A/N's will be at the bottom
Disclaimer: I don not own Naruto or any of its characters.
Six Years Later
"Of all the jobs to get stuck with…" Shikamaru sighed as he tried to keep pace with his Hokage Tsunade. Her other chosen escort Anko Mitarashi hadn't made the newly young jonin's life any easier either. The trio had been hopping through the tree tops for what seemed like hours now.
Glancing at the older women in front of him he noticed them chatting away as if it wasn't completely freezing. They seemed impervious to almost everything while Shikamaru didn't think things could possibly be worse.
"Oi lazy ass, are we going too fast for you?" The trench coat wearing jonin cackled with glee. Forcing chakra to her feet Shikamaru was forced to watch as the woman started to speed away.
Tsunade right on her tail didn't even seem to notice the change in speed. He sighed. His Hokage had to like Anko better than him. There was just no other way she could seem so immune to his troubles.
Rolling his eyes he figured it was a girl thing. In the end it was always a girl thing. They seemed to enjoy sticking together and hunting men in packs. Frustrated the pine-apple haired man groaned.
"Women are so troublesome." He muttered under his breath thinking no one would hear him. Continuing to hop along the branches he wondered why life seemed to dislike him so much.
It was for this reason that he failed to realize one of the branches he put his foot on wasn't made entirely of wood. In place where bark should have been a large coiled snake lay on top waiting.
Shikamaru let out a less than manly scream as the snake snapped at him teeth gleaming. The creature hissed in anger and Shikamaru didn't like the glint in its eyes one bit.
In attempt to dodge the ferocious reptile trying to bite his balls off the jonin missed the next branch. Needless to say the fall to the ground was longer than he imagined.
With a loud thump Shikamaru's back met the embrace of the hard earth covered in snow. Opening his eyes the first thing he noticed while laying painfully on the ground were the lack of clouds in the sky.
"I heard that gaki!" Anko yelled back at the fallen boy in a sing-song voice. Even from his spot on the ground he could hear Tsunade-sama scolding Anko for her little prank. He knew silently though that she too was mocking him.
"Fucking hell" Shikamaru cursed. Were all women going to be the end of him? Seriously what had he ever done to deserve this?
Shivering in the snow Shikamaru right then and there decided he hated The Land of Iron. It was too damn cold for anybody to live in.
Even with all the extra layers of clothes he had put on it still felt as if he was being frozen alive. Worse he still couldn't manage the concept of 'no clouds' to gaze at. What kind of freaky hell was this?
Staring at the cloudless sky he was unwilling to get up. He didn't care if he fell behind the two women. They would come back to retrieve him eventually. And if they didn't… well Shikamaru didn't seem to mind that option to much either.
Yet it was then that his ear decided to twitch. He heard something. It sounded almost like a low chuckling. There was something out of place though. The chuckling definitely sounded like a man.
The last time he had checked Tsunade-sama and Anko had clearly been women and even that was a topic that delved too far into it would cause him copious amounts of pain. So what was this? Was he so low that the trees laughed at him now?
"Shikamaru" A voice called out. Okay. Not a tree. Definitely not a tree.
Shinobi senses finally kicking into overtime Shikamaru bounced to his feet in seconds. Kunai now in hand he scanned the area for a threat. He'd been caught off guard but he would not be caught unprepared for the situation.
For a minute it truly did seem as if no one was there. Then his wary eyes finally caught sight of the object he was looking for. In the tree tops staring down at him was a man or at least what he thought was a man.
The figure was covered head to toe in a large black cloak. It eerily reminded him of the one Akatsuki always wore except with a large hood. His eyebrows narrowed in frustration as he found even the man's face was covered by a mask. Not a single part of his body was visible.
'Where's my support when I need it?' He thought bitterly. Gripping his kunai at the hilt Shikamaru threw it at him fully expecting the cloaked figure to dodge it.
They would test each other. Shikamaru knew this man couldn't do anything drastic. Not if he wanted to attract any attention over to the area. Shikamaru had the advantage or at least he thought.
Watching the kunai fly he waited for the man to dodge and the kunai to slide noisily into the tree. His mind was already working in overtime to plan the next ten moves of the encounter.
It was what Shikamaru was good at it. He planned and he won. Everything always worked so long as Shikamaru could think. Everything else was just a pawn waiting to be manipulated.
So his eyes widened with surprise when instead he watched the man catch it with one finger. Right through the opening in the hilt he caught the kunai as if it was a play toy.
Even after that the man just stood casually allowing the caught kunai to spin freely in circles around his finger. It was if he could see the man's playful smirk through his mask. It drove Shikamaru insane.
He'd had no luck today at all. This just seemed like the icing on the cake. What irritated the jonin the most was this meeting seemed like a game to the mysterious man.
"…Shikamaru" The pine-apple haired man was surprised to hear his name come from the mysterious figure. It was as if he was testing it out on his tongue. Did he know him?
"What do you want?" Shikamaru demanded. His cold calculating eyes tried to dissect the man. There was no time to waste. Not a single second. Who was this man? And more importantly why does he seem to know him?
He supposed the man knowing his name could be explained through the bingo book; however it had been quite some time since his name had been added into the new addition. He was stuck as the chief analyzer with his father so there was never much time to go into the field anymore.
The man he scrutinized was silent. If anything, to Shikamaru the guy seemed confused. Shikamaru wondered what there was to be confused about. If anyone was allowed to be confused it was him damn it. He had attacked Shikamaru, not the other way around.
"I don't particularly enjoy repeating myself because I find it very troublesome so I'll ask one more time. What do you want?" Shikamaru emphasized his question as if he was speaking to a young child.
He didn't like not knowing things. When you knew something you could plan accordingly. When you didn't know something you usually died. That was how things worked in the shinobi world.
"I-" The man started slowly, "I couldn't pass up the chance to visit an old friend."
Shikamaru couldn't help but notice the way he had said the word friend with more than a little detachment. It was as if he didn't particularly care for the word in itself.
"The hell do you mean by that?" Shikamaru asked bewildered though. 'An old friend…?' He knew he had some pretty messed up friends, but as far as he was concerned none of them looked like a damn creeper.
This mission officially sucked. It was beyond troublesome. Why was he even here again anyway? He could have been at home asleep.
'Oh yeah..' he thought bitterly, 'Asuma-sensei practically demanded that I go in his stead.' If there was one thing he would do when he got home it would be to make sure Asuma Sarutobi paid. Dearly.
Anko's voice suddenly called out from behind him. "Oi! What the hell gaki? You were supposed to follow us after you fell!"
"Kami I think he's worse than his father. Seriously even Shikaku wasn't this bad." Tsunade's irritation was audible. Hearing them rustle through the foliage nearby he turned to warn them of the possible enemy.
"Tsunade-sama possible threa-" His warning died in his throat when he turned to find his attacker had already gone. It was if he had never been there in the first place.
Why? Oh Kami why did it have to be him? He had been there. Shikamaru knew he had been there. For Kami's sake he had even semi-talked to the strange man.
"Gaki," Anko started, "Don't you know it's not nice to take your anger out on trees? What did they ever do to your sorry ass?" Anko's grin was clear as day.
He knew she had spotted his weapon lodged in the tree above. She had seen the kunai that had previously been held captive by the cloaked man.
"Let's just get moving. We're going to be late as it is." Tsunade said slowly almost unsure of what she was seeing. Shikamaru didn't miss the incredulous look his Hokage shot him.
'Great…' Shikamaru thought, 'Now my Hokage thinks I'm insane.' That was perfect. He hadn't even made it to the Kage Summit yet and this whole trip had already been dubbed a bust in his opinion.
Watching the women leave him behind once again he followed slowly. His mind was a blur with racing thoughts. Next stop was the Kage Summit.
Forgetting about his previous encounter in the woods he focused on the real mission. Whether he liked it or not he was going to have to get serious soon. A Kage Summit was no place to joke.
The topic itself had been called to the forefront by the Raikage, but it had been something that secretly all the Kages had been questioning. It still didn't change the fact that Shikamaru didn't want to go and listen to them bitch about a vigilante.
Troublesome as it was Shikamaru did to some degree understand the problem created. This man—they assumed it was a man—both helped and hurt the Five Great Villages.
To Shikamaru the guy seemed a little indecisive about his decisions. You either played the bad guy or the good guy, but you couldn't be both. More importantly it wasn't smart to piss off the strongest ninjas in history while you were at it.
But hey, if the guy wanted to play hero Shikamaru was more than game to stay out of his way. It wasn't really his problem to fix, yet it seemed as if his village wanted to force it on to him anyway. The Kages didn't like this hero and he was about to get hell for it.
Shikamaru had left the clearing behind. Discreetly though not wanting to be caught, he glanced back towards the area. A chill ran up his spine. Dark and cold he couldn't help but think they were being watched. He sensed no other presences by them, but he still couldn't shake the feeling.
His now mind flew to the man he had met before. Shikamaru was sure he had been real without a doubt. The mysterious figure invaded his mind with questions that he could not answer.
He had called Shikamaru an old friend. The words confused him. Yet thinking back to his encounter there was something about him. There was something about him that seemed familiar. So then why for the life of him could he not pinpoint where?
Sighing he knew there was no point. Following closely behind his Hokage and the reckless Anko his mind was a mess. One thing was clear though.
Over anything else he knew for a fact that this meeting between the Kages was going to be more than he bargained for. If he was right it was going to be more than any of them had bargained for.
"Damn this troublesome mission" Shikamaru said softly under his breath. Too many things just weren't adding up. Too many new factors just kept appearing.
It almost seemed as they were trying to deal with the problem but were only able to see half of it. They were being set up to fail.
Looking to the sky he missed the clouds. They had always calmed his raging nerves in the past. Shivering from the onslaught of snow Shikamaru cursed the Samurai for living in such an inhabitable area. He really did hate the cold.
On the other side of the forest sat a lone figure. His back leant against the cool bark and he sat high above the ground on a branch. In the distance the towering build of the castle that was the Samurai's fortress stood.
A rush of memories came back to him. His shadow clone on the east side of the forest had seemingly run out of chakra. The figure frowned beneath his masked.
"That was not a part of the plan" He thought mirthlessly. His legs swung on either side of the branch. At a distance no one would see the figure. He seemingly disappeared into the background.
Covered from head to toe he wore a long black cloak. The cloth ended right at his ankles while the sleeves engulfed his hands in the shadows. A hood was constantly worn preventing any hair from poking out.
To finish it off he wore a mask to cover his face. With a rounded muzzle it extended far from his face. Pointed ears garnered the sides of the porcelain item. Finally the slit eye holes were devoured by the shadows making them nothing more than a lost cause.
Everything about the man was forgettable. Nothing really stuck out. Nothing was memorable. He simple wanted to fade out of existence. He was there one moment and then he was gone.
Yet even the best of criminals could not shy away from having some identity. Some spark that made him unique, something that made him alive to others and not nearly the myth that they believed. On his otherwise crystal white mask a red messy smile extended far past the corners of its carved lips.
"It's not a part of the mask." People had whispered. "So then how did it get there?" There were rumors on how the mask was cursed. Or how it was the blood of those he had killed. There had even been talk of how he was simply insane. But the answer was simple. He had just drawn it on.
Bright and unforgettable it abolished the thing he had set out to originally do. Becoming unnoticeable became the impossible. He had created an identity. With one simple red line he became terrifyingly real.
The man who smiled when nothing was good was the man who brought you to your eternal rest. If you saw the red smile of the devil then you were already dead.
That's what he heard around town these days. It was quite funny how folk tales worked like that. Over and over it reminded him of a mantra almost. A voice began speaking in his mind.
"You don't have to do this Naruto." The Kyuubi rarely ever spoke his real name anymore. He only ever said it when he wanted Naruto to know he was dead serious.
Knowing this when the Kyuubi spoke Naruto would drop his musings and listen. Kyuubi was his partner, and he was his.
"I know." Naruto said the words softly.
Looking at the giant Samurai castle ahead he knew it wouldn't be difficult to get in. Within the six years he'd been traveling he'd snuck in and out of the fortress a dozen of times.
He'd gone in learning their techniques, understanding their beliefs, and at some point he'd gone in to create some sort of honor for himself.
There were many stories to his travels not all of them so pretty, either way they ended with him here right now. All of his stories and travels led to this. This single mission that he had created.
"Then why are you doing this?" The giant fox genuinely asked. Sometimes his container confused even him.
Naruto chuckled. Looking at the snow filled sky it reminded him of something. It was something that he held on to dearly. Sometimes it felt as if it was all he had to hold on to.
"I have an obligation Kurama" Naruto said using the fox's real name. It hadn't been too long into his journey that the fox had told him his name. It had been a changing point in their relationship, one for the better.
"One of these days I am going to wipe your memories of that child." Kurama said sighing in his cage. Over the years they had been traveling he had pondered his container.
Of all the containers he could have gotten he received the on that had some kind of self-duty. He'd wondered if he'd have liked a selfish container better, one that had truly only cared for himself. Or maybe a self-titled one that just sat on his ass all day. That would have been nice to.
Even still, looking at the man before him and watching him grow he wouldn't have wanted any other container but Naruto. He'd never admit it, but Kurama had become attached to the kid.
"Oh be quiet." He shushed. "You liked her just as much as I did you stupid fox. She saved your furry ass as much as she saved mine." Kurama knew he was right.
That girl had saved both of them. She had set Naruto back straight and she had been the miracle he had prayed for in those hard times.
Yet she also caused him to remember. Kurama thought it was best Naruto didn't remember sometimes. All that was in the boy's past was pain. Pain wasn't something anyone needed to remember.
"If you go in there the chance of your identity being discovered…" He let the rest of the sentence hang. He wanted Naruto to fill in the blanks for himself.
Naruto sat still letting the wind blow by him. It wasn't as if he didn't know the consequences of his actions. Yet it was already too late to change courses.
Long ago he had set off a chain event of reactions and now that he'd started he couldn't stop. He knew that more than anything.
"It's a possibility." His voice was even holding almost no emotion.
Kurama sighed at the boy's apparent disregard for everything. He was acting as if he was prepared for all the consequences of going through with his plan.
He knew he wasn't. Not in the slightest. Things like this just weren't that simple. Silence reigned between the two beings. Opposite ends of the spectrum one believed he was ready to take the step forward. The other believed they needed to take a step back again. Progression came with time not will.
"Why did I go and see Shikamaru?" Naruto asked his friend. Even he didn't know what he heard in his voice asking it aloud. Was there resentment, bitterness, anger, sorrow? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was fear.
What did Shikamaru represent? Simple. Shikamaru represented Konoha. So did that mean he was afraid to see Konoha again?
"You ask me as if I know everything kit. I can't always know what goes through your mind." Shaking his head at the boy the fox laid his head down on the green grass beneath him.
It had been sometime since Naruto had changed his dank mindscape into something much more comfortable for the giant had to admit that anything would have been better than the sewer and cage that he had previously dwelled in. Yet he never thought possible for what the boy had given him.
Open grass and blue skies there was food for him to hunt and eat and then water to drink. As a being of chakra he shouldn't technically need any of it. It was still nice though.
Even the bars had been replaced by a small collar. Naruto had really pulled through for him.
The blonde watched a bird fly high in the sky. It looked like a little dot in the vast white ocean of the snow. He snorted before his eyes drifted to the ground. His mind swam in a sea of impossible questions.
"Have I really not changed at all?" He reprimanded himself in whispers. His eyes came in and out of focus. He eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "…at all? Am I really still the same boy I was?"
His breaths became shallow. Small puffs of air appeared in front of the masked man in little storm clouds. "Pathetic."
Kurama closed his eyes sadly. It seemed as if another episode was to occur. It wasn't fair how much pain his container was in. Yet he knew better than anybody that there were some things that took more than time to heal.
They had traveled so far, they had shared stories and memories, they had experienced more than Kurama thought any normal ninja would dream of. This boy here had really changed him. It hurt him to see him so in pain.
"You are still so angry kit, so angry and sad that you don't even realize it." Kurama's words rang clear in Naruto's head.
The blonde boy shut his eyes from the world. Shaking his head furiously his hands roamed through his hidden blonde locks in frustration. It was like someone was squeezing all the life out of his heart.
"I'm going to sleep kit. Don't get into too much trouble." He knew his words were already lost to the boy. He was already too caught up in his past, but he couldn't bring himself to watch the boy tear himself in two.
Naruto could help every single person in the world, change them for the better and make them see a different light. When it came to himself though it was like the young man locked himself in a prison and threw away the key. He wanted to shoulder his burden alone.
A soundless scream passed through his Naruto's lips. Confusion and heartbreak seemed to play a melody within the sorrowful cry. Memories played in his mind.
Over and over memories were all that stared him in the eyes. Everything all at once had come back to the forefront of his mind.
The isolation as a child, the Sandaime, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Pein, Gaara all of them back in an instant. It all seemed to be stuck on replay.
"Go away!" He said to no one. "I don't want these anymore! I don't want them." He yelled. "Make it stop…please" His roar was deafening. Tears threatened to spill on his face, but he tore his mask off in a fit to reach the tears before they descended. He scratched at them refusing to let them fall.
It shouldn't be like this. He had come to terms with his leaving so many years ago. He had come to terms with his life. He didn't want them to haunt him anymore. He just wanted them to go away.
His face visible to the cool air he felt the breeze on his cheek. It was cold. His blue eyes were hollow even he knew that. He stopped looking into mirrors long ago. He couldn't stand the reflection that stared back at him.
"Who am I?" He asked himself. His ears were ringing with a sound he didn't know and his head pounded into his skull.
"I am Naruto Uzumaki." Nodding he tried to give himself reassurance to his reality, to his truth. Yet another question burned in his mind.
"Who is Naruto Uzumaki?" He didn't know. He didn't know who that man was anymore. Maybe once he had, but no longer.
The bird that had been flying in the sky earlier came down and perched beside him. It looked at him questioningly. The memories were finally starting to fade. The ringing was faint and quiet.
He licked his chapped lips. Taking a breath he steadied his breathing. There was something wrong with him.
On a mental or psychological level maybe, but Naruto knew there was something wrong with him. He wouldn't weigh his needs on the balance with others though. He would live and he would die. Simple as that.
The bird came closer to him. He shooed it away with his hands. Flapping its wings the tiny creature made a big show, but stayed where she landed. Hopping back and forth it stared at Naruto with beady eyes.
"Fuck you chicken" He cursed in irritation at the bird. Sighing to himself he realized that he was arguing with a bird. Favoring to now ignore the winged beast he took out a kunai and played with it in his hands.
Closing his eyes he enjoyed the moment of peace he had, the moment of clarity. It wasn't often that he was to experience this anymore. And in the coming days there wouldn't be any more to have.
Unconsciously he began to hum a melody he once knew as a child. He didn't really recall where he had heard the tune only that it made him feel better. It made him feel warm in these cold days.
He had almost dropped his kunai when the annoying bird next to him began to sing along with him. His exposed blue eyes nearly bugged out of his face.
"The hell…" Naruto said. When the bird had finished a round of the tune he would just start again. Slightly amused Naruto licked his lips again. Trying to whistle this time he failed miserably. It just didn't sound as pretty as when the bird did it.
The bird seemed to agree as it stopped its singing. Hopping closer to him, it began to peck at his unsuspecting hand. Giving a small yelp of pain he grabbed the now bruised hand as the bird took off to the skies.
Holding his still hurt hand he smiled gently. "Stupid bird." He muttered.
Standing up from the branch he'd been sitting on for the past two hours he jumped down to the snow covered ground. He began the long walk to the fortress of the Samurai.
The Kage Summit would be starting soon and it seemed as if he was going to be a little late. His feet crunched loudly in the already hardening snow. Grabbing his mask he placed it securely back on to his face.
"You know you don't have to do this Naruto." Kurama's words from earlier drifted in his head. "We can still just keep on running. You don't owe these people anything."
Sighing Naruto spoke to himself, "I know my friend oh how I know" The words were soft and gentle. His footsteps slowed and he seemed almost ready to stop, but with memories of a small young girl his next words kept his feet moving forward.
"I have an obligation."
A/N - And there is Chapter 5. Sorry it took so long to get up I've been kinda busy with training, but it is now up nonetheless. So going off of this chapter I really didn't put to much into it because next chapter is going to kind of explain the story in a whole lot more detail in the future plot overall.
Another thing is I probably won't be showing a lot of the background of Naruto during his whole MIA time unless needed in a small flashback. That's going to be a more major thing in the next chapter. The whole background with his training would be a lot of writing and I'm not sure if I want to add that in here or delve off for that to be a side story of prequel to this story. It'll be up to you guys I guess.
If your confused on the whole 'obligation' thing we got going on that's again a part of his past and I'm still debating on whether or not to make a chapter on its own now about it or waiting till later to talk about it. It will play a major role in who Naruto is now and how he has changed from his time in Konoha.
Well, that's about it I think. Leave a review if you can, critiques, ideas, or thoughts are appreciated. Stick with me and I guess I'll see you next chapter.
Thanks!
NoMan4u