Hei, here is the new update guys! Ahaha, sorry for the delay… I hope you will enjoy this chapter and please review =D
Next chapter, "Training for the future"
CHAPTER 53: KONOHA IS MY HOME
Sasuke released his chidori and helped his team mate back to his feet. Naruto gladly accepted the gesture and now the two Gennins stared at the Izaki ninja. Sasuke still felt a little dizzy after waking up from being uncounscious but he hid it well. It would have been so much easier if his chidori had met its target but one drawback of the chidori was that it was too noisy.
Naruto was relieved that Sasuke was awake which meant that the only way Sasuke would leave Konoha is if he was forced to. The only way the Izaki ninja was going to do so would be defeating the two of them but Naruto was confident that the two should be capable of defeating the Sound ninja. After all, Naruto's weakness was fighting fast ninjas but Sasuke's sharingan would be his eyes.
"I will give you one last chance, Uchiha Sasuke," The Izaki ninja warned, "You can still receive more power from Orochimaru-sama... Leave this place with me and you can gain revenge for your clan!"
Sasuke gave a small laugh, "I will get stronger on my own. I don't need a Konoha defector to give me the strength I need."
The Izaki ninja stood there in silence. He knew his orders were not to bring harm to Sasuke since he was Orochimaru's vessel but if the vessel was not going to be compromised and had no intentions of joining him, what use would keeping the vessel be? He reasoned that Sasuke will have to be killed. Deep down, he knew that this would enrage his master and probably have his life taken, but he felt that Sasuke would be a bigger threat in the future if he was not disposed of now.
He looked at the Uchiha and could feel the red eyes of the sharingan staring back at him. The fact that the sharingan could predict his moves basically eliminates the Izaki bloodline limit of speed. Still, he had one other advantage on the two of them and it should give him the edge in overcoming the sharingan.
Sasuke had to put up a brave front but he could still not understand why he was trembling in fear. He glanced at Naruto and could also see that he was shaking in fear and knew that this was no coincidence.
"Naruto, what's up with this feeling...?"
Naruto gave a weak laugh, "You noticed it, huh? It seems that's one of the Izaki clan's abilities, to instill fear into our nervous system. Something like that from what he explained. That makes it difficult to fight when we're shaking in fear and add to the fact that he's fast, he obviously has a huge advantage over us."
Sasuke stared at his trembling hands. It was true. It would be difficult for him to fight equally when he was shaking all the time. He remembered in the academy that fear would reduce one's fighting potential down to thirty percent.
"I need you to cover me for a minute," Naruto spoke, "The technique I used earlier with the wind elements to sense him is gone. I need to use that to sense his movements."
Sasuke nodded and took out a brand new kunai, "No problem. I must admit though that the fight I had earlier in Konoha still has some effects on me but..."
A kunai flew past Sasuke's head by an inch. Sasuke stepped back from surprise and watched the Izaki ninja running towards him. Focusing his sharingan on the enmy's movements, the young Uchiha engaged the enemy, leaving Naruto behind to gather the wind chakra to sense the enemy.
Sasuke attacked first, his kunai coming into contact with the Izaki ninja's own kunai and the two engaged in a close-combat battle. The two were evenly matched with none of the two able to spot an opening. Sasuke aimed for the shoulder and was easily evaded by the Sound ninja, but Sasuke needed that. Quickly, he drew out a kunai wrapped with an exploding tag and threw it into the cold water and the Uchiha immediately jumped from his location. The Izaki ninja also jumped as the tag exploded beneath the water, creating an artificial waterfall for a few seconds. This blinded the vision of both ninjas but Sasuke grinned and formed a number of seals.
"Fire release! Grand Fireball technique!"
The Izaki ninja was caught by surprise and had to jump to his side to avoid the oncoming fireball. However, Sasuke anticipated quickly and when the Izaki ninja landed on his new position, Sasuke was already there. Sasuke delivered a kick to his opponent's ribs. The Izaki cringed in pain but grabbed Sasuke's leg that kicked him and threw him towards the cliff. Sasuke landed easily on the cliff with his feet, applying chakra to his feet to keep him on the cliff.
'That's strange,' Sasuke thought as he jumped down and landed on the cold water, his red eyes never leaving the Izaki ninja, 'His speed slowed down for a moment just now. But why?'
Naruto also noticed the decrease in speed and then it hit him. Sasuke used a fire technique earlier and the fireball had created a sort of artificial light for a moment. It gave the valley some bit of lighting which decreased the Izaki ninja's movements. He never told Sasuke about the other technique of the Izaki ninja which was to use darkness to increase his speed.
The Izaki ninja was also surprised by his reduced speed. He easily concluded that the fireball he avoided had slowed him down as it gave some bit of lighting. Not wanting Sasuke to process the information, he quickly charged towards Sasuke.
The Uchiha heir followed the Izaki ninja's movements with his sharingan and when the Sound ninja was close enough, he covered the remaining distance in hopes to catch the Izaki ninja by surprise. Sasuke revealed a kunai and nearly sliced the enemy's right shoulder. The Sound ninja grabbed hold of Sasuke's wrist and quickly delivered a number of blows to Sasuke's gut. Each punch caused Sasuke to cough out a small amount of blood and the Izaki ninja took advantage of this. The Uchiha was surprised by the sheer strength and knew he had to get out of this situation. As he was still holding the kunai, he used his wrist to throw at the Izaki ninja's head. Since the range was so close, the Izaki ninja barely avoided the kunai, feeling the cold metal whistle past his cheek.
Sasuke used the one second advantage of the Izaki ninja's surprise by delivering a punch of his own at the gut. Although it was not as powerful, it was enough to turn the tide of the fight. Sasuke jumped and delivered a kick at the right cheek of the Izaki ninja. The kick left a bruised mark and caused the Izaki ninja to finally to collapse on his back, the water splashing loudly.
Naruto by then had finished his elemental detection technique and went off to support Sasuke. The Izaki ninja could hear Naruto's steps approaching on the water and knew he would be in trouble. Sasuke, thanks to his family's bloodline technique was able to keep up with his movements and with the nine-tailed host to add, he was definitely in trouble. However, he calculated that Naruto was about two hundred meters away and it would be enough to get some space between him and the two Konoha brats. The Izaki ninja quickly got back on his feet but Sasuke immediately engaged him in battle, planning to buy time until Naruto arrives.
Naruto was still quite a distance away and the Izaki ninja quickly took advantage. Sasuke was about to deliver a fist at his bleeding face when he grabbed hold of Sasuke's fist and counter-attacked immediately, delivering his elbow at Sasuke's forehead. The impact was devastating and immediately left a black mark with a small amount of blood seeping. With Sasuke stunned, he took hold of Sasuke's collar and threw him at the oncoming blond ninja.
The nine-tailed host was caught by surprise and held onto Sasuke, the impact causing Naruto to almost lose his balance. Since the fight began between Sasuke and the Sound ninja, this was the first time they had to pause with space between them.
"Sasuke, I forgot to tell you but the Izaki clan has another ability in their bloodline limit. He can manipulate the darkness around him to increase his speed and also killing intent." Naruto informed Sasuke.
"Manipulate darkness into speed?" Sasuke thought back about his fight a few seconds ago, "That explains why his speed slowed down earlier."
Naruto nodded in agreement, "Your fire techniques create an artificial light which basically destroys his ability."
"But we still have our fear…"
"Still," Naruto pressed on, "We now have our advantage back at least…"
The Izaki ninja cursed his misfortune. He had to end this fight quick and take out the Uchiha. If he succeeds in disposing of him, he wouldn't care if the blonde brat finished him off. Sasuke would be a menace to his master if he remains with Konoha which was exactly the case.
With Naruto and Sasuke finally done with their strategy, they focused their sights on their foe. From above the valley, it looked as if the two giant statues of the first Hokage and Uchiha Madara were witnessing the battle. Without saying a word, Naruto made the first move.
Naruto sprinted towards his enemy but he disappeared the moment Naruto was close. Fortunately, the blonde ninja could detect his enemy's movements and blocked the kick that was aimed for his head. Naruto withdrew a kunai from his pouch to slash the Izaki's body but that was met by the Sound ninja's own kunai.
Sasuke appeared from behind and was to deliver the killing blow. The Izaki ninja was quick though, quickly disengaging from Naruto to evade the kunai that would have plunged his back. Sasuke's sharingan followed the Izaki ninja's movements and delivered a kick but the Izaki ninja managed to block it with his right forearm.
However, fighting two Gennins that were on the level of a Chuunin proved to be too much as Naruto finally found an opening, delivering a mid-air kick to the Izaki ninja's side of the head, throwing him off his feet and away from the two Konoha ninjas. The Izaki ninja cursed in frustration, feeling the red liquid seeping on the corner of his lips.
"You guys are pretty good." The Sound ninja praised. Deep down, he knew that they were far from good. They would easily defeat him if he did not think of something quick.
"We don't have time to waste," Sasuke spoke out and immediately prepared a set number of seals, "The next attack will be your end!"
"Fire release! Great dragon release technique!"
Despite just being a kid in the Izaki ninja's eye, the technique used was a high-rank fire technique and not to mention that the size of the flames were huge. The fire-shaped dragon was coming at him extremely fast and he barely dodged the flames by skipping to his right, feeling the intense heat passing by him. He actually could have dodged the flames easily but the flames created a small amount of light, thus disabling the Izaki bloodline ability.
The Izaki ninja then felt a chakra presence from behind and turned to discover Naruto there throwing a fist at him. He blocked it with his left palm but before he could even counter-attack, Sasuke kicked the Izaki ninja's ankles, tripping him in the process. The two Konoha Gennins were quick though. While he was still in mid-air, before he could even land on the cold water, the two Gennins each grabbed his leg and spun him around before tossing him to the nearest cliff.
The force of the throw was powerful but he managed to spin around at the last moment and land his feet on the cliff, the rocks cracking from the forceful impact. The Uchiha and the blonde ninja was not going to stop their attacks however since they sprinted towards the Izaki ninja immediately to continue increasing the pressure.
The Sound ninja had to admit that what they were doing was smart. As an experienced ninja, he knew that the more you were put on the defensive; the attacker would slowly find an opening in the end. That was why sometimes the ninja on the defensive had to counter-attack or else it would be his end in the fight. The Izaki ninja jumped from the cliff and landed on the cold water, watching the two ninjas coming at him.
'Their teamwork is flawless,' He thought, 'The only way I could gain back the momentum is to separate them and finish one of them first…' With that plan in mind, he formed four seals.
"Water release! Pathway destruction technique!"
The water beneath the Izaki ninja suddenly raised six meters above. Sasuke and Naruto stopped their run and watched the wall of water in front of them. For two seconds, none of them moved. It was like watching in slow motion as the wall of water came down and crashed back down, creating a powerful wave of water. Sasuke jumped into the air to escape and Naruto did the same. The Izaki ninja grinned as his planned worked and he too jumped into the air, going after Naruto.
"You're mine now, brat!" He screamed, taking out a brand new kunai.
The Izaki ninja was fast again but luckily Naruto could still sense his movements with his wind elements around the area. Naruto blocked the kunai that was aimed at his chest. The Izaki ninja cursed loudly and continued to attack but Naruto was able to block each of the strikes.
"Fire release! Phoenix wrath technique!"
As Naruto and the Izaki ninja was still in the air, Sasuke was already down below on the water. The Izaki ninja looked down below and could see a small fire-shaped phoenix coming at him. Sasuke grinned from where he stood. Although the 'phoenix wrath technique' was weak in terms of destructive power, it was the smallest in terms of size but one of the fastest.
The Izaki ninja planned to use a water technique to destroy the fire-shaped phoenix but he forgot about Naruto. The young blonde ninja took the opportunity to slash the Izaki ninja's left forearm which stopped the Izaki ninja from creating any seals due to the injury. The phoenix blasted the Izaki ninja from below and he screamed from the pain. Also, it created a small amount of light which once more disabled the Izaki ninja's increase in speed.
"You're mine now!" Naruto said and delivered a fist to the Sound ninja's gut. The Sound ninja coughed out blood and with the man bending forward, Naruto delivered a finishing move. He raised his right foot, charging up his strength and delivered a kick to the back of the Sound ninja's head.
"Naruto rendan!"
The kick sent the man down towards the water and the kick was powerful enough to send the man deep into the cold water.
Naruto finally landed next to Sasuke and stared at where the Izaki ninja fell. The two could see bubbles still popping on the surface of the water, indicating that he was still alive. However, the fact that the Sound ninja got hit by the phoenix, a large cut to his left forearm and one of Naruto's finishing Taijutsu move, it should be over.
"You okay?" Naruto asked, breaking the silence.
Sasuke nodded, sighing in relief, "I should be asking you that. If I didn't arrive on time to help you, you'd be dead by now."
Naruto had to give a chuckle at that, "Ah, I was careless. Thanks…"
Sasuke grunted in response, rubbing his temples. The fight he had in Konoha before he was captured still had some affects on him but it was enough for him to concentrate in this fight. The fight was obviously not over yet and they had to be prepared for the next round.
"Thanks for rescuing me, Naruto…"
Naruto stared at Sasuke for a few seconds, "Wow, I'd never expect you to be the kind of guy to thank people."
"You're my friend…" Sasuke admitted softly, feeling that this was indeed out of character for him, "You know… When we were first teamed up, I thought nothing of you, Ino or even Maki. But… It's different now. During the Chuunin exams, my perspective of everything changed. I feel that I've gained back some happiness that I lost all those years ago and gaining back a family. To be teamed up with you and friends with you made me realize that we become stronger when we have something we want to protect."
Naruto was silent as Sasuke continued talking. This was the sort of moment that even Naruto, who rarely kept quiet, knew that he should not interrupt. Despite the fact that their enemy could attack them at anytime now, the nine-tailed host wanted to see what Sasuke was trying to say.
"It is thanks to being with team seven that I realized… that Konoha is my home. I have no need to go to a Snake betrayer to get the powers I need for my revenge against my brother."
Naruto patted Sasuke's shoulder when the Uchiha was finished speaking. No words needed to be exchanged. The two now understood that the bonds they shared right now and the bonds Sasuke had with his friends was what made him stay as a Konoha ninja. Naruto knew that if their pink haired teacher was here, he would have been proud.
"Alright, we…" Sasuke started but then, an intense pain coursed the Uchiha's body. Sasuke dropped down to his knees, clutching his neck where the curse-seal was implanted on him.
"Sasuke!" Naruto called out, kneeling next to his friend.
"I'm… all right. This damned seal reacts badly every time I use the sharingan for long period of time." Sasuke explained, feeling the pain leave after he deactivated his sharingan.
"You sure you're okay?"
Sasuke nodded, "But I can't keep this up. I'll need it removed in the near future."
The conversation ended there as the Izaki ninja finally appeared from the dark water, breathing heavily. Naruto and Sasuke got into a defensive stance, each of them holding onto a kunai. The Sound ninja glared at the two Gennins and slowly got back to his feet, wincing in pain. The kick he received from Naruto was still affecting him, the pain distracting him.
"Uchiha Sasuke," The Izaki ninja began, "Why…? Why would you not want to join Orochimaru-sama? Obviously, you had a taste of power from the curse seal. You know how much power Orochimaru-sama can give you…"
"Why are you serving him?" Naruto asked, ignoring his opponent's question and not letting Sasuke answer, "You know he's evil… How can you put your loyalties to a mad man like him? I can tell, you're a good man. You don't want to fight us; you prefer to avoid conflict before our fight… Even before I fought you… So why?"
The Izaki ninja stared at Naruto for a few seconds. From where he stood, he could see Naruto's eyes close to tears. He had to admit that Naruto was somewhat special. He was impressed that Naruto was able to read him just from fighting him and releasing tears of sorrow because of his good nature but loyalties to the dark side.
"Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, correct…?" The Izaki ninja questioned, his features softening.
Naruto nodded and also noticed the kind expression returning. This was unexpected since the Izaki ninja had explained that in the darkness, bloodlust and killing intention was all that was present, so how is it that this kind expression was there when they were still in the shadows of the valley.
"Uzumaki Naruto…" The man nodded, "A name that I'm sure will be remembered by many in the future." The man paused a moment, looking down and staring at his own reflection in the water, "Unlike you, I have no name. I've been given a name by the Sound four as 'Tsuchi' but that's not my name… Not the name my parents gave me."
"But I thought you have no memories of your childhood?" Naruto asked.
Tsuchi nodded, now staring at Naruto, "That is true. But, everyone have parents, or else we wouldn't exist, right?" Tsuchi clenched his fists and continued, "The only thing I remember was being raised in a laboratory and Orochimaru-sama watching over me and my siblings. As I said, there were eighty of us but we were like brothers and sisters."
"Anyway, you ask me how I can put my loyalties to a man like my master. The only reason I have is because he raised me. Many will say that he saw me as nothing but a tool but… To me, he is the only thing that I could honestly call a father. That is why I will continue to serve him, just like how you two continue to serve your village."
Tsuchi paused for another few seconds and none of the two Konoha Gennins interrupted.
"Besides, you think Konoha is that innocent? I was still an orphan when the great ninja war was still raging on. I was there. I saw Konoha ninjas burning the homes of innocent civilians just because they were with the enemy. How could they destroy the lives of people who were not involved with the war? I lost my parents to one of these raids by Konoha… So I should also ask, how can you serve Konoha when they too have a dark past…?"
"It was war," Sasuke spoke out, "It is difficult to instill proper discipline in times of war…"
"And so they should go unpunished?" The Izaki ninja challenged, chuckling and shaking his head, "You know of this, but still want to serve Konoha. It is the same as me. Orochimaru-sama may be seen as an evil threat, but I've seen the good in him also…"
Naruto understood what the Izaki was trying to point out. He had asked how he could obey Orochimaru when that man was already evil but that was only in their eyes. However, Tsuchi owed his life to the Snake sannin and saw the good in him. Naruto knew there was no way to convince the man otherwise.
Tsuchi, the Izaki ninja was having difficulty in breathing. The phoenix fire blast he received earlier had wounded his left thigh badly and this was constricting his movements. Basically, even if he had the ability of converting darkness to speed, it was useless since his movements have been reduced.
There was silence once more in the valley as the three ninjas stood their ground, waiting for the other to make their first move. During their fight, they did not notice but the clouds had darkened and at first, a few drops of rain landed on them or on the cold water. A few seconds later, a heavy downpour occurred and it soaked the three ninjas to the bone. Tsuchi had to wonder if someone was crying for this to happen. He laughed inside his head from the thought.
The two Konoha Gennins realized that the darkened clouds meant that now the whole valley was roofed with darkness. Still, they were confident that it could be dealt with. Naruto still had the wind technique emplaced to detect the Izaki ninja movements. Sasuke however knew he was limited to the use of his family bloodline due to the effects of the curse seal. Also, despite the fact that they were still trembling from the fear, the two Konoha ninjas of team seven were already used to it. It was as if they had countered the two abilities of the Izaki clan.
"So, with the rain shadowing the area, you have an advantage, right?" Naruto said with a smile.
Tsuchi gave a cold smile, "That depends…" However, he knew that the darkness was quite useless to him now since the injury to his leg.
With the cold rain pouring down, Sasuke ran ahead to engage once more in battle. However, Tsuchi felt that this might very well be his last. However, his resolve to take down the Uchiha was still there. The Uchiha threw a punch but Tsuchi evaded it by side-stepping to his right and attacked by throwing an elbow at Sasuke's right. Fortunately for Sasuke, his sharingan helped predict the attack and Sasuke blocked it. Tsuchi continued the attack though by delivering an upper-cut. Sasuke barely avoided the punch by stepping back but Tsuchi was still quick enough, delivering a powerful kick to Sasuke's chest.
Sasuke was pushed back a few feet away and Tsuchi sprinted forward and tackled Sasuke's body with his own. The sheer strength was enough to send Sasuke off his feet and landing on the cold water, flinching from the pain.
"Shadow replication technique!"
The Izaki ninja took out a new kunai and prepared to plunge the cold metal on Sasuke's heart but he was too slow. He felt someone deliver a kick on his back, throwing him off balance. Before he even fell down, someone grabbed him by the collar and threw him towards the cliff. Still in mid-air, another person delivered a kick on his back, sending down to the cold water, coughing out blood from the kick.
Tsuchi himself was trembling from the pain. He carried his body on all fours, feeling the red liquid seeping from the corner of his mouth. He saw Naruto helping Sasuke up and another three of the blonde ninjas surrounding them to protect them.
"Shadow clones?" Tsuchi spoke out in an amused tone, "That's a very high rank technique you have there…"
Naruto did not reply and his clones charged towards him while the original and the Uchiha stayed behind. Tsuchi got back to his feet and prepared for the attack of the clones. Unfortunately for him, he could feel the effects of the battle destroying him.
'Have I overdone it?' Tsuchi thought when he felt a sharp pain on his chest.
Flashback…
Tsuchi waited for the results in the cold, dark room, wondering what Kabuto was going to tell him. His conditions in battle were deteriorating every time he engaged in battle and could not figure out why. Another jolt of pain occurred on his chest and he clutched his chest in hopes to sooth the pain.
When he heard the door creaking open, he quickly got back to his feet. Kabuto approached Tsuchi while reading some papers. Kabuto sighed and placed the papers on a nearby table and stared at Tsuchi in the eyes. From the silence, Tsuchi could somehow tell it was bad news.
"Have you found out… what's happening to me?"
Kabuto nodded, "It seems that the Izaki bloodline limit you obtained is the cause."
"What do you mean?"
"Let me explain," Kabuto said and picked up the stack of papers, "It seems that unlike most bloodline limits, the Izaki clan abilities do not require chakra, as you should obviously know."
Tsuchi nodded and Kabuto continued, "The Izaki clan is born with bodies that somehow absorb the darkness and changing it to increase in speed. Basically, it is an advanced form of adrenaline. They are born with special cells that allow them to use these abilities whenever they are in the dark without any use of chakra. Unfortunately for you, you were given the bloodline limit through artificial means. You do not have the body of an Izaki clan and your cells are ordinary cells like us. Your cells are being overworked to use the Izaki clan abilities and it is affecting your health in a very bad way…"
"But, that means I just have to control myself right? If I do not use the abilities, I will be fine, right?" Tsuchi questioned.
Kabuto sighed sadly, "Tsuchi, you cannot control your cells. The bloodline limit will automatically activate the moment you're in the dark. And the more you use the Izaki powers, the more your cells are damaged… This will ultimately lead to your death, I'm afraid."
End flashback…
Naruto and Sasuke could see that Tsuchi was struggling by now with the clones. His fighting ability was now much worse than before. He was panting heavily and kept clutching on to his chest. Sasuke activated his sharingan and after reading the Izaki ninja's movements, he shook his head.
"I don't know what is going on," Sasuke said, "But, I believe he is dying."
"What…? Why?"
Sasuke shook his head, not willing to give any answers. Naruto knew that he was their enemy but he didn't want to see a good person die before his eyes. Naruto clenched his fist in anger, wondering in his head why a person like Tsuchi had to be their enemy.
The Izaki ninja finally destroyed the last of Naruto's clones and from the pain, he dropped to his knees, panting heavily and blood seeping out of his mouth more now. The pain was intolerable by now and knew he was going to die. He felt disgusted by the fact that he couldn't even finish his last task; to kill Uchiha Sasuke.
Despite all this though, he smiled at the two brats before him. Throughout his time serving his master, he had never met an enemy that questioned his loyalties and to actually see the good in him. Everyone he encountered saw him as a monster that had no morals. No, this was a first time.
"This is pathetic," Tsuchi said with a smile, "To die not from the hands of a ninja but by my own weak body… I couldn't even finish the last task my master had assigned me; to capture Sasuke… Damn it all…"
Naruto stared at his fallen enemy with sadness. The pouring rain was not comforting anyone at all. Sasuke could tell the man was losing the battle for his life and for the first time in his life, felt sorry for an enemy dying.
"Do you wish to die honorably then?" A voice asked.
Naruto and Sasuke were caught by surprise to find Kakashi standing behind the kneeling Izaki ninja. Tsuchi smiled though. He had already sensed Kakashi's presence a while back and turned to face to copy ninja. Kakashi waited for Tsuchi's answer, staring at him with his lazy eye.
"Please… Fulfill at least my last wish…" Tsuchi answered, closing his eyes and waiting.
Kakashi sighed and with his kunai, finished the deed quickly and least painful as possible. Tsuchi gasped for the last time and slowly fell back. Kakashi got hold of the man, and closed the man's eyes, wishing him a safe journey in the afterlife. Tsuchi's body lay on the cold water and ever so slowly, descended down in to the dark water in the valley of the end.
"Why…?" Naruto asked Kakashi, "Why kill him when we could save him? You guys are here…"
"Don't be too naïve, Naruto…" A voice spoke. Sasuke and Naruto turned behind to find their pink haired teacher behind them. Maki was staring at the place where Tsuchi laid, "He couldn't be saved. His body was not fit to carry the bloodline which resulted in his death. You're still young, Naruto… You want to see everyone live a peaceful life, to get along with everyone…"
Maki looked up at the dark clouds as the rain poured down, "Everyone wants that, but this is the real world. As long as ninjas have enemies, we can never have that sort of life. You cannot save everyone that you befriend, Naruto. Keep that in mind."
"But…" Naruto began to protest but Maki cut him off.
"You're special, Naruto. You see the good in everyone and that is rare in these days, especially to the adults now that were part of the ninja war. We have seen the ugly side of people and we know. You're young, Naruto. Maybe one day you'll understand."
Naruto nodded glumly but refused to accept that kind of ideology. The blonde ninja feel that everyone could be given a chance.
"We should leave soon." Maki said. Naruto and Sasuke obeyed but Naruto suddenly felt too tired and then, fell unconscious from exhaustion. Maki grabbed Naruto before he hit the cold water and carried Naruto on his back. The pink haired Jounin didn't blame Naruto. He had been on the mission hours ago and fought numerous ninjas. It was definitely exhausting for a twelve year old Gennin.
"By the way, Sasuke," Maki spoke out, "I'm proud of you. You finally see that you don't have to face this world alone."
Sasuke grinned, staring at his unconscious friend. Indeed, Naruto had been the factor to show him that. Konoha is his home and he was a Konoha ninja. He was not going to betray the place where he grew up.
"Let's go," Kakashi ordered, "Before trouble arrives…"
Maki nodded and the three Konoha ninjas left the area with Naruto carried by Maki. As they climbed the valley and entered the forests once more, Himura joined them and was relieved to see the Gennins safe. She had stayed behind just in case any reinforcements arrived and she was to take care of them.
Kakashi explained to Sasuke that Himura and her team were dispatched to assist in retrieving him. The three Jounin continued their way back home when Sasuke realized two chakra presence were close. Then, Gaara appeared from his right with Sakura and they joined the group.
"Sakura!" Sasuke said with surprise, "You were part of the rescue mission?"
Sakura nodded, "I'm glad you're safe, Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded and then Sakura saw her unconscious boyfriend.
"Naruto-kun!"
Sasuke had to chuckle as Sakura immediately barraged their teacher with questions. The young Uchiha glared at Gaara who only stared at ahead. He could feel that the red haired boy somehow seemed more at peace compared to the time at the Chuunin exams.
After the exhausting first A-rank mission, Naruto could finally return. Sasuke was back and Shikamaru had successfully completed his first mission as a Chuunin. Kiba and Chouji were the main worries but both were safe. Kiba had to be hospitalized for three weeks due to his severe injuries and Sakura herself had to be rested for a week due to chakra depletion.
On the cliff of the valley…
"Our orders were to capture the nine-tailed host," A voice said, "What the hell are we doing?"
"Calm down," The black figure replied, watching the two Jounins retreating, "We wouldn't have stood a chance with those two."
"What? Two Jounins?" The white figure asked.
"Those two Jounins are a threat when they're together," The black figure explained, "The 'twin kages' is what they're known together. There is no point in trying to obtain the nine-tailed host when we could get ourselves killed in the process."
"So, do we return back to the hideout…?" The white figure asked.
"Yeah… We'll report to him about our reason to not capture the host."
With that, Zetsu sunk down to the muddy ground, never leaving a trace that they were there. That was when Kakashi realized that their chakra presence was gone and could calm himself down now.
"Looks like we're safe now…" Maki commented without letting Sasuke hear.
Kakashi simply nodded. It looks like Akatsuki were already on the move. He could tell that he and Maki will be meeting with the toad Sannin soon about this…
