I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.
Two days have passed since Naruto returned to the village and he had yet to meet up with anybody other than Kakashi, Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade. They haven't gone on a mission yet because Kakashi wanted to work on their teamwork and Naruto wasn't happy about that. Their teamwork still sucked to put it bluntly. Sakura was like a raging bull everytime she attacked and just destroyed everything around her. She would laugh it off like it wasn't a big deal, but Naruto was visibly frustrated with her.
Kakashi had them spar a few times and Naruto would win everytime. While Sakura fought with brute strength, Naruto fought with speed, grace, agility and power. His new taijutsu form was coming along great for him. He took to it like it was second nature to him. He took it a bit farther and rather than just using pure speed, he added the shunshin jutsu to it making it look like he was attacking from every direction at once, but it was just him moving extremely fast.
His ninjutsu was coming along okay if you asked him. It was going slow because there weren't many wind users in the village. Other than him, the only wind users listed in Konoha were Asuma and Danzo. He couldn't ask Asuma because he was out on a mission and he definitely was not going to Danzo. Naruto was good with his lightning and water jutsus since he had Tsunade and Shizune give him the steps on how to control his element and channel it properly. Of course he used his shadow clones to speed up time since he was behind.
They were really surprised when he was able to grab water out of thin air like Tobirama Senju would do. His lightning chakra was strong as well and Tsunade told him his might be stronger than Kakashi's since he was a master at lightning jutsus. Naruto learned a few jutsus and currently had 3 water and 3 lightning jutsus in his arsenal. He knew Water style: Ripping Torrent, Water Style: Furious whirlpool, Water style: water wall, Lightning Style: Electromagnetic murder, Lightning Style: Lightning ball and Lightning Style: lightning hammer. The last one was him wanting a unique jutsu. His father had the rasengan and he learned his mother was able to make chakra chains.
His idea was for the jutsu to be thrown at his target, but he couldn't condense it enough to throw it yet. The only way he was able to use it was in close range like he would with a kunai. He figured he had a talent for chakra shape manipulation since the idea was easy for him to do. He was currently standing in Tsunade's office right now for a mission briefing.
"I'm sorry. It sounded like you wanted me to do an escort mission for a caravan." Naruto said
"What? Do you have a problem with that?" Tsunade asked
"Since you're asking, yes! Lousy C-rank mission is beneath my dignity and you know it!" Naruto said
"Here we go. What did I just tell him on our way here?" Sakura thought
"Calm down Naruto. I'm the one who's going to have to take the heat if you don't." Kakashi thought
"Just as I expected. That part of him hasn't changed." Tsunade thought and looked at Shizune who had a nervous grin on her face
"Okay. Okay. You were right." Shizune thought
"Naruto, your skills may have improved, but mentally you haven't matured at all." Iruka said
"That's because I was set back from maturing mentally." Naruto said
"What does that mean?" Sakura and Kakashi thought
"Naruto. I've chosen an easier mission to start with to break you in. You've been gone from us for a while." Tsunade said
"Well who says I want an easier mission?!" Naruto asked and ducked when Sakura tried to put him in a headlock
"The details of your mission are here." Tsunade said
"Lady Tsunade! Terrible news!" A kunoichi said bargain into the room
"Now what is it?" Tsunade asked
"It's an emergency dispatch from the sand." The kunoichi said
"Where is this dispatch?" Tsunade asked
"Right here. I deciphered it as quickly as I could." The kunoichi said and gave Tsunade the paper
"What the." Tsunade said as she read the paper
"It can't be." Iruka said
"No way." Shizune said
"What happened granny?" Naruto asked
"It's the Kazekage. He's been taken prisoner by the akatsuki." Tsunade said
"Gaara. So they're making a move now." Naruto said
"We've been studying them. We know more about the akatsuki than any other village. Therefore the sand village has officially requested our help." Tsunade said and Naruto stepped directly in front of her
"I'm going on that mission." Naruto said
"I know. This is urgent. I still have time to form another squad. Besides, we have someone here who actually fought the akatsuki. Alright, team Kakashi i'm assigning you a new mission. You're to go to the sand village at once. Find out what's going on there and keep us informed. You're to remain there and follow their orders. Giving them back up if they need. Dismissed." Tsunade said
"I'll meet you two at the gate. You have 3 minutes or I'm leaving without you." Naruto said and vanished
"Aren't you the team leader, Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura asked
"He won't leave." Kakashi said
"His friend is in trouble. He's dead serious." Tsunade said
"But we're not even packed for a trip to Suna." Sakura said
"Then I guess you two will have some catching up to do. Hurry up!" Tsunade said and they quickly left
"Lady hokage, do you think it's wise to allow Naruto to go off on his own?" Iruka asked
"I'll let you in on a little secret, Iruka. Naruto's skills have taken a huge leap in the past two days since he returned. He's more than capable of going off alone. Besides, team 9 is scheduled back soon. I'll send them as soon as they return." Tsunade said
"Granny. The boss wants to know how long ago that emergency dispatch was sent out." A Naruto clone asked
"It's says 2 days ago." Tsunade said
"Thanks." The clone said and went up in smoke
Naruto
Naruto was traveling on by hopping from tree to tree on his way to Suna and everything was a blur to him. He was thinking about Gaara and how they've become friends ever since the chunin exams. He hoped he'd get there in time to figure out what happened and then go find Gaara. He received the memories from the clone he sent back to Tsunade's office and estimated he wouldn't be that far behind if everything goes smoothly, but it would still be close. As he was running, he noticed a familiar head of blonde hair tied up in 4 pigtails.
"Temari!" Naruto called out and landed
"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Temari asked
"You need to come with me. Suna's been attacked and Gaara was captured." Naruto said and Temari gasped
"By who?" She asked as they took off into the trees
"The akatsuki. They got him 2 days ago and we just received the message a few hours ago." Naruto said
"Are you the only person they sent?" Temari asked
"No. I left earlier. I was supposed to leave with Kakashi and Sakura, but they weren't at the gate in three minutes like I said. They'll catch up and Tsunade will send another team after them possibly." Naruto said
"Naruto. It wasn't smart to rush off on your own. You know what you contain. Isn't that what they're after?" Temari asked
"Yes. I just couldn't wait for them to get ready for this trip. At Least I told you and Gaara what was going on when we stopped in Suna a year ago." Naruto said
"I know. I just wish we were better prepared. We never really talked when you were in Suna." Temari said
"I'm not the best at talking to girls. It wasn't until after the chunin exams that I was pulled aside and helped." Naruto said
"But you talk to Sakura a lot." Temari pointed out
"She's the only girl and it was more of me just talking to anybody who would hear me." Naruto said
"So, who helped you?" Temari asked
"My girlfriend." Naruto said and Temari nearly slipped off a branch
"You have a girlfriend?!" She asked
"Yeah. It's not really public knowledge though. Keep it to yourself. I really don't need Sakura finding out and then nagging me." Naruto said
"Sure. I can do that." Temari said
"Thanks. We need to speed things up." Naruto said and bit his thumb going through hand signs
Summoning jutsu
Out of the smoke came a giant toad that has an aquamarine skin tone and yellow eyes with grey markings around them and two distinct, circular markings on its shoulders. It also carries two huge katanas on its back.
"Naruto? What can I do for you?" The toad asked
"Gamahiro, I need you to take us to the border between Suna and Konoha. Suna was attacked and the Kazekage was abducted by the akatsuki. Can you get us there quickly?" Naruto asked
"I can. Tell her to hold on." Gamahiro said
"You heard him. Hold on." Naruto said
"To what?!" Temari asked
"Just channel chakra to your feet. It shouldn't take us long to get there." Naruto said and Temari did as told right before Gamahiro jumped away
Suna
After reaching the Konoha and Suna border, Naruto released Gamahiro and started to run across the desert with Temari. They didn't bother talking as they wanted to reach the Suna gates and didn't want to get distracted by pointless chatter. After a few hours, nightfall came and they made it to the gates of Suna and were stopped by the gate guards.
"STOP." A gate guard yelled
"Identify yourselves!" The other said
"It's Temari and Naruto Uzumaki from Konoha. We're here to see about Gaara. Now move out of my way!" Temari said
"Konoha? I thought we weren't expecting you until morning." A gate guard said
"I'm faster than the others. They'll be here in the morning." Naruto said
"Okay. Lady Termai, you need to come with us." A guard said and they all ran off
"Why?" Temari asked
"It's Kankuro. When the enemy took lord kazekage, Kankuro went after them by himself. He was poisoned and we haven't been able to find anything to counteract it. He won't last much longer." The guard said
"Dammit!" Temari said
"Don't worry. I should be able to help him when we get there." Naruto said
Suna hospital
"Kankuro!" Temari said as she ran into his room
"The yellow flash!" An elderly lady said as she looked at Naruto
"Uh, my name's Naruto." He said
"Sorry. You just look like somebody I saw once before." She said
"Right. Anyway, what's wrong with him?" Naruto asked
"He's been poisoned by something we can't identify. We've tried everything." A Suna nurse said
"I can't do much, but I can make sure he doesn't feel any pain. You'll have to wait until our medical ninja comes tomorrow." Naruto said
"What exactly can you do?" Temari asked
"I have a seal that can slow down the poison and slowly heal the muscles in the body. Once the poison is extracted the seal will start to heal him properly." Naruto said
"Does it really work?" The old lady asked
"It works, but Tsunade is putting it through some tests in Konoha. She's using it along with other people that were sick or injured. It can't cure everything, but it works in various ways." Naruto said
"What can't it heal?" Temari asked
"Broken bones, dislocation, it can't remove poisons, but it can slow them down from affecting the body and it can't heal torn muscles or ligaments that weren't surgically repaired. After the seal is finished working the person should take a day or two off from missions or any heavy activity." Naruto said
"Lady Temari. It's your decision." A doctor said
"He can put the seal on him. If Gaara was here then he'd trust him so I'll trust him." Temari said and Naruto placed the seal on him
"Temari? You're back already?" Kankuro asked
"I heard the village was in trouble. I double timed it back with Naruto. We traveled all day to get here." Temari said
"Sorry to be such a bother." Kankuro said
"Don't be ridiculous." Temari said
"I know you're injured, but do you have any way to track where they went?" Naruto asked
"Yes. I managed to get a scrap of clothing from the one I fought. It's not much, but it'll help." Kankuro said
"Actually, this is perfect. I can track this person's scent." Naruto said
"How? You're not a tracking ninja." Temari, said then Naruto whistled and a small black fox came running into the room
"FOX." A doctor yelled and tried to catch it, but it jumped into Naruto's arms
"How did a fox get into the desert?" Temari asked as she rubbed its ears
"I met this little guy when the Suna invasion happened. It's fully grown, but has a genetic disease that's keeping it from getting any bigger. He's a tracker and can find any scent no matter how far away it is or how cold the trail gets." Naruto said and the fox yipped
"Are we going to leave out tonight?" Temari asked
"No. We should leave early in the morning. Kakashi and Sakura will be here by then. Sakura can heal Kankuro and then we leave." Naruto said
"If they're coming then I'll stay behind. I'll watch over Kankuro and wait for your return." Temari said and the fox started to growl
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked as the fox looked at door and saw Kakashi along with Sakura looking worn out
"NARUTO." Sakura yelled and ran at him but she was stopped
"Calm down, Sakura. Now isn't the time for this. Naruto, did you find out anything that could help?" Kakashi asked and jumped out of the way as the fox tried to bite him
"Kinto! He's a friend. Sorry Kakashi. He just hates the smell of dogs. Anyway, we're heading out in the morning. Kankuro has a cloth that we'll use to track the akatsuki members. Sakura, we need you to remove some poison from Kankuro." Naruto said and Sakura nodded then started to work on Kankuro
"Should I summon Pakkun?" Kakashi asked
"Not unless you Kinto to kill him." Naruto said
"It's a heavy metal based toxin. It's the kind that attacks muscle tissue and destroys the cells intently. May I see his chart?" Sakura asked
"Yes of course. Here it is. We were getting a breakdown of the poison. There are still quite a few blanks." A Suna doctor said
"I know just what'll happen. The cardiac muscle will be weakened to the point where the heart collapses and ceases to function. It's doubtful that I'll be able to come up with an antidote in time." Sakura said
"What are you saying?! There's nothing you can do!" Termai said
"I'm going to need a few things and I'm going to need them quickly." Sakura said
"Right." Both doctors said at the same time
"This gonna be pretty crude, but it's the only option we have." Sakura said
Next day
"Everyone ready?" Naruto asked
"Yes. Are you sure the fox can track them?" Kakashi asked
"He has a better nose than any Inuzuka dog and your summons." Naruto said
"Alright then. Let's head out." Kakashi said
"He reminds me of his father more and more each day." Kakashi thought
"Alright, Kinto. You know what to do." Naruto said and Kinto sniffed the cloth and instantly ran off
"He found the trail already?" Lady Chiyo asked as she was coming along
"Yeah. Let's go!" Naruto said and they ran off
"Kakashi-sensei. Why are you letting Naruto lead the mission? He's not the brightest person." Sakura said
"He's a chunin. He needs experience leading missions before he becomes a jonin. He's matured a lot since he left. I'll still help out where I can, but for now we should follow his lead." Kakashi said
"Kakashi. Is he the son of THEM?" Chiyo asked
"Yes. That's why I'm allowing him to lead this mission as well." Kakashi said
"Who's son is he?" Sakura asked
"I'm not at liberty to say. It's an S-rank secret and I doubt he even knows." Kakashi said
"I do know." Naruto said
"When did you find out?" Kakashi asked
"When I came back." Naruto said
"Can you tell me, Naruto?" Sakura asked
"No. You'd tell Ino the moment you saw her and she can't keep a secret for nothing. She'll blab it out as soon as you're not with her." Naruto said
"Fine. Naruto, can I ask you a question? How long do you think the akatsuki have been after you?" Sakura asked
"I don't know." Naruto said
"Two members of the akatsuki came to the leaf looking for Naruto. It's been nearly three years since then, but no sign of them and now they're back." Kakashi said
"Why do you think they waited so long to make another move?" Sakura asked
"It could be that they wanted to act before this, but couldn't. Maybe because master Jiraiya was around and they didn't want to face him." Kakashi said
"That's not it. From what I learned there was an entirely different reason to why they had to wait." Lady Chiyo said
"What reason?" Naruto asked
"If you're going to try and draw out the tailed beast that dwells within, a great deal of preparation is involved. They just needed more time." Lady Chiyo said
"What are you talking about? What tailed beast?" Sakura asked
"My my. You're a student of that old slug queen Tsunade and you don't even know that, when the leaf village itself is host to the nine tailed fox." Chiyo said
"The nine tailed fox isn't something we talk about. It's considered top secret." Kakashi said
"It's not so top secret if everyone before my generation knows about it." Naruto said
"Be quiet Naruto. What are the tailed beasts?" Sakura asked
"Tailed beasts are demon spirits with one or more tails. The sand had a single tailed beast since long ago. That's the Shukaku sealed within Gaara." Chiyo said
"So, then there's more of these demon spirits?" Sakura asked
"Yes. There are a total of 9 tailed beasts. Each one stronger than the other with the nine tails being the strongest." Naruto said
"How do you know?" Sakura asked
"Because I have the nine tails sealed inside of me. That's how. It's why the villagers stay away from me and it's why I did so poorly in the academy." Naruto said
"Why would having a tailed beast inside of you make you underachieve in the academy?" Sakura asked
"Because of the nine tails attack. People in the village resented the nine tails and flat out hated it. Since the nine tails was sealed into me, I was labeled a demon and scum. Nobody took care of me and I was kicked out of the orphanage at the age of 3." Naruto said
"Didn't the third hokage take care of you?" Kakashi asked
"No. The law he created around me was just a scare tactic he never followed through with the punishment. The only people who helped me were Anko, Kurenai weasel and crow. They would give me food whenever they saw me, but that was the most they could do without being punished. He knew who my parents were and still gave me the bare minimum to survive and that includes the apartment that he had to pay off the landlord for." Naruto said
"That's a lie. Many people died because of that law." Kakashi said
"I know they died, but he didn't do it. I did. It's only so much a person can take. I've killed hundreds of people by the time I was done with the academy. They ranged from random civilians to genin and chunin. I've been able to use some of the nine tails chakra since I was maybe 4 or 5." Naruto said
"How much?" Kakashi asked
"Not much, but it was enough for the people in the area to feel and get scared." Naruto said
"So essentially you were like Gaara." Chiyo said
"Something like that, but not as bad. If it weren't for Anko, Kurenai, weasel and crow then yes, I would've been exactly like Gaara only with a stable seal." Naruto said and Chiyo nodded
"The beasts are huge concentrations of chakra and during the Great War, every nation competed for control of them for military purposes. They fought relentlessly for them, but the tailed beast power is beyond imagining. No one could control them. I don't know the intentions of the akatsuki, but that kind of power is far too dangerous to get a hold of. Eventually with the coming of peace the tailed beasts were forgotten, but they still exist. All nine of them scattered around the world." Chiyo said
"Everybody stop!" Kakashi said
"Who's that?" Sakura asked
"Nice to see you again, Itachi." Naruto said stepping forward
"Naruto Uzumaki. Tell me, have you come to willingly give up the nine tails?" Itachi asked
"No. I'm coming to save my friend. I would fight you, but..." Naruto vanished and appeared behind him
"You aren't the real Itachi." Naruto said and pierced his back with a kunai straight through the heart killing Itachi who turned out to be somebody else.
"How did you know it wasn't Itachi?" Kakashi asked
"His chakra has two different signatures. I've been around him a lot to know how his chakra feels. Let's get moving. We don't have much time to waste." Naruto said and they ran away
"How much farther Kinto?" Naruto asked and the fox just stopped looking at a giant boulder
"We're here." Kakashi said
"Apparently team 9 was made aware as well. I'm guessing you secretly sent pakkun out with a sample of the cloth." Naruto said
"I did." Kakashi said and they jumped down
"Late as usual, Kakashi." Might Guy said
"Well, we've ran into a little trouble along the way." Kakashi said
"Naruto! Sakura!" Rock Lee said
"Naruto." Neji said
"Let's get this thing opened." Might guy said
"Neji, what's going on inside?" Naruto asked and Neji activated his Byakugan
"Inside looks like a large cavern, but I can't quite make out what's going on in there. I see several people." Neji said
"What about Gaara?" Naruto asked
"He's floating in the air right now. He's nearly out of chakra and is almost dead." Neji said
"Before we even think about breaking through, we should learn what kind of barrier it is we're dealing with." Sakura said
"That's right. So figure out the type of barrier. That's step one. Right, Kakashi?" Guy asked
"Yeah." Kakashi said
"What do you think?" Chiyo asked
"It could be a five seal barrier. It's a strong layer of protection. In which five tags with the word forbidden are found around the area that's being guarded. One forbidden tag is in front of us and four more must be in different locations." Kakashi said
"Can we pull them off?" Guy asked
"Yeah, but you have to do them at the same time. However..."
"Alright team 9 let's move out and find those tags!" Guy said and they left after some ridiculous group thing
"He should've let me finish. I can break this barrier myself." Naruto said and went through hand signs
Fuinjutsu: Release
Naruto released a huge amount of chakra that sent Sakura, Chiyo and Kakashi flying back and watched as the seal burned away. He looked at Sakura and nodded to her. She stood back up and used her strength to destroy the boulder and Naruto ran inside.
"GAARA." Naruto yelled as he threw a tag onto the bubble of chakra Gaara was in and then chakra started to go back into Gaara.
"WHAT?" All of the holograms yelled except for one that Naruto noticed was Itachi
"I'm going to kill you bastards!" Naruto said
"Sasori. Deidara. Finish them quickly. Return with both jinchuriki and we will restart the process." A hologram with purple eyes said and the other holograms went away
"Dammit! You stupid jinchuriki! We were almost finished!" Deidara said
"Relax, Deidara. Grab the body and return after you've defeated them. I'll handle Chiyo myself." Sasori said Deidara created a clay bird then flew off with Gaara
"Come on you stupid jinchuriki!" Deidara said
"Sakura, stay with Chiyo and help her defeat him. Kakashi, you're with me." Naruto said
"Right. Be careful, Naruto." Sakura said
"Let's go, Naruto. He's getting away." Kakashi said
"I'm right behind you. Kinto, go back to Konoha." Naruto said and the fox quickly ran away
"Let's go." Kakashi said and they ran off
Naruto & Kakashi
"Give him back! Now!" Naruto demanded as his eyes turned red
"Alright. No time to waste here." Kakashi said and revealed his sharingan
"Are you really sure you wanna waste your time on me, Sharingan Kakashi? You know, my man Sasori, is probably a more dangerous opponent than I am as much as I hate to say that. His idea of art is a bit different from mine. Seems they've started. How confident are you in that young girl and the old lady? You really think they're good enough to handle my partner, Sasori?" Deidara asked
"He wants to get me out of the way so he can fight Naruto one on one. This guy defeated the Kazekage. One of the five great Kage. I don't think Naruto on his own could handle him." Kakashi thought
"Go on sensei. Go to Sakura. I'll handle this." Naruto said
He launched himself at Deidara who used his bird to fly out of the way, causing Naruto to crash into the surrounding cliff. Deidara threw a clay bird at Naruto which Kakashi jumped in front of and hit with a kunai. Deidara made the bird explode and Kakashi carefully looked on as he stood on the side of the cliff. A shuriken came flying out of the smoke and Kakashi easily deflected it as the smoke cleared, showing Deidara perfectly fine.
"Good. It would've been very disappointing if you'd been beaten that easily." Deidara said and Naruto came out of the cliff
"Let go of him! I'll never let you have him! I'll get Gaara from you! Nothing can stop me!" Naruto said
"You're quite an unusual jinchuriki, aren't you? I thought you were all sullen loners and didn't care about anyone else. To date we've destroyed two jinchuriki. Not including him of course. But nobody ever tried to save them from us before. Not a friend, a neighbor. Not a soul came to their aid. Hmm. In fact, it seemed like people were happy to finally get rid of them. You can't forsake one of your own kind, can you? You connected to this pathetic creature. Hm, such a shame. I will give you credit, Gaara was nearly dead until you came and reversed the extraction of the one tailed beast. Very soon he will be dead and then the same thing will happen to you." Deidara said
"I've had it! Hand over Gaara right now!" Naruto said
"It's only a matter of time until my man Sasori takes care of their friends inside. But if he rushes out here, the whole point of using this guy to draw out the nine tails jinchuriki will be for nothing." Deidara thought and started to fly away
"You're not getting away!" Naruto said and ran after him
"Naruto! No! Stop!" Kakashi said
"Just go back to Sakura, Kakashi sensei. I can handle this guy." Naruto said
"Dammit." Kakashi said and chased after them
"At this rate, I won't be able to help the others. Sakura, lady Chiyo you'll have to hold him off a bit longer." Kakashi thought
"Still chasing me? You'd better catch up with me soon." Deidara said
"When you do reach me, I'll take care of you." Deidara said as he prepared some clay
"I might as well get started." Deidara thought
"Where do you think you're going?!" Naruto asked chasing after him
"I really am lucky. Getting to take down two jinchuriki." Deidara
Deidara threw three clay balls towards Naruto and they turned into birds. They exploded as soon as they reached him causing Kakashi to yell out for him. Kakashi destroyed one of them with a shuriken and it exploded. Naruto climbed back up and just looked at Deidara.
"Dammit. We're not done yet." Naruto said and ducked out of the way from a exploding clay bird that exploded near Kakashi who was unaffected
"Well, he is the copy ninja. A single detonating clay isn't going to work against him. I don't have a lot of clay left either. All I was trying to do was lure out the jinchuriki. Now I've gotta deal with this. All I want is the jinchuriki. The copy ninja is a headache I don't need. I have to find a way to seperate them." Deidara said and threw two clay spiders trying to slow Kakashi down, but it didn't work.
"He sure is trying to slit the two of us up. So that's his game. He wants to face Naruto one on one." Kakashi thought
"So much for strategy. I guess my only option is taking the two of them down together. I don't have much detonating clay left. A shame really. If I knew I'd end up in this predicament, then I would've brought along a little extra. Oh well. I still have my trump card." Deidara said
"We're not getting anywhere chasing after him like this." Naruto thought
"Hurry up Kakashi sensei! We're gonna lose him at this rate! Get a move on!" Naruto said
"It's okay. You're the reason he's here. Don't forget that. He won't get so far ahead as to lose us completely." Kakashi said
"Fine. Then give me some ideas on how to stop this guy then." Naruto said
"Don't worry Naruto. I've got a couple of strategies, but I need a little more time to work out the angles." Kakashi said
"We don't have time for that. We need to get to Gaara before it's too late. We don't know if there's another hideout close by. We need to act fast before he gets away with Gaara." Naruto said
"He's right. I didn't think about that." Kakashi thought
"Dammit! He's speeding up!" Naruto said and picked up speed
"Naruto wait!" Kakashi said
"There's no getting through to him now. That leaves me only one choice." Kakashi thought
"So annoying. This is taking so long that I'll never get back to my man Sasori. I know. I'll use the rest of my detonating clay and show him what an artist can do. However, if I'm going to do that I'll need to get rid of the copy ninja first. It might've taken a while, but this is worth the wait." Deidara said as he threw down multiple clay bugs that only exploded near Kakashi
"What? These aren't like the bird ones from before. They're smaller. Is that so they don't get picked off by shuriken? Why so many? Judging from the size of the hind legs, I'd say their special ability is jumping. I guess it's going to come down to a battle of speed." Kakashi said
"You're slowing me down Kakashi sensei! I'm going ahead!" Naruto said
"Don't do anything reckless!" Kakashi said
"Yeah yeah. I know!" Naruto said and sped up
"This might be a bit of a sticky situation." Kakashi said
"I've got to think. I can't waste time having a staring contest with these things. If I leave Naruto on his own he could lose control at any moment. They won't let me fall back and gain enough speed to break past them. They're maintaining this distance." Kakashi thought and leapt away
Naruto
"At last. Now it's just the two of us. Don't scowl like that. I was about to let you see your friend." Deidara said and the bird opened its mouth revealing an unconscious Gaara
"You're a jinchuriki. I bet seeing him like this drives you crazy." Deidara said
"Give him back! Right now!" Naruto said as he was about to jump at Deidara, but was grabbed
"Don't do it." Kakashi said
"Aww man. I could've sworn you just blew up back there." Deidara said
"Sorry, but it wasn't the real me that blew up. Next time you should elk your critters to tell the difference between a real human and a shadow clone. That is, if there is a next time." Kakashi said
"Don't move!" Naruto said as Deidara flew away
"I could say the same to you. It'll be alright. We will get Gaara back. So calm down. Listen Naruto, you're not used to fighting an opponent like this. That's not all. You're a close combat fighter. He experts in long range. That makes him your worst enemy. There are only two ways to beat this kind of foe. One is to get him to fight up close and personal. Your only other option is to beat him at his own game." Kakashi said
"How can we do that?" Naruto asked
"Depending on which strategy is chosen..."
"I don't have time for this." Naruto said and just disappeared
"What?! He's so fast! I need to get rid of that bird or atleast one of its wings to ground him." Kakashi thought as he started gathering chakra to his eye
"Hey. Where's the jinchuriki?" Deidara asked
"Right here." Naruto said and when Deidara turned around, Naruto cut his arm off with a lightning enhanced kunai making Deidara yell out in pain as Naruto jumped off the bird
"AGH! MY ARM. HOW DARE YOU?!" Deidara yelled
Just then, Kakashi's sharingan morphed into a different shape causing it to look like a three bladed pinwheel. Deidara was about to fly at Naruto when his body started to get sucked into a vortex. He didn't know what was happening and when he thought he was a goner, the vortex stopped and he was unharmed. He saw Kakashi grab his left eye and nearly collapse. Deidara let out a sigh as he thought he was safe, but was wrong when Naruto used a rasengan to cut the head off of his bird, causing the body to fall to the ground. Naruto created some clones and had them grab the head with Gaara as Deidara was falling through the air into the trees.
"Good job, Naruto." Kakashi thought and deactivated his Mangekyou sharingan
"Kakashi sensei, you alright?" Naruto asked
"Yeah. Thanks." Kakashi said as they got a nod from Naruto's clones as they dug Gaara out of the clay bird and he was breathing, but it was labored breaths
"Dammit. They got him. I can't fight right now. I don't have any arms. The plan was perfect. Use the Kazekage as bait to lure out the nine tails jinchuriki and then I could capture him. I didn't plan on the copy ninja coming along as well. First the Kazekage got my left arm. Now my right arm too. Even though the nine tails jinchuriki was trained by Jiraiya for nearly three years, it was only to help control the beast. When was he able to use lightning? I'm lucky I didn't have any of my explosive clay at that moment or I would have been killed. The copy ninja is the mystery though. What was that jutsu he used back there? I never thought I'd meet anyone with visual jutsu as powerful as Itachi's. The jinchuriki may have some skill, but compared to me he's nothing. The problem is how to deal with Kakashi." Deidara thought
"You're gonna pay for nearly killing Gaara." Naruto said
"Yeah yeah. Maybe someday I'll give you a rematch, kid." Deidara said
"You've let down your guard." Kakashi said
"Dammit." Deidara said and was punched hard by Naruto
"Yes." A Naruto clone said
"You shouldn't drop your guard like that. You should be more careful." Kakashi said
Shadow clone jutsu
Naruto created four shadow clones and had them hold Deidara as he fell to the ground. The real Naruto fell and drove his knee into Deidara's gut. He punched him a few times causing blood to go everywhere and Kakashi was beginning to get worried. Naruto used a clone to help create a rasengan and shoved it into Deidara's face, but the body just turned into clay.
"It's clay! A substitution!" Kakashi said and Naruto released his clones
"He got away." Naruto said
"I'm surprised, Naruto. Despite everything that happened, you managed to keep a level head during the mission. I thought I'd have to suppress the nine tails chakra." Kakashi said
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked
"Lord Jiraiya gave me a seal that I should use just in case you lose control. He said two tails is your limit and that I should suppress your chakra as soon as you grow two tails." Kakashi said and Naruto grew two tails of nine tails chakra
"I can handle two tails of nine tails chakra just fine. He only said that because the last time I grew two tails, I attacked him for spending my money at a brothel house the night before. 3 tails is where things start to get iffy as it can go either way. The fourth tail is where I can't remember what happened. The third and fourth tail should be where you worry, not two tails." Naruto said and released his chakra cloak as Sakura landed with lady Chiyo
"Finally caught up to you." Sakura said
"You found us. Nice work." Kakashi said
"We felt a huge tremor a few minutes ago." Sakura said
"Glad you're here. So I take it you guys won?" Naruto asked
"Yeah." Sakura said
"Looks like you're still having some trouble here though." Lady Chiyo said
"Something like that." Kakashi said
"What about Gaara? Where's he?" Lady Chiyo asked
"He's breathing thanks to me reversing the effects of Shukaku being nearly ripped out of him, but his regenerative powers aren't working as well as they should right now. I guess Shukaku needs to recover as well. His breaths are labored right now and he's barely alive." Naruto said
"That's good." Lady Chiyo said
"I don't believe it. My man Sasori was beaten by that little brat and the old hag. Leaving a thing of eternal beauty for the future? Yeah right. All he did was get killed. He was overconfident about that puppet and fully exposed his weakness. Oh well. It was still a ending worth of an artist." Deidara thought as he left his hiding spot only to come face to face with team 9
"Good work, Neji." Might guy said
"Child's play actually." Neji said
"I get it. Byakugan. One of the kekkei genkai of the leaf. Just like the sharingan. You used those eyes of yours to sneak up from my blind spot. This is my first time seeing it in person. I'd be curious to see how it differs from Itachi's sharingan, but I think my escaping takes precedence at the moment." Deidara said
"Heh. You're looking at team guy my friend. The number one squad. You're not going anywhere." Might guy said
"That is a promise." Rock Lee said
"I hope you're ready." TenTen said and Deidara vanished with guy as they started to fight drawing the attention of Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura and Lady Chiyo
"It's guys team." Kakashi said
"Not bad. Looks like I won't be able to outrun them." Deidara thought as he dodged some shuriken and then Lee landed in front of him
"Here I come." Lee said and started to punch and kick at Deidara who expertly dodged them
8 trigrams air palm
Neji blew a gust of wind from his palm and it sent Deidara crashing into a tree. Before Deidara could make a move, TenTen threw four more giant shuriken at him that he had to dodge. Deidara lept away with team 9 following close behind.
"They're a persistent bunch. Hmm. Now where was it? Down there." Deidara thought as he saw the body of his clay bird
"He's dropping." TenTen said
"Watch it. We don't know what he's planning. Stay on your guard." Guy said
"Be careful everyone! He's a long range fighter who uses explosives!" Kakashi said and Deidara started to eat his clay bird
"I think it's time I revealed my ultimate work of art." Deidara said as he started to grow
"He's concentrating all of his chakra into a single point. Oh no. Everyone get out of here immediately!" Neji said and team guy ran away
"Art is an explosion!" Deidara said and exploded
"We're never going to make it." Neji said as the blast was closing in fast
All of a sudden the explosion started to disappear into a vortex. Everyone was looking on in shock except for Naruto since he knew what was going on.
"It worked. Just in time." Kakashi said and nearly passed out
"Kakashi sensei, you alright?" Naruto asked
"I'd expect nothing less from my rival." Guy thought
"I don't get it. What did you do?" Sakura asked
"Sent the explosion off into a different space." Kakashi said
"You sent it somewhere." Sakura said
"Sharingan is a visual jutsu." Neji thought
"I'm not sure I understand really, but it seems the enemy has been defeated. TenTen, do you agree?" Rock Lee asked
"What? Are you kidding? What the hell are you asking me for?" TenTen asked
"More importantly, is everyone okay?" Kakashi asked and Naruto clones landed with Gaara
"Sakura, can you heal him?" Naruto asked
"Yeah, I can. What happened to your seals?" Sakura asked
"It can't work with another healing power. They would cancel each other out." Naruto said
"Okay. I'll heal him as soon as we get away from here." Sakura said
"Thanks. Can you punch a small hole in the ground for me?" Naruto asked
"Uh, sure." Sakura said and created a hole the size of her fist in the ground
"Naruto. Why did you ask her to do that?" Neji asked
"I have my reasons. Everyone get away from here. I'll catch up." Naruto said as he went through hand signs
"I recognize those hand signs. Since when can he use lighting chakra?" Kakashi thought as they all left
Lightning style: electromagnetic murder
Naruto placed one of his hands in the ground and shot a wave of electricity from his hand and had it travel underground. He held the jutsu for 10 seconds and after he was finished, he jumped away with a smirk on his face. He caught up with the rest of the team and released his shadow clones.
"Did it work?" Kakashi asked
"Not the way I wanted, but I got my point across." Naruto said
"Good." Kakashi said
"Sakura, is it working?" Naruto asked
"No. It's like he's dead and I can't revive the dead. My chakra is low and not nearly as strong as it needs to be to get everything under control. You'd need Tsunade or Shizune to do this one. I'm sorry." Sakura said
"It's alright. We know you tried." Naruto said and Sakura walked away sadly
"Perhaps I can be of some assistance." Lady Chiyo said and walked over to Gaara
"How?" Naruto asked and lady Chiyo started to channel chakra into Gaara
"Lady Chiyo! That jutsu! You can't use it." Sakura said
"I don't get it. What's she doing?" Naruto asked
"Is that what I think it is?" Guy asked
"Yeah." Kakashi said
"What's she doing?" Naruto asked
"She's giving up her own life for his. It's the One's Own Life Reincarnation Jutsu. It's an S-ranked kinjutsu that can be used on both the living and dead. Using it on the living can save and restore the target from an otherwise fatal condition but will leave the user greatly exhausted. When used on the dead, the user will find certain death in exchange for the soul of the deceased." Sakura said
"So then she'll survive, right?" Naruto asked and noticed her chakra slipping
"Dammit. Not enough chakra." Chiyo said and Naruto helped her out
"You can use my chakra. That'll work, right granny?" Naruto asked
"Place your hands on top of mine." Chiyo said and Naruto did as told
"I guess I have my answer. She's not going to survive." Naruto thought
"You should know by now that I'm not going to survive. I was never going to live after that fight with Sasori anyway. In this world of shinobi created by frivolous old people. It's a great comfort to know that souls like yourself have come around. Until now, everything I've done in life has been wrong, but at least here in my final hour I can finally do something right for once. The sand and the leaf may the future that awaits them, be different from the way things were in our time. You and Gaara will be the pillars of light to a better future between the two villages and hopefully the rest of the world. Eventually you will become hokage and will be better than any hokage that has ever taken the title. You will become even greater than Hashirama Senju himself. As for you, Sakura." Lady Chiyo said
"Yes?" Sakura asked
"In the future help those closest to your heart. Not some grandmother with one foot in the grave. Not like me, child. So few women possess such a strong spirit and you'll surpass your master as a shinobi and medical expert. I have little doubt. Naruto, do an old woman a favor would you? You're the only person in the world who knows the extent of Gaara's pain and he knows your pain. Look after Gaara, he's lucky to have a friend such as yourself." Lady Chiyo said as her jutsu was finished and Gaara woke up
"Gaara." Naruto said
"Naruto. What is this?" Gaara asked as he was surrounded by sand shinobi
"They all came running to help you. You've had everyone worried half to death." Naruto said with a smile
"Lord Gaara! Are you alright?" A girl named Matsuri asked and Gaara nodded causing everyone to cheer
"You sure had us worried there." Naruto said
"No kidding. You caused us a whole ton of grief there, little brother." Kankuro said
"Will you two quit already? Garra's the Kazekage, remember? Show a little respect nitwits." Temari said
"You're just jealous because your little boyfriend isn't around giving you attention." Naruto mumbled
"Gaara! Talk to me. How do you feel?" Temari asked throwing Naruto out of the way and Gaara struggled to stand
"Easy. You shouldn't get up too quickly. Your body hasn't recovered from what happened." Temari said
"Oh thank goodness. I thought we lost him. Without the Kazekage I...ow!" A random lead ninja said as he was hit upside the head
"Get a hold of yourself. There's no way we'd ever lose lord Gaara. Lord Gaara is the hottest thing ever. He's quiet, cool, strong and an elite warrior." Matsuri said
"Yeah. Lord Gaara is totally gorgeous isn't he. After all, he is Kazekage." Her friend said
"If anything should ever happen again, I'll protect him with all my heart." Matsuri said
"No I will." Her friend said
"Get in line." Matsuri said as they ran toward him
"Well isn't this something. Gaara has a fan club." Naruto said and chuckled as he nudged Gaara
"Lord Gaara!" Matsuri's friend said and pushed Naruto out of the way
"Again? Just give me a break." Naruto said
"Ah don't sweat it. Women always go weak in the knees for that cool elite type of guy. What can you do? Am I right?" Kankuro asked
"I'm pretty sure Shikamaru said something like that once too." Naruto said
"Naruto, thank you." Kankuro said
"Huh? Don't look at me. It was granny Chiyo who saved him. She gave up her own life just to make sure Gaara survived. He was lingering on death before she used her jutsu on him." Naruto said and everyone looked at the lifeless body
"She used THAT jutsu, didn't she?" Kankuro asked
"Yeah. She did." Sakura said
"She said she wanted to do something right for once in her life since she knew this would be the final day she'd live." Naruto said
"Look at her. I half expect her to burst out laughing. Her face is so peaceful." Chiyo's brother said
"Yes." Sakura said and Chiyo's brother looked at Gaara
"Naruto. There really is something different about you. It's true. You do have the power to change people. Lady Chiyo always used to say that she didn't care about the future of the hidden sand village. She wasn't the kind of person who would do something like this for Gaara." Temari said
"Lady Chiyo entrusted the future to you and Gaara. It was a death befitting a shinobi." Kakashi said
"I know. Just like the past hokages." Naruto said
"That's true." Kakashi said
"I get it now. I understand what granny wished for." Naruto said
"Lord Gaara! Are you okay?" Matsuri asked as he struggled to stand again
"I'm fine." Gaara said
He tried to stand again and fell over, but was caught by Naruto who grabbed his arm. Naruto helped Gaara fully stand up then the two of them walked over to lady Chiyo. As they stood side by side everyone surrounded the two of them and Gaara spoke up.
"Everyone. Pray for lady Chiyo. Bid her farewell." Gaara said and everyone closed their eyes and said a silent prayer
"Let's head out." Gaara said and everyone left
Suna
"How much longer?" Baki asked
"They'll soon be in sight." A random ninja said
Baki looked out into the desert for any sign of the shinobi. Soon enough, everyone saw Gaara and everyone else walking to the sand village. Once again everyone cheered for Gaara's safe return as he was being helped by Kankuro and Naruto.
"That's what I call a warm welcome." Kankuro said
"Oh yeah." Naruto said
"Look at how many people there are." Rock Lee said
"Just what you'd expect for the Kazekage." Neji said
"No doubt." TenTen said
"I am happy you're safe." Baki said as he approached Gaara
"Thanks to these people." Gaara
"Naruto Uzumaki. Thank you." Baki said
"Huh? I'm not the one who...I mean I hardly did anything at all really." Naruto said
"Lord Kazekage. Your people are waiting to welcome you home." Baki said and everyone created an opening
"Come. Lead the way." Baki said
"Alright then. Shall we go?" Kankuro asked and started to walk
"No wait. Not yet." Gaara said and looked at the stretcher holding Chiyo's body in a body bag
"Yes. You're right." Temari said
"Let us honor the memory of lady Chiyo. A moment of silence." Baki said
"Well sis. We made it back home." Chiyo's brother said as they took her into the village
"Ready to head inside, Gaara?" Naruto asked
"Yes. I must get back to my people." Gaara said
"I'll help you." Kankuro said
"No. I must walk on my own." Gaara said and began walking then stopped
"Are you coming?" Gaara asked looking at Naruto
"Huh? Oh. Sure." Naruto said and they walked side by side into the sand village
"You see what I see right, Kakashi?" Guy asked looking at Naruto and Gaara
"Yeah. I see it as well." Kakashi said
"What do you mean sensei?" TenTen asked
"Don't worry about it." Kakashi said
Few hours later
"What? You're leaving already? You can stay a little longer. Come on." Kankuro said
"Kankuro's right. At Least a day or two. You need time to rest." Temari said
"I wish we could." Naruto said
"Me too, but we must report back to Lady Tsunade right away." Sakura said
"I see." Temari said
"Besides, if the akatsuki were able to penetrate this deep into the sand, I'm worried about the leaf village's safety." Kakashi said
"I understand you want to leave as soon as possible." Baki said
"Yes. Exactly." Kakashi said
"Even so. Your condition." Baki said
"Don't worry. I have comrades I can rely on to get me there." Kakashi said
"He's right about that." Guy said
"By the way. We've already dispatched the preliminary report with Takamaru, but there is no mention of the fate of the two akatsuki members. Won't you want to inform your village?" Baki asked
"I'll report that information to the hokage myself. See, there's something else troubling me." Kakashi said
Suna cemetery
"Is that?" Sakura asked looking at a tombstone
"Lady Chiyo's resting place." Gaara said
"She didn't want a headstone on her grave. Despite her wishes I thought it was better to have one. I felt sure people would want a place to come remember her." Chiyo's brother said
"Everyone. Say your farewells." Kakashi said and everyone did a silent prayer
"Let's go." Guy said and everyone walked away except Naruto and Sakura
"Sakura, Naruto. We really should be going." Rock Lee said and Sakura walked away, but Naruto stayed
"She's never been one to put her trust in anybody, but she did so for you and Gaara. Hopefully I'm alive to see you two become the great men and shinobi I know you can be." Chiyo's brother said to Naruto
"If you're as strong as she was, I'm sure you'd be able to see us grow." Naruto said and walked away
"Naruto Uzumaki. He will be the one to lead the future generations into an era of peace." Chiyo's brother thought
Suna gates
"Well, so long." Kankuro said
"Yeah." Naruto said and had a stare off with Gaara
"I guess this where people are supposed to shake hands and get all choked up, but I've never been good at that stuff either. So let's just leave it huh?" Naruto said as he saw Gaara extend his hand and shook it thanks to Gaara using his sand to control Naruto's hand before releasing the grip
"Naruto." Temari said
"Huh?" Naruto asked and he was brought into a hug
"Thank you for saving my brother." Temari said
"You're welcome." Naruto said and broke the hug
Desert
The leaf shinobi were walking through the desert on their way back and Might Guy was not happy. Why wasn't he happy? Simple. He was behind the group since he had to help Kakashi walk because he was still exhausted from using his Mangekyou sharingan.
"Can't you two go any faster?" TenTen asked and Guy was angry
"Hehe sorry about this, Guy. That new sharingan takes a lot out of me. Takes me a while to get back up to speed." Kakashi said
"Hurry up will ya!" TenTen said and Guy started to get really angry
"Uh, Guy?" Kakashi asked and the next thing he knew, Guy threw him up in the air making him land on his back
"What happened?" Neji asked as everyone turned around
"That's just wrong." Naruto thought
"Two grown men playing piggyback. It's almost creepy." Sakura thought
"Oh brother." TenTen thought
"What the? I get it! A training exercise!" Rock Lee said
"So you wanna see faster? I'll show you faster! Gangway! Gangway! What's wrong slowpokes?! Can't keep up with me?!" Guy asked as he ran pass everyone kicking up a cloud of dust
"It looks even weirder in person." Sakura thought
"Neji!" Rock Lee said as he placed his bag on his stomach and motioned for him to climb on his back
"Oh hell no!" Neji said
"How about anyone else?" Rock Lee said
"No." Naruto said
"Don't think so." Sakura said
"I'd rather die of a heat stroke." TenTen said
"But I must not lose to Guy and Kakashi-sensei!" Rock Lee said
"How about you carry all of our bags?" Naruto asked
"That is perfect! With the weight of bags I'll double the weight of what Guy-sensei is carrying!" Rock Lee said as he took everyone's bag and ran off
Summoning jutsu
"Naruto? Why did you summon me? Gamabunta doesn't like when I am summoned during training." Gamahiro said
"Can you give us a lift about 3 hours from Konoha? I have 4 barrels of Kumos strongest saki for Bunta so you won't get in trouble." Naruto said pulling out a scroll
"Sure. Hop on. Remember, I am ungraceful." Gamahiro said
"You heard him. Hop on." Naruto said
"You want us to ride to fire country on that?" Neji asked
"You can always walk. I'd rather get there quicker and rest longer." Naruto said
"There's no arguing with that." TenTen said as she joined Naruto on Gamahiro
"I'm in." Sakura said
"What did he mean by, ungraceful?" Neji asked
"It might be a bit of a bumpy ride." Naruto said
"Will I survive?" Neji asked
"I don't know. Maybe. Temari did, so I'm sure you'll be fine. Just don't stop channeling chakra to your feet or you'll fall off." Naruto said as Neji joined them
"Alright, Gamahiro. We're ready." Naruto said and without warning, Gamahiro jumped away
Konoha hospital 3 days later
"Hey look. He's awake." Naruto said
"So I'm back here again, huh?" Kakashi asked
"Good job, Kakashi. Well done." Tsunade said as she walked into the room with Shizune
"M'lady." Sakura said
"Lady Tsunade." Kakashi said and grimaced causing his sheet to move down his face making Naruto get a sneaky look on his face
"Kakashi-sensei! You mustn't push yourself." Sakura said
"Sakura's right. I examined you earlier and it's going to take some time before you return to duty. It's bed rest for you for at least a week." Tsunade said as Naruto was trying to get a look at Kakashi's face
"Guess I'm not surprised." Kakashi said
"Looks like you need some more practice before you master that new sharingan of yours." Tsunade said
"Looks that way." Kakashi said
"Anyway, you just take it easy for a while. Team guy should rest too. You can file your report later. Let's go, Shizune." Tsunade said
"Yes ma'am." Shizune said
"Oh! M'lady. Wait." Sakura said as she ran after them
Outside
"What is it? Is it regarding that?" Tsunade asked
"Yes." Sakura said
"Have you told Kakashi about it yet?" Tsunade asked
"Kakashi-sensei has been out of it for a while, so no. Not yet." Sakura said
"How about Naruto?" Tsunade asked
"No. I felt it was better to consult with you first." Sakura said
"Tell me everything." Tsunade said
Hokage tower
"It was Sasori. One of the akatsuki who told me. He said it was a reward for defeating him. He said one of Orichimaru's henchmen is working as a spy for him and is supposed to meet him in 10 days at the tenchi bridge." Sakura said
"10 days, at the tenchi bridge." Tsunade said
"It's already been four days since then. We only have six days left." Sakura said
"Yes, but can you trust your source?" Tsunade asked
"They were his last words. I doubt he was lying." Sakura said
"What if it's a trap? With Orochimaru as the bait and the akatsuki waiting there in full force for whoever is foolish enough to show up." Tsunade said
"If it's a trap then we fight them." Sakura said
"Yes, but Kakashi is going to be out of commission for more than a week and with only six days until the randevu. On top of that, team Kakashi has been sidelined since Sasuke left." Tsunade said
"That's true." Sakura said
"Your only option is to find a new member for a new team." Tsunade said
"Lady Tsunade." Shizune said
"What is it?" Tsunade asked
"If that's the case then why not deploy a different team to investigate and even if you feel that you must send Sakura, Naruto mustn't go on this mission." Shizune said
"Shizune. Like you, Sakura is among the shinobi trust. That's why this mission has to involve the remaining members of team Kakashi." Tsunade said
"Wouldn't my team serve just as well my lady? Why not send us?" Shizune asked
"It wouldn't be the same. Sakura and Naruto are driven. Driven by a desperate need to find their lost teammate. They've both pleaded their lives to rescue him and that kind of desire to honor their pledge is why they will succeed. That's where you and Sakura are different." Tsunade said
"Yes, I understand. But still I don't think Naruto should go." Shizune said
"You know, just because I'm a jinchuriki doesn't mean you have the right to keep me on a leash." Naruto said making his presence known
"That's not what I'm trying to do." Shizune said
"Yes it is. I'm going on this mission, but not out of some drive to bring Sasuke back. I can care less about that." Naruto said
"What? What happened to your promise to bring him back?" Sakura asked
"I grew up. That's what happened. I'll give Sasuke one more chance and if he refuses then I'll have to do my job as a shinobi and finish him." Naruto said
"You don't mean that." Sakura said
"You trained for nearly three years under one of the legendary sannin and you still can't get rid of that fangirl problem you have. Granny, I've taken some jutsus from the vault." Naruto said
"I'll send for you when the mission starts." Tsunade said
"Wait. If you don't care for Sasuke anymore, why are you coming on this mission?" Sakura asked
"Because I want another shot at Orochimaru. I haven't forgotten what he did to me in the forest of death." Naruto said
"Naruto, before you go on the mission you'll need another teammate." Tsunade said
"Sakura can find us another teammate. I'd rather not be worried about that." Naruto said and vanished
Naruto
"Shikamaru, what's up?" Naruto asked as he ran into him on the street
"Planning the chunin exams. It's such a drag. What's going on with you?" Shikamaru asked
"Just going to get some training done. I have a mission in a few days and I need to be prepared for it." Naruto said
"Here you go, Shikamaru. Your mom wanted me to bring you your lunch box." Choji said
"Woah. You've grown Choji." Naruto said
"So have you." Choji said
"Thanks. I'm glad you've..." Naruto stopped and jumped out of the way from incoming lions made of ink.
"Over there." Shikamaru said looking at the person who sent them as he was sitting on the roof
"I'll get him." Naruto said and just vanished
"He's fast." Choji and Shikamaru thought
Naruto appeared behind the guy who sent the lions at him and kicked him into the street. He wasted no time as he appeared in front of the guy and grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the ground. He channeled lighting chakra into the person's body and electrocuted him until he passed out.
"Woah." Choji said
"That training with master Jiraiya really paid off. I didn't even see you move." Shikamaru said
"I'm taking him to granny." Naruto said and left in a water shunshin
Hokage chambers
"Granny! Who the hell is this?!" Naruto asked as he barged into her office and threw the person on the floor
"Naruto, we're kind of in the middle of something." Tsunade said
"Yeah. Probably them trying to put me on a leash like I'm some lap dog. Now, who is this? Either somebody give me an answer or I'm killing him right now." Naruto said and put a kunai at his neck
"How did he catch Sai?" Danzo thought
"Fine. Nobody wants to answer me." Naruto said and was stopped an inch away from stabbing Sai in the neck
"He's your new teammate." Tsunade said
"Then why the hell did he attack me?" Naruto asked
"I sent him to meet you." Danzo said and Naruto instantly grabbed him by his neck and started to choke him
"You're the person who tried to abduct me from the orphanage when I was younger. I remember you. Do not have your little goons attack me. Next time he tries something he's dead on the spot with no questions asked. Do you understand me?" Naruto asked
"You really shouldn't bother me, boy. I have more power than you ever could have." Danzo said and tried to use the sharingan behind his bandage on Naruto, but it was ripped out causing him to yell out in pain
"I SAID DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND ME?" Naruto yelled as he grew two tails of nine tails chakra and slammed Danzo into the wall
"Naruto! That's enough!" Tsunade said
Naruto ignored her as he held Danzo by the throat and he was holding his eye. Everyone saw Danzo start to go blue in the face from the lack of oxygen. Tsunade had walked up to him and looked him in the eye for a few seconds then Naruto released Danzo and stopped channeling the nine tails chakra.
"Thank you. Now, give him back his eye." Tsunade said
"This isn't his eye. I know the chakra coming from this eye and it doesn't belong to him. I'm keeping it." Naruto said
"Dammit! This brat is messing up my plans! I can't use that jutsu now. I'll just have to replace that eye with another." Danzo said holding his bloody face
"This meeting is over. Shizune, Naruto. Come to my office." Tsunade said and they left
Hokage office
"Naruto. What the hell was that?" Tsunade asked
"That was me putting that old bastard in his place. I've had too many assassination attempts on my life to just let that slide. I'm serious. Next time that guy does something I don't like whether it's to me personally or could harm the village, he's dead." Naruto said and then there was a knock on the door
"Come in." Tsunade said and an anbu walked in
"Well that was fast." Tsunade said
"I heard it was a matter of great urgency." The anbu said
"I assume you know why you've been summoned here." Tsunade said
"I have a general idea." The anbu said
"Kakashi's out and I want you to take over his team." Tsunade said
"It would be an honor to work in Kakashi's stand, m'lady." The anbu said
"Good. Now, this isn't a normal anbu black ops mission. You're going on a regular assignment. So you can take off the mask. I'll be giving you a code name. During the mission, you'll be known as Yamato." Tsunade said and the anbu removed his mask
"Yes. I understand." Yamato said
"You've got to be kidding me." Naruto said
"Is there a problem?" Tsunade asked
"Yeah. I know why he's being put as the team captain. I was in the files room. I know almost every S-rank secret this village has to offer. I know all about his ability to use wood style like Hashirama Senju, but the biggest difference is he's nothing but a small ant compared to Hashirama. He's been put on this team to keep me in check and make sure I don't lose control of the nine tails chakra. Am I right or am I wrong?" Naruto asked
"I can also show you the reason I was put in charge of this team." Yamato said with an edge to his voice
"Can you beat Kakashi?" Naruto asked
"I have no problem admitting that I cannot. He's leagues ahead of me." Yamato said
"Then you won't beat me. I'll see you in a few days for this mission, granny. Nice to finally meet you, Yamato." Naruto said
"Naruto, stay behind. Yamato, you're dismissed. You can meet the rest of your team in a few days." Tsunade said
"Yes ma'am." Yamato said and vanished
"What's up granny?" Naruto asked
"I'm giving you an additional assignment to this next mission." Tsunade said
"What is it?" Naruto asked
"I take it that you know your new teammate is from root, right?" Tsunade asked
"Yeah." Naruto said
"Good. I was already aware of Danzo somehow wanting to pair you up with a root member to keep an eye on you. Your mission is to eliminate him if he does anything that will be a threat to the leaf village. Do you understand?" Tsunade asked
"Yes." Naruto said
"Good. Now onto other important matters. Who does that eye belong to?" Tsunade asked
"Shisui Uchiha. I don't know how Danzo got it, but it's a good thing he doesn't have it anymore." Naruto said
"Why?" Tsunade asked
"Because Shisui told me about a genjutsu he had that allows him to control someone's mind without them knowing. Something like this in the hands of Danzo could be a danger to everyone." Naruto said and then destroyed the eye
"Do you think he's hiding the other one?" Tsunade asked
"No. I have a feeling I know who has it, but I'm not telling. It's safer that way." Naruto said
"Good. How far along are you in your training?" Tsunade asked
"I'm pretty far. Everything's going smooth except my wind chakra training. I need Asuma's help, but everytime he has a mission, I'm in the village and the same goes for him if I'm on a mission." Naruto said
"I'll see what I can do about that. Can you really beat Yamato?" Tsunade asked
"Yeah. I'm around Kakashi's level now thanks to training with my shadow clones. I'm not stronger than him, but I'm pretty close to surpassing him." Naruto said
"What about the jutsus your parents left behind?" Shizune asked
"I can't do any that my mom left for me." Naruto said
"Why not?" Tsunade asked
"Because they're all ice jutsus. I haven't tried any ice jutsus yet since I haven't worked on my wind chakra yet." Naruto said
"Ok. What about the ones Minato left for you?" Tsunade asked
"Other than the rasengan, everything else is space-time ninjutsu." Naruto said
"Have you learned any of them?" Tsunade asked
"Yeah, but I need to make my own sealing formula for me to actually use them." Naruto said
"Good. I'd say you're well on your way to surpassing Kakashi. Now go get some training in." Tsunade said
"You got it granny." Naruto said
Tsunade watched as Naruto jumped out of her window and couldn't help the smile that came across her face. Despite Naruto being more mature, that little kid side of him would always be there. She sighed as she looked over the mission she would be sending him on in a few days and hoped everything would go smoothly. She took out a bottle of saki and took a huge gulp before handing it to Shizune.