pure strength to do; the kind of strength he didn't think Naruto possessed, but he was proved wrong. ''This is going to be troublesome,'' the Jonin said. ''Why didn't you try to duck it anyway? I'm sure you'd sensed it coming...''
Naruto shrugged, ''I was merely trying to test my strength.''
Kakashi shook his head, before he could respond, Zabuza spoke. ''Oi!'' He sounded a bit irritated that the two were ignoring his presence in favor of their little conversation. ''I'm still around here...''
Sasuke and Sakura quickly flashed to cover both Tazuna's left and right side. Naruto just walked towards them silently, to take his position in the front. As much as he hated to do it, he had to. It was teamwork after all.
Kakashi calmly walked towards the river before stopping. ''Sorry,'' he said with both his hands inside his pockets. ''I was discussing something with my student.'' the Jonin said again. ''Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, keep the client safe, I'll handle this.'' Kakashi stated in a rather serious tone.
The Jonin lifted his headband, exposing his Sharingan. He couldn't take things lightly with an opponent of this caliber. He'd already known that they would encounter the Missin-nin on this journey, however, he'd counted on both Naruto and Sasuke to take care of things with Tazuna. He was also considered an A-rank ninja, Zabuza should be his match.
''Kakashi no Sharingan, an A-rank nin from Konohagakure no Sato. Your reputation with the Sharingan reached even Kirigakure while I was still a shinobi at the village. While I was still an assassin of Kiri, I'd always hear your name, and you were in our bingo books; Copy ninja, Sharingan no Kakashi, then man who is recorded to have copied 1000 jutsus,'' Zabuza stated calmly - his right hand holding a single hand seal and the left holding his large blade over his left shoulder.
A thick mist begun to cover the clearing.
''Sharingan no Kakashi? Why does Kakashi have the Sharingan? Only those born in the Uchiha clan can awaken the Doujutsu. Anyone without the Uchiha blood can't awaken it, does this mean that Kakashi-sensei is an Uchiha?'' Sasuke questioned glaring at the back of the famed Jonin.
Sakura didn't even know that their sensei was a famous man. He didn't look that great of a man. He was tardy, and somewhat lame. He couldn't be great as Zabuza said. It was still a shock to her that the Jonin had the Sharingan. Sakura only thought it was Sasuke who was left as an Uchiha. Did this mean that the Jonin was related to her Sasuke-kun?
Tazuna was starting to sweat at about this time. Between Kakashi and the enemy, the latter appeared more fearsome than the tardy Jonin. He was even starting to have doubts about the Konoha's Jonin ability to protect him from the enemy. Tazuna forced himself to calm down as he looked at Naruto; the blond didn't even seem bothered by the gathering mist.
Kakashi turned to face his students and the client. The mist was thick and it was becoming increasingly hard to see. Well, at least he had the Sharingan to help him see the movements within the mist. ''I know you must be having questions, Sasuke, but this is not the time for it; I will answer your questions after we survive through this.''
Zabuza snorted. ''What makes you think that you can survive this counter, Kakashi?'' Sharingan or not, the mist gave him an advantage over his enemies. He was adept to it and could freely move around it. He believed that even when Kakashi revealed his Sharingan, the advantage was still on his side.
Amegakure
Flash back
Ten years old Naruto stood in front of Nagato and Konan, the leaders of Amegakure within their tower. It wasn't long that Nagato had conquered Hanzo and took over leadership of Amegakure. Naruto had been a spectator during the civil war that didn't last long due to Pain's overwhelming power. The village was still stabilizing after the war, but things were looking to be on the right direction.
No one outside knew exactly of what happened within the village as it was closed down. People outside thought the village was still locked in a civil war.
The two leaders of Amegakure were staring at the child they had known to be more than just a 10 year old. He possessed the mind to think at the same level as them and was far more intelligent than they thought possible for a child. Nagato could only wonder what ''Madara'' had done to him when training him. He had to have seen so much to be like this.
''What brings you here today?'' Nagato questioned blankly. The last time he came, it was not more than a year ago, he left both he and Konan shocked with his revelations. The blond had left after Zetsu had appeared with ''Madara'' to take him away. He'd said he would return after that. Nagato could only guess that he was here for more revelations.
''Last time I told you that this ''Madara'' had been the cause of Yahiko's death because he stopped your allies from informing you that Hanzo's recognition was a farce and he wanted to eliminate you.'' Naruto stated in a somewhat child's tone. Well he was just 10 years old. ''You believed me. So I have a question for both of you, have you figured out why he did it?''
Konan was the one to respond. ''Yahiko never liked him to begin with. From the first time he appeared before us, Yahiko had always refused to join him. He even warned us against him. I'm also guessing that he knew either I or Yahiko would die, and if that happened, Nagato would change.''
That was only reasonable. The man seemed much more interested in Nagato's Rinnegan more than anything. The first time he'd appeared he spoke about the eyes, as if trying to persuade Nagato to join him in his cause. However, the problem was that Nagato couldn't leave Yahiko's side, and neither could she. Nagato was also very emotional at that time; his emotions could be easily used against him.
Naruto nodded, accepting Konan's answer. ''Yes, he knew that Yahiko would die. From the beginning, Yahiko had always seen Nagato as the true leader of Akatsuki. I believe he admitted this on more than one occasion to both of you...'' that is indeed true. ''So if Yahiko was put in a situation where he had to choose between him and Nagato, he would choose Nagato. That man was also positive that Hanzo would attempt to kill the 'leader' of Akatsuki because he believed if he killed the leader, the remaining members would desert. What better way to kill a snake than to cut off its head?''
Nagato narrowed his eyes at Naruto. He didn't seem to be lying, but there had to be a reason he was saying all these. He could understand that without Yahiko things turned out well for ''Madara''. With Yahiko around, he would have followed his friend's ways until he died.
''Why do you say all these? You must have a reason.''
Naruto didn't deny it. ''I have a reason, but I will tell you later.'' Naruto stated calmly. ''Nagato, you've never been the one to stand on your own. You're a follower, and an easy target for that Man's manipulation. The only choice you made for yourself was becoming Pain so that you could teach the world Pain so that it can understand peace. You believe that one can never know peace without knowing and understanding pain.''
''Pain makes everyone grow, even a child can grow up and understand things clearly if they experience pain. When people have come to know pain, they will refrain from causing the other harm because they know what their actions will cause. Pain causes everyone to open their eyes,'' Nagato explained lightly without a hint of hesitation on his tone.
Pain was the only way to salvation; pain was the gift of Kami to mankind. With pain, he could teach the world peace. People who didn't know pain couldn't understand each other. After experiencing the same pain, it was then that people could understand each other, but without pain, man just continued to kill each other.
''You're only 10 years old, and yet you've been forced to grow? Isn't it that pain played a part in your forced maturity?'' Nagato finished talking with a question.
Again, Naruto didn't deny the truth in Nagato's words. ''Yes, it is indeed true. The pain I felt gripped me because I was a Jinchuriki and forced me to grow up. However, pain doesn't lead to peace, neither understanding. It only leads to resolution; killed or be killed, kill for revenge. Those who have experienced pain form a resolution on what they plan to do after their pain.'' Naruto paused for a moment before continuing. ''You ideal resolution for bringing peace will only lead to more destruction and the ever continuing cycle of hatred continuing.''
Nagato became mute for a moment. ''My path is a good one...''
Naruto said nothing about that, for now at least. ''Let us take a break from speaking about this subject. I want to tell you something important.''
''What is it?'' Konan still remained quite in favor of watching the boys speak out their thoughts. She was only a pillar that supported both Nagato and Yahiko's dream. Whatever choice the former makes, she would follow him.
''This masked man you call Madara isn't the real Madara. He is just a lost Uchiha pretending to be Madara. I know his real name is Uchiha Obito, he is a former Konoha shinobi and student of Minato Namikaze.''
Interesting enough, both Nagato and Konan didn't seem to shocked about this revelation. It was almost like they had suspected something. ''How do you know this and how can you prove it?''
Naruto smiled and went through hand seals. A block coffin appeared in a puff of smoke, between both parties. Naruto walked towards the front of the coffin, and opened it. It revealed the perfect corpse of Uchiha Madara. ''This is the real Madara. He died a year ago. As you can see, he looks really old as he's lived way past his generation. I've kept the body in a perfect condition for things like these. I'm positive that the Rinnegan can tell you that this is indeed a real corpse.''
''Where did you get it?'' Nagato sort of demanded.
''Both Obito and I were students of this man. He was a wielder of the Rinnegan, but he gave it away to someone else. Why do you think Obito knows so much about the Rinnegan while you, its wielder know nothing about it?'' Naruto posed a question. ''It is because this man once had those eyes you have, and he passed down his knowledge of the eyes to both I and Obito.''
''What are you trying to suggest?'' Nagato questioned in a rather dangerous tone.
Naruto closed the coffin and it disappeared in a puff of smoke. ''Madara doesn't believe that humans can understand each other, neither do you. However, you think after pain, they might be able to understand each other.'' the blond evaded the question he was supposed to answer. ''I have not formed a perfect conclusion of my own thus far. But I understand that humans are contradicting beings and much more evil. I have experienced the cruelty of humans myself, so I know pain.
What I have seen in this world is that there is too much darkness and hatred. Everyday humans kill, betray lie and cheat. I've seen that there is no justice in this world. I want justice in the shinobi world, and you want peace. Justice and peace are able to hold hands.
The matter I face is that I'm not yet experienced with the workings of the world. Though I've seen the cruelty of man, I'm not yet convinced that what I've seen is enough. I want to explore this world and live within it. Being in the mist of humans, I'll be able to understand them better. I still don't fully understand what is right or wrong. Living within the humans, in a style I will deem worthy, I'll be able to find out more if this world needs a hero or something else...''
Nagato blinked. ''Why are you telling me all these?''
''I want to be partners with you. Madara's way of true peace is not to my liking, and yours has many flaws. But I want to work with you, in the Akatsuki, to create a world of our desire. Both you and I are from the Uzumaki, and you once read Jiraiya's first book, The Tales of the Gutsy Shinobi, why don't we write our own book, Uzumaki Tales?'' Naruto asked, smiling a bit, as he turned around. ''Obito does not support your idea, and he will not accept mine. This means that he will be an obstacle if we are to work together. Think things over, after you've done so, I will return and tell you who Madara gave his Rinnegan, why Obito has persuaded you to gathering the Bijuus.
If you don't believe what I say about him, confront him when he appears before you. If you do that, you'll be able to get the truth from him and know that I'm not lying,'' Naruto stated before he vanished from the sight of Nagato and Konan.
Konan looked at a thoughtful Nagato before speaking, ''What are we going to do about this Nagato? I know we've never fully trusted this ''Madara'' and you've always known that he had other plans...'' the woman stated.
''Allow me to think Konan.'' It was Nagato's firm response.
End of chapter 10
I think this chapter has showed a bit more of Naruto's view of the world he lives in. the flash back explains why Naruto is still at Konoha. While Naruto lies and cheat within the current timeline, it isn't clear if he will continue like that after takes up his role as bringer of Justice within the shinobi world. It will depend on what his findings tell him; whether the shinobi world needs a hero or something else…
If you haven't noticed, I've changed the summary of the story to support this chapter.
Cerulean Knight; yes, Naruto does have Madara's DNA, and it is a possibility that he will have a badass Susano'o, as you say. The Sharingan has to awaken first if he is to have a badass Susano'o.
Dragon Country: No, if you go to my a/n in the first chapter, you'll see that I never said his hair was red. I only said that his hair was put in the same style as Nagato's. In no chapter has Naruto felt anything like Uchiha. True, the last chapter said he was like a clone of Madara, but I believe to be Uzumaki with Naruto isn't by what his DNA says, but it is from the heart; as long as Naruto sees himself as Uzumaki inside his heart, there should be no complains.
I hope that clears your confusion…
Afi123: No I haven't changed my mind; Naruto and Kurenai will not have a romantic relationship.
ThaMercenary: I don't think he does…
Thanks to everyone else who reviewed…