CHAPTER – 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Anime.

AN: I edited and uploaded this chapter on 23-09-2016. It was a minor edit, mainly the change in my writing style.

I have done a lot of thinking and I found out that this story will be same to the canon one till Sasuke Retrieval mission. The real story will start from there.

This chapter starts from when Naruto and Sasuke are standing in the Valley of Death, and thus this chapter marks the start of the real story.

I know you guys might be thinking that I have been skipping way too much, but here's the deal; I really don't feel like writing the exact same stuff we have all read/watched. There might be some criticism, but you will realize what I'm trying to do after a few chapters pop out. So please be patient.

There's one last thing I want to say; as I mentioned earlier, this story will have a little reference to the anime 'One Piece'. In terms of 'One Piece', this story will have the same system of 'Bounties' as in 'One Piece', i.e. there will be bounties on respectable ninjas issued by the enemy villages, or their own villages in case of missing-nins.

"SASUKE! I came to take you back!" came a voice.

The Uchiha looked towards his friend,

"I am not coming back Naruto, even if I have to kill you, I will escape"

"You are not thinking clearly. Let's…let's just…have a talk…" Naruto replied

Sasuke's anger reflected clearly "You wanna talk?! There's nothing to talk about anymore! You don't understand Naruto. You never had a family…you won't understand the pain of losing them! It's clear Naruto…my path…"

He looked in his eyes "I am an Avenger! I can't survive until I Avenge! I have to be stronger than my prey…I have to be stronger than…him. This power…Orochimaru…they are all footholds for me to reach him! You can't understand Naruto…and I don't expect you too. If you want to stop me…come at me with all your might! I will sever all bonds to gain the ultimate power!"

Naruto was patiently listening to every word his friend said, trying to put himself in his shoes. He didn't understand it until the very end.

"Heh…is that what you think Sasuke…its pathetic" he said.

Sasuke's eyes glowed with anger, "What did you say?!"

"I said…what you think is pathetic. You think severing all bonds will gain you power? It wouldn't. If fact, it's just the opposite."

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO LECTURE ME DEMON!"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!"

"You heard it!"

"Is that what you think…after all the time we have spent…after the bond we developed…you think that…" Naruto asked. His expression was a mix of uncertainity, disguist and shock.

Sasuke gave him a smug smile, knowing he had struck a weak point.

If you think that, it's fine." Naruto mumbled.

A tear trickled down from the blonde's face, "Get lost and live with your pathetic ideology. I came to save a friend…but you have fallen too low for me to pick up" Naruto said.

"What?! You are gonna just let me go?!" Sasuke asked in shock. He expected a fight after what he said.

"Yeah, didn't you hear it…Get lost."

"We will meet again someday Uzumaki" Sasuke was eagerly wanted the last say.

"FUCK OFF ASSHOLE!SAY ONE MORE WORD AND I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Naruto snapped.

Sasuke left and Naruto sat down, only one thing going through his mind,

'Why can't you understand Sasuke…you have to understand…all of this…will just lead to your own destruction…Sasuke…'

One hour later:-

'Shit, where are they, where are they…There!'

"Naruto! Are you all right?! What happened?!"

Naruto was sitting with his face buried in his knees. He looked up at a familiar voice,

"Oh Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke ran away"

"What?! It's okay, there's nothing you could have done. Are you hurt?" Kakashi was surprised.

"No I'm all right…we talked…"

"What?!" now, Kakashi was shocked.

"We talked…but we didn't fight…he isn't worthy to be called a friend anymore…he fell to low" said Naruto remembering the entire conversation.

Kakashi grasped the situation quickly. He understood what it felt like to lose a friend, he had felt it himself, not once but twice.

'A lot is going on in his mind…he will decide what he wants to do for himself in time. For now…'

"Naruto, let's go back to the village." he said.

"Alright sensei, let's go"

The blonde glanced once at the spot where Sasuke was standing. He closed his eyes to stop the memory flow and followed his sensei towards the woods.

After some time (at Konoha's North Gate):-

Kakashi entered the village along with his student. He knew Naruto was in a turmoil inside and he didn't strike a conversation the entire journey. While walking towards the Hokage-tower, his student's expression suddenly changed. His faced seemed in less pain, his walk became determined and his eyes had a spark. All of this indicated one thing; his student had come to a decision.

"Naruto"

"Yes, sensei"

"What did you decide?"

He looked in his teacher's eye, "I'm gonna leave the village". Kakashi stopped in his tracks,

"WHAT?!" he yelled.

"Calm down…I can explain it"

"Please do!"

"Let's talk in front of the Hokage"

"I would like that. Let's see what she has to say."

:::::

Shizune popped her head from the ajar door,

"Lady Tsunade, its Kakashi and Naruto"

"Send them in!" Tsunade ordered.

"Right away"

:::::

"Alright Kakashi, is that all you have to report?"

"Yes Hokage-sama, this is all I saw…but I believe Naruto also has a few things to say…"

Tsunade looked towards Naruto.

"Before I say anything, can you call for Sakura and Haku?" he said. Tsunade looked a bit worried, "Yeah…sure". She made a gesture and an ANBU appeared. "Call Genin Sakura Haruno and Chunin Haku here immediately" the ANBU nodded and went to complete his assigned task.

Sakura and Haku came quickly and were relieved to see Naruto safe, but were worried that Sasuke left. Seeing everyone's presence, Naruto started;

"I came to a decision..."

"And?" Tsunade said.

"Well, I'm leaving the village"

"WHAT?! Did the Uchiha hit you on the head brat?!" she yelled.

"No! I just can't take it anymore…this village…I can't live in it anymore…" Sakura and Haku were utterly shocked, just like the others present. Sakura wanted to say something, but in the serious atmosphere and in presence of the Hokage, she stayed quiet.

"Do you understand what you are saying?! What about your dream of becoming the Hokage? Are you gonna leave that behind? Are you gonna leave us all behind and become a Rogue-nin?!"

"Absolutely not! I will never leave my comrades behind!...As for my dream, I wanted to become the Hokage to earn the people's respect…to lead an ideal village, which I believed would be Konoha…but from all the things I have seen now, Konoha has fallen from its might. It's not what it once used to be. It's not what its creators expected it to be, it's not what I expected to be…"

Tsunade understood the direction Naruto's thoughts were headed. After a silence of a few minutes, Tsunade decided to speak, "What do you want brat?" These words shocked everyone more than Naruto's word.

"I want to leave this village"

"You will become a Missing-nin. Are you sure about that?"

"Kick me out of the Shinobi Forces. As a civilian, I can go anywhere I want."

"It can't be done Naruto and you know it. As a jinchuriki, you can't leave this village unless I command you to do so. And as a Hokage, I can't command a loyal shinobi to just get out of the village, especially not a jinchuriki, but if you want, I can discuss it with the council"

"Help me out here Granny, I can't live here anymore…" Naruto was a step short from begging.

"Sure thing brat, I will see what I can do. And don't you dare run away on me. Got it?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. See you later then." Naruto left the office.

"Sakura, Haku, you both are dismissed" They both ran after their friend.

"*sigh* what do you think about it Kakashi?"

"It can't be helped Lady Hokage. You know how determined he is when it comes to a decision. If that's the path he has choose for himself, we can't stop him."

"*sigh*I guess you are right…" she mumbled to herself.

"By the way Lady Tsunade, do you honestly think the council will just let their Jinchuriki leave?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Don't worry Kakashi, I'm not that naïve. This topic will come in the council meeting. I just made that up in front of Naruto to buy some time…Kakashi, I have a favour to ask you, not as a Hokage but as Naruto's friend…"

"Yes Tsunade-sama, anything you say" Tsunade formed a few hand-seals and the room glowed in fluorescent yellow, indicating the implication of a privacy seal.

After some time:-

"Do you understand Kakashi?"

"Yes Tsunade-sama, completely…are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I have decided. You may leave"

"Alright then, I will see you some time later" Tsunade nodded sharply and Kakashi left. She disabled the privacy seal and left her office.

After some time (On a street bench) (9 pm):-

"Can you do this Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked him.

"Of course Tsunade! He is my Godson after all. If this is what he decided, I have faith in him."

"Alright then Jiraiya, I will see you few hours later"

"Got it"

After some time (At Naruto's house):-

*Snore* *Snore* "Hey Naruto, wake up!" whispered someone

*Snore* "WAKE UP!" whispered the man with all his might. Naruto suddenly woke up and reached for a weapon, "What?! Who-"

"Naruto calm down, it's me" an eye-smile followed the statement.

"Kakashi-sensei?! What are doing here?" He glanced towards his clock, which showed 1 pm.

"At this time? What's wrong?!"

"Nothing's wrong Naruto, and I am not alone" Naruto looked around and he could make out two more figures in the room; one with abnormally long hair and one with abnormally large breasts.

"Pervy-sage?! Granny Tsunade?!"

A tick mark appeared on the addressed persons, but they remained quiet.

"Shh Naruto, don't shout and listen well" said Jiraiya. He gestured Tsunade to speak, he wasn't good in situations like these.

"Listen Naruto, it's about your decision of leaving the village. The thing is-"

"If you are all here to capture me, I am not going down without a fight!" Naruto entered a basic stance. They all sighed.

"Do you really think two Sannin and a Jounin will come together to catch a Genin?" said Tsunade.

"Well…I guess you are right…but if you do anything to capture me-"

"Should I just knock the kid out?" Jiraiya said irritated.

"No Jiraiya, you won't *sigh* Just shut up and listen Naruto" Tsunade released a bit of Killer Intent. The blonde quieted down.

"You know a jinchuriki can't leave the village as he pleases and you know that taking this to the council is useless. If you are gonna leave, you will become a Rogue-nin. Are you willing to do this knowing the risks?" Naruto sat down on his bed.

"Yeah, I can live with that rather than living in this village"

"Alright then Naruto, if you are really going to do it, we all are gonna help you with that"

"WHAT?! You guys-"

"I told you to listen brat!" Naruto shut up quickly.

"Now then, it's just as I said, we are gonna help you leave the village. It's a fact you can't leave the village on your own, so we are gonna help you till the Village border. After that you are all alone. Is that all right?" Tears began forming in Naruto's eyes.

"You guys…you are the best!"

"Alright Naruto, no need to cry. If we are doing this, we have to do it fast. Pack all the essentials you need, quickly" Tsunade said. Jiraiya grinned and Kakashi did an eye-smile. Naruto nodded and got to work.

While Naruto was packing, Kakashi used his summons to detect Naruto's scent in his luggage and destroy it, so that the blonde can leave without leaving a trail. Meanwhile, Jiraiya quickly put a genjutsu on the house to prevent the ANBU from detecting of any activities.

"Are you done Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, all done" he nodded.

"Good. Throw your bag from the window" Kakashi said.

"What?"

"Just do it brat, we don't have much time" Tsunade interfered.

"Alright" Naruto opened his window and pushed his backpack away, but he didn't hear the sound of his backpack crashing on the floor as he expected. Naruto popped his head out of the window. Once more, tears began forming in his eyes.

"You guys…" Whom he saw was Haku holding his backpack and beside him was standing Sakura.

"Let's hurry Naruto-sama!"

"Quit slacking off Naruto, come on, quick!" Sakura said in a hush. Naruto nodded desperately and jumped from the window. The trio behind him followed closely. All of them began running in the direction of closest border.

:::::

They all reached the border safely, without running into Village or Border Patrol, courtesy of Jiraiya. Naruto was standing on the border with eyes overflowing with tears.

"You guys are the best!"

"Alright alright, don't get all emotional on me now. We all did this for your sake Naruto, because we all have faith in you." Said Tsunade smiling. Jiraiya had a grin, Kakashi and Sakura gave a thumbs up while Haku was adjusting his backpack…adjusting his backpack?

"Haku! What do you think you are doing?!" Naruto asked.

"What do you think? I am going with you of course" Haku answered, quite amused.

"What?! No, you can't go!" Naruto started to wave his hands.

"I can. I decided to follow Naruto-sama all my life, be it heaven or hell, I will always follow you" he replied in an obvious tone.

"You are just not thinking this clearly…calm down and-"

"I have made my choice. I'm going with you" Naruto looked towards Tsunade, who shrugged.

"Alright fine" he said giving up.

Just as Naruto was about to leave, "Wait a second Naruto" He looked back.

"Yeah pervy-sage?" he asked. Jiraiya smiled, but it soon vanished.

"There's something I must tell you Naruto…"

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"It's about your parents…" Naruto was shocked,

'He knew?!' he thought.

"Well, your mom was Kushina Uzumaki 'The Red Hot Habanero' and she was a Konoha Jounin"

"WHAT?! How was she?! She was strong wasn't she?!"

'That was quick!' Naruto thought.

Jiraiya nodded, "Right on mark. She was one of the strongest kunoichi I know, and one of the most temperamental one too, even more than Tsunade"

"You're kidding…" Naruto said in awe.

"No I'm not. But the thing I remember most about her…she was among the most beautiful women I've ever seen" he said, nodding to himself. Naruto just stood there in awe.

"I wonder where her beauty genes went…" Jiraiya added as an afterthought. A rage mark appeared on Naruto's head, as everybody giggled to themselves.

"And your dad…" Jiraiya continued, making sure to create suspense. He was an author after all. Naruto was listening attentively.

"Well…he was my student, the strongest person I know, the kindest and the most sacrificing for others and the luckiest for having Kushina. His name was Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime" he declared proudly.

"WHAT?!" Naruto was utterly surprised. He felt weak in the knees. He was an orphan, a jinchuriki and an average ninja. It was eminently tough to picture himself as the Yondaime's son. Sure they both had blonde hair…but seriously! Then the next question came to his mind. It was the Yondaime who sealed the Kyuubi in him.

"My dad…why…did he do this to me?"

"You know the answer kid…" Jiraiya replied.

Naruto had already guessed it. Simply because, there was no other way. It was a simple answer, but for Naruto, it was the most difficult one.

"But still…" Jiraiya put a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen kid, you dad has sealed his and your mom's chakra in the seal. I am sure you will meet them…I'm just not sure when" Naruto looked up with his tear-stained face.

"I'm grateful to you sensei, to have told me all this" he thanked genuinely.

"Don't sweat it kid. I am your Godfather and I will always be there for you. Remember that" Jiraiya once again grinned. Naruto nodded and wiped his tears off.

"Hey brat, before you go, take this with you" Tsunade said. She took out a large scroll from her back, which surprisingly Naruto never noticed.

"What's this Granny?"

"This, is the beloved, Scroll of Sealing"

"WHAT?! Why are you giving me this?! It contains our Villages secret Jutsus! Granny…"

"It's alright brat. You can have it. Rather, I should say, it belongs to you"

"Belongs to me?!"

"Yeah. Most of the jutsus in here were written by your old man. It even contains his most prized technique; The Hiraishin"

"Really!"

"Yeah, so I guess you can have it"

"Thanks..." he barely managed to speak out.

"Naruto" Jiraiya spoke up, "Let me warn you. I tried learning the Hiraishin once, but even trying it for one whole year, I was unable to do it; though I'm one of the rare existing Seal Master. It's not easy Naruto, don't underestimate it" Naruto smiled.

"Don't worry I won't"

"Oh, and one more thing" Jiraiya reached for inside his dress and took out a small scroll.

"Here, it's from me. From beginner to expert level Sealing, everything is in there. It's my own and I wrote it from my experience. It contains everything I know about seals. I leave it in your possession Naruto"

"Really! Thanks Pervy-sage!" Jiraiya smiled and stepped back.

"Here Naruto, there's something from me for both you and Haku" Kakashi stepped up.

"Really! What is it?" Naruto couldn't wait. Technically, this was the first time he had ever received gifts from his loved ones, aside from the Sandaime.

"It's a book of ninjutsus written by me; from the experience of all the jutsus I know, I picked out the ones I thought were best from my usage."

"Thanks a lot sensei!" Naruto beamed.

"I thank you Kakashi-san" Haku bowed. Kakashi eye-smiled and stepped back.

"So, what are your plans now Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"I persuaded Lady Tsunade to make me her apprentice!"

"Wow, that's great! Granny is really strong…I guess we will meet again someday then"

"We will Naruto. Take care" Sakura gave him a warm smile.

"You too Sakura…everyone" All of them smiled and once again silenced reigned. Tears once again formed in the blonde's eyes. He bowed as deep as he could.

"I am really thankful to all of you. I won't forget what you all have done for me. Thank you…" He stood up

"I'm off then…" He glanced towards Haku. They both nodded and Naruto jumped towards the woods. Haku also gave all of them a deep bow and followed his master.

A day later:-

"Haku…how do you how to read maps so well?"

"It's really simple actually"

"If not for you, I would have lost by now. By the way, where's the nearest civilisation?"

"It's about an hour far from here. I think we are far enough from the village. Should we stop now?"

"Yeah, we should definitely stop. My legs are hurting too bad. Let's just take a few hours rest at the town and leave real quick. Granny said she would hold the Hunter nins for a few days."

"Alright. We are only an hour away. Let's do a Henge now to be on the safe side"

"Yeah fine"

In the town:-

"Look there, a dango shop. Let's just eat there. Do you like dango?" Naruto inquired.

"Sure, why not?" Haku answered.

"Okay, let's go"

"Hey mister, can we get two plates dango please?" Naruto ordered.

"Coming right up"

"Alright, thanks"

XXXXX

"These dangos sure are delicious"

"Yeah" Naruto suddenly stopped munching,

"Do you sense that Haku?"

"Yeah…the chakra…it's…different"

"It is. Let's check it out"

"Sure" Both of them walked towards the source, who was a simple-looking civilian girl.

"Something's wrong about her Haku. There shouldn't be any ninja other than Konoha-nins in here."

"I agree"

"Her chakra seems familiar. Let's tail her for some time"

"Are you sure Naruto-sama"

"Yeah"

"Okay, then"

After some time, the girl left the busy streets and made her way to a dirt trail, which led to the top of a mountain. The duo followed her suit. The girl reached at the top of the mountain, to a simple house. She formed a single hand sign, and surprisingly enough, dropped the Henge. The girl turned out to be a redhead, clad with a black headband and simple clothes. Naruto was utterly surprised.

'Tayuya?! I thought she was dead! Her guard is down, now's the chance.' Naruto took out a kunai and pounced towards the shocked girl. He quickly wrestled her down and held a kunai on the throat, rendering her movements useless. Naruto let loose all the Killer Intent he could muster, which was more than enough to shut the girl enough.

She instantly recognized the blonde,

'Fuck fuck fuck fuck…why the hell is he here?!'

"W-what do you want? If it's about your friend, I don't anything about him, I swear!" she said.

Naruto blanked out in thought of his friend for a moment, but collected himself quickly.

"I don't give a damn about that asshole. I need to know why you are alive. What are your plans?"

"What?! I don't have any other plans, I am retired from being a shinobi"

"Yeah, sure. Haku, tie her up" They both took her inside the house and tied her up securely.

"Now Tayuya, I need to know what spy mission are you doing for that snake and how are you still alive?"

"I don't have anything to do with him! Luckily I was alive from the last attack that Suna girl hit me with. I just lost consciousness, that's all"

"Tell me the whole thing"

"*sigh*I was laying in the middle of the forest unconscious. Someone from the village found me and since I don't carry any ninja tool, he didn't suspect me for being a shinobi. He brought me to this village and treated me. When I was healed, I ran away and I am living in this house since then. I just go to the village under a Henge to buy supplies. I'm done with being a shinobi. That's the whole story!"

The blonde glared at her for a minute, then said,

"Haku"

"She is saying the truth Naruto-sama"

"Alright" He turned towards his prisoner,

"Since now you know I'm here…I will have to kill you" he turned towards Haku, who nodded. The blonde continued,

"I'm sorry but I can't leave any loose ends" and took out a kunai.

"What?! Are you kidding me?! I won't tell anyone I swear! Please don't kill me!" he stopped.

"It's strange. Now that I think about it…your hair remind me of someone…which clan are you from?"

"I think…Uzumaki…but I don't know…who they are…never heard about them…" she said between sobs. Naruto's eyes were as wide as saucers. He looked towards his comrade, who had the same look.

"It that true?! You're Tayuya Uzumaki?!" she nodded desperately.

"Shit!" Naruto quickly untied her using the kunai.

"What's wrong? You're not gonna kill me?!" she asked shockingly.

"I'm sorry. It was a terrible mistake" She looked at him confused. Naruto stretched his hand

"Nice to meet you Tayuya, I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

"What the fuck?!"

"That's right, we share the same family name!"

"That means…we are related?! Do you know something about the Uzumaki?!"

"Yeah, a lot" he nodded.

"Can you tell me?"

"Sure"

XXXXX

The next hour, Naruto told everything he knew about the Uzumaki clan; about them being seal masters, how they were wiped out in war, and how their ruins still exist. Haku too, was fairly interested in the history. The conversation between Naruto and Tayuya was as if they knew each other from many years. Their loudness gave the primary hint of them being as Uzumaki.

"So Naruto, where are you headed now? You on a mission?" Naruto pointed at his forehead, which was missing the forehead protector.

"No way! Did you…"

"Yeah, I left the village"

"Why?"

"It's…not what I expected it to be. Just being in that village…gives me a hard time…"

"Yeah, I get it. You are a jinchuriki after all...that means…you are a Rogue-nin now?!"

"Yeah"

"That's cool!" she said enthusiastically. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"What's cool about that?"

"Just…Fuck it!...so, what do you plan on doing now?"

"Nothing really, I am just trying to get out of the Fire country right now…what do you plan on doing?"

"Nothing really…the truth is…I miss being a shinobi…"

"Yeah?" She nodded.

"Well, I was thinking about it…do you want to come with me?" The other occupants of the room were shocked.

"Are you sure about this Naruto-sama?" Haku inquired.

"Yeah, why not? She is my family after all"

"Really! Will you take me?!"

"Yup"

"That snake never made me do this, but I will do it for you" Naruto was confused, but Tayuya got up and took Naruto's kunai. She deeply stabbed the kunai in her palm and blood came gushing out,

"I, Tayuya Uzumaki, swear my loyalty to you, Naruto Uzumaki, until the day I die"

"Whoa, that's enough! You gotta close that wound first!"

Naruto helped her apply bandage while Haku was smiling,

'He did it again. I guess he has the vibe to attract people and make them follow him blindly. That's his gift. He makes others trust him even in the direst situations…'

However, something too was going on in Tayuya's mind,

'I don't know if it's true, things he is saying about the Uzumaki. He has potential, I know he will become strong, and with that there will be money! If I stay with him, there will be lots of money and I can be safe with these guys, brilliant plan! Maybe, if I get a chance, I'll get the money which we earn and run away, that's it! But he is family…what am I thinking about, I don't even properly know him…'

The next day:-

"You both ready?" Naruto asked. Both of them nodded.

"Alright then. Let's leave quickly before sunrise" saying that, the blonde grabbed his backpack and left the house, being followed by two others.

XXXXX

"So…where are we going Naruto?" said the redhead. The Jinchuriki shrugged,

"I don't know…the next town maybe?"

"What?! You don't know where you have to go and you don't know which path to take…and you seriously left the village?" she glared at Haku.

"Don't look at me, that is how he is"

She finally sighed, letting go of her momentary anger and took out rolled piece of paper.

"Look, here's the map of the nearby surroundings. It shows about one tenth of the Fire Country" she placed a finger at the bottom left edge,

"This is where we are" and dragged her finger towards a particular place,

"And this is the nearest civilisation. What do you say? It's about an hour if we use chakra"

"Sure, let's get there first. We'll think about the future plans at the town" Tayuya nodded.

"Excuse me Naruto-sama, Tayuya-san, but if I'm not wrong, we must not gather much attention by stopping from town to town, even if we are under a Henge; we are missing-nin after all"

"Hmmm, you are right, we should just cover as much ground as we can and just live in the jungle. Konoha's gonna send Hunter-nin after all, but if we cross the border, they can't do nothing. So?"

"I agree Naruto-sama" Haku accepted.

"Fine by me" Tayuya supported.

"Alright then, let's hurry" Naruto said.

For the next few days, the teams adventure continued, which consisted of running towards the border day until they exhausted themselves, hunt for food, get sleep while keeping alternate watch and repeating the schedule the next day.

Three days later (Evening):-

"There it is, I can see it! Once we cross that mountain, we will officially cross the Fire country's border!" Haku said to the teams relieve.

"Fucking finally! I HATE our schedule! I want a bath so bad…"

"Konoha's jurisdiction end after that mountain. Looks like we made it Naruto-sama"

"Yeah, let's hurry!" They all nodded and increased their speed as much as they could.

XXXXX

Just when they reached the bottom of the mountain, out of instinct, all of them hurriedly jumped away. As soon as they did, a few flying shuriken impaled near the spot they were standing.

'Shit! We are all exhausted right now, we can't afford a fight! These guys are probably the Hunter squad. Damn, we are so close!' Naruto thought. The blonde's teammates too, were thinking along the same lines.

"Come out, whoever you are!" Tayuya shouted. Out of shadows, two figures stepped out.

"Could you explain the council about your decision on the matter Hokage-sama?"

'Damn you Hawk!' the blonde cursed him.

"I will Danzo-san" Tsunade cleared her throat and began,

"As you all know, Genin Jinchuriki of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki has been missing from the village for four days now. His teachers, friends and acquaintances now nothing about the matter. There is suspicion that he ran away, but there is no solid proof. As of now, I have taken no further action in the matter"

"But Hokage-sama, we must immediately dispatch a Hunter-nin squad to find the Jinchuriki!" said Hamura.

"No, it will not be done until I say so. If memory serves, according to Rules and Regulations of Konoha's Guidelines, 'If found missing, every ninja should be compulsorily given a time of five days to return back to the village', and if I'm not wrong, there's still a day to go"

"But Hokage-sama, he is Kyuubi's Jinchuriki!" She glared at Koharu.

"Do you not approve him as a ninja of Konohagakure No Sato! Or do you simply wish to go against the laws of the village" Knowing resistance was futile, Koharu kept her mouth shut.

An Hour Later:-

Tsunade entered her office to find Jiraiya already waiting for her there. She walked to her seat and sat down. After a long sigh, she asked,

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Not much, just a few minutes…So, how did it go?"

"*sigh* they just aren't giving up. I can hold them off for just one more day. After that, I have to dispatch hunter-nin"

"It's alright, I'm sure Gaki will cross the border by tomorrow if things go smooth"

"I doubt they would. What about Danzo?"

"I'm keeping a close watch on him. He hadn't send someone yet from the ROOT, but it seems it will be some activity tonight…Anyhow, I will receive news about Gaki if he visits any of the Ninja-inhabited towns."

"That's a little comforting" she nodded.

"I will be going now, see you at the hot spr- TOMORROW!" Jiraiya cursed himself for letting it slip.

"What did you say pervert?! You have been spying on me?!" The Toad Sage sweated.

"Well…heh…not particularly you…there are some others…and-" a chakra infused punch send him flying home and Tsunade finally relaxed.

"Who are you guys?!"

"Oh, it's only a brat *phew* let's just get this over with. Hey Brat! Who are you and why are trying to cross the border without permission?! We are the Sand border patrol team!" The trio kept quiet.

"Well, if you're not gonna tell us…" he took out a kunai,

"Then we will have to use force!" Tayuya was about to take out her flute when Naruto stopped her.

"Don't. Attacking foreign Nins will only degrade out status to hostile. Besides, we are in no condition to fight. Let's just use the remaining chakra to escape" They both nodded after a moment,

"Run!" The trio left behind a cloud of dust, confusing the enemy for a split-second.

"Shit! We can't catch up with them, they are too fast"

"Let's call the headquarters! Three Ninjas just invaded the Wind Country border!"

"Yeah"

XXXXX

"Did we lose them?" asked Naruto.

"Maybe…there's no one behind us" Haku replied

"*Phew* that's a relief" Naruto said and lowered his pace.

"Where to next Naruto?" asked Tayuya.

"We definitely can't go to any town nearby. And the border's just up ahead, so there will be no forest to hide in once we enter the Wind Country. That leaves…you guys check the map if-" Naruto was cut in between.

"Naruto-sama, the map was only till the border, we don't have any map of this region"

"Shit!...then let's just head out to the mountains. We sure will find a cave there. Suppress your chakra as much as you can" Naruto said.

"Right!" they responded simultaneously and at the same moment, the trio crossed the border.

AN: And that was the second chapter! It might occur to you that the pace was too fast, but don't worry. The pace will get better in the following chapters.

Since I'm not good at coming up with Japanese names, I'm gonna name many minor characters in this fic by recklessly snatching names from the other Anime. I am sure you don't mind that.

Thanks to those who reviewed. Please review so that I know how I'm doing with this fic right now. If you guys have any suggestions or if did any mistakes, feel free to tell me.

Smell ya later!