Breaking the Boundaries
A/N.
Hello there.
I am considering an IPO for 'Jinchuurikis gone Wild'. Apparently Yugito needs a lot of financial incentive to do it. Naruto is happy if someone buys him ramen before the shoot… Akina no Akuma gets a 10 allotment option if it does go ahead. By the way, read his works if you haven't, because he is on hiatus and you won't get any love from him for a while.
For some reason I felt compelled to draw people's attention to a throw away line from the last chapter:
… Naruto knew that if he ever needed a kunoichi to watch his back he would probably kill Sakura (or knock her unconscious), strap her to his back as fodder while asking Hinata for help.
That was how much he liked her.
I really enjoyed that for some reason, so thank you for indulging me. A shorter chapter this time. I should have separated the last into two, so people could absorb it entirely. So if things don't make sense, well, read the last chapter again, as much as I hate to say it. These massive epics are not winning me anything besides numerous headaches. That is a prize I'd rather decline.
And man, did the new Bleach screw up my timeline… And the new Naruto… well, if anything at least it's interesting. And it confirmed my feelings about Itachi all along. Except how it all ended…
On the plus side I added an omake. As an author I have the prerogative right to add anything I put to paper/publish online. This was no exception. Feel free to tell me otherwise.
Oh yeah, Yondaime Hokage fans should steel yourself for this chapter. That is all I am going to say on the issue.
Once again many thanks to VFSNAKE and Frozen Sin for their assistance with beta'ing. Without them this story would be lacking a certain something.
Dialogue normal/external speech
Dialogue inner thoughts
Dialogue Kyuubi speaking aloud
Dialogue Kyuubi thinking/musing
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach. They still remain the intellectual property of their owners. Which is not me.
Chapter started: 02Apr08
Chapter completed:15Apr08
Previously on BB
As Naruto sat back and saw the rest of the children around him being embraced and congratulated by their parents, he wondered how things would have turned out if he desperately wanted to become a genin.
Man, I would have taken on any offer no matter how stupid or suspicious it would have been.
"Hey Naruto, I think that Iruka-sensei was a bit harsh on you. I mean, you have been here for three years so I guess I can do you a favour. How about I tell you a little secret?"
Mizuki-sensei?
Chapter eleven
As the truth gathers dust…
Konoha
'Ne' Headquarters
"So 'Karasu' if I said that I had access to the Scroll of Sealing what would you do for me?"
The mad fuuinjutsu specialist just blinked several times before laughing.
"Oh, that's a good one kid. I thought you were serious for a second..."
Seeing the blond with a dead serious expression on his face, he stopped himself.
Wait, is he for real?
"You – you're not kidding are you?"
Giving a foxy grin, Naruto just nodded before rubbing his hands together.
"I have one shot to take a look into the village's greatest secrets. So, is there anything that you might want? Anything really badass?"
Oh. My. God.
"ALL KNEEL BEFORE NARUTO!"
He went on his knees and started to bow like Naruto was a golden haired deity from above.
"Err..."
They were starting to attract attention, and Naruto was just looking perplexed at the odd sight. 'Karasu' saw them and hurried to them before pushing them onto the floor.
"Dammit, all kneel before Naruto!"
After several scenes of abuse later, 'Karasu' managed to get on wobbly knees to find Naruto missing. Panicking and thinking that he had lost the opportunity of a lifetime, he hurried to find the jinchuuriki. He managed to find him talking to 'Hebi', with him gesticulating wildly and making bowing motions before he stormed in and hugged Naruto like a fangirl.
"Ohmygod, youhavetogeteverythingonfuuinjutsu. Absolutelyeverything-"
"Get off me dammit! Go and hug 'Hebi' or something else dammit!"
The kunoichi gave a smirk, daring the other to even think about it. He gulped and let go of Naruto.
The boy sighed.
"As much as I would like to actually copy the scroll, that thing looks massive and I wouldn't have the time, even with some shadow clones. And by the time it's missing, I'm sure the IS ANBU will be on my ass quicker than you can imagine. I have one shot at this."
"How are you even getting a chance without being executed?"
"Easy, I play the patsy."
Flashback
"It's not usually known, but there are other ways of passing the Academy exam."
"Really? Like what?"
Naruto was awfully suspicious of Mizuki, even during the Academy. He looked way too alert to be a teacher and he had this aura around him that made him quite uncomfortable. He decided to draw on his spiritual sight and found something that stopped him cold. It was a localised circle of darkness of his left shoulder. It looked like Anko's cursed seal...
Hell, it was an advanced version of the seal that was only visible when he drew reiatsu into his eyes.
What the fuck?
"In the Hokage's office there is a scroll, the Scroll of Sealing. It has all of the villages secret and most dangerous techniques. And it is guarded by the ANBU. If you want to pass the Academy, then all you have to do is get the scroll, learn one technique and you graduate!"
Naruto wasn't going to buy that at first instance.
"Isn't that like, treason?"
Mizuki sweatdropped. He didn't think Naruto would question it too deeply.
"Well, only if you intend to run off with the scroll to Konoha's enemies. Because you failed so many times, you can redeem yourself by showing the, err, more practical skills you have that the Academy cannot test. Yes... the practical side. That will do nicely."
"And if you manage to penetrate the Tower and get the scroll, then hell, you deserve to be a genin if you can defeat ANBU defences. And manage to learn a technique usually restricted to jounins and above."
"Are you sure, maybe I should ask Iruka-sensei to get his opinion."
Oh shit.
Mizuki adopted a sympathetic look before placing his hand on the blond's shoulder, "Now Naruto, I hate to break this to you, but Iruka-sensei doesn't have your best interest at heart."
And you do?! How fucking stupid do you think that I am?
"W-What do you mean?"
Mizuki put on a sad and solemn face. "He has told me many times that there is no way that you will graduate as long as he is a teacher."
"W-why does he hate me so much?" the look of pain on Naruto's face was so artfully contrived that no one would have thought it was false.
Mizuki just sighed. "Think of all the pranks that you have pulled on him for the last three years. The fact that you keep on screaming about him needing something called Viagra. And how he couldn't land a woman to save his life; how he is a chronic masturbator. You know, things like that."
"Hey, it's not my fault that he is a crap teacher!"
Stupid, stupid modsoul!
"Well, that might be so. But this is a chance to show Iruka that he is wrong and that you do deserve to be genin. You do want to be a genin, don't you?"
As much as I want to get between Choji and the grand and final opening of an all you can eat buffet restaurant. Man, I should just report you to the ANBU and let Ibiki have his fun.
Hold off on that. We can use him as he is so obviously trying to use us.
How?
Well, we do have a reasonable excuse to get our hands on that scroll. It would be damned useful if nothing else. And we can blame Mizuki for it, which is going to be obvious once they find that seal on his shoulder.
How the hell did that go unnoticed for so long anyways?!
Who knows? The only question is whether you can pull it off?
Pretty sure that I can. All that 'Ne' training is good for something.
But if you do, then it will raise suspicions as to how you can sneak like an ANBU operator.
I guess I have to do it in a stupid and clumsy way, while using some outrageous jutsu to make it kinda plausible.
... if you are thinking of that absolutely stupid jutsu kit, I am going to –
Hey, it's not stupid! It works perfectly fine!
Against the Hokage and his ANBU?!
Well… Ok, so there is a small chance that it won't work...
Your definition of small needs some revising.
But hey, you're the one that wanted to do it in the first place weren't you?
Yes, but only with a plan that doesn't get us drawn and quartered!
Fine, we will develop a better plan, but let's get the info first.
"Well, sure, I'll do it! I'll show Iruka to look down on me!" A cheesy happy face graced Naruto's features as he inwardly planned.
Mizuki gave an unpleasant grin for a split second before nodding.
"Ok, the scroll that is in the Hokage's office is actually just a dummy to lure people away from the real scroll. That is located in the Hokage's private library located on the eighth floor. To make it a bit easier for you, here is a little something I prepared."
He handed over a wooden cube that contained several seals.
"The scroll emits a certain kind of signal, that this cube is designed to locate. Be careful ok and don't lose it. It will be hidden away in a genjutsu somewhere in the room. Once you get it, meet me outside the Forrest of Death, then you can learn the jutsu in front of me so I can graduate you and tell off the ANBU when they come."
Ok, he is defiantly a spy for Orochimaru. It must have taken his time to get all this information. Then again, why couldn't that Snake Bastard just tell him exactly where to go?
Sarutobi more than likely changed the security protocols after his favoured student went rogue.
"Why can't you tell the ANBU to stand down and give me time to learn?"
"Well, then there wouldn't be any pressure on you at all then would there? Think of it like a real life mission, where you have a deadline to keep."
I didn't think it would actually be this hard to convince the boy. Most kids would jump at the chance to graduate after failing for three years in a row.
Uzumaki Naruto was no ordinary kid.
End flashback
"So yeah, I figure at the very most I can get, maybe an hour or two before the ANBU hunt me down and the game is up."
"How the hell is he planning to escape with such a tight margin?" asked 'Karasu'.
Naruto screwed up his face in thought, "I get the feeling there will be a retrieval squad on Konoha's outskirts waiting for him to exfiltrate back. Anyways, do you have any idea to what is on there?"
"Hmm, a few things. Let's ask someone who actually has used it before."
"Who?"
"Who else? 'Mi' of course."
'Hebi' was developing a tick. "Are you forgetting someone here 'Karasu'? Someone standing right in front of you, fingering a kunai..."
He laughed nervously, "Or we can just ask this lovely lady here."
Naruto looked at her with wide eyes. "You have used it before?!"
She nodded happily, "Yeah, once you reach jounin they let you look at some parts of the scroll, and only parts. Usually have one of the Black Guard ANBU looking over your shoulder. No one really knows to the full extent of the scroll, but it is dammed big and contains things from Kage Bunshin to the kinjutsus that are restricted to kage level nins."
"Anything that I would want?"
She snorted. "Don't worry Naru-kun, we can and will teach you everything that you might and ever need. This is an unnecessary risk that you are taking. Only an idiot would fall for it."
"No! Don't listen to her! There are many things that would be worth your while!" the man struggled to think of something that would help his argument before he made a realisation.
"Your seal! All the information about the sealing and the summoning of the Shinigami is inside the Scroll! It has valuable notes that can help you and Yugito in controlling the bijuu's power."
Well, isn't that interesting?
"Ok, I'm sold."
"Actually, that might not be a bad idea. The Hokage will not kill you, because the operative theory is that the Kyuubi would burst out of your chest and dance all around Konoha in some sort of cotillion number. He might punish you in some cruel and unusual fashion, but besides from that, you need a plan. To evade the damned ANBU while you get what you need." 'Hebi's' eyes were lost in thought as she planned contingencies.
"Can you find if there is a team waiting for him and direct the ANBU to them if they exist? And what do you mean by cruel and unusual?"
"I might, if I get something from you in return..." she drawled with a smirk.
"Err, what do you want? And what do you mean by cruel and unusual?" demanded Naruto.
She just gave a wide grin.
"I'm sure I will think of something whiskers."
"... why wont you tell me about the cruel and unusual punishment dammit!?" he pouted. The list of favours he owed to people had reached the point where it didn't faze him anymore. If he was more careful he would have bargained for a little while longer. 'Hebi' had one hell of a memory.
Konoha
Buildings adjacent to the Hokage's Tower
Nightfall
Ok, let's do this.
The route he had memorised, thanks to 'Hebi' and he knew that he had to time this just right but make it seem like an unbelievably fortunate accident that he made it through the gauntlet of security emplaced by the IS ANBU.
And he realised that there would be complications because of the interesting chakra orb that the Hokage possessed that could hone in on a signature and remote view them. This would have been bad, if 'Mi' hadn't possessed a counter. Hell, Danzo and all of 'Ne' would have been exposed if they didn't figure out a trick.
The scrying orb worked by actually concentrating on a person's ambient chakra, but to do that it needed some actual unique identifier that acted like a beacon. Otherwise Jiraiya's intelligence network would not have been needed if the Hokage could see anywhere in the world. 'Ne' was pretty sure that the Sandaime had some sort of tag on Naruto, and he couldn't avoid that. But the remote viewing angle was limited to actually looking at a person front and centre. In reality, the mechanics of the orb were somewhat unknown, being a useful relic from the time of the Founding. It played a part in establishing the Hidden Leaf, a gift from the imperial Senjuu brothers that allowed them to forge a nation in the heart of the Elemental Nations. Danzo and 'Ne' just made damned sure that the Hokage nor his ANBU would ever tag them. They could have removed Naruto's tag, but that would have raised suspicion and would have been reapplied just as quickly.
So yeah, have to pretend to learn kage bunshin no jutsu. Again.
Are you sure, can't you say that Hayate taught you that?
Well, I could, but that might get him into trouble.
Well, that is valuable time wasted.
Meh. I will just pretend to do it while copying the more important things.
How the hell do you intend to get away with that? The more I think about this, the harder it seems logistically.
Well, if it was easy then I would see others flying out of rooftops using all sorts of kickass powers...
Yes, wouldn't that be a sight to see.
Wait, I got it!
Yeah?
I will just mount a camera that will photograph the things that I see and go through the parts that I need!
Woah, that was pretty ingenious of you. But can you get a camera that small though?
Well, its time for 'Karasu' to earn his keep. Sending kage bunshin now. We can wait for a few more hours anyways.
So he sat there, stretching his limbs as he embarked on risky plan that they had hatched. He went over the advice given by the various Root operators:
'Sai': that's pretty gutsy of you. I think I have to promote you from dickless to micropenis.
Yugito: you're crazy, don't get yourself killed because I don't want to find myself a new best friend. You understand me Naruto? Oh yeah, tell me how I can force this furbag to actually be useful. Stupid freeloading bijuu... all you have given me is this creepy scar that I can't even show off to people...
'Karasu': if I was female I would so want your babies right now. Remember to copy everything perfectly ok?
Danzo: ... I hope your joking. This has a success rate of what? One in a thousand? The gods might smile down on you, but really... Is this really worth it? Don't do it Naruto.
'Mi': remember, the ANBU absolutely hate it when you go for their crotch. Just keep working away at it. They won't dare to hurt you too badly, so take advantage of that and make sure they can't walk properly after you're done with them. It is hard to pursue when there is significant bruising in that area. Look, it is your only opportunity to ever get away with ridiculous shit like this. Don't waste it.
'Ushi': well, make sure you take enough explosives in case, you, err, need to get away. Or some sort of distraction is needed. Or you get wet between the knees at the sight of a glorious explosion... err, were we at again? Oh, right, there is no problem in the Elemental Nations that cannot be solved with a carefully placed explosive tag. Here, take twenty. And if you don't actually use them all, then I will be very disappointed in you Naruto-kun. Very disappointed…
'Tori': for the love of god, sneak. We teach you to move silently and all that, so for kami's sake use it! The ANBU follow a rather peculiar pattern that rotates, but basically they patrol in two's in a circular fan fashion, using the central pillar as the epicentre. Since it is still kinda peacetime, they will not be as alert as they should be. And we have been having some rather quiet moments as well. If you time it just right, then you can evade all of them. Remember to hide your chakra and get the fuck out of there once you get the scroll.
'Hebi': now Naruto, at night there should be only a small ANBU detachment for guard duty. The Sandaime should be home with his family, but there is a small chance that he is clearing some paper work. But you should be able to avoid them. And if they do find you, run off to the area south east of the Forest of Death. I think I have found a contingent of enemy nins hidden under some really complex genjutsus there. Carry the mic so I can direct you if things go south. The scrying orb cannot transmit sound, so feel free to talk. If they aren't there, I can cause a fight with 'Mi' while you hunker down to copy the shit that you need. And you owe me big, big time.
Right, and people think I'm messed up and have problems, the blond thought with a fond grin.
He formed a cross shaped seal before creating ten clones around him. He gave them a set of monoculars and told them to take point on various areas so that they could report back to him of any incoming threats.
"Be very, very quiet."
They just nodded before taking their positions. Naruto just thanked his ridiculously large chakra capacity that allowed him to use his clones in such a manner. It was nearing midnight, but he wanted to wait a few more hours, the nadir of two thirty in the morning where people lost their initial alertness and were operating on rote responses. He tightened all of his straps, loosened his zanpukuto in its sheath, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it and relaxed his breathing. This would have been his first solo op, right in friendly territory. His clone had come back with a crimson bandanna that had a high resolution camera hidden away in the fabric. He tied in across his head and gave a foxy grin.
"Operation Informit commences in five seconds. Radio silence in three, two, one."
"Now."
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Woah, this place looks much creepier at night.
The Hokage's office had wide open spaces that let in copious amounts of air and light during the day. This created very few shadows for anyone to take advantage of. However, at night there were lights at regular intervals that made it clear where things were, in a general sense, but were also muted such that it wasn't a shining beacon to stand out in the distance.
Ok, one, two, three, four and five.
The blond quickly ducked into a vacant room, his back hugging the walls as he felt a patrol pass him by. With the route memorised in his head, he knew that he was only two levels from his target. He used his reiatsu sight as it was undetectable to the generations upon generations of seals that could feel the slightest use of chakra when they were activated at night. Luckily there were a few blind spots where they did not quite cover the distance.
So far so good...
He peeked across the corner and saw no one. He took quickly cast three shadow clones and left them to cover his rear if anything did go bad. He calmly and confidently made his way across the floor, avoiding all the weighted boards that would have triggered a pressure signal to the ANBU OIC and traversed across the central hall.
Ok, I need to reach the Hokage's collection.
His soft soled boots made no sound as he gazed on the hallway, his eyes long adjusted to the low light such that everyone was clear. He took out the cube and found that it drew him to a certain location. He grinned with anticipation as he felt his heart race with excitement.
He then heard a noise.
And the feedback of a clone.
Shit! What was that!?
"Report!" he hissed silently.
"ANBU sighted on the north west flank, looks like a routine patrol but they are converging!"
Dammit, they are good. Things have improved since the last few years. Have to hurry this a bit.
Naruto flooded his eyes with reiatsu and found no signatures so he decided to wing it. It was more than likely that he would be found out. The time for caution was nearly over as the ANBU would be following standard procedures and place the Tower under lockdown when they caught sight of him. He reached the door and opened it, before finding himself stopped by a seal.
Shit, this wasn't part of the plan.
The cube in his pocket warmed up, and on instinct he placed it to the door. It gave a silent click before the seal collapsed and released the chakra bindings on the lock.
Thanks Mizuki-sensei. You were good for something.
He went in and saw rows and rows of scrolls all placed into cylindrical holders.
Now, if I was a top secret scroll where would I be?
Hidden under a trap or in a safe?
Or maybe hidden in the open so that no one would suspect it?
He placed the cube in the palm of his hand and let it guide him, his eyes roving from left to right as he tried to feel for anything that felt out of place. He went near a corner and froze. He could feel it tugging at the edge of his vision, an urge to look away and dismiss a certain spot. He just gazed at it.
Hey Kyuu, little help.
Using the kitsune's vision, he saw beyond the elaborate neural field that was powered by five seals over one square meter.
That's pretty impressive stuff that he has there. A triple layered genjutsu...
Wait, triple layered?!
Yes. You probably know about double layered, how it is one genjutsu over another. This one is different in that it has a rather vicious cycle; it plays on your memory. If you recognise the first layer, the other layers react in increasing levels of hostility before you reach the final one. And when you breach the second, the third acts to reactivate the first.
What happens?
Seems to place you into permanent hypnosis. It would probably give the Uchiha problems. In fact, it seemed to be designed by them...
How... odd. Why would any Uchiha be allowed to guard one of Konoha's secrets, considering the whole Itachi thing. Unless it was long ago…
It looks fairly new as well. And the only Uchiha with this level of skill would be Mikoto...
Naruto's blood chilled for a moment.
Think about it. She is the last adult Uchiha. The Hokage will be keeping a close eye on her if only to guarantee her safety. This could be a way to entice her loyalty. I wonder what else he has been giving her, considering that she isn't as desperate as her son when it comes to training.
He just shrugged the thought away. Ok, how to I get it without triggering the trap.
Hmm, through the cube into it and see what happens.
If you say so...
So he did, the wooden block travelling less than a meter before being repelled back.
Ok, that didn't work. Lousy Mizuki... the quality of traitors these days is disappointing.
Well, the only other method would be to use one massive chakra burst, which will get the attention of everyone around you. And this is getting more difficult as time goes along. The Sandaime will be awfully suspicious to how you disrupted that kind of sealing arrangement.
... fuck.
Quite. Actually, get the cube and lace it with your chakra.
Naruto obediently did so. The wooden box seemed to drain his chakra with little problem, making him very suspicious.
Whatever that cube is, it's interesting to say the least. Acts like a battery as well... Throw it at the seals, it should unravel and disrupt the entire fuuinjutsu matrix. Then get ready to run.
Well, here goes nothing.
He tossed it, watching the parabolic arc as it ever so gently fell onto the area enclosed by the trap. As it reached the passive range of the seals, the cube burned and started to disintegrate. The chakra stored in the medium discharged itself in a burst of bright, blue light as it overloaded the shields in a disruptive wave, making the floor shake and reverberate from several meters of the epicentre. Naruto opened his eyes and found what he was looking for.
The Scroll of Sealing was standing on a pedestal. Towering over two metres tall, his mouth started to water and the thought of discovering all of Konoha's precious techniques. Who knows, he might find a dirty little secret as well.
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When the flare went up, all the latent chakra sensitive equipment went into overdrive. The OIC was enjoying some tea when the seals activated and glowed red.
"Alpha alert!"
He swore and grabbed a ninjato off the rack before slamming a button on his command console. Throughout the building alarms went off, sending an alert for the ANBU team on standby. The team en route from a mission received a message on their headsets.
"Code alpha, lockdown Hokage tower ASAP."
Yuugao cursed. She wanted nothing more than to debrief after the mission and enjoy a hot bath. Her hands went up and formed signals as she got them to take point around the Tower.
"Everyone, eyes open!"
"Hai taichou!"
They separated and formed an equilateral triangle as they waited for any suspicious movement out of the building. She was awfully pissed and would gladly take her anger out on the presumptions intruder.
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Well, crap. No more need for stealth I guess.
He slung the scroll across his back and dashed out side. He didn't expect to run into the Sandaime when he was just about to exit the door.
"Naruto?!"
Ah, nuts.
He jumped back, with surprise on his face.
"What are you doing with that scroll?"
"Just doing what Mizuki-sensei told me to do! I've got to go!"
Sarutobi hardened his eyes and made his way to bar his path.
"What is going on Naruto?"
The blond just smirked before his hands formed a seal.
Orioke no jutsu!
Dammit, you promised me that you wouldn't use that stupid move!
Naruto's form was covered in smoke before a vision of perfection took its place. Lithe and buxom, the blonde Naruko had a delicate elfin face that looked coyly at the Sandaime. She was as bare as the day she was born, with wisps of transparent cloud doing nothing to hide her from the Hokage's incredulous stare. She bit on one of her fingers and gave a winsome look before pouting.
Sarutobi's eyes travelled further down south as Naruko slowly shifted her body, unveiling inch by glorious inch every bit of her sun kissed body as everything was threatened to be revealed. She pushed out her chest before stretching luxuriously. As the veil shifted lower, he could just make out the cleft of her...
Naruko just gave a petulant pout before winking ever so slowly.
"See something you like Hokage-sama?"
The elaborate striptease was probably a bit too much for the old man, a fountain of blood bursting from his nostrils that literally propelled him three feet backwards and sent him tumbling like, well, tumbleweed. Naruto released his jutsu and looked at the incapacitated Hokage.
Well, that was easier than expected.
The inspiration for the Orioke no jutsu really came from Kurenai and her love of bandaged clothing. Naruto noticed how men seemed to be attracted more to her than Anko, who wore scandalously little in comparison. That had led to arguments that he had not wanted to be part of. Like hell he was going to judge who was more attractive, the violet haired snake kunoichi against the crimson eyed genjutsu mistress. It didn't help when Anko got into provocative poses in public that led a mortified Kurenai to consider casting a demonic illusion so Naruto would remain uncorrupted. That was her job, possibly Hinata's. In private. Knowing that giving an answer either way would have led to painful consequences, Naruto just laughed sheepishly before running for his life. But all of that gave him some insight into the supposedly adult mind. He figured that men were attracted to the idea of a near naked woman, rather than one that was fully nude. They wanted to fantasise about what could lie beneath and wanted to mentally undress them with their eyes. And he had pretty much formed the rough body shape off his crimson eyed tutor anyways. If he ever used the technique based of Anko then he would never live it down once she figured it out. And it helped that he just had to modify the bandages to transparent wisps of smoke. Who would have thought cloud gazing could have such utility?
You could have always asked me, Kyuu pouted.
What?!
I would have modeled for you. But no, you had to choose her, she spat.
Are you jealous?!
...
Trying to avoid thinking about what the hell that could have meant, he was aware that time was running out and he could continue the conversation at another time. Well, time to get going.
Realising that he had under a minute to get out before he would have been caught without a chance, he secured the scroll over his back and left the room. Not really questioning why the Hokage was in his office at three AM in the morning, he tapped his headset to transmit.
"I need a sitrep now."
"ANBU team watching all exits at the moment. Movement in the floors above and below you. Better haul ass boss."
Naruto cursed. He couldn't afford to waste anymore time. He reached the north west side and burst through the window before landing on the adjacent rooftop.
Now the fun begins.
He hadn't had a decent ANBU chase in several months, though this time it would be far more serious. And he really wanted to see how far he really was from those elite killers.
He then noticed a familiar looking operator with a neko mask.
Oh shit, Yuugao?!
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The team observing the tower were antsy to actually move in, but knew that in close quarters, the more people doing the searching gave rise to mass confusion that could have been capitalised upon by the enemy. So they sat down, on high alert for any signal or sign that they had managed to evade the search teams.
Suddenly a black figure burst from a shuttered window and was running at remarkable speed towards the city limits. All of them moved at once, falling into a pursuit pattern as a well oiled machine as they went to stop the intruder at all costs. There were far too many secrets in the Hokage's tower to be complacent.
They then caught sight of their target.
Naruto!?
There was no mistaking the spiky golden locks, his signature zanpukuto, or the grace that he had demonstrated every time he got himself into trouble. Naruto didn't wear any mask or disguise for this reason alone. He would have been caught anyways and knew that they wouldn't dare to hurt him too much if they knew him as Konoha's resident jinchuuriki. Having a mask or balaclava would have transformed him into a faceless target just asking to be neutralised.
Yuugao barked out some orders.
"Ok, keep on pursuing. But no one hurt him at all, do you understand?"
"But Yuugao!"
"No! I will deal with him once we corner him. There is too much that we don't understand before we can jump to any conclusions. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes taichou."
"Good, because if any of you hurt him..." the threat was left unspoken as they all knew better than to cross their captain. She wasn't promoted to taichou because of her attractive features.
Dammit Naruto, what the hell are you thinking?
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The Sandaime woke up from his 'unconsciousness' before hurrying to his office.
That was quite the trick you got there Naruto. Now why the hell do you want the scroll in the first place?
He reached his desk and uncovered his scrying orb. Channelling chakra into it he discovered that Naruto was leading an ANBU team into a merry chase near the Forrest of Death.
He called the OIC ANBU to him as he watched Naruto's progress.
"Sir, your orders?"
"Tell the pursuing ANBU to keep their distance. I doubt Naruto is acting on his own. He would more than likely be used by some other group. Better that he leads us to them than actually remaining in the dark. There is no way that he could have circumvented those wards by himself."
"Yes sir!"
The old man sighed to himself. Maybe this would explain the seemingly odd things in Naruto's life, his changed personality, his reluctance to be a Konoha genin... Maybe some answers would come from this night.
"Also, get me Iruka from the Academy. We have things to discuss right now."
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Naruto was out of breath as his pursuers were keeping him on his toes. They established the standard ANBU pattern where one lead operator keep the target running at their top speed while the two others lagged slightly behind, conserving their energy. They would rotate every once in a while to eventually exhaust the prey's endurance, leaving them out of stamina to allow the ANBU to take the easy kill, or capture.
They didn't think that Naruto could actually outrun them all and still be standing on his feet. To their credit, even his seemingly unending reserves were being sorely tested.
"Hey 'Hebi', you found any rendezvous teams yet?" the blond puffed out.
"Well, yeah, we have. They are about two kilometres out to your north by north west."
"Two kilometres!?"
"Yeah, they are keeping out of sight. Looks like me and 'Mi' won't have to get our hands dirty tonight."
Naruto just groaned. How the hell was he supposed to pull them into a trap before getting out without any of them chasing him down? The scroll on his back was making him a colossal target for both parties.
Fuck, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
He discarded such thoughts as he put on a burst of speed. The quicker this was done then the more time he would have to browse through the dammed thing.
And it had better have something useful for the hassle that he was going through.
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"Man, why did Orochimaru-sama trust this to that dipshit chuunin anyways?"
"Who knows? As long as he gets the job done we can bug out of here. We are way too close to Konoha for my liking."
"It can't be helped. The ANBU are not going to take the theft of one of their valued treasures lying down. Any single operator would have been taken down. We provide some insurance if things go south."
The masked man tensed. "Do you feel something?"
"Yeah, it's like –"
Eight kunai with explosive tags burst from their surroundings as they lodged themselves into the trees around them, before detonating with prejudice. The Oto nins managed to kawamiri out of there before facing their attackers.
They were two masked figures, one male, the other female, clad in load bearing vests with digital camouflage and combat boots. They just nodded to each other as the man drew out a long knife and a sword, while lightening seemed to flicker over the girl's body.
Time to buy Naruto some time and get them to engage the ANBU.
'Hebi' and 'Mi' saw the four of them getting into position to face the two of them down. They just smirked before giving each other a look, signalling a mental count down.
Three, two, one.
Mark!
They blurred into action.
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"Iruka, do you have any idea at all why Naruto might want to take the scroll?"
The scarred chuunin was just as confused as the Sandaime was.
"Honestly, I have no idea." That question haunted the teacher and he realised that it didn't make particular sense.
"Where is Mizuki? He might give us an insight onto what happened. Naruto mentioned that he was acting on his orders. I wonder what it could mean..."
Iruka frowned. "I tried to get him but he wasn't in his apartment. What could he be doing at three in the morning?"
"Strange, I will have to get the ANBU to find him."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Man, I am so sick of this motherfucking chase throughout this motherfucking forest!
"Yo Fokkusuhaundo (Foxhound), are you ready?"
"Dammnit, you try evading Konoha ANBU for two kilometres dammit!"
"Oh quit your bitching. We are leading the hostiles to your area. Then we will disappear and leave the ANBU to clean up afterwards."
"Roger."
This was going to work out perfectly. The ANBU would think that the hostiles were intercepting him and he could get away scot free. His spars with Yuugao had shown him how powerful the kunoichi actually was. She shouldn't have any problems with dealing with the interlopers.
He could feel several chakra signatures in front of him and grinned. This was going to be every entertaining, if he actually had time to sit back and watch. His reiatsu vision caught sight of the Tsuin Hebi before boosting his speed.
Time to make an entrance.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The four interlopers heard an eerie pervasive voice that tittered on the periphery of their auditory senses.
This is Konohagakure!
This is our home, our land, our village, our nation!
You stand us down at your peril. The forest is where we grew up, where we trained, where we bled and learnt to be shinobi. Where we can hide. Can you find us?
The rather enraged party suddenly lost sight of their two tormentors and stopped. It was like the forest had actually just swallowed them all up.
What the hell?!
Then they saw a blond with a ridiculously large scroll waltz past them, waving at them before leaving just as quickly.
And then they saw the ANBU converge on them, ninjato drawn.
Oh for kami's sake, what else can go wrong tonight?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Yuugao told her teammates to split off and to flank the four nins as she rushed into the centre.
Katon: Karyuu Endan! (Fire Dragon Flame Projectile)
The ember dragon launched from her mouth before spiralling lazily in the air before almost perfunctorily landing in the middle of the group. They scattered and drew kunai with a grim expression on their faces.
Doton: Doryuu Taiga! (Earth Flow River)
A large mud river cascaded throughout the forest, fouling any nins footing on the ground. They all jumped and latched onto trees with chakra. This was going to be one fight that was going to be messy.
The neko masked nin decided to shorten it.
"All, engage hand to hand now!"
There was a reason why all Konoha ANBU were required to actually be proficient with the ninjato. It was near perfect for a stealth kill when chakra was depleted or detectable. And Yuugao pushed her team to go beyond competency; they were near masters of the blade.
Not like Gekkou Hayate, or even Uzumaki Naruto. But good enough that in close quarters they could keep the enemy occupied so that they couldn't use hand seals. Enough that they could capitalize on any breaks in the enemy's defences and make them bleed.
And so they did. They jumped all over trees as they denied them any time to actually recover and space to reform.
Yuugao slashed and feinted to her right. The opposing nin dodged before trying to form seals.
Fuuton –
Just to be interrupted by a thrust to his chest that broke his concentration as it nicked him across the ribs as he twisted his torso to avoid being impaled.
Fucking hell. This is not what we bargained –
Yuugao decided to end it quickly just in case there was a reserve team that would intercept Naruto. There was no way that her surrogate brother would be hurt if she could help it. That was a right solely and utterly reserved for her. And possibly Anko.
She drew out a kunai and began to dual wield the weapons, her arms flailing in a blur as her attacks were reduced to glimmers in the air as the enemy could not hope to cope with the whirlwind of blows directed to his body.
Yuugao took off his right arm with her ninjaken before stabbing the kunai into his chest, penetrating to the hilt and giving it a rough twist for good measure.
Before it transformed into a wooden log, with explosive tags primed and ready to go. She just substituted herself as well before landing a safe distance back, keeping her back to a tree as she cursed the plethora of things around them that allowed for Kawamiri to be used.
Kami, this is going to be a stalemate if we don't end this quickly. Time for the dealbreaker.
Hatake Kakashi might have been a slovenly, chronically late open pervert, but he was one hell of an ANBU captain. After being reinstated for light field duties after his 'administrative leave' he was appointed to Yuugao's cell. Her awe of the legendary copy nin soon fell into grudging respect after having him fall from the pedestal that she had placed the man on. But there was no denying that he was a powerful and supremely capable shinobi. He was just an appallingly bad teacher. But something useful that he did impart onto the team was the potential to use their abilities in tandem, to fuse them to create something greater than the mere sum of the parts. Her achievements led to her being promoted to the captain of their squad when Hatake completely retired from the corp.
Yuugao liked to call it synergistic ninjutsu. Teamwork at its finest. The product of many sessions of training, elemental manipulation and timing. Not to mention screaming and shouting and her acting like an overbearing dominatrix to her long suffering teammates.
She controlled her breathing and gave the order.
"Enter formation epsilon."
Hearing sounds of affirmative response, she knew that she had to make herself into a bit of a target.
Fucking hell Naruto, you better have a damned good explanation for all of this, or there is no amount of massages, chocolate or favours you can do for making me go on this stupid chase!
She jumped out into the open, sword drawn as she met the four who were observing her in a quad formation.
"Nail that purple haired whore now!"
Oh, I am so going to stab you, your mauve haired bitch!
Ignoring that for now, she reached into her pouch and withdrew two miniature flashbangs that she had field modded to double the active ingredients. She grimaced, knowing that it would be hell for her eyes and planned to further punish the blond for the bullshit that she was going to be put through.
Naruto, you are so going to pay through your pockets for this.
"You want me, come and 'nail' me." She said suggestively.
The three males just looked at each other and shrugged.
Why not?
They rushed to get her before the neko masked kunoichi grinned. Reasonably sure that they were real and not just clones, she ripped the fuse on the bags and tossed them in front of her. She then whirled around, her blade travelling an arc before they split open the bag and exposed the mixture to the air. What happened was a bright flare that was hot enough to blacken Yuugao's mask as she hurriedly kawarimi'd out of there. The four enemy nins were cursing before the two remaining ANBU finished their seals and slammed their palms onto the mud that was still on the ground.
Akki Yama Gogyou Supairaru! (Demonic Mountain Fire Spiral)
The mud on the forest floor coalesced into solid webs that shot out in all directions, hardening into spires that could have stabbed through ANBU armour as they covered the whole length of the surrounding forest. It was so sudden that the enemy did not have enough time to actually replace themselves, some of them suffering flesh wounds as they managed to avoid major injury.
Yuugao was impressed. They were pretty good.
But better than us?
I doubt it.
While she was a bit dazed, she had practiced this manoeuvre such that she could have done it while blindfolded. Her hands blurred in seals, as she recompositioned her chakra into elemental fire. She shoved her hands and made it flow into the cooling earth. She superheated all of the spires before clenching her hands together.
It exploded, the fire burst from the interconnected strands that sent shrapnel in the from of jagged pieces of earth that travelled in all directions, covering the span of twenty meters as dust and wooden fragments littered the field, creating low visibility as the jutsu ripped though each chain before it was over. The external parts of the earth splinters were hardened by doton, while the katon element was used to create a miniature firestorm.
While she did that, all three ANBU managed to cast doton shields to weather the worst of the blast and managed to kawamiri out of the blast zone. This technique usually worked because of the speed of execution. Shunshin no jutsu took too much time and it was hard to replace yourself with something that was being ripped apart by shrapnel.
They waited for the dust to settle, fairly confident that they had neutralised the targets. They were breathing heavily, most of them having used over three quarters of their chakra for that finishing move.
They were awfully surprised to see that there were four figures still upstanding, barely.
Sure they were bleeding and looking murderously angry, but they managed to survive.
What the fuck!? What the hell are they?
"That cocksucking slut of a whore is mine."
The four were tired and frustrated. And they were holding back for way too long but knew that if they didn't up the game, they would be captured or dead. They were barely holding themselves after being caught by that impromptu maelstrom.
The figure took out a flute and started to play it. The other figure seemingly drew out a bow and started to fire arrows. The team scattered to find a vantage point.
One doki burst from the ground and engaged Yuugao in combat while she tried to avoid being shot at by the enemy nin. Her two teammates moved to pull her out, laying down support as he sought to extract her to get a better position.
Then another nin burst forward from concealment and slammed his hands onto the ground.
Doton kekai: Dorou Doumu! (Earth Dome prison)
The earth swallowed the team up, each of them cursing but were unable to do anything as a perfect sphere formed around them.
The remaining four of them looked exhausted as they had barely survived the encounter with the ANBU.
"R – remind me, to – to fuck up Mizuki as soon as he gets that damned scroll."
Jiroubu didn't feel inclined to chastise Tayuya for her language.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Sakon.
"Oi fatso, how long can you keep up that orb for."
The boy scowled. "I can give it enough chakra to last for half an hour, if I drain it from the people inside."
"Good enough. Ok, here's the plan."
"Who died and made you the boss?!" Kidoumaru demanded.
"Oh fuck up you piece of shit, you think with one thing only, and it's not very big either!"
"Why you foul mouthed whore!"
"Whatever. The boy with the scroll is far more important than those fuckers. Just plaster the orb with explosive tags and we will get out of here." Tayuya grinned viciously. "Return the favour with compound interest you bow-legged cum slut."
All the males just sweatdropped at that comment.
"Let's do it and get going. That boy has one hell of a fucking start on us and it's his home territory. And I don't want to be the one to explain to Orochimaru-sama why we don't have the damned piece of paper."
"It's a scroll Tayuya-san."
"Does it sound like I give a shit?"
She then sighed. "Ok, the element of surprise is lost. The ANBU must have heard the bang and will converge to this point soon enough. Those leaf hugging bitches aren't going to let us walk away, so we might have to write this one off. We can see if we can salvage anything. But if anyone asks, Mizuki is the wanker that fucked up the entire op."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto finally managed to decrease his pace and take a breather. Running non stop for nearly five kilometres under the space of ten minutes left him exhausted. He leant back against a tree and finally opened the Scroll that was the source of so much excitement over the last twenty four hours.
Interesting, there are no protections on the scroll, figure a seal at least…
Yeah, but the problem might be that the paper can only hold so many seals before interference occurs and the whole things is rendered useless.
Naruto shrugged. He didn't really care. Holding it like a book, he unravelled it and saw what it contained.
Hmm kage bunshin no jutsu. Whatever, I might just have to 'learn' this just to explain how I can use it.
Knowing that he had an audience, he mimicked the actions while surreptitiously unravelled the other ones and stared. His eyes widened as he saw the true extent of over one hundred years of research, experimentation and ingenuity so neatly and thoroughly detailed onto parchment. He remotely thumbed the camera in his bandana by pretending to brush his hair out of his eyes. But the more he read, the more he realised that the more important things were located in the centre of the scroll. He had taken over one hundred images and that had taken over thirty minutes. And he hoped that they were in focus because he couldn't exactly use a viewfinder or anything like that.
Well, if I was a dumbass idiot, I wouldn't be able to learn the shadow clone technique at all. But to do it too quickly would be suspicious. I wonder…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hokage-sama, is it alright for Naruto to learn from the scroll?!"
Sarutobi frowned. "Normally not, but it looks like he is learning the kage bunshin technique. Which makes perfect sense as his chakra capacity would prevent him from using the bunshin technique. And I doubt that he would learn it quickly enough in any event. The rest of the scroll will be fairly useless to him as there is no way that he has the skill to learn it by himself."
He sighed. "The ANBU report some sort of extraction team had fled after encasing Yuugao's team in some sort of chakra absorbing earth cocoon. They were freed before the tags exploded. One team is in pursuit as her team is being brought back for treatment. Mizuki is still missing for some reason…"
"Could it be?"
"Perhaps. We will need to observe further to flush all the traitors out. And I will have another ANBU cell on standby to ensure Naruto's safety."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Well, what do we have here?
Shiki Fuujin (Corpse Spirit Sealing Method)
Kami, so this is what the Fourth used to summon Urahara-san?
Yes it is, read further. We need to know about this.
Naruto agreed.
The note seemed hurried, like they were directly written onto the scroll without the benefit of being properly transcribed. The technique was absolutely ingenious and deadly in its application; truly it was the ultimate kenjutsu. If it actually worked as it was supposed to in the first place.
Hmm, seems like you were quite the fuuinjutsu master Namikaze. It was a pity that if what you wanted to summon actually did make it, it wouldn't have helped you at all.
Naruto was confused.
Kyuu, is this what I think it means?
Well, that depends. What do you think it means?
Somehow the Fourth managed to actually think of a summon for the Death God to remove a person's soul. But if that is so, why did Kisuke appear instead?
The Kyuubi was strangely silent.
Why did that happen?
I'm not sure, she said carefully. Probably because no human can summon the Shinigami, or it actually doesn't exist. And instead, all the potential chakra and enforced intent had to find someone to fit the description.
Alight, that sounds right… but to do that, he had to cross dimensions…
Which means that the seal was one really complex form of space/time ninjutsu… But yeah, that was ballsy. And I have no doubt that Shinigami of legend would actually demand the soul of the caster before they would help. Funny how things turn out.
So I was right. Kami, what have we done?
Shrugging those thoughts away for a later time, she continued on. Hmm, how about the seal on your stomach?
Hakke no Fuuin Shiki (Eight Divinations Signs Seal Style)
Before reaching that, he found a letter covered in blood and mud stains all over it. Curious, he took it out and started to read.
Konoha,
If you are reading this, then it means that I was successful and Konoha isn't a smoking pit in the ground. And that is probably the only thing that I can take comfort in.
By now the Kyuubi should be dead, and so will I. My summoning did not quite work out as I had intended to, but I have found help and a way to get around that problem. My only regret is that this will take the life of me and my son.
By using something called the hgoyoku and the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki, I am intending to flood my son's body with an energy that seems inimical to the Kyuubi's. This process will…(tear stains) kill my son, but will also destroy the Kyuubi, or send it off to its realm to be reborn. I am told that there is a slight chance that Naruto will survive it, but I think that is a forlorn hope at best.
I, I have done many things for Konoha that I am proud of. But I cannot say that this is one of them. I am willing to give my life, but when it comes to my son, I, I (writing becomes shaky) must do what needs to be done. I believe that only a newborn child can handle the influx of the fox's chakra and this new energy that needs unsoiled pathways to actually work.
Kushina, please forgive me for what I am about to do. I love you, so much. And if Naruto does manage to survive, please let him know that I am sorry for what I had to do. And please make sure that he will be happy. I know that you will be there for him, even if I cannot be. And if I do die, please, try to understand why I had to do it, to protect you and everyone else that couldn't defend themselves. It was my duty, it, was, my duty…
And if Naruto does pass away… Never forget. Never forget the sacrifices that I made. Especially not the one that Naruto was forced to take up. He is Konoha's true hero, the one that kept every single one who called Konohagakure home alive through his sacrifice. Remember him, if only because it is my last wish as the Yondaime Hokage of Konoha.
Namikaze Minato
There was dead silence as Naruto observed those words. Around him he could hear the gentle sounds of the cicadas as everything came together in his head to its most logical conclusion. And then it happened, something snapped inside of him that unleashed a burning torrent of revulsion and loathing that would have made a certain red haired jinchuuriki stop and take notes on the nature of hatred.
Oh my.
That, that, fucker intended to kill me?!
Well, it sure looks like it.
That, that bastard! No, there is no fucking way that he is my father!
Well, if you look in a mirror then can see a 'slight' resemblance-
Oh, hell, no. I don't believe it. I won't believe it. That son of a bitch! He sacrificed me so that I could spend the rest of my life being ignored and deny me the right to breathe! And leaving me to a 'mother' that tried to kill me in my sleep and abandon me like a used tissue?!
No, fuck him! Fuck him to hell! Why couldn't he have got it right with the Shiki Fuujin and spent the rest of his life suffering in the Shinigami's belly!?
The amount of anger that Naruto was experiencing surprised even the Kyuubi. He was usually rational and careful, but when his blood was up… she had never seen him so angry before.
Why the fuck did he choose me?! He could have killed himself, that was his choice to make. But why me! Why not some other orphan, or some other volunteer! Someone else, but dammit, why did you choose me?! Naruto's voice was so lost that he had subconsciously formed his mindscape and sought out his zanpukuto.
Kyuu was sitting down, looking on in sympathy and offered her arms to him. Naruto just collapsed into a hug as the shock of the revelation numbed him to his bones. The fox then grew devious. He might have thought that he couldn't have asked any other person to bear that terrible burden-
Of what, being a child killer?! That he could bear the sight of my blood on his hands, but couldn't ask anyone else to do the same?! What the fuck, he was the Hokage! He could have asked anyone to do it! And they would have gladly have done it! They loved him like their favourite son, and what the fuck does that make me?
Well, he was weak. He didn't want to ask anyone else to do it, couldn't bear to look a parent in their eyes and ask them to give up their child, so he decided that it would be easier to choose you.
It wasn't like you could have said no or actually do anything about it. That way he could avoid it entirely. And as he was going to die he could avoid the fallout of his actions…
He, he would have gambled away his only 'son' on a stupid experiment that was intended to kill me! He was no better than Orochimaru with Anko!
Me!
And my 'mother', how the hell did she agree to this!? And even if she did and I still managed to live, why did she try to kill me afterwards! Did his words mean nothing to her?
He probably didn't give her the option kit.
And is this the kind of place that ignores the last wishes of its heroes? If it is, then this place is not worth dying for!. It is not worth living for!
He was going to give up his life, but for what?!
Naruto continued to rant in his mind, a cold and vicious anger festering against the Yondaime Hokage and his mother, though his outside face was keenly still studying the kage bunshin no jutsu. He didn't even realise that he was doing the two things at the same time.
Inside the Kyuubi was conflicted. To sacrifice your own child like that took a certain kind of coldness that she never thought that Minato had in him. She was wrong and wondered to how desperate the man was to stop her on her quest. And in a single act managed to change all plans, across two universes.
I can use this.
You gave him to me Minato. And so did you Kushina. You cannot complain when the fruits of neglect taste like ashes in your mouths. He is mine and together we will do great and terrible things… I wonder, if you knew how this was going to turn out, would you have done anything differently?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
To outside appearances, it looked like Naruto had completed the jutsu in under an hour. He was just lying back, seemingly exhausted as the truth continued to fester in his mind.
Kit, you have to hide your knowledge.
Naruto gave a bitter laugh. Of course, can't have anyone defaming their precious Yondaime can they?
Think about this kit. Even you didn't know who your father was –
Don't call him that. I have no father.
Fine, your blood relation then. It seems to me like it was kept a secret from you, for kami knows what reason. Here's an idea, ask if Danzo knew.
You're right… why didn't he tell me? He must have known as well…
Maybe he had good reasons. Who knows? But now we have to concentrate on what we are going to do next.
The ANBU are taking their time. I don't think they would have that much trouble with the intruders.
They are probably observing. Which is a good thing. What about Mizuki?
Hmm, good point. I wanted to confront him and let the ANBU take over; maybe force him to use the cursed seal to make him look as guilty as sin.
But I really feel the urge to do violence on something. Since I can't drag my dead sperm donor from wherever the hell he actually is and beat him bloody, I guess Mizuki has to do.
So, is there anything else interesting on that scroll?
Oh, many things. Some of those jutsu's will be absolutely badass if I can manage to learn them. Some of them use a lot of control and chakra, but that is a work in progress. There are some pretty high level futon jutsus that are just mind blowing. But everything seems limited to Konoha's secrets, and are all katon based…
So yeah, you feel the ANBU observing you in the distance? Funny, Yuugao isn't there...
For the last half hour. Are you just screwing around to make Mizuki more antsy?
Well, yeah, pretty much. It's what, nearly five am? Daylight soon so he would probably be shitting his pants right now. Oh well, I've had my fun. Let's get this show on the road.
I wonder what 'Mi' and 'Hebi' are up to?
Konoha
Outskirts of commercial district
Kobayachi's Diner
The two of them were now dressed in civvies at a twenty four seven diner. It was actually a popular place for shinobi as they finished missions at all times of the day, and sometimes they wanted a hot meal right away after living off rations. And all sorts of civilians used it as well for a convenient feed.
"So, what are the odds that this goes down well?" asked the blond woman.
"Hmm, fair to good actually. The presence of the ANBU will no doubt keep him safe until things are resolved. But really, those four that we fought, did you get the feeling that they were holding back?"
"Yes, I did. But it made sense that they wouldn't have unleashed all of their powers so close to Konoha unless they wanted an entire division to converge upon then."
"I saw through their henge's, and it was quite interesting. They were all Oto nins…"
The woman raised her eyebrows. "So that bastard is making a play…"
"All the more reason to step it up. It's time."
'Hebi' took her mug of coffee and took a deep sip.
"I don't like using children to fight our wars. Not for this world that we adults have created."
'Mi' just grimaced. "The world won't allow us the luxury of that kindness. He has the power lying within him to make him Konoha's ace in the hole. We just need to coax it out. He is already a monster with a blade, but that is just one part of his power."
"Did Danzo give you permission to…?" the question was left unfinished.
"Yes, he has. We have carte blanche to turn Naruto and Yugito into our own little namesakes."
"I doubt that they would take on our names. But I get your point. How are we going to do this?"
"We will swap every so often with our teaching. I will teach Naruto to improve on his speed and hand eye coordination. Also tactics and strategy for an assassin. Then the true ninjutsu training can begin. You might want to develop Yugito's taijutsu so that she can match Naruto's level in kenjutsu. That shouldn't be too hard, hell you taught Maito Gai didn't you?"
"I wouldn't say taught, but we learnt together. I'd rather not think of those times..."
'Mi' grinned, then sobered up. "Keep a very close eye on Yugito. We can't be too sure of her loyalty to anyone except Naruto at the moment. That makes her a bit of risk, but she has power that we cannot ignore."
She nodded. "Oh, I know. She has no love for Kumo, but I can't see her dying for Konoha anytime soon. For our Foxhound, she might, but nothing less. I guess I will work on her taijutsu and her elemental affinities." She then smiled.
The man just shuddered. Oh no, please not that.
She just grinned at his reaction.
"Please, don't tell me that you are going to teach her that stupid technique?"
'Hebi' just had an artful look of innocence on her face before growing serious and asked "We have what; maybe two to three years before things start to go down?"
"Probably. Except this time there will not be a nicety of a declared war. This one will be fought as unconventionally as only ninja can fight. This will be a true war where no responsibility will be taken by any nation as proxies will do all the fighting."
He sighed. "It has been coming for a long time. And we haven't helped the problem much either, but with the outsourcing of military power means that a price needs to be paid. Suna felt this the hardest when their Daimyo lost confidence in his own village and gave us their contracts. This left Suna in a crap position as their skills have grown rusty because they can't afford to eat well if their economy is in the toilet. They can't focus on fighting and maintaining their strength. And they are not very happy with us, even though it isn't really our fault that their Daimyo is an idiot. If they are invaded, what happens then?"
"They would have to hire nins to hold off the enemy… if they don't have the skills anymore."
"Yes, and what happens if we decide to invade? If they do not have an autonomous force and are relying purely on private military companies, then they are sitting ducks. Hell, people would just hire away any potential sources of aid to screw with them. And the shame that they must feel at the loss of confidence… hell, it might force them to act against us."
"That's just speculation."
"Possibly," he allowed. "But still, it's not too far fetched. We are a target because we just haven't had the time to recover from the Kyuubi's little jaunt throughout Hi no Kuni. If they ally against us, then that will become… problematic. Everyone seems to hate us for good reason."
'Hebi' laughed bitterly. "We are so successful at winning that the losers just let it fester and pass it onto the next generation. How long can they hold onto their hate?"
"It's hard to let go of loss, especially Iwa and how Namikaze Minato demolished their divisions single-handedly. If he had given them some measure of pride, then the future might not have been so bleak. But by utterly and completely humiliating them in the field of battle, he ensured a vicious cycle would continue."
The woman shook her head. "I disagree. He did what he had to do to end the war. And that was by using total force to achieve a victory that was so decisive that they had no choice but to surrender. Why hold yourself back? We were at war, why handicap yourself?"
"Because all actions have consequences. Ones that go beyond ourselves and our time. Now children in Iwa will grow up with an inherited anger for Konoha nins, and our shinobi have a thinly veiled contempt for a nation that was humbled by one man. Sure, he was probably the greatest genius of all time, but he did it alone. He unintentionally created a problem that goes beyond all of us and our lifetimes. Our will of fire. The only thing is that our children, kami willing, will be ones to pay for our sins."
"Funny how the bastard isn't alive to deal with the mess that he left," he reflected softly.
The blonde frowned, "I doubt that he had a choice when that all happened. He would have been a great Hokage, if things turned out differently."
Mi was sceptical, "I'm not so sure about that. Everyone thinks the best of Minato, but there was a darkness in him that he hid remarkably well."
"What do you mean?" 'Hebi' asked curiously.
"Nothing, forget about it. And isn't it funny how no one really knows or understands what happened that night? We know the basics, the Kyuubi was trapped in Naruto but could escape if he died. But that all came from the Hokage six years after the event, and who knows, he might not have been above lying to save Naruto from the misguided knives of the grieving. He had some protection when his mother was in the picture, but after she left, all bets were off."
"How could she have done that? He is such a cute kid; hell, if I ever had children, I would want them to be like him. Minus the ramen fixation though, and the whole spending significant time with you thing as well," she teased.
'Mi' shrugged. "She may have had good reasons, but I doubt that. Or I can't see it. And Naruto was never really open about that part of his life. She isn't around to explain herself and because of her, everything is in its right place. I even think of him as a surrogate son at times"
'Hebi' just grinned. "The day that you have children is going to be a scary one indeed. I pity the mother. So what is the answer then? If we make enemies by wining all the time, what do we do instead?"
The man just stared into his cup. "There is no answer. Not one that I can see." He looked at her. "We do what we think is right, because we cannot really do anything else. And we make sure that we do not lose. That the enemy does not succeed."
"We're not tools of the Hokage or anyone else. Not even Danzo's, something that he implicitly recognises. Fighting is the only thing... the only thing that I am good at. We are not farmers, scholars or engineers. Working with Danzo has allowed me to do something very important."
"It allowed me to always fight for what I believed in."
"Because if we create these many problems by winning, losing will do us no favours. It may be stupid and illogical, but that is the reality that we find ourselves in."
'Hebi' was just silent as she digested his words. She had a faraway look in her eyes before closing them. She said softly, "When did things become so complicated? I remember back in the old days, things were simple. Orders were orders and things were so damned clear. Black and white. Now, look at us. Are we doing the right thing?"
The pensive man just gave her a sympathetic look. "Age gives us many things. We got older." Seeing a dangerous look on 'Hebi's' eyes, he rushed to qualify his statement. "Well, I did anyways. You're still as young as you were back in the ANBU." They both smiled in remembrance of the time they had spent in the corp. 'Mi' grew serious and continued. "Clarity comes with maturity I suppose. We are soldiers, and if you don't question the things that you are doing then you are nothing more than a murderer. Are we the solution, or part of the problem? I, just, don't know anymore."
He leant back and sighed. "Enough of this talk. It is not helpful, so we need to focus on the things that we can change. Naruto is one of them. We all know that he will be something special. In some ways he will surpass the Yondaime if he has the right mindset. We just need to show him the way. And Yugito will hopefully follow. He needs to see that Konoha is worth saving."
With a bitter laugh he added, "Hell, I would settle with not being worth the effort to destroy."
"He doesn't hate Konoha that much, does he?" she asked sceptically.
"Probably not, but who knows? Things change with the blink of an eye. We live in a world where enemy and friends are labels that have little meaning. Would you want to save a place that would deny you the right to be happy when your existence is the only thing holding back certain death?"
"Well, if you put it like that..." the blond trailed off as her thoughts grew dark over Naruto's general treatment by the civilian populace.
"That is why we have been bringing him on ops outside of Konoha, so he can see how bad things really are in other places. That it could have been so much worse if he grew up in another village. And I think it's working."
"I just hope that it sinks in so he can see the truth for what it is."
Konoha
Forest of Death
Where the hell is that brat?!
Mizuki was getting really impatient, waiting for the whole night for his plan to actually come through. He figured that this opportunity was really three years in the making.
He had watched Naruto throughout the time that he was assigned as Iruka's teaching assistant, and he couldn't really say that he liked the blond. There was something a bit off about him, and coupled with the seemingly random and spontaneous need to actually pull pranks, he would have gladly used corporeal punishment if he could get away with it. But the thing was that Naruto occupied a soft spot in the Hokage's heart and he knew that he could take advantage of it. So that left him and Iruka with limited options.
If he were to try and infiltrate the tower to get the scroll, he would have been killed when the Scroll was removed or bleed out trying to get out of Konoha. But if Naruto did it, well, the Sandaime would probably just follow him to see where he went before punishing him. If he punished him at all. The near blatant favouritism that he saw Sarutobi show the blond sickened him.
The again, lots of things sickened him. Teaching sickened him, Konoha sickened him. But things would change, and it's ironic that the person that he disliked the most would be the one to help him achieve his dreams.
And that was the attainment of power. Plain and simple. It was what kept people on the top, and the lack of it meant you were at the bottom of the heap.
It was a lesson that he learnt as a shinobi. When words or logic do not suffice, might makes right. But then again, why bother with all of that if you can use the default method of force first? But that was something that Konoha seemed to stress was the last option. Something that could only be deployed when it was the final resort. Those fools, what are they, blind to the real world around them?
In some ways Mizuki would have made a great 'Ne' operative if he was actually mentally stable. But being a megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur kind of automatically screen out such people. And marks them for quiet 'accidents'. And like most people who want power, they didn't want to earn it. They wanted it to be given to them (because they deserved it of course) or they would steal it. None of it really was his fault, his actions. It never was.
It wasn't his fault that he killed his teammate when he was injured. His blood and scent would have exposed their presence to their pursuers. Sure, it might have been a light wound that could have been treated and all that, but why should he take the risk? It wasn't his fault that the man was incompetent and couldn't handle himself in a fight. Hell, he was asking for it, trying to play a man's game when he wasn't ready for it.
And things all changed when he met him. Konoha's reviled traitor, Orochimaru. Yet for some reason, he wasn't put off by him. He always felt that Orochimaru had gotten the raw end of that deal when he was forced to leave Konoha. Or was that chose to leave? He was doing things so that he could live forever. Who the hell were Konoha to deny a man in his search for immortality?
And Orochimaru had power. Something that made him very, very useful in Mizuki's eyes. The Snake Sannin found a twisted enough soul for him to use, one who gladly took on the cursed seal of heaven to gain more strength. And he wasn't even phased by the loss of control that he had to pay. They had equal goals in moving towards the pinnacle of their abilities, and they wouldn't let anyone stop them. Not something as elusive and subjective as morality.
All of them are fools. But they can wallow in it, while we walk on the true path.
He felt Naruto's presence and allowed a predatory smile to graze his lips. He had four rather giant shuriken strapped to his back, along with some of his belongings that he kept sealed away. He wasn't too sure of the blond's strength, as he was sure that he was always holding back. He didn't particularly care why and only saw Naruto as a tool to an end.
And hell, if he killed him then Konoha would have the worry about a raging Kyuubi no Yoko instead of a fleeing traitor. Sometimes he wondered how things seemed to fall into place ever so nicely for him. He would have been surprised that karma was just setting him up to be supremely disappointed.
"Ah Naruto, your late! But don't worry, if you learn a technique then I can still pass you." He said with a false smile.
Naruto just gave a foxy grin before jumping up and sitting on the scroll, surprising the Chuunin.
"Oh don't worry Mizuki-sensei, I already learnt one technique from there already."
"What?! When did you have the time to-"
"Well, the ANBU chasing me got distracted and I had some time to read it. And I thought that I could go and surprise you by how awesome I really am!" He smiled so hard that his cheeks started to hurt.
I wonder, if I give you this scroll and you went off to Orochimaru, how badly would that screw up Konoha? Would it be worth it just so screw with the Fourth's memory?
Kyuu was in agreement, of sorts. She would gladly see this place burn, but it would be by her hands, not that pale faced bastard's. Or anyone else's. Hell, if Naruto held her hand while they both did it, she would be immensely happy. That would be the greatest insult that she could hurl upon the Yondaime Hokage, the mortal that dared to interfere with her plans and circumvent her autonomy.
Naruto, think of Hanabi, Hinata, Ayame, Teuchi, Anko, Kurenai, Hayate, Setsuna, Yuugao, Yugito, Danzo, Mi, Ten Ten, and everyone else that you call friend. Can you let them suffer for this?
In honesty, she didn't really care for them and saw them as being people that exerted too much influence over Naruto for her to be comfortable. But a Konoha that was alive and well was much more useful than a smoking crater in the ground.
Naruto stopped himself.
Shit, what was I thinking? He calmed himself down and saw some sense. Ok, not everyone was terrible to me, and they don't deserve what will happen if that scroll does go missing.
Let's just redirect that hatred shall we?
Naru-kun, just think of the most immediate causes of your problem. That is Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. They are the ones who were responsible for what happened to you. They were supposed to be your parents, weren't they? They should have looked out for your best interest. I don't think that killing you or leaving you would qualify them for being parents of the year.
He grimaced. The wounds were much too raw for him to consider that her words were not entirely true, and that she forgot to mention her presence in Hi no Kuni was the proximate cause for everything.
"Oh really," Mizuki drawled casually, for some reason becoming quite nervous, "What did you learn?"
"Why don't I show you sensei?" the boy then formed a cross shaped seal before slowly and deliberately stating:
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!
Out puffed ten copies of the blond who looked around them before eyeballing Naruto.
"What the hell are you eyeballing me for?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"So, he did it." Iruka said with amazement.
"Yes, he sure did. And in under an hour… absolutely amazing," the Sandaime said softly.
"I guess this qualifies him as a genin, right Hokage-sama?"
The old man chuckled, "Most definitely."
The scarred Chuunin then frowned. "What the hell is Mizuki playing at though?"
"Good question." In came the ANBU commander and made his way to the Hokage's desk. He gazed intently on the orb before stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I have two cells monitoring the situation, where one of the Hyuuga's are lip-reading and transcribing the situation."
"Can't you lip-read?" questioned the half curious Hokage.
"Yeah, but this orb doesn't have a great viewing angle. The cell can give a report on how the conversation went about. Well, better than just using this alone."
"What is Mizuki saying?" asked Iruka.
"Well…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Mizuki was surprised beyond words. He never expected an Academy dropout to master that kind of jutsu as quickly as Naruto had done. That would mean... He tried to cover his emotions and gave another false smile.
"Good work Naruto, you pass! Now give me the Scroll so I can give it back to the Hokage and get your hitai-ate."
"What, didn't you have one here when I did pass. You have no faith in me Mizuki-sensei?" The boy acted hurt and gave a childish pout.
Oh for kami's sake, stop teasing me, the sun will nearly be up soon dammit.
"Well, I wanted a special one to be made for you, a brand new one just, err, minted for the occasion. And for the Hokage to give it to you personally. So stop sitting on Konoha's greatest treasure and let's get going."
As much as I would like to see you scrambling for answers, I'm bored as well.
"Sure, I trust that you will pass me, I mean I did do everything that you asked for, didn't I?"
The Chuunin gave a forced chuckle before agreeing. "Yes, yes you did Naruto. You did good."
So, you think that is good enough for the observing ANBU?
I'm surprised that he is so blinded by the scroll that he can't see that they are there.
No kidding. Ok, might as well let him touch the damned thing. It is the closest that he will get to it.
Naruto just jumped up, went over to Mizuki and handed it over. Mizuki carefully took it and placed it into a sealing scroll before grinning sadistically at the boy. Out of nowhere he grabbed a kunai and stabbed the jinchuuriki in the stomach.
Naruto looked at him in surprise, before it dispelled into shadow.
What the fuck?
"Mah sensei, what did you do that for?!" Naruto asked with a hurt look in his eyes.
The white haired man looked at the blond with suspicion. "What the-"
"Haven't ever seen someone kawarimi with a kage bunshin before?"
Shit, this makes it more difficult. No matter, he is not even a genin; there is no way that he can stop me.
"You know, you are an annoying little shit. You made me wait all night for this scroll, when I could have been in a warm bed or doing something else. And why wont you have the good grace to just die!?"
"Geez, what did I ever do to you?"
A malicious grin formed on his face.
"Have you ever wondered why?"
What is it with people and their cryptic questions?
"Why what?"
"Why everyone hates you, why none of the children really want to speak to you, were never your friend when you were older –"
"How do you explain all those fan girls that give me side looks when Hinata isn't around?"
"Oh, so you weren't as clueless as you appeared to be." Said the surprised Chuunin.
Naruto just continued, counting off his fingers, "And I do have friends, even a foster family of sorts."
Mizuki was flustered. His speech wasn't going as planned.
Oh fuck it, I'll just wing it.
"Anyways, haven't you ever wondered why the villagers look down on you and would gladly deny you your right to exist if not for the Sandaime? Why Iruka hates you so much, why –"
Naruto just blanked out the following list of people that were purported to hate his guts.
"Do you want to know why, why this is the case Naruto?"
"I guess so."
Being put off by how nonchalantly he was taking it, he decided to go for the shock and awe approach.
"YOU ARE THE KYUUBI NO KITSUNE!"
The boy just looked at him as if he was crazy. He then looked at his body, touched himself and looked back at Mizuki.
"Bullshit. I call bullshit on that one."
"It's the truth!"
Naruto just shook his head. "Bullshit. That was one hell of a crappy lie sensei."
If Naruto was intending to piss off the Chuunin, then he was doing an admirable job of doing so.
"Oh, for kami's sake. The Fourth couldn't have hoped to kill an immortal beast like the Kyuubi so he did the next best thing. He sealed it into you when you were a baby."
"Rooight, so how does that make me the Kyuubi?"
"Oh no you don't, don't you dare try to apply logic to this one! Accept it as a fact!"
"Well, if you think that a prison that houses a convict is the convict, then you're a dick. A stupid, stupid limp dick. Need some V sensei?"
I love you too Naru-kun.
Hey, I'm just saying…
Mizuki looked like he was going to have an apoplectic fit. "You know, I was going to kill you to cover my escape, but now I think I'm just going to do it because you piss me off."
Join the line.
"You sound awfully confident about that Mizuki-sensei." Taunted Naruto.
The Chuunin scoffed, "You might have received some training, but I am a field qualified Chuunin while you are not even a genin. You don't stand a chance. Hell, most people would hail me as a hero when I manage to kill you."
Naruto just shrugged. "Bring it."
Mizuki took out this giant shuriken and threw it at Naruto. They spun and looked awfully intimidating as they reached Naruto. A fear stricken kid would have had no chance.
But hey, this is Uzumaki Naruto that we are talking about here.
Too slow. They might be big and do a lot of damage, but they have to hit me first. Are you overcompensating for something sensei?
And Naruto was just itching to hurt someone, but not reveal anything beyond what was plausible.
I guess I could just spam like a thousand clones and beat him stupid, but that doesn't have that element of style that I want. I want him to remember that he thought he could look down on me. And how wrong he really was…
Remember that you have an audience.
I'm surprised that the ANBU didn't move in when he stabbed my clone. They don't really like me…
Naruto just crossed his hands again.
Kage Bunshin no jutsu.
"You might be a Chuunin, but I was trained by Uzuki Yuugao and Gekkou Hayate. I may have looked like a crap student, but I was just faking it."
Dance of the crescent moon!
Three of his clones moved in unison in a wedge formation and Mizuki stood his ground. He had always wondered about that style and figured he could incorporate it after seeing it in action. The three of them separated into six different paths, each body splitting into two directions as they went to his flanks and rear. The afterimages moved in non linear patterns as the Chuunin tried to determine where the real blond actually was.
Shit!
But all Mizuki saw were visual blurs before Naruto came from his blindspot and slashed at his chest, the blade penetrating into his vest before being stopped by a kunai.
"N – Not bad brat. But you are going to need more than that to stop me!" he managed to gasp out, the wound being slightly more than a flesh wound, but not quite enough to cause death.
Naruto just smirked. "Did you know for kawamiri to work you need to have an object of equivalent mass?"
"No shit, I only taught that to you little bastards for the entire year!"
The boy smiled. "Yeah, but you also need direct line of sight. Look around you sensei."
He found himself being surrounded by a circle of clones.
Shit, they are solid so I can't substitute myself with a log, branch or trunk! Wait, I can just use them instead –
That thought didn't get to finish before he received a punch to the solar plexus, a slash to his arm and a kick to his floating ribs. This concentration was too messed up and he realised that Naruto was actually substituting himself with all his clones in tandem. He couldn't escape as the jutsu needed a specific target, and anything in the way would disrupt it. And he couldn't use one of Naruto's clones because it was moving too fast and he couldn't lock onto it. And then he felt it, the searing agony of the jinchuuriki's blade as it severed across his arm. The zanpukuto cleanly and utterly cleaved through muscle and bone as gravity worked its magic and Mizuki realised that he lost his forearm. Blood began to spurt out sporadically as he wasn't given a chance to comprehend the wound that he had received, his body mechanically trying to avoid the rest of the blond's blows. He had the sudden and seemingly incredulous thought that he might actually die at Naruto's hands. For the first time that night, he felt fear.
Fuck, I hoped I wouldn't have had to use this, but you deserve to die you little prick.
And he drew upon the cursed seal of heaven on his shoulder, and felt power flowing to his pathways. Borrowed power perhaps, but power nonetheless. An eerie and odd sealing script seemed to erupt over the silver haired Chuunin's skin as the power burst from within and dispelled the clones that were trying to tag team him. His wound sealed up, leaving nothing but a stump as he turned his snarling visage onto the semi surprised swordsman.
Well, what do you know, the tiger shows his true colours. Come on ANBU, do your fucking job already.
"Now prepare to die you little shit!" the monster roared, letting his power consume him as he unleashed his rage towards his target.
With speed that surprised Naruto, Mizuki dashed towards him and landed a punch. Tensing his body and reinforcing it with chakra, Naruto used it to get some distance before landing on his feet. The blow was more annoying than painful, and he didn't want to fight at a handicap anymore.
Fuck this; if the ANBU won't come to me, then I will go to them.
He rushed forward to engage his former sensei, avoided a blow that would have crushed his skull and grabbed the sealing scroll that contained the hidden treasure. He ripped it free and he jumped into the sky, somersaulting and he twirled his sword in a defensive pattern to ward away any attacks while he was airborne. The power went to Mizuki's head and retarded his higher level reasoning functions, combined by the sheer anger he had towards the boy. He wanted to have the pleasure of eviscerating the blond with his bare hands, and deny him the grace of a quick and painless death. By the time he realised that Naruto had taken the scroll, the blond sprinted towards the hidden ANBU with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Let's see them do their job for once.
Konoha
Hokage's Office
The morning after
Mizuki was finally restrained when Naruto brought him near their location, with the blond looking surprised at the presence of the six animal masked killers who did look pretty intimidating. Mizuki lost another arm and a leg as they subdued him, drugging him with an anti-chakra potion before sending him off to Morino Ibiki's rather tender mercies in the ANBU headquarters. They all recognised the signs of his transformation and had absolutely no sympathy towards the nin who turned to the Leaf's greatest traitor. How he ended up teaching Konoha's future generations was an abhorrent thought to them. Naruto just thought to sneak away before he was firmly taken by the shoulders and escorted to the Hokage's tower for the inevitable confrontation with Sarutobi. Suffice to say he wasn't looking forward to it at all.
And a part of him was still itching for a fight, especially over the revelations over his parentage. His white hot anger of the last few hours had now just boiled down to a resentment that he couldn't quite scratch.
Go on, follow 'Mi's' advice. Work the crotch.
… No. as much as I want to, they don't deserve it.
They were willing to let you die out there.
Maybe, but I get the feeling it was all part of some test…
The ANBU made sure that he was in the office before giving a salute and leaving. Naruto just sighed and gave the Sandaime a tired smile.
"What's the problem old man?"
Sarutobi just stared down at the blond.
"What?" Naruto asked.
"I think that it is time that we really had a talk about your life Naruto."
"Err… could we not?"
"What were you thinking?! You could have been killed trying to steal the Scroll of Sealing from the office. How did you end up doing it anyway?"
The ease that Naruto penetrated the security at the Hokage's Tower was deeply disturbing. If an Academy student could do it, then there was something seriously wrong. And he would not let such a breach go easily.
Naruto just shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, Mizuki-sensei explained it all to me and it sounded safe enough. I just had to avoid the dummy scroll, the weighted boards, the ANBU patrols and use that chakra cube to get the scroll."
"Chakra cube??"
Nodding happily, he continued, "Yeah, it was this thing that guided me to the Scroll. He told me to throw it to get rid of the traps and make my way back to him. And so I did. Seriously old man, what were your ANBU doing?"
"Good question." He muttered softly. He had seen the transformation using the cursed seal and things were making some sense to him.
How did Mizuki, an Academy tutor manage to find out where it was? He thought back wistfully to the days when the Dennsetsu no Sannin were one, and he had shown them parts of the Scroll. The avaricious hunger in Orochimaru's eyes should have sent alarm bells to Sarutobi's consciousness, but he chose to ignore it. Instead he saw the same inquisitiveness for understanding and developing ninjutsu that had lead to his nickname, the Professor; the God of Shinobi.
So you are making your moves now, aren't you? He thought sadly. He had always held out a fond hope that someday the Snake Sannin would be redeemed. He knew it was as likely as Tsunade declaring herself to be alcohol free and quit binging, or getting Jiraiya to respect the bodily privacy of women. A sudden cold feeling came over the Sandaime.
Kami, I hope he never turns his attention onto you. He would find you to be an unbelievable test subject, a person that can seemingly heal all injuries… This just hardened his determination to make Naruto a shinobi. He wouldn't be left helpless while the vultures circled, hidden in the shadows.
He could accept that Orochimaru had instructions to defeat seals crafted with the aid of the Sharingan. Indeed, that chakra cube would have been interesting to take apart, but it was now just a small pile of ash. But the opportunity was here to do something right.
But this still doesn't asnswr how you could have avoided ANBU patrols, instructions or not. That requires a level of skill that you don't have. What are you hiding Naruto?
"How did you avoid the patrols?" the Sandaime asked with genuine curiosity in his voice.
Ah crap. Well, you see, I'm really ANBU qualified when it comes to sneaking around and the patrols were pretty lazy anyways.
"Well, Mizuki told me about the pattern that they follow and I just figured out to hide and go when there was a gap. I guess they couldn't see me as I didn't use any chakra."
Ok, that's plausible. Given the inside information and doing it like a civilian, I guess the ANBU might be fooled. But there is something off about this. And I will find out Naruto. But I guess I can accept it for now. More important questions await.
"Why did you do it?" he asked sternly.
Naruto just shrugged. "Mizuki said that he would graduate me if I did, so I figured that I would give it a try. And I hadn't really played a prank in a while. Now nobody will ever forget what Uzumaki Naruto did!"
With disbelief, the Sandaime just shot back, "That's just nonsense. If you had wanted to graduate, you could have done so years ago. Why, why are you holding back?"
"I don't know what you mean jiji." Naruto replied disingenuously. His face radiated pure cherubic innocence that the old man would have swore that it was a genjutsu of some kind.
So Kyuu, how's the genjutsu holding up?
Just fine, geez kit, don't you trust me? I know what I'm doing. Just lie more convincingly. You're not quite off the hook just yet.
Fine, if you wish to play this game, then so be it, thought Sarutobi.
The Hokage spoke up, "Then for your meritorious services to Konoha in revealing the traitor in our midst, I am giving you a field appointment to genin. Congratulations Naruto." That said the old man pressed a newly minted forehead protector into the surprised blond's hands, who looked shell shocked.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Naruto had thought that the faux test that Mizuki made up would be null and void, letting him play the charade for a little while longer. He didn't think that the Hokage would get around it with a promotion.
"Umm, I'm pretty sure that Mizuki tricked me, now that I think about it, with the whole trying to kill me thing and all. So I'll just have to do the exam next year. We can't play favourites can we?"
The Hokage disagreed, "Nonsense. You deserve this and you have the skills to be a genin. You managed to avoid an ANBU patrol, which certainly qualifies you for the position."
Deciding to be blunt, the blond stood a bit straighter and replied, "Ok. Then I don't want it."
There was no way that he would serve Konoha as a registered nin. In some ways he felt that would make his father happy. And he would be damned if he did anything to honour the Fourth's memory.
"Why not, why do you not want to be a shinobi?"
Naruto just looked at him. "Did you ever ask me if I wanted to be one in the first place?"
Ouch. The Hokage winced.
"No, I just assumed…"
"That I wanted to be a nin, putting my life on the line for money?" the boy said dryly.
"How about serving your village? Duty, loyalty and service are things to be proud of Naruto." Sarutobi replied with conviction. .
"And what a village it is too," Naruto mumbled darkly. Serving this village, like my 'father'? Ha!
Ignoring that pointed comment, he continued, "Naruto, you need to become a shinobi if you want to take care of yourself in the future," the Hokage tried to convince him. "You know that in the future there will be people that are going to wish you harm and becoming a shinobi will let you protect yourself. You will meet friends and develop bonds that will be there to support you for the rest of your life."
Naruto just snorted. "Right, but that is my choice to make though. You enrolled me into the Academy because my 'mother'", nearly spitting that word with enough contempt to make the old man flinch, "left me alone when I was six, and you are the defacto guardian for all orphans in the village. Ok, so I know a few things, but why do I need to be a ninja to protect myself? I'm fine right now."
"The training that you need is only available to official nin. And you would receive the protection of Konoha if you were a registered shinobi. As a civilian, that is just not possible."
Right, then why did the ANBU hold off for so long until Mizuki decided to go and have a skin pigment change?
You're telling me… Kyuu, help me out here.
Well, why don't you use ethical or moral considerations?
Will that really work, I mean, he is the leader of a military village here.
I don't see you having any better ideas kit.
"I don't want to be a shinobi because I don't want to kill." Naruto said simply and solemnly.
Sarutobi looked at Naruto to see if he was genuine or if it was just words that he was saying to get out of it. He couldn't really tell but it was a consideration that he gave some weight to.
"Why don't you want to kill? You nearly did the same to the Kumo representative all those years ago didn't you?" he asked softly.
"I don't want to kill for money. I did what I did to save Hinata, nothing more, nothing less. I wasn't really thinking about it at the time; I thought that Hinata was going to die. But this, this is different. With missions, are we saying that if you are rich enough, you can do anything you want?"
The Hokage staid silent. It was the more unfortunate aspects of the contracting system that what Naruto was saying was true. But they always had the discretion to accept or reject offers. He told Naruto that.
"But what if I don't agree? What if you choose to accept and choose me, but I don't want to do it?"
This was one of his primary concerns. 'Ne' were not private contractors that dealt with the assorted bullshit of civilian missions. That included escorts or industrial espionage. They did things that were important and vital to Konoha's security. They did kill, but at least it was for good reasons. Naruto just didn't want to be placed in a position where he had to take a life when it wasn't necessary.
"That is part of being a shinobi. Following orders for the good of Konoha."
Naruto realised that he couldn't honestly persuade Sarutobi that he had moral qualms about killing people. He couldn't even convince himself; some people just deserved to die, which brought to mind the haunted eyes of Ayumi in that borderline hovel in Kirigakure. But if people were to die, then it would be for good reason. Money would never be one of them, not for him. Ever. And if he was going to do it, it would be because he chose to do it, not because someone told him to.
Naruto disagreed. "Everyone expects me to be a genin, but I don't want it. I don't want my name, my face, my birthday, my blood group to be known by anyone that can afford a mission." He tossed the hitai-ate that the Hokage had given him onto the oak desk.
"I know all about my tenant, Mizuki told me enough." He neglected to mention the bits about Kyuu and Kisuke. "Most of the villagers would gladly betray my existence if they could get away with it. Why the hell do I want to serve such people in the first place?"
"Because they are good people, Naruto. They just need someone to show them the light…"
"Roooight. And that would be me, wouldn't it. Because no one else can do it but me. Kami knows that you can't, even with all your powers as Hokage. Because I have to be the one that changes the opinions of people that I do not like, for people who don't like me. Why should I bother?" the blonde demanded.
Because it is what your father would have wanted. Your father would have wanted you to be loved and respected, for you to be the villager's protector. It's guardian. And I may have failed in trying to keep some of his last wishes, but I won't in this.
Hardening his heart against the boy's arguments, Sarutobi pressed ahead, "Naruto, you knew by doing what you did that you would have been promoted. Hereby you are promoted to genin. It is as simple as that."
"What?! How can you do this?! I. Do. Not. Want. It!" he shouted out, nearly loosing his temper as his plans of three years were being dismantled in front of his eyes.
"It is for your own good Naruto. I'm sorry."
"No it isn't! What's the matter, won't you protect me with your life, I'm a citizen of this village aren't I? Isn't that what the Hokage does? Do you force other people with ability to become shinobi? Isn't this slavery?!"
After being a sacrifice, it would be nice for someone else to return the favour.
"I would, but I will not always be around to protect you Naruto. My successor might not be as kind." He smiled sadly.
"Then they shouldn't be Hokage in the first place then should they?" the boy challenged.
"We do not always get what we want in life Naruto."
The jinchuuriki narrowed his eyes. "You don't need to tell me that Hokage-sama."
He winced internally at the sheer formality of Naruto's voice. He was angry, and he couldn't really blame him. He was effectively taking away his choices, which he had precious little in the first place, but it needed to be done. Naruto was too young to actually know what was in his best interest. And he didn't want the boy to regret a decision made in his youth that he would give anything to redo in the future. He couldn't let him go astray and unguided. His eyes went back to another team that had such potential but eventually fell apart. And he would never really know who was to blame for the first cracks in the family. He had a bad feeling that he was more responsible than anyone could have thought possible.
"Your father would have wanted you to be a Konoha nin," he started off tentatively and wistfully.
"Oh yes, my father. Who the hell is he!?" he demanded.
Sarutobi tried to vacillate, "I will tell you when you are ready."
"Oh, and when is that?"
"Well, when you are ready." The old man said in a reasonable tone.
Naruto just narrowed his eyes, "How about this, you tell me who my father is and then I will promise you that I will be a genin. The best genin that Konoha has ever seen. And you know that I don't go back on my word jiji."
Catch twenty two old man. How will you handle this?
Sarutobi was seriously contemplating that, if only to keep the peace and get Naruto into the right mindset to actually be serious about his training. He perceived Naruto's indifference as stemming from the arrogance of youth. Sure, he had some skills from Yuugao and Hayate, but in the future he would face enemies far more dangerous and ruthless than he could ever imagine. And Naruto could not rely on any one else for his protection, as much as he would have liked to give Naruto the luxury of ignorance. And if it took the revelation of his parentage... He had a good idea that Minato would not have wanted the fame of being the Hokage's son to go to Naruto's head, but there was a fat chance of that ever happening. The village would be unlikely to repent over the treatment they had put Naruto through.
But Minato had made many enemies, both in Konoha and externally. Iwa were still smarting from the loss that was nearly solely attributable to the Yondaime, and many were still sore that the brash seals master become the youngest ever Hokage. And many others would seek to use the boy for political or financial gain, even though he was protected by the patron of the Hyuuga clan. It would just place an even bigger target on Naruto's head, if Jiraiya was right and Akatsuki were lurking on the horizon. It was probably best if it was left as a secret for now. When Naruto could protect himself, then the truth could be revealed, not any time sooner.
"I'm sorry, but you just have to trust me when I say that your father would have been nothing but proud over your appointment."
I'm sick of hearing about that man. I knew there was a reason why I targeted him on the Hokage's monument. But now I know, kami, I know…
"Well, how do I know that if you don't tell me who he is? What if he was some traitor and the Fourth decided to punish my family by putting it into me? I will never know, will I?" challenged the boy.
Sarutobi winced. That made a lot of sense, even to him. But Minato was not that kind of man. How could he get that across to Naruto though?
"And I'd say that my mother wouldn't want it as well, but since she wants me dead, and has tried to kill me before leaving me, I won't bother. Actually, she might be rooting for me to become a nin so someone can take my life quickly and legally as well," he laughed bitterly.
"Now Naruto, she didn't try to kill you, she just –"
"She did," he said with quiet hurt and confidence. "I remember it now, the times when I felt a person above me when I was sleeping, with the kunai…"
This horrified the old man. Surely not, she did suffer from post natal depression, but she wouldn't have hurt her son, Minato's son, would she?
"And when she left me, she made no arrangements and left me to die." Naruto had a faraway look in his eyes as his fists tightened.
The day's events were getting to him. He needed to get some rest and maybe talk to someone about his problems. And the only one that he could think of that would understand was Yugito.
The Sandaime, with a heavy heart, got up and went to Naruto with a kindly grin. He forcefully pushed the hitai-ate into this hand before sighing.
"I'm sorry to hear about Kushina-san, it seems like we need to have a long chat with her when we do find her."
Naruto was skeptical, "It's been seven years old man, seven years. Are you even trying?"
While he understood his anger, he wasn't going to take his abuse lying down.
"Of course I am, she is important to Konoha and the ANBU have an open order if they even find a hint of her presence."
Naruto's voice turned sly. "Why is she so important to Konoha? She never told me who my father was, so is that the secret?"
The wizened Sandaime just shook his head slowly, trying to think up of an excuse. "She was a former ANBU taichou and knew a lot about our operating methods and abilities. Konoha cannot afford for her to defect."
That was pretty smooth old man. I guess you are going to insist on it, and who is really going to stop you? Danzo might, and he might be supported from people that hate me on the council to try and veto it. But would it be worth it? Some of them would prefer me to be out of the village and die in some nameless backwater… I guess I have to speak to Danzo later on as well.
The Hokage brought him out of his reverie. "Naruto, you are more than qualified to be a genin. I have my trust in you but I cannot allow someone with your training to be unregistered and not subject to the Code. The training that Hayate and Yuugao gave you was for this event. You are a shinobi of the Leaf, be proud of that fact."
Naruto just got up and left, before giving one last parting shot. "Whatever. I want a new name. Seeing that I have no parents, call me Hyuuga Naruto!"
He left an old man looking pensively into the dawn as questions assaulted his consciousness. The primary one being:
Who are you Naruto?
Konoha
'Ne' Headquarters
"So, did you get it, did you get it?"
Wordlessly he tossed over bandanna before moving away. Nearly jumping for joy 'Karasu' scrambled off to get the film developed while the boy just wandered around, looking for Yugito. Anyone familiar with the blond knew that something wasn't quite right with the boy as there was a lost look in his eyes. He eventually found her sparring with 'Hebi' and just stood back on the sidelines and watched.
While Naruto had tried his damned best to convince his fellow blond that weapons were the way to go, she had just shrugged him off and continued to go for pure taijutsu instead. She said that she was never too comfortable in using weapons, even when she was roughing it on the streets. It didn't seem to matter as she was really too fast for any weapons to be of any use; they usually got in the way. It was basically a problem of coordination, the lag time with swinging or thrusting a weapon was appreciably slower than the rest of her body movements, leading to openings that would not have existed if she was going hand to hand only. The problem was somewhat ameliorated if she used very close range weapons like sais or long knives, but it wasn't her preference.
And Naruto knew from painful experience that her blows could actually pack a punch, and they weren't even chakra assisted. When she did they were a nightmare to shield against. But her style was that of a brawler, lacking precision, style or any sort of grace. It was pretty much based off anything that would work. While effective, it was limited by her experience and had no formalised kata system for muscle memory purposes.
That was where 'Hebi' had come into play. 'Mi' wasn't kidding when he said that she was a master of taijutsu, developing a system of fighting called Close Quarters Combat (CQC) that required the use of a small bladed weapon. When Yugito had protested she was placed in a submission hold in under a second, her arm hyper-extended while the blade was hovering over her neck. She was released and was left with awe. She could track some of the movements, but it was all a blur to her and her body was manipulated into a position where she couldn't fight back. It was just not possible for her to resist any of it. Needless to say she accepted the necessary evil and took on a long knife.
Naruto saw them going through basic grappling and joint locks and gave a small smile at the concentration on the girl's face. She was awfully attractive when she was so serious and leaned back, bracing himself against the wall. His eyes grew contemplative as he finally let the past revelations of the morning be absorbed. From the initial feelings of anger and betrayal came nothing but a dull feeling that he didn't understand. Maybe Yugito could help him understand what he was actually going through.
'Hebi' just noticed Naruto and froze at the sight of his body language. She had never seen the boy look so seemingly defeated before, not even after the solo assassination mission with 'Mi' those months ago. She stopped the lessons and walked over to Naruto.
"Heya, did everything go ok?" she asked.
Giving a ghost of a smile, he nodded. "Yeah, 'Karasu' got the camera and if we hear any high pitched girly squealing, well, we would know who it is wont we?"
She grinned before growing concerned. "What's getting you down? It seemed like everything turned out for the best. Your not in the ANBU Interrogation cells, we got the film and everything is in its right place."
Not really wanting to tell her the truth, Naruto just took out the hitai-ate and showed it to her.
"Oh, that. So he gave you a field promotion did he?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, everyone seems to forget about that option. Was quite popular during wartime when we don't have the luxury to hold such things as exams to actually replace the ranks that we needed. Really, the Chuunin exams are just a circus that allows the Daimyo's to show off and circulate contracts around. But don't be too worried about that."
Curious, the blond asked, "What do you mean?"
"For a genin, the test is pretty strict in the sense that there are two examinations that a person has to pass before being a Konoha shinobi. The first is what you have been familiar with. The secondary test is done in a cell of three that determines true passage into geninhood."
Finally, some good news.
"So, that means that I have to fail the next?" reasoned the jinchuuriki.
"Yep, that shouldn't be too hard, unless you get a Jounin sensei that is slack or wants a team. I suggest that you really, really piss that person off."
Naruto gave a wicked laugh before rubbing his hands together in mischief. 'Hebi' just smiled at seeing the fire being reignited into the boy, but she knew that he had bigger problems that he wouldn't share with her. While it hurt her that he wouldn't disclose, she accepted that she wasn't close enough to the boy for him to confide in her just yet. Not that she wouldn't be taking steps to remedy that. Part of it was selfish; she wanted to make a good impression on the jinchuuriki who had undeniable potential and strength and seemed to be destined for important things. And another was the sense of righteousness that seemed remarkably out of place for a thirteen year old boy, particularly over the Yuugao incident. The would be rapist was not particularly well loved in the Root division, but he was competent enough that she had to swallow her distaste to work with him on a professional level. But Naruto would have been the only one that could have taken such actions without rather serious repercussions. No one had questioned too deeply to how a tourniqued body could still bleed out, but she knew enough about 'Mi' to make a qualified guess as to what had really happened. That act alone had won the blond her respect; along with his rather modest behaviour and restraint of the power that he was capable of exercising. But for now she would leave Yugito to talk to him. She could always tease it out of the girl later on.
"Ok, I'm going to take a break for a few moments. Actually, after lunch we can go into the fancier things. If you need me, I will be in the cafeteria."
Naruto was just waiting for her to leave so that he could speak to the teen girl. He suppressed a sigh of relief before looking at Yugito somewhat timidly.
"C-Can we talk?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They were sitting down, Naruto with his head being cradled by Yugito as Naruto stared at the tears that had fallen from his eyes to his palms.
What the hell, why am I crying?
It hadn't happened for a while, not after he made a promise that no matter what life may throw at him, he wouldn't bend, and he wouldn't break. The last time he did so was when he was crying out for his mother after a nightmare and realised that she wouldn't be coming back. It was a cold feeling that left him empty for several days before he swore to himself that he would live, if only to show her that she made a mistake. And regardless of everything that had happened since, his tear ducts were as dry as a desert, besides the moments when the pain had made his eyes water.
"Why am I crying, why does it hurt so much? Why can't I just not care?"
Yugito just hugged the boy harder as he told her his story.
Flashback
"I-I found out who my father was."
"Really?! That's great news, wait, did you say was."
With bitter satisfaction he nodded.
"Well, who was he?"
With a grimace, Naruto answered. "Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage."
Well that was somewhat unexpected. And the following explanation of how he was intended to be the one that killed the Kyuubi made her feel sick to her stomach. The sheer thought of any one using her best friend like that, let alone by his father, made her feel ill. And she then understood the pain that Naruto went through.
No matter how tough he was, or pretended to be, he always had this fond dream that one day his father would come back from somewhere and give him the love and affection that he was starved of since his childhood. From the little that Naruto had told her about his mother, she wasn't very impressed. It wasn't too difficult to see that having your dreams do a complete one eighty would have been distressing to anyone.
"He, planned to have me die… what the fuck?" that last bit came out as a tortured whisper.
"I always thought that he was someone special. Someone that loved me, but couldn't be with me because of… Oh I don't know, some kind of long term mission that meant he wouldn't be back until it was over. Or that he was in hiding because his enemies would have used him against us."
He laughed hollowly. "I didn't expect him to be the son of a bitch who was willing and able to sacrifice his son when I wasn't even a few days old. Did that mean that he didn't love me?"
"He probably did love you in his own way…" inside Yugito was tempted to say no, that it wasn't the act of a loving father, but she knew that it wasn't what Naruto needed to hear.
"Then again, should I be surprised?" he said cynically. He had seen parents who had sold their children to pay off debts, parents who abused their kids because they had drug or alcohol abuse issues, hell even ones that offered their kids to deviants for a quick fix. Even the Hyuuga clan practised ritualised slavery on their own family.
"Maybe he did love me," he allowed with reluctance, "But he loved the village more. He could love the idea of Konoha more than me, his flesh and blood, that he was willing to see me die along with him…"
His eyes hardened to glaciers. "And I just can't forgive that."
And that was the image that he could not reconcile in his mind: Namikaze Minato standing above him, balancing the village on the one hand, and his life on the other. And how he was found wanting. His fantasies of having at least one loving parent were forever destroyed, leaving nothing in its place. The care and affection that he had always hoped for were now just a forlorn dream. And it was another reason for him to hate Minato; even the comfort of a lie was denied to him.
Damn you… kami, damn you…
End flashback
After that he had just stayed silent as he tried to deny the longing in his heart and regain control over his emotions.
Yugito felt somewhat honoured that out of all the people in his life, he chose to come to her. She didn't want to examine it too deeply, but it was a nice feeling to know that she was wanted and valued. It was a novel sensation, one that she enjoyed immensely. Especially when it came from someone who she felt indebted to.
"D – Did you ever figure out who your parents were Yugito-chan?"
The girl just shook her head. "No, I was pretty much an orphan from birth. Kumo didn't really keep records over these kinds of things, probably because they didn't give a crap, or were just lazy as hell. Probably both. But let me tell you something Naruto."
She made the boy face her directly, gently wiping his tears away with her forefinger as she spoke to him, gazing deeply into his eyes so that he understood that she meant everything that she was going to say.
"Family is something more than just blood. It is a bond created by love, by care and by want. Sometimes a blood link makes it easier, but that doesn't mean that because of that alone a family exists. I'm an orphan and I never knew my parents. Though sometimes I might wonder about who they were, at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter to me. It doesn't change a thing, though in your case, it is quite different. And growing up in Kumo like I did, I was pretty much used to the idea of being alone."
Her voice then softened. "But then I met you, and you saved me from the hell of being lonely. The pain of having no one but yourself."
She reached out and held onto his face delicately, feeling the warmth flowing to her fingers. "You did that and more, you are my best friend because you alone understand what it is like, more than any of those kids that play in the street without knowing how precious that actually is. You felt responsible for me even when you didn't know what I looked like; you risked your life to get me out of Kumo so that I could be safe. And you made me feel welcome in Konoha and staid with me, even throughout all my insecurities."
"You are my family Naruto. In fact, you are closer to me than any bond based off blood could ever be." With that she gave him a kiss on his forehead, then on both cheeks, letting her lips linger as she hugged the strangely quiet blond in her arms.
And who knows, maybe something even more special in the future.
"There are people that care for you," she whispered into his ear, "Please don't ever forget that. People that like you and will be there for you. I know I will be there, but will you let me?"
Naruto was shocked by that announcement, and froze up.
Family is what we make it… It made a better sense to him than any connection forged by genetics alone. He thought of all the people in his life that he had a kinship with, and realised that they were worth more than anything that he ever had with his birth parents.
When he felt Yugito's lips on his cheeks he blushed and quietly asked, "Does this make me your younger brother then? Are you my older sister, nii-san?" A hint of a teasing tone marred the otherwise innocent question.
Yugito mocked scowled before giving him a fond grin. "Well, maybe. I think of you as the brat that couldn't cope with anything without my help. Mah, you're such a burden do you know that?"
Naruto sulked, "Says the girl that can't go shopping by herself and uses a little boy's money to buy luxuries that are wasted on her."
"W-what did you just say?!"
"Err, crap, you're still holding onto me aren't you?"
"Oh, I think you did say that. Well, I guess nii-san will have to punish you!" Her hands wandered and reached for his whiskers.
Ah nuts!
And she started to stroke it. Naruto tried to fight it, but as he grew up his whiskers had gotten more and more sensitive, to the point that they nearly became erogenous zones. He was literally purring as Yugito skilfully manipulated him with her fingers.
Damn you Kyuu, I'm sure this is all your fault somehow!
Err, probably is actually. Just relax and enjoy the feeling.
Note to self. Sensitivity of whiskers is increasing as he reaches maturity. Interesting...I guess I will have some fun later on.
Knowing that there wasn't quite anything else that he could really do, he gave up the struggle and quickly started cuddling into Yugito. The girl just smirked before an honest smile graced her face. As she held the boy she knew that he would be alright. Eventually. Naruto just relaxed and let his body go limp. Even after the talk, the day's revelations were taking a toll on his body, and he wasn't quite sure of how he felt about all of it. But he was ever so thankful that there was someone who understood him and was able to give him comfort. It was a very welcome change because the next few days were going to be vitally important. He had an unwanted promotion that he had to get rid of as soon as possible.
So things didn't quite go the way that he planed it. It wasn't all lost. The old man would keep a very damn close eye on him now, and his gigai use had to be monitored more carefully. He had to figure out a way to get a tag onto his gigai so he would be able to act with secrecy. Actually, that idea would need some work. He would play along until the secondary exam would be in play. He remembered that Iruka had given them a week of grace before they were to be examined by their senseis.
Screw that; I have a test to fail. And a jounin sensei to piss off. I wonder who it will be?
Fin.
Omake
Dedicated to the Master of Cheese Graters. This goes out to you. And anyone that doesn't know about Super Smash Bros. Honestly… get a Wii and start brawling.
"Now Yugito, what I am about to teach you is an ancient and powerful technique that is passed on from generation to generation of practitioners of my Art. It makes people jealous just thinking about it. Be honoured that I am about to impart it onto you."
"Really, what is it?" she asked excitedly.
Hebi stood up and raised her shoulders high. 'Mi' just sighed and hung his head.
Here we go again.
"It is called the FALCOOHN PUNCH!!"
Naruto, 'Mi' and Yugito all sweatdropped.
"What?! The falcon punch?!"
"No, no, no, you have to say it right. FALCOOHN PUNCH!!" The shout/cry echoed in the chamber, resonating off the walls.
"That, that is just ridiculous," she spluttered back, thinking that she was being had.
The older woman just looked shocked and scandalised. How dare she mock the trademark move of Kyaputen Farukon! The greatest pilot and bounty hunter of all time!
She calmed herself. Yugito was just ignorant. She would understand, if someone would show her the light.
"Stand back and watch."
Dutifully, Yugito complied as 'Hebi' channelled chakra into her fists. Though it took a while, she managed to get enough such that her entire body was literally on fire. The flames took on the aspect of a fiery falcon she cocked her fist back. She took a running step and yelled out FALCOOHN PUNCH!! The chakra twisted as the elemental avian surged forward; impacting on a training doll, ripping through it cleanly and utterly destroyed it. The falcon seemed to do a victory dance of sorts, cawing away before 'Hebi' released it, still in the trademark pose with her arms outstretched as the room was suddenly quiet.
Yugito stood there, her mouth wide open as she saw how utterly badass that move was.
"Oh. Hell. Yeah! That beats the crap out of any sword technique, any day of the week!"
Naruto looked slightly jealous at that undeniably awesome move and looked expectantly at 'Mi'.
"So Naruto, have I ever told you how useful cardboard boxes are?"
Naruto face faulted and fell to the floor.
"The cardboard box that you have is ideal for fooling your enemies. It's a very important tool for infiltration missions."
"Really?" he asked with disbelief.
"Of course. I can't begin to count the number of operator's whose lives were saved by a cardboard box..."
"You mean everyone's using them? Did 'Karusu' make some sort of freaky alteration to them?"
"No, just an ordinary box. Look, I'm not exaggerating when I say the success of your mission hinges on how you use that cardboard box. But in the end, a cardboard box is only made of paper. Handle it with care or it won't be of much use to you. Don't think of it as just another box. Treat it with love... Don't be rough. Okay?
"What the hell?! Why can't my tutors be sane, is that too much to ask -"
FALCOOHN PUNCH!!
Naruto turned his head to meet Yugito's fist right across his cheek. He was propelled across the room before impacting on the wall, creating a crater nearly four meters in radius. Yugito just had stars in her eyes as she squealed at how useful the technique was. Naruto's body just slowly slumped to the ground before landing in a very uncomfortable position.
"Oh thank you, thank you sensei!"
"Oh don't thank me, thank Nintendo, Super Smash Bros and the F-Zero series. And if you think that is awesome, wait till I teach you the FALCOOHN KICK!!"
As Yugito had trouble breathing 'Mi' went and checked on the seemingly unconscious Naruto.
Dammit, why don't I have something as awesome to teach the kid? Maybe I should give him the infinite kunai bandanna…
A/N
If you think that I am indulging in perennial Yondaime bashing, well in my AU Minato knew that the sealing would have likely led to Naruto's death, when his chakra was converted to reiatsu and placed into Naruto's body. But he did it anyways for the greater good. And that is one phrase that Naruto will learn to hate as he grows up, the victims created by the majority so that they can survive and benefit. Who would have thought that he would be the precursor to Ichigo by taking on shinigami powers just as forcefully and while he was still alive? Well, besides me… And how will Naruto's hatred for his father affect his relations with Jiraiya and Kakashi?? And who will be his jounin sensei?
For those indefatigable readers who want to see Naruto's shikai, well, it's coming sooner or later. Think of it this way, he is the youngest person to ever manifest a zanpukuto, talk to it and create a mental mindscape. If that isn't prodigy territory, then what is? I doubt that Hitsugaya could match Naruto's progress right now at the same age. Right now he has forgotten all about Kyuu's true name, and she is going to keep that secret close to her as she possibly can. And no one is there to tell him otherwise.
Have to thank Super Smash Bros and MGS for parts that I have integrated into the story, particularly in the omake. KNEEL BEFORE NARUTO! comes courtesy of WDCain and the fics that he had written that use that phrase.
This is just over half my last chapter length, but yeah, there is not that much that I can write for this scene. Hell, it lasted for one episode in the damned anime that didn't yet span for ten minutes. At least that is how I remember it... And I hate that dammed scrying orb. It is so potentially useful that it makes intelligence gathering a joke. Thankfully its promptly forgotten in canon. I was tempted to make it absolutely exhaustive in its chakra use to dumb it down. Which I will have to.
If anyone has some reasonable omake requests, feel free to send them over. They will have to be retrospective though, in that they will be posted on the next/future chapters. I have one that I am dying to use but only occurs after the Sound Invasion. Oh yeah, I have interviews to prepare for so be prepared to wait a few weeks before the next instalment hits.
So read and review, or the BRUE FALCOOHN will come and bump you off the road of life. PK fire!
Ja ne.