This chapter might seem a little filler-ish like in it's telling and if it does, sorry about that. But, we need chapters like these to happen every once and a while in a series. Also, Hinata makes her choice this chapter and for anyone who ISN'T happy about her choice, all I can ask is to trust me and trust that I know what I'm doing. Everything will become clearer as to what I'm doing and planning in two or three chapters. So, bare with me till then.
Naruto Overdrive
chpt.23: Dive into the Shadows 3
From out of the sea of trees emerged three figures. In the center was a cloaked figure who had two men to either side. As they came to a stop of the open field, the clouds above rumble violent; threatening to unleash the rains that permeated Jezai's weather for most of the year.
The hooded figure turned slowly, observing the more wooded area that surrounded them before speaking aloud. "Those of the shadows that walk in the five lands, appear before us now."
At this command, six blurs erupted from the tree lines all around them; coming to a landing before the representatives of Grand Daimyo. The hooded figured observed the confusion on the faces of the five groups; all focused on the sixth group with the musical note symbol on their forehead protectors.
"Greetings to you all" said the hooded figure while reaching up and removing the hood.
Everyone turned the attention to the figure, now seeing the face of a young girl in her twenties. She had blue/purple colored hair and a paper flower in her hair and a small silver bolt piercing under her lip.
"My name is Konan and as the head representative of the Grand Daimyo and head proctor of the Shadow Test, I welcome you with open arms" said Konan.
Everyone gave her a nod before she then says "To my left is Pikun and to my right is Rudo who will also be proctors for the test. Now before we can begin, there are a few formalities that we must go over."
"First; as the teams from the five lands have noticed, we have a new SIXTH team present here. They are shinobi of Oto, who contacted us several months ago with a request to become an official ninja force in Shumoa. The Grand Daimyo decided to use this Shadow Test to see what they could do. And depending on how they do, their future as Shumoa ninja force will be determined" said Konan.
After awaiting a moment to gauge the reactions of the five main teams, she then says "Now, we shall take the names of each of you six groups to record to our record books. We shall start with the Iwa group" said Konan before walking over to the Iwa nin with Rudo following her with pen and paper in hand.
"I am Roushi, Jonin rep of Iwa" said the tall man with the bright red beard.
"Yusuke Goro" said the black haired boy.
"Shino Aburame" said the brown hair boy with shades.
"Karin" said the red haired girl with thick glasses.
Konan shook hands with each of them, then made her way over to the Suna nin.
"I am Baki, the rep from Suna" said the man with half his face covered by a clothe.
"Temari" said the blonde haired girl with the large metal fan on her back.
"Kankuro" said the boy with paint covered face and large wrapped figure on his back.
"Gaara of the Sand" said the red headed boy with the massive gourd on his back.
Again, Konan shakes there hands before moving onto the team from Kiri.
"I'm Chojuro, the rep of Kiri, " nervously said the young man with the large double hilted sword on his back.
"Ukataka" said the brown haired boy who was blowing bubbles from a pipe.
"Sora" said the pink haired girl with a large spear.
"Kabuto" said the silver haired boy wearing glasses.
After shaking their hands, Konan moved next over to Konoha's team.
"I'm Hayate Gekko"
"Shikamaru Nara"
"Ino Yaminaka"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
After the hand shake for each, Konan moved over to the Oto nin.
"Salizar" said the black haired rep of Oto.
"Dosu" said the mummy like figure.
"Zaku" said the brown haired cocky looking figure.
"Kin" said the dark haired girl with a long scarf.
Unlike with the others, Konan doesn't shake their hands, but heads over to the Kumo nin.
"I'm Yu...Yuna" said the purple haired girl.
"Karui" said the dark skinned girl.
"Omoi" said the dark skinned boy with a tooth pick in his mouth.
After shaking their hands, Konan turned her attention to their Jonin leader who had a rather nervous inducing smile on his face.
"Name please" she asked.
"Yo Yo, check it out, for real. My names Killer Bee; the genuine deal" said Killer Bee before crossing his hands over his chest in an X pattern and making everyone sweat drop at the sight.
Konan shakes his hand quickly and says "RRRIIIGGGHHHTTT, moving on now."
She returned to the center of the field and and gave everyone a moment to get over that little...moment before moving on to the next part.
"OK, here's how this is gonna work. By now, I am sure your sensei's have explained what to expect and how this works. So we will skip a repeat here and move onto the important matter. The six of you shall draw lots to determine the order that each team will have in this first test. Once this is done, we will have a final talk about this" said Konan.
At this, Pikun pulled out and scroll and from it came a box. He then went around and had each Jonin take a slip of paper out. Once this was done, Konan then went around and made a note of each one's number. Once done, she returned to the center again.
"OK, the order will be Kiri on the first day, Suna on the second day, Konoha on the third day, Kumo on the fourth day, Oto on the fifth day, and Iwa on the sixth day" said Konan.
After a brief pause, she said "This test will begin at 10pm tonight for you Kiri and your team will have until 6am in the morning to complete the mission. Please remember that this is only a test, so no killing or else you will fail outright on the whole test. Now, Rudo and Pikun will talk with each of you as if they were the Kage you serve under and give you the basic need to know info for this faux mission."
Konan then turns away and a series up papers shoot out from her body, shaping into wings before flying off.
"Hey, were is she going?" asked Karin.
"Making her first report to the Grand Daimyo. She will return before the first days test begins" said Pikun.
"Now, all teams gather in close so we can give you the info you'll use to help aid in the infiltration" says Rudo.
(Ame)
The light rain had begun to fall as Konan landed on a small balcony along the side of the the tallest tower in the city. Once she had fully reformed, she stepped forward and entered into the tower. She made her way quickly through the darkened corridors and up a long flight of stairs.
Soon, she emerged at the top which had an incredibly thin yet long perch with a single person sitting right at the edge.
The figure turned his head just slightly and asked "What have you found?"
Konan reached into her rain cloak and pulled out the scroll with the info and held it out before herself. The scroll quickly shot free and floated into the waiting arms of the orange haired figure.
"Six of them, huh?" said the figure.
"Correct, it would seem the Hidden Villages all sent their dirty little secrets to the test. An odd choice if I may say so" said Konan.
"Odd...or preordained?" corrected the figure.
Konan shrugs, then says "Either way, we now have confirmed the existence of seven of the nine Jinchurriki. The first being that green haired girl that has somehow managed to allude our search for her."
"Because of that ancient fossil of a women. That old hag is...an odd one to be sure" said the figure.
"And unpredictable as well. But it doesn't matter. When the time comes, she will fall before your power" said Konan.
The figure remained quiet, so Konan asked "Shall I proceed with our plans for the test then?"
"Yes, it will be a good way to test our future weapons to see what it is they can do. I am counting on you, Konan" said the figure.
"Right Nagato" said Konan before she sprouted wings and took to the skies again.
"Soon, the world shall know Pain and then, we will finally have peace" said Pain as he returned to gazing over HIS city.
the third day
Kurenai saw Hinata sitting by the tree, her gaze focused skyward and it was obvious that she was lost in thought. But, Kurenai could also see that there was something different in her eyes. And it was obvious that what that something was.
"You've made your decision, haven't you Hinata?" asked Kurenai as she walked up to the girl.
Hinata jumped as she turned to look at the older woman and said "Oh, miss Kurenai? You scared me there."
"Sorry about that, but you were really focused on the sky. But never mind that. You've made your decision, haven't you?" asked Kurenai again.
Hinata nods and says "Yes, I've been doing a lot of thinking on this and it wasn't easy to come to this decision. But, I now know what my answer is."
"And what have you decided?" asked Kurenai.
"I want to stay here...by Naruto's side. Forever if possible" said Hinata as she looked away.
"I see. So which one have you chosen?" asked Kurenai.
"Neither one..." said Hinata before turning back to looking at Kurenai again.
"I really want to stay here with Naruto; to be by his side forever. But, I can't do it. Not with those two being my only choices in this. Look at my hair. I cut it mostly off as a symbol of having left that lifer behind me. If I became a kunoichi who would be expected to use her body for a mission or married to stay in this village, then it would be a betrayal of the symbol that my hair has become for me" said Hinata.
"Hinata..." said Kurenai, surprised at the conviction in Hinata's voice.
"If marrying Naruto was an option, then I could go through with that because...well, because I would be OK with that. But, I just can't do it. Miss Kurenai, am I making the right choice or am I being selfish?" asked Hinata as a tear escaped her eyes.
Kurenai took Hinata by surprise with a kind smile before moving in and hugging Hinata; a hug Hinata happily returned.
"Silly girl, of course it's the right choice. And I say that because its the choice you made for yourself. No one is forcing that choice on you, so of course it's the right choice" said Kurenai before breaking from the hug.
Hinata smiles before asking "Thank you, miss Kurenai. But, what will happen to me now?"
"Well, I had a feeling that this would be the choice you'd make for yourself. And that's why I already made arrangements for a new home for you" said Kurenai.
"How did you know?" asked Hinata.
"Well, you're a pure and innocent girl, Hinata. It's obvious that this is not the life for you. Maybe if you had been born into this world and raised with this as an expectation, then maybe you could be a kunoichi. But since you weren't, there was no way I could let you enter this world unless it was something you'd really wanted to" said Kurenai.
"I see. So, where will I be living now?" asked Hinata.
"The Order of Ama. I recently spoke with the head priestess there and she has agreed to let you come to live with them. And if you so choose, you can even become a priestess yourself and receive training in the ancient and sacred healing arts of the priestess" said Kurenai.
"The Order of Ama? There's a Shrine of Amarillo in Tamatsa. Well, there's a ruin that use to be one a long time ago. Me, a priestess if I so choose, huh? I guess I could do that. But...Naruto..." said a hesitant Hinata.
"Don't worry about that. For a ninja like Naruto, it would only take him an hour to go from our villages current location to temple of Ama where you'd be living at. Naruto can and will come to visit you as often as he likes; when ever he isn't on a mission that is. So, is this gonna be OK with you, Hinata?" asked Kurenai.
Hinata thinks on it a moment, then says "Yes, this is fine. When will I be leaving?"
"Tomorrow morning. So be ready to do some walking. Now, if you excuse me, I'm gonna go tell lord Hokage of your choice" said Kurenai as she turned and left Hinata.
As she walked Kurenai pondered telling Hinata a little secret about herself. A secret that revealed that, as a child, Kurenai had ran away from the village and had ended up staying with the Order of Ama for a full year before finally returning home.
She had ran after learning about what she was expected to do as a kunoichi which had frightened her. But, after staying with the Order for that year had changed Kurenai more than anyone had imagined. And part of that change had given Kurenai the courage, and a certain skill, to be able to accept being a kunoichi of a Hidden Village.
And she had no doubt Hinata would find her true calling within the Order, unlike her. After all, Hinata was born for that life, even if she wasn't aware of it yet.
That night
Night had fallen over the already darkened cloudy skies of the Jezai. Team Konoha stood side by side as Konan walked up with a small box in her hand.
"Listen well, you three. Like I have explained with the two teams that did this test prior, I will now tell you" said Konan.
After confirming they had their attention, she opens the box and reveals three small bracelet like objects. She pulls out the three and hands one to each of the three genin and instructed them to put them on.
"What are these for?" asked Naruto.
"Simple, these bracelet like objects are designed to keep total track of the three of you on this mission. Also, the gems here will allow us to watch you three in action from base camp. You will actually be keeping these on till the Shadow Test has been completed" said Konan.
"Wow, that's one way to keep up with our progress, I guess" said Ino.
"Indeed. Now, before you begin the test, I will go over the rules again. This is a simulated infiltration and theft mission. You three are to enter the castle to the north without being caught, make you way to the room with the scroll and steal it, then escape while avoiding combat as much as possible" said Konan.
"Remember, the guards have been placed under a special jutsu to make them act as if this was the real thing and killing any of them will be an automatic fail for the Shadow Test. Try to stay covert as much as possible. And that you have until sun rise to escape and return to base camp" said Konan.
"If we do have a battle, will the guards try to kill us, seeing as they've been made to think this is real?" asked Shikamaru.
Konan shakes her head and says "No, their mindsets will be to capture and NOT kill. But that doesn't mean you can be careless. Just because they won't be aiming to kill doesn't mean you will die. After all, genin have been killed by accident in the past do to being sloppy."
The three genin nod. Konan then takes a step back and says "OK you three, you may begin now if you wish. And I wish the three of you luck with this test. Trust me, it won't be as easy as it might seem."
With that, Konan turned and walked away into the shadows, while the three genin turned to look at their Jonin counterpart.
"Before you three leave, I have something for you. A gift from lord Hokage" said Hayate before pulling a scroll out and revealing a small chest from within.
"What's in there?" asked Shikamaru.
"New gear, designed specifically for infiltration mission's. Lord Hokage felt that this would be a good chance to test them out. So congrats. You three will be the first to use it" said Hayate.
After pulling out his gear, Naruto ask "How does it work?"
"Well, as you can see, it is a full body suit with some minor armoring around around the chest. Normally, it is pitch black in color. But, if you send a little chakra into the garment, the fabric will change color to match the surrounding environment. We call it the chameleon armor" said Hayate.
Seeing the advantage, Naruto and Shikamaru started to strip while Ino headed over behind a bush for some privacy, only stopping long enough to say...
"If any of you try to peak, I make a eunuch out of you."
After three minutes, the three genin were now fully garbed in the chameleon armor. Hayate gave them a nod of approval and they did a quick test to see if it worked; watching as the fabric shifted to a forest green color.
Satisfied with this, they turned in the direction of the castle and headed off.
'Good luck...and be careful' thought Hayate as they disappeared into the night.
Next time: The Castle Infiltration...Kakashi's encounter...