A/N: So I'm actually finding myself torn on the Shipping aspect of this story. I had an idea, and it felt like it would work, but now I'm not so sure. So, I'll be setting it back to 'unknown' for now and will not make it a m/f/f relationship.
Demon of the Hidden Leaf
Ch.16- Feels like filler (I don't actually know what to title this)
"So, Naruto, it's nice to officially meet you."
He'd already known about the kid, and then heard a number of things about him from his daughter, but Sanosuke was always the kind of man who liked to forge his own opinions about people before passing any real judgment. So as the blonde chunin stood before him, with TenTen standing stiffly beside him, the former Sekihotai member couldn't help chuckling on the inside.
Even if she wouldn't admit it, this meeting was very important to his daughter; she really wanted Sanosuke to like Naruto.
And luckily, he did, for the most part. As the man stared into those wary blue eyes, Sanosuke could see the anger and pain hidden away beneath that tough exterior. He saw it in the way Naruto carried himself as he'd entered unfamiliar territory, as well as how the blonde kept closer to the door in case he needed to make a quick getaway.
It was the picture painted with the dark colors of a childhood alone, a life of scorn and hardship, a life Sanosuke himself knew all too well.
Which is why the man offered the best smile he could to the young teenager as he welcomed Naruto into the house, directing the pair of shinobi into the kitchen for something to eat.
"You say you're going to spar, but first it'd be best to get some food in your system. Also, TenTen, if you don't mind I'd like to take a crack at seeing what Konoha's newest chunin is capable of myself before you and he go at it."
"W-What," the weapon-specialist chocked, "dad, why?"
"Well, part of it's a bit selfish; I've never gotten to cross steel with one of Kiri's legendary blades. This is the first time I've ever even seen one in person, and I don't think I'll ever get a chance like this again. It makes me happy to know Naruto was willing to send a clone out to fetch it before you two arrived. But besides that, I really do wanna see if blondie's as good as I've heard; to see if he's really the son of the Red Death."
Blue eyes narrowed and their owner's face shifted into a mask of hard speculation.
"Did you really know my mother, or is this gonna be like when I asked that perverted Sannin? He dropped her name too, but the old freak didn't have anything special to tell me; no one wants to tell me about her."
"It's probably because they all didn't know the real Kushina; most people didn't. If you ask me, the number who did could probably be counted on one hand; it got harder though after she got pregnant with you."
"Why not," Naruto pressed, "if people like you were so close to her, why couldn't they see her anymore?"
"I can tell you, but...not here. I've been summoned by our new Hokage for an assignment with Gekko Hayate, I'll request for you to come along as an extra hand and the two of us can tell you everything we knew about Kushina."
TenTen looked at her father with unbelieving eyes.
"D-Dad, I know how you feel about the Council and all, but are you really that paranoid?"
"TenTen I've made a very special point to explain my views on the spiderweb of government to you, so trust me now when I say that trying to talk about this sort of story within the walls of Konoha is very dangerous. Just this small conversation could be problematic if the wrong person hears us having it, so promise me you'll never tell anyone we had it, understand?"
"Of course, I-I'd never do anything to put you or Naruto in danger, but Dad why does it sound like you're not gonna bring me on this mission with you?"
"Because I'm not," Sanosuke rebuffed, "I've told you before that its your friend's decision to tell you any of his secrets, not mine. After we return from the Land of Snow, if he thinks it's right to reveal what he's learned, only then will you know the truth. I'm sorry TenTen, but that's just the way things need to be; for now, why don't we sit down for lunch and then head out back?"
Even with the atmosphere charged with mystery and edgy weight the trio did indeed sit down to eat, though as Naruto finally bit into his sandwich the chunin felt compelled to ask what Sanosuke needed from a place as far away as the Land of Snow.
"They're very good with metal work," the weapon shop owner answered, "as well as the best place to purchase rare alloys for special tools or powerful upgrades to an existing weapon. Rumor has it, Kubikiribocho was smelted from a metal deposit found during the village's early founding at that's what gives it the power to absorb blood."
"From the sound of it, Yuki no Kui has discovered a number of new deposits since then, and they may even help strengthen my sword?"
"They just might; no one's ever actually been known to test its ability beyond iron. The blade may very well be capable of absorbing a great many things Naruto, and even if it can't, I've no doubt Snow's blacksmiths can do some great work with Kubikiribocho that'll have you leaving with a sword at least twice as powerful as the one you've got now."
That connected a set of dots in TenTen's mind.
"And that's part of why you're inviting him, isn't it; you wanna help him get stronger."
"I do."
"But..." Naruto struggled with this revelation, "you don't even really know me; why would you go through so much for a stranger?"
"Because it's what your mother would have wanted; what I should have done from the beginning. Kushina Uzumaki was a very special woman to me, someone I looked up to and respected, and now that I have even the slightest chance to feel like I've helped let her soul rest in peace I want to take it...if you'll let me."
It was another tense silence then, one only broken by the blonde getting up slowly and putting his dirty dishes away, before the sound of running finally stopped and Naruto spoke again.
"I've been trying hard to grow up lately, to be smarter and more mature with my decisions Mr. Segara, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm skeptical of your intentions and whether or not I can trust you. But...being Ten-chan's father and seeing what sort of person your daughter has grown into, I'm willing to give you one chance to prove yourself."
Blue locked with brown as the chunin turned from the sink, and neither of the two could keep themselves from clenching their jaw.
"I'll go with you to the Land of Snow but, if it turns out to be a trick, I'll unleash everything I have to destroy you; even if it means severing my bond with Ten-chan."
"N-Now hold on," the girl in question squawked, "there's no need to talk like that! My dad would never-"
"Then there's nothing to worry about, Ten-chan. I want to trust your dad, I do, but you need to understand that there's a very important reason why even knowing his relation to you isn't enough; something I promise I'll tell you later."
The bun-haired girl stared down the younger boy with a harsh stare, chocolate-brown eyes glinted hard with determination as she stepped around the table.
"After the mission then," it wasn't a question, "when you both come back you'll tell me about it; about this thing my dad says he can't. We're friends, Naruto, in fact I think you may honestly be my best friend, and...I-I don't want there to be any secrets between us, okay?"
He could easily see how badly she needed this, to know her friend would be honest with her, and it helped cement the knowledge that TenTen really did see him as someone special to her, making it all that much easier to accept her request.
"No more secrets; I promise."
It was a tender, if not a bit hard, moment. One that was shattered by the exaggerated cough of the girl's father.
"Dad!"
"Sorry; I just wanted to remind you I was here. I've seen those eyes before on teenagers, and I'm not ready to watch you and your boyfriend make out in front of me just yet Tenny."
A matching blush erupted across both teen's cheeks, but the girl's burned all the brighter at her father revealing such an old nickname.
"D-Dad, shut up, and I told you to stop calling me that!"
"Aw, let your old man have his memories Tenny; besides, I don't hear any complaints about being Naruto's Ten-chan~"
"Can we just go out back to spar now, please!?"
A blustering Naruto readily agreed, and together they scurried out of the kitchen with Sanosuke following behind, laughing as he went. When they finally made it into the small family's training area, the blonde was surprised to see that their backyard was bigger than he'd expected.
"I thought you'd just have a dirt ring carved into your grass, never would have guessed you guys would build an actual arena patch, that's pretty cool."
"Yeah well, it's the way I was trained as a boy so it seemed like the best way to train TenTen too, but we'll have more time to talk about that sort of stuff while on the way to Yuki no Kuni, for now let me grab my zanbato and we'll get started with our exhibition."
"You don't practice weapon mastery like Ten-chan," Naruto wondered as he watched Sanosuke move over towards a small shed he'd noticed after walking outside.
"Nah," the man hollered with his upper-body leaning into the single story building, "it's not really my style. I own the shop because I know how important each of those tools is for someone's survival in the field, and I've seen most of them in action, but when it comes to actual use Tenny's got more practical experience then I'll ever have."
It was after a bit of grunting that the man pulled out one of the largest weapons Naruto had ever seen; wider and longer than even his own sword! The thing was covered in nicks and stains of blood, its edge dulled so much that the blonde was sure it couldn't cut no matter how hard Sanosuke swung.
"I can see it in your eyes; you don't think my sword is gonna be a challenge But what you need to remember kid, is that it's not the weapon a warrior worries about, rather the one who wields it..."
The pair stood in the ring now, their weapons drawn and stances strong, eyes locked with knuckles tight around the hilts of their swords. Breaths came deep and slow, and the two fighter's muscles tensed in preparation for the first move.
"So," Sanosuke breathed, "if you think you're ready to face me, bring it on!"
Naruto wasn't prepared for his opponent to immediately launch the worn zanbato like a spear, and nearly ended up skewered by the rounded tip. Jumping to the side though proved to be a mistake, and the chunin was met with a hard punch to the face that left him open for a combination of strikes to his chest. A vague memory of being slammed by Gaara's sand flickered through Naruto's mind, right before sense returned to him long enough to leap away from a second set of strikes.
Stumbling as his ribs cried out in pain, the jinchuuriki barely managed to catch Sanosuke as the man came charging at him with an overhead swing of his newly retrieved weapon. Throwing Kubikiribocho up to block though nearly sent Naruto to his knees, and the chunin felt his teeth rattle before stabilizing himself.
"The very first thing I told you," TenTen's father admonished, "was to watch your opponent; if this had been a real fight, I'd have killed you by now."
Another push, and the blonde did drop to one knee with a grimace before he used the substitution technique to get away. Now off to the side, Naruto flung his blade like shuriken and shunshined as Sanosuke deflected it with his own zanbato, floating a moment in the air he propelled himself back like a rocket with a single Gale-palm.
TenTen's father leaped back to avoid, but got another shock as his blonde foe shot after him with the use of another wind jutsu; Kubikiribocho left laying in the dirt.
Twisting around the older man's powerful thrust, Naruto unsheathed his kodachi and tried to find a shot at Sanosuke's shoulder. As the spiky brunette spun on his heels to dodge though Konoha's jinchuuriki planted his palm against the dirt and worked into a roll as the blunted edge of an old sword 'whooshed' through the air.
Shifting into an attempt at TenTen's Gatotsu then, Naruto tried to drive his short-sword along the edge of Sanosuke's side, only to find himself smashed by a full three-sixty spin of the man's blade that sent him flying out of the ring.
"Naruto!"
Alarmed, TenTen rushed to the downed chunin's side with a mask of worry settled firmly over her face. Kneeling beside him, the bun-haired kunoichi helped sit him up as Naruto groaned in pain.
Back inside the ring, Sanosuke watched with intrigue as his eyes glinted with fatherly amusement.
"I'd say that's enough kid; you did good. I can see you understand the length of Kubikiribocho can't be used to its fullest because of your height, and that kodachi makes a great secondary weapon with your increase in speed after dropping the Head-cleaver, but...the fact you let go of your blade so much at all shows me you've still got a long way to go before you're ready to truly call yourself its owner."
Sanosuke walked over to his daughter and her crush, zanbato slung carelessly over his shoulders, as he continued to assess the boy.
"Besides that though, your creativity can't be denied, and I think if this had been in a bigger setting things would have gotten a little rough for me thanks to your shadow-clone technique. I guess what I'm ultimately trying to say is: they did a good thing promoting you, Naruto."
"R-Really?"
TenTen and her father could clearly see the disbelief that shone in their guest's eyes, and the girl felt the way her heart clenched at the sight.
"I-It's just that," here the boy looked out at nothing, "I've...been wondering lately if my jump to chunin was a mistake; if maybe I...wasn't ready. S-So it feels nice to know at least one person I don't know says that to me, ya know?"
A strong, calloused hand found its way atop the young shinobi's head then, drawing Naruto's startled attention.
"Well, kiddo, I'll bet you those kinds of thoughts'll be a thing of the past after our mission; trust me. Now, shake it off and show me what you've got against Tenny; remind her what level she needs to reach."
Feeling a bit cheered up, and pumped for a rematch with his friend, Naruto did his best to shake off the melancholy that had just plagued him, and with a firm nod walked his way back towards the ring. TenTen followed behind, a grin on her own pretty face and pulled out a pair of kunai to start off their spar.
"Get ready blondie; I'm not gonna go easy on you this time~"
"Just be ready to buy me all the ramen I can eat later after you lose, Tenny~"
Blushing hot, the kunoichi gave a growl before she leaped forward.
"Shut your stupid face, you big dummy!"
Sanosuke's roaring laughter could be heard around the block.
xXx
The sun was beginning to dip, and his muscles were creaming for a break, but Kiba Inuzuka refused to pay such trivial things any attention. Rather, the snarling genin went on slashing away at the tree-bark surrounding him as he flipped and bounced around through Training Field 8.
With Hinata's promotion, Squad 8 had been side-lined beyond basic D-rank missions until a suitable replacement could be found for her, leaving both the Inuzuka and Aburame to find training of their own till such a time came. For Kiba however, the rabid teen found this to be a more preferred method; just thinking of the lecture Shino would try to give him on 'pushing himself' gave the boy a headache!
Yet, thinking like this only served to draw Kiba's mind towards the reason he was pushing himself; Sasuke Uchiha.
Hearing of the other boy's lack of promotion did indeed feed the Inuzuka's desire for karmic justice to a degree, but that primal hunger for revenge still ate away at Kiba's very core and roared at him to avenge the loss of his comrade.
Day in, day out, sun up to sun down, time held no relevance for the young shinobi as he pushed his body to its limits and then some. Even the scent of his own blood, dripping from bare feet as they skidded against the forest floor, failed to catch the canine-like teen's attention.
It wasn't until he launched a vicious spin-kick into the center training post, and one particular scent reached his nostrils, that Kiba's attention snapped away from training...and onto the approaching form of a figure shrouded in the darkness of the treeline.
"You know, it's almost funny, I chose this path because I didn't expect anyone to be here; I guess I should have listened to that nagging feeling in my brain after all."
That scent, the arrogant undertone to the owner's words, and they way he swaggered out from the forest as if he owned the whole of Konoha; Kiba knew of only one person who could pull all of that off so effortlessly...
"Sasuke...Uchiha!"
"That is my name, but I'm afraid I don't have the time to chat with you Kiba, I've got an important appointment to keep so I'll have to cut this conversation short."
Had he been in any state to care, the Inuzuka's typically sharp eyes would have taken notice of Sasuke's missing headband, as well as the fact no genin would be given a mission alone at this time of day, but in his fury Kiba could only make out that his chance to take revenge on the Uchiha would sip through his fingers if he let the dark-haired clan heir walk away from him.
"I don't think so," Kiba stalked away from the training post to hunch down in Sasuke's path, "you and I have unfinished business; your crime will not go unpunished!"
Sasuke's handsome face shifted into an annoyed, yet curious, visage before a moment of thought had it switching places with a look of condescending amusement. Laughter, cold and cruel, slithered from between the Uchiha heir's lips a second later as he looked down his nose at the furious Inuzuka with his good eye.
"Don't tell me you honestly still think this village is going to execute me, or even put me in prison, just because I beat you and your stupid mutt during the Exams? Grow up Kiba, I won that match by the book!"
Sasuke's face screwed up into a delightfully cruel smirk now.
"If you've got a problem, take it up with the proctor; he's the one who didn't call the match after I lost my eye. He could have saved your fucking pet, but chose to let the match continue-"
"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO KILL AKAMARU!"
Spittle and foam began to color the corners of Kiba's mouth now, and the sound of knuckles popping accompanied his jagged tattoos beginning to glow as chakra began to swell up from within.
"Your eye can be replaced, Akamaru was a living, breathing, friend as well as comrade! What you did should be considered murder, but because your sensei is a hypocrite and our village kisses your ass it's up to me to make sure you get what you rightfully deserve!"
The look on Sasuke's face intensified then, and his Sharingan activated as the former Rookie of the Year held out his arms wide and began to chuckle once more.
"Oh, is it now? Then please, Mighty Mutt, show me just how much you hate me; show me the strength of your vengeance!"
Needing no better opening, Kiba shot forward with a guttural snarl in an effort to finish their fight in a single shot.
For the Uchiha however, this was child's play to block after the month of training Kakashi had given him for the finals, and he merely swatted the attack aside before grabbing the sleeve of Kiba's filthy jacket and swinging him around.
A single, well-placed leg saw the Inuzuka stumbling to the ground a moment later. Yet, he rolled into the momentum and pushed back onto his feet where he dodged Sasuke's incoming combo of swift punches.
Trying for a leg sweep, Kiba leaped forward into the grass after its failure and kicked both legs back as he planted the palms of his hands into the earth.
Sasuke flipped back, and over, the attempt before taking hold of his opponent's ankles and swinging the feral teen up into the air and landing himself back to the ground. Smirking, the Uchiha flashed quickly through a set of hand-signs, and soon let loose a vicious volley of fireballs into the air after Kiba.
Watching as they all exploded, leaving a cloud of dark smoke, the Uchiha tried to search out the other boy's charred body with the help of his dojutsu...and that's when the nausea came.
Kiba cursed the Sharingan as his enemy managed to avoid him even after substituting behind for a tackle, and instead wound himself into a Gatsuga to follow after the Uchiha.
But by now Sasuke was getting tired of playing around with Kiba.
The former Leaf genin danced around his enemy's attack with ease, taking full advantage of the feral boy's exhausted state and declining mental health, before calling forth the power of Orochimaru's curse-mark.
It would draw attention, but Sasuke was sure any who came running would be too late.
'All I need is a single shot.'
xXx
"I-I guess in my excitement, I'd forgotten about promising dad I would handle the close-up while he goes to see how Hayate is doing, b-but we can definitely go get ramen after you guys' mission...right?"
Naruto had been more than a little disappointed that he and TenTen's time together was over, but the prospect of a rain-check helped mollify him; even if he was hungry again. The blonde found he always had a great appetite after a spar, and now that the thought of ramen ran through his mind Naruto's stomach wouldn't stop grumbling.
But as the familiar smell of Ichiraku Ramen tickled his nose though, the jinchuuriki's eyes widened at a sight he never thought he'd see.
Sitting there, her platinum-blonde hair down around her shoulders and dressed in a new casual outfit, Ino Yamanaka huddled over a single steaming bowl of noodles. The powder-blue spaghetti-strapped shirt, and those snow-white jean-shorts that cuffed at her creamy thighs, gave Naruto pause as he took in a side of the heiress he'd never seen before.
Normally the girl's sense of style belayed an air of haughty self-importance; befitting Ino's spoiled nature. It showed off that the platinum-blonde was among, if not the most, beautiful girls in their age-range while complimenting the Yamanaka's perfect skin and drawing attention to her expressive eyes.
Now however, Naruto found himself stunned at the calm and quiet atmosphere seeming to roll off of Ino in waves, settling the excited nerves that had sparked at the thought of filling his gut with ramen. The blonde took a deep breath as he began to step closer, and the faint hint of flowers carried its way to his nose, with a tropical hint tinting the aroma as Ino brushed back her hair.
It was the memory of his own words however, that snapped Naruto out of his reverence.
Ino was beautiful, yes, but that didn't mean the person on the inside had changed as easily as the girl's clothes.
The desire to sit next to her was there though, hormones buzzed to life and the jinchuuriki felt the swell of teenage desire creep its way into his heart. To be seen, if only by a chosen few, sharing a meal with the heiress to a well-known clan who just so happened to be the beauty of Konoha's newest batch of rookies spoke to the lonely boy who painted the Hokage monument for attention...
and that's when he knew.
Naruto still had his own growing to do.
What sort of relationship could they have, even if Ino's feelings were real, so long as Naruto subconsciously always saw the girl as a trophy; something to have on display. Something to say 'look at what I have'.
A sour pit formed in the blonde's stomach then, and the once delicate aroma of a far away island turned pungent and nauseating. The heat of boyish shame flooded whiskered cheeks as the back of Naruto's neck grew itchy, and it was with heavy steps that he turned to walk away.
Yet he didn't get very far.
It wasn't the call of his name though that stopped him, but a sensation the blonde last felt during the Sannin Showdown; killer intent.
Not as intense, but supremely more malicious, Naruto could already see some of the civilians stopping as they were forced under a hate-filled weight they'd never experienced before; so vibrant was the ki. And it was as he noticed this, that the blonde's mind snapped back to the only other times he's ever felt the sort of pressure hanging in the air...
Eyes sharpening with focus, the whiskered chunin sprang into action and began to sprint like lightning to reach his target as soon as possible.
Orochimaru wasn't foolish enough to let himself be so easily exposed, which could only mean one thing; Sasuke. And as Naruto bolted beyond the village walls, senses sharp, he wondered just what could have set the angry Uchiha off enough to activate his Curse Seal.
Arriving on the scene moments later, about a mile out from Konoha, the jinchuuriki found the answer to be more gruesome than he'd expected.
Gone was his former team-mate, but laying with his face in a puddle of his own blood was the body of Kiba Inuzuka. Surrounded by the likes of Kakashi, Kurenai, and a few others Naruto couldn't get his brain to truly process the sight; his classmate was dead.
xXx
A/N: So there's the next chapter for everyone. Now, I wont be ignoring the talk Sakura and Ino had, so if anyone's wondering where that is just know it'll be addressed.
Kiba was the one to find the rogue Sasuke this time, and as we can see it does not go well; this will affect the next arc heavily. As will the mission Naruto takes to the land of Snow.
To me this isn't a new arc per say, just me re-writing a movie to make it part of the story I'm trying to tell, so instead of running after a team-mate who doesn't care about him for no real reason Naruto will be traveling with Sanosuke and Hayate on a different mission.
Anyway, that's that, and I hope everyone enjoyed this new installment!
If you don't like my story, please just simply put it away and find something else to read. I understand leaving reviews and be expressive in your dislike, but is there really a point to it if you're not being constructive?
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