Hey Everyone! I have an update for you! Sorry for the delay, the exams were as bad as I thought they would be, but I managed to crank out decent grades, so all is good. Expect an update by the end of next week, but then not another one for a week or so as things will again be busy on this end.
Onto the review notes! So, there were a couple questions about the council, and information in general. First up, I made a goof and accidently swapped the names of Koharu and Homura. Will be correcting that in following chaps, sorry for the goof. As for information in general, on the note of the council gathering information about the event, with more details being given on Wave's evolving role and the happenings with Naruto's heritage, will be explained in this chapter and following ones. Expect the next few chapters to conclude the story alterations before the beginning of the Chuunin exam. They will be focused on drama and plot line development as well as characters dealing with emotional turmoil.
One side note for PenguinX that asked the question that many of you have had; there was a considerable moment of anguish for myself having Haku figure things out. I admit that I may have caved a bit for the plot to flow more easily. Sorry for that bit.
The last note is a bit of an easter egg for coming chapters; I'm giving out my ideas on the Namikaze line heritage in this story. I hope that it goes over well! Here we go then!
I own nothing but the original stuff!
xXxXxXx
Tazuna was a bit taken aback as he entered the ninja's eating quarters, his face lingering on Naruto's visage. 'Kakashi said that the loss of his partner caused him to change…but I didn't think it would be that dramatic…'
Kakashi looked over at Tazuna, and grimaced internally as the man took in Naruto's new look. 'While this bodes well for Naruto's healing process, his timing leaves something to be desired…' Kakashi waved the man over, noticing the parcel in his arms.
"I take it that the response to my original letter has arrived then?" Tazuna nodded to Kakashi, and the jonin seemed to straighten a bit in response.
"That's not the only news; there are developments in Wave that I think you need to hear…" Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all looked up at Tazuna's statement, and the old man sighed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Super sorry for getting you all involved in this, but the investigations into Gichi and his wife as well as Tsunami and Inari have come to some distressing conclusions. We've found out that Gichi's wife, the village's apothecary, had prepared hemlock poison for the group. Hemlock takes a day or so to kill, and would have limited their movements." Naruto looked up from this in confusion, his eyes full of concern.
"So what? There was nothing we could have done anyways? Why did Gato do that?" Naruto's voice was strained, and his face seemed to be drawn into quite a pained expression.
"Our guess is, he was originally going to return them, and then offer up the antidote only if all of his demands were met…when things went sour at the bridge, he probably had them killed to cut his ties…" Sasuke grimaced at Tazuna's explanation, his suspicions growing.
'If Gato already had them poisoned, he would have wanted to bring the hostages along…with hostages, ones that are time sensitive, he could extort a far better bargaining position…something is definitely off, but why?' Sasuke kept his voice silent as he looked around the group, looking for signs of deceit.
"Thank you for informing us of this Tazuna. I'm sure that information will help Naruto get over some of the guilt he might feel about the incident." Naruto blinked in surprise at Kakashi's statement, but nodded toward Tazuna, keeping his gaze down and away from the man's face.
"Don't mention it. The distressing part is that the poison that was used, as well as some of the supplies that Gato's men had did not come from him." The rest of the group looked up in surprise at that, and Tazuna sighed again. "As I said, I'm super sorry for dumping this on you guys, but the Daimyo of Wave was instigated as helping Gato's men. It seems that in return for helping to defeat my 'rebellion' the Daimyo was going to grant Gato a chance to even further expand his powers here in Wave."
Tazuna looked down and pulled two scrolls out from the package of documents he had, handing them both to Kakashi.
"The details of Wave's national congress on this are in there. During the meeting we elected a new Daimyo to lead the country, and apparently everyone decided on me." All of the group reacted in shock to this, and Kakashi quickly had the scroll opened and spread out on the table.
"In addition to that, they want to establish a military basis in Wave, similar to that seen in other ninja villages. They've decided on having a defensive basis only, but want some shinobi in house. Part of the details there are a proposal for Konoha to help with the development of such a force here in Wave." Kakashi shook his head as he looked over the details, trying to fend off his coming headache.
"So, basically, you've made my team into ambassadors of Konoha after a fashion…" Kakashi's statement drew raised eyebrows from his students, and the jonin fought back the urge to sigh heavily.
"As I said, I'm really super sorry about all this. The other scroll is from your village, a response I think to your earlier message." Kakashi nodded at the bridge builder, rolling up the general proposal as he did.
"I'll look it over later. Now, if there's no other questions, would you like to join us for a quick meal?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I can't. There's another meeting in an hour; don't worry, it will be just across the hall, but I really can't stay for food." The group nodded in acceptance, and Tazuna gave another apologetic shrug. "Real quick though, will Naruto always look like that from now on?"
"Yeah, this is how I look now. I don't know if it will ever go away, but I'm not going to change how I look for others." Naruto's voice was even and strong, bringing a slight smile to the faces of the group.
"It's not a bad look, you know?" Tazuna's voice was interested and upbeat; Naruto could not find any trace of deceit and a small smile crept onto the boy's face. "It's more serious than you were before, and makes you seem like a real ninja, like a new legend or something…" Sasuke grimaced at that slightly, and Sakura giggled a bit at the statement.
"You think?" Naruto chuckled at the bridge builder, his face seeming to light up. "Maybe the three of us will be the next three famous Konoha ninja, you know?" Kakashi and Tazuna chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm, and even Sasuke and Sakura sported small grins at the exclamation.
'The next three famous ninja huh…I could see that…' Kakashi thought idly to himself.
xXxXxXx
Jiraiya took encouragement from the sight of his village as he walked through the streets of Konoha. Many people stopped and asked him to stay for a while, or offered him food for this or that. The feeling of being home was great for the legendary ninja, and his travel weary frame bore testament to the pace that he had traveled back to his home. As he stood in the morning light, the rays reflecting off of his forehead protector, the man felt a grimace overtake his face as he stared at the Hokage monument.
The white hair trailing on both sides of Jiraiya's face fluttered in the breeze lightly and flitted through his ponytail. The sage however was unaware of any of this; his clothes were covered in light dust and dirt from his travels, the red color of his cloak faded and his green kimono worn in obvious places. The geta on his feet were cracked in places. Altogether, the man looked as if he had left a war zone.
None of this registered for Jiraiya as he stared at the face of his former student, carved in a stern effigy. 'You wouldn't have wanted to have done this Minato…you would not have given this to your son if you could have helped it. Still, why did you keep me from raising the child? Was your trust in me that little, even after all we went through?' Jiraiya kept staring at Minato, before shrugging to himself and moving toward the faces.
"Not like asking you could get me any answers…I always told you that stone faces never say things, and if they do they aren't things I want to hear…" Jiraiya flinched as the old phrase fell off of his lips, reminding him of the war with Iwa from so many years ago; war that seemed poised to break out once more. 'What sensei is thinking with bringing this heritage stuff up now is beyond me…it will only make things get more out of hand, I know it…'
The past month had seen Jiraiya traveling through Iwa, as well as the outskirts of Ame and Suna, and the trends the man was finding did not bode well for the village. Ame had closed itself completely off, and the few plants that Jiraiya had within the village had apparently been hunted out and killed rather quickly. Suna had a growing problem with missions going to Konoha, and the funding for the place was apparently going downhill. Finally, Iwa seemed to be having trouble with terrorists, and recent bombings had showcased a weakening of Oonoki's control on the situation. All in all, Jiraiya felt that there were a number of factions with a growing reason to want to harm the village. Adding another target and potential high ransom would only worsen matters.
Rather than worry overly about this, Jiraiya found himself treading his way to the Hokage's office, wanting to pause and stop here and there, but with guilt forcing him onward as he did. He idly noticed a simple weapon shop as he was passing by, and recognized the name from his travels. He blinked in surprise, wondering what the Aoyama family was doing in Konoha.
'Might as well stop in, who knows if any of the old family is still there…' The Aoyama were a family of blacksmiths, originally from the southern part of the Land of Fire if memory served, and had been very kind to both Jiraiya and his teammates when he was growing up.
As the white haired man stooped through the doorway, the sage smiled at the familiar scent of a blacksmith.
"Hi, my name's Tenten! Welcome to the Aoyama weapon's shop, what can I do for you today?" Jiraiya noticed a pretty young girl working behind the counter, her hair done up in buns and wearing a pink sleeveless top. Jiraiya noticed that she was probably in her early teens, and quickly phased her out of his 'hottie radar'.
"Hey there! I'm an old friend of your dad's I think, I just wanted to know if he was in and if I could get these repaired?" Jiraiya held up his cracked geta, pointing in particular to the damage to the metal bottoms.
"Oh yeah, I could fix that up no problem. But my dad's out right now, sorry. I can tell him you dropped by if you give me your name…" Jiraiya blinked at the girl, but sighed and scribbled it down on a piece of paper.
"Yeah, here, just give him this when you get the chance. How long do you think it will be on those sandals?" Jiraiya fumed silently to himself as he stood behind the counter. 'Geez, Tsunade gets flocks of fans when she goes anywhere, and Orochimaru has people run away in fear…why am I the only legendary ninja that gets no respect…'
"It should take a couple of hours. If you want, I have a pair here for a cheap price that you can have while you wait?" Jiraiya nodded, and accepted the pair of proferred sandals. After he had paid, he quickly left the shop and continued muttering to himself.
"No respect, not a bit…"
xXxXxXx
Haku felt her skin bristle as she looked over the battle formations. 'This front line action isn't really my strong suit…Zabuza always had trained me to work from the sidelines and shadows, where my lack of stamina wouldn't be that much of an issue…' Haku tried to still her nerves, reminding herself that she was only going to be fighting against the basic samurai of the Mist forces.
'Yagura has alienated so many of the ninja families that he is relying on basic forces…this war won't last much longer, but it still is unfortunate that the country must suffer this way…how different would it have been if Zabuza and I had returned together?' Haku noticed enemy movement from behind the trenches.
As the girl turned to signal her comrades, Haku again felt the awkward discomfiture of working with fellow hunter ninja. The mask Haku had was something that she had taken from one that had threatened Zabuza when he was tired after a mission.
"You earned that mask the right way then. Defending what is important to you…"
Mei's voice filtered into Haku's head, and the girl had to shake her head at the way that the lady seemed to inspire confidence and liveliness into the simplest affairs. 'Despite actions that killed a fellow Mist ninja, she accepted me so readily, and then stuck me out on the front lines…I can't tell if she trusts me or not, but she is at least giving me the chance to prove myself…' As Haku picked up her senbon, and turned back to the slowly advancing line of samurai, the girl grit her teeth at the coming bloodshed.
'Prove myself…or die trying…that's what it takes to get respect…'
xXxXxXx
"Man, I must seriously not get any respect around here…how do people forget that I'm the villages seal master, huh?" Jiraiya reclined in his seat, his face mired in a frown.
"It might have something to do with your works as a spy taking you away from the village for long periods of time..." Hiruzen chuckled lightly from behind his seat, various papers scattered across the desk in front of him.
"Still, that's no reason to go forgetting about someone…" Jiraiya's face was almost comical with the pout on his face. The Third Hokage merely chuckled good naturedly, and took a draw from his pipe, the weathered face framed by both the robes and hat of his office.
"I received a report that Naruto and his group will be taking an additional week to return to the village. Things have certainly gotten a bit out of hand for the group…" The elder ninja shuffled some documents on his desk before handing one over to Jiraiya. "These are the details on the Inuzuka seal…it was looked over by Genma and his group, and they agreed that the seal would not pose too much of a threat, though recommended that you remove it later on in Naruto's career." Jiraiya nodded at that and scanned over the document that was handed to him.
"Yeah, I can see where Genma was coming from…still, the kid really stepped in it, and the seal was pushed farther than it was intended from what I can tell." Jiraiya sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, trying to work some of the stress from his face. As he did, a knock was heard at the door, and the two old warriors stiffened in their seats.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I heard that you have received word from Kakashi's team." A bandaged form stepped into the office of the Hokage, and both Hiruzen and Jiraiya had stern looks filter across their faces.
"Danzo. You are well informed on the comings and goings of the Hokage." Danzo merely nodded towards Hiruzen's veiled accusation.
"Of course. I am waiting for information about what has occurred with the members of Kakashi's team, specifically the charge that is under my supervision." Hiruzen seemed to stiffen at the comment as the bandaged man walked into the room. His cane thumped as he walked, and each step seemed to cause Jiraiya's face to stiffen further.
"Young Haruno-san is doing perfectly well from all accounts Danzo. Kakashi states that the girl was successfully able to start her earth manipulation training, though she has put that off to develop her genjutsu techniques in the meantime." Danzo seemed to grimace at the news, but still made his way to stand next to Jiraiya.
The larger man dwarfed the elderly council member, but Danzo did not seem unnerved by Jiraiya's presence at all.
"Be that as it may, as we have seen with past cases as soon as both elements are awakened, there are often dire consequences if the subject does not receive appropriate emotional training." Danzo's voice was even, and his one good eye bored lazily into the Hokage's.
"And just what kind of methods do you use with your 'training', Danzo?" Jiraiya's tone was cutting, and full of the distate he held for the man.
"The same methods that have seen, in the cases that I have been asked to care for, either a controlled remission of the subjects abilities, or in one case a controlled mastery. A record that, were it compared to my compatriots, is far better at not producing violent incidents that need to be quieted discreetly." Danzo's face remained focused on the Hokage's, not once flickering towards the Toad Sage.
"He has a point Jiraiya." The man looked as if he had been slapped by the statement, and turned to regard his leader with a look of disbelief. "His methods are valid, though distasteful. I will start the paperwork to have Haruno-san enter into your groups training upon her return to the village. Remember, she will still have to be present at the Grand Council hearing, and she must enter your training willingly." Hiruzen looked pained from his statements, and coughed heavily into his hand several times before nodding dismissively to Danzo.
Danzo returned the nod with a formal bow and appellation, leaving the office with the thump of his cane echoing off the walls. Jiraiya looked distastefully after the man, but was brought back to the office by the repeated coughing from his teacher.
"I am aging Jiraiya. I am aging and soon will be too old to hold this position." Jiraiya's eyes flared with denial as he saw his mentor pause before raising himself slowly from his seat.
"Stop that! The Tsuchikage is older than you are yet, and he is still going strong! You're not going to let a rock head like him continue on after you, are you?" Jiraiya's voice was chiding, managing to barely hide the concern in his tone.
"Be that as it may, I am getting old. I will not be as good as you or Tsunade in the near future. The day may come soon where one of you must step up and take my position." The third put out his tobacco pipe, and turned to look out over the village. "The reason I age so is that my past haunts me; my mistakes with Orochimaru, with my son, and with Minato and his legacy. More than that, I have to turn to men like Danzo, whose methods I do not wholly agree with, to see to the protection of my village. It is that that drives me quicker to the next life than the Tsuchikage…" Jiraiya felt the words die in his throats at his teacher's statement, opting instead to remain silent.
"You should go see if those geta of yours are repaired yet…I figure it has been several hours since you had them dropped off…" Jiraiya voiced an agreement to the suggestion, and gave a polite nod, turning to leave from the window. "Somehow, I hope that tradition never changes." Hiruzen chuckled lightly as Jiraiya left, jumping into the village below.
xXxXxXx
Tenten nearly jumped out of her skin when Guy came bursting in to the weapon shop, her hands dropping the freshly refinished Geta.
"Ah, Tenten! There you are! I have a personal request for our group, so we have to leave immediately!" Tenten blinked in surprise, then felt her face flush in anger.
"Now wait a second! I thought we were staying in the village for a week of training! What about waiting until Kakashi came back to challenge him huh? Besides, I have an urgent special order to deliver!" Guy merely shook his head, and held up the 'gone ninja-ing' sign in his hand.
"Trust me, this will work for any customers you may have while your dad is out. Plus, Kakashi and his team have been delayed in Wave, according to the rumors around the village. Write a quick note to your customer, and we will be on our way!" Guy's booming voice made the girl's head ring, and she shook her head as she proceeded to place the sandals in the house.
'There really is no stopping him when he's this fired up…' Tenten was yanked out of her thoughts by Guy moving around in her kitchen, throwing together food supplies. The girl yelped, jumped into the kitchen and kicked the man out, grabbing her own supplies as she did so.
"Slow down, Guy-sensei!" Tenten placed the sign up, and grabbed one of her prepped travel packs, slipping out of the house as quickly as she could.
"That's the spirit Tenten! Now come on, let's go!" Guy bursted away from the house as fast as he could, making Tenten sprint after to catch up.
"So, who was the special customer you had waiting for you?" Tenten shrugged and continued to sprint after her teacher.
"Just some old guy, probably not that important…" Guy shrugged as well, and the two blurred into the village.
xXxXxXx
Jiraiya stared blankly at the sign on the store shop, trying to determine if it was a joke or not. 'Gone ninja-ing…This place gets crazier and crazier the longer I stay away from this place…I'm just going to go ogle women for a week though if this is the treatment I get…seriously, no respect...'
Jiraiya stared through sad eyes towards the Hokage monument, looking at the testament to the leaders of his village. 'Like I'd actually want my ugly mug up on that wall…' Jiraiya chuckled to himself and pulled out his telescope, his feet weaving a familiar path. 'There are some other testaments of the village I'd rather be looking at though…'
xXxXxXx
"This bridge is a testament of our people, of the new nation of Wave. We have, with the aid of others, driven out Gatou once and for all, and have seized control of our own shipping and transport industry."
Tazuna's voice was calm as it pitched over a small assembled crowd at the bridge opening. Kakashi, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura stood next to the man on a small constructed podium, each of the ninja standing at parade rest and decked in formal black morning attire. The most shocking thing to the assembled crowd though was not the intimidating form of the shinobi though, but the face of Naruto, eyes half lidded and features monstrous to behold. The boy's eyes were ringed with harsh black, and his facial markings had turned into jagged lines of black. The blue of his eyes was pierced by a single harsh slit, and his hair was a striking blonde. The fangs that protruded from his lips stopped at the middle of his chin, and his face was steeped into a look of both apathy and self-hatred.
Tazuna did not seem to register the presence of the boy, or his comrades though, as the bridge builder turned and addressed the crowd. The past two weeks had served harsh changes on Tazuna, as the group of Wave citizens looked at the bridge builder with eyes of admiration and fealty.
"By seizing control of our means of welfare and stability, Wave has moved forward from a state of dependency to a state of autonomy. No longer will the land of Wave be ruled by those who seize power illegitimately." Cheers and cries of approval rang from the crowd, and Kakashi felt his eyes widened slightly at the tone in the man's voice.
"Gatou came to our country, promising wealth through the connections of his company. He failed us. Our daimyo promised to protect us from Gatou and his men, then turned on us when baseless rumors threatened his rule. The future of this country must be one that does not draw us to these types of people. It is for this reason that the daimyo has been removed from office, and why we have extended an offer of friendship and hopeful partnership with Konoha. Through their financial aid and expertise, the land of Wave will no longer be a land without its own power." Cheers again came from the crowd, along with cries of the bridge builder's name. Only now, the title was not Tazuna the bridge builder, but Tazuna of the Tsunami.
"Today marks the death of the land of Wave, and the birth of the shinobi and merchant village, Tsunami. Today marks the end of exploitation, and the start of commanding our own fate. There will no longer be a master to this country, save that one which the people have chosen. That is the will of the sea, and the will of the people of Tsunami." Kakashi schooled his features to keep worry from his face as he watched the roaring approval from the crowd.
'Tazuna has taken well to the position of village leader, and has even managed to push it to a national level…still, the development of such a nation is something that Konoha will have to watch closely…if they go down the wrong path, they could end up similar to Rain, and that is a disaster that no one will want to see…' Kakashi stifled his worry, and pitched his eyes to his students. All three of them were standing stoically before the crowd, with only Naruto giving off the slightest cues of emotional undertones.
'He's improved remarkably well for only two weeks…I'd like to say I had something to do with that, but I think it is more of the boy's innate personality…still, when we get back to Konoha things may change for the worse again…' Kakashi felt his hands ghost over the communiqué he had tucked in his sleeve. The council had been in contact via messenger summons since the day that Kakashi had informed them of the fox incident. The summons system through the Inuzuka was one of the other reasons that Kakashi was tasked with caring for Naruto, as it allowed him speedy access to the council's opinions.
"From the beginning of our trials with Gatou, our nation has suffered great economic turmoil. Now, at the dawn of our new country, we are beset with high debts, and poor relations with other countries. However, through hard work, the same that built the Great Tsunami Bridge, our country can rise to the highest crests imaginable. Long live Tsunami!" A resounding cry went up in response, and Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine as he looked upon the face of Tazuna. The man's countenance was set in rage and pride, and his eyes blazed with pride.
Kakashi quickly schooled his features as Tazuna turned to the group and bowed formally to them. The man's gaze was focused on Kakashi, never wavering once from the cyclop's eye.
"That was a resounding speech, Tazuna. My team and I are happy to have been here for the naming of your bridge, and will carry your request for economic and military aid in the establishment of your new country." Kakashi bowed in return to Tazuna, his voice neutral and cool.
"Thank you, Kakashi. I will be looking forward to hearing from your representatives." Tazuna returned the bow slightly, and nodded to the genin politely before turning and sweeping from the stage. Naruto seemed to grimace at the man's passing, and looked up in surprise at the hand that fell on his shoulder. Kakashi smiled down lightly at the boy, and the four Konoha ninja left the stage in silence.
Murmurs went up through the crowd at their passing, and Kakashi felt sweat trickle down the back of his neck as he heard the whispers of the villagers. Kakashi tightened his hand on Naruto, letting loose a small amount of chakra for a simple calming genjutsu. Naruto's form seemed to tense up a bit, but began to loosen after a few moments, despite the coming onslaught of slander.
'There goes the demon child!' 'Don't look, if you do he'll eat your soul!' 'Stop that, the boy's been through enough already' 'He's not human, I tell you! Look at his eyes.'
Sasuke and Sakura both grimaced at the statements, but kept their faces neutral as they waded through the crowd. Before long, the trio were outside of the village, and were met by Temu and his iconic boat. Temu stiffened at seeing Naruto at first, but then grimaced slightly and nodded to the boy and his teammates.
"So, the village rumors were true; you really became more like your partner when he passed on…" Temu's comment was innocent enough, but Naruto still stiffened and turned to give the man a wild glare.
"Sorry! I just…it's hard to believe such things happen, you know? Anyways, I'll be the one to ferry you back to the mainland. Though the bridge is completed, Tazuna wants to keep it's usage low until the village can build up adequate guards to man it at several points." Naruto and the group nodded at the ferryman, and before long the group was on its way, headed into the mist.
xXxXxXx
Tenten crouched low to the ground, brushing errant strands of hair behind her head. As she did so, the girl trained her eyes to see through the incoming mist surrounding her. Team Guy had been sent on a mission to the border of Tea Country, as part of an investigation and possible strike force. Local merchants had heard rumors that shady elements from a large multinational corporation were moving into the area. The merchants had come to the leaf village, asking for help in investigation and possible elimination of business threats. Apparently, Guy's friend on the council was a cousin of some sort that had family business in the area; the man seemed as crazy as Guy originally, but after a while, things had begun to pan out.
At first, the claims had seemed to have merit, as when they arrived a week prior there was a large amount of activity and movement surrounding several foreign ships. However, over time the groups had seemed to be dispersing and breaking apart, rather than advancing or joining together. Whatever effort there was for a multinational corporation, it was being whittled away, and quickly, by some outside force. On top of that, the few groups that had been investigated at the start of the week had quickly begun to disappear and vanish.
Tenten sighed as she replayed all of the events through her head. 'Guy-sensei saw all of that, but he still insisted that we stay to investigate this last group…all of the others have been pulling out, but this one seems to have stayed in place…' As the thought flitted about her skull, the girl shifted slightly and then blinked in surprise as a shape materialized out of the mist.
"What a dreary place to have to do business…still, we have to meet with the guy sooner or later. If we don't, there's no telling what the old snake skin will do to us if we bail on him…" A tall man, dressed in solid black with mesh armor covering his arms and legs came into the clearing. He had a giant broadsword strapped to his back, and stood at least a head and shoulders taller than Lee. The extra height was also covered in rippling muscle, and his hair was a rippling wave of red and orange. His hands were what drew Tenten's gaze though. On the back of them were some kind of tattoo or marking, both of them painted in violent styles, similar to the local gangs and thugs.
"You really shouldn't be so brazen in calling him that, you know? He is our boss and everything…" A man dressed in all black, and with a simple metal headband with a musical note stepped into Tenten's view.
"Like I care Tomo. That bastard can stew in hell in my opinion. But until he goes there, I have to follow orders with you at my back." Tomo chuckled again at the man, and Tenten felt her eyes widen at the guant and aging appearance of a thin man in simple garb. The man looked to be as old as the Hokage, but had an air of youth and energy about him. It was unsettling, and put the girl quickly on guard.
"Now now, no need to get angry at me Masaru. Our master points the blade at me, and I in turn at you. Everyone has a knife to their back at all times, you know?" Masaru seemed to bristle at the comment and turned angrily toward his comrade.
"When I get the chance to kill you, I'm going to enjoy it, you know that, right? Enjoy it and then have a nice long laugh afterward…" Tomo simply nodded at the man, keeping his distance from the angry swordsman.
"I'm sure you will…now come, we're late as it is. We have managed to disband those groups that we had working with Gato and his men after his untimely demise in Wave. Once we meet with our informant, and have the messages sent around, we should be able to leave this country immediately." Tenten tensed as the duo moved towards her position. She saw Masaru's gaze flick over her position, and had to fight back the gasp in her throat.
'His eyes…they are solid black...they remind me of Neji's but…so much harsher…' Tenten kept herself as still as possible, watching the eye's bore into her position.
"What is it? Do you see something?" Tomo's voice was back, and Tenten had to scream against her muscles to stop shaking as the odd man turned to look in her direction intently. Masaru took a step forward, then turned suddenly and shook his head.
"No, it's nothing. Just some birds in the trees is all." Tomo seemed to accept this, and the two disappeared from the clearing in a moment, moving quickly as only ninja could. Still, before they left, Tenten could have sworn that the sword wielding man had winked at her...
Waiting several more seconds to make sure that they had truly left, the girl fidgeted as her mind played over the encounter. Once she was sure that she was alone, Tenten pressed the com link at her throat.
"Tenten, reporting in. I made contact at my location, but avoided interaction. Will be reporting in shortly to debrief." Tenten let her hand fall away from her mic, and quickly jumped into motion, heading for the team rendezvous. When she arrived, she found Lee, Neji, and Gai all waiting for her in place.
"So, what do you have to report?" Gai was serious for once, and the expression added to the gravity of the mission and the group. The man's normally jovial face was passive, and set in a stern stance.
"I encountered two ninja, who stated that they were disbanding a group in the area. They made references to their boss, and sported a headband with a sound symbol on it. They mentioned that after they meet their contact point they will be heading out tonight. No mention was given to their leader's identity or to their final destination." Gai nodded to the girl, and she paused before turning to give the man a fearful look.
"Gai-sensei, you told us after Naruto and his team had been gone for a while that they were headed to Wave country. Did you hear anything about what happened to them there yet?" Gai smiled sadly at the girl and shook his head in denial.
"Why do you ask Tenten? Was there anything else from the interaction?" Tenten nodded to Gai, and cleared her throat once before continuing.
"The multinational that the group was working for was apparently headed up by some man named Gatou, based in Wave. After his death, the group of ninja apparently cut ties with the incoming merchants, as their source of income was extinguished." Gai tensed slightly at the names, but motioned for the girl to continue.
"The reason I asked about Naruto was that this Gatou man was killed in Wave apparently…and if that was where Naruto was headed, and this was an important man, well…I just, I'm worried." Gai smiled again at the girl, and for the first time that day his smile seemed more like his usual one.
"Don't worry Tenten! With my hip and eternal rival guiding them, I'm sure that they will be fine, no matter what trouble young Naruto might try to drag himself into!" Guy's voice was booming and positive as always, and Tenten found a small smile creep to her lips as the boisterous ninja put on a display.
"That's right, Naruto and Sasuke are not the type to simply get knocked aside by minor troubles, I'm also sure they will be okay!" Lee gave a positive thumbs up, mimicking his sensei's stance with raised thumb and smiling wink. Neji for his part gave a slight smirk, portraying the same positive view, and Tenten felt her spirits lift slightly at the statements.
"Thanks guys…I guess, I'm just worried about my practice partner, you know?" The girl awkwardly rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, and the group chuckled together for a few short moments.
"I too miss my sparring partner, Tenten, and as such we will be returning to Leaf immediately. Everyone is packed and ready to go?" An enthusiastic response from Lee, and nods from Tenten and Neji answered Gai's questions readily.
"Alright then! Last one home has an extra thousand pushups! Let's get to it, you three!" Guy burst into motion quickly, and his group of students raced behind him quickly. "The sooner we get home, the sooner we can all see Naruto's team again!"
xXxXxXx
"Welcome home…your group is back earlier than expected Haku." Haku turned to see the face of Mei Terumi glancing down at her, a smile placed perfectly on the woman's face.
'Home…that is something I had not thought of having in a long time…' Haku nodded to the woman, who seemed to smile a little more at the action.
"Regardless, I have good news for you. The few men I could spare to check into your story confirm that Konoha does indeed have a Jinchuuriki; the markings on the boy's face were too eerily similar to the ones like Yagura's, and he gave off a chakra presence that was astounding…Still, your claim on his lineage remains to be proven. Until then, we have nothing substantial to press Leaf with…" Mei seemed to reach behind her back, and brought forth a simple metal headband, with an engraving for Mist carved into the symbol panel.
Haku felt her eyes go wide at the item, and Mei merely smiled simply at the younger girl. 'She reminds me so much of myself…perhaps with a few years of work, I will have a fine replacement and an eventual successor…'
"This is for me? I have hardly been fighting for over a week for you though, how have I come to deserve this already?" Mei simply smiled at the girl, and offered the headband again. Haku hesitantly reached out and clasped the headband. Dropping her mask, she quickly donned the item and smiled at Mei before bowing low to her.
"You have done well Haku. You are a famous bloodline of our village, returned to us after many years of exile, and you have brought with you a symbol of loyalty in the sword of Zabuza Momochi. You have fought hard for us, and risked life and limb several times over to join our cause already. I am proud to have you among my ranks, and look forward to working with you closely over the years to come." Haku bowed to the women, tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she clutched the mask at her side.
'Zabuza…I will work hard to make sure that I can make your dream come true…I will help lead our country out of its dark times, and bring peace to the Mist village…'
xXxXxXx
Naruto yawned tiredly to himself as he walked along the dusty trail, the path to Konoha seemingly more worn since the trip to Wave. As he did, Naruto noticed the village in the distance, the great walls already coming into view. The gates were wide open, and a calm day seemed to be occurring inside. As he trudged along, Naruto felt the knot tighten in his stomach.
"Naruto, are you sure you want to head into the village without your genjutsu on?" Sakura asked, the concerning filtering in through her voice. The boy turned to her and sighed, melancholy still seeming to wash off the boy.
"What's the point? The villagers are going to find out anyways, and then I'll be right back to square one…might as well scare away the less intelligent ones first." Sasuke scoffed at Naruto's reply, drawing attention to himself for the first time in days.
"Just because they are not intelligent doesn't mean that you should just blow them off, idiot. The villagers that do care will make your life a living hell if you look normal, but if you look terrifying they are bound to just hate you more, even if they won't do anything because of their fear." Naruto smirked at Sasuke, and chuckled when the Uchiha grimaced slightly at the boy's visage.
"You know, that's the most you've said to me in almost a week you bastard. Why is it that whenever you talk a lot it's always to put me down, huh?" Sasuke scoffed at Naruto, and Naruto growled lightly before shrugging.
"Fine. Doesn't matter to me anyways, it's not like I want a bunch of posers on my side anyway." Kakashi rapped Naruto lightly on the head at that, and the boy turned a rueful glare on his teacher. Kakashi responded by placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Quiet down Naruto. You know that I can't force you to hide the fox's effects, but you will have to keep quiet on what caused it." Naruto rolled his eyes, and struggled to get away from Kakashi.
"I hear you Kakashi-sensei, and I'll keep quiet. Still doesn't mean I have to like it though…" Naruto pulled himself away from Kakashi's grasp. 'If I had just been stronger though, none of this would have happened…maybe if I work hard, not everyone will turn away from me…I just don't want to hide what I look like…I want others to know what I do for them…' Naruto shook off his brooding thoughts, and turned to give Sasuke a challenging smirk.
"…bet I can beat you there, you Uchiha bastard!" Naruto's verbal barb went straight through Sasuke's armor, making the raven haired boy growl before lighting off after the Inuzuka.
"Are they really going to be alright, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura's question drew a weary sigh from Kakashi, who merely lightly ruffled the girl's hair.
"I hope so, Sakura. I hope so." Kakashi stared after the two boys, and began to pick up the pace to catch up with them. 'Ever since the mission, Sasuke and Naruto have been more antagonistic than ever…it's only when I give them a huge challenge to work on, or a dual technique to master that they really knuckle down and cooperate…teams of genin are such a pain sometimes…'
Kakashi was brought out of his exhaustion by the appearance of a familiar face at the gate of the village. The sight of long purple hair, and the smell of snakes instantly put the man on guard. 'Crap, I'm really not in the mood for this at the moment…'
"Man, Kakashi, you four look like shit! What happened, you get roped into a civil war or something?" Anko ambled up happily to Kakashi, not really paying attention to any of the other members of Team Seven. She paused for a moment when she did not get any response beside slight nods.
"Wait, what? What happened to you four?" Naruto turned and looked at Anko and the woman stepped back harshly, before whistling lowly at the boy. "Damn blockhead, what happened to you out there? That's one hell of a mean transformation you got going…" Naruto smirked at her lightly, and Anko grinned back at the animalistic look.
"You like it, Anko-senpai? I guess you could say I was going for the vicious look…" Anko chuckled heartily at that, and gave the boy a thumbs up.
"Good work kid, you got it in one! But seriously, you guys need to clean up and come to the tower. I was sent as an escort for the lot of you, so something must be important if a Special Jonin was assigned as an escort within the village." Anko's statement made Kakashi's skin crawl, and Sakura and Sasuke both flicked a worried glance towards Naruto.
"My my, that is a surprise. Alright then, why don't you three go freshen up quickly, drop off your gear and snatch a new set of clothes? We'll meet in the tower in half an hour." Kakashi lazily informed his team, jerking a head nod towards Anko. The woman caught the implied message and wordlessly followed after the man. Moments later, the group had split up and Anko found herself with the rare privilege of being in Kakashi Hatake's home while he was changing.
"So, what was with that head nod to my question at the gate? Did you and your team step in it, or something?" Kakashi groaned from his bedroom as he pulled off his uniform and changed out of his travel worn clothes.
"You could say that…our simple C-Rank Escort turned into a literal A-rank to possible S-rank detail mission. We fought against well trained enemy ninja, including one of the seven ninja swordsmen, fought down a horde of civilians that were trained to fight ninja, and a freaking catapult. On top of that, I'm going to have to attend to the diplomacy aspect of helping set up a nation state now that the revolution is over." Anko felt her jaw want to hit the floor as Kakashi recounted his team's trials.
"Shit…that's…ugh. I also take it that something happened to the little blockhead…" Anko felt her eyes snap wide open as she turned a stare on Kakashi. "He didn't have his little fox with him? Did he lose his partner? Kakashi, that can seriously fuck with an Inuzuka, you know?" Kakashi blinked in surprise at Anko, and the woman let out an odd chuckle as he regarded her.
"I didn't know you interacted much with the Inuzuka…how do you know about that?" Anko flinched slightly under the scrutinizing gaze, but shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"It was when I was in Sea Country…There was an Inuzuka in our group, and it drove her over the edge…" Anko's hand ghosted to the back of her neck, and Kakashi immediately understood, and grimaced slightly for his reaction.
"Sorry for doubting you, this mission has me a little high strung…" Anko nodded in agreement, letting her eyes travel over the man's exposed torso.
"Yeah, your muscles sure do look tight…want any help with that shower?" Anko asked, making a show of licking her lips. Kakashi merely laughed at the woman before shaking his head.
"Sorry, but I don't think I can be late for this meeting…maybe a rain check for some other time?" Anko smirked seductively, but nodded, and slipped onto Kakashi's couch. In an instant, she had flicked on the t.v., and had her feet propped on his coffee table.
"Sure sure, just don't take too long, I might get bored out here and leave without you!" Anko's voice was chipper as ever, and Kakashi chuckled ruefully as he headed back into his apartment. 'Damn, I really was serious with that though…maybe I'll get him to come around eventually…'
Anko flipped through the t.v. channels, trying to not think on the mission, and what the loss of a partner was probably doing to Naruto. 'That kid was really close with his partner, closer than I've seen a lot of Inuzuka…I hope this team's going to be alright, I like the lot of them…' Anko shrugged, trying not to focus on her thoughts as she flipped over the television channels.
xXxXxXx
Sasuke channeled some chakra into the restrictive seals on his doorway, deactivating the seals that he had placed around his compound. As he stepped into the compound, he noticed the delivered messages outside his door. One caught his attention, and Sasuke pulled it out of the pile of bills and the like.
'I've been summoned to a grand council…that's a first…must be because I am technically an adult now that I wear the headband…' Sasuke scoffed to himself slightly, and stepped into the house, tucking the scroll away to read later.
'The last time an Uchiha attended a grand council was right before the massacre…brother, I've been getting stronger, but I'm still a long way off from matching you…' Sasuke placed his bag on the floor, his mind playing over memories of his childhood.
"Remember Sasuke, the path of the Uchiha is one of enlightenment through combat. Only through combat can a person come to see the truth of the world, and only by eliminating all ties that one has to this world, both debts and things owed, can a person escape the eternal combat."
"But brother, what does that have to do with being a council member like dad does?"
Itachi smiled down at Sasuke, and shook his head lightly. "You'll understand it more when you learn more of both combat and life in Konoha, both as an Uchiha and a ninja." Sasuke frowned at his older brother, who merely chuckled at him, and ruffled his hair.
Sasuke felt the scroll in his hand begin to heat lightly, and had to take several deep breaths to keep the document from bursting into flames. 'That laughing face of yours, that will be my greatest bond to sever brother…I can't wait until I can…'
xXxXxXx
Sakura traipsed warily into her house, slipping into her room from an upstairs window. Her bag was deposited lightly, and she changed swiftly, keeping an ear to the door at all times. Just as the girl was about to leave, she heard the door open behind her.
"So, back already and not even going to say anything to your parents, huh?" Sakura turned at the sight of her father, standing in the doorway, large and imposing.
"I've been called to a meeting with the Hokage, I have to go." Sakura stated, turning to leave quickly.
"Fine. But we will discuss this when you return home." Sakura fled the windowsill she was on, leaving the image of her father behind her.
'With any luck, that will be the last time I have to return home…' Sakura thought, her mind focusing on the coming meeting.
'There will probably be a debriefing of our mission, as well as things that the Hokage will ask us…though why we are not being given time to rest I don't quite understand.'
xXxXxXx
Naruto did not understand why the dogs all kept their distance and whined at him as he approached the clan compound, but at the moment, he didn't really care. In truth, the boy was on autopilot as he deposited his clothes and supplies, and changed into a fresh outfit.
'This is probably one of the last times I'll be in my room…that's really weird…' Naruto grimaced as he looked at his face in the mirror, and had to take a breath or two to keep his emotions in check. 'Glad I kept to the rooftops on the way back…though I said I'll face everyone with this face, I really, really did not want to just yet…it's already going to be a pain when I tell all of the other genin…oh well.'
Naruto found his gear, and quickly headed out the door, gunning toward the Hokage's office. As he did, the whining from the compound's dogs heightened until it drew into a long, mourning howl.
xXxXxXx
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with his pipe in his hand, his eyes looking over the village below him. As the elderly Hokage took a draw from his pipe, he tried to block out the sound of perverted giggling coming from behind him. Failing at the task, the old man let out a beleaguered sigh.
"Oh come on, sensei! This stuff is absolute gold! The kid invents a perverted jutsu to teach your grandson when you stiff him with babysitting? He calls himself the foxy devil? This kid is great! If I wasn't going to tutor him already, I'd definitely do it now!" Jiraiya's loud voice boomed across the office as he read through Naruto's file, perched on the corner of the Hokage's desk.
"Just because you helped me with filing for the last week does not mean you get to lounge about you know?" The Hokage's voice was winded, and creaked with his age, showing the lack of actual concern he had.
"Yeah yeah, and next you'll tell me to use the door. Come on, it's not like anyone could really pose a threat to the two of us, you know?" Jiraiya chuckled good naturedly at his teacher, turning serious when the door opened behind them.
As it did, Kakashi, Anko, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura filtered into the room. Turning in his chair, the third Hokage set his pipe to the side and smiled at the group. "Well, it is nice to see that you all made it in time to report. Now, don't worry, Kakashi has been sending me reports on what occurred on your mission, so I will not need a full debriefing from you." The Hokage's words seemed to calm the group as a whole, and the Hokage kept his face neutral for the time being. The three genin did flick their eyes questioningly toward Jiraiya, but the group as a whole seemed to shrug and accept the man's position.
'Naruto's face, hands, and eyes have changed following the event…hopefully that is not permanent, otherwise I fear he may yet become the village pariah…Sasuke does not seem too troubled, though he is slightly tense…Sakura also, though I have no idea of the reason for her…' The Hokage tapped his pipe twice, and then blew it out while gesturing to several seats placed in front of his desk.
"Now then, my first question for the group is toward Haruno-san." Sakura brightened at the Hokage's gesturing toward her, bringing her hands forward and into her lap. "On the battle at the bridge, it is listed here that at one point, you fled the battle with your target after engaging enemy combatants…your commander has stated this was due to your view that Naruto had lost control during the fight, and had begun to pose a danger to both you and your principal." The old man steepled his hands in front of his face as he regarded the young girl. "I want to hear your side of the story…walk me through what happened there…" Sakura coughed once or twice, and the Hokage noticed the tightening of Naruto's hands on his knees.
"There was a mercenary that was armed with an improvised explosive weapon…I was not in a good position to remove it from a threatening position before it could have detonated and…" Sakura's voice began to break, and the girl had to take several calming breaths before swallowing heavily. "…and Naruto's partner, Kurama, sacrificed himself to remove the weapon from a threatening position. In the process of this, it triggered the Inuzuka battle release seal that Sasuke and I were informed of after becoming teammates with Naruto during our training in the Forest of Death." The third paused, taking the girls reactions into account before smiling lightly.
"Was there anything that suggests to you that this was something that would have been out of his control?" Sakura nodded, and composed herself before continuing.
"At the time, there was a number of obvious signs that Naruto's mental state had deteriorated enough that he would not be in control of his actions. On top of that, the chakra output around him had spiked harshly enough that is physically visible…with that in mind, I knew that remaining in my current position would only threaten both me and Tazuna-san." The third nodded in agreement with this, and sighed heavily.
"That was wise of you, and your statements are in line with statements that I have received from Kakashi. You are free to go at this point. In three day time there will be a grand council hearing, regarding some of the events that transpired during the mission. Your attendance will be mandatory." Sakura nodded to her teammates, and bowed to the Hokage before exiting the room.
"Sasuke, your account is needed next. The only thing I need confirm with you is whether or not you had an assured kill on your opponent, a Haku Yuki as we have been able to establish." Sasuke shook his head stonily, and the Hokage's sigh seemed to press the man back into his chair with its force. "Very well. You may go. I recommend you read up on the briefing for the grand council meeting, and arrive early. I look forward to your participation in the coming debates." Sasuke merely nodded simply before exiting the room. Naruto fidgeted in his seat, his gaze flicking between the seats next to him and the Hokage expectantly.
"Jeez kid, don't worry. We're not going to mess you up or anything…" Jiraiya's sudden outburst caused Naruto to turn his attention to the white haired man, and in an instant the practiced calm had faded away.
"And just who the hell are you to be telling me that anyways, huh?" Kakashi restrained a sigh at the outburst, and turned to go and sit next to the blonde. As he did, he wrapped the boy once on the head, trying to get him to quiet down.
"I am the great Jiraiya of the Legendary Three Ninja, also known as the Wild Man of Konoha, and the great Toad Sage!" Jiraiya gestured to himself magnificently, puffing out his chest and spreading his arms wide.
"Never heard of you, so you can't be that great…" Naruto's simple statement caused Jiraiya to sputter and turn wide eyes on the kid.
"Listen here you little brat, I'm just as important as the old man here, so you should give me the same respect that you give him, got it?" Naruto seemed to consider the man for a second, but then shrugged and nodded his head.
"Alright, if you're really that strong and the old man is fine with you, than I guess I'll respect you…Jiraiya, right?" The white haired man nodded, and the blonde shrugged in acceptance.
"Now then, Naruto, what I want to know is exactly how much you remember of your fight at the bridge, after Kurama's death…" Naruto fidgeted nervously in front of the Hokage, and the old man took a moment to relight his pipe and take a long draw on the tobacco. "It's alright if some parts are hazy, I understand how the rush of battle can blur some details." This seemed to calm the boy, and Naruto took a couple deep breaths before facing the Hokage.
"After Kurama's death, there was a moment of red chakra surrounding everything…me and everything else…then one of the mercenaries said something, and it made me lose it…I became angry than I ever have before, and it felt like the air around me pressurized or something…then this weird orb of red floated over to me…" Jiraiya stood up at this and walked over next to Naruto.
"The orb of red, it came from Kurama's direction?" Naruto nodded once to the taller man, who nodded once while sighing. "Stand up kid, and take off your shirt, I need to check the seal." Naruto did as he was told, and removed his shirt. "Channel some chakra for us, will you? I need to see this thing active…" Naruto formed his hands into a simple seal, and there was a heavy feeling in the air. The feeling quickly passed, and a spiral with several triangular lines of seals appeared. Placed on the center horizontal line of the spiral though were six whisker like marks.
Jiraiya peered closer to the marks, and as he drew his finger across them, felt a pulse come from the seal itself. The man looked up, and noticed similar energy leaking from the marks on Naruto's face. 'So that's what happened…the Inuzuka bond seal originally served as an even numbered seal that was less than eight, balancing but reducing the amount of demonic chakra that Naruto had access to…I can understand why even the seal rookies of the village agreed to the Inuzuka seals then, as it would have made his development as a ninja easier for him…' Jiraiya sighed as he looked over the seals again, and probed for any weaknesses or signs of failure. Finding none, the man straightened and shook his head slowly.
'The larger even numbered seal means that now the fox's chakra will be enhanced, and any amounts he pulls out will be both more potent and harder to control…I could try undoing the Inuzuka rebonding, but it would take time, and I would need chances to study the seal for long periods of time…and adding another partner is just giving the kid a ticking a time bomb…this really is a right cock up.' Jiraiya sighed again, and nodded to Naruto, gesturing that he could return his shirt to normal.
"What is your diagnostic, Jiraiya?" The third had his own opinions on what happened, but he wanted to hear the seal masters opinion.
"The original seal helped the kid focus better, but the current set up will just give him more power and less control…the overall seal wasn't damaged, but the kids new facial features will stick around unless we undo the changes. But undoing it will take time, and might be more trouble than it's worth…plus undoing it might even risk the integrity of the Fourth's work…" The Hokage nodded to Jiraiya's suggestion, and Kakashi cleared his throat slightly, drawing the groups' attention.
"If it's a matter of control, well, I've been drilling them all on control exercises quite extensively already. With a little work, I'm confident he could regain his ability to water walk and perhaps further his control after that…" Naruto nodded at Kakashi's suggestion, and the third seemed to scratch something down on a piece of paper in response.
"While I would agree with that, there is still more to hear…tell me Naruto, while you were using the fox's chakra, was there ever a time when you were not in control of your actions?" Naruto seemed confused by the question, and brought a hand to his head, trying to force the memories back.
"There was a lot of pain, and anger…I remember wanting to kill the mercenaries for what they did, and…and then I saw Kakashi talking to Gato…I remember something telling me to keep Kakashi away from my kills, and fighting that urge off…but then there was a lot of pain and then my memory goes fuzzy for a bit…sorry, but that's the most I can remember." The third nodded at this and turned an eye to Kakashi.
"Well, it is true that some memories can become lost while in the midst of battle. As per normal, you, and your teammates will begin to receive counseling from a Yamanaka shortly, and as such we might be able to draw a few more details from your events. I am going to recommend that you begin your counseling sessions today though, in light of the coming grand council concerning the events of your mission." Naruto blinked but nodded in agreement. After that, the boy shifted in his seat, and turned a questioning glance on the Hokage.
"With the grand council hearing, is that going to be about my losing control of the fox? Because I don't think I can be blamed for something that I don't know anything about beforehand…" The Hokage held up a hand to cut the boy off, and Naruto gulped quickly. "The other thing is…I want to know why the Fourth chose me for the sealing…why me over anyone else…was there no one else that was born that day, or what?" The third grimaced at that particular line of questioning, but pulled a scroll out from his desk.
"This scroll contains everything that I am about to say, as well as some technical details concerning issues at the grand council meeting." The third took a long draw on his pipe and then set it down to the side. In a smooth movement, the elder ninja glided from his seat to stand beside Naruto, leaving the view of the village clear.
"The Fourth Hokage is regarded as one of the greatest Hokage that Konoha has ever had. However, one of the greatest reasons for sadness in our village was that the Fourth Hokage never had children. As you know from your experiences with me, I was the father of one or two children such that I can now be called a grandfather." Naruto nodded at all this, a frown flitting across the boy's features. "The Second Hokage was similar to me in this regard, but the first, for his own reason, never had children. One of the main reasons that the First did not have children was that his wife was the current Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox." Naruto's face drew into a puzzled expression, trying to follow the conversation and its many twists and turns.
"But I'm an Inuzuka…and I know that I can't be the son of my mom and Tsume…and what does that have to do with the First's wife being the container for the fox anyways?" Naruto's voice was low, and full of self-doubt.
"Let me finish explaining please." Naruto nodded to the Third, mollified, and the elder ninja took a long draw on his pipe before continuing. "The reason that it matters is that your mother is not Tsume, nor is it an Inuzuka. You are an adoption into the Inuzuka clan Naruto, something that is very rare in hidden villages." Naruto felt his eyes go wide at that, and Kakashi grimaced from where he stood, his face hidden by his mask. Jiraiya seemed to be staring fixedly out the window, studying the far skyline.
"Your mother was in fact the former Jinchuuriki for the Nine-Tailed fox, Kushina Uzumaki." Naruto again turned a questioning eye on the elder, but the Third merely raised a hand to forestall any more enquiries.
"The next thing you need to understand are the responsibilities of a Hokage. Each Hokage is chosen such that they have a large enough power to safely meet and associate with the other Kage's. But the second responsibility of each Kage is to possess the necessary power and abilities to, if necessary, face their village Jinchuuriki in armed combat and prevail. This is the case with every Kage that comes from a nation with a Jinchuuriki." Naruto's eyes begged the third to continue, but the elder noticed the grip that Naruto's hands seemed to be exerting on his knees.
"What the old man is trying to say kid, is that your father was the Fourth Hokage, and your mother Kushina Uzumaki." Naruto turned suddenly to face Jiraiya, the boy's face full of anguish and the man's stony and set.
"So why…why didn't either of their families take me in? Why was I taken in by the Inuzuka?" Kakashi coughed into his hand to get Naruto's attention, well aware of the track that the boy's coming hysterics could head.
'He's gained some semblance of control again these last few weeks, but this, even with the counseling, might be a bit much…' Kakashi stepped forward and brought himself to eye level with Naruto.
"Naruto…the thing is…your father's clan was very nearly wiped out during the last ninja war. He was the last member of it in fact, and had hopes of rebuilding it himself one day. As for your mother, her clan was not based in Konoha, though they were allies. After the last war, they suffered heavy losses, and their village was scattered to the winds…" Naruto's eyes were confused, searching desperately for deceit from the masked ninja.
"That…that means I'm the last one, huh?" Jiraiya shook his head and stepped over to the boy, making Naruto flinch in reaction.
"You're not the last one of the Uzumaki, at least not by what I've been able to pick up…there might be a few more Uzumaki's out there, but they are so scattered, and possibly don't even know their clan history. Still, they exist. Also, the Namikaze were very close to the Inuzuka Clan, so you really can still keep your affiliation with them and not worry about things too much." Naruto blinked in surprise at the larger man, and drew his gaze down questioningly.
"And just why do you know all this, huh? If the Uzumaki are our allies, why haven't you brought them back to our village? And who were the Namikaze, I hardly know anything about them! They were mentioned in class and stuff, but I really can't remember who they were!" Jiraiya chuckled and tossed the scroll that the Third had proffered earlier over to the kid.
"The old man wasn't kidding when he said it's all in there. You can find everything you need to know in there, and more, Naruto. As for my knowing things, I'm a spy for Konoha, and one of the best. However, your relatives are in tight spots, and there is nothing I can really do to get them out of them at the moment…" Naruto gripped the scroll tightly, and began to open it, looking up at the sage with doubtful eyes.
"If that's so, then why do you care? I mean, you probably worked with the Fourth and all, but that doesn't mean you should be going out of your way for him…" Jiraiya sighed, and smiled at the kid sadly.
"Your old man was one of my first pupils. I trained him up, helped him become the seal master he was, and he even made me your godfather." Jiraiya's face darkened for a second, then seemed to recover quickly. "However, because of my job as a spy master, I was never able to really come back and look out for you; plus doing so would have blown your identity sky high. Sorry kid, but my hands were tied." Jiraiya shook his head ruefully, but Naruto kept a scrutinizing gaze on the man. Jiraiya felt taken aback by the hard stare, and was reminded of the looks that his former teammate Orochimaru would throw him at times.
"Alright, so…that explains that…but why wasn't I told of this sooner?" The third sighed in response to that question, and nodded again to the scroll.
"If you remember Naruto, I said the Inuzuka adopted you. It wasn't just that they were looking after you, they had to raise you as one of their own, and within their main house no less. In order for that to be agreed to though, some stipulations were allowed. Though the age of adulthood in the village may start at genin rank, in the Inuzuka clan it is at age 16 or Chuunin rank, and as such you were kept from the knowledge until such a time. I actually argued with Tsume several times on that matter, but she was most insistent." Naruto chuckled lightly at the statement, and shook his head in disbelief.
"That sounds like Mo…like her." Naruto grimaced, fighting to keep his words in line. 'She's not my mother, even though she raised me as such…and especially not for keeping this from me…' Naruto thought of Kurama, and felt his anger spike slightly. Reigning it in quickly, Naruto was surprised to see the looks of shock on Jiraiya and the Third's face.
"Yeah…that happens when I get mad, sorry about that…" Jiraiya shook his head at the kid, disbelief written over his face.
"It's fine kid, don't worry about it. I remember my teammates scared a number of people in our younger days when we were mad, so don't worry on it too much…" Jiraiya shook himself mentally to clear his head a little. 'Damn if that didn't remind me of a younger version of Orochimaru though…need to be careful with this one, Hiruzen…Minato deserved better than to have that repeat with his progeny…'
"I think this is all I can take for now though, I'm sorry Hokage-sama." Hiruzen merely nodded to Naruto in understanding and proffered the scroll once more.
"I understand Naruto, and as I said, it will be necessary that we begin your sessions with the Yamanaka as soon as possible. Here are the details of a Inoichi Yamanaka I want you to see. Stop by his place after you leave here. He'll be expecting you." Naruto nodded in understanding before bowing to the group. As he was about to leave, he turned back and addressed Jiraiya.
"If you really are my godfather, please help me soon. I'm going to be moving out of the Inuzuka compound regardless of what happens, as I don't want to risk their well-being with my presence." Jiraiya wanted to speak against that line of argument, but a look from Kakashi cut the man off. Instead, the hulking white haired man nodded, and gave the boy a reassuring smile. With that, Naruto smiled back and slipped out the door.
"That kid is going to be lots of trouble, Hiruzen…still, damn if he doesn't remind me of a scarier version of his old man. With some of the pep and spit fire of Kushina to boot." The third chuckled in agreement, and even Kakashi smiled a little at the statement.
"Yes, I think Naruto is a fitting combination of both their personalities, though Tsume-san may have tempered the influence of Naruto's mother a slight bit. Now, Kakashi, you have some details regarding the agreement in Wave I believe?"
xXxXxXx
"Ah good, you're here. There are a number of things we need to discuss regarding your new living agreement." Sakura stared around in confusion as the voice echoed seemingly inside her skull. The girl had walked into what was formerly her home to find the place abandoned, and devoid of all furniture. In the center of the room sat a man, a set of bandages covering half his body and face. A simple meal of fish and rice was set in front of him, and the air around him seemed to be strangely charged somehow.
"Who are you? What happened to my house?" Sakura's voice was shrill, and seemed to come in quick gasps to the girl's ear.
"You will not speak unless I ask you to." The man that was sitting in front of Sakura did not move, but the girl felt a strong wind suddenly yank her off her feet and slam her to the ground. The door behind the girl shut quickly, and the room blazed with esoteric symbols covering every wall. "Is that understood, Sakura Haruno?" Sakura nodded from her position on the floor, eyes filled with questions and confusion.
"Good. And don't worry, you'll soon come to understand what it means to train underneath me. Under my tutelage, you will become great, and will be valued by the village." The man pushed the tray of food across the floor to her with his cane, watching her the whole time for signs of contention. "Eat." At the girl's questioning look, the man stooped and took a bite of the food. "It's not poisoned. Eat." Sakura turned and began to eat slowly, all the while her eyes trained on the strange man.
"My name is Danzo Shimura. And I am your new master. You will eat when I tell you, sleep when I tell you, and be what I tell you. Your old existence is forfeit. Your new existence is to exist only for me." Sakura kept her gaze to the floor, not daring to look up from her spot.
xXxXxXx
Naruto's head remained fixed in the distance, looking out over the village around him. The monument to the Hokage was in the distance, and Naruto sat with his hood up, and his features hidden. It did nothing to help quiet the blonde's raging mind.
'The whole nation was destroyed…and yet, we know there are survivors, and can't do a thing about it. Many of them fled to nearby village of Amegakure, and yet we aren't even allowed to rescue them because the country is on lockdown…' Naruto turned and glared at the image of the Fourth Hokage, his hands tightening around his biceps as he did.
'My father left me to take care of the fox, and my mother was the last of my clan in the village…on top of that, because of my dad, I don't even have the hair of my mother's clan…' The village breeze caused the lining around Naruto's coat to flicker against his face as he sat, bringing back painful memories.
'Despite all of that…they still made sure that I was taken care of by someone…and that I grew up well…maybe, maybe I can forgive them.' Naruto felt the first hot tears begin to fall, and buried his head in his arms as silent sobs racked through his frame.
'Still, I'm going to have to talk to Mo…Tsume-san about why I wasn't informed about this earlier…and about what me being an Uzumaki or Namikaze will mean…' As Naruto stared at the face of the Fourth Hokage, at the still and stern image on the mountain, Naruto felt his gaze harden.
'Screw the Namikaze, and the Uzumaki…I'm staying an Inuzuka if I can help it! I don't care if they were my biological parents, Tsume and Kegawa were the ones who raised me! I'm staying an Inuzuka if I have any chance to, and screw whatever gets in my way!' Naruto felt his blood begin to rage, and his eyes lit with passion. Standing up as tall as he could, Naruto turned and bellowed out over the village.
"You hear that, Konoha! Naruto Inuzuka is here to stay, so you better get used to it! Believe it, damn it! I'm going to be Number One!" No response came to the boy, but the mere making of the statement was enough for the young ninja.
xXxXxXx
Yep, cutting it off there! Took forever, but I have almost everyone back home, had some fun moments, and am overall satisfied with this. Sorry for the extended wait, there was a bit of a delay due to spring break throwing off my interest/ability to write. But here it is, and I hope it's everything worth the wait. Not much else to say, so I hope to see you around when the next chapter is ready to go! As always, read and review!