A/N: This is my first try as an author so bear with me. English isn't my first language so don't hesitate to pm me with any fault you find, I am always eager to learn.
First, to answer a review, Tsunade's plan to reveal Naruto's lineage to the council served the purpose of getting him a safe heaven inside the village, the Namikaze compound. While he's awake, he fears almost no one inside Konoha, now he doesn't need to worry when he's asleep either. If no one could infiltrate the house in the last sixteen years, then it's safe to say he doesn't need to fear sneak attacks on him while he's resting inside his manor.
Furthermore, getting his inheritance is an important step in his different quests, you will understand why in this chapter.
On another note, I am pleased to announce that the story just went over the 100,000 hits bar, all that in 25 days. That's a solid 4,000 hits a day, you guys are awesome, please continue to read and review to let me know what you like or what you dislike.
Anyway, welcome to the next chapter of Kaze No Kami.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other manga for that matter.
Chapter 25: Snake hidden in the Grass
Namikaze Compound
Naruto was inside his family house, he was remembering the events from yesterday that led him here, the council meeting and then unlocking his parents house.
He had sent clones to explore in order to get a basic layout of the entire place, the house was huge. He easily found the master bedroom, with his parents stuff still inside but decided to not touch anything and chose another room to use for himself. There was another room that got him interested, the library. That's where he was right now.
The library room was also protected by blood seals, for inside was all his father's research and theories on every jutsu he ever made or planned to create. He also found his mother's notes about the Uzumaki female ability to control bijuu, using chakra chains. He frowned at the thought of someone trying to restrain Natsuki using chains, even if it was his mother. Natsuki reassured him by saying that the context was different and that she too, was different at the time.
He found the notes on the Rasengan and the Hiraishin, but decided to put them aside for the moment. He already knew the Rasengan inside out and, of course, he also knew that the Hiraishin was a formidable jutsu, a space time technique allowing his father to travel distances instantly. There was however something else he wanted to know more about, the Shiki Fuujin.
The room was really big, he was starting to wonder if his father left anything about it. While searching, he found the notes on the seal system protecting the house, how to add or remove any blood signature he wanted on the list of the authorized people to come inside.
Suddenly, he heard the bell from his gates. Looking through the window, he saw an ANBU waiting for him at the limit of his compound. This was something new for him, he was used to them using Shunshin and appearing out of nowhere inside his old apartment. Of course, the seal protecting the perimeter of his home prevented such intrusion from now on. Cursing in his head that he did not find the notes on the Shiki Fuujin, he then left the library room after sealing it again and made his way to the gates.
"Namikaze-sama, Hokage-sama requires your presence in her office immediately." Reported the ANBU kneeling in front of him as they met at the gates.
He figured he would have to get used to being treated with such reverence, not enjoying people kneeling in front of him.
"Very well, I'll go see what she wants." Replied Naruto. His task done the ANBU left.
Naruto made sure to lock his compound then used Shunshin to get to the Hokage tower.
Hokage Office
Upon arriving in Tsunade's office, Naruto saw that Jiraya and Sakura were also there.
"What did I miss Ba-chan ?" He asked.
"Sakura, tell him what you know." Tsunade said to her apprentice.
Sakura told them about the end of her fight against Sasori, during the rescue mission in River Country. Apparently, Sasori was supposed to meet a spy he had in Orochimaru's ranks in three days from now on. The meeting is scheduled to take place near Kusagakure, on the Bridge of Heaven and Earth.
"We also confirmed with Suna that Sasori is most likely using a mind control jutsu to activate dormant agents he places in enemies camps. The victim is not aware of its conditioning and Sasori can activate his jutsu any time he wishes as long as he is in range. That's how they bypassed Suna's defenses so easily, the captain guarding the gate was his sleeping agent and also the man you killed that looked like Itachi." Added Jiraya.
"I assume from my presence that you want me to take part in this mission ?" Asked Naruto, looking at Tsunade. He was very reluctant to stop his search for clues on the Shiki Fuujin, not that he could admit it to Tsunade or Jiraya.
"Yes, I want you in for that mission. The objective is to collect any relevant information you can on Orochimaru, especially what he's been up to during the last three years. Someone will have to take the place of Sasori, be it you or not, your unique genjutsu skills will come in handy for that task. Jiraya will lead the mission so I'll leave the strategy to him and Sakura will be the support medic, just like she was for the last mission in Suna." Tsunade explained.
"I don't know, I was actually in the the middle something ..." Replied Naruto but he stopped talking when Sakura moved in front of him.
"Please Naruto, I know you don't owe me or Team 7 anything but I beg you. Please help us." She pleaded. Tsunade decided to intervene when she saw her disciple's state.
"That wasn't an invitation Naruto. You are a jonin now, you don't have the luxury to chose which mission you will or will not take anymore. You are leaving in one hour, go home and pack, you are dismissed." Announced Tsunade.
"Very well, Hokage-sama." Naruto said as he made his way out of Tsunade's office. The tone he used to call her tittle clearly signaling that he wasn't happy with the way she just forced his hand.
"One last thing though, if we meet the Uchiha traitor on our way, don't expect me to go easy on him. I am NOT a lackey of the Council, the Uchiha blood doesn't represent much to me, quite the opposite actually. Should he get on the way of our mission, I will put him down." Naruto said as he finally left.
Sakura left too after some time to recompose herself.
Tsunade and Jiraya were stunned at the scene that just played out before their eyes. Tsunade remained silent while Jiraya just closed his eyes and sighed heavily.
"What's up with him ? Why was he so aggressive all of a sudden ?" Asked Tsunade.
"I don't know, the last time I saw him like that was in the second year of the training trip. We were working on advanced level fuinjutsu formula and he was still trying to develop the seal he now has on his heart. He was really annoyed by his lack of progress and used to snap a lot." Replied Jiraya.
"Jiraya ..." Tsunade started.
"Don't worry, I'll bring them both back." Jiraya said.
Namikaze Compound
Naruto was currently packing for his upcoming mission, still angered at his last conversation with Tsunade.
"Calm down Naru-kun, don't let your anger control you." Said Natsuki.
"I know, it's just that I'm so close to find some clues on how to free you." Replied the blond.
"You can always do that after you're back, I'm not going anywhere, nor is this house." Natsuki said in a reassuring tone.
"I guess you're right, but I can't believe I have to go just so they can get clues on how their precious Uchiha is doing. After what they've done to you, I won't take any risk with the Emo king if we meet him." Replied Naruto.
"Alright, I also hate the Uchiha but you still have to be careful and remain in control." Natsuki insisted in a worried tone.
"Fine, I promise I'll be careful. We'll talk later Na-chan, it's time I leave for that damn mission." Naruto said as he cut their link and left his compound.
Kusagakure – Two days later
The group arrived in Kusagakure in two days time and decided to prepare for the meeting. They went on a recon mission to the place where the meeting is supposed to take place, The Bridge of Heaven and Earth.
Jiraya decided that Naruto would play the role of Sasori, Sakura and the hermit would take cover and give assistance if needed. Consequently, Naruto trained for the remaining time to act like Sasori with the help of Sakura. He would use his ultimate genjutsu Maboroshi no Sekai to cover his appearance and voice and then extract anything he can from the spy.
The day of the meeting finally came and the group was in position.
Bridge of Heaven and Earth
Naruto posing as Sasori was standing alone in the middle of the bridge. Jiraya and Sakura were hiding in the forest behind him. They did not have to wait too long as a shadow soon appeared in front of Naruto.
"It's good to see you again, Sasori-sama." Said the shadowed figure wearing a dark robe with a hood hiding its face.
As the shadow finally took the hood off, everyone was surprised. The spy was Kabuto, Orochimaru's most trusted subordinate.
"How are you feeling ?" Asked Naruto.
"My mind is still a bit clouded from when you released your jutsu, it took me some time to remember who I was." Replied the now identified Kabuto.
"We don't have much time, if Orochimaru realizes my absence, I'm as good as dead." Added Kabuto.
"Tell me everything you know about the hideouts and Uchiha Sasuke." Asked Naruto.
Kabuto told him about some of the secret bases and that Orochimaru never stayed in the same hideout for long. He also said that he was currently in a base not too far from there, and that Sasuke was with him too.
Kabuto then started to ask some tricky questions, questions which answers only the true Sasori would know. Seeing his mission done and the enemy soon discovering his identity, Naruto prepared himself to take down Kabuto. Before he could act, out of nowhere appeared two more figures, much more interesting ones actually.
Before Naruto, on the other side of the bridge now stood Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke.
Sakura's heartbeat accelerated when she saw her childhood crush after three long years, she was about to charge in when Jiraya stopped her.
"What's the meaning of this Kabuto ?" Asked Orochimaru with a smirk on his face.
"So that's Akatsuki uh ? He doesn't really look that strong to me." Bragged Sasuke.
Kabuto instantly turned back and stood next to the fake Sasori in a guarding position, ready to face the snake sannin and his new disciple.
"You were followed Kabuto ..." Naruto said still playing his role.
He was surprised though when a smirking Kabuto suddenly lashed at him and tried to take him out with a chakra scalpel jutsu. Both Orochimaru and Sasuke also smirked when they saw Kabuto's scalpel go through the fake Sasori Akatsuki's robe, most likely aiming for his heart.
However, their eyes widened when they saw the body of Sasori slowly fading away after being hit by Kabuto.
"That was genjutsu !" The same thought went through the minds of the three Oto members.
"Things are finally getting interesting, not going to flee today I hope Orochi-chan ?" Asked a voice in a mocking tone.
Orochimaru frowned when he heard the voice, he was sure he already heard it from somewhere but couldn't place it. After some time, his eyes widened as he finally realized who they were facing.
"Show yourself Demon brat !" Spat the snake sannin.
"So you did remember me after all, I'm moved." Said Naruto as he slowly appeared on the other side of the bridge. He was already in his first stance, the Muga no Kyouchi with his vest off and his tattoo already missing the original circle around the three comma.
"Naruto !" Growled Sasuke as he saw the 'murderer' of his brother.
"So that's Konoha's Kaze no Kami. I have to admit I'm impressed, you have accomplished quite a lot since the last time we met Naruto-kun. It seems the rumors about you taking out all those S-Rank shinobi are true since you're here instead of Sasori." Orochimaru said as Kabuto jumped back and took position beside the snake sannin.
"You're still the same creepy snake you were the last time we met too, though I learned you tried to kill Itachi too in the past. Are you sure you really tried hard enough ? It wasn't really difficult for me." Naruto replied with a grin on his face.
Not being able to contain himself any longer, Sasuke launched himself at Naruto with his Sharingan flaring in anger. Orochimaru gave a nod to Kabuto, signaling him to make sure his precious future container would not be accidentally damaged.
Naruto's eyes never left Orochimaru and did not even pay attention to the incoming forms of Sasuke and Kabuto.
As they were about to reach the blond, out of nowhere Sakura appeared in front of Kabuto and used a super punch to send him flying aside. The ground below Sasuke started to shake and the avenger felt himself being dragged into the ground, courtesy of Jiraya also appearing at Naruto's side.
Orochimaru was distracted for second when he saw his old teammate popping out of thin air, that's the time it took for Naruto to cross the bridge and deliver a powerful punch into the snake's jaw. The result was Orochimaru flying backwards for at least a hundred meters.
"I'll deal with the snake, those two are yours ..." Said Naruto before powering up a standard Rasengan and completely annihilating the bridge with it afterward.
"Naruto wait !" Jiraya tried to stop his disciple but it was in vain as Naruto was already gone.
With Naruto and Orochimaru
Naruto appeared in front of Orochimaru who stood back up very slowly. The face of the sannin was showing a weird scar from Naruto's punch. It was as if it was peeling away, revealing the face of someone completely new under it. However Naruto saw a few photo of the sannin in the past and knew what the real Orochimaru looked like.
"Who the hell are you ?" Asked the blond.
"Kukuku, I am the real Orochimaru, you are just looking at my current container." Replied the snake.
"So that's the jutsu you were developing that earned you the 'Get out of Konoha' card from Jiji." Analyzed Naruto out loud.
"Very perceptive, that's indeed my immortality jutsu." Bragged Orochimaru before he replaced his fake visage back and charged at Naruto.
They then engaged in a taijutsu exchange, gauging each other levels.
Naruto thought that Orochimaru was not as powerful as Gai but fast enough to attack and evade him in his original released form. He also recognized the snake taijutsu style that Anko showed him during their spars, that helped him to keep up with the sennin.
"You are quite good Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun actually needs to activate his Sharingan with the three tomoe in order to match me in taijutsu." Said Orochimaru while trying to catch his breath.
"I see, how about we kick it up a notch then ?" Naruto said as he took a step back.
He took out his katana in his right hand and lightly cut his thumb with it. He then applied some blood on his fox tattoo and moved his katana back in its sheath.
He did the single hand sign and then called his jutsu, "Futon : Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami !" he said as the wind around him violently picked up and a comma disappeared from the tattoo on his heart. With that Naruto charged at Orochimaru again.
This time, Orochimaru was completely dominated. Naruto appeared to be much faster and stronger than before. The snake noticed that every part of his body felt heavier, even breathing was becoming a difficulty.
"What did you do to me ?" Snarled the sannin before going through hand signs.
"Katon : Ryuka no jutsu !" Yelled Orochimaru.
A dragon of fire was launched at Naruto. As it was about to reach him, it strangely went around its target, turned back and then raced towards Orochimaru with twice the speed and power it originally had.
Orochimaru narrowly escaped the giant fire dragon by jumping at the last moment, as he landed he found himself really tired again.
"You're starting to feel it uh, and did you really expect me to answer you ?" Replied Naruto as he continued his assault.
Orochimaru was starting to take more and more hits while Naruto did not even look tired. Naruto managed to catch him off guard again then hit him with a devastating taijutsu combo, leaving the broken body of the snake sannin on the ground.
As he went to finish him, Naruto saw the mouth of his enemy suddenly opening wide. In front of him, the broken corps of Orochimaru 'spat' another 'healthy' looking body of himself.
Orochimaru, in his new body, decided to create some distance with Naruto. He then went through hand signs and launched a jutsu, "Mandara no Jin !" he called his jutsu as thousands of snakes came out of his mouth, targeting Naruto.
"Interesting, looks like some kuchiyose justu, it still looks creepy though." Thought the blond before preparing his own jutsu.
He made a single clone and hold out his right hand. He performed a Rasengan while his clone charged wind chakra in the orb. After some time, with the addition of the wind chakra, the Rasengan changed and took the form of a giant fuma shuriken.
"You fool, I know about your jutsu and how you defeated Kabuto with it. You will never be close enough reach me with it." Taunted Orochimaru as his snakes were about to reach Naruto.
"Who said I needed to be close ?" Naruto replied with a smirk and then launched his jutsu.
"Futon : Rasenshuriken !" He said as the wind powered chakra orb left his hand.
Orochimaru's eyes widened as the flying Rasengan completely annihilated the wave of snakes approaching Naruto. "The Mandara no Jin did not even slow it down, I have to act fast or even I could die if it hits me." Mused Orochimaru as he prepared his next move.
Biting his thumbs, he then slammed his hands to the ground and launched his jutsu, "Kuchiyose : Sanju Rashomon !". Similar to what happened during the fight against Kabuto during the rescue of Tsunade, Orochimaru's absolute defense appeared out of the ground but instead of one door, three were summoned.
When the Rasenshuriken impacted the first door, everything went blank …
A/N : Yep evil cliffhanger :)
What do you think ? Sorry if Naruto appeared a little on edge in this chapter, wanted to highlight his frustration in not getting results in his attempts to free Natsuki.
As usual Read and Review please.
New Jutsu :
Futon : Hyakuren Jitoku no Kiwami , translates as the Pinnacle of Great Work.
This is Naruto's second ultimate form. In this form, his control over the wind is amplified tenfold. This allows Naruto the use of the wind to increase his speed and power by reducing the air resistance to all his movements and jutsu. At the same time, it increases the wind resistance for his enemies, forcing them to double their effort while he only uses half of his strength to reach the same result.