A/N: Heh. And here I thought I was late for this update. I'm really pleased by how well this story is being received by you guys out there. If you think that it's worth sharing with your friends, please do so. I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
The Mizukage
Naruto was the first one to wake up the following morning. He thought about waking Hinata up, but decided against it, since she would most probably feel sick again. It was eight in the morning, and they were already out at sea. He decided that he'd dress himself up and get some breakfast, and maybe something for Hinata-chan too.
A few minutes later, he was standing at the railing on the portside of the boat, looking off into the horizon. Konoha was well and truly out of their reach now, until they were ready to come back. He wondered how his friends were doing. Sasuke…what would he be doing now? Would he actually be obedient and stay within the lines? And who would he compete with, now that Naruto was gone? Shikamaru would be too lazy, and Chouji is too pacifistic. Maybe Kiba would. Who knows? And Sakura-chan…would she care at all? Naruto was finally out of her hair. Now she could just focus on her precious Sasuke-kun. "She wouldn't miss me much. Maybe for a day or two. But I'm sure sensei will find a way to take her mind off things." Though he didn't feel as much need for Sakura's attention, he still felt a little hurt at the thought of being so easily forgotten, when all he wanted his entire life was acknowledgement. But all he had gotten was scorn. His heart clenched a bit.
"No more! That's all going to change once I get back. I'll save Konoha, and the village will have to acknowledge me!" He banished the painful memories away, and replaced them with steely resolve. He walked away and headed towards the dining room, hoping that he wasn't too late for breakfast. His spirits lifted when he saw that there was still plenty left. He helped himself to big healthy breakfast for once. He did miss morning ramen, but a change once in a while was nice too. Bread and meat make a pretty good breakfast. He packed some up for Hinata-chan and headed back to his cabin, where Hinata-chan was still asleep. "I guess the nurse gave her some sleeping pills too." Naruto thought with a soft chuckle.
He left the cabin again, with nothing else to do except wander around. "Hey kid." The voice came from his left, and Naruto turned to see a Mist ninja about twenty years old or so, with dark brown hair that was tied back into a high ponytail, and emerald green eyes. He wore a dark grey body suit, not completely black, and a greyish green vest over it. He wore his headband over his forehead in the normal fashion, and all in all, he looked like a very plain mist chunin or jonin. "Yea? Can I help you?" He replied. "What's a little Leaf kid like you doing so far away from home?" The man asked. Naruto felt a little miffed about being called a little kid, and his temper began to show. "And why should I tell you? I don't even know you?" He shot at the man. "Good point, kid. Alright. The name's Hideki. Not telling you more than that." Hideki introduced himself. "Fine. Name's Naruto. Now what do you want?" He was still a little irritated.
"Forgot what I just said already? Are you really that thick?" Hideki mocked. Now Naruto was really pissed off. He was about to jump the man when logic told him that it wouldn't end well. Instead. "You approached me. If you wanna peacefully get info out of me, you're gonna have to be more open than that. I may be a kid but it looks like I know a bit more about gathering intel than you do." Naruto ended with a sneer. Hideki seemed amused by the boy's attitude. "Hmm. Ok Naruto, you got me there. I'll stop beating around the bush. My name is Toma Hideki. I'm a chunin from the Hidden Mist village in case you were wondering about my rank. I'm nineteen, and I live alone. My parents were both ninja, and they both died on a mission. Don't even think about offering me sympathy. They died the death of warriors, and I'm proud of them. I'm returning from a mission in the Land of Fire. Now, would you tell me some more?" He asked, politely this time, gesturing to a nearby table. Naruto was hesitant, but he figured that having a friend might be helpful, so he took his seat.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. And my story…is…a long story…" He finished uncertainly. "This is a long trip. Might as well hear a good story, Naruto. If you need it, I might even be able to help you." Hideki offered and Naruto thought about for a while.
"Alright." He recalled all the events of the invasion as he had heard them from Kakashi-sensei, and told Hideki about the deaths of the Hokage and Jiraiya, even telling him of his personal attachment to them. "Wait wait wait hold up hold up! YOU? A twelve year old kid? You were not only on friendly terms with the hokage but the Sannin Jiraiya as well? And you were trained by Copy-Ninja Kakashi, arguably, Konoha's top jonin? I thought you were going to tell me the truth!" Hideki exclaimed, finding Naruto's story hard to believe…to say the least.
"You got some chips?" Naruto asked. Hideki just blinked in confusion. "What?" Naruto frowned. "Never mind. I think I got some biscuits for him to munch on." And Naruto proceeded to rummage through his pockets, before pulling out a pack of biscuits from his jacket. He laid on the table, and bit his finger before making the handsigns and slamming his palm onto the table. A small puff of smoke formed, and a bright yellow toad appeared. "Hiya, Naruto. What's up? You got some chips?" The toad asked.
"No chips, Gamatatsu. Just some biscuits, though. Help yourself." Naruto gestured to the pack lying on the table, before turning his attention back to Hideki. "This is Gamatatsu. One of my toad summons. There was only one ninja in the entire village of Konoha that summoned toads during my life time. Actually, the last two before me were Jiraiya and the Yondaime Hokage who was a student of Jiraiya. I think you know about the death of the Yondaime, so I'll skip the details. Anyway, it was Jiraiya who offered me the toad contract, and if you still don't believe me, I don't know what else I could do." Naruto was almost daring the older ninja to challenge his word, while the little toad happily munched away.
"No…I don't think that would be necessary. Alright…I believe you…and I suppose…I'll believe the rest of your story as well." Hideki muttered. He couldn't deny that there was indeed a toad sitting in front of him…eating biscuits.
Naruto acknowledged it, and continued his story, recalling the reasons he had left Konoha. It was like being given a mission, in a way. He told Hideki why he had chosen to go the mist village, at which point, he told Hideki about Hinata. "Naruto. Don't you know how the Mist Village treats people with bloodline limits?" Hideki asked, wondering if Naruto had thought this through properly.
"Yea…I do…I met a mist ninja with a bloodline limit a while back. His name was Haku. He told me story of the wars you guys had. But he also told me that things were different now, under the new Mizukage. The ninjas have a greater respect for each other, don't they? Maybe a few villagers would target her, but she's strong and she has me to protect her." He said, remembering how the villagers used to treat him as a kid. He would not let that happen to Hinata-chan.
"It's true. Things are more stable now. But still. I'd advise you to be careful. And I'm assuming that this Haku is already dead. You said his name was…past tense…anyway, what's your plan when you get there?" Hideki asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation. It worked because Naruto snapped out of his depressing train of thought. "We're going to become Mist ninja." He said bluntly.
Hideki blinked a couple of times. "Naruto…I know that Mizukage-sama is much more kind and welcoming than the previous one, but you're still a ninja from another village. How will you earn the trust that you need?" Hideki was surprised when Naruto grinned. "I've already got a plan. A gift for the Mizukage. I'm not telling you what it is though. It's a secret." Hideki narrowed his eyes. "Naruto…you're about to meet with the Mizukage under suspicious circumstances. One might think this was an assassination attempt. But…I'm going to take your word for it, because you don't seem like the lying type to me. However, other people don't know that, so be careful and choose your words and actions carefully." Hideki warned, and was glad to see that Naruto seemed to have understood the gravity of the situation he was getting into. He could very easily be arrested or even killed if he gave off the wrong idea.
"Alright. Well, that killed most of the morning. It's lunchtime. And I really think you should wake up Hinata now. We'll be there in about three more hours if the good weather keeps up. If you'd like, I can escort you to the village, and maybe even put in a good word for you with Mizukage-sama after my mission report." Hideki offered as he got up to leave.
"Really? Awesome! That'd be great, Hideki. I'd really appreciate that. Wait, why would do that for me anyway?" Naruto asked as his excitement turned to suspicion. "Haha. Good choice kid. Don't jump into everything with blind trust. I really meant it when I said be careful. Some traces of the Bloody Mist can still be found in the village. As for my reason, it's simple. I like you, kid." He replied with his back to Naruto and already waving goodbye, as Gamakichi vanished, leaving an empty packet behind.
Naruto decided that now, he had some things to discuss with Hinata and that she really should wake up by now. He walked over to their cabin and saw that the breakfast was untouched so he threw it out, and proceeded to wake her up. She yawned and stretched for a bit, and turned crimson when Naruto told her the time and called her a sleepy-head. She felt embarrassed for sleeping in so long. It made her look lazy, but Naruto didn't make a big deal of it. He waited outside so she could freshen up and join him for lunch. Naruto told her about his chat with Hideki, and she agreed that having a friend would indeed make things a lot easier. However, he left out the part about the Bloody Mist and the bloodline limit war they had. She didn't need to feel queasy and throw up right after lunch.
Naruto spent the rest of the voyage trying to get Hinata to go over to the edge and look over the railings, but she refused to budge. At one point, he even grabbed her hand and tried to pull her over, and though she flushed brilliantly and froze for a few seconds, she still refused to go anywhere near the edge, until they stopped moving. So, after Naruto exhausted himself, he just dropped flat onto the deck and watched the clouds roll by, while Hinata sat next to him.
An hour passed, and they came ashore. They had no luggage to collect, so they were set to depart faster than the rest of the passengers. "Hey, Hinata-chan. We should wait for Hideki. He said he'd take us with him. It'd be faster if we go with someone who's familiar with the land, don't you think?" Naruto suggested before they both walked off. Hinata agreed and soon, spotted the chunin that Naruto described for her. When she pointed him out, Naruto called him over and introduced Hinata to him.
Soon, they were on their way towards the Mist village. The day was bright and clear for the most part as they walked down the path with Hideki in the lead. They didn't talk much, and each seemed to be lost in their own train of thought.
"Hey you two. Stay close. We're getting closer to the Mist Village. You did notice the mist around you, right?" Hideki called back to the two. Indeed, visibility was lower, though the sky still looked clear. "Yea. Why is it so misty, Hideki? It's so bright and clear today." Naruto squinted as he tried to figure out the origin of the mist. "No idea. It's a natural phenomenon. This mist is always and I mean always present, no matter what season it is or what the weather is like. Hell, I bet a tornado couldn't clear up this mist." Hideki sighed. Though the mist was advantageous in terms of stealth, it wouldn't kill this place to get a bright sunny day once in a while, would it?
"Look alive, kids. We're here." Hideki spoke up as the village came into view. It was a lot bleaker and a lot less vibrant than Konoha. The predominant color appeared to be grey, because almost all the buildings looked grey. Buildings rose several storeys into the air, while some were smaller and placed on top of natural cliffs. Some even had rooftop gardens with thick shrubs growing on them. Several high walkways snaked through the town, and they all seemed to be connected to one central building which was different from the rest. It was a lot wider and from the outside, it looked like it had high roofs.
"Yea that's where we're going. So keep up you two. And don't get lost. It might take a while before you get used to the mist." Hideki instructed as he made his way up one of the walkways. The two leaf ninja tried to take in their surroundings but found that their efforts were obstructed by the mist. So they made sure to stick close to Hideki, as they made their way towards the Mizukage's office.
"Hideki. You're back. Come to report in? Oh but who are they?" The receptionist asked as they entered the giant building. Naruto couldn't be sure, but it felt bigger than the Hokage's tower. Maybe it wasn't as tall, but it was definitely more spacious and open. "Yea. Is this a good time? And don't worry about them. They're with me." Hideki replied. "Yes of course. You can go in." The receptionist gestured to the door. "Alright. You two have a seat. This'll take only a couple of minutes. Ah, why am I even saying that? You already know how this goes." Hideki chuckled to himself before making heading through the giant doors into the Mizukage's room.
Naruto and Hinata sat down and a spent the next couple of minutes wondering what they would say. "Naruto-kun. Don't be offended, but I think you should let me do the talking. I've talked to dignitaries and powerful people before, so I might know how to handle this better than you do." Hinata suggested timidly. "Yea, that's probably a good idea, Hinata-chan. I want to make a good impression." Naruto's reply surprised Hinata, but she did not have time to press further, because the doors opened and Hideki called them both inside. They shared a look, and it was clear that they were both nervous, but they got up and headed in.
Inside, they came face to face with a woman who looked like she was in her thirties. She had ankle-length, auburn hair styled into a herringbone pattern at the back, a top-knot tied with a dark blue band, along with green eyes, though only one was visible through her hair. "Welcome to the Kirigakure. My name is Terumi Mei, the Godaime Mizukage." She smiled kindly at the two kids. They bowed politely and thanked her for the welcome. She then gestured to them to sit down. "Now then. I don't get visitors from Konoha very often, and this might be the first time I've met a pair of genin without their sensei. I am assuming that you have something out of the ordinary for me, because this certainly is an out of the ordinary situation."
Naruto and Hinata shared a look again, and nodded. Hinata turned back to the Mizukage and recalled all the events that happened during the fall of Konoha. The Mizukage expressed her regret for the death of the Sandaime Hokage and Sannin Jiraiya. Hinata continued to recall leaving the village, and told her of the journey the two had taken to get to the Mist village, and the help that Hideki had given them. She did leave out the part about obtaining the Zabuza's sword.
"I see. So what exactly do you want from me?" Mei asked kindly. This time, it was Naruto who spoke up. "We want to become ninja of the Hidden Mist village so that we can train and become strong enough to free Konoha." He said with iron determination. The room was silent as Mei contemplated the situation. "Alright. And why should I trust you? Though you are just two genin, I would never make the mistake of underestimating your possible skills as spies just because of your age and your rank as ninja. I've seen ninja younger thank you, and deadlier than jonin." She spoke seriously. However the children were not fazed. "We thought that you might say that, Mizukage-sama, so we came with an offering." Hinata replied. "Oh? And what could two genin from a fallen Leaf village offer me that would convince me to let them become my ninja?" Though Mei was known for her kindness, and open-mindedness, she was not gullible and would not take unnecessary risks.
"A treasure of the Mist village. I asked my toad summons to store it in their home for safe keeping until I could return it to you. With your permission, I'd like to summon it back here." Naruto spoke with unusual formality and politeness. He knew the gravity of the situation. The Mizukage was their last hope and he would not screw this up. "Very well. Proceed." Mei gestured for Naruto to continue. "Toad summons. The last people I've heard of who used that contract was Jiraiya and the Yondaime Hokage." Mei did not miss the implication that Naruto's words had, though it seemed that the boy himself did not notice.
He had stood up and walked a short distance away from the desk, so that he had enough room for his summoning. He bit his thumb and ran through the signs. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He placed his palm on the ground, and a puff of smoke erupted around his hand. When the smoke cleared, there was an orange toad, sitting on a giant blade. "Thanks for holding onto it, Gamakichi. I really appreciate it." He thanked the small toad as it vanished. He picked up the blade and offered it to the Mizukage who was wide-eyed at what she was being presented with.
"Kubikiribōchō. How did you get this?" She asked Naruto, as she took the sword from him. "I met Zabuza on my first mission out of Konoha. He fought my sensei, Hatake Kakashi, and was killed by some thugs belonging to a man named Gato. In the end, he died an honorable death, avenging the person who was most precious to him. I felt that he would've wanted to sword to return to its home, so I brought it here, after taking it…from his grave." Naruto finished monotonously. However, Mei was busy scrutinizing the sword as if to make sure it was authentic. After a long look-over, she turned back to the two genin.
"This is indeed a great treasure of the village. One of the Seven Swords is back from the hands of a missing nin. Alright. I accept. You may stay in my village and serve as my ninja." She declared before setting the sword down on her table. Naruto and Hinata's faces lit up at the Mizukage's words. "However." She added, wiping the smiles of both their faces. "I need to know what your skills are so that I can assign you your deserved rank, and so that I can consider you for missions. So, you two will take a special exam of my design, though it will be similar to the chunin exams held in Konoha. Depending on your performance, I may even give you the rank of chunin. You have one month to train and prepare yourselves. During this time, you will be given a place to stay, free of rent. However, after that, you will have to take missions and pay monthly rent and bills, like everyone else. Fair enough?" The way she said would've made them think they had another choice, but that wasn't so. "That's more than what we thought we'd get, so we thankfully accept, Mizukage-sama." Again, it was Naruto who spoke formally and bowed much to everyone's surprise.
"Very well then. This is the address. Hideki. Show them where to go so that they can get settled in." She said, handing the piece of paper to Hideki, who bowed to Mizukage as well. She dismissed the trio and they walked out the door.
"That went well." Naruto said cheerfully, grinning his usual grin. Hideki laughed at the simple statement. "Hahaha. Damn right it did. It's not every day that a ninja can run off and join another village just like that. You're something else, Naruto." Hideki clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder as they walked to their new home. "Hell yea! I'm the guy who's gonna become the greatest Hokage ever. 'Course I'm something else." He said in a bragging tone. "Is that so? Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself? Ah never mind. We're here." He said, pointing to an eight storey building.
"Your apartment is in there on the third floor. The room number is on this key. You'll need to stock up on food, and the grocery store is on the other side of your block. Tell you what. First round is on me. I've got plenty saved up since I live alone. Here you go. That should hold you over for two weeks." He said as he gave them they keys and some money for food. "If you need anything else, call me. Your place should have a phone in there, so here's my number. And my address if you wanna drop by. I live in this neighborhood actually. Didn't even notice that." He chuckled as he gave them his own number and address.
"Thank you very much, Hideki-san. You've been a great help to us, and we really appreciate it." Hinata said, offering a small bow to Hideki. "Hey now, save that for the Mizukage. It's nothing, really. Happy to help. Well. Good luck settling in." He gave to two a last wave before turning around and heading to his own home.
Naruto turned to Hinata and was already looking excited. "Shall we, Hinata-chan?" He asked, and they went in when she nodded. They made their way up the flight of stairs and found their room. They proceeded to unlock the door, and with a glance at each other, they pushed the door open.
They stepped into a fairly modern looking living room dining room combo. A sofa with a tv in front of it, a small dining table behind the sofa, and modest sized bookshelf standing at one wall of the room. The kitchen came with a large refrigerator, and a stove-oven combo, with plenty of counters and shelves on the walls. Unlike the rest of the village, the inside wasn't grey. It was creamy white color with brown accents along the walls. It gave of a warm soft feeling about the place. The apartment had two bedrooms each with its own bathroom. They were identical, so the two quickly took their rooms, and dumped their bags.
"This is it then. Home sweet home for the next couple of years, Hinata-chan." Naruto said as they sat at the dining table to look out the window. The view was pretty decent from the third floor. Not many buildings in this neighborhood towered that high. Just two or three. Hinata blushed lightly, as she realized that she would be living with Naruto for the next few years. Things had changed so drastically and so fast. "Yea…I'm a little worried, though Naruto-kun." She said nervously. "Hm? About what, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, wondering what could be wrong. "Well…I've never lived without adults before. I don't exactly know about paying bills and rent and grocery shopping and things like that." She felt a little embarrassed to not know such commonplace things. "That's ok, Hinata-chan. I've lived alone all my life for as long as I can remember. I know how to do things like pay bills and rent and buy food. But…all I know how to cook is ramen. Umm…do you know how to cook other stuff, Hinata-chan?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well…yes…I do, Naruto-kun. If that's the way it is, then I guess we could make this work." Hinata said as she tried to recall the few things about cooking she had learned from her mother. They could get by. And things would get easier, right? "That's great, Hinata-chan. Now. Let's go shopping!" He exclaimed before bounding of his seat and leaping over the sofa. Hinata giggled and followed him out, being careful to lock the door behind her.
They found the store exactly where Hideki had told them it would be. It didn't take long to find all the important staples that they'd need for the next couple of weeks. Next, they bought some vegetables, which Naruto made faces at, but Hinata said he'd have to eat them, because she promised Kakashi-sensei, which resulted in Naruto relenting. Hinata was starting to get through his stubbornness after all.
The shopping didn't take too long because they were able to find everything they needed for the first couple of weeks in the one store. They returned to their apartment and with some help from Naruto, Hinata had a filling and healthy dinner prepared for the two of them. It felt nice to share a meal with each other. Naruto never had much company during meal times, and whatever company Hinata had had as a child was always formal and quiet. This was more fun and enjoyable. When dinner was done, Naruto did the dishes because it was a chore that he was already familiar with, and they decided to rest properly that night.
"Well. Goodnight then, Hinata-chan. We start training tomorrow after breakfast. I can't wait." Naruto said though he was yawning already from all the travelling. It had been a long long week for the two.
"Right. Goodnight, Naruto-kun." She replied before disappearing into her own roof for a good night's sleep.
A/N: There you go. I hope you guys liked the chapter.
Now, I have some bad news. Due to the ongoing exams, I am having a really difficult time finding inspiration, and the time to write. Normally it takes me two to three days to write a chapter, but I haven't made progress on the next chapter for like a week. So, I'm taking a small break from updating this story. I will try to write as much as possible, but my time is very limited these days, and inspiration is hard to come by in a freaking textbook. I hope you guys understand, so please don't rage-quit the story, and just be patient. I promise that this story will go on. My goal is a 100+ chapters, and I don't plan on giving that up. Anyway, hope you guys understand, and thanks for your support to the story. See you guys in a week or two. Stay awsum! :)