Hey everyone! I am back! I am so sorry for taking so long to post a new chapter, I swear that i have not given up on this story! I just decided that after writing almost non stop for over a year "including SOB" I needed a break because I was starting to get writers blocks, specially about the past, but I think that I am back on track now after a nice break/rest. To thank you all for being really patient with me, I have added yet another bonus section about back home, look forward to it :)
Now then, for my loyal and awesome reviewers who have been waiting for the new chapter to come out
MiseryluvsDeath - Thanks for the review, Yes, i am looking really forward to when Naruto returns home, without giving anything away, i can say that it should be withing the next few chapters :)
Slop Doggy - Thanks for the review, Yes, as i said to MiseryluvsDeath, i can't wait for Naruto's come back :D
Azazel Kingetsu A.K.A Aza-chan - Thanks for the review, and lol... I will actually think about that :P All i know is that if i do, it ain't going to end well for the teletubies ;)
blackmoon124 - Thanks for the review, just a reminder that Sasuke is not helping Danzo of his own free will, he is being controlled, much like Sai is being controlled, if he could, he would rip Danzo's head off :)
mch90 - Thanks for the review, and due to being really patient with me, i have added a new small preview :D hope you enjoy
Delran - Thanks for the review, i always like to end the chapter with sometimes random questions, many questions still remain about Sai, thought i admit in that chapter, he was pretty easy to read
xzavx - Thanks for the review, Yes, i knew that Madara was once the Mizukage of the mist, i try to keep as much canon as i can in the past, even with the limited information we have about it :P
RairyuuBlade - Thanks for the review, Sasuke to me was always one of my fav chars back in the start of the series, i always wanted him to come back, and even still held out hope until the recent manga chapter where Naruto talks to him "PS anyone who thought and still thinks that Sakura wanted to betray Konoha and run off with Sasuke should know by now that she was lying to get close to him so she could KILL HIM :P i had so many people say to me Ha ha, Sakura wants to be with Sasuke not Naruto to you SasuSaku people, go away :P i mean seriously, he has treated her like trash since DAY 1! and continues to do so today, hell he tried to kill her for god sakes... NaruSaku Damn it!" uh sorry for getting off track, but yes, i still now hold hope that he will eventually return to Konoha because if anyone can change him, its Naruto, but i still think he wouldn't be the same
minatoHaiiiiii - x2 - Thanks for the review, and oh my... I cannot believe that i did that, i know the difference between latter and later, if you even read in some places i do use later in the right way, but i guess sometimes when i try to type fast, it can slip by, and since latter is a real word, Word doesn't pick up on it being wrong, and i don't notice it when i re-read my post, however i made sure that it was properly written in this chapter "even thought i only say it once" and i plan to go back and fix the errors in the other chapters when i have the time, seriously, thank you :)
Now that is everyone, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for your continued support and your continued reviews, i beg of you to keep it up! :D
Now i know its been a very long time, and so many of you have been waiting for this, so it is now time for me to shut up and release the next chapter in this story!
I GIVE YOU CHAPTER 37!
Historical Bonds
Chapter 37
PRESENT TIME
Suzu was still resting when Yukito and Tamao walked in; he quickly ran to her side and held her in his arms as tightly as he could "Suzu!" He said as tears were streaming down his cheeks "Have they hurt you in any way?" He asked as he let go of her to inspect her for injuries that could have been caused by bad treatment at the hands of the night ninja's
"No, I am fine Yukito, they promised me that they wouldn't hurt me, and they kept their promise" she told him
That's when Yukito noticed the blonde strand of hair hidden with her pink hair "What happened to your hair? Did they do this?!" he asked
"No, well its complicated…I will explain once we get home, all you need to know is that it wasn't caused intentionally…" Suzu explained
"I think it's cute" Tamao said with a bright smile while thinking to herself "As if she needed something else to make her cuter then she already was" she chuckled inwardly
Yukito smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly once more
Naruto walked in and smiled as he saw the pair reunited, Sakura walked to his side "It's great that everything worked out" she said as she went to grabbed his hand, but he quickly pulled it away surprising Sakura
Naruto had quickly shoved his hands in his pockets as they were still drenched in blood "Yeah… I will be right back" Naruto said as he walked out of the room to try and find some water to wash his hands
Sakura fallowed him wanting to know what was wrong "Naruto? Are you alright?" Sakura asked concerned as he was acting strangely
Naruto turned around and put on a smile while keeping his hands hidden in his pockets "Nothing Sakura Chan, I just need a few minutes" He said trying to act cheerful
Sakura wasn't buying it "Naruto… Did you forget who you're talking to? It's me Sakura; you may be able to fool everyone else but not me. Now something is bothering you and I want to know what it is" She asked him directly
"I am sorry Sakura Chan… I can't tell you, at least not right now; it would cause unnecessary problems. Please Sakura Chan, don't ask me to say more, because you know I cannot say no to anything you ask me…" Naruto asked her with almost pleading eyes
Sakura smiled at him "Alright" she answered him "I trust you" she added
Naruto began to smile as well as he gave her his trademark grin "Thanks Sakura Chan" he said as he disappeared in a poof of smoke
Sakura let out a small sigh "I only wish that you trusted me enough to tell me…" She thought to herself sadly
A few hours later Suzu, Yukito and Tamao were standing just outside of the abandoned village along with Naruto's group
"Suzu, I want to thank you for trusting me, and I ask that you forgive us for what we forced you to go through" Naruto told her
"It's alright, I know that you had little choice so I don't blame you. I know that the outcome was not what you intended, but in the end everything worked out" Suzu said with a smile
"I honestly don't know everything that's happened but I do know that Suzu is unharmed, and seems to respect you a great deal. So I thank you" Yukito told them
"If we don't go now, the others will catch up to us" Tamao reminded them
"Yes, we must leave now, I doubt the others will be as understanding as us" Yukito said as he and Tamao jumped away to a nearby tree branch
Suzu stayed behind for a few more seconds staring at Naruto, she was wondering if she would ever see him again, thought she doubted it very much. She bowed in respect before jumping away joining Yukito and Tamao as they disappeared into the distance
"We should get going too, after all we still have our original mission to complete" Itachi commented
"So what are you two going to do now?" Toshiro asked Rukia and Yoruichi
"I still want to keep an eye on you people until you leave the country, so I will be sticking with you" Yoruichi answered
"And I want to spend some time with my favorite little brother for as long as he is with us, because who knows if I will ever see you again" Rukia said while pinching Toshiro's cheek
Toshiro rolled his eyes as he was slightly annoyed, but it only made Rukia's grin grow wider
"Then it's off to the night temple we go" Naruto said as he lead the group back into night controlled territory
IN THE PAST
Masaki, Tobirama and a small group of the newly formed ANBU squad were approaching the boarders of the Fire and Lighting; they had traveled nonstop for the past few days. Masaki was wearing his ANBU Mask to conceal his identity for fear that they could be attacked without provocation due to his presence, he was trying to figure out how he was going to convince these people that he was innocent "Tobi, we are being watched" he whispered to his friend
"Yeah, I wonder how long until they finally stop us" Tobirama answered
Suddenly they found themselves surrounded by eighth Lighting ninjas; their weapons pointed at the group "Identify yourselves!" The group leader demanded
"I think that you know very well who we are, and why we are here" Tobirama answered back "But I will answer anyway, I am Senju Tobirama of the Fire nation's Leaf village, we are responding to an accusation made by your people against one of our own" He explained calmly
"We shall escort you the rest of the way, if you try anything your lives are forfeit" The Lighting commander told them
Tobirama just nodded as the Lighting ninja put away their weapons and began to escort the Konoha group
Tobirama's group arrived at what appeared to be a village still under construction, although it wasn't as big as Konoha. They were led to the central building that Masaki figured to be their main government building, much like their fire tower back home
As they entered, a man was being measured for what seemed to be a robe of some sort; he was also wearing a white and yellow conical hat that had the symbol of Lighting on it "Raikage Sama" The leader of the group that led Tobirama and Masaki's group into the village said as he bowed
"What is it? Can't you see that I am busy" The young man answered back
"I am sorry my lord, but these people are from the Fire nation, they claim that they come to answer for their crimes" The man explained
"Hey, we never said that! We said that we came to answer to the accusation!" Tobirama answered almost instantly
"Do you honestly think that we will believe anything that you have to say?" The man said as he pushed away the people that were taking his measurements "My people's blood has been spilled, one of yours is responsible and we demand retribution. If you won't give us the one who slaughtered my people in cold blood while they were simply patrolling our own borders, then you and your escorts blood will have to be spilled" As he said those words, the room began to fill with ninjas and surround them
Masaki instinctively had his hand on his blade "I wouldn't do that if I were you" He said as he lifted his mask, knowing that it could cause them to instantly attack them, but they were going to attack eventually. He figured that revealing himself now would at least give them some extra time
"YOU!" One of the ninjas shouted out "It was him!" He said in anger "He is the one who murdered my team in cold blood and left me for dead!"
"So you did bring us the accused after all, I guess your lives can be spared, but he will be executed, after a long interrogation session" He said as he with a grin
"We did not come here to deliver him to you!" Tobirama quickly answered "He came here of his own accord to defend himself" Tobirama explained
"Do you believe that we care about what he has to say? He is guilty!" The Raikage answered in rage
"That would be one of the biggest mistakes you could make, by killing us, you would be declaring war on the Fire nation. Are you prepared to take us on? Your village is still under construction and its defenses wide open, Konoha is a fully completed fortress capable of withstanding even the biggest sieges. Tell me, are you ready to take on such a force?" Masaki asked them hoping that he would listen to reason
The Raikage gritted his teeth, as much as he wanted to kill them right here and now, he knew that Masaki was right "Very well… I will allow you to speak"
"Thank you" Masaki said as he bowed to show his respect "I swear that I am not the one who attacked your people, I was in Konoha the entire day training my pupil, a fact that I had to prove to my own people who almost arrested me instantly" Masaki told them "Even now, some of them remain skeptical, that is why that I chose to come here myself. Because my honor has been tarnished and I vow to find the real person who did this, please give us … Give me a chance to restore my name and honor" Masaki said pleadingly
The Raikage just wanted to kill them and get it over with, but he had to think about his people. He knew that a war with Konoha would ruin them right now, however he couldn't look weak in front of both his people and Konoha and for some reason, this man seemed sincere "Alright, I will allow you to attempt to find the real person who did this, if that is indeed the truth, but you shall do so under the supervision of my men, if anything happens to them, or they report foul play, it will be war" He finally answered
"That is acceptable" Masaki answered, happy that he was given a chance to defend himself
"Thank you Raikage" Tobirama said in respect
Meanwhile back home Danzo was meditating in the field near the stream inside Konoha, he had just spent most of the morning training his body, and now he was training his mind as he was instructed by Masaki to do while he was away. Suddenly he sensed a presence nearby, it was watching him. With speed and accuracy, he threw a kunai at a nearby bush, he then quickly ran to the bush and found Hiruzen who was trying to get the Kunai that had stapled him to the tree behind him out of his clothing "Oh, it's just you" He said with a slight grin
"Are you CRAZY? You could have killed me!" He said as he finally took out the Kunai that had somehow missed hitting him, but left a hole in his shirt
"Well, you were spying on me, my elite instincts took over" He said with a smile as he helped Hiruzen up from the ground
"Elite? More like lucky…." Hiruzen answered in an annoyed tone
"Why were you spying on me anyway?" Danzo asked
"I wasn't spying… I was just passing by and saw you, and wanted to know what you were up to" Hiruzen answered, but he was lying. In reality he was jealous of Danzo, although he was proud of being on team Tobirama he really wanted to be mentored by his hero Masaki
"I was meditating" Danzo simply answered "Since Masaki Sensei is away on an important mission, maybe you wouldn't mind doing some sparing? Training alone only does so much" Danzo asked with a grin
Hiruzen hated to hear him say Masaki Sensei, but if he could beat Danzo, perhaps Masaki would recognize him as a better pupil "Yeah sure, your on" Hiruzen said with a grin
Both of them got into a fighting stance, Hiruzen was the first to strike, wanting to end the battle as fast as possible, Danzo was able to block the attacks easily, Hiruzen was a good fighter but he was younger then he was and more rash. Danzo was calm and collected, after all, he was Chunin and Hiruzen a Genin
The fight continued as Hiruzen tried his hardest to hit Danzo, but could not get past his defense, and he was beginning to get annoyed at the fact that Danzo didn't seem to be taking the fight seriously as he had yet to even attempt an attack on him. Hiruzen took a few steps back and began to concentrate his chakra into his right hand and his legs, with speed that surprised Danzo, Hiruzen was able to outmaneuver him and strike him on the jaw, sending him crashing to the ground, causing Hiruzen to grin as he panted slightly, since it had used up a bit of chakra
Danzo was still laying on his back as blood began to drip from the corner of his mouth, he had underestimated Hiruzen, he thought to himself as he got up with a grin "Alright, you have proven to be a good fighter, now it's my turn!" He said as he was about to launch his attack, Hiruzen got into a defensive position, but they both heard someone calling out Danzo's name
"Danzo! There you are" Nami said as she walked up to both boys
"Nami Chan… What is it?" He asked her
"I have been looking all over for you, you skipped breakfast this morning. You know how I feel about that" Nami told him
"But Nami Chan… I was training, just like Masaki Sensei told me" Danzo answered
"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, even Masaki always eats something before he leave in the morning. So come on, I made your favorite" She said with a smile
"You mean…" Danzo said quickly changing his mind about eating
"Yes, Masaki's specialty, toast, bacon and pancakes" Nami answered with a grin, knowing that the boy would cave in hearing that "And Hiruzen, you are more than welcome to join us"
"Ah, no, I wouldn't want to intrude" Hiruzen answered
"Nonsense, I made enough for all of us, come, I bet that just like most boys, you went out to train without eating anything, so come on" Nami insisted
"No, I am fine, really…"
Nami's face suddenly changed from smiling to slightly angry "I SAID THAT YOUR COMING WITH US!"
"Look man, she is pregnant and moody, if you want to survive the morning, I suggest you do as she says…" Danzo whispered into his ear
"Uhh Alright, I guess I will join you after all" Hiruzen said fearing answering no again
Nami's face suddenly returned to her happy self "Good, now come along boys" She said as she began walking back home
"She is scary…" Hiruzen whispered back to Danzo
"You don't know the half of it…" Danzo answered back as they fallowed Nami back home
Thanks for being patient with me, so I give you yet another bonus
PRESENT TIME, BONUS OF WHAT'S GOING ON BACK HOME PART II
Back in Suna Rei was playing with Naoto, Kakashi had entrusted her care to her, and Naoto had warmed up to Rei "You're so cute, I bet that you're going to be beautiful when you grow up, you are going to break a lot of boys hearts aren't you" she said with a smile. Akio walked into the room and sat down, he seemed tired and bruised, Rei quickly walked over to him "What happened?!" She asked concerned as she examined his wounds, none of them were severe, but it still worried her
"We were ambushed by the border, we were going to reinforce a village that was under attack and had requested our help, Danzo's forces were waiting for us and ambushed us. We were able to drive them off but it was too late, the village had fallen by the time we arrived. We tried to liberate it, but we failed" Akio told her sadly
"Why haven't you been checked out by the hospital?" Rei asked as she quickly got a cloth and some water to clean his wounds
"Because the hospital is full, I knew that I didn't have anything severe, they don't need me taking up space that could be used to help a critically wounded ninja, that and I have my own cute personal nurse at home" he said as he forced himself to grin
"What's going to happen Akio?... What's going to happen if we fall?" Rei said sadly as she began to clean his wounds
"It's not going to happen Rei, the war in the west may be going badly, but we have reports that the war to the east is going well, Danzo's forces are unable to capture the port city or the Fire city fortress, we just need to hold them back long enough for them to force Danzo to retreat from our area" Akio reassured her
"What about the rumors…" Rei asked him
"They are unfounded, there is no evidence that the earth is going to join forces with Danzo, only a mad man would agree to that. It would force the hand of the other nations, it's the last thing that Danzo should want right now" Akio told her
"I hope that you're right" she said as she continued to clean up his wounds and apply bandages
"Hey Rei, check Naoto out!" He said as they both looked at the little pinked hair girl, she was standing on her feet, without the help of anything. Her legs were unstable and looked like she could fall down at any moment, but she slowly began to take a step, and then another, Rei began to smile brightly again
"That's great Naoto! You're so cute!" she said restraining herself from picking up the little girl, but suddenly she fell down on her behind as she stared at the door "She still misses her parents a great deal" Rei said sadly
"And I am sure they miss her just as much, but don't worry, they will be back soon, and when Hokage Sama returns, this war is going to be over, just you see" Akio said with admiration for his missing leader
End Chapter 37
And that finishes up another chapter, i hope that you guys liked it! Naruto should be returning home in another few chapters, so keep reading! :D
Will Masaki find out who framed him? Will Nami's mood swings kill poor Hiruzen if he gets out of line again? Have we seen the last of the demon ninjas? How do they get the caramel into the caramel bars!
as always, don't forget the three R's READ RAVE REVIEW