Second time in a row that I'm breaking the promise, but they also updated with that new Image Manager thing and apparently people are more likely to read the note at the top so I figured I'd announce it here, from now on only important things will be announced before the chapter. Anyways you can now have covers on stories so I'm looking for anyone that has a scrap of artistic talent (that's a scrap more than me) and wants to design one or more covers that I can put up as the story progresses. Even though there are some specific details I'd like to see in different covers I'm not going to list any of them because I want to hear what your ideas are. The people I really like will get contacted about the specific ones I want because they'll have some spoilery pieces. I will accept and review any submission so pick your favorite part of the story, draw a cover, and send it to me. If it's good I'll post it, if not I'll politely decline or ask for a redraw. It says the best images use a width to height ratio of 6/9 and a minimum 300x450. If nobody submits anything don't expect a cover, my drawing skills consist of staying inside the lines.
-Operaman
Kabuto stood just outside the entrance to Otogakure's main base nearly two months after assembling the requested shinobi. He was reclined against an outcropping of rocks and appeared to waiting for something, even though nothing seemed to have changed the teen shoved himself upright and pushed the slipping glasses up his nose while saying, "Hello Orochimaru-sama."
The former Konoha-nin seemed to float through the earth until his feet emerged, "I see you got my message then, excellent."
The medic bowed low before nodding, "Of course, although you were gone longer than expected. I hope you didn't run into any trouble."
A pale hand waved dismissively before the unasked question was casually pushed aside, "Oh no, I just stopped by to have a chat with the Daimyo. Since we're both important men in this country I think it's beneficial to have a healthy working relationship. After that I had to talk to some new friends, but never mind that. Tell me, what have you learned about Isaribi-chan?"
Kabuto was curious about these new 'friends,' the snake summoner's previous ones were the Akatsuki after all. Still, he knew better than to revisit a subject after it was changed. "Something quite interesting actually. Amachi managed to isolate an enzyme that triggers the transformation and injected her with it, however I'd wager the batch he used on himself was a more refined formula. The girl's cells were literally waiting for the influx of power from the seal, but without it she couldn't control the transformation on a fine level. I managed to isolate the code in her DNA and replicate the process, unfortunately only two in nine survived. On top of that half turned into mindless beasts after the metamorphosis and lost the intelligence to change back."
Orochimaru nodded and considered the possibilities, 'Having the ability to almost guarantee survival of the curse seal could be a major boon, however it took Amachi years to get to that point and his formula might only produce the Kaima transformation. Isaribi and Suigetsu are more than enough to control the seas right now, and I'd rather have Kabuto focusing on other things. Amachi was one of the better scientists working for me, despite his lack of common sense.'
The nuke-nin opened the hidden entrance after making his decision, "Save the notes and store them somewhere safe. There is potential in that, but it's not a priority for someone with all the time in the world. Now fetch me a prisoner for the ritual. Have them ready within the hour."
After entering the base they saw a tan shinobi who immediately bowed. He had light brown hair that stopped at the base of his neck and a lavender vest with a matching scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, with both ends tucked in. The spy straightened his torso revealing his bare chest under the clothing and a roll of bandages wrapped around his abdomen. He also wore black bracers that went up his forearm, tan pants, and dark brown sandals. Kabuto glared at the man. He made sure nobody else got the message, so how did the bat user know to follow him? Oto's leader tittered at his second's ire before greeting the newcomer, "Hello Rinji, thank you for fetching Guren."
The brown haired shinobi put an arm behind his back and gave a half bow in response, "Anything for you Orochimaru-sama."
"Oh, then perhaps you could prepare a prisoner for me and bring him to Medical Bay S." Brown sandals scraped against the ground as he hastily turned to carry out the request, but the golden-eyed man interrupted, "So eager, just make sure they're the strongest available."
With another more bow Rinji headed towards the prisoner's quarters while Kabuto asked, "Why did you let him do that?"
The serpentine man smirked and lectured the medic like a child, "It's simple really, he feels more important now and it increases his loyalty. Why, did I make you jealous Kabuto-kun?"
The teen's head shook side to side as he answered the mocking question, "Of course not Orochimaru-sama, I just wondered if you were going to let him watch the procedure."
The traitorous member of the Sannin actually laughed while navigating the corridors, with his long black haired billowing behind him as they headed towards the medical bay. "I won't deny him if he longs to witness my true glory. Now prepare the surgery table. Today is a big day, so many things to do, so many possibilities."
Rinji watched the victor separate the head from his last opponent's body with the metal leg of a table he wielded like a club. The remaining survivors had tried to overpower the juggernaut with a combined assault, however the strategy was ineffective and they were efficiently slaughtered one by one. The bat user had walked into the prisoner's mess hall during mealtime and proclaimed the last one standing could leave, which ignited a brutal free for all. Some tried to gang up and overpower the shinobi at first, but he easily dispatched them and their corpses served as a deterrent to the others. All the prisoner's chakra had been sealed off so the most physically capable ones held an advantage in the fight, but that's what he wanted. The 'winner' had white hair and was half a foot taller than Rinji, quite muscular too. The smaller man still took the lead without concern and walked towards their fate. He forced the prisoner to prostrate after entering the Medical Bay before bowing himself.
Orochimaru stood and gestured for the brown haired man to move aside before spreading his arms. When Rinji was clear the serpentine man opened his mouth while looking to the ceiling. Pale skin fell like a discarded costume as a large white snake with spiky black hair and the nuke-nin's features burst from his mouth before swallowing the horrified prisoner. The serpent twisted and turned on itself after the meal and progressively got smaller until just the white haired prisoner was standing there, although the predatorial gold eyes clearly pointed out the body's new inhabitant. Rinji was awestruck as Orochimaru's vessel nearly collapsed, but Kabuto caught the man before that could happen. He put the limp body onto a table and strapped a mask over his mouth and nose.
The silver haired medic didn't appear phased by the events as he set the limiter on the valve before opening it, but the teen's mind was racing. As the drug took affect Kabuto spaced out slightly while remembering the orders Sasori gave him on the Tenchi Bridge. Akatsuki wanted the snake summoner dead, and this was his best chance to complete the task. Because of the snakelike man's awesome resistance to drugs and poisons they had to invent an incredibly potent concoction every transfer just to knock him out. A slight overdose of these deadly mixtures would do anyone in, even Orochimaru. He just needed to loosen the limiter on the end and act like nothing was wrong, he could probably use Rinji as a scapegoat to appease Guren and Kimimaro too.
Unbeknownst to the other two occupants Orochimaru kept his consciousness in a small white snake, less than a foot long and an inch and a half wide, inside the discarded skin of his old body. Slit pupils were locked onto the teen's hand, truly curious to see what he would do. The serpent eagerly waited the choice because it would determine the course of his ascension, the direction of all his plans hinged on this moment. Kabuto's fingers twitched several times near the lever before they gripped a scalpel and started the procedure that would better facilitate the transfer to his new vessel. Once the procedure was done and his new body bandaged the monster made its move. Orochimaru left behind orders before transferring his consciousness to the receptacle on the table.
An ear splitting screech pierced the air as Kabuto turned in surprise to see a smaller version of Orochimaru's snake form burst out of his shed skin. It moved so fast the medic had no time to react as the creature became airborne. His eyes closed and the shinobi felt the air being displaced next to his head before a muffled cry of pain forced the boy out of his stupor. He turned in surprise and saw Rinji trying to pull the snake out of his throat by its tail, but the fight was futile from the beginning. His attempts barely slowed the creature down and it disappeared into his esophagus. After settling in the bat user's stomach it pierced the lining and melted so its DNA would merge with the unfortunate victim. Rinji howled in agony as the real Orochimaru weakly sat up and slid off the table before hobbling towards the door, "Help me to the throne room and gather everybody there, it's a little too noisy in here."
Kabuto escorted his master to the chamber and gently lowered him into the cushioned chair, but before he pulled away the bandaged shinobi hissed into his ear, "Congratulations on passing the test, Kabuto-kun." The boy jumped back in surprise and Orochimaru chuckled mockingly, "Did you think I didn't know about your last meeting with my former partner, and that nasty little order to kill me. I don't like the fact these measures of your loyalty were necessary... but you passed and I am glad. Now run along."
The teen opened the door but stopped when he heard, "Would you like to know why you didn't fail Kabuto?" He turned and nodded so the man continued, "Because you're scared, if I was gone you wouldn't have a direction and that terrifies you. You'd just be a lost little boy without his mommy. So the little mouse made himself useful to the snake hoping to not get eaten, and make no mistake about it my little rodent. When the day comes that you are more useful to me dead I will devour you like the fool back there. Now go and fetch everybody."
Kabuto quietly scurried away to carry out the order as Rinji's pained cries echoed in his head.
Ranmaru stared curiously at a bandaged man he knew was Orochimaru, but also wasn't at the same time. Kimimaro had no reaction, except for the slight feeling of disappointment that he shared with a woman across the room, so the ninja in training didn't make a big deal out of it.
The boy had changed greatly these last three months. The Kiri native's pale skin had taken on a healthy tan and small muscles were starting to show on his bare arms. The student now wore an outfit that resembled his idol's, black shinobi pants with holsters on both legs, a small rope belt, and a sleeveless lavender shirt that matched his hair. Ranmaru also had a wooden bo staff on his back that was about three feet long and blackened by ash. It served as a walking stick when needed, although not much anymore. He had made remarkable strides in his recovery since receiving the curse seal. With proper nutrition and a strict exercise regime enforced by the Kaguya his health had greatly improved. Now he looked like a small kid his age instead of a five year old.
He stared up and Kimimaro and would've giggled at the look on his sensei's face as he glowered at a kunoichi across the room, but the Kaguya had made it clear that in public they had to remain serious despite the familiarity between them. The boy adjusted his gaze and looked at the woman who was the recipient of the teen's ire. He wondered if she turned Kimimaro down for a date request, even a child with no concept of the word could tell she was beautiful.
The kunoichi's light blue hair was pulled into a spiked ponytail on the back of her head, except for two long strands that framed her angular face. She had dark eyes that contrasted her pale skin, while glaring frostily at the pale teen, and ruby red lipstick accentuated her pouting lips. The woman wore a green dress over a red full-body jumpsuit, brown leather gloves that had intricate designs etched into them, and matching boots that had the same patterns etched into them. The dress' left sleeve came down to her wrist while the right one stopped at the elbow, and it had a thick white collar made of fur that covered her neck.
Another white haired teen that stood alone against the wall and revealed his sharpened teeth as he grinned wolfishly at Isaribi, causing her to blush and avert her gaze. A redheaded teenage girl around the same age as them, with black-rimmed glasses and red eyes, was staring worriedly at a large orange haired boy that was a couple years older standing near the bone user. The child wondered why though, he had a serene smile and seemed incredibly calm.
The only other people in the room were three boys that were about the age of the other teens. They all wore sleeveless grey tunics with four crystals drawn around the hem, black pants, black sandals, and black bracers on their forearms. The largest boy was quite fleshy and had two three inch stripes shaved out of his head, leaving a Mohawk and two orange strips above his ears. His narrow reddish orange eyes stared at the tan boy with six arms, all with bracers, and dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail. He had black eyes that were staring intently at his hands while playing a three way game of Jan Ken Pon with himself. The third was a rather effeminate boy with pale skin, grey hair that came down to his shoulders and covered his right eye, a necklace of purple prayer beads, and green . The ninja was ignoring them and appeared to be so deep in thought he was having a conversation with himself.
The room was blanketed by an awkward silence that was finally broken when the door opened revealing a peculiar sight, and among Oto shinobi that was saying something. A porcelain man that had scales covering his hairless body stepped into the room and looked at the occupants with the same golden eyes as Orochimaru, although the creature's were glossy and vacant instead of calculating and ravenous. The only thing it had on was a pair of tattered tan pants that were completely destroyed just below the knees, and stretched tightly around his thighs.
The albino monster was six foot ten with a wingspan of seven feet tipped by wickedly sharp black claws. He also had a matching set on his three hooked toes with large dew claws coming off the back of his feet to complete the set. Dripping four-inch fangs protruded from a lipless mouth that had a forked tongue rapidly snaking in and out, but those weren't his only, or most dangerous, natural weapons. A large snake sprouted from the base of his spine like a tail. It was eight inches wide and the length kept changing while it swayed side to side behind the thing's bald head.
Their forked tongues were synchronized while flitting in and out and Orochimaru spoke through the bandages, which muffled his voice. "Say hello to Rinji everyone, the man wanted to become my second so I gave him a chance. It appeared he survived, but couldn't manage to control my DNA. I guess he just can't measure up to those gathered here."
He smirked under his bandages as they all preened at the compliment, "Oh well. His wish will be granted, but I doubt he'll have the mental faculties left to enjoy it. Now the poor thing is no better than a mindless drone, albeit one that's considerably faster, stronger, has the ability to use venom, heal at a faster rate, and many other wonderful things. Now that everyone is here we shall begin."
The room's occupants paid the transformed man no heed as he blankly stared at a wall, "Things are rapidly shifting in the political landscape and opportunity is ripe for those who can seize it. The great nations gaze at rivals across the continent while strengthening their militaries, a tiny nation like Ta no Kuni is nothing but an inconvenience in their eyes. We will take advantage of that lax guard. From this point forward Oto's army shall be divided into three divisions, the first headed by Guren."
The woman in the green dress looked honored before giving Kimimaro a haughty smirk. "You shall be my crystal sword. Your first task is to covertly sabotage Yu no Kuni. Hire nuke-nin, supply bandits, use disguised troops, I don't care about the methods. Just wreak havoc on the country and kill any Hot Water shinobi that's seen. I have lowered our mission prices so once it becomes too much they will surely use us because of proximity. The nobles I've been talking to will help that along too. This is where the second division led by Kimimaro comes in. He shall be my bone shield."
The Kaguya had no outwards reaction except the slight upturning of his lips as he sensed Guren's fury at his position, "We shall pull our shinobi out as you go in and subdue the rogue elements still active in the Land of Hot Water. While you're doing this Guren will use the northern part of the country as a highway into Shimo no Kuni. Her troops will be escorting the third division led by Isaribi."
Orochimaru looked at the surprised girl directly before continuing, "You two will discreetly lead your soldiers to the largest harbor on the eastern seaboard and capture it. Once it is done Isaribi shall fortify the city and consolidate as many boats as possible before setting up a blockade. The official reason shall be piracy to any visiting ships. You will be authorized to pay market value and safely transport the goods to land, but the true purpose will be stopping any distress calls from getting out. Shimo won't reach out to Kumogakure because they're more likely to come as conquerors instead of saviors, their only real option is Konoha. I can assure you they won't slip through Ta, or Yu when we're done with it. After the ships are in place and the city secure Guren will unleash her army on the countryside and break their spirit by any means necessary."
The man paused to make sure everyone was following him before continuing, "While this is going on Kabuto will take over the responsibility of supplying the bandits and nuke-nin in Yu no Kuni so our reputation and influence continues to grow. I will set up a puppet government once the instability is ripe, and Kimimaro shall move on to Shimo as well. His duty there will be to stop the uprisings from rebel factions in captured areas while recruiting so Guren can push forward quickly. Hopefully we can install a governor and begin harvesting their resources in three to four years at the most."
The serpentine shinobi nodded towards the unmentioned occupants, "The others in this room shall be lieutenants. Karin and Jirobo shall be under Guren's command." He turned towards their appointed leader, "Her chakra sensing abilities will be invaluable on the front lines and his earth techniques shall be your shield." The pudgy teen had no reaction to the announcement and redheaded girl glanced at the woman while scrutinizing her chakra. However she couldn't get a feel for the commander, almost like the kunoichi's chakra was just taking up space.
He then looked at the Kaguya, "Kimimaro's lieutenants shall be Ranmaru, Juugo, and Kidomaru. The boy's eyes shall be invaluable when searching for rebels, as will Juugo's ability with birds. And your former subordinates ability to capture enemies alive will be a boon for capture, interrogation, and possible recruitment purposes. Show the prisoners how much better life can be on our side." Ranmaru beamed at the pale Kaguya and Juugo also seemed pleased about the assignment. That was the exact opposite reaction of the six-armed boy who looked like he was getting hung within the hour as he eyed the older teenagers.
Finally he looked at his most recent acquisition, "Isaribi shall be in command of Suigetsu, Sakon, and Ukon." The sharktoothed boy looked eager while the effeminate teenager sized the girl up.
He turned towards her subordinates, "She hasn't had much shinobi training, but her potential far outstrips both of yours. Help her along and I'm sure everything will go swimmingly."
The former member of the Sannin turned towards Guren, "I hope you don't mind but I'd like to make Isaribi your pupil. She could learn much in your care."
The crystal user bowed, "It would be an honor Orochimaru-sama." The blue haired woman glared at the two assigned to her, "Besides, I can sense the incompetence of my lieutenants and already planned to correct the problem."
He gave a quick nod towards her before dismissing them, "Excellent, I leave you to prepare and will have more information about the assignments delivered later. Now if you don't mind, I'm feeling quite tired."
Everybody but Rinji walked out the door. Once it closed the transformed man stared vacantly at the sealed portal and only knew he had to protect the man behind him at all costs.
It had been four months since Naruto had last seen Konoha and they were camping in Ta no Kuni. The stars were twinkling brightly and a merry fire crackled as master and pupil ate dinner. They had been moving at a slow pace recently, but that was because Naruto's training had intensified like Jiraiya said it would. The chunin mastered the Toton no Jutsu in no time and continued to plow ahead in fuuinjutsu with help from his father's book. The sage even had to send a toad back to Konoha to get Uzumaki sealing scrolls to fill in some gaps.
The hermit had taken the limits off the Kage Bunshin training and nearly every day there was a veritable army of them working on applying different seals to things with chakra. It was more complicated than it sounded because the chakra had to be molded into the shape of the seal before application. To make things harder he had to increase the flow and density just before contact to 'brand' the target. Fortunately the blonde already had some experience with shape manipulation so his clones were making progress, albeit slow. It really picked up when the copies stopped practicing with exploding seals. Instead he took some inspiration from Tayuya and created a seal that launches a sonic boom.
While his bunshin worked on one style of chakra manipulation Naruto worked on perfecting the next futon exercise. Whenever they stopped to train Jiraiya raised a platform from the earth and created a small waterfall for him to work on. He also trained his physical skills and sparred with the sennin daily, although it was more of a glorified asskicking. However the most important part of his development came when he finished training. Every night the two would have a conversation over the fire.
Even though he acted like a large child, Jiraiya was well travelled and had met many different people in dozens of countries, big and small, with varying traditions and beliefs. The sage would regal the boy with different stories that highlighted them and prod his mind with leading questions to get an opinion. For the most part he was quite surprised at how deep and well thought out some of the answers were, they weren't things people spewed out after a couple seconds of reflection.
The hermit put down his bowl and let out a healthy burp before starting another discussion, "You'd never guess this in a million years, but more of the military budget goes into spying on our allies than enemies." The blonde cocked his eyebrow in response and the sage elaborated, "I know that sounds assbackwards but everybody knows that Iwa wants to wipe us out, yet Kusa can tell us anything while doing something else."
Naruto's blue eye stared into the flames, "I kind of understand, but it's still stupid. I heard an example in Takigakure... that was only the higher ups right? The shinobi were just following orders?"
The sage smiled at his godson and shook his head, "It's not that simple my boy, nothing is. The Hokage only has power because we give it to him. The old man may be impossibly strong for his age, but eventually he'd fall to numbers. Hell, I know a couple Jounin that could take him down with a competent team for backup. Following orders is never an excuse Naruto, there are always things more important than the mission… although it's not an easy thing to decide. Look up the story of the white fang someday."
"What about our alliance with Suna?" Immediately questioned the chunin. He understood what his sensei was trying to get at, but it just seemed fundamentally wrong.
"That's the most remarkable thing I've ever seen. There's been nothing like it before and I hope it paves the way towards more solid alliances in the future. However you're only looking at the surface again. Who's the Suna chick that was put on your team?"
JThe man was giving Naruto a knowing look through the explanation, which threw him off for a moment. "Temari-chan…" the boy trailed off before his eye flashed with recognition, "She's the Kazekage's daughter."
Jiraiya picked up right where his student left off, "And was put on the same team as the Yondaime Hokage's son, who's also one of the last known Uzumaki to boot. Did you know that the Hyuuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka heirs went to Suna to team up with his oldest son? A lot of the younger shinobi were handpicked by the old man and the Kazekage because of their future positions or influence over their peers. Adults are already set in their ways, but a kid's opinion can be swayed pretty easily, especially by a well liked one."
The blonde couldn't help but frown after hearing that piece of information, "It sounds kind of dirty when you say it like that."
Jiraiya let out a boisterous laugh, "I guess you're right. That's why the path to peace will be challenging as long as the shinobi system continues. I think the only way for everyone to live together is to understand one another, but that's impossible if your motives are cloaked in shadow. How can anybody accept a hand extended in friendship that traditionally stabs allies in the back? Have you heard about the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass?"
The blonde shook his head and Jiraiya told the story, "After the third war Iwagakure and Kirigakure were allies, and to further seal the alliance they each sent a squad a joint mission to retrieve stolen documents from a Kumo team. The mission was a success, but after completing the objective Kiri was betrayed so Iwa could take them for itself and blame the Kumo team. It didn't go as planned though, one Mist shinobi escaped the ambush and lived to tell the tale. Ever since the villages have harbored a bitter hatred towards one another, and it started a cold war that's spawned many proximity battles across the continent using nuke-nin, minor villages, and terrorist cells. The conflict has died off recently, but I'd bet my life savings that a Kiri-nin would stop at nothing to hunt down an Iwa-nin if they thought one was close by, and vice-versa. When that happens the cycle of hatred is perpetuated because their loved ones will seek revenge, but if they succeed then it starts over again. It's a vicious circle that feeds itself."
Naruto looked at his godfather with awe, he'd never heard Jiraiya be that serious about anything. The sage seemed unaware of his student's quiet astonishment though and continued, "Still, I hope to find a way to overcome those obstacles and spread peace. If I fail I'm going to entrust my dream to you Naruto, and if you can't do it then I hope you'll pass it on to your children, your many children."
The man trailed off with a lecherous giggle and the boy saluted his sensei while a grin split his face, "Yes sir, you can count on me."
"Ah, your smile is my salvation Gaki. Now douse the fire and get some sleep, we have an unscheduled stop to make tomorrow."
The blonde looked at Jiraiya strangely, "Unscheduled, is anything scheduled? I thought we were wandering."
Jiraiya opened is tent before letting out an exaggerated yawn and laughing awkwardly, "Ha, ha. Well look at the time, I'm going to bed. Goodnight Naruto."
It was early afternoon the next day when the two walked into a town filled with traditional architecture. A majority of the buildings were old and rickety, but it was apparent that most of the village was getting an overhaul. Almost immediately a young man with violet hair and pale green eyes stopped working and walked over to greet them. He was wearing grey pants and a green t-shirt that had cream-colored sleeves with a matching collar while an inviting smile stretched across his cheeks. "Hello, you must be Jiraiya-sama, my name is Arashi and I'm the leader of the Fuuma clan. Kotohime said you might show up at anytime."
The silver haired man showed no reaction, but was really quite confused that the Fuuma knew the identity his informant was, or that he even had one. Although the most recent messages indicated that the clan was becoming disillusioned with Orochimaru she still shouldn't have said anything. He just played it off like it was expected and nodded "Yes, I was hoping to talk to her."
A girl slightly younger than Naruto ran out of one of the better-kept houses, she had long orange hair that was under a blue hat and her brown eyes varied shades. The teen was wearing army green pants, a dull lavender vest that had slightly darker collar and stitching around the armholes, and purple forearm bands. Kunai holsters were strapped to her shapely thighs and she moved with grace that spoke of shinobi training. The teen also offered a kind smile to the duo and bowed, "I'm Fuuma Sasame. Nee-chan's group is on duty for a couple of weeks so she's at Northgate. You'll have to go there."
Jiraiya nodded, "Thank you Sasame-chan, but how-"
The man trailed off when it became apparent she wasn't paying attention to him. The brown-eyed girl turned her sparkling orbs onto Naruto and had a light blush on her face, "Are you really Jiraiya-sama's apprentice?"
When the boy nodded her blush deepened and she pulled out a kunai. The chunin noted that it was made from ANBU grade material when the light didn't reflect off the metal, but he didn't give it much thought. They were more expensive than regular equipment and almost never given to genin or chunin, however she was acting very familiar with the clan leader so was probably an exception.
"Umm, I really liked the movie that just came out, and uh… I think you're really strong. Can I maybe show you my moves and get some pointers?"
The black fabric of Naruto's mask shifted as he smiled beneath it, "Of course, take me to the practice area. I love training."
The girl grabbed his wrist and was about to take off, but Jiraiya interrupted before they got too far, "Remember what we talked about last night Naruto." The chunin's eye narrowed in suspicion, but Arashi caught it. The renowned author immediately put on a perverted grin and gave his godson two thumbs up, "Lots of children my boy, lots of children."
Sasame immediately dropped his wrist and Naruto face-faulted before he sprung up and angrily waved a fist at the lecher, "Dammit Ero-sennin. Why'd you have to make it awkward like that?"
The orangette started scurrying away and the blonde stormed behind her. He also noticed the Fuuma's face twist in suspicion and knew when his sensei was being serious. The shinobi decided keep his guard up and eye roving.
As the two walked away the lavender haired man coughed into his hand, "That was rather inappropriate Jiraiya-sama. They're both too young to think about that sort of thing."
"Old enough to get it up, old enough to put it in. That's what I always say."
The shinobi punctuated his sentence with two thumbs up and Arashi decided to forget the last minute of the conversation happened. "Right, well like my cousin said, Kotohime went to Northgate because it was her shift. Although some people in the base are not from our clan, we are the majority and hold positions of power there. We're stealing from Orochimaru to rebuild our village, he promised to raise us to glory, but we've been left to rot and wither instead. For now the Fuuma will continue to play along, but our plan is to break away at the first opportunity."
The sage gave a noncommittal grunt, "Alright, but I still want to talk to Kotohime because she knows what I want to know. So if I could get directions I'll be off and hopefully back before tomorrow morning. You won't mind watching Naruto?"
The Fuuma nodded, "That shouldn't be a problem, he seems like a cheerful boy." He then turned and pointed to the southeast, "Despite its name the base lies in that direction. After twenty miles there's a large spire of rock, you literally can't miss it. The entrance to the base in on the north side and will open after tapping the exact center three times."
Jiraiya nodded and set off. He wanted to leave a Kage Bunshin behind, but the sennin felt eyes watching from everywhere and was betting they would follow him for quite awhile. He had faith in his apprentice though. The boy was a crafty devil and a real bastard when he wanted to be. The Fuuma would have their hands full if they tried anything, or possibly cut off by that nasty blade. "Thanks again, I'll be back as soon as possible."
Arashi gave a cheery wave as the man started running towards the base, but his smile turned sinister when he disappeared, "No rush, take your time."
Naruto walked back through town with Sasame as his sharp eye roved around. Obviously Jiraiya knew something he didn't, but the boy hoped his teacher was wrong. The girl by his side was nothing but nice and he had fun all day, yet something definitely wasn't right. The town didn't look like the damage happened recently in a storm or attack, instead the buildings appeared to have simply decayed over time. Not performing basic maintenance indicated the clan's funds weren't exactly solid, but Sasame wasn't the only one with carbon steel equipment despite the hefty cost. The lumber was also expensive, Naruto had practiced sealing long enough to notice they were using chakra treated wood. It had more resistance to attacks and decay than regular lumber and was specially made for sealing. The cost was ridiculously high for just one chord, but all the repairs were being done with it. He knew Orochimaru was active in the country so the clan obviously had some type of connection to him, good or bad, but the chunin hadn't heard one whisper about the mysterious shinobi either way.
He was broken from his thoughts when Sasame wrapped her arms around his right one and nestled her head into his shoulder. Naruto knew he was leaving soon, but tried not to think about it because the girl had an undeniable charm about her. The kunoichi was incredibly positive and was constantly laughing or smiling. Not to mention she was just as determined as the blonde and worked on something until it was up to her standards. The best part was that Sasame wanted to hear more about his actual missions than the movie she'd already seen. After getting a picture, and asking a couple questions, that were more about the fights and ice jutsu than gossip, the genin didn't even mention it. The fact she was cute was certainly a plus too.
The orange haired teen eventually let go of his arm as they walked into the Fuuma's banquet hall for a communal dinner. The room was spacious enough to fit the clan twice over with a massive table in the center of the room that was ten feet wide and approaching fifty feet long with benches on every side for seating. They chose two open spaces on the bench near the entrance and got comfortable. Arashi was at the opposite end and on his left sat a hunchback. Shaggy brown hair came down to the man's neck and buck teeth jutted from his upper lip making for an ugly picture, the rest of the Fuuma's disfigured body was completely covered by a brown cloak. Two other shinobi sat on the clan head's right. The man on the outside had on a green vest with no shirt underneath and towered over the other three. He was bald with thick brown eyebrows and a scar over his right eye that forced it closed. Between him and the lavender haired ninja was another man, he had thick black hair and had bushy eyebrows as well. He was wearing a sleeveless brown shirt and impatiently drummed on the table.
After Arashi stood up to address everyone Sasame leaned in and whispered to Naruto as a woman placed cups in front of everyone, "The one on his left is Kagero, she's actually a woman and that's a disguise for her technique. The black haired man directly on his right is Kamakiri. He's pretty fast and is the only one in the clan that can challenge my cousin at Shogi. The big guy on the outside is Jigumo and he can do crazy things with spiders. They're the four strongest Fuuma right now, but I'm going to be better than all of them someday."
The blonde reached over and squeezed her hand in a show of support and tuned in after hearing his name, "He is Jiraiya-sama's apprentice and an honored guest tonight, so please make him feel welcome." The clan members gave a polite applause as the chunin waved and smiled sheepishly. Once it died down the green eyed man raised his glass and continued, "Now I would like to offer a toast to the bright future of the Fuuma and our young movie star, Kanpai!"
Naruto blushed and raised his glass, but after taking a sip he almost spit it out. Apparently Jiraiya was right. The boy had been hit by enough of Sakura's poisons and tasted enough of her cooking to tell the difference when something just wasn't right or had been tampered with. He made a swallowing motion when it became apparent everyone's eyes were on him before taking a bite of some food and spitting everything into a napkin while pretending to wipe his face. Nobody was paying any attention to the blonde after the first bite so he hoped it was a slow acting one. The chunin pretended to get a little drowsy and started to eat the delicious fish, which thankfully wasn't drugged. He randomly dropped bits of food and acted disoriented while periodically sipping the drink, but he always made sure to spit it into his napkin at the first opportunity. Once it was halfway gone nearly everybody started glancing at the teen before looking away.
Naruto started to sway dramatically before pretending to black out. He fell off the bench and heard heavy footsteps stomping across the wooden floor before stopping next to him. The boy thought he was going to get picked up, he wasn't expecting a boot to descend onto his cheek and really knock him unconscious.
Jigumo spit on the teen before kicking him in the ribs for good measure, "Little punk, did you really think we wouldn't know? That was supposed to knock you out first sip." He picked up the limp Konoha-nin and turned to Arashi, "I don't see why we had to go through all of this trouble. He's just one kid."
The clan leader's smile turned vicious, "You saw the movie. This, 'kid' as you call him is literally an army by himself. I didn't want to risk anything." The man turned to his cousin and she suppressed the guilt churning in her stomach, "Great work Sasame, he didn't expect a thing until tasting the poison. Who thought a brat would be able to recognize something like that?"
The girl didn't answer, instead she stared at her food and started mechanically eating while the boy was carried towards the doors. Arashi smiled and dug into his plate with gusto, "I told you everyone, Orochimaru-sama has truly brought about the rise of the Fuuma. He gave us the supplies to rebuild our town, helped ferret out a spy, and now we will usurp the treacherous Amakusa as Ta no Kuni's premier clan. All we have to do is deliver that prize to our master."
A lower ranked clan member tried to grab the spectacular blade off the shinobi's back, but a flash of red chakra burst from the sheath and overtook his hand before eating away at the flesh. He let out a pitiful wail of agony until the handles of large, scissor like blades rotated around his neck before the shears snipped closed and decapitated him. The energy faded away as Kamakiri raised his arm as the weapon circled back to him on the rope. He frowned at the crimson trail flowing down the blade and dispelled the peculiar weapon before it dripped blood into his food, "What a fool, nobody else try to grab the saber unless you want to end up like him. Just bind the Konoha-nin so he can't use it."
Sasame lost her appetite and pushed her plate away in disgust, but the rest of the clan was too busy stuffing their gullets and celebrating to notice.
And thus ends chapter 29, there was supposed to be more but I cut it off. It just so happened that right here was the perfect spot to cut it off. The next installment will be longer because of the fight scenes and finish off part 1 of the training trip. After posting it, which should be next Monday or Tuesday, I'm going to take a short break. This chapter was mostly Oro centric and we get to see his plan for the next three years, there will be glimpses into that war but not many, and before any of you say there's no way people wouldn't know about the war think about this. Hanzo was deposed and nobody had a clue the regime changed, and Kiri has been in a bloody civil war and not many people know the details of that either. Really not much to say here, let me know what you think as always and the poll is still open for voting. Team seven leads Shikamaru by two votes while Tenten and Lee each have one. Till next time readers.
-Operaman Bye Bye
