Chapter Eleven : Wave/First Assault
Hyuuga Neji stalked past his room, face set in stone. He had passed by Hiashi's office, and the cackle the man had wasn't doing wonders for his heart. He strained his ears, and he was able to pick up 'Uzumaki' and 'Hinata', along with something called 'CRA' and 'You da man'. The last freaked him out. Hyuuga's didn't use phrases like that. Who was that Uzumaki brat to change the normally stoic and emotionless Hyuuga Hiashi to such a... carefree and loose person...? No matter. These eyes of mine will see right through it. It's how things are, and will be. You may prove to be a challenge yet, Uzumaki Naruto. Do not lose... No. Fate has decided that you will not lose, till you meet me in battle.
Uchiha Sasuke was irritated, grouchy, and generally twitchy. Add that with a particularly loud pink banshee, along with a loud-mouthed Inuzuka didn't help matters. That, and a consistently late Jounin sensei, who generally left them to their own devices made him particularly volatile. He WAS, IS, and WILL BE an Uchiha. He should be receiving one on one training, not waiting for the weak to catch up! The Jounin taught them tree walking, gave his signature eye smile, before disappearing somewhere to read his smut. He was an Uchiha, the elite. The ultimate. The nobles. Despite what the Hyuugas might, and may think, they were, always, will be, and eternally be inferior. He was an Uchiha.
"Alright alright..." Kakashi drawled, lazily, eye never leaving his book of smut. "We'll have some theory lessons today."
"What?" Sasuke snapped.
"You didn't hear me?" Kakashi would have gawked, and acted out a mock show, but he couldn't be bothered to. "I said 'Alright alright... We'll have some theory lessons today.' Or perhaps we should head to the hospital so Sasuke can get his ears checked... A deaf nin is a dead nin... Well, most of the time, but..."
"What theory." Sasuke growled, cutting his Jounin Sensei's incoherent ramblings.
"Well, just so you know, there are the Chuunin Exams approaching in a few months time, and I thought I'll go through some of the basics again!" Kakashi's eye crinkled, amusement flicking in his eyes, barely hidden.
Sasuke would have groaned, but the Uchiha's didn't groan. No matter. If this village will not allow me to grow, then so be it. There're other trees in the forest, after all.
And then, let them fall at my feet as they seek to have me back.
He gave a smirk that didn't escape Kakashi's eyes. Itachi... Wait for me.
Sakura seriously didn't know what to do. Sasuke was getting more and more estranged from them, if his frosty attitude was any indication. Her Sasuke-kun was powerful, and he grew day by day, and to her, his growth was unparalleled. He WAS Sasuke, after all. So why was he so... upset? So... so... frustrated?
Sometimes, she felt tired of trying to figure the enigma that was Uchiha Sasuke. Was he really that worth it? Another look at the Uchiha cemented her originally quavering ambition.
Kiba gave his usual stupid smile, the mask he hid under to bring out the normally suppressed emotions the Uchiha possessed. Seriously, that guy either had 'Angst' and 'Emo' as his emotions. It seemed that stupidity brought about the other emotions. Stupidity, and only stupidity. And so Kiba provided.
Uchiha Sasuke, as unwilling Kiba was, was already part of the pack. And pack members stood for each other. And so it was, and so it will be.
Hatake Kakashi gave his self confident smirk. While 'ditching' them and leaving them to their own devices wasn't exactly a good teaching method, it encouraged interaction. OR rather, it should. The Uchiha preferred to work alone, and the Haruno just camped on a tree and stared longingly at the Uchiha, and the Inuzuka trained. The Inuzuka tried to work with them, oh yes, but it failed. Inuzuka Kiba will be getting his push in advancing to Chuunin from Kakashi, that much he was sure of.
The last training was the proverbial smash that broke the camel's back. Right now, he had to ditch the style of individual learning, and FORCE them, by the Sharigan if necessary, to train together. Perhaps a binding jutsu with him attaching chains to their wrists and ankles for a week would help foster friendly bonds. Or even, shoving them into a broom closet and locking it, before barricading it with a couple of Doton jutsus would do the job. They sure did it for his team.
Kakashi gave himself a pat on the back, and gave his team a disturbing grin. After the talk... And some popcorn with it.
Nara Shikamaru sighed, as he leaned on a wall. Raising his head, he observed the ever-changing sky with his eyes. He sighs, only to turn around as a torrent of words from a blonde exploded into his ears. "Troublesome..."
He groaned again as the kunoichi positively exploded. He was supposed to be still lazing around bed, instead of hearing Ino screech, damn it! His mind swivelled to other matters, tuning out the kunoichi and generally inciting another rant from her. Uchiha Sasuke. The sole Uchiha survivor. Shikamaru didn't know what to think of the Uchiha. On one hand, he was a fine shinobi, definitely destined for great things. On the other... His thirst for revenge was probably more than sufficient for him to think about betraying the Leaf if he thought he could obtain more power elsewhere.
Then the enigma, Uzumaki Naruto. That boy had to be of some relation with the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Their surnames might be different, yes, but look at their faces. He had once, as a child, doodled on a book. What he didn't expect when he flipped out his old books again for nolstagia's sake was to think 'What's a grown up Naruto doing in this old book?' Then he realised that he had doodled on the Yondaime's picture. His mind had whirred, and his head hurt from thinking too much. His father had just chuckled and told him not to tell anyone else when he thrusted the book in Shikaku's face.
And as for his mother... He didn't want to have anything to do with that troublesome woman so early in the morning.
His sensei came, and he shoved these unnecessary thoughts out of his mind, getting ready for another round of shogi.
Ino seriously didn't know what to do. Uchiha Sasuke had been steadily gotten moodier and grumpier by each week, and she felt for Sakura every single time the pink haired kunoichi got rejected by the Uchiha. Contracy to common belief, she didn't love the Uchiha. The false image had worn off the first time Naruto beat Sasuke up, as though Sasuke was a mere fresh academy student. She had however, chose to remain a Sasuke Fangirl, solely because it gave the forehead girl more confidence. After all, she might as well help her all the way, instead of just halfway.
Ino decided that she best get her head out of this subject and scream at Shikamaru. She had a reputation to uphold, after all.
Sarutobi Juzou frowned. Right in front of him was one of Jiraiya's reports, and what it entailed didn't please him. The Oto-Suna alliance hadn't been finalized, but what it meant was that Suna was no longer their ally. He crushed the paper with his hand, and with a quick Katon jutsu, got rid of the sensitive information. What are you planning... Orochimaru.
Standing from his swivel chair, the Sandaime crossed the short length to the window quickly. Placing a wizened hand on the cool window, Sarutobi peered outside. It was sunny. And he will ensure, come hell or whatever, it remained so. He was the Sandaime Hokage, and it was his duty.
Sarutobi took a puff from his pipe. His breath came out ragged, fogging the glass slightly. I guess I should start training now, eh, Saru old boy?
The Sandaime's hands blazed through handseals, before they were slammed on the ground. "Ninpou : Dai Kage Bushin!"
Jiraiya giggled perversely. Right in front of him was an absolutely heavenly sight. As heavenly as it could get, that is, with most of it's heavy hitters gone, like Senju Tsunade, Yuuhi Kurenai, and Uzuki Yuugao. The Mitarashi had been there in the morning, so he had missed her. Then the next sight almost made him wonder if he was peeping on the wrong side of the fence, till realisation hit him. Literally.
Screeching, the Haruno matriach screamed for her fellow clanswomen to bash the pervert up.
I still thought I was peeping on the man's section. Thank kami. Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief as he ran away. It's just the flat clan.
He winked at his informant, who had slipped him his information while he was being pummelled.
(A/N : There, I gave a purpose, or rather, another purpose to Jiraiya's perversity. No one's going to suspect a man being pummelled with righteous fury gaining information at the same time. Well, besides the information about how being a pervert didn't pay.)
Kakuzu panted. "Who're fuck are you!?" He snarled, black threads snaking out of his skin.
The masked man gave a grin. "My name is Uchiha Madara."
Kakuzu's eyes widened.
"Tsukyoumi." Madara gave a sadistic grin.
"Madara-sama, is there a need to risk permenantly damaging Kakuzu?" Pein drawled.
"No one will know of my identity, except for a few of you. Kakuzu has to regain my trust for me to unlock this memory." Madara snarled. "Know your place, Nagato."
"Hai, Madara-sama."
ANBU Team 3 seated themselves. Not on proper chairs, with some seating on the walls, and even one on the ceiling. The Captain just settled to seat himself on the floor. Team Kurenai were seated in a circle around the man, with a map prominently displayed right in front of them, weighed down at the corners with kunai. Marks were scrawled in an apparently lazy drawl all around the map, with red cross marks indicating a bandit camp, and a single blue cross indicated their location. There was a orange cross where the bridge was, and a black mark on the town.
Tenzou tapped a kunai on the nearest bandit camp, bringing the focus of the Genin to the spot. "When we were coming, I received info that the five camps are merging and separated into two, which are-" Here, Tenzou took out a pink piece of chalk, and marked two spots on the map. "There are 5 nukenin to a camp, and we know that Zabuza and his assistant are operating independently." Here, a question mark was drawn.
"We know that Zabuza and his assistant is temporarily out, so we have to bring down the two camps as quickly as possible." Tenzou replied. "And Zabuza leaved us a period of only 1 more day, so We'll have to split and attack both at once. Me and Buta, along with Hinata and Shino will take on the first camp, while you guys take the other. We'll move out at... it's 12 00 Hours now, so we'll move at 12 30 Hours. Go and pack, and prepare yourselves. We go on the dot."
The shinobis dispersed.
"Neko, and Okami, I need a word with you." Tenzou spoke, emerging behind the two ANBU.
"You may see several things during the fight from the Uzumaki." Tenzou muttered. "Don't let it get to you."
"Like, err..." Neko rubbed the back of her head. "What?"
"A sudden rise in killing intent, and THAT feeling." Tenzou replied. "If rumours were any indication, the boy utterly hates those types. And there's definitely an abundance of those people in those camps."
"Then shouldn't you be with him, Taichou?" Okami replied tersely. "Only you can control the bijuu."
"The Kyuubi is on our side." Tenzou smirked. "Sandaime-sama has assured me, and have given me sufficient evidence for me to have full confidence in his words."
"Very well, Taichou." Neko nodded. "If it's good enough for you, it's good enough for us. By your leave."
The three disappeared in a plume of smoke.
"Danzou-sama." A masked figure bowed, standing right in front of a rather wizened man.
"Dispense with formalities, Sai." The man dismissed the gesture with a wave of his sole arm. "Report."
"Mission completed. Saruho has perished, however." Sai intoned emotionlessly.
"Very well. I'll assign Kuroha to your team, then." Danzou replied. "Take a week to recuperate, then report back. On your way out, tell Tanu I want to meet him."
"Hai, Danzou-sama." Sai bowed.
"Now, Sarutobi-kun..." Danzou gave a deep chuckle. "The pieces are set, and the die is cast. Your move, old monkey."
"So... Are you guys ready?" Tenzou smirked, hands on his hips. Not that they could see his smirk under his mask, but the amusement was evident in his voice.
"Indeed." Shino nodded, while Buta seemed to be acting in mock hurt that Tenzou would suggest that THEY weren't ready.
"I'm hurt, Ten-kun!" Buta gasped, clutching his hands to his heart. "I'm hurt!"
"Oh shut up Bu-teme!" Okami roared, punching his teammate. Said teammate flew through the canopy, crashing into a tree, and by the sound of yelps and the fact that many birds flew, said tree had crashed. And out of the forest burst an enraged Buta, who proceeded to kick Okami.
"You know, if we could get a move on?" Neko snarled, gripping both teammates by their collars and forcing a particularly scary Neko aura into their faces.
"Ah, um, yeah." Buta squeaked nervously.
Hyuuga Hiashi, the Clan Head of the Hyuugas, sat down behind his simple oak desk with a glass mat and a cup of lightly steaming green tea in his hands. In his other hand, was a thick and dusty tome, inscribed on the dull scarlet cover were wordings long faded from the weathers. Goddamn idiots couldn't bother to get a new book. Hiashi grumbled. As soon as I finish this I'm tossing out this antique Konoha Law Book and getting a new one.
Placing the heavy tome on the protesting desk, he flipped the pages quickly, already having memorized the table of contents. Of course, he could, but he couldn't be bothered to memorize the book itself. The slightly yellowed page was blank. Manipulating his chakra with the inhumane control born to the Hyuuga head (Sometimes he couldn't help but sigh at the stupid elders) and channelled the oddly moving chakra into the page. Words spread from contact, waves of words flowing from his fingertip, setting into the page, and with a slight greenish glow, the ink set into the page and it was open for purview, without the risk of it disappearing without chakra being supplied constantly.
The page glowed slightly, sticking it's pages down till required. Nidaime's Law. Hiashi chuckled. As ruled by the Nidaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato... Bleh, boring political stuff. Grimacing slightly, he paced over to his sparse bookshelf and picked a slightly smaller tome. 'Guidebook to Political Lingo.' Those stupid elders will have a field day if they know this book was here...
Nidaime's Law.
As per Nidaime's rule. Hiashi snorted at this, and he whirred around cautiously after catching himself and activating the security seals he managed to blackmail the late Namikaze into doing for him.
Simply put, any person who is the last of a great clan or a possessor of a kekkei genkai used to fall immediately in the CRA group, and there were several concerns and arguements, and this lead to the creation of the Nidaime's Law... Like anyone reading the book wants to know the history behind it. Hiashi groaned. The thrice-damned... Okay, the idiots who had authored the books had been damned for more than a hundred times by him already, but, who the hell would want to bother with... that dry, morbid history. Who cared that it took 5 council meetings to iron all bugs out, for the Sandaime's sake!
Well, the Sandaime MIGHT care, being the Professor and all that.
In simple terms, the rule allows any person in possession of ONE, and ONLY ONE kekkei genkai to refuse being placed in CRA, and if the person has obtained prior permission and well wishes from their Clan Head, with the Clan Head fully understanding that if the person is the only one left, he or she has no obligation besides personally to continue the existence of the clan. However, any one with TWO, or MORE kekkei genkai, and is the sole scion of TWO, or MORE great clans, he or she is obligated both personally and legally to extend the existance of the clan.
Well, being that dear blond gaki is probably both the progenator of the Namikaze and Uzumaki clans... Fufufufufu...
"You da man, Hiashi!" In a burst of characteristically out of place cheer, Hiashi attempted to slap himself on his back.
"Alright, so there's about one thousand bandits and rounin per camp, along with 5 C to B ranked nukenin..." Okami tapped the side of his mouth. "The camp's split into three sections, as we can see."
Peering over the foilage, Naruto could make out the distinct boundaries of the camp. The camp was indeed divided into three. There was a circle in the centre, the training posts and shinobi gear hanging outside to dry on lines attached to said posts indicating that it was the 'Headquarters', and to the left were the bandits, and to the right, the rounins. Said rounins were already up and training, while most bandits were lazing about, fingering weapons, or even dozing on the ground. There was the distinct odour of something aweful, something he hated. Uzumaki Naruto's eyes glazed over with a cold metallic glint.
"Kill, or be killed." Neko spoke. "Don't freeze, Uzumaki. God speed."
Naruto levelled a chilling glare at the ANBU.
"I know."
Although Okami will never admit it, even to his deathbed, the cold metallic look in the boy's eye chilled him to the core. No child, not even what most called the demon brat should have those eyes... Those of Elite Jounins. Those of ANBU.
Those eyes of a seasoned killer.
Those cold, cold unyielding eyes.
Those eyes of cold metal.
"Go."
Naruto leapt off the branch, weight seals off, and Qi and Chakra rushing through his systems, boosting his power to the limit, yet not reaching the higher limit, that of the Hachimon.
He disappeared in a burst of sheer speed.
Kurenai, Okami, and Neko gasped, as suddenly, Naruto was there, then the next moment, he was gone. There was no noise, no disturbance. The dirt was still soft, springy, as though nothing had been on it before. It was speed, undulated speed, at it's purest form.
"Holy shit." Neko groaned.
"Indeed." Okami agreed.
"What in the..." Kurenai blubbered.
Blood splattered on the ground, and the sentry toppled, the sole sign of an intruder the glint of a kunai in the sun, and the gaping wound on the neck.
What the Jounins saw wasn't a camp. It was a carnival of war, and the Uzumaki was singing the song of death. The hymn of war. The ballad of slaughter.
It was then, Kurenai understood. Uzumaki Naruto wasn't a Genin. He wasn't a blank slate of metal, ready to be forged, to be hammered, to be heated, then hammered again. He was already a well forged katana. His Hamon glinted like a Masamune, singing both the song of death and life.
(A/N : Masamune's a famous swordsmith, reputedly the best. Even better than Murasama. Google for more details.)
The B-Ranked nukenins fell, quickly, and easily, caught unawares. What it took, were two senbon from Naruto, and two basic ANBU Chakra Fangs Neko carried. The speed which bodies fell seemed to increase after Naruto saw the captives. He snapped, and along with his lost control he brought along half the camp in a supercharged Doton : Yomi Numa. The other half were treated to the fear Konoha felt when the Kyuubi attack.
Neko, Okami, and Kurenai found themselves hardpressed to ignore the sheer amounts of Killing Intent Naruto outputted. Even without being in eye contact, they could feel as though Shikumi no Jutsu (Death Viewing Technique) was being used. And judging by the bandits and rounin attempting to claw their eyes out as the three killed them emotionlessly, a quick senbon to the spine, a chop to the neck, and a kunai across the throat, and by the grateful looks the rounin and bandits were sending them, Naruto had a certain creativity in terms of dealing death. Morbid creativity, yes, but still, creativity was creativity.
Naruto stood in front of a group of self confident bandits, who barely shook the effects of the indirect Shikumi no Jutsu off. By the scent on them, Naruto recognized them as one of the worse kinds of people. Rapists probably had nothing on these men. He snarled, his elongated canines glinting.
He disappeared, leaving behind an after image, and landed softly on the other end. The bandits had surprised looks, as though unbelieving of the boy's pure speed, and the boy not even harming them. One turned to laugh.
Then, appendages fell, and blood splattered.
Haku watched with morbid horror. It was strangely surreal, in it's own way.
The black jumpsuit was torn, tattered, and chafted in several places. Blood was splattered on it, and several spots looked like it had been burnt. Red chakra, glowing a bright crimson, flowed around the boy's body. Three red chakra tails swayed freely in the wind, just behind the blond, not bubbling, but moving more like water, and wisps escaped intermittently.
The eyes, cold, tired. Not dull, and not vibrant either. There was something there that just scared her. It didn't burn. It didn't blaze. It just was, and it scared her. It was the look her master sometimes had. The look he had repeatedly said he didn't want to wish on her.
The look of cold metal.
The boy had single handedly eliminated more than half of the camp with no visible remorse or guilt.
And then, there were those Konoha ANBU. Her eyes narrowed.
Her master must know.
She tried to leap away, only to find out that she too, was being affected by his Shikumi. She tried to leap away, but when the boy levelled his glare on where she was, Haku was fully aware of how she would be horribly dismembered if she crossed him. She was frozen on the spot, behind her more than supposedly-adequate cover, from the concentrated beam of Killing Intent. She never did could think of how the boy could manage to catch those extremely minute details as though they were in plain sight.
"Tell Zabuza," Naruto snarled. "If he persists on attempting to kill Tazuna, he WILL die."
"H...hai." Haku stuttered.
"Go." Naruto turned his glare towards a bunch of quavering bandits, and disappeared in a burst of sheer speed.
(A/N : Complains about Naruto being overpowered will be directed to the Kyuubi and her tails.)
Tenzou tensed. He had detected the tremendous surge of youki, and if the sight he had seen was any indication, he knew exactly what made Naruto flare up. Sighing, he went through a series of seals, before slamming his hands on the ground. "Mokuton : Tajuu Yari!"
The thousand spears rose from the ground, catching plenty of bandits and rounin unawares. "Alright, here we go!" Buta cheered, as he unleashed a plethora of Raiton jutsu into the panicking crowd.
"How did he even survive..." Shino intoned, mutely amused by the rather loud and cheery ANBU.
"Luck?" Tenzou offered, shrugging.
"Luck indeed." Shino groaned.
Hinata executed a Jyuuken strike to one bandit's head, causing his brains to implode, blood dribbling down his orifices. "Ano... We should get going, shouldn't we?"
"Ah, indeed." Tenzou nodded. "Let's go."
"Die, scum." Shino scowled slightly.
(A/N : Some may ask why both/either Hinata/Shino doesn't suffer a breakdown from all the deaths going on around them? They're from shinobi clans. I would think that their clans would prepare them for their eventual kill already. And what did Naruto and the rest see to be this enraged? MA stuff. Clear enough, I hope.)
-One Day ago-
Gatou strolled freely down HIS base, his short stature commanding tremendous respect, and he observed with mute amusement and satisfaction as the employees scrambled to get out of his way, several bowing down to him. A quick snap brought his retainer to him. "Organize a trip to one of those camps." Gatou grunted. "I want to inspect them."
"It will be done, Gatou-sama." The man bowed. "Everything will be ready by tomorrow."
"This evening." Gatou snapped.
"This evening it is, Gatou-sama." The man bowed again.
"Good." Gatou smirked. "I expect everything to be in tip top condition when I come back, or..." He left the threat hanging.
"Hai, Gatou-sama!" The workers squeaked.
Gatou gasped as he took in the widespread destruction. "ABOUT TURN!" He squeaked. "LEAVE THIS PLACE NOW!"
"I'm afraid, Gatou-sama, that I can't do that." His retainer drawled. "It's a one way only trip."
Gatou paled.
End of Chapter 11.
Story Idea : What might have been. (Most likely not gonna be done. If you want, take it.)
Namikaze Minato stood, hands clutching a bundle of cloth, where a tuft of bright yellow hair peeked out. The Yondaime Hokage sighed, and he tossed a tri pronged kunai out of the window. "Before I'm the Yondaime Hokage, I'm a shinobi. And before a shinobi, a human. And before a human, a father. Forgive me, Konoha."
And with that, the Yondaime Hokage disappeared in a yellow flash.
A/N : Review answering corner (This only occurs when I think it deserves to.)
CW stated One thing I'm concerned about is the overuse of 'the clan restoration act' by authors. You cannot restore a bloodline from only one set of genes. Every child only has 1/2, from then on 1/4 etc. I haven't seen every episode so I don't know if the clan restoration act is canon or not, but like the 'harem' I see it as getting old fast.
Well, the CRA is not canon, but since I only read the manga I'm not too sure about the anime, since it's full of fillers. And about restoring the bloodline, look at it this way. Every child only has 1/2, from then on 1/4 etc. This signifies that there's still a chance the bloodline will activate, and by the fact that the Uchiha clan does not seem as adverse to marrying out of the clan as the Hyuuga's, but I'm not too sure about that, since the Uchihas ALL DIED.
And on the same note, uhh, in the last chapter, it was the Uchiha SURVIVOR, namely, Uchiha Sasuke, who farted fire.
That was dumb, I know, but it sounded priceless when the idea jumped me in the shower. Which, as a side note, made me hit the cold water valve and I got splashed by extremely cold water. Meh. .
Back on the topic. The CRR is mainly due to the severly optimistic thought of the Council, that if there was a chance, they were going to take it. I was planning to save the Rule of the Shodai for a later chapter, but I think I'll integrate it in the next.
Shinteo-5 stated Just a suggestion. keep your A/N to the top or bottom of the fic. It is... irritating to see something that breaks the flow of the story.
Well, I do do that normally. I just include them since it's WAY less annoying than leaving a mark and asking the reader to scroll all the way down to understand. I'll try to lessen the A/N, however.
And a PS. The Shodai is called the Shodai, not the Shodaime. Senju Hashirama is the 初代 火影, or if you can't see the kanji, or it got erased, he's the Shodai Hokage. Unless his official title has 目 after 初代, meaning he's the 初代目 火影, then can he be called the Shodaime Hokage. And of course, he doesn't have it. 目 supposedly means the continuation of a 'legacy', but hey, I don't know Japanese, so bite me.
Lesson Learnt ? Senju Hashirama is the Shodai, not Shodaime. Have nice day.