AN:hey everyone back with a new chapter,enjoy and review if possible,love the input so far and would like to see your thoughts of what is happening (also we'll learn of who is rooting for Naruto from afar this chapter)
Naruto wiped his brow with a rag as he studied the area before him,the training grounds was different he noticed with a frown something feels fucky, although... he was cut off by a shimmer within the grounds. Naruto smirked as the genjutsu faltered just enough for him to notice"c'mon Sakura,I know your here somewhere"he called out with a grin,a loud curse was heard while she jumped down from a tree limb beside him,he jumped slightly at her close proximity"kami almighty I'm rusty,fuck me"the blond exclaimed in shock at her ability to sneak up on him now"oh right now"she mocked in a huff at his crass words,the blond stuttering in shock at her rebuttal,she laughed loudly at his surprised face"c'mon dude,chill out and relax,your tense way more than usual"she frowned at his behavior this past week,as if everything put the blond on edge more than everl"I know...it's just been hell for me to catch sleep nowadays since I put down the bottle,even tea doesn't help sometimes,maybe this life is getting to me after all"the Uzumaki admitted with a sullen face at his overall mental health if I could somehow destroy this blasted seal around my neck things would surly go back to normal,can't stand this loneliness in my head much longer he sulked with a grim face.Sakura noticed his face shift and went to speak when Sasuke appeared in front of them with a casual stroll,he looked up to watch the blond intently"hey guys Kakashi wants us to report to the tower for our first actual day of the mission,which will only be two weeks instead of a month"the brooding teen spoke up to announce.the others paused and nodded oh heck yes a mission finally,my money was getting tight and my savings have been locked away until later the Uzumaki nodded in agreement to this news. Sakura sighed missing her chance to prod the blond of what was bugging him,but then decided against it for the sake of their friendship,some things were better left alone.
team Kakashi treked to their homes to pack all the gear needed for a month just in case plans changed,the world of nin unforgiving they noted with frowns.they arrived to the north east tower to meet two chunin up in the top.Naruto smiled while looking out to see the whole village with a sigh damn view is nice not gonna lie,too bad this will be nothing more than a smoldering pile of rubble once I'm done with it the blond noted with a sadistic undertone to his thoughts. Sasuke noted the rather large space of which they were to operate"where is the training room,I gotta blow off some steam"Naruto called out with a tense look.Sasuke took notice of his face and frowned he's really having a rough time nowadays.
small huffs could be heard as the blond punched a firm bag with a combo of left hooks and a right jab,the punches shook the bag with a shudder to it. he pulled back and took a breath to rest yeah I'm fucking rusty as hell,even my licks are not as powerful than before,kami all mighty this is gonna be a rough few weeks until I get back in decent shape he bitterly thought while launching into another barrage of punches and some low kicks.the training center room was large enough to hold ten people comfortably with separate areas to practice and also a weight lifting area off to the side. Kakashi walked into the large room to watch the blond train,he noted the Uzumaki's determined face and attitude hopefully I can talk to him again, honestly don't know how long I can shield him from this village, the man thought with a sad look,he was pissed at how they had treated his sensei's son and was willing to help him somehow,even if it meant betraying the third. he had placed that note hoping Naruto would see it"ohiya Naruto,how goes the training"he greeted with a eye smile. Naruto huffed a annoyed breath at the new arrival"hello Hatake,how are you doing,as for me I'm doing alright,other than sloppy form overall" crud I'm not even in the mood to talk, especially to him the Jinchiriki thought vehemently with a growl,the older man backed away in the show of aggression"ok look bud I know I fucked up but just hear me out, I'll spill,but I need you to promise me not to tell anyone else why I'm really here"the man spoke in a more serious tone to catch the blonds attention. Naruto stopped in his thoughts as that peaked his interest,he leaned against the bag while unwrapping his hands slowly"go on,I'm all ears Inu""do you recall having a note in your cell a few months ago by any chance,that read "Naruto,if your reading this,your not alone" the man spoke in a quiet tone. the blond Uzumaki froze at the implications of that alone wait so this dickhead was for me this whole time"then why the fuck did you vote against me that day asswipe,i still would have been sent to the prison regardless but you could at least given me a fuckin' heads up"the blond seethed low while turning to face away with bitter tears pouring down his cheeks in utter bewilderment"i voted to keep my true intentions hidden from Sarutobi,that man has been watching me like a hawk since i double-crossed him years ago under Danzō"he admitted with a sad sigh gods i should have said something before that day the man bitterly sighed while facing the opposite way to hide his emotions"you do realize that any trust i had for you died that day,and you'll have to prove your yourself in battle to earn it again Hatake"the blond spoke in a steel tone to get his point across to the older man"understood Naruto, I'll fix this somehow i swear that" the man spoke before walking away with tears threatening to spill from his visible eye.
the blond spent the rest of the evening cursing his existence while trying to sleep for his night shift duty that was fast approaching. kami damn him,why the fuck did he still choose to do this,at least tell me a fucking plan before actually doing it he screamed inside his mind.he was hurt more than anything at his close friends betrayal of sorts. the blond finally drifted off to sleep around six in the evening. Kakashi was still kicking himself for not being more honest before the trail to at least give him a peace of mind. he was also curious as to why the Jinchiriki appeared to be thinner than normal Naruto also seems alot weaker as well,I'll have to speak with Hiruzen,his health is going down hill it seems the man thought while looking up to the sky,dark blue and purple mixed with orange colored the land in brilliant hues he noted with a smirk.gods this is truly the end I fear,once he returns to full strength Kohona will cease to exist the man bitterly thought while frowning now.
Naruto's eyes snapped open to the sound of a soft chime of his personal clock,he noted the heavy feeling in his stomach and began to grumble heh damn stomach even knows what time it is. he chuckled while swinging over the edge of the bed.he yawned softly while getting ready for his shift with a sandwich,he packed another plus a canteen and protein bar for the night.he arrived to the top of the tower to find Sasuke sitting on the edge of a wall looking out to the outer woods"hey everyone I'm here for the night y'all are dismissed"the blond called out low with small bags under his eyes. the others turned to greet him and spotted the look in his face. Sasuke was disturbed to some degree by his friends look woah he looks like shit,what the hell. Sakura noted his looks with a small frown as well"I'm ok guys,just same ol shit as usual,I actually did get some rest" the blond spoke to alleviate their worry. "uh huh,you need to go see...""bloody hell just drop it guys,go down to your quarters and chill,I'm good"the blond snapped out with a slight irritated look to his features. the other two frowned at his anger and walked away in silence.
Kakashi sighed while pushing off of a beam close to where Naruto stood"their honestly concerned about your health""look Inu...once we get done with this mission I'll go see a doc and Yamanaka as well, hopefully he can fucking help me with this hell" the blond breathed out in a sigh, utterly feeling defeated and drained. the older man nodded at him with a closed eye in aggrement.
The next week zoomed by in a flash for the team,training was awkward in a sense. Naruto would work on his chakra control in ridiculous lengths in order to fall asleep better once his shift was over. Both Sasuke and Sakura would practice walking on the walls to help strengthen their chakra control and reserve's as well.
"alright team we have one week until swapping out,I have something that I think will prove valuable in the days ahead,we are going to be learning sealing and use of scrolls as well,and the art of making paper bombs as a trap and decoy"the team leader spoke to the three nin sitting across from him at a table. the weekend was finally here and they had decided to go eat to mark the first week complete. Sakura perked up at the news,the Uchiha hummed to himself at the new skill set to be learned,his goal of becoming strong enough to avenge the clan becoming a closer reality with each passing week,but he felt that his brother would prove to be far tougher to fight and seeked to gain more power. Kakashi studied the last Uchiha with a frown. Naruto ate in silence with a pleased look to him,food was one of the few things to brighten the day. "yeah they need to learn that skill especially,I'm kinda irked that I didn't think of it before,and I'm a low level seal user myself" Naruto chirped up to cut in. he pointed chopsticks to him and frowned "also I vote we go to the hot springs soon,I'm in need of a soak something fierce"he added with a smile. Kakashi nodded as well"yes that does sound good indeed,once we finish up at the tower I'll arrange for us to go" he spoke with a eye smile.
Team Kurenai came into the eating joint and found Kakashi chatting with his students"oh hey Hatake,how have you been lately, haven't seen you in quite some time"" I've been better to be honest" he answered with a sigh.Kurenai nodded at the hidden message laid into those words,meaning a serious talk later on. she waved to the others as well. Kiba smiled when he spotted his brother eating and decided to sit next to him"sup man haven't seen ya in a bit, mom's worried sick about you"the teen spoke up and hugged him from the side,Naruto froze before accepting the awkward hug kami is this what true loneliness does to a person,fuck he bitterly thought while relaxing"yeah I've been ok just doing wall duty for now until next week,then not sure what's in store" Naruto answered with a odd smile,still uncomfortable with the hug. Kiba noticed this and frowned "hey bud are you ok, normally your not jumpy around me,what happened" he asked concerned. Naruto sighed while gathering chakra into his neck area,a thin collar appeared that wrapped around his entire neck,the others gasped in shock and horror at this new development. "look...I could lose my fucking life if i spill the beans on what this actually does but at this point I could honestly give a fuck less, Hiruzen and Jiraiya both sealed away a huge portion of my power and also my best friend Kyu,the only reason I'm telling you this is because I don't sense the spy nearby like usual,lord third has a guy watching my every move since i got back from my little run away" the blond spoke in a low tone with hints of malice and anger leaking out. oh kami... he's dying from the damned seal and no one knows,not even the two that used it on him,they have to reverse it or he'll... Kakashi blanched at the sudden bombshell of info.
Sasuke was taken aback by the news with slow anger building inside him damn...this is way worse than I thought,they literally put him on a leash of sorts he spat in raw hatred for the leader of the village. Sakura stayed silent with saddness welling up inside her chest oh my gods she thought with fear overthinking her mind. Naruto nodded sadly at their reaction.
Kiba shook with raw anger at what happened to his kin with a look to his face. Hinata and Shino both took in the info with stunned faces,granted Shino didn't show emotions but even he was surprised at how the village leader treated the blond.as if he where a pet to the village. Kurenai huffed in anger at her leaders actions old bastard is lucky the kid can't retaliate,not in this state at least,kami she uttered inside with a frown. "that's basically why I've been giving you all the cold shoulder as of late,even my own family,but I'm coming home tonight for the weekend" the blond teen stated with a soft face,his true emotional state showing up for once. Kiba nodded and hugged him again "you bet man,but let's eat and hang for a bit,been wanting to catch up on all your adventures"the Inuzuka spoke,his small dog yipping in agreement as well. the others sat and began to chat.
Darkness fell over the large village as the teams exited the establishment and went their separate ways. Naruto and Kiba ran home in a light jog to race each other. Sasuke watched them with a small smile and walked away hopefully we can figure out a way to break that damned seal off of him,seems like each thing the elders do to keep Naruto in check backfires in their face he thought with a stoic face. Kakashi and Kurenai walked away towards a bar used by the senior nin of the village.
Kiba laughed lightly while just beating Naruto to the front door of the house"wow I'm shocked I won that to be honest bud" he breathed out while panting. the latter approached with a grin" who says I didn't let you win mutt"he retorted with a pat to the younger ones back. Kiba sighed while remembering the old nickname used by his older brother" yeah yeah just admit I'm getting faster,which is true cause I'm training harder than before with both mom and my team leader,she'll put tha' fear of god in ya when it comes to training" he answered with a chuckle.the front door opened to revel Tsume in pajamas and a loose t-shirt,her hair was in a ponytail to keep it out of her face. her eyes lit up at the sight of the blond kit. "holy shit...brat don't just stand there give your momma a hug" she called out with a grin and swooped up the teen in a tight squeeze. he grinned at her affection and close proximity,Naruto also noted her smell and melted into the embrace more mmm pinecones and lavender gods...this is heavenly she noticed his relaxed posture and pulled him back to look the teen in the face,noting the sleep deprivation and small bags under his eyes kami he looks rough as hell... hopefully he'll get some much needed rest here.
Tsume had cooked up a small meal of rice and steak with steamed broccoli,the scent wafted throughout the house with a pleasing smell. Naruto sat crossed legged across from his mom and beside Hana who had also hugged him with a death grip,his face more comical that go around. "so kit where the hell have you been hiding all this time,that rat bastard didn't even tell me you had gotten out and i was close to killing him with my bare hands"the elder woman spoke up while taking a drink of sake. "well I was in a solitary confinement cell until he offered me a deal,my freedom in exchange for sealing away some of my power,only problem is he didn't mention what all it did to me,I'm weaker than when I first started the damned academy and...my friend was locked away,I can't even talk to her now" Naruto stated with a depression taking root to his voice. Tsume dropped her fork in slow motion as the words echoed in her mind WHAT THE FUCK...OH HELL NO she screamed in utter rage at was done to her kit behind closed doors. Kiba began to sweat at the immense pressure building within the small room. "mom don't lose..." he was met with eyes aflame with fury as she spoke" he won't pay today children,but be assured that I will have my revenge for this unholy transgression upon my son and family, this I swear"the irrate woman drawled out in a chilling breath.