So here is the next chapter! It's just a break chapter before we get into the next arc!
There's lots of crying and drama bullshit in this chapter because I wasn't really in the mood for any action scenes since we've had that for the last six chapters. So in response to that is a more depressing-ish feel for this chapter instead of the normal, hit hard, jutsu throwing, hardcore battles.
Also, I don't write funeral scenes, so I'm sorry if it was complete shit. And sorry ahead of time for the crybabiness of the characters in this chapter. I just needed something for this chapter and that was all I could think of.
Another tidbit of information that I should've elaborated on, the only one of the rookies in canon that's the same age as Naruto and Kaede are Sasuke and Ino. The other rookies are as old as Mito and Arashi. Mito and Arashi by the way, are about six-seven years old, so just about newly inducted, or second year(?) academy students in canon
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter 10: Funeral Procession
-Three days later…
"Kaede!" Naruto shot from his hospital bed and looked around with a confused expression drawn across his face. He felt around and realized something wasn't right. He felt heavy and felt…powerful. "Kaede…wait…"
His heart clenched up suddenly when he couldn't sense his sister's life-force anywhere. He channeled his chakra in search of Yin Kurama, but was confused to find that the fox's chakra signature was coming straight from within his body. Going into his mindscape Naruto choked on his own spit. Within the mansion within the forest of his mindscape, both chakras of Kurama were speaking to each other. Then it all hit him.
His sister is gone.
"Yin Kurama!" Naruto cried out. "What happened?!"
"Your sister…"
"Kit. She…she used the Ōkibo na Bakudan no Fūin to defeat Han."
"W-What…?" Naruto felt tears sting in his eyes.
"He was too powerful kit. Even with my help, Kokuō was somehow strengthening the boy." Yin Kurama whimpered. "But Kaede was able to get him. And she got him good."
-In Tsuchi no Kuni
Kurotsuchi was fast asleep on the back of Luo as their small team walked through the rocky terrain of Tsuchi no Kuni. With each step, they were walking into possible enemy territory, and depending on how Kurotsuchi defends them, they might just live, even though they were allied with Okano Tetsui, a wanted criminal and rebel to the Tsuchikage.
The black haired princess laid her head into Luo's massive shoulders and stared aimlessly at the dirt below them. Her eyes were dull. The once powerful pink eyes she had were now bordering grey. She had massive eye bags and her scleras were bloodshot signifying the lack of sleep. Kurotsuchi struggled to find a comfortable position on Luo's back.
"Kurotsuchi-sama. It is not healthy for you to mope around like this." Luo advised. "Kaede-sama wouldn't want you to be like this."
"I know…" Kurotsuchi sighed once more as her heart wrenched in her chest.
For over half a year, the two girls had become the closest of friends after one scuffle with one another, and she ended up gaining a sisterly bond, only to lose it at the final stage of their path of revenge. Kurotsuchi cursed in her mind at the twisted turn of events. She hated the way how ironic everything had become. At least Kaede was able to exact her revenge, and Kurotsuchi could now return home, even though, it wasn't much of a home.
With the war going on, Kurotsuchi expected to see almost no Yamauchi present in the five villages of Iwa. Kurotsuchi worried for her little brother Roushi and how he was doing. From the last reports that he had received from spies planted throughout Tsuchi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni, was that the armies of Uzu no Kuni, poured into the mainland to aid Konoha and Suna against their war in the mainland. And from that information and how well the Uzumaki were doing in combat, it was a safe guess that either Roushi had been captured or had been killed in battle.
Kurotsuchi sighed softly and released her hold on Luo and slid off of his muscled back and onto the rocky ground below. Her shinobi sandal/boots smacked with the rocks, kicking up dust and dirt. She fixed her bob haircut and checked her kunai and shuriken count. But there was also something else she had. It was a black bladed sword with an Uzumaki swirl burned into the base of the handle. It was Kaede's sword.
"Let's go. I want to get home as soon as possible." Kurotsuchi groaned. "You four will be my new Kuroi Manto since I don't know who to trust these days."
"Wise choice Kurotsuchi-sama." Luo smiled and jumped up to catch onto protruding rocks and boulders. "We will watch your back no matter what."
-In Uzu no Kuni…
"Seiji-sama." An Uzumaki bannerman bent down and knelt before his lord. "Our armies have successfully neutralized Kumo and Iwa's attack forces. All we need now is to secure our position on the mainland and help resupply Konoha."
"How many tons of supplies will be needed?" Seiji asked.
"At least three hundred tons of rice, meat and fish for the week." The bannerman said. "At least Iwa and Kumo have pulled out of Hi no Kuni."
"Really?" Seiji was surprised at the effect of his tactic.
"Yes sire." The bannerman replied. "The two divisions you sent over defeated Kumo and Iwa at every encounter."
"…Interesting…" Seiji leaned into his thrown with a thoughtful face. "You are dismissed."
-In Konoha…
"T-Tou-san…" Naruto's eyes were wide with hurt. Tears were stinging in his eyes. "Dad…Kaede…she's-"
"I know son." Minato embraced his once again, hospitalized son. "I know…there wasn't anything you could have done…"
"But…Tou-san. There's something that Yin Kurama told me before merging with Yang Kurama." Naruto said getting serious. "Kaede was able to figure out the true conspirators of the massacre."
Minato's eyes went wide. He looked to the window and nodded his head. Naruto didn't realize it, but there were at least thirty ANBU stationed just outside of the room on a rooftop. The ANBU jumped away with small trails of dust behind them. The Hokage stood up and sped through a few hand seals and set up a massive, room wide silencing seal and placed a seal on the door to make sure no one can enter. The blond Hokage sat in his seat and nodded for Naruto to continue.
"Father, he told me that the Yamanaka were the ones who devised almost the entire plan." Naruto sighed. "He told me, that from three very reliable sources, they said that Inoichi-san is the one who stabbed me in the chest. He also told me that the only clans still loyal to us are the Sarutobi and the Shimura. Father, without the Uchiha and the rest of our clan, we are going to lose our seat of power here in Konoha, and most likely get killed for something out of our hands."
"What do you propose we do son?" Minato asked. "As you probably know by now, the Grand Triumvirate is falling apart with the fall of Suna and her military against the invaders from the west. But at least Seiji is holding up against the Unabara. He even defeated Kumo and Iwa with only two divisions alone. They even defeated Roushi and saved the Kogane Kishi."
"I was wondering where Sasuke was." Naruto said. "Where are they now? Does Sasuke know what happened to Kaede? Who is going to retrieve her body?"
"The Uzumaki are looking for her right now." Minato sighed. "I can't believe that she would use that technique…anyway…what else has Yin Kurama told you?"
"Just that. I don't really know what to make of it, but whatever it is, we should prepare for anything." Naruto said. "But for what we should do, we should move quietly and gather our supporters and slowly take down the Yamanaka and the rest of their allies. But we must be careful about it, to not rouse suspicion."
"Good plan son. Now, when you are fully healed, would you like to join the front lines with the Kishi behind you?" Minato asked. "The troops on the front just need one more Morale boost and who better than the Kogane no ōji?"
"I will father." Naruto smiled. "I won't let you or Konoha down."
-With Gaara…
The redheaded Prince of Suna was struggling to make his way towards the resistance base in the desert. He and his division, or what was left of it, had just fled Sunagakure with almost eighty percent casualties. More than half of his shinobi, Kunoichi and samurai were dead, wounded, or dying. He himself was damaged quite badly from a strange weapon that damaged his sand armor. It made a loud explosion and with a burst of flame, sent a projectile flying faster than what his eyes could see.
The projectile was lodged in his shoulder, just where the joint rested. He had the wound patched up and Shukaku was healing him quite well, but the scar wasn't healed properly since there were no medics around. He sighed at his misfortune. The damned Sound invasion force attacked them out of nowhere and had targeted the medics of every division and regiment they came across, to render the healing and recuperation of Suna's armies almost impossible.
They have made their exodus, but it was a great struggle to trudge through the great desert especially in daylight. And with the armies of Sound constantly on their tails, it made it extremely hard for Gaara to replenish his chakra reserves, even with Shukaku healing him and fixing his chakra reserves. The redhead grunted at his thoughts and continued on his march towards the fortress to meet his sister.
-In Kaminari no Kuni…
"You are all sentenced to death." The man spoke with a demeaning voice. "Kill them all, and leave no survivors."
"No! We surrendered!" the Kumo jounin wailed. "No! Please! We gave you-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. A blade was lodged deeply into his throat, tearing out his trachea and Adams apple. The executioner was a man with flowing red hair and a velvet cape. The symbol on his back was a golden cloud with a golden Uzumaki swirl in the center. His name is Uzumaki Teika an Uzumaki of the Southern Isles. He tore the blade out his victim and motioned for the remaining, eighty prisoners to be executed.
Uzumaki samurai and footmen walked in and began to dig their knives and swords into their enemies. One by one, the unarmed shinobi and footmen were cut down and hacked apart by the ruthless whirlpool islanders. Their screams echoed in the desolate battlefield.
No one knew that the Uzumaki were like this. No one.
-In Tsuchi no Kuni…three weeks later…
"Keizo-sama. We've captured a division of Tsuchi samurai and Iwa shinobi." A jounin said. "And a message from Seiji-sama has just come in from the messaging seal."
"Understood." Keizo nodded to the jounin. "You are dismissed. I'll speak with the Uzukage alone."
"Yes sir."
Once the jounin left the tent, Keizo turned and sped through a few hand seals and slammed his hands on the floor, bringing up a large matrix of seals, shooting up a chakra flame. From the flame of chakra, a silhouette began to form in the flames. Once the flames died down, it came to show a chakra image of Seiji himself standing in front of Keizo. The Uzumaki of the Eastern Isles quickly dropped to his knees and bowed to his leader.
"Seiji-sama. We have captured an entire division of infantry and shinobi. What are your orders?"
"With the situation and the danger that the Sound invasion is posing, we can't deal with any more problems than what we are already dealt with, at least until Konoha is back on her feet." Seiji said. "Kill all of them. Leave no survivors. I want them all dead. Don't even bother to bury them for that will take too much time. Once you are done defeating that division, I want you to leave and reinforce Konoha and her borders with Kan and Miki."
"Understood, Seiji-sama." And with the orders given, the connection was severed and the chakra hologram was dispelled and the seals vanished. "Hirano!"
Suddenly, an Uzumaki ran into the room. You could tell that he was an Uzumaki because of his red hair, but he wasn't an Uzumaki by law because he was a bastard. A boy birthed without the marriage of his parents. His mother wasn't even Keizo's wife. Hirano was a strong-willed shinobi and well-liked amongst his people in the Eastern Isles, and he wore the seal enclosed, Uzumaki swirl, with pride. At his side was a double edged sword with a dragon hilt.
"Give this to the jounin commander in charge of the prisoners coming in from the battle. I believe that it will be orders that they wouldn't want to miss."
-In Konohagakure…
Naruto walked aimlessly through the streets and was greeted happily by the populace and many of his family members that were leading the Uzumaki division helping Konoha. He was surprised at the combat prowess of the whirlpool islanders that he was so closely related to, but nevertheless he was content with the aid they were given, even if it was a tad bit late. Not too late at least, but good enough. He sighed getting the attention of his two little siblings walking with him hand in hand with his.
Mito was at his right and Arashi was at his left. Neither had heard of the news about what had happened to Kaede. Naruto and Minato just didn't know how to break the news to the two five year olds. Naruto looked to Mito and gave her a small smile and patted Arashi on his head. Then suddenly, two shadow clones grabbed Mito and Arashi from behind and placed them on their backs to carry them to the park. The park was where Mito and Arashi loved to play and it was also Kaede's favorite place, while the Hokage monument was Naruto's.
Even though Naruto, as of right now, should be in the Senju Palace, or the Hokage Palace, he chose to take the day off and have some fun with his two siblings, something that he wasn't able to do for more than half a year. The clones followed Mito and Arashi's orders and began to neigh like a horse and gallop around the street towards the park. While Naruto smiled at the scene, his mind was elsewhere.
'Damn those Yamanaka. Damn Inoichi! Damn all of them!' Naruto growled. 'Inoichi always talked about how much he loved Ino…and yet he gladly gave her up for execution! I doubt Shikaku would give up his five year old son, Shikamaru! Kami…this is all just so fucked up.'
'I couldn't agree with you more kit.' Kurama said. 'I sense that Kokuō is starting to reform in the northern parts of Tsuchi no Kuni towards the mountains. Also kit…'
'Why do you trail off Kurama?' Naruto deadpanned. 'You always do that shit.'
'Dramatic effect dimwit. Anyway…I don't think we can trust the Uzumaki either…'
'Don't be crazy Kurama!' Naruto yelled. 'How can you even say that?!'
'Just look at it like the Uchiha/Senju massacre.' Kurama said. 'Inoichi gave us the help we needed for the party, and then they murder our family and friends. The Uzumaki are helping us with everything they have…who's to say that they won't want to take a step on the pedestal? I'm just saying, be wary of everyone you once thought you knew.'
'So you're saying to become a paranoid freak?' Naruto deadpanned once more. 'That doesn't sound mentally healthy you know…'
'You're missing the point.' Kurama sighed. 'This is why I preferred your sister as a container; at least she was a genius.'
'Thanks Kurama.' Naruto growled. 'You haven't said that to me for almost three years!'
'It thought you had gained some brains in that hard head of yours.' Kurama chided. 'I guess I was wrong.'
'Funny.' Naruto droned. 'I hate you.'
'Love you too kit.' Kurama giggled before cutting off the connection between them.
Naruto shook his head and looked away towards the early morning sun as it rose into the sky above. Its illuminating light bathed him in an ethereal glow, giving his moniker, the Kogane no ōji, a literal meaning. But there was something in his heart that hurt suddenly. The thought of his dear sister, Kaede came floating into his mind. He wanted to be at the gate to welcome her home, but that all changed. Even though he didn't want to blame Kurotsuchi for Kaede's death, his emotions were telling him to.
After the first few weeks of letters were read, Naruto came across the letters from when Kaede and Kurotsuchi were becoming friends. He read and felt the genuine emotion coming from both girls and about how they felt about each other. Kurotsuchi said that she was going to do everything in her power to protect and make sure that Kaede would survive. Even though Kurama told him what had happened, he still couldn't help but blame Kurotsuchi for not being more attentive and for not trying hard enough to convince Kaede that using the seal wasn't a good idea.
Naruto grumbled to himself slightly and walked off to follow his now high-speed clones as they ran to and fro with Mito and Arashi laughing and giggling like children. The two clones were running as fast as they could and only looked like yellow streaks on the road. The civilians knew what that meant and immediately back away and started walking closer towards the stores, while the Uzumaki reinforcements tilted their heads slightly.
"What's going on? Is it an attack?" One of the Uzumaki footmen asked a civilian.
"An attack?" the civilian laughed. "Oh that is just the ōji playing with his siblings. They do that a lot."
Naruto jumped up with his clones right behind him and the still laughing Mito and Arashi on their backs, enjoying the ride towards the park. Naruto smiled softly. Their happy squeals and laughs were like music to his ears. Looking over to Mito, Naruto took a deep breath and exhaled as softly as possible and made a silent promise to make sure nothing will happen to Mito and Arashi, even if he had to give his own life to do so.
The five landed in the park to see other noble families having fun with their children, reminding Naruto of the peacefulness that Konoha can have, despite having been attacked not even a month prior, and with a war going on just outside of the walls. Naruto smiled softly at the view and had his clones play tag with Arashi and Mito while he himself read a book under his and Kaede's tree. The same one where he was called from when all of this even started.
'After all of these years…' Naruto sighed as he leaned against bark of the great Konoha Applewood trunk. 'I…can't believe that it's still here, even after the invasion…not even on blemish on this thing…it's so…beautiful.'
Naruto and Kaede first found this tree when it was a sapling in this newly formed park when they were just ten years old. They gave it water and fertilized the sapling with the help of Ino and Sasuke of course. The four grew close to the sapling as it was their first group creation. And by the time they were sixteen, the sapling had sprang up into a beautiful Applewood tree. Sasuke was even planning to propose to Kaede under this tree, just as Naruto had to Ino.
The winds blew softly throughout the village as the leaves were plucked from the branches of the tree and flittered around Naruto before flying off through the park and into the forest. A strong aroma of cherry and apples filled his nose. It made his mind calm and steady as the effects were immediate. Looking over to his right, the Sakura trees were plenty and they seemed to be glowing in the sunlight. People and couples were gawking at the beautiful trees.
'I remember my first date with Ino…' Naruto smiled at the memory but quickly thought of something else. 'I can't keep dwelling on that…Kurotsuchi though…damn it. I don't know what to even think now.'
The boy sighed in content and stared aimlessly at his little brother and little sister after giving up on trying to read his book. He snapped it shut and trailed his eyes down but couldn't help but to narrow his eyes at the person he saw. It was Nara Shikaku sitting in a bench with his wife and Shikamaru playing with Mito and Arashi in the park. The little child looked so innocent and completely unaware of his father's treachery.
Too bad Naruto didn't have any proof.
"Naruto-sama!" A chunin came running up to the prince, awaking him from his sleep against the tree. "The Uzumaki have returned! They found your sister!"
-In Tsuchi no Kuni…
Kurotsuchi and the last of her team was only fifty miles from Iwagakure, but it felt like they still had weeks more to travel. The mountains around them looked like they were shifting. They looked like they were moving. The rocks tumbled and the shadows flickered around them, even though it was a new day and the sun was obviously up. The black-haired beauty stared up to the sky and sighed in disgust. She was in a nation that she felt that she couldn't trust anymore.
"Fuck. I need to speak to Naruto-kun…" Kurotsuchi growled. "I need to tell him what happened. I know for a fact that those Uzumaki will do something to frame us…"
"Who knows Kurotsuchi-sama?" Luo said. "But whatever happens we'll stay by your side and make sure nothing happens to you. Now then, do you want to rest for now? It's almost as if the canyon we're in is making you start to feel paranoid…"
"No need to rest Luo." Kurotsuchi gave him a small smile. "We are making good time towards Iwa. Just stay behind me and we can be within half the distance we need to be within the next four hours, that is if we don't run into any Iwa or Uzushio armies."
-In Kaminari no Kuni…
"Begin the annexation process of these coastal territories and villages and cities." The Uzumaki ordered.
All along the southeastern coast of Kaminari no Kuni; there was a massive invasion force of nearly two hundred Uzumaki warships, dropping off hundreds of thousands of Uzumaki infantry, shinobi and clansmen from the Northern isles. The Uzumaki clansmen of the Northern Isles wore scarlet red battle armor with the flaming Uzumaki swirl on their chests. The banner carriers of the invasion had a spear with the waving banner of the Northern Isles. The Uzumaki swirl was a great blood red color, engulfed in a bright scarlet flame.
All of the clansmen that came onto the beachhead wore the same armor, but had a regal-looking orange cloak with the flaming Uzumaki swirl in the center, strapped around their backs. There was, at best estimate, thirty Uzumaki clansmen on the battlefield at this moment, and all of them had the lava release ability that was well known in the Northern Isles. The Uzumaki even had special blades reinforced with fuinjutsu to allow them to channel their elemental kekkei genkai.
"Ah, Hiro. It's good to see that you're finally here." The Uzumaki in command said. "I was worried that you wouldn't make it."
"Oh shut it sister." Hiro pouted. "The Kaminari armada was a bit of a challenge."
"Now then, are you ready to start claiming your lands and holdings?" the Uzumaki asked her little brother and cousins standing behind. "There's a lot of land just waiting for us to annex."
"Let's see…"
-In Kaze no Kuni…
"Unbelievable…" Kabuto gasped and nearly choked on his tea.
The Otokage had just received a report of the Uzumaki tearing through and defeating Iwa and Kumo and Kiri within a weeks' time. Every confrontation, from what his reports told him, was a victory for the Uzumaki invasion. Kabuto growled and clenched the Kazekage desk tightly, crushing the desktop and the wooden beams. He removed the glasses from his face and placed them on the desk in disgust.
He looked out of his window and found that the people of Sunagakure have been fully oppressed and that there was no help coming to them. He smiled at his own success and patted himself on the back. Turning to face the interior of the Kazekage office, Kabuto merely smirked and walked into the center of the room and sped through a few hand seals.
"Ninpou: Chakura Horoguramu!" Seals shot out from his hands and built up in the center of the room.
The seals spread around each other and wrapped around forming an empty circle that had a three foot radius. Kabuto then channeled chakra into the seal, shooting up a dark purple flame that stood at almost eight feet. The Otokage waited a few moments and the fire died down to reveal a chakra version of a man dressed with an Oni samurai mask and traditional samurai armor. The armor itself had such an intricate design, with a lamellar design, with each plate tied with beautiful golden rope. But the chakra being removed its mask to reveal a mangled and marred face.
"Shogun-sama!" Kabuto bowed deeply. "The invasion of the East is going to take longer than originally thought my lord!"
"Kabuto…" The man identified as 'Shogun', growled. "You promised me more land and more resources…now what are you saying?"
"T-The…the Uzumaki have sent their armies to aid the Land of Fire." Kabuto shuddered. "They are using powerful ninjutsu and fuinjutsu attacks against the armies of Iwa and Kumo. They've managed to win every single battle they have with minimal casualties."
"Unbelievable." The shogun began to scratch his chin. "I will send in two hundred thousand samurai to aid you in the invasion. Don't fuck up. They'll be in Kaze no Kuni within the month."
And with that, the connection was cut short, and the chakra image of the Shogun dissipated and flittered away. Kabuto shivered slightly when he felt the color coming back to his face. The world seemed darker to him for some strange unforeseen reason. He stumbled to his feet and shivered unintentionally. He hobbled over to his desk and sat in the Kazekage seat and shakily, placed his glasses back onto his face.
"Commander!" Kabuto roared.
The door burst open to reveal a large, muscular man in grand samurai armor. The metal plates and scales used was blood red with a grand kabuto helmet on his head with an oni mask covering his face. A beard was on the samurai's face giving him an imposing look. At his side were two katana and a wakizashi tied to his waist with an intricately designed golden belt.
"Yes, Otokage-sama?" the samurai bowed.
"Begin the purge immediately!"
-In Konohagakure…
"K-Kaede…" Naruto looked at the Uzumaki who found the girl in the center of the large crater.
"We encountered an Iwa patrol searching the area and we killed them all when we found them trying to desecrate her corpse." One of the Uzumaki said. "Cousin…they tried to rip her body apart…"
"Did you…" Naruto looked at them with anger burning in his eyes.
"We did…believe me. We did." He replied. "No survivors have been allowed."
"I guess I should tell my father to get the funeral ready…"
-A few hours later…
The men and women attending the funeral were dressed in black kimonos and hakamas with distraught looks on their faces. Minato led the procession with a candle in his hands. Naruto was right behind him with a candle in his hands. Mito and Arashi were at Naruto's sides holding small candles. Behind them stood Tsunade and Jiraiya holding candles. Behind the two elders was the coffin holding Kaede's dead body being carried by a few chunin of Uzushio and Konoha.
It was a solemn procession with almost no sound being made. Not even a sniffle of a cry. The sky was dark and cloudy and gloomy. It was as if the heavens were debating whether or not they should cry. All heads were tilted down with everyone's eyes grey and emotionless. No one could believe it. It was almost just as bad as the Uchiha/Senju massacre if not worse. Another was dead. How many more would have to die?
They stopped at the graveyard and began the final speeches. With Minato at the beginning, began to speak with a soft and reserved tone. That was expected. The poor man lost a great number of his family members. Lost his closest friends. Lost his wife and now lost his eldest daughter. His hands clenched the side of the podium as tightly as he could so he could calm his raging emotions. Tears were threatening to fall once more. He knew that Kaede had died, hence the fact that Naruto now had the true, full form of Kurama inside of him, but to see that it was a reality, to see it face to face, made his heart break.
He felt like a failure. He felt like he had messed up as a father and a husband, and as a Hokage. He took a deep breath as he finished his speech and quietly walked off the stage and headed towards his seat. Jiraiya and Tsunade were next in line to say their speech, which lasted for quite a long while and ended with a bittersweet note. Kaede's friends came up to the podium and spoke for what seemed like an eternity of their greatest memories with the princess.
But before Naruto knew it, it was his turn to speak. Mito and Arashi had just finished saying their small, concise but still heartwarming speech. The golden prince took a shaky breath and trudged up the steps of the stage and walked behind the podium and shut his eyes to close off the world around him. Once he opened them, the tears began to fall.
Not one word was said, but the people present, hell the entire village, felt his anguish. They felt his pain. Even though many didn't understand what it was like to lose someone like that, the emotions were displayed for all to see. The prince continued to cry, but then hiccupped and sniffled.
"As many of you know…Kaede is my twin sister." Naruto began. "I miss her already. I can't let this slide though. My sister may have been my closest friend and my flesh and blood, and I know that it's bad to say anything about the dead…but Kami! Why was she so stupid?!"
"To go on revenge like this!" Naruto began to weep once more. "O-Of all the t-things! Revenge! After everything w-we've b-been t-taught! KAMI! Please…JUST GIVE ME BACK MY SISTER!"
Naruto collapsed onto the stage. Mito charged from her seat faster than her father and her brother could and quickly hugged her elder brother with tears streaming down her own face. The family stayed silent as they stared aimlessly into the sky, air or anything they could set their eyes upon. With the speeches over, they slowly and carefully, lowered Kaede's casket into the hole dug for her, before they buried the body.
With the night coming in, the funeral after service was taking place in the Senju/Hokage Palace. The people were drinking and eating food in the name of Kaede and all of those who were lost in the Battle for Konoha, as it has been dubbed. Naruto though, chose to seek solace in the solitary confinement within his room. He held his hiraishin kunai as tightly as he could. He felt anger build up from within him towards Iwa. They had already destroyed his family, but it wasn't enough. They wanted to destroy his people too.
He growled deeply. Suddenly, the hiraishin kunai began to glow and Naruto felt a sudden pull. He instantly recognized the chakra signature. It was Kurotsuchi. Naruto gripped the kunai as tightly as he could and quickly pinpointed that he position was somewhere in Tsuchi no Kuni not too far from Iwagakure. Naruto's eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed deeply, his fingernails elongated and his whisker marks darkened.
Flash!
-In Tsuchi no Kuni…
Kurotsuchi stood in relative silence as she leaned against the rock at the crest of the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain was a small encampment with Shikei and Yaseo quietly talking to one another as they stared into the fire in the center. Luo was fast asleep, and Recca was slowly drifting in and out. Kurotsuchi needed to talk to Naruto. She needed to let him know of what really happened in Taki. She couldn't live with herself if all Naruto had was the outdated information that the Uzumaki had most likely given him.
Kurotsuchi stared off into the starry night sky and began to make constellations up as she found new patterns. But there was one that she knew she'd forever remember. It was a great maple leaf formation. Within a split second and without a thought, she pointed at the maple leaf constellation.
"That will be called Kaede." Kurotsuchi giggled slightly. "I guess I should call Naruto soon…"
Kurotsuchi sped through some quick hand seals, and slammed her hand into a rock, forming a hiraishin seal. This time, it was Naruto's seal. Thanks to the help from Kaede when she was alive, Kurotsuchi was able to make hiraishin seals almost as fast as Naruto and Kaede could, but she couldn't use them for travel, only transport. She placed her hand on the seal and channeled chakra into the seal.
Flash!
Kurotsuchi turned to face Naruto, only to get tackled into the ground. Naruto was on top of her with a look that spelled instant death if she said anything that wasn't satisfactory. Naruto's hand was wrapped around Kurotsuchi's throat and a hiraishin kunai was held in Naruto's other hand and the blade was pressed against Kurotsuchi's cheek.
"How could you?!" Naruto roared. "You promised to make sure Kaede would live!"
Naruto tightened his grip around Kurotsuchi's throat. She struggled and tried to fight back, but there was no oxygen in her system. In a quick moment, Kurotsuchi kicked Naruto in the groin, causing the Prince to fall over on his side wailing in pain. Kuro pushed herself off the ground with pained tears stinging her cheeks. Her pink eyes were ablaze with fury.
"I know…" Kurotsuchi finally said after regaining her breath. "I know I said I would…"
"T-Then why…?" Naruto looked up at her with a deep glare, boring holes into the girls head. "Why is SHE dead instead of YOU?!"
Kurotsuchi felt a great pang in her chest at the words. Her eyes widened for only a split second, before it was replaced with a glare that matched Naruto's own. Naruto finally realized what he said though, but he was too late. The damage had been done.
"I intended to be the one die that day." Kurotsuchi said without a stutter in her voice. "I was ready to give my own life to stop my brother. I was ready, but Kaede stopped me and told me to leave. Do you know why?!"
Naruto knew he was going to regret that choice of words. He cringed at her new volume. Kurotsuchi looked away. She clenched her fists so tight, that blood was drawn from her palms. She turned back to Naruto and continued her glare.
"She was like the sister I never had. She was the family I wish I had. You think that I would have let her do this without protesting you idiot?!" Kurotsuchi shouted. "Do you know what she said to me?!"
Naruto felt his heartbeat rise in fear and regret. He stood up from the ground and stared Kurotsuchi in her beautiful pink eyes, but quickly looked away when she caught him staring.
"She wanted us to get married…"
"W-What…?" Naruto's eyes went wide with surprise.
"She truly believed that we could have been together." Kurotsuchi added. "She was even going to try and get us a secret ferry to the Uzu islands with the help of her contacts. She wanted us to be happy…but now…after what you've said to me."
"Kuro-chan-"
"Don't call me that sappy bullshit." Kurotsuchi snapped. "You obviously showed your true colors. I can see it in your eyes that you're still confused about your feelings towards me and your late wife Ino, right? Yeah. Your silence gives it away…"
"But-"
"Don't try to deny." Kuro said raising a hand. "I don't want to hear your excuses. Just go. We're officially enemies remember?"
"I…I'm sorry…" Naruto flashed away as quickly as possible.
"You have nothing to be sorry about baka…" Kurotsuchi sighed once more. Tears building up once more at the memories of Kaede.
"It's all my fault. All of it."
When you truely think about it, most of this shit happened because of Kurotsuchi . kinda sucks if you ask me.
Next chapter! What will become of Naruto's and Kurotsuchi's relationship? What will happen to Luo and his young apprentices? What is Kabuto planning? What is this purge? Who is the Shogun? What lies in the west beyond the Great Desert of Kaze no Kuni? What the hell are the Uzumaki planning? What makes the Uzumaki so powerful? What are the Uzumaki doing annexing territory from the mainland? What is the Leaf Akatsuki planning? What will happen to the Uzumaki Seiji regime of the Uzu Islands? What will happen now that the Kogane no ōji and the Yogan-hime are going to the front lines? Find out next chapter!
Ja ne!
gottahavekyuubi