Naruto
-328-
By Geor-sama
Tsunade stared silently out the windows of her office; attention focused on nothing particular. Shizune often chided her, asking how she could spend so much time in the office and never finish a fraction of her paperwork, especially when she wasn't drinking. Tsunade never bothered to explain why to her assistant, but the answer was Tsunade spent most of her time just staring out of the office windows.
Tsunade did this when there was something heavy on her mind it helped clear it of the 'shoulds', 'woulds', and 'coulds'. A mind weighed down and wrapped up in such things could never make a decision. Unfortunately there were times when this act of staring failed to help and this would be one of them, because her mind kept circling around Jiraiya.
It had been two weeks, going on three, since Jiraiya stormed out of her office. They had yet to hear anything from the man, but Tsunade felt no surprise or disappointment at that. Jiraiya had been pissed when he left, mostly with her, but mostly because he was facing another decision he hated but could not alter.
Tsunade wasn't sure how else she could have explained her decision: she had told him they were running out of time. More training would be wasting the time they had left, there were whispers of an insanely powerful enemy in Ame, which might or might not be connected with Akatsuki, waiting to deliver vengeance for the past sins of Konoha. The clock was ticking and if Naruto was not ready Konoha would be lost.
Maybe the world.
Besides Jiraiya had two and half years to train Naruto why would he need more time? Why Senjutsu? Was he trying to achieve the same goals as her, or had he heard the rumors as well? It didn't make sense if he had been trying to achieve the same goal as her then he should have understood the reason for her decision and supported it.
Sighing she closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the cool pane of glass, wondering.
Jiraiya was an idealist, he saw the world as it should be, how it could be and rarely as it was; he believed that one day true peace would be attained in the world, and he believed this while completely disregarding the hatred and anger that surrounded him. Which explained why she and Jiraiya had broken up during the Great Wars, Tsunade was far too practical to live with such a foolish dream.
She took reality and what happiness she could find in it over such an impossible ideal. Though to be fair, Jiraiya wasn't completely blind to the reality of the world. Unlike Naruto, Jiraiya had accepted that sometimes you couldn't save people. You could try with all of your strength, with all of your resolve, to save them but sometimes they didn't want to be saved.
Sometimes they wanted the darkness, the pain, the hate and the vengeance more than they wanted anything else.
"Why senjutsu?" Tsunade whispered, opening her eyes, feeling that something was fluttering just beyond her reach. Damn it, why was this bothering her so much? She'd made the decision and she couldn't go back on it now. Besides, she had to meet with Tenzou soon to discuss his list of sparring partners for Naruto and then she had to figure out what to do about Danzo.
The old man was secure in his cell, silent and still, but Tsunade had a feeling that hadn't removed the danger Danzo posed to the village. Because Konoha was a military dictatorship and Danzo could over throw her and assume power provided he gathered enough Shinobi willing to support him. Unfortunately, Tsunade wasn't sure what to do about the man, executing him might create a martyr for whatever ninja he had under his sway and that would make them impossible to deal with.
Not that it was all bad, without Danzo floating around playing in the shadows; Tsunade had fully reasserted her authority. The Council kept its fingers out of places they didn't belong and the economy was finally stabilizing now that she had cracked down on a lot of questionable 'import/export' deals.
A knock at the door disrupted her thoughts, and with a sigh Tsunade turned as the door opened, allowing the vaguely familiar Chūnin Hijiri Shimon to peek into the room. Seeing her awake, the Chūnin entered, closing the door behind him before crossing the room to stand before her desk.
"I take it you have something to report?" Tsunade asked, taking her seat.
"Yes." Shimon said with a nod, "According to the last report from Teams Gai and Kakashi, they have reached Mori no Kuni and should make contact with Kumo within a few more days."
"I see." Tsunade muttered, mind roaming to Naruto and hoping the mission helped him. That was why she'd agreed to assign it in the first place. "Anything else?"
"A report from the Niju Shotai team lead by Asuma-san."
Tsunade hesitated and then laced her fingers together. "How bad is it?"
"Five teams engaged in pursuit of two Akatsuki agents. There were only two survivors." Shimon said, pausing to collect his thoughts "Both ninja are in critical, but stable, condition. However, they are still unconscious."
"Which two?"
"Yamashiro Aoba and Yamanaka Ino."
Tsunade stared at the Chūnin for a moment, before sighing and closing her eyes. Admittedly, she had known the Niju Shotai would be underpowered against Akatsuki but for five teams…that was eighteen ninja lost and two critically injured. All of whom had been skilled Chūnin at the least; there should have been a higher survival rate.
"Did he offer any insight into which Akatsuki agents they had encountered?"
"No Hokage-sama." Shimon said with a taut voice. "His report was very brief, but he did say that he had never seen this level or type of devastation before. Also, it appears that the ninja were blown apart from the inside. He noted that whatever happened to Akimichi Choji escaped words."
Tsunade opened her eyes, fixing the young man with her most piercing stare. Shimon flinched, but held his ground until Tsunade looked away from him and at the far wall. For Asuma to describe things in such language, the man had seen actual combat in the last war and seen things done to bodies that the current generation would be unable to fathom.
"All remaining Niju Shotai are to join into larger groups. Ten each and the remaining five can head for the border with Mori no Kuni to act as an escort for Teams Gai and Kakashi. I want a messenger bird sent to the Mori no Kuni border patrols, informing them that the mission of the aforementioned teams is hereby cancelled."
"Yes Hokage-sama."
Fight or Flight.
The basic concept was that when presented with a dangerous situation, people would fight or run like hell. Indeed, most people generally chose to run screaming away from the danger. Choosing fight was, biologically speaking, stupid and insane; species were hard-wired for for survival and reproduction and their instincts told them that.
Uzumaki Naruto, unfortunately, had never been one to do what most would.
His past provided stark examples of his poor survival instincts: a crush on Haruno Sakura and facing off with a ninja nicknamed 'Demon of the Bloody Mist' while a mere Genin. That was not counting when he had fought an unstable ninja who had survived numerous assassination attempts or holding back against his 'brother' after Sasuke had plunged a hand through his body. Therefore, it should come as no surprise when he added his latest example of poor survival instincts.
Facing a female Jōnin who knew more ways to kill than most knew how to swear, alone, so that they could have a conversation. Oh, and she happened to be a host to a demon.
Not that it was his decision; she had called his name and said the dreaded words 'we need to talk'. Of course, any other rational person would have done anything to put the conversation off, or would have at least ensured there were witnesses for when she killed him.
But not Uzumaki Naruto! No, he happily faced his immediate and painful death alone without a safety net.
On the other hand, neither had said a word yet, simply staring at each other. That actually worried Naruto more than if Yugito was shouting or attacking him. Those reactions Naruto could handle considering that's how the other angry females he dealt with in his life acted.
Instead, Yugito stared at him silently, those eyes boring into him.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Yugito finally asked in a surprisingly calm tone.
"Tell you what?"
"About being a Jinchūriki."
"I'm not." Naruto said, unable to help his tone sharpening.
"Do you, or do you not have a Bijū sealed inside you?" Yugito asked.
Naruto debated about lying. He could probably talk this around to prove that she had merely reached the wrong conclusion. Then again, this was a Jōnin and someone he considered a friend. Not only would she catch him in his attempt at trying to talk around this, but also Naruto wouldn't feel right about it.
"Yes."
"Which makes you a Jinchūriki."
"No. It doesn't."
"If you're trying to frustrate me into giving up on this conversation, it isn't going to work."
"It's not that. I just refuse to be reduced a sacrifice," Naruto explained, crossing his arms. "That word is dehumanizing, a word that people made up to make themselves feel better about how they treat people like us."
"You're seriously this bothered by a word?" Yugito asked, raising an eyebrow.
"As I said, I refuse to be a sacrifice." Naruto offered with a shrug, expecting her to view it as a necessary word. Even he admitted, logically, that it or something similar had to exist but still, the term 'Jinchūriki' got under his skin.
"Ok. Fine." Yugito said, waving a hand lazily before crossing her arms as well "Now tell me why you didn't tell me."
"You mean besides it being a village secret?" Naruto asked, grinning faintly. He had learned that answer from Sakura back when Tenten had asked something similar after the Suna affair. Yugito's eye twitched. Apparently, she didn't like having such an obvious answer tossed in her face, and if he didn't say something else then Sakura would have to come back with a shovel to bury his corpse. "I just didn't think it was important. Hell, most of the time I don't even think about it."
"I could see how you would think that." Yugito said in a low tone "Considering it has to be the Kyūbi, I suppose it's only natural that you don't have a care in the world."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"The Kyūbi, its strongest Bijū there is. So of course you can be carefree about things."
"Pft, that's stupid." Naruto said, rolling his eyes "I never knew about the giant fur ball until after I was twelve."
"'Furball'?" Yugito echoed blankly before blinking.
"Yeah, fur ball. What you think I'm gonna call the damn thing 'Kyūbi-sama' or something after it nearly destroyed my village? That's about as likely to happen as Ero-sennin not having a single perverted thought for a whole day."
"It's the strongest demon in the world, because of it you don't have to worry about anything and you're calling it a fur ball?"
"First, just because it's the strongest doesn't mean I have to be nice to it." Naruto said, uncrossing his arm to shove the hands in his pockets "Second, I do worry. I worry about my friends, my family, about my promises and all sorts of things. I don't brood or get depressed because of a decision I made while growing up isolated, alone, with a whole village of hateful and cold stares."
"Before or after you were told about the Kyūbi?"
"Before, long before I learned about the fur ball." Naruto said, glancing at the sky "I decided that I wouldn't suffer for no reason, I refused to simply roll over for all that hate. I made them notice me, I forced people to acknowledge me and in the midst of all my pain, I found people that made it go away."
"So it's really that simple huh?" Yugito asked, her tone pensive, staring at him oddly, "You're just carefree because you want to be?"
"Yup." Naruto said with a grin and a nod "I get upset, I get depressed, but I don't let it keep me down."
"...I see." Yugito said, gaze drifting away from him and toward the trees.
"Would it make you kill me painlessly if I said 'sorry'?" Naruto asked earnestly. At least this conversation seemed close to being finished. Naruto honestly wanted to get back to the others, and besides he wasn't suited for heavy discussions like this.
Yugito blinked and shaking her head, uncrossed her arms, prompting him to flinch. "I'm not going to kill you."
"What? You're not?" Naruto asked in surprise before quickly realizing what he was saying "I mean, of course you're not, why would yo-"
"Well, I thought about it. But right now I'm just tired and wondering if you have any other 'shocking' revelations." Yugito said tiredly, rubbing the side of her face.
"Does thinking that you have a great body count?" Naruto asked with a grin, meaning to lighten the mood, but then he what he said sank in. Naturally, Naruto began to panic. "No! I didn't mean - I meant that I wonder if you'd hold it against me! No wait, not that, I didn't mean-"
"I-I think we should go catch up with the others." Yugito offered cutting him off, appearing to blush.
"Right! Yes! Let's go!" Naruto squeaked, hurrying off with Yugito in tow, thankful to still be breathing. If he had said that to Sakura, she would have turned him into a greasy smear.
"By the way," Yugito called from behind him "I think you have a great ass."
Naruto ran face first into a tree.
Neji mastered his urge to grimace as the small of his back ached, a Hyūga did not show weakness from such a little thing. Especially not when you were faced with strangers in a foreign country. The Innkeeper was prattling on about how he needed a security deposit since they were ninja.
Neji grunted his understanding, wanting nothing more than to get upstairs to the room his team had. Tenten and Lee were too volatile to leave alone for any length of time; with Gai's death, Tenten's anger had blossomed and Lee had become even more emotional. Neji needed to be up there, dealing with those two, trying to keep this mission on task.
"How much, exactly, is the deposit?" Neji asked, keeping his voice even, staring at the beady eyed and balding man.
"One hundred and fifty ryo."
Neji arched an eyebrow, and the Innkeeper's head lowered slightly, and his weight shifted slowly to the side. The lowered head signified he was trying to hide something and the slow shift of weight indicated he was uncomfortable. Neji clasped his hands behind his back, prompting the man to blink rapidly before glancing to the left; the rapid blinking was a sign of unease while the glance to the side signaled a guilty feeling.
Considering the body language, Neji decided that the man was a poor liar, and greedy considering the lie. Neji had encountered 'security deposits' before and he could appreciate the urge to make a little extra, but what this man had asked for was seventy-five ryo higher than normal. The man coughed and brushed his thin hair back, before changing the price.
Neji didn't comment on the change of price. Instead he handed over the smaller deposit, annoyed with having to squabble over money. Hyūga did not normally bicker over such things, but then again they rarely had people try to extort them. Still, having Konoha ninja known as stingy would be better than having them known as gullible.
"Thank you sir. I hope the rooms are to your-"
"Good evening," Neji said curtly, interrupting the man before walking past the man and up the stairs. A maid fluttered by, offering a bright smile and Neji smiled back mechanically. He had more things on his mind than pretty maids, for example, the Kumo Jōnin leaning against the railing near the stairs, watching him like an idle cat.
"Yugito-san." Neji said, reaching the landing.
"Neji-san." Yugito said, turning her head to glance at him, "Those two aren't going to be able to finish this mission."
"Konoha Shinobi are more resilient than you think." Neji countered passively, knowing which two she meant. "I am touched with your concern for them however."
"I'm sure." Yugito said, her gaze cool "So what now? You've lost a man, another is unconscious, two of your ninja are emotionally compromised-"
"There is still myself, Sai, Haruno and Naruto." Neji offered blandly, noting the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes at Naruto's name. Interesting. "The four of us should be more than adequate to complete this mission."
"Haruno's a medic, 'Sai' is exhausted, and Uzumaki doesn't have full use of his arm."
"And me? I'm not emotionally compromised or wounded?" Neji asked, almost amused at her use of Naruto's family name.
"You're a Hyūga." Yugito offered, standing up while smirking at him, "Everyone knows that Hyūga don't have emotions, and feel no pain."
Neji bristled subtly at the jab, a warning sign that his control was slipping. He had heard that sort of thing before: it was only natural considering the nature of the Hyūga clan. The Hyūga were experts at reading body language and predicting actions with such accuracy that it seemed supernatural so it was only natural that they would intentionally develop an unreadable façade.
"Have a good evening Nii-san, we will set out in the morning." Neji offered, turning away from the Kunoichi. He walked past the room the three males of Team Seven would be sharing, two of whom were currently out cold, then past the room Yugito and Sakura would be sharing and entered the last door on the left.
Neji paused just inside, taking in the room and his team mates with a single sweep. Lee was sleeping, covers tugged up over his shoulders and Tenten sat on the edge of the bed, dragging a kunai slowly along the sharpening stone. Redundant, considering all the weapons Tenten owned held the keenest edges he had seen.
"Neji," Tenten said softly, looking up as she registered his presence. Stepping into the room completely and shutting the door, he nodded returning the greeting. "Done following Naruto's orders?"
"Pettiness does not suit you." Neji said, crossing to the desk before taking a seat in the chair "How has Lee been taking this?"
"Badly. Which doesn't surprise me, Gai-sensei was the closest thing Lee had to a father." Tenten said, turning back to sharpening her kunai "I tried to comfort him, but I just…Gai was important to me too, and I know I'm not missing him half as much as Lee, but how can I do anything when…it's just…"
"The important thing is that you try." Neji said firmly, watching the girl; her attention focused on the task of sharpening her kunai, but he could see the faint shaking of her shoulders. Trying to keep the emotions from crushing her, trying to be a Kunoichi completely and master her emotions. "There is no shame in mourning. Gai-sensei was very important to each of us, we all feel his loss acutely."
"I know but it's just," Tenten muttered before looking up, her eyes earnest and seeking an answer from him "I don't know what to do."
"Keep moving." Neji offered, knowing that she would balk at that suggestion. He could see the words forming on her lips already so he cut her off before she could voice them, "I'm not being callous Tenten. I merely tell you the best way to manage the loss."
"I wasn't going to say 'callous'," Tenten said with a snort "I was going to ask what you meant."
"Ah," Neji managed, realizing how tired and hurt he was to misread such a thing. Shrugging his shoulders slightly he sighed, closing his eyes "I meant that we must keep moving, as long as you are moving you can stay alive. As an example, we need to finish this mission-"
"The mission that got Sensei killed."
"The mission that Gai-sensei gave his life to protect." Neji corrected without opening his eyes "Remember, a mission must be completed, even at the cost of our lives."
"You are really trying to keep that emotionless Hyūga image up aren't you?" Tenten sniped.
Neji sighed, opening his eyes to stare at her. He had wanted to finish this mission with both Tenten and Lee since it would be helpful to them, but Tenten was not in the best frame of mind. Lee would force his way through the mission, but he would not be a hundred percent and with potentially more intense battles looming that could be deadly.
"In the morning, you and Lee should head back to Konoha; Gai-sensei's body should be laid to rest as soon as possible." Neji said at last, noting her surprise "Sai and Kakashi-sensei will most likely remain here to recover, and then head back as well. Haruno, Naruto and I can complete the mission."
"Just the three of you?"
"Haruno is an excellent medic, while both I and Naruto are more than capable at handling combat."
"Are you serious?" Tenten asked, gesturing with her kunai "These are the ninja responsible for Gai's death."
"That was an Akatsuki agent." Neji corrected, feeling more certain than ever that she needed to leave the mission. He had experience with what she was feeling; Neji had blamed the Main Family for his father's death far too long. It had been his father's choice to die, to give his life for his brother so that in duty, he had found freedom.
Tenten needed to discover that fact as well, that Gai had given his life not only in the duty of being a Shinobi, but to protect them from the harm that would come from his failure. If she remained on this mission however, her anger and resentment would only grow, so he would send her and Lee off, and perhaps that would help her find the perspective needed. If not Neji could always steal a page from Naruto's book and beat her into waking up and realizing the truth of the matter.
"Neji, are you forgetting where this mission is going?"
"I am aware." Neji said, standing slowly, wondering if he could crash with Naruto and the others. He needed rest, and Tenten was not going to let up anytime soon about this "Nonetheless, I am also aware of my obligation to Konoha and I will see this mission completed."
As the apprentice to the Hokage, Sakura had examined many injuries and treated them. However, it was only in the last few months that Tsunade had allowed her to examine and treat injuries caused by S-Rank Ninjutsu. The damage from those were the worst of injures, hence why they were ranked 'S' which stood for 'Suicidal' and required expert skill in treatment which was why Sakura was only now being allowed to deal with them.
Still, Sakura had never seen or heard of this level of damage before and she doubted her Sensei had either. Naruto was seated before her, jacket and shirt lying to the side, while Sakura scanned the arm he had approached her about. Apparently, while he had full use of it, there seemed to be a lingering pain and the Kyūbi seemed to be taking its time with the healing.
Now that Sakura saw the damage however, she wondered if the Kyūbi wasn't so much being vindictive as it was powerless to work any faster. As Naruto had explained the Rasen Shuriken, it used countless small blades of wind and when it hit the enemy there was no surviving it. The actual results were far worse than he could have guessed, the miniscule blades of the Rasen Shuriken sliced through the body and into the cells severing even the chakra circulatory channels, thus it resembled a fast acting poison more than an outright attack.
If the secondary damage she saw in Naruto's arm was any indication, this attack was the strongest S-rank Ninjutsu she had ever heard of.
"So?"
"Your Rasen Shuriken is a very nasty attack," Sakura said, pulling her hands away. "Those blades cut through a body and into its very cells, destroying them and the chakra pathways."
"Ooook" Naruto said glancing over his shoulder at her, eyebrow rising. "What are cells?"
"The fundamental building blocks of our bodies." Sakura explained, moving to the desk for a glass of water. "Your Ninjutsu basically attacks the foundations of the body."
"Oh." Naruto managed, the rustling of clothes telling her he was putting his shirt back on. "So, why's the fur ball taking its time?"
"Well at first it tried to heal you like normal, which is probably why you can still use your arm. Only, without chakra pathways it wasn't accurate enough to sustain extensive repairs. So instead, it's rebuilding the cells one at a time."
"Isn't that what it does?"
"Healing and rebuilding are two entirely different processes Naruto. When our bodies heal, it's essentially filling the 'gaps' left behind by a wound, making them imperfect copies of the original." Sakura explained, taking a sip of her water before glancing out the window "Rebuilding on the other hand, well, I'm not sure how the process works, but basically the Kyūbi is discarding ruined cells and building entirely new ones to replace them."
"Wow," Naruto said, turning in the chair to look at her. "So how's Kakashi-sensei?"
"Unconscious, but stable." Sakura said, turning her attention back to Naruto. "His Sharingan forced him to the edge of Chakra exhaustion, even worse than when he fought that Deidara."
"Oh."
After that, the conversation fell into a lull. Sakura figured it was because this was the first time either of them had lost a person they knew. Gai hadn't been a close friend, but a sort of crazy uncle. Sakura wondered why she didn't feel worse; all she felt was a hint of melancholy. Maybe she felt what she was supposed to feel, and she just thought she should feel worse.
Sakura thought about asking Naruto, seeing how he felt, but her friend had enough on his mind without forcing that conversation. In her experience, men had an aversion to discussing their feelings, and she doubted Naruto would be different.
"Hey Sakura-chan," Naruto said startling her "I talked with Yugito you know..."
"Oh, yeah, how'd that go?" Sakura asked, remembering her curiosity about their conversation "I mean she was angry the last time I saw her."
"She was." Naruto admitted, frowning as he twisted his jacket in his hands "but I mean she didn't make any sense. Well, I mean, she wanted to know why I never told her about the fur ball but once I told she just sorta let the subject drop. I mean, I know she's still angry but she won't talk about why and it's sorta-"
"Wait, Naruto." Sakura said, interrupting him while staring with wide eyes. "You realize that she's still angry?"
"Well yeah." Naruto admitted scowling at her "I know you think I'm stupid, but I'm not that stupid."
"It's not that I think you're stupid, it's just you normally don't realize that sort of stuff." Sakura explained with a shrug "that's why it always stands out when you do."
"Oh." Naruto said, standing up, pulling his jacket on "So, what do I do?"
"Relax, rest, and pray that when she cools off she doesn't do something drastic."
Naruto woke with a small start, a testimony to his training, but it was still too late. A weight landed on him, the cold sharp edge of a kunai against the side of his jugular. The slightest move on his part could result in a painful and bloody death. He wasn't sure that the Kyūbi could keep him alive if that should happen.
Staring up he found the owner of the kunai, one Nii Yugito, staring down at him. Shadowed as the room was, he could see her eyes and there was something in them that made him more curious than scared. Yugito grinned ferally and Naruto's eyes widened as she grabbed his hair with her free hand and pulled his head up to capture his lips in an impassioned kiss.
He wasn't sure how to react to this since on one hand he still had a kunai pressed against his throat, but on the other he had a hot girl not only straddling his waist -her hips were starting to move- but giving him a very serious kiss. It was for this very sort of situation that nature had given males hormones: Naruto's mouth worked to match her kiss, his tongue struggling with hers, while he reached up to grab her hand and move the kunai from his throat.
Yugito stopped the kunai from moving too far, but didn't try to put it back to his throat. Naruto didn't care all that mattered was the hot girl he was currently making out with. Breaking the kiss, leaving Yugito panting, Naruto bent his left leg and then drove his hips up while twisting toward his right shoulder.
The room whirled and their positions changed allowing Naruto to pin Yugito beneath him. To be out done though, Yugito's legs wrapped around his waist in the same instant, stopping any attempt at escape. Chest heaving Naruto stared down at her, ears filled with their heavy breathing and an animalistic sense of anticipation swelling up through him.
Her legs flexed against his waist...
Naruto's head dipped, his mouth finding the side of her throat, kissing and biting. Yugito groaned, her free hand grasping hair and shoving his head down, so that his lips met her collarbone.
Using the kunai to slice her shirt open, exposing her breasts to his eager mouth.
...Moaning, panting, nipping and suckling...
Another shift and another, pants and underwear discarded.
Naruto was poised and panting, flushed, staring at her equally flushed face, seeking permission. Yugito wrapped her arms around his shoulders and using her legs, urged him forward and in.
...Powerful thrusts, deep grunts, the creaking bed...
A loud moan and groan, fingers digging into his shoulders, hoarsely whispered encouragements, the constant flexing of her legs, urging and pulling.
His guttural growl of accomplishment and her hissed delight.
Silence.
AN:
So, I'm back with an update. Took a while huh, anyway, I know I could have went more graphic but I wanted to try something else. Also, I will neither confirm nor deny that the above scene did or did not actually happen.
Edit 5/19: I re uploaded the chapter in docx because ff . net was dropping " and ' from the htm version. Also of note, I hate docx because I have to fight with it once I upload a chapter.
