The Wanderers
Chapter 8 – Grief
A/N: I do apologise for the lateness of this chapter. Three assignments for university due at the same time didn't leave me much room for writing. On the upside though, the first chapter of the Suna Chuunin Exams is up. They'll be about once a fortnight, hopefully. Feel free to check that out as a prequel to this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Lee would use Drunken Fist more often.
Naruto's eyes flickered open slowly. His body was stiff and unresponsive as he felt the cold stone that he was lying on. He struggled to sit up as he attempted to look at his surroundings. He felt a warm pulse through his exposed chest as a hand pushed him back down. The blonde went to protest until he saw the white eyes he had become so comfortable with. Hinata smiled warmly as Naruto tried to get up again.
She pushed him back down, "Stay still, Naruto-kun. Your body is still recovering."
"But…"
Hinata tried to look at him sternly and failed, unable to keep the smile from her face.
"No buts. Shizune-sensei says you are lucky to be alive."
"How long was I out?"
"Two days" she responded, keeping her hand over one of the scars on his chest.
Naruto wanted to get up again, he hated staying still, but he could see something in her face that gave him pause.
"What is it, Hina-chan?"
The Hyuuga girl took her hand off his chest reluctantly, before taking a seat next to his legs.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it Naruto-kun."
The blonde stayed down at her request, but still turned his head to look at the young girl's face.
"You can tell me, Hina-chan."
"It's just…we almost lost you…the others…"
She could feel herself wanting to cry, unable to stop herself until she felt Naruto slip his hand into hers, rubbing her skin with his fingers.
"I'm not going anywhere. Not with you guys looking over me."
Hinata blushed at the touch, but held on as she felt the urge to just lie down next to him. She looked over at his face, noticing his eyes closing again as he drifted back to sleep.
"Naruto-kun?"
"I'm not asleep, I swear" he muttered, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.
Hinata smiled at her blonde companion, patting his hand before trying to release it. Naruto gripped the dark haired girl's hand tightly, "Hina-chan…do you mind just…"
He tried to sound indifferent, but Hinata could tell how hard it was for the blonde shinobi.
"Would you like me to stay for a while?" she asked, her attempt to not sound hopeful failing dismally.
Naruto's kept his eyes shut, stubbornly lying in silence. He broke before she did however, finally giving her hand a squeeze.
"You're going to make me ask, aren't you?"
Feeling an odd stubborn streak that the others could only describe as 'Naruto-ish', Hinata nodded while looking away from him. Naruto sighed, but internally was intrigued by the 'new' Hinata.
"Fine. Can you please stay and keep me company? Can you talk to me so I can stay awake?"
Hinata tried to hide her excitement and failed, letting off a squeak before gripping his hand as tight as she could.
"I'd love to, Naruto-kun."
The blonde smiled at the girl's reaction, then thought about what she had just called him.
"You know, I was thinking about something Hina-chan."
She looked at his face with curiosity. Naruto blushed suddenly as her white eyes looked into his, feeling a pulse of warmth through her hands. He felt a strange pang in his chest, but coughed awkwardly to cover it up.
"I call you Hina-chan, right? What about me?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, not able to understand the nuance of Naruto's question.
The blonde blushed and glanced away, not willing to pursue it any further.
"Naruto-kun? What did you mean?" asked Hinata, leaning closer while still not understanding.
"N…nothing, don't worry about it. Let's…talk about something else. How are the others?"
Hinata sighed at his question, looking over at the others on the other side of the campsite with a sad look.
"Not good, Naruto-kun."
***Flashback***
"Sakura, get the yellow vial from my pack! Hinata, Ino, concentrate on the shoulder wounds! I want a low voltage electrical charge ready, Kakashi!"
Shizune continued to bark orders at the group as Shikamaru dabbed her forehead with a cloth, her ponytail whipping him in the face as she moved up her patient's body with her glowing blue hands. The ground beneath the healers was covered in blood as they struggled to keep their patient from bleeding out. On a slab between them lay the younger Uchiha, having suffered the worst injuries of the survivors.
While his initial wounds should have been easily treated, Shizune found that there were tiny pieces of poisoned bone embedded in his body that was slowly breaking down his system. Shizune swore silently as she threw away another chunk of bone from Sasuke's side. Her technique had been cancelled once her injury had been regenerated, her master would have been proud of the precision of her seal though Tsunade would have kept it up for the whole fight rather then just using it when suffering major injuries.
Even if we remove all the poisoned bones and healed the wounds, he's lost far too much blood…
She dropped another chunk of bone into the water pool they had been collecting them in, watching as her students worked valiantly to save Sasuke's life.
"We need to set up a blood transfusion" she said, already yelling orders to the others of the group to prepare another slab.
"What's Sasuke's blood type?" asked Hinata, throwing down a blanket to prevent any blood from spilling onto the slab.
"AB. He's a universal blood receiver" stated Kakashi, his body having recovered the quickest out of the remaining Jounin.
"That's not accurate" came a voice from the forest.
The group that wasn't patrolling watched as Sasuke's brother emerged from the forest, his body covered in scratches and dried blood.
"Itachi! We searched for you for hours. We had all but written you off."
The elder Uchiha turned his gaze to the speaker, looking the white-haired Jounin in the eye before grinning uncharacteristically. The group wasn't sure how to react as Itachi smiled at the rest of the group before noticing his brother's condition.
"How is he?" he asked, walking over and placing a hand on his brother's arm.
Shizune shook her head and wiped her face with the sleeve of her kimono.
"Not good. He's essentially healed, but he's lost a lot of blood. We need a donor now, otherwise he won't make it."
"What did you say about Sasuke's blood type?" asked Shikamaru, wary of the fact that the others were late coming back from their patrol.
Itachi sat down on the slab next to Sasuke's and presented his arm to the Jounin medic.
"Uchiha blood rejects all other types of blood. If you tried to transfuse Sasuke with non-Uchiha blood, he'd die."
"The Uchiha's actually went through with that? I thought that was a myth" said Kakashi.
Not wanting any particular details, Shizune unceremoniously stabbed into his arm before connecting a tube to Sasuke. Itachi swore at the pain as blood flowed from one brother to the other. Shizune placed a hand over Sasuke's face, taking a moment before sighing in relief, reaching up and undoing her ponytail. She turned her attention to Itachi, who was looking at his brother with a warm smile.
"Where were you, Itachi? We've had people out looking for you."
"It's a long story."
***Flashback within a flashback***
Itachi placed his hands together and gave a short bow. The scenery was the best he could find in the short period of time he had. It wasn't his best work by a long shot; his ability with earth techniques left much to be desired. He was still recovering from his battle after all. But he thought it was appropriate given the situation. He felt the cool sea breeze across his face as he regarded the cross in the ground.
He put down his hands and smiled, feeling an odd sense of calm release as he look at what he had carved. The cross had a line characters down the centre, pointing at the newly dug up earth.
Hoshigaki Kisame. A man who sought the truth of the world.
He rubbed a hand across the carving, wondering if he should have used a kunai rather then the edge of Kanako. Always on his mind, he wondered what she would have thought of his actions.
She would probably chastise me for worrying about it, and then praise me for my kindness. Kisame, I wish you could have met each other. It would seem that those close to me have a habit of dying.
He considered the information he had received from the crow he had sent out to Sasuke. His brother was in a bad way, but his injuries didn't seem fatal so Itachi had taken his time. Nodded at the cross one last time, Itachi looked at the symbol of truth he had carved on the top of Kisame's grave.
I will see you again, my friend. But not yet…
***End Flashback within a flashback***
"That took you a whole day?" asked Shizune, sitting down as the fatigue of constantly healing injuries was catching up to her.
Itachi didn't respond, taking a look at the ragtag group of ninja.
"How did we end up?" he asked, not too sure he wanted to know the answer since it was his miscalculation that caused the multiple pursuers.
Kakashi put away his book reluctantly before regarding the ex-Akatsuki member.
"Most of us are fine, just exhausted. All targets were taken out. Naruto is yet to wake up again. Lee took the brunt of a dangerous explosion, but was healed properly. He should wake up within a few days, though he won't be at full strength for a few weeks. Sasuke is as you see him. Shino took a lung-full of poison gas to the face. He was able to overcome the poison, but lost his hive in the process. He…hasn't taken it well."
Itachi nodded in understanding, recognising the pain of having those closest to you die. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the pain from the transfusion became ignorable.
"So we didn't lose anyone. That's a relief."
He watched as the group became solemn, a dull silence as he saw the angry glare Neji was giving him. The Hyuuga walked up to him slowly, not willing to hide the anger in his eyes.
"My teacher is dead, Uchiha. Your error cost us one of our best warriors."
Itachi eyes dropped immediately as he realised that he hadn't been greeted by the maddeningly enthusiastic Jounin.
"Gai…was killed…" he said, feeling a stab of pain through his chest.
He had taken so many precautions for the operation, and considering the situation they were in, only one casualty was remarkable. But Itachi knew that they weren't a group that could afford any deaths, each member of their group was connected to the others. Only he and Shizune felt out of place, and the short-haired medic had no problems fitting in with the group of teenagers and their teachers.
While his brother and his blonde friend had accepted him into their group, he knew that he was still seen with suspicion. Itachi stood up from his seat, removing the tube as Shizune healed the cut on his brother. He looked at the furious eldest member of the Hyuuga clan with sad eyes.
"I am sorry for you loss. I take full responsibility. If you wish for me to leave, then I shall."
Neji stood up to Itachi, his face inches away from the Uchiha elder. He activated his Byakugan, staring directly through him to where Lee was lying unconscious.
"It was your loss too. Everyone's loss."
He glared at the Uchiha for a few moments before stepping back, sighing as he realised that there was no point blaming Itachi.
"But, you don't need to apologise. We are shinobi, this is our life. Gai-sensei died protecting his students. That's the most any shinobi can ask for themselves."
Itachi was speechless, fully prepared to be hated for his part in Gai's death. He watched as Kakashi placed a hand on the Hyuuga teenager's shoulder before nodding to Itachi. It was only for a split second, but as Itachi looked into the Jounin's uncovered eye he could tell what Kakashi was trying to convey.
You did the best you could. The burden is not yours.
He shook his head slowly and sat back down next to his brother, watching the younger Uchiha's chest rise and fall with laboured breaths. He felt a rising anger as he saw of the grave marking where they had buried Gai.
This is so senseless. I had us do this operation as much for myself as it was for Naruto. I just…I want to be able to sleep at night without the faces of the dead haunting me. I'm sorry, Gai.
***End Flashback***
Hinata finished the story, patting him on the hand lightly as she stood up. She went to tell Shizune that he had awoken, but when she turned around she saw that Naruto was fast asleep, drooling slightly into the stone he was on, a smile clear on his face. Hinata sighed and sat back down, pulling out a cloth to wipe Naruto's face.
"You're like a dutiful wife" observed Ino, having finished rebuilding her tent after a training session with Kiba who had mistimed his technique, demolishing half their tents.
Hinata smiled at her companion and pulled up a blanket over Naruto's sleeping body.
Ino looked at the Uzumaki heir, "Does he know?"
Hinata nodded shyly, "In a way. I don't think he understands how I feel."
Ino sat down opposite the girl, putting her legs on Naruto's rock.
"Do you?" she asked, secretly jealous at the two Konoha ninja's relationship.
"What do you mean?" asked Hinata, curious at to what Ino was getting at.
The blonde female ninja waved a hand at Naruto, "Do you love him? I mean really love him?"
The Hyuuga girl looked at the boy she was pointing at, seeing him continue to drool into the rock while muttering incoherently in his sleep. She smiled slowly and looked back at Ino.
"I do."
Ino sighed jealously, "Do you know if he likes you back?"
Hinata shook her head, "I'd like to think he does, but I don't know."
Ino stood up and looked the blonde closely in the face.
"Well, I can't say I understand what you see in him, but good for you."
She leant down and whispered into her ear, "Next town we go to, take him out somewhere. Show him some affection. Even a dense type like Naruto will fall for you."
Hinata blushed as she thought of a date with Naruto.
Ino smiled and stepped back, "Tell us girls beforehand though, so we can do you up, okay?"
Hinata nodded with a smile, thanking Ino for her consideration while looking back at her crush.
What do you think of me, Naruto-kun?
When Lee awoke and was given the news, he left the group without a word, immediately sitting down opposite the cross where they buried Gai. The rest of the group had offered their condolences, but the bob-haired shinobi had said nothing in return, simply staring blankly at the cross. For two days he didn't eat, drink, or talk to anybody.
"I'm worried about Lee-kun" said Sakura, taking a look at their companion sitting away from the group.
Naruto nodded, having tried and failed to talk to the taijutsu fighter.
"We can't stay here forever" said Itachi, feeling an immense sense of guilt since the Genin had woken up.
Having returned from his patrol, Kakashi gave a slow sigh as he saw the other Genin sitting around idly.
"Do we know for certain that Akatsuki won't come here?"
Itachi shook his head, "Before coming to collect Naruto-kun, I tracked down and killed their tracking specialist. It was why I was away for nearly a month. But it's a risk we can't afford to take."
The others nodded as Kakashi giving orders to pack up the camp. Sakura watched as the group began to pack up, before making her way towards Lee's position. She collected her recently-ruined qipao dress in her hands before sitting down next to Lee. He didn't acknowledge her with any movement, still staring at the grave of his teacher.
After several minutes Sakura stretched out her legs, remembering the words she had been told when she was struggling with her parents' deaths.
"There are no words that can make this better. No action can get rid of the pain."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a slight twitch in Lee's face, though he still stared blankly forward. She stood up and walked over until she was opposite him, sitting down so that he couldn't see the grave. Lee's eyes were vacant, as if he wasn't even conscious anymore. Sakura picked up one of his hands and held it, frightened at how cold his hands were.
"Lee-kun, he wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."
While he hadn't flinched at her touch, he moved his face slightly and stared directly into her green eyes.
Feeling the culmination of all his grief into that single moment, he opened his cracked lips; "What do you know of him? What do ANY of you know of him?"
Sakura looked at her companion sadly, crossing her legs whilst still holding onto his hand.
"I didn't get to know him. But you did."
Lee had run out of tears after the first few hours, but all he could see was the 'Nice Guy' pose his teacher had given him before their battles that day.
"I…don't know what I'm meant to do…" he muttered, his anger at her dispersing as his mind began to recollect itself.
His pink-haired friend clutched his hand sympathetically and smiled.
"Me neither. But I did have an idea."
"What?"
"Tell me about him."
Lee stared at her quietly before a sad smile formed on his face.
It took three hours, but Sakura finally convinced Lee to stand up. For about three seconds before he dropped to the ground, the loss of muscle mass provided a most comical of falls. He laughed as he struggled to work his legs, Sakura smiling while also refusing to heal him. He had protested, but thanked her nonetheless. The others came over to help him, continuing to offer their condolences.
Itachi had fallen on his knees and begged Lee's forgiveness, but the Genin had refused to hear it. Lee apologised to the group and swore that by the time they were ready to leave he would be able to walk properly. Having spent time with Lee, none of the group was surprised when he stood in formation with them, his pack on his shoulder.
"Sakura-san, I'm fine" he said, walking slowly next to the pink-haired medic.
Sakura sighed and fiddled with her pack's strap.
"Just…take it easy okay?"
Lee nodded, still testing the weights on his legs since recovering from his injuries. They were heading for a nearby village that they had used before to resupply, in a staggered formation. In the middle of the group, Naruto flinched as he received dozens of clones' worth of experience.
"Anything?" asked Hinata, her Byakugan unable to reach the range that Naruto's clones could.
Naruto sighed, his sword hilt slapping against his back beneath his pack.
"I'm going to have to impose some kind of rule with my clones. The three that reached the town had two bowls of ramen each before dissipating."
Hinata gave a short giggle as she thought about a group of Naruto's sitting in a ramen shop.
"But the town is clear. Nothing suspect, at least from what the clones could tell."
Hinata focused her Byakugan forward, seeing the edges of the town through the black and white vision. Next to her Neji nodded with his Byakugan activated, falling back to the rest of the group to tell the Jounin.
"It'll be nice to have a warm bath" said Hinata; terrified to get closer to Naruto for fear that he would smell her jacket.
Naruto laughed and nodded in agreement, "The town has some hot springs. Something about this land, every town has hot springs. We should go together once we have some time."
Hinata's face blushed immediately and she put her hands to her chest.
"T…ogeth…er?"
It took him a moment, but the advice he had received from Itachi came screaming to him when he realised what he had said.
His blush matched Hinata's as he stuttered "I…no no…I mean…"
Behind them walked the Uchiha brothers, Sasuke still sore from his recovery. They were watching the Genin in front of them with classic Uchiha amusement, stoic faces.
"Are they always like this?" asked Itachi, finding a new avenue of interaction with his brother since Kisame's death.
Sasuke scoffed, "He's as dense as a rock and she's as shy a kitten."
Itachi smiled, his red eyes watching as Naruto laughed awkwardly while Hinata walked silently next to him.
"Should we help them?" asked Itachi, wanting to see at least some happiness in their group.
Sasuke stared at his brother through his own Sharingan; Itachi had him training how long he could keep the doujutsu active. Itachi saw his brother's look and smiled, looking back at the 'couple'.
"I guess you are right. It's more fun to watch it anyway."
He glanced back and saw Lee and Sakura walking to the side of the group, Lee still a bit shaky but stubbornly refusing her help.
"And those two?" he asked of his brother.
Sasuke shrugged, "I don't pay that much attention."
Itachi smiled at his brother, "Now that's a mistake, little brother. They are your companions. They are tasked with protecting you, as you are of them. Information is power, you should know that."
Taking a glance at Sakura fussing over Lee, Sasuke thought about what his brother had said.
"Why should I care who they spend time with? If Naruto wants to be with Hinata, that's fine. If Sakura wants to hang around eyebrows, then whatever."
Itachi sighed, once again regretting that he had been the focus of Sasuke's childhood.
You never got the chance to go through childhood crushes, and now you've been hardened by battle.
Itachi placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, a gesture he had been using more and more since he learnt from Shizune that tapping Sasuke on the head could be considered sibling abuse.
"Maybe one day you'll meet a girl who…uh…"
Sasuke looked at his brother with a mix of annoyance and interest, knowing that while his brother had become more open since their battles he still took some getting used to.
"…ah I know. A girl who can bring you out of your shell."
The younger Uchiha ignored his brother, but later on as they approached the town he thought about the others in the group.
Itachi knows that I intend to restart our clan. Is he trying to give me hints? I can't see him settling with a girl since he's still hung up over that Senju girl.
The village leader had been happy to let the shinobi stay in his village to recover, though provided they removed a group of raiders plaguing the townsfolk. The Konoha group had started to prepare until Lee stood in front of them with his staff in his hands.
"I request to do this task. Alone."
Most of the group wasn't surprised by his request, though Kakashi still frowned at the taijutsu specialist.
"That not feasible, Lee. You don't know how many enemies there are."
Lee shrugged, his sad eyes regarding the Jounin.
"I don't care. I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei, but I…"
"I'll go with him, Kakashi-sensei."
The group stared at the excitable blonde ninja as he walked over and stood next to the green-clad Genin. Lee turned his head and regarded the smiling Uzumaki.
"Naruto-kun, I would prefer to go alone."
Kakashi went to protest, but held himself back when he saw how pained Lee still was.
"Are you sure about this, Lee-kun? You haven't recovered fully yet" stated Shizune, having been satisfied with Sakura's healing but was still protective of the teenagers.
Itachi turned around and began to walk away from the leader's building.
"Let them go. It'll do them good to let loose."
The other Jounin were sceptical, but seeing several of the group beginning to walk with Itachi they sighed and gave up. Kiba and Neji expressed an interest in joining the two Genin, but Lee denied their help. Hinata gave Naruto a look that he smiled at, waving off her concern, while Lee soundless began to make his way to the area the leader had pointed out to them.
"You don't have to accompany me, Naruto-kun. I can handle this" he said as they jumped through the trees.
Naruto swallowed a comment, having learnt from his parents that there were times when he shouldn't say anything. Lee told him again, and Naruto was silent, his sword bouncing on his back.
What's your ploy, Naruto? he thought, as Naruto stopped him.
The blonde signalled with his hand, indicating the information his clones had given him.
"Where you spotted?" asked Lee, his staff shaking in his hands in anticipation.
Naruto shook his head, "They dispersed before being seen. It seems like there are anywhere between fifty and a hundred raiders."
He looked at Lee's face with a serious expression he had shamelessly adopted from his father.
"Are you able to do this, Lee?"
The taijutsu specialist breathed out slowly, trying to keep his hands steady.
"I…can't just sit still. I need to do…something."
Naruto smiled and patted the shinobi on the back. He pulled his sword from its scabbard and held it against his shoulder.
"Let's make it interesting then. I was initially just going to back you up. How about the most takedowns wins?"
Lee stared at the blonde's face with mixed emotions.
I was all set on letting out my anger and he's made that fade away. What is your intention?
Naruto's eyes flickered and he swore underneath his breath.
"They caught my last scout. They are likely setting up defences now."
Lee stood up slowly, clicking his staff into a single long piece.
"We need to take them out then."
Naruto nodded and stood up next to him, still noticing the difference in their heights despite the difference in their ages. He stretched his stiff legs, still feeling the soreness from his own recovery.
"We have to make this a fair fight though. How about this, you don't take off your weights."
Lee shrugged indifferently, "I wasn't playing too. But in the same light, you can't use clones."
The look on Naruto's face was priceless, causing even the depressed Lee to sport a tiny smile before going back to stoic. Seeing that Lee was serious, Naruto groaned and began stretching his arms.
"Well that's made this a lot harder. I'm still going to use other techniques, if that's okay with you."
The green-clad shinobi didn't respond, simply walking slowly towards the compound. Naruto swore and ran to catch up to his companion.
They had decided to split off into different directions, to 'make things more fair' in Naruto's words.
Should I let Lee win? He could use a win. But if I get a low number, he'll think I was pandering, and get worse. Screw it, I'm going all out.
He went to create a group of clones then remembered their deal and sighed. He looked at the defences the well-armed bandits had erected inside the entrance he was looking at. There was a slight reflection off his sword in the moonlight, drawing another sigh from his lips. He didn't want to kill any of the raiders, but he couldn't help get angry at some of the things the village leader had told them about the raiders. He cracked his neck and concentrated on a seal his clones had set up and disappeared in a flash.
It had felt the same as before having the Kyuubi extracted, Naruto feeling a sense of disappointment as he arrived on the roof on the compound. The technique he had used to kill Hidan had been different to his normal Hiraishin, but since then he hadn't been able to replicate it, to his dismay. The blonde shinobi ducked instinctively as a small dagger appeared just above his head.
"Come down you bastard!" yelled one of the raiders, grabbing another dagger from his belt.
Naruto blocked a thrown shuriken with Hirameki, running chakra to his feet. He jumped high into the air as he fuelled chakra into his sword. The raiders' eyes widened as they saw the yellow blur high in the air. He swung Hirameki towards the group of raiders, hoping that his chakra still functioned the same way it had beforehand.
"Shirogai!" (White Scythe)
The blast that emerged from Hirameki was smaller and more refined then the first time with Hinata in the field, but with the disruption of the Kyuubi gone he had finally completed the technique. A long white energy slashed into the group, slamming them into the ground while shredding their weapons apart. Naruto had little interest in killing the raiders, so he had put as little chakra into the strike as possible.
Taking advantage of the raiders' confusion, Naruto threw a kunai to the doorway, just as a large group of enemies flooded in. While falling and blocking the thrown projectiles, he waited until the last raider closed the door before disappearing towards the kunai just as he hit the ground. The raiders' confusion was a great source of amusement to Naruto, who simply stood at the back of the pack and waited. Eventually he gave up waiting for them to notice him, swinging his sword again into the pack.
"Shirogai!"
Fourteen.
Lee drove his tonfa stick into the raider's knee, forcing him to his knees before driving a kunai into his throat.
Fifteen.
He removed the kunai and flicked the blood off it before regarding the newly arriving group of raiders on the other side of the room. Their eyes were wide as they saw the mess. There were bodies strewn throughout the floor, blood dripping down the walls with splintered bone. Lee stared at the raiders and pocketed the kunai, taking his staff off his back again. The raiders were shouting at the green-clad shinobi, but he couldn't hear them.
He had killed before, the problems in Suna had soured his taste for it, but as he drove his staff into the neck of the raider at the front of the pack he felt nothing.
All he cared about was the counting.
Lee dodged a sword swing before moving behind the attacker, twisting his staff and wrapping the chain around the sword-wielder's neck, cracking his wrists as the raider dropped to ground, his neck shattered.
Seventeen.
Lee didn't allow the raiders a chance to recover, leaving his segmented staff on the body of the raider as he drove his fist into the face of another sword wielder. He didn't feel any anger as he destroyed the raider group. His leg weight blocked a staff hit as he tripped a raider's feet, spinning on the ground before driving his heel into the fallen raider's sternum, the overwhelming weight of his leg making a mess of the raider's insides. He caught a punch in his palm, slowly getting up from the ground as he closed his fist around the punch, the raider screaming out in pain as the bones in his hand collapsed within his hand.
Lee slammed his forehead into the raider's face, driving the raider's nose straight into his brain, killing him instantly. He dropped the corpse's hand and turned around to find his next target. To his disappointment, the raiders had fled the room. He walked over to the body that had his staff wrapped around it, his bloody hands placing the weapon back onto his back. Looking at the doorway he placed one foot in front of the other, uncaring about the blood dripping from his bandaged hands.
Twenty.
Naruto slammed through the door, panting heavily as he climbed off the raider who had accompanied him. He found himself in a small room with a table covered in weapons and scrolls. Naruto's eyes widened as he noticed a figure sitting on a chair at the opposite end of the room, covered in dark black armour. He grinned and pulled out his sword again from his back.
"You the boss-man?" he asked, trying to find an opening in the raider's armour with his eyes, and finding none.
The raider rose dramatically, picking up a deadly-looking axe from his side before staring at Naruto through dark eyes.
"I'll take that as a yes."
He threw a kunai at the raider, waiting for him to deflect it so he could flash to it and surprise him. To his dismay, the raider caught the kunai with an armoured gauntlet and crushed it, disrupting the seal wrapped around it. The raider smiled as he dropped the shattered remains of the metal weapon onto the ground.
"I've observed your technique already, ninja. Your sword cannot pierce my armour."
Naruto laughed awkwardly and sheathed his sword. Normally in situations where he was at a disadvantage he might attempt to draw on the Kyuubi's chakra, but that was no longer an option. The raider began to ponderously walk towards Naruto, his grin widening as he drew closer to the short blonde shinobi.
Damnit…I've only got one more Hiraishin and he's seen through that. He's right; Hirameki wouldn't pierce that armour even with my chakra…wait maybe if I fired on contact…
Naruto reached back to remove his sword, but his ears perked up and he instinctively jumped backwards. The raider cocked his head at the ninja's reaction, before the wall next to him exploded outwards, shattered pieces of rock slamming into his armour as Lee walked through the hole, dropping the body of another raider.
"Hey, Lee. How many are you on?" asked Naruto, noticing with alarm how much blood was caked along Lee's arms.
The Genin ignored Naruto, walked slowly towards the leader with a dead expression in his eyes. The leader had the best equipment and dozens of years' worth of battle experience, yet when he looked at the face of the taijutsu shinobi he knew that he couldn't stand against him. He jumped up and backed away, his axe held up defensively. Naruto could only watch in horror as Lee attacked the leader.
Without a sound, the green-clad shinobi ran at the armoured raider, ducking under a swing of the axe before spinning behind him. Naruto could barely follow Lee's movements, and the leader certainly couldn't react to them in time. Lee's hand grabbed at the leader's armoured arms, bringing them behind the leader's back before slamming his foot into his back. The leader screamed out in agony and dropped his axe before dropping to the ground, his shoulder joints completely shattered within his armour.
Naruto went to yell at Lee for taking his mark, but stopped himself and watched in disgust as Lee began to slam his fists into the chest armour of the leader, ignoring the spikes that were piercing the sides of his hands as the armour began to cave in. Lee continued to pound the armour, even after it was clear that the leader was already dead. Naruto jumped over to him and grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him across the room with an angry look.
"He's already gone! Enough is enough, Lee!"
The taijutsu specialist landed on his feet and regarded Naruto with dead eyes. It wasn't until his eyes landed on the metal object on Naruto's forehead that he seemed to really notice Naruto's presence.
"N…Naruto-kun? What are you doing here?" he asked as he looked around his surroundings with surprise.
Naruto gave a sigh as he saw that Lee had no idea where he was.
"Nevermind that, I suppose. What was up with those attacks?"
Lee slowly looked down at the body that Naruto was pointing at, his eyes widening as he remembered what he had done. He held his head in pain, as he realised why he had kept repeating numbers to himself.
"Seventy-five…seventy-five…"
He dropped to his knees and stared at his blood covered arms.
"I…killed so many people…what have I done…"
He could feel the attack coming, but couldn't react in time as Naruto's foot collided with his head, sending him crashing into the hole Lee had created.
"What the he…" he had no time to continue his sentence as he blocked Naruto's punch, before being sent crashing to the ground again by a clone's kick from behind him.
The two Naruto's stood over Lee with serious faces.
"You want to feel sorry for yourself, go right ahead. I'm going outside" said the 'commander' Naruto.
Lee wiped his mouth and spat blood on the ground beneath the blonde's feet.
Please let this work thought Naruto, watching the taijutsu specialist pick himself up off the ground.
Lee glared at Naruto with anger, until something clicked in his mind as he saw the look in Naruto's blue eyes. He watched as the pair of blondes walked away from him, leading the bloody ninja away from the bodies.
"Your taijutsu is impressive, Naruto-kun. Your form is chaotic and without sense, and that is your strength."
Lee was panting as he stated his observations from their spar. Naruto was on the ground covered in bruises and long scratches on his body, yet despite the rising sun shining in his injured face he had a giant grin on his face. He didn't have to ask whether Lee was feeling better, as they had traded blows they could tell what each other was thinking. Naruto's mind was always fairly simple, as Lee had found out though he had learnt more about Naruto then the blonde would have thought.
Naruto-kun, you are a far more complex person then you portray. But the burdens you bear…you always have to watch what you say or do, but when you fight you are…
Naruto wasn't as perceptive at reading Lee's emotions; he had spent the majority of the fight trying not to be killed by Lee's 'light' sparring. But if there was one thing Naruto knew, it was that sometimes a good fight was all you needed to put your worries to one side.
"Thanks…I think…" groaned Naruto, trying to pick himself up from the ground and failing.
Lee sighed and gave an offering hand to the fallen blonde ninja, grateful for his intervention in the previous situation.
"We should get back, Naruto-kun."
Getting to his feet, his companion nodded in agreement, refusing Lee's offer to help him walk back. They spent the two hours on the return trip discussing how they would describe the battle, Lee wishing to avoid telling them about the slaughter, while Naruto wanted the numbers of takedowns to be more equal then the absurd seventy-five to thirty that it actually was. Taking a glance at the scratches on his arms, Naruto noticed with interest that his wounds weren't closing themselves like they used to.
I guess I need to be more careful about how I fight, now that the Kyuubi's gone.
It had taken them half an hour, but the two Genin had convinced their compatriots that they were okay and that the raiders were taken care of. Naruto had simply smiled and waved off the concern of Hinata, who had tried to heal his wounds almost immediately. The blonde had rubbed her head affectionately and told her he was proud of the scars he had collected, though neither Genin had any intention of telling her that they were from a 'light' sparring match. The village leader had praised the group for removing the raiders, offering the group a more then reasonable reward as well as an empty hotel building for their stay.
Kakashi, Itachi and Shizune dragged the two Genin aside once given the opportunity, and they had been forced to confess what had actually happened. Lee had been depressed the whole time, fearful that they would think less of him for his actions. To his surprise, they had been quite sympathetic to his problem, Kakashi even offering to take him out on the town to talk about their fellow deceased companion. As Lee left, Kakashi said something to Itachi that Naruto couldn't quite make out, besides the word "Mangekyou".
Giving his thanks the Jounin for their considerations, knowing that they wouldn't want him in the room anymore, Naruto departed from their 'meeting' room, nearly knocking out a patiently waiting Hinata. The girl's face was in a full blush similar to how she used to have before the Chuunin Exams. The blonde smiled at the young girl, waiting for her to say what she wanted to. She went to speak then stopped herself, unable to make a coherent thought in her mind as she looked into his blue eyes. After a few moments of awkward silence, Naruto placed a hand on her head, grinning as she blushed even further at the contact.
"Hina-chan, I've got to have a shower, I smell like death. We'll talk later, okay?"
She smiled as he rubbed her head affectionately before walking towards the male rooms. Hinata breathed out a sigh of disappointment as the blonde's back disappeared around a corner.
"Oh come on, you were so close…"
Hinata spun around to see two heads poking out from the wall, a pink-haired and blonde in a comical setting that Hinata could tell that one was sitting on the other's back. Sakura nodded in agreement with Ino's statement, pointing over to the corner Naruto had retreated to.
"Are you going to go after him?"
Hinata took a glance over to where she was pointing, tempted to activate her Byakugan and watch him but held herself back. She shook her head and looked down at the floor disappointed.
"I…can't…"
Ino jumped up, causing Sakura to crash backwards and hit her head on the floor.
"Hinata, if you can't talk to him about it then what is the point?"
Sakura swore as she held her head in pain, unable to contribute anything to the discussion whilst plotting her revenge against Ino.
Naruto grimaced as he removed his jacket, the bruises underneath his clothes were some of the most painful he had experienced, particularly without the healing factor of the Kyuubi. He went to go to the connecting bathroom to have a shower, but found himself blocked by a bandaged arm. He looked across and found himself staring in a different type of white eyes from a few moments ago.
"Naruto, I would speak with you for a moment."
"Can this wait until after I have a shower?" asked Naruto, trying to push his way past but Neji wouldn't budge.
"Now would be preferable, Uzumaki-san."
Naruto frowned at the sudden formality, taking a glance into his pupil-less eyes before sighing and indicating for him to take a seat with him. Neji sat down opposite Naruto on the table and placed his hands on his knees formally.
"What is this about?" asked Naruto, taking a cautionary sniff of his armpit before screwing up his face in disgust.
Neji stared at his blonde companion, trying to understand what his cousin saw in him.
"I would like to know what your intentions are" he stated formally, analysing each facial movement in Naruto's face.
The blonde cocked an eyebrow in confusion, "My intentions for what? Having a shower? I stink, that's why."
Neji felt a spike of frustration, but pushed it down.
"Your intentions with my cousin."
Naruto took a few moments until he realised who Neji was talking about.
"Oh, you mean Hinata. What about her?"
Neji strained the muscles in his arms then contracted them.
Must…resist…urge…to…kill…him…
"I'll cut to the chase. Do you like her?"
He felt his anger rising again as he read the confusion on Naruto's face. The blonde went to make what could only be another confusing statement, but Neji put up a silencing hand.
"Let me clarify. You are aware of Hinata's feelings towards you?"
With his hands on the table, Naruto nodded.
"Why do people keep asking me that? I get it, she likes me. What's your point?"
Neji could feel a presence outside their room, but ignored it as he cut to the point.
"You do realise that Hinata is the heir to the Hyuuga clan, right?"
It took him a few moments, but eventually Naruto understood why the branch member had sat him down. His face turned slightly red as he thought about what Neji was implying.
"I…think I understand what you mean."
Internally Neji felt a sigh of relief, though kept up his stern expression. He had to make a reasonable impression o the blonde.
"So Naruto-san, do you love my cousin?"
It took some concentration, but he could hear a slight thump outside the room. He saw that Naruto hadn't noticed it so he made no comment, watching with interest at the change in Naruto's expression since his question. Naruto's face went from flushed to sad in the space of a few seconds.
"I don't know. I never knew what it was like to care for someone in that way. I didn't have parents growing up, as you know."
Letting out a breath of relief, Neji relaxed his arms.
So he's not an idiot. Well not as much as I thought. He…
"You don't understand how you feel about Hinata then?"
Naruto shook his head and smiled at the elder Hyuuga.
"Not really. But somethings I get this strange feeling in my stomach…like I'm really hungry or nervous or something. Do you know what I mean?"
"I must confess I do not. But you must understand my position, Naruto-kun. As a branch member it is my duty to protect Hinata."
Naruto laughed, and then held his sides as he remembered the brutal kick Lee had given him in the ribs. Neji's eyes narrowed and went to protest.
Naruto put up a hand, "You don't need to protect Hinata, least of all from me."
He put a fist to his chest and stared at Neji with determined eyes.
"I may not know what it is like to care for someone, but I won't let anyone harm her. You have my word."
His Hyuuga companion stared at the statement before slowly bowing his head.
"That's all I ask. Thank you."
They both stood up from the table, Naruto waving casually at Neji before entering the bathroom, trying to remove his shirt without bumping his bruises. Neji let out a sigh as he turned his eyes towards the patch of wall that he had heard the previous thump from. He could hear Naruto turn on the water in the shower, and immediately felt a spike of chakra behind the wall. Neji grinned mischievously as he began to count in his head. Right on queue, there was another thump behind the wall, with the chakra dispersing. Neji trying to contain a smile and failed, grateful that nobody was around to see his cracking façade.
Five seconds. She's getting better. Though I can't say I approve of her use of our family technique.
Several days later, as he was making his way back to the hotel, Naruto noticed a small shop near the hotel they were staying at, trying to read the characters across the front. He smiled as he thought of an idea, walking inside the shop quietly. An hour later he returned to the hotel with a grin on his face, taking a seat at the large table in the living room.
"What's got you so happy?" asked Kiba, idly running a brush through his tail, swearing every time he hit a knot.
"I had the most genius idea" responded the blonde, smiling as he saw the girls returning from the springs in the town.
"A genius idea? From you? Naruto, we can't take a ramen chef with us" said Ino, rubbing a towel through her long blonde hair.
The Uzumaki survivor gave a mock look of anguish, but shook his head.
"That's a great idea, but no."
He stood up and unzipped his jacket. Sakura grinned as she saw Hinata's face as Naruto removed his shirt, revealing his bare chest. Hinata's eyes ran all over his chest, but she found herself drawn to a particular mark on his left pectoral muscle. Naruto pointed to the new mark on his chest with his thumb.
"Naruto-kun…that's…"
On his chest was a small black mark, one that was familiar to all of them.
"Is that permanent?" asked Sakura, secretly impressed at what he had done.
Naruto nodded as the others stared at the tattoo, understanding the symbolism behind it. It was the leaf symbol from their forehead protectors, portrayed in perfect detail just underneath one of the scars he had acquired from his fight with Lee.
"Naruto, put your shirt back on before Hinata faints" said Shikamaru, walking into the room accompanied by Chouji and Shino.
"Shikamaru-kun! I…uh…" muttered Hinata, still unable to take her eyes off Naruto.
The blonde laughed and put his shirt back on, having understood a while back about Hinata's…interest.
"So you going to tell us why you got it done?" asked Sakura, taking a seat while collecting her feet under her towel.
Naruto walked over and patted the blushing Hinata on the head before leaning on a nearby wall. He recalled an argument the group had had on the road to the village.
"Itachi-sensei is right; we can't wear our forehead protectors anymore. They draw too much attention. I hated the fact that we weren't going to be able to honour our village, and then I saw a tattoo store."
Shikamaru smirked, "That's almost poetic, Naruto."
The others nodded in agreement as Naruto put his jacket back on. Hinata leant over and asked him a question, to which he smiled and led her out of the room.
"Hey, where are you two going?" yelled out Kiba, having swallowed his pride and asked Ino to help with the brushing.
Naruto popped his head back into the room, "I'm taking Hinata to the store. She said she wanted one."
The other Genin watched as Naruto disappeared again. They looked at each other silently until Sakura stood up, straightening her towel.
"I'm gonna go get changed. Then I might do the same. Never thought I'd be admitting that Naruto had a smart idea."
Hinata smiled as she wrapped her towel back around her chest, nodding her thanks to the tattoo artist as she tried not to scratch the tender spots.
"Don't swim for a few days, and try not to rub them too much" said the tattoo lady, sanitising her instruments with her hands.
The lady leant over and whispered into her ear, "Is that your boyfriend out there?"
Hinata's face immediately turned flush red as she thought about Naruto waiting idly in the other room.
"Ano…he's…ano…"
The lady laughed and patted the girl on the back.
"That's so adorable. Was the other one for him?"
She didn't respond, but the tattoo artist could tell from the slow smile creeping onto the white-eyed girl's face. She laughed again and sent the girl out of the room. Naruto smiled as Hinata emerged, jumped up and asking immediately where she had it done. Hinata blushed and covered herself up more with the towel.
Not as dense as he once was, Naruto offered his hand without another question to the young girl, who took it gladly. As they walked out of the shop, Naruto leaned over and whispered into her ear.
"But really, where did you get it done?" To her credit, Hinata wasn't terribly surprised that Naruto hadn't completely overcome his obliviousness.
They spent three more days in the village before calling a meeting to discuss their next move. Each of them had proclaimed their own frustrations, and all of them were bored out of their minds in the 'peaceful' village. There was a sober mood in the large meeting room.
"Anyone have a place they want to go?" asked Shizune, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Ino put down her tea and untied her ponytail, running her hands through the blonde strands.
"What are we doing? Moving from village to village…picking off bandits for money…"
Kiba nodded in agreement, Akamaru sitting asleep on his tail across his lap.
"We aren't shinobi, we are mercenaries."
"What do you expect?" said Shikamaru; even he had felt like they weren't doing anything productive.
"We have no information about who destroyed Konoha, and we can't exactly go to the other villages for assistance."
At that, Naruto's face perked up, "What about Suna? When we left we seemed to be on good terms with them."
Kakashi shook his head sadly, "We can't rule them out as suspects. We can't trust anyone outside of our group at this time."
The group continued to sit in silence for several minutes, none of them knowing what to say after that. After a while Hinata whispered in Naruto's ear. The blonde nodded and thanked her for reminding him.
"Everyone, I sort of had an idea."
The Konoha ninja turned to Naruto, who suddenly felt embarrassed at the attention he was being given. Hinata smiled at his change in demeanour, before placing a supportive hand on his. He nodded his thanks to her and coughed to clear his throat.
"I had a thought about Uzumaki clan and the Whirlpool shinobi village."
The others remembered Itachi's description of the deceased clan, how they had been destroyed when the Whirlpool Village had been destroyed.
"What's your point?" asked Sasuke, his feet rested on the table.
Naruto turned and looked at the young Uchiha, "How does a ninja village start up?"
The shinobi's faces said everything as they realised what Naruto was suggesting.
"You mean to start a ninja village" stated Itachi, his face betraying nothing at all, though he was intrigued by the idea.
Naruto nodded as he folded his arms on his chest. Next to him Kiba barked out a laugh, slapping Naruto on the back violently.
"That's a great joke. Start a village. Please…my sides…"
The blonde turned around and glared at Kiba, taking all his effort not to glance at the greyish-white tail resting on the table. Kiba laughed again until he saw the look in Naruto's eyes.
"Wait, you're serious?"
"Even for you, that's a really stupid idea, Naruto" said Sasuke.
"Hey!"
Kakashi put up his hands before the two shinobi could get in each other's faces. He looked at the tattoo on his wrist, the leaf symbol almost glowing under the candle lights in the room.
"We can't keep wandering like this. We'll lose our minds" he said, covering the tattoo back up with his glove.
The group nodded in agreement to Kakashi's statement, though they were still sceptical of Naruto's idea. Drawing a scroll containing a map of the shinobi lands from his pack, Itachi laid it out on the table in front of the group. He took a few moments to work out their current position, marking it on the map with a small cross.
He pointed to it with a finger, "The village we are staying at is located here, in the Tea Country."
He dragged his finger across the map to a small island to the east of the Fire Country. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the writing on where Itachi was pointing.
"This is where the Whirlpool village's remains are" said Itachi.
The group stared at the map; it was a two week journey at least.
"So what, we go to these ruins and built a village?" said a sceptical Kiba.
Several of the group repeated the sentiment, and even Naruto had to admit it wasn't the best idea in the world.
"Well regardless of that, there may be some resources we can use there" said Kakashi, taking another look at the map on the table.
And we can at least put off losing our minds for a few weeks.
They began to discuss preparations, and Naruto smiled as he remembered what the last Uzumaki he had met was like.
I wonder what the village would be like…
A day down the road, they took a break along the side of a mountain. The group had been reluctant at first, but once back on the road they had been more enthusiastic. Lee was still quiet, though Sakura had made it her personal mission to make him smile whenever she could. Hinata had been concerned about Shino, who hadn't said anything since their battles so she had accompanied him on the trip. Though she hadn't admitted it to him, she still struggled to look Naruto in the eyes since 'accidently' looking through two walls, a shower curtain and a towel at him.
Away from the group, Kakashi sat down with his back to a large rock as Itachi leant down next to him.
"So how will this work?" he asked, trying to keep his nerves from showing.
With his Sharingan, Itachi could easily read the white-haired ninja's emotions.
"You don't have to do this, Kakashi. There are other ways to get stronger besides the Mangekyou."
The Jounin closed his eye and shook his head.
"I blocked out these memories years ago for a reason. I'd like to know why."
Itachi sighed, taking a seat in front of his companion before removing a scroll from his cloak and opening it between them.
"So…how will this go?" asked Kakashi.
Itachi breathed out slowly before slowly putting his hands together.
"I'll place you under a genjutsu, and then I'll activate my technique. It'll be like being in a dream, only it won't end until I end it."
Kakashi's single eye widened, a plain piece of cloth covering his Sharingan like his forehead protector had, "You'll be seeing my memories?"
"It's necessary for the jutsu. As I said, we don't have to do this…"
"…just do it."
Itachi slowly went through the seals and placed a hand in the middle of the empty scroll, black characters slowly forming under his hand. Deactivating his Sharingan that he was so used to having on all the time, Itachi removed his hand and placed it into a half tiger seal.
"I don't know how long this will take inside your memories, but it won't be more then an hour in reality."
Kakashi nodded in acknowledgement, hoping it wouldn't be as he thought it would be.
"This may not end with you obtaining the Mangekyou, you do realise that?" said Itachi.
"Itachi, if you don't do it, I'm going to make you."
A smile crept onto Itachi's face as he activated the technique.
"Hijutsu: Kinenseisoku" (Hidden Technique: Living Memory).
Author's Note:
That's right, it's time to delve a bit into Kakashi's past. It won't be a copy of the Kakashi Gaiden; it'll be just after Obito's death. Admittedly I wanted an excuse to write more Minato. I will also admit I shamelessly took the scene between Itachi and Kisame straight from Gladiator. I love that movie, it's my favourite.
Please review and tell me what you think. What can be improved, what you liked, I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.
Naruto Story Spotlight: Love Hinata by TallMan0029. An interesting story set just after the anime filler with the waterfall scene. The two of them are forced into marriage due to Naruto seeing Hinata naked. Very enjoyable with interesting characters. Also check out his other story Sunflowers.
I'm out of stories that I've read now. From next chapter I'm gonna start recommending other things like movies or anime.