Sarutobi had put out his pipe as he gazed on the scene in the arena. Naruto heard a loud shriek and sensed some killing intent in the viewing area. Looking over, he saw both Maito Gai and a still wincing Rock Lee working to restrain Tenten, who was screaming murder and struggling with all her might to get loose and assault Hinata to avenge Neji. The chameleon masked ANBU almost wanted to be able to support her, but discovered that he couldn't. That bastard had earned everything that he had received and then some. He supposed that the bond between teammates was too strong to be ignored. Naruto might well have slaughtered someone who had done such a thing to the likewise arrogant and in some cases mean-spirited Kiba, no matter what the Inuzuka had done to deserve the pain, and so he could at least understand the kunoichi's rage even though he would not go along with it.
"Yes…and remember that when such things happen, there must be great pain and remorse in the end, on both sides."
The demon carrier got the Sandaime's hidden message loud and clear. Never give in to hate or bitterness, because the results would be so much more catastrophic than this little incident. Never let the demon within his heart, literal or otherwise, control him, or else all could be lost. But unbeknownst to the old man, Uzumaki Naruto had sworn long ago to serve and assist the ninetails in breaking loose and walking the Earth once more. His word could not be reneged upon once given. But he would not surrender to the demon either and become a monster. Not so long ago, he had been close to becoming such, but these recent months had brought him back towards the center and he would not return to that distant edge. The blonde doubted that he could ever be what would be termed as a good person but he was determined at the least to never become a wicked man. At the least, these matches on the whole had given him much to consider.
Nine-Tailed Serpent, Chapter Fourteen: Realizations – The Last Twilight
Disclaimer: Naruto ain't mine, not making any money here, you know the deal.
A certain suspicious-looking Medic-nin glanced about the Konohagakure Shinobi Hospital's second level as he examined the various names on the patient charts attached to the identical doors. His white surgical mask covered everything but his shining black eyes. The hospital was so monotone and sterile, and the young man wearing the doctor's clothing was getting more and more irritated with his poor luck in discovering the target's room. He let out a small chuckle as he noticed the patrolling nurses casting reluctant glances towards one door in particular. That would be it, then. The disguised medic stalked over to his new destination and discovered that it was indeed the place he had been seeking, then opening the door and observing the target sitting on her bed with her back to him staring into the village below through the window. The man could see her image mirrored in the window as she let out a cruel smirk upon noticing his arrival.
"…Heh…looks like they've sent me another victim. You're the third one this week."
The 'doctor' reached into his coat pocket and curled his hand around his chosen weapon's handle as he slid into the small room. He sneered down at the composite mass on her meal platter sitting on the bedside table with a plastic spork speared in some strange amorphous blob that looked like lime gelatin with random vegetables mixed in. Hospital cuisine, indeed. The 'doctor' wouldn't even spoon that slop to the mutt, and he would eat about anything. He tutted as he stood at the kunoichi's bedside, scribbling random nonsense down on a clipboard and making a great show about doing so.
"That's right…I've heard that you've been terrorizing our nurses, Mitarashi-san. I must request that you show a little more consideration."
The incognito shinobi watched with an amused leer as Anko let out a snarl and backhanded the wooden table, sending the platter and the mess contained therein spilling down onto the hard white tile. Her anger was almost tangible, not that the white-garbed man blamed her. Her nemesis was plotting against the village and she was stuck in a hospital bed, though she had no-one else to blame regarding her condition. She had chosen to go out pursuing Orochimaru on a suicide run.
"Then clear me and let me go home. Like I've told you assholes about a hundred times now, I don't need medical care and Hokage-sama needs all the able shinobi he can get right now with the Chuunin Exams still going on."
The 'doctor' hummed as the purple-haired woman turned about to glare at him. He couldn't help being amused with her plight. He then withdrew the instrument in his pocket and brandished it in a casual manner. Rather than a kunai or scalpel, it was something much worse. The disguised medic held a rectal thermometer, smirking at the piercing killing intent that the woman radiated upon noticing the device.
"Oh, we'll be discharging you soon enough. Now I'll have to take your temperature this morning, so please undo your gown and bend over."
The snake kunoichi stared at the item with a dispassionate expression and then reached behind her pillow to produce her trademark kunai. The black-eyes medic was somehow not in the least surprised that the older woman slept with a weapon, not that he took exception to the practice. She ran her hands along the sharp blade and leered at the poor man standing at her bedside with chart and thermometer in hand in a sadistic manner.
"You so much as point that damned glass rod anywhere near my asshole and I'll be ramming this kunai straight into yours."
He shrugged and tossed the thing aside. Not like he had been planning to do it.
"And here I'd thought you liked games like this. Too boring, Anko-sensei."
Given the non-mission situation that he was in, the 'doctor' paid little attention to his word choices and thus his tongue slipped. Anko's monochrome brown snake eyes narrowed in recognition and she tossed her kunai at the other's head. His own hand moved and caught the incoming missile at the handle, black eyes staring into the blade with a victorious smirk. That old trick wouldn't work on him now. However, he then neglected to notice the steel bedpan sailing towards the same spot, which then proceeded to collide with his nose. The 'doctor' muttered various expletives as his Henge dissipated with the snake kunoichi's sudden attack and his piercing black eyes changed to dull blue, some spiked blonde wisps showing here and there through the stolen surgeon's mask. Naruto mustered but one thought as he grasped at his bleeding nose.
'Well, at least it was an empty bedpan.'
"Feh…insane bitch…I make the time to come visit you and this is the thanks I get…"
There was more to that statement than an attempt to guilt Anko. With a mere two days as an ANBU under his belt, the blonde would have thought that he had done more mission work than he had in six months as a Genin on Team Kurenai. While that statement wasn't so accurate, things seemed that he would have little leisure time this coming month. Not that the demon carrier was one to complain. He had worked eighteen hours straight and was then given six to sleep and was expected to report back in within the hour now. Naruto had cut short his priceless rest in order to wake up earlier than needed to come to the hospital and visit his ex-sensei. At least the blonde had gotten the late night hours to sleep. That was the time period when trouble was the most apt to rear its head and his superiors didn't respect his skills enough to assign him to those patrols at present.
"Ah, right. You're an ANBU big shot now. No more time to waste on us little people."
Naruto shrugged in response, not caring enough to argue with the woman. The blonde untied the white medical robes had had been wearing and gave them a casual toss onto a chair leaning against the wall, then scowling in distaste as he removed his bloodstained surgical mask and chucked it into the plastic biohazard bin. Some crimson liquid trickled down onto the black sash wrapped around his neck, placed there to hide the cursed seal. Such a mark was not something to be advertised. The demon container pinched his nose in an attempt to halt the bleeding. His voice had a certain nasal tone as a result.
"No time to do a damned thing is more accurate. No training, no ramen, no nothing..."
Anko reared her head back like a cobra preparing to strike and looked over into her old Genin apprentice's bloodshot eyes. For his part, Naruto was still not used to seeing her in clothing other than see-through mesh and leather. That tight cotton- hospital robe did little more to conceal her curves than her usual ensemble. A somewhat more perverted male might have gone into a ridiculous nosebleed at the sight, though the blonde still had been graced with one nonetheless. Anko noticed his stare and moved into a more inviting position on the bed. Naruto shook his head. The boredom must have been getting to her. She almost seemed a little put out when the much younger shinobi showed no visible response to her other than a disapproving glower and an exhausted sigh.
"And you're not kidding either. You look like…absolute shit, Naruto."
The serpentine kunoichi almost sounded concerned about him, though her words were laced with a distinct mocking undertone and she wore her most shit-eating grin. Mocking him because he'd agreed to sign on to this grueling work schedule, though Naruto was a mere accomplice to it in truth. The Sandaime had been the one to move the blonde to his new post in ANBU, and the demon container didn't like to circumvent an order.
"I'll get used to the grind soon. Things will be tough until then, but I've survived worse."
'…Like you.'
The blonde was determined to keep that little thought private, not at all caring to provoke a black eye to go along with his busted nose.
"…And besides, it'll be your turn soon. Remember, you did ask Hokage-sama to be reassigned to ANBU with me. To make sure I didn't go running to serve Orochimaru and leave you behind, I seem to remember…like I would even want to. Even with being marked with his ridiculous juin."
Whatever humor had existed in the pair's semi-twisted banter vanished in an instant. Anko's visage morphed into unbridled hatred. Had Naruto been a bit earlier in arriving at her location during the Second Exam, he would have known her venomous expression as being identical to the one she had worn when speaking to the Snake Sannin back then. The snake kunoichi was so enraged that she didn't even realize that the younger shinobi had admitted to having eavesdropped on her conversation with the Hokage several months ago. Either that, or she did and didn't give a damn.
"Show me the curse mark. Now."
The Kyuubi container had to repress a grimace. Naruto had hoped that Kurenai-san would have had the sense to tell Anko about his situation when the other kunoichi had visited her, but it seemed apparent that the crimson-eyed genjutsu mistress had elected against doing so. The blonde didn't bother with attempting to delve into the possible reasoning behind Kurenai being tight-lipped about the whole business, as it was more or less irrelevant. Naruto instead removed the sash and laid bare the curse mark.
"Fine, don't have a conniption. And don't touch it either, it's still tender."
The mark didn't hurt in the least, but the blonde was unwilling to be poked and prodded like some guinea pig again. Anko spewed out curses in a stream that would have even made Kiba blush as she took in the three tomoe mark on her charge's neck.
"…I…didn't want to see you get caught up in that sick bastard's games. Damn it all..."
Naruto wanted to be irritated with her guilt-ridden statement, but was unable, as the woman now staring down at the ground through pained pupil-less eyes was not the same person he'd come to know and like on some occasions and curse on others during the previous six months. Gone were the hyperactive nature and the bloodlust and other exaggerated traits that came together to create the strange enigma that was Mitarashi Anko. What remained was a soul that was stripped bare and vulnerable, a woman experiencing her worst living nightmare. The blonde still couldn't comprehend these matters all that well, but still chose to do what he could to bring the person he knew back.
"Games that I'm not going to go along with, I can assure you that. Like I told you a second ago, I'll never roll over and let that snake have everything like he wants. Being his slave doesn't suit me at all. I swore a personal vow to Sarutobi-sama, and that's a promise I'm never going to break. And you've managed to escape Orochimaru, so it's not impossible that I could do the same. I've driven the seal into relapse even now. So what I'm telling you is, don't go acting like I've lost to him. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere."
Naruto almost never said so much at once, never liking to stand a soapbox and preach. Anko needed to see reason, though, and the blonde didn't care to smack her upside the head either. The reason being was that she was apt to smack back, and harder. His little speech seemed to strike a chord with the older woman though, as she let out a sheepish grin and reached behind her head.
"You're right. Looks like I got a little too wrapped up in the gloom and doom mess."
Naruto crossed his arms and leaned against the wall with a smirk.
"Let's leave the brooding to those who have nothing better to do, Anko-chan."
Anko's smile turned dangerous as she slid upright and stared right into the blonde ANBU's cold blue eyes. She shoved him into the wall and pinned him there with a single hand on his chest. The snake kunoichi was close enough that Naruto could smell her. She had a certain antiseptic scent to her that came with spending the past week in a hospital room.
"Don't start acting like you get to give me orders because you were given a promotion, gaki. I might not outrank you now, but you're still a little squirt to me. And do not call me Anko-chan."
An interesting word choice, as this particular squirt was almost a head taller and also much heavier than his ex-sensei. He could have escaped Anko's grip, but instead chose to leave matters be due to her recovering condition. And it was much easier to pick at her like this as well.
"Now this is compromising position. You'd better hope your real doctor doesn't come in and see us or else people might start calling you a cradle robber."
Deep down Naruto was more inclined to believe that the villagers would somehow blame him instead. People would decide that he had arcane sexual powers or something similar. He was the demon and so he was to be held accountable in any situation, no matter how much common logic might dictate otherwise. At least Anko was back to normal. Seeing her act all emotional and sensitive was too weird. The demon container couldn't repress a shudder when the hand pushing him against the wall began trailing down along his chest muscles.
"Heh…I've been called much worse, kiddo. And you sure as Hell don't look like a kid."
Naruto looked to the side with a small red tinge in his whiskered cheeks at that comment. His tired gaze landed on the small mechanical clock at Anko's bedside and he shook his blonde head in exasperation. He was due to report to Yamato in nineteen minutes. The jinchuuriki took his one-time sensei's wrist and pushed back enough to escape her grip. The serpentine woman gave little resistance, showing that she had been but messing with him again and doing nothing more serious.
'Thank the Gods for small favors.'
"I'm late. I'm…glad you made it through. Please don't do something that rash again."
The blonde replaced his sash and rewrapped the garment to hide the bloodstains. Naruto would wash it later when his patrols ended…perhaps next month or so assuming he had some luck or his superiors threw him a bone, he thought with a silent snort. He made a hand seal and executed a Henge that caused his spiked blonde hair to straighten a little as well as turn a light brown color. The Kyuubi vessel's other characteristics remained the unchanged, as his mask would be enough to conceal those. Fewer overall alterations served to make the illusion much tougher to see through, at least where strangers were concerned. And a stranger he was under that mask, even to those who knew the young man underneath. Naruto looked into a mirror and took a second to admire his appearance. The demon vessel wore black sleeveless shinobi attire accented with wire mesh underneath, similar in some respects to the Sandaime's traditional combat garb and at the same time not so in others. A thin red cord was wrapped around his waist, on which his chameleon mask hung at his side.
"You should've gotten a snake mask instead."
The masked demon carrier cocked his head to the side, letting out a silent laugh as he took and donned the stained terracotta covering. The damned thing rubbed his whisker marks. A snake mask, indeed. He'd have might as well gotten a kitsune mask and nailed a huge neon electric sign onto his back that announced to the entire world who he was. There was no point in having a masked that could be linked with the person beneath. Such concepts were lost on Anko, though, as skilled a kunoichi as she was. The woman delighted in attracting as much attention as possible, hence her exaggerated personal eccentricities as well as the near scandalous ensemble that Anko wore in public.
"The whole point is not to advertise who I am. I'll leave obvious things like that to you."
Naruto reached into a pocket and withdrew a scroll, then activating it to produce his still virgin assassination katana. The demon carrier attached the blade to its proper place on his back. Meanwhile Anko stepped behind him and reached both hands back behind her neck. He didn't see what she did next, as he ceased looking into the mirror and began moving towards the closed door. As Naruto was about to take his leave, something light slipped around his neck and came to rest against his sternum. The young shinobi stopped and took the small item in his hand, raising it even and level with the vision sockets in his mask and giving it an appraising stare.
"…This is…"
Naruto examined the simple cedar bead in his hand, caressing his thumb along the smooth scented wood. The bead was attached to a thin rope which was now around his neck. For all the short time he had known Anko, he had never seen her not wearing the simple wooden pendant that was now adorning his own neck.
"…I bought that necklace on a mission into the Grass back when I was still a kid. Some village peddler told me that it's supposed to protect against evil spirits or some crap. Dunno whether or not there's much to it, but I survived getting the curse seal and against Orochimaru back in the woods, and he's about as evil as evil gets. Thought I'd give it to you now. With all the bullshit you keep getting mixed up in, you'll need its weird magic more than me."
The rookie ANBU wasn't one to believe in magic or superstition, and he didn't like keeping something that was so precious to his old sensei that she wore it everywhere she went. Still, it was a serious insult not to take a present, and so Naruto had an obligation to accept the pendant even though he didn't think that he deserved to have it.
"…I'm not so sure I ought to have this…but thank you. I'll treasure it like you did…"
Anko smirked and sat back down on her bed. Naruto moved the pendant about and let it rest against his black sash. He opened the door and exited the room. The snakelike kunoichi's loud voice rang out into the hall as he moved along and leapt out a window into the streets below, startling the various medics milling about like ants.
"Oi, don't lose that thing or else I'll kick your ass to Iwa and back again!"
Naruto came to a halt on a building in Konoha's main commercial sector hours later. The village was bustling with the latest news. Gekkou Hayate's mutilated corpse had been located in the North Ward earlier that morning. The general overall consensus among the unit was that the sick shinobi had been at the wrong place at the wrong time and that his assassination had not been premeditated. Uzuki Yuugao had taken the kenjutsu practitioner's loss hard, and the Kyuubi vessel had come to the conclusion that the two had been involved. The ANBU kunoichi was given, or to be more accurate, was ordered to take one week's leave in order to mourn his loss. Naruto shook his masked head in irritation where he stood. He could almost understand the situation and perhaps even commiserate to some extent, but there could be no telling when Oto and Suna might choose to attack Konoha. Now was not the time to indulge in sentimental garbage, though Naruto would not share his comments on a matter that wasn't his concern.
"There's nothing abnormal to report on the south side."
Naruto stared down into the crowd bustling in and around the shops below as another ANBU landed behind him without making a sound and spoke in an emotionless tone. That would be 'Shiryouku,' a young shinobi codenamed such due to his having perceptive abilities that bordered on being empathic. He seemed to be able to read someone's inner emotions without mistake no matter how good said person's control over them, making him an ideal interrogator and negotiator. Naruto didn't think that this was an advanced bloodline trait or something similar, but a mere exceptional inner radar. No doubt the other man could 'see' the demon's dark consciousness stirring within him, and thus he tended to be a little wary around Naruto, who in his own right couldn't have cared less so long as the two could work together without issues. Konoha's villagers had given him rather thick skin in that regard over the years.
"All I've seen is some perverted old man peeping on the women's onsen."
"That's not an uncommon sight within this village, I'm ashamed to admit…"
The other shinobi sighed in disgust though his rabbit mask and leapt down into the streets. The pair had been assigned to the commercial district during the current patrol round. Naruto snorted under his breath as he landed a step behind his current partner. The base perversion that ran rampant among Konoha's male population, civilian and shinobi alike was no secret to either ANBU. Still, punishing such people wasn't their mission. The Black Ops patrols were to smoke out and apprehend hostile shinobi within the village, not to intervene in civilian misdemeanors or police public morals, and so Naruto had been more or less content to ignore the large white-haired man peeping through the wooden wall at the hot springs and move on with his otherwise routine inspection. Little had he known that in doing so he had passed on a chance to meet a living shinobi legend.
"I ought to have raised a ruckus and watched the women mob the idiot."
Naruto would have thought that working in ANBU would have given him some excitement, killing dangerous targets and executing covert missions and the like. He had not anticipated being shunted onto guard detail and made to do such tedious work that he had considered engineering brouhaha at the hot springs in order to alleviate his boredom. At least he could have been training and sharpening his skills had he not taken this promotion. He hoped that things would be getting more dangerous soon. His partner was not in agreement with his idea.
"I'm not sure about you, but I'd rather not deal with a second civil disturbance this morning. One corpse was more than enough."
Naruto didn't argue with him. The pair walked through the throngs in the streets. Villagers and shopkeepers smiled and nodded and greeted at the two masked shinobi. With the Snake Sannin's return to Konoha several days prior and then a skilled and respected shinobi being murdered within the village during the night and the unknown killer still being at large, the populace was scared shitless and the tension in the air was almost palpable. Things were deteriorating, and everyone knew it. ANBU's police presence in the streets served to reassure the civilians, and most would have taken some pride in being able to create such a sentiment, but not Uzumaki Naruto. Having these people respect and acknowledge his presence while he wore a mask angered the demon container.
'These swine…I could remove this damned mask and drop this Henge right now and they would all turn and spit at me.'
An exaggeration perhaps, but the general idea was valid in his perspective.
"…You seem…agitated, Tensai. Even more so than usual…"
Naruto blinked, still not used to hearing his codename. The blonde's squad had nicknamed him 'Genius' in a somewhat mocking manner when word had spread about how Yuugao had suckered him with that bet during the Chuunin Exam prelims. The Kyuubi vessel took the name in stride though, as it did have some positive implications. At 13 years old, as his special day had passed during the wait at the tower without his even having bothered to notice, Naruto was now ranked as the second youngest shinobi ever to be initiated into Konoha's Black Ops, placed about even between Uchiha Itachi and Hatake Kakashi. He wasn't so arrogant as to pretend that this placed his skills on the same level either elite shinobi, and the term 'elite' didn't even begin to categorize Itachi, but it was still something worth mentioning.
"There's nothing wrong with me. Come on, let's keep moving."
The demon container's anger vanished as he pondered his current position. He had accomplished so much in such a short time that even stopping to consider what these useless villagers thought about him seemed ridiculous now. Looking back at his past behavior, Naruto now came to the unwelcome realization that he had always sought their acknowledgement, and at some point he had replaced his trite grins and obnoxious posture with another emotional mask, snarling and lashing out at them. Through becoming an active participant in the hate rather than a passive target, he had sought to make his tormentors react to his actions. No longer would he engage in such practices. Because now he had the acknowledgement that he had once craved. His new team and his old team, his peers and his instructors, the Hokage and even his enemies had all recognized his power and skill. Even Orochimaru had praised him. And so those village gossips and their opinions were rendered worthless.
'Heh…I'm standing above you people now, so sneer and glare all you like, assholes.'
At that moment, the sun brightened a little in the skies above as the clouds obscuring it parted. Naruto snorted under his breath, not being one to believe in such classical omens. There had been no great revelation, no light beam piercing through his cloud. His own opinions towards Konoha and its citizens had not changed. The blonde would no longer permit those people to govern his actions with their cold stares and words, nothing more. The Kyuubi vessel then resumed walking through the streets, continuing his patrol without another word.
The entire next month passed in that same monotonous routine, as nothing much worth mentioning had occurred within the village since Gekkou Hayate's murder. No single culprit had ever been isolated in that event either, though it seemed rather obvious to Naruto and others that a Suna shinobi had been responsible. The slicing wounds that had covered the victim's corpse had been created either with a blade or with a fuuton technique, and wind was the element in which Sand-nins specialized. Given Hayate's near prodigal skill level with a katana, the blonde doubted that he had been beaten in a kenjutsu duel. That alone was not enough evidence to make much more than a weak circumstantial accusation, however. Those in the know knew that Suna had become a hostile village and that someone among its ranks had committed the murder, but taking overt action without being able to prove it would cause an ambassadorial crisis among the various allied villages. Naruto would have captured the Sand-nin Baki and the Kazekage's children and put them all to death as an example. He had no patience where such issues were concerned. Perhaps it was a good thing that he no longer had the desire to become Hokage. The position would have driven him into madness, and he was unstable enough as it was.
"You look like death warmed over, Naru-kun. Come inside and have a seat."
Naruto's head craned over at hearing a girl's exclaiming voice, almost wincing at the louder than needed tone. The blonde wouldn't even have known what he looked like, having spent much more time during the past month under his mask and Henge than in his natural skin, dropping the illusion at home and nowhere else. All that time had been spent sleeping. He felt like shit, that much he did know. With this being the last night remaining until the Chuunin Exam tournament and Orochimaru's now inevitable attack, Naruto had chosen to take a long walk and see Konoha one last time, take time to appreciate the view rather than rush about on patrol. He wore regular street clothes as opposed to his usual shinobi garb. The demon container met Ayame's concerned look with a slight groan. Naruto was in no mood to argue and too exhausted to even sleep as he was, so he went nodded and strode to the entrance with her walking alongside. He hadn't even bothered to notice that he was passing Ichiraku's a moment ago, but now smelling the rich aroma permeating the place reminded him that he hadn't eaten since the previous evening. The girl giggled when her companion's stomach gave an exaggerated grumble.
"…I've been getting that a lot this last month. And…I think I will, since you're asking."
Naruto blinked as he took in the 'Closed' sign on the locked glass door. The demon vessel could pick the lock, but breaking and entering wasn't something he liked to do. He leaned against the wall and watched Ayame open the entrance and move inside, not bothering to switch the sign back to 'Open' or raise the shut blinds. Old Teuchi was hunched over the counter and wiping it down with a towel. The old proprietor looked up in obvious surprise when the bells on the door tinkled as it opened, raising a brow when his daughter returned to the shop.
"Hmm…I'd thought you were going out on the town tonight, pumpkin."
The Chuunin Exam tournament did create a certain carnival atmosphere within Konoha whenever the tests came to the village. Naruto imagined that things were much the same in all Hidden Villages, though he had never been to another allied village. Combined with the Kyuubi Memorial Festival a month earlier, an event that Naruto and his inner demon both despised and took great pains to avoid, the village might well have spent the entire time between then and now in celebration had Orochimaru not come and struck terror into their hearts. But even the Snake Sannin could not trample the overall cheer on this night. The demon carrier had even been able to walk around in his own likeness without people sneering at his presence.
"I'd planned to, but then I came across this wandering outside like a starved kitten."
"Eh, I was doing a little sightseeing, not wandering. Though I am starving like she said."
Naruto was all too aware that his excuse sounded ridiculous, talking about taking a tour in his own birth village. He knew what the other two didn't, however. He knew that there might no longer even be a Konoha at this time tomorrow. While the Kyuubi container would shed no tears at seeing the village obliterated, it was still his home and he wanted to engrave the place in his mind. The Hokage had done all that he could to counter the coming invasion. Over a hundred shinobi were now stationed in the lands outside the village waiting to ambush the hostile Oto and Suna armies. Naruto would have liked to have been sent with them, but his orders were guard the arena and the Sandaime on the morrow, and to render assistance in dealing with Orochimaru when the snake man came. Fighting large-scale battles was the regular shinobi corps' domain, not the ANBU's.
"Well, we can't have you not eating right. Have a seat. I still haven't thrown the night's last stock out so I'll have something out in a second."
The blonde walked to the counter and sat down at his usual stool. Ayame occupied the place beside him. Naruto palmed the counter as the old man took a moment to reheat the broth and noodles and then served up a large bowl. The meal wasn't quite as good as it would have been had the stock been made right then, but the demon carrier still ate with gusto.
"I demand to know since when that garbage could be termed as 'eating right.'"
"It's still better than anything I can cook, especially now."
Naruto shoveled another large bite into his mouth as he gave his honest response to the irritated demon. He could be considered talented in some things, but cooking was not included among them. The blonde had come close to burning gelatin once upon a time. Though he had crammed the noodles into his mouth, he then allowed them to sit there as he savored the saline taste, turning the ramen over as though he would never have another bowl. Naruto closed his eyes and let out a small sigh as he swallowed.
"Mmm…the meal's excellent as usual, old man. Even though it's reheated, delicious."
Teuchi smiled. Like other people, he liked having his work appreciated. A man didn't have to risk his death with his honor and his village's on the line in order to take pride in his chosen trade. Much the opposite, Naruto took no particular pride in the things that he had to do on occasion. But even so, he wouldn't take a thing back, or consider choosing a path other than the one he walked now. The old man seemed to notice his contemplative expression, and Ayame placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. The blonde broke his reverie with the unexpected contact and pushed his bowl back towards Teuchi, his usual gesture whenever he wanted a second serving.
"Good. I'll put some tea on the boil too. That ought to wake you up a bit."
Naruto smirked and shook his spiked blonde head in the negative. Almost everyone else in Konoha was celebrating tonight, so he might as well do something unusual too.
"No, I need something with a little more kick tonight. Give me a shochu instead, please."
The demon container had become somewhat accustomed to alcohol in ANBU. Others in his squadron drank between patrols at headquarters, never enough to become intoxicated, but enough to keep somewhat alert while on watch and to sleep easier once done. One evening, someone had gotten the idea to haze the rookie with wine and he was invited to partake with the others. The blonde was a natural lightweight, but the demon's presence helped to stave drunkenness and so Naruto had been able to hold his own at the sake table with the others to a large extent, much to their astonishment and then amusement. The particular drink he was requesting now was somewhat stronger, an earthier alternative to sake. He had learned somewhere that Kurenai liked it, and so he had now decided on a whim to have some, thinking that whatever she appreciated most couldn't be bad. Then again, the blonde also knew that she loved to eat salted octopus, so perhaps his logic was skewed.
"Don't be ridiculous. You're underage, and it'll make you sick."
Naruto snorted under his breath. He was an adult, according to the village standards. The moment he was accepted as a Genin, he had ceased to be a child. Not that the term 'child' had ever applied to him. He, who had killed a grown man in cold blood at age seven in order to swipe his wallet, had thrown his innocence to the curb at that moment. But Ayame didn't know about that or his other exploits, and Naruto wouldn't hold her comment against her. The old man silenced his daughter with a strange look.
"He's old enough to die in combat, and he's old enough to drink."
The girl paled and put her hands in her lap, staring down at them with a downcast expression. Naruto's eyes narrowed. There was something about this situation that he wasn't getting. Come to think, he didn't know much about the old man and Ayame at all other than that the pair operated the ramen bar. Unlike his old teammates and other shinobi acquaintances, the blonde had never deemed it important to check into them. Two civilians weren't worth bothering with. But there was a certain knowing in what the old man had said.
"Gomen…I didn't mean to sound rude."
Naruto shrugged as the old man retrieved a shochu bottle and poured three glasses.
"Forget it. I didn't come out tonight to get all depressed. Let's drink instead."
The Kyuubi vessel took his glass and imbibed a long draught. The liquor was rather bitter compared to the sake he'd tasted on other occasions. Naruto almost hacked as the burning liquid slid down his throat. The sensation was similar to a high-level katon technique, searing heat coming out through the esophagus. The blonde's previous experiences with such things enabled him to keep his reaction under strict control. Nevertheless, he resolved to take a smaller sip next time.
"I'm going to be at the Chuunin Exams tomorrow. Second row, even. I can't wait."
Naruto arched a brow, wondering how in the Hell she had managed to get a premium spot like that. Elite shinobi and rich noblemen were the ones to sit that close to the action. He couldn't have gotten a seat in the second row, that much was certain.
"I'm surprised you got such a good seat. Non-shinobi tend to have a rougher time getting into the arena period."
Ayame turned and stared at the wall, where a scroll containing the tournament brackets was posted. The matches were pinned all over the village, as the Chuunin Exams were such a huge event whenever the tests came to Konoha. Naruto emptied his glass and poured another.
"I've dated some shinobi in the past. One got me the ticket. I was hoping to see you compete, but your name wasn't on the match list I saw. That's weird. I'd thought you were the toughest Genin in the entire village, or at least that's what people keep saying."
The blonde was a little surprised at hearing that, not believing that the villagers would ever be inclined to give him that much credit, more so given their beloved geniuses like Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji. The latter was still recovering due to what his cousin had done to him in the preliminaries, or at least that was what Naruto had overheard some Branch House members muttering about when passing near the Hyuuga Clan's vast compound a little over a week prior. The jinchuuriki hadn't cared enough to stick around to hear the details, and he had been on patrol regardless and wasn't inclined to slacking.
"That was…I got through the opening exams, but had to drop out due to personal issues."
Naruto crossed his arms and didn't meet the girl's questioning gaze, knowing how lame his excuse sounded and how weak it made him appear. He too looked at the match listing. The blonde could almost see Fate's invisible hand meddling, and this time it wasn't Sarutobi's. Highlighted in bold was the main event, the match scheduled between Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara. The last Uchiha against the Hidden Sand's monster. Most spectators had come to see Sasuke, and Naruto too most wanted to see that particular match. He wanted to see the villagers' shellacked expressions when Gaara tore their precious Uchiha to pieces and crushed Sasuke into crimson paste within the Sabaku Sousou. Meanwhile, Tenten would get her shot at vengeance against Hinata. No, the Sandaime had nothing to do with this. The old Kage would never throw both the last Sharingan wielder and the heiress to the Hyuuga Clan to the proverbial wolves. Gaara was a demon carrier, and Tenten would kill Hinata given the chance. Naruto had seen that much in the young weapons user's eyes at that one pivotal moment.
"…Well, at least we can both watch. I have an extra seat, we could sit together."
The demon vessel might have taken her up on that, but it was impossible. He had been assigned to a certain area to keep watch. He would be at the arena, but to him it was a mission rather than a leisure event. To be honest, he didn't want Ayame to be there at all. The arena was going to turn into a war zone when Orochimaru reared his serpentine head, and Naruto knew inside that the snake would come to attempt to kill the Sandaime. Even at that moment the juin on his neck was trembling with its creator's malice. He didn't want the girl to get hurt, and he wasn't sure that he would be able to protect her given his prevailing duties should the worst come to pass.
'You want to watch me fight, Ayame…you just might get your wish. Orochimaru…this time I will not lose. Wait and see, I'll have at least a hand in your death. You'll never lay a finger on Sarutobi-sama as long as I'm alive.'
"I wish I could, but I'm on a special assignment tomorrow. I can't sit and watch."
Ayame's expression waned downcast again.
"…Oh…"
Naruto could almost sense it as he continued to eat and drink. Everything was now coming to a head. Little could he have realized though how much the coming events would change everything he had come to know. A single thought coursed through his hazed mind as he clutched onto the bead necklace that Anko had given him. Meanwhile, a loud boom resonated in the air outside.
'Whatever happens tomorrow…it's gonna be something to remember.'
Meanwhile, well across the village, the Sandaime Hokage stood on the terrace outside his business quarters. Sarutobi knew it as well. Matters were coming to a head, and the time had come to settle scores with his old apprentice. The old man took a drag on his pipe, savoring the tobacco's taste as he never had. He held a scroll in his hand, one bound with a special blood seal. One person alone could open it, and the time was coming when that person would have both the right and the need to. Indeed, the world around him seemed clearer at that moment.
'They say one's mind is the clearest at the very end…it would seem that my time has come.'
He supposed it was appropriate, that his single greatest mistake would come back to be his ultimate undoing. The Sandaime understood now that he should have killed Orochimaru all those years ago. Now, the Snake Sannin was too strong, and Sarutobi was much too old and tired to be able to stand against him and hope to win. His aged heart was sick with regret even then. He had made the greatest error, turning a blind eye to the monster that he had created until it was much too late.
'All I can do now is atone through death, and hope to hale my wayward pupil before the Death God with me.'
Fireworks resounded in the air, illuminating the village in the night. And so the people celebrated, perhaps knowing, but still remaining oblivious to the peril that awaited them on the morrow. Konoha was as prepared as could be to meet the coming invasion. The scouts had located and reported the incoming armies. From the north, Orochimaru's Hidden Sound. From the West, the Hidden Sand's elite shinobi. All available ANBU would be in position throughout the arena. Sarutobi would deal with the Snake Sannin with his own ancient hands. The Village Hidden in the Leaves would survive this ordeal. From there, its direction could not be seen. The Sandaime would not choose a successor. He had done so once, but he was too old now, and this situation was his making. He would not presume to dictate the village's next leader. The Elder Council would be charged with selecting the Godaime, and to decide which path the village would take. A loud crash sounded in the distance, drawing the Third's attention. Following the noise, he then saw his image on the Hokage Monument.
'A reminder of better days, when I still had hair and some sense…but now.'
Somehow, a deep crack had been created within the Third's carving on the mountain. Indeed an ill portent. That was the last evidence that Sarutobi needed, validating all that his old bones had been telling him. The end had come. He was prepared to meet that end and had been ever since Naruto had told him the ominous news that the lad had learned on that mission to Port Sakai, that Orochimaru was coming to claim both him and Konoha. Sarutobi hated to have to let his old student down, but he would not have all that he wished. And even should he not prove able to deliver the Snake Sannin to Hell, the Third Hokage had a backup plan waiting in the wings.
"…Hokage-sama. I've come as you asked…"
Sarutobi exhaled his tobacco smoke and smiled as he turned about, then throwing his pipe over the terrace onto the ceiling below. That was the last drag he would ever take. The old man strode back into his business quarters to greet his guest.
"Tenzou-san…I'm glad you came. I have a request to make…"
(End Chapter Fourteen)
Author's Note: I wanted to get this in by midnight to have it posted on the New Year, and I have a little more than ten minutes to do so, so I'll make this short. We're now moving into the grand finale of the story's first major arc. Look forward to another major battle soon. I probably will gloss over most of the matches in the tournament out of a desire to get to the main event and not drag things out any longer. Hopefully, that next update will come sooner than this one. Until then, please read and review as always, and thanks.