Chapter 25: The Retrieval
Previously:
"This teme... has gone too far," Naruto growled, his eyes changing immediately to the Rinnegan with sage mode.
"Anyways, Hokage-sama has requested you to lead a retrieval team, she expects you now," the ANBU said.
"Hai!" Naruto complied, flickering away to the office.
"Tsunade-baachan, I can't let him get away with killing a fellow Konoha-nin... despite how useless she was as one."
Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk. "That's exactly why I wanted you to retrieve him. He left by the east entrance, and he is at least five hours ahead. I need you to immediately assemble a team, and get going."
"Hai!" Naruto said, and contacted Shikamaru and Neji to meet at the east entrance in five minutes.
Then, going back home, he got Yugito to come with him, though not before she insisted on him eating his breakfast.
East Entrance
"Listen up, Uchiha Sasuke has just defected from the village. He has at least a five hour head start, so we must get going now. Understand?"
"Hai, taichou!"
The group stormed down the path, with Neji taking point, his Byakugan activated.
"Naruto-taichou, there seems to be another companion with him... a male," Neji reported.
"Ok... in that case, we need to increase our speed," Naruto ordered.
The team took to dashing, but encountered an army of hollow ninja. Neji and Shikamaru stopped there to fight them, but they insisted that the jinchuurikis continue their journey as they held back the forces.
"Taichou, the tracks end near the border, I've seen them, please go now," Neji reported, "To be specific... the Valley Of The End."
The pair arrived there soon, and discovered Sasuke and a masked man, sitting at the top of Madara's statue.
"Who are you?!" Naruto yelled up to the head of the statue, which was 15 storeys up.
"I," the masked man said before a swirl encircled his right eye, and sucked his body in. Another swirl appeared at the feet of Madara's statue.
"Am Uchiha Madara," he finished as his body got reformed.
"Tsk," Naruto responded, "I'm sure."
"Oh, so you don't believe me? Allow me to demonstrate. But first, Sasuke-kun, give them a taste of your power."
Sasuke gave a "hmph". His Sharingans morphed into Mangekyo Sharingans. Closing his eyes, a thin line of blood rolled down his face from his left eye, like tears.
"Amaterasu!" Sasuke focused on Naruto, and black flames shot towards him.
"Shinra Tensei!" The flames were easily deflected, considering that Sasuke learned it while on the run with Madara.
Sasuke at this point raged. He began spamming the flames everywhere, causing an inferno in the Valley Of The End (sounds like a gamer).
Naruto absorbed them like a sponge to water with his Gakido. "It's so fun seeing him rage!" Naruto yelled to Yugito over the roar of the fire.
She laughed as she nimbly escaped yet another flame from burning her to a crisp.
By the end of five minutes, Sasuke's eye hurt like shit, blood covered the whole part of his face below his left eye, and his vision was blur from staring for too long.
Sasuke cupped the bleeding eye with his left hand and stared at the pair with murderous intent using his right, though it was nothing compared to Naruto and Yugito's killing intent when they tried.
"This... is power?" Naruto laughed. Sasuke growled. The sage fired off a Hiraishin kunai at the traitor, and withdrew his tanto.
When the kunai latched onto the Madara statue's forehead, Naruto teleported to it while swinging his chakra sabre.
It was so fast that Sasuke was almost bisected, if not for Madara pulling him back. The white streak of chakra remained there, showing just how lucky Sasuke was.
Madara narrowed his eyes. "The Hakko Chakra To... interesting."
Naruto then swung up onto the top of the statue and began engaging the two Uchiha in taijutsu and kenjutsu.
His superior dojutsu forced the younger Uchiha to be pushed back towards the edge of the statue.
Sasuke raised his blood-stained katana and stabbed it into the rock in order to stabilise himself. Naruto then took the chance to swipe his tanto, making a long gash on the traitor's stomach.
However, he had no time to deliver a killing blow as he was locked on by Madara. "Uzumaki Naruto... you are an interesting one... but that won't stop me from completing my plans! This means war... the next time I see you... I will capture you and your little girlfriend as part of my plans... Sasuke, let's go now..."
Grabbing Sasuke's hand, the traitor got sucked into the spiral centred around Madara's right eye.
"Three years... Uzumaki... three years," were the masked man's last words.
Naruto picked up the katana and sealed it within his storage seals, this would be sufficient evidence to list Sasuke as a traitor of Konoha.
Sheathing his tanto, he kept the Hiraishin kunai from earlier; couldn't risk anyone finding out the secret.
"Yugito-chan, he said in three years, he would come to capture us as part of his 'plans' so until then, we must train," Naruto told Yugito.
"Ok, let's go find the others," the Nibi jinchuuriki said, before backtracking.
Where they last left behind Neji and Shikamaru, they now saw Neji, Shikamaru, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari.
"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked, guard up. Gaara may have been his friend, but Kankuro and Temari weren't.
"Chill, Naruto-taichou, they were here to form an alliance... they helped us to eliminate the hollow ninja," Shikamaru explained.
Temari raised her eyebrow at the "taichou" part, but continued, "After the failed Suna-Oto invasion, we realised that the Kazekage who had issued the order for the invasion in the first place was that bastard Orochimaru himself. He killed our father and took his place as Kazekage. So now we're here to offer an alliance with Konoha."
"Well, it's not my place to judge, but I can tell you one thing: I killed Orochimaru already," Naruto said.
Kankuro and Temari dropped their jaws, but Gaara just raised an eyebrow.
"I presume the retrieval failed?" Neji asked, noticing the absence of one traitor.
"Yes, the man with him was Uchiha Madara," Naruto said.
"Even he is out of your league..." Shikamaru muttered.
"That's why I have to train, now let's go back," Naruto ordered.
The group sped back to Konoha, and made it back within two hours with the help of Junkin.
Konoha Gates
"Halt! What's your business... oh..." Izumo said before faltering as he saw the group or more specifically, Naruto.
Kotetsu said, "You're cleared!"
Naruto nodded to the Eternal Guards and brought his guests to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-baachan, I'm here with an alliance from Suna," Naruto said, giving her a look that said the mission would be after the guests left.
She understood and agreed to the alliance after making sure they had genuine intentions.
After they left, Naruto said, "The retrieval failed."
"Nani?" Tsunade couldn't help but yell.
Wincing, Naruto explained the whole situation to her. She just gave a mixed reaction to Uchiha Madara.
"Well, the reason why Hiruzen-sensei died was because he was fighting... against the Shodaime and Nidaime. Apparently, Orochimaru used the Nidaime's justu, 'Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei (Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation)', to revive the brothers, my grandfather and granduncle. Therefore I wouldn't be surprised if his assistant Kabuto revived Madara too," Tsunade explained.
"At any rate, I'll need to train. I've got three years, so I'll make the best use out of it," Naruto declared.
"Oh yes, you will," came a familiar voice from the window.
"Ero-sennin!"
"I'll be taking you for a three year training trip to improve your skills, you'll need them against a guy like Madara," Jiraiya said.
Yugito hid her feelings behind a mask of calm, because she knew Naruto needed it.
Tsunade agreed, so she signed a couple of papers and handed them to Jiraiya.
"From now on, Uzumaki Naruto is a fully fledged student of Jiraiya of the Sannin, and can travel freely across the Elemental Nations, unless called back by Konoha. He will only resume service upon three years, after which he is to continue completing missions. This takes immediate effect, on order of the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade Senju of the Sannin," Jiraiya read.
"So when are we going?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll give you a day for your goodbyes, we'll leave 8 in the morning tomorrow," the Sannin said.
"Alright, I'll take my leave now," Naruto said, and grabbed the hand of his lover.
"Rinne Shunshin," he said, and flickered away to his house.
He began writing many letters, and dropped them off. It was soon late at night, and he retired to bed.
He smiled as he noticed the look on Yugito's face - such serenity. Naruto sighed, tomorrow would no doubt be a tough day of travelling and training.
The Next Morning
Naruto opened his eyes, and looked beside him. Her peaceful look was still there, so he decided to leave her alone.
Slipping out of bed silently, he pulled up the covers on his girlfriend, and left to pack his bag.
9 O'clock
Naruto arrived at the entrance where his master was waiting for him when he noticed a small crowd gathering.
There were his friends, the Ichiraku Family, and some civilians. Apparently, they had heard of his departure.
Suddenly, a burst of killing intent came rushing to him. "Were you trying to leave without telling me?!" Yugito shrieked, tackling him.
"Gomen-" Naruto said before he was cut off by a passionate kiss.
"Stay safe for me, alright?" Yugito whispered.
Naruto chuckled, "Of course, Yugito-hime."
Then he stood up, and so did Yugito, blushing at what she just did in public.
"Let's go, Ero-sennin!" Naruto said, and a huge tick mark appeared on his head, causing the crowd to laugh.
Author's Notes:
So Naruto finally leaves for his training. New powerful jutsus and more overpoweredness! To answer a question and clarify things, Hiraishin Level 3 is not the ability to teleport to a place where his kunai once were, referring to the Naruto vs Neji fight. I neglected to mention Naruto using the Hiraishin seal on his hand and marking Neji with it. Hiraishin Level 2 is not an increase in the teleporting ability, so neither should Level 3. Level 2 is ensuring the hit is made. If the kunai hits, then good. If it doesn't and passes by, Naruto can teleport to it and make another attack from behind. Level 3 is basically throwing many kunai around the opponent, and teleporting to them while they are in midair around the opponent. Naruto then uses attacks, teleporting to the next kunai when he is done attacking and attacks again. The cycle repeats until all kunais are used or on the ground. Thanks for the support, now is a great time to review and give me ideas for jutsus that he will use after training.
Until tomorrow,
Ja Ne