"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me…"
"If I was?"
"I'd be thinking about getting a guard… whenever necessary since Jiraiya leaves me to my devices whenever he can."
Of course, those moments have provided him with time and the space to conduct his business. Activities would otherwise not be able to conduct with Jiraiya hovering around him. But the feeling that he was being stalked was unpleasant. Could he even take a piss without thinking that was watching to see if it was yellow of just clear?
"I know… he comes, shows you something and then departs for his next mission… but you never stay in one place. Rather, you move around from town to town…"
"Hmm… you are stalking me… I'm worried… at this point. You are a wanted criminal…"
He glanced at the man curiously and then smiled; Wasn't it something else that despite this being a criminal, he had no desire to flee. Trying to take him on? No, that was impossible for him. He didn't have enough strength. With a simple case, he could be a world of illusions that was apparently unbreakable, even to a Jinchuriki.
"It is funny that despite being a man wanted for a crime so cruel, I should be sickened just by the sight of you, but I'm not..."
Truly, but then again, his morals were becoming questionable in these days. It was not to say he was like that snake, Orochimaru or any evil man. He was looking at things differently. After all, even the likes of Kakashi had taught him that not everything was as it looked. A shinobi truly had no right to judge another. They were all murderers. The only difference was the reason and the body count.
"Despite your status, you don't seem to be that of a bad person. Your voice gives nothing. You expression is a mask of indifference and your eyes reflect nothing but emptiness. But I sense no evil intentions… and that is the answer to the question why I am not wary around you. And no, Jiraiya doesn't know."
"You are truly different from the boy who left Konoha… or perhaps before that incident with Sasuke. But the growth is good."
"Even a child stops crawling at some point and start learning to walk. You cannot be blind forever, unless it is natural." He paused, looking around for a moment. He knew there was no one watching, but this was a world full of surprises and shocks. "If someone from Konoha actually ever saw me talking to you, I would get accused of treason. As you already know the Hidden Leaf doesn't favor me that much… I would rather not intentionally make things worse… but admittedly, I think I would be much happier if they decided I shouldn't return. There is however no chance of that happening… as long as Tsunade remains Hokage, I will return to the Leaf… no matter the circumstance."
Of course, he did think that they would rather shackle him than watch him leave the village. Power was everything in the shinobi world, and he had a Bijuu inside of him. No village would willingly allow a Jinchuriki to walk away. It would only be giving power to another village.
"You are willing to throw away your happiness for your village?"
"Don't get me wrong… I'm not throwing away my happiness. I don't have happiness. Konoha drained that from me from the day I was born. I am trying to find it again. Whether I give myself to the village or not, does not matter. We are all just shinobi. If I don't do it, someone else will. That is how this system works. But enough of that, why are you here? What do you want from me?"
"You are now ready to listen… I will talk to you…"
As Naruto flashed in front of a clone, his right arm snaked toward its face, grabbing it into an iron grip. He picked it up slightly and then slammed it against the ground with so much brutal force that it got buried before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
His eyes snapped up, as he tried to straighten himself up when he sensed more movement in front of him. Once he was up straight, Naruto folded his hands across his chest, burying his face behind the defensive stance. A second later, a right foot slammed into his defense, sending him rocketing backward like a bullet. He didn't even wince when his body crashed into a tree, shattering through its trunk.
Sensing more movement, he grabbed the falling tree by its trunk whilst still air-airborne. A clone was lunging ahead of him. He touched down, on both feet, knees bent slightly for better balance before swinging the full tree towards the clone.
"Katon: Great Fire Ball!"
The clone released a huge ball of flames from its mouth. The heat was intense, burning through the atmosphere as quickly as it spread out of its mouth. When it touched the leaves, the tree branches, the flames burnt the tree within seconds.
Naruto loosened his grip on the tree, before jumping away from the incoming flames. His back was pressed against a tree.
Planted against tree's trunk, Naruto was forced to drop into all fours, to avoid a flying kunai hurled straight toward his forehead. The kunai punched through tree's trunk within the blink of an eye. It pierced through the trees trunk, leaving a gaping hole before going through to hit another tree. Naruto didn't get the chance to breathe smoothly after avoiding the kunai as he was forced to channel chakra through his legs to make a quick jump.
The right foot of one of his clones, just whisked below his, slamming into the tree's trunk. There was a loud cracking sound when the foot crashed into the tree's trunk; it completely tore through the tree, breaking it. Naruto flashed away, landing in a clearing.
A clone flashed behind him, twisting while lifting up its right foot. Without even looking, Naruto twisted, facing up before ducking under the strike. He wanted to catch the foot that nearly hit him, but before he could catch it, another clone flashed just below him, on its knees, and drove a punch straight toward his back. The punch connected, sending him flying into the air. Naruto was thankful that he was in Sage Mode, otherwise, he would have been broken, his spine possibly.
When gravity started to pull him down, he tried to regain his balance so that he could land on both feet. Once he landed on the ground, he closed his eyes, did a couple of hand seals, before holding a single hand seal with his left, and then waved his right hand, whilst twisting around.
Within seconds, the ground started to shake slowly, powerful gusts of winds started to pick up, twisting around. The trees around became pulled, branches being slammed sides to sides while leaves were been torn apart. "Sage Art: fury."
The winds began to twist around, all around Naruto. There was so much force that the trees began to be uprooted from the ground. The winds were just hitting in all directions, tearing through the trees. Within a minute, every tree within a 100m radius was uprooted from the ground.
Naruto just stood still, with an expressionless look on his face. He was merely disappointed that even after all the practice he has gone through, this was the best he could do. Natural energy was powerful, it was the life of nature itself. The trees, the waters, all natural forms had this energy. The earth itself could only survive because of this power. It was powerful enough that some jutsu that are too powerful are called natural disasters. He wanted to recreate these natural disasters. It was possible, by entering Sage Mode, he becomes one with nature. He could feel it. He could see it. He could see all the trees, their support structure. Causing the natural energy in the atmosphere to go berserk was possible. The scale was just the troubling effect.
"Are you trying to get the village think it is under attack?" Jiraiya asked, jumping through the fallen trees. It looked like a tsunami had just hit the surrounding. But it didn't seem to have touched anything within touching distance of Naruto.
Naruto glanced at the Sannin through the corner of his eyes and then settled down in a meditative position. "Trying to perfect a jutsu… but truly, invoking natural disasters is proving to be difficult. I have learned to disrupt the wind and the earth…" he said before closing his eyes, gathering natural energy.
Jiraiya didn't envy the fact that Naruto has learned Senjutsu and achieved the perfect Sage Mode before he could. No, he was happy that Naruto was able to do something he could not. The blond had even managed to learn the Rasengan far quicker than he could. Of course, he'd only been able to execute it with the help of a clone back then, but now he had better control of his chakra, he didn't need two minds to multitask.
The Sannin walked over to Naruto then stopped just in front of him before sitting down in the same manner as the blond. "We have to talk."
"About?" Naruto asked. "Is it about why you returned so quickly?"
Jiraiya nodded. "I have learned something useful about Orochimaru's current location and status. I know he is terribly weak and is not moving. But I don't know where he is specifically located. But I have been told it is somewhere within the Sound country. Sasuke is also there with him. My contacts were able to give me the general location of someone who knows. I have handed everything to Tsunade, but left a copy at your house."
"You sounded so serious earlier… I thought you wanted to talk to me about something very serious."
Jiraiya stared at Naruto for a moment before releasing a long breath. "It depends on how you look at it… but it is about Sasuke, and his future…"
"What about it?"
"What do you think?"
Naruto opened both his eyes, staring back at Jiraiya. The issue of his former teammate was something he tried not to think about, because, it really made him angry at how stupid he had been. He could compete with the Uchiha and even better him in a battle but when it came to the love of Konoha, there was no competition. At these days, Naruto no longer even cared. He didn't bother thinking about trying to be loved by the villagers.
Flashback
Naruto was lying on the roof of a town within the Earth country, staring at the bright grin of the moon, and the twinkling bright of the stars. There was something to gaze upon, a sense of natural beauty to admire, but down in this world, in this world, there was but treachery, backstabbing, hate and some form of love. The only person Naruto could say had truly loved him was the Sandaime, but the old man had lied to him too many times, he'd kept the truth from him. He was sad that the only person who had loved him was dead, but personally, he no longer held the old man in the same breath as before.
After all, he might have had some peace when younger if the Sandaime had been forthcoming. He would have known why he was hated. He wouldn't have wondered if he was truly the spawn of the devil or his parents had merely abandoned him because they didn't want him. Some kids were mean. They could tell you that. They could tell you nobody loved you. Nobody would ever love. Even your parents abandoned you, because they didn't love you and hated you. If he had known the truth, he would have been at peace, knowing that mother and father had loved him – but died for the miserable people who now tormented him.
"Naruto," Jiraiya said, nudging him over his right shoulder.
He glanced at the Sannin, and then went back to his staring contest with the stars. He held no contempt for the Sannin. There was no blood ties, no relations and the man didn't owe him anything. He'd been merely his father's sensei – nothing more. "What?"
The Sannin glanced at him nervously for a couple of moments before seemingly shrugging. "I know you are a little mad that the truth was hidden from you but we must talk about this and how it affects your relationship with Konoha. Of course, that all has to do with your mental state."
"What do you think?"
"From what I have seen since we left Konoha, you'd be mad that the very same people your father died to protect are the ones to make the life of his only son a misery. I understand that, and I am not going to excuse their actions. But it is not a hopeless situation. People can change. They can be changed. Before they wouldn't have done anything for you but at the Chunin exams, they clapped hands for you because you did well. If you continue to do well, they will eventually appreciate your existence and worth. Hatred won't do you any good. But if you become hopeful, you live a free life."
What was the sage even saying? No, was he even qualified to be called a sage? "What nonsense are you sprouting, sensei?" Naruto found himself surprised that he actually uttered those words. In fact, he was even more shocked at how easy it was for them to slip out through his lips. "You are right that I am mad. You are right that hatred won't do me any good. But you are telling me the same shit that the old man used to tell me. I must show the how good I am? I must work better to impress them? For what? I don't owe the people of Konoha anything. I don't really feel like trying to impress them so they can look at me better and acknowledge me. They are the ones who are wrong. At this point, I don't really care what they think about me…" he smiled sadly. "I just want to live my life, be selfish a bit… do the things that make me happy instead of being a sacrifice. Of course, this could all be the anger talking. I've often had to deal with my darkness when wielding the Kyubi's chakra. The hate within it will drive me insane if I don't deal with my emotions, and this really doesn't help."
End of Flashback
Sighing deeply, Jiraiya responded. "It cannot be forgotten that Sasuke betrayed this village. While he isn't listed as a missing Nin, he is going to become one soon. If you fail to retrieve him this time, he will be marked as a missing-nin. But his presence in the village will add to another dimension that may influence your status."
"Nothing that concerns me as things stand," Naruto said with a shrug. "But you are saying that I will be tasked with going to find Sasuke… what of Orochimaru?"
"He has to die." Jiraiya said in a flat tone. "There is no team better suited for this mission than Team 7. Kakashi possesses the Sharingan, so he should negate any advantages. But your personal mission is to track the woman named Guren. With your sensory ability in Sage mode, you are a far better sensor than anyone in this village – at least as far as I am concerned. Once you have found her, you have to bring her back to Konoha or at least get the information we need out of her."
Another test. He could simply fail the mission because he had no intensions of breathing the same air as Sasuke. Perhaps Danzo was a visionary. The man had said something like this would happen. And to prove his loyalties to Konoha, he would have to succeed on this one. If his interactions with Itachi were any indication, the man would jump in joy, internally at least, if his younger brother was returned to Konoha. But there was still another issue.
"What happens after he is brought back? Sasuke only wants to kill his brother. And he apparently has no love for Konoha, or I could be wrong. Either way, he is not going to simply put on the village's headband and become a loyal shinobi once more."
"There are methods that have been prepared," Jiraiya said. "I'm going to find more information regarding the Akatsuki. I also spoke to the toads regarding giving you the Key to open the Kyubi's cage. Once we have found a secure way to handle things, they will release it."
"Of everything you have said so far, this is far most important, to me personally…" Naruto stated in a calm tone. "My Fuinjutsu skills are still lacking, but I will improve in due time. The only thing I know to do are barriers, which was simple. But other seals are rather complex…"
Jiraiya smiled. "You are your mother's son… I'm sure you will eventually get it together…" the Toad Sage said confidently. "Do you have anything to ask of me?"
"Like what? Why we are allowed to walk into Iwa's trap or even show that we are following current events? Tell me, sensei… what is really happening between Iwagakure and Kumogakure?"
It was a sad situation that was likely to bring the shinobi world into war once more. Some people did not change. Although Iwa has not gone on with its tendency to invade small villages, Kumogakure had started this one. But then again, it could simply be that the Hidden Stone was merely still trying to rebuild its strength from the heavy losses of the previous wars. The Cloud, predictably, had struck first. The unfortunate event was that it had attacked the wrong village. Unlike Konoha, Iwa was not going to just stand still.
"I have already told you the actions that Kumo has taken against Konoha that went unpunished because they would easily use the threat of war against us and the old man had become tired of all the wars that he would simply just bow to avoid it," Jiraiya stated in a serious tone. "In their attack of Iwa… when they failed, Iwa reacted by hiring the Akatsuki to attack Kumo's Jinchuriki. The Akatsuki succeeded, captured her and then even went past the Lightning borders. But the Raikage and his brother quickly pursued and caught up to them before retrieving their Jinchuriki. Only one member of the Akatsuki was killed. Iwa didn't seem to care… they had delivered the message to Kumo. When Kumo made threats, the Tsuchikage reminded the Raikage that he'd only hired two mercenaries who managed to walk into his village, take his Jinchuriki… and he'd only suffered some casualties in that battle. Since then, Kumo and Iwa shinobi can't meet. They've now been battling for strategic positions in case a war breaks out.
"In your mission, Tsunade wanted to send capable shinobi that Iwa didn't know about. Just to show them that we have more skilled shinobi and are watching. Whether you fought or not wouldn't have mattered. But the main idea was to show Iwa that we are watching and will take action. Of course, Iwa will try to turn its attention on us, but we know both won't work together."
"And Kumo?"
"When I went there, I thought I could reason with the Raikage, but he didn't listen to me," Jiraiya said with disappointment. "The Akatsuki knows more and there are suggestions that even Kumogakure has hired them. They were mercenaries, they don't have loyalties. They work for anyone who pays. What is troubling is that two of their members had enough power to walk into Kumo, fight and defeat a Jinchuriki with full control of her Bijuu's power. They are also a group of highly skilled S-rank criminals. We cannot overlook them. And we want to neutralize their effect in any war that may occur…"
A life of missions, it was unprecedented, for him at least, but nothing that could be avoided. He was a shinobi and to grow, to become what he needed to become, he had to get out more, he had to do what was required of a shinobi even if it meant doing certain things that the naïve him would have never thought of doing. Jiraiya had already gone through him. His fellow sage was a little more 'idealistic' and 'hopeful' than him though. Naruto looked at things realistically, not through the microscope of dreams and illusions as the Sannin chose. It was nice to hope – it gave you reason to continue marching in this cold and miserable world.
Maybe he would think differently had his parents remained alive, but they were not. They were dead. Kushina and Minato were dead. He was alive. Alone in this world. Hated by the people his parents died to protect.
"Thinking of somewhere far?"
Naruto looked down from the tree branch he lay; there was Sakura standing below, looking up at him. His new teammate was also around, but unlike last time when he attacked him, he was just laying low. Kakashi was late – as usual. There were just certain things that perhaps would never change. Even with him, there were things he was not going to change about himself because they defined who he was.
Slowly shaking his head, Naruto responded. "Something like that…" he said. Jiraiya had said she was trained by Tsunade, no doubt she was fighting like the old hag. He had seen her fight Orochimaru and he knew though a medic, she was destructive. The fighting style suited Sakura. She lacked stamina but her low chakra reserves made it possible for her to gain complete control over it.
"I see everyone has arrived…" Kakashi said, appearing from the tree shades, holding his beloved book. "Sai, Naruto, come down…" the Jonin ordered.
Both Naruto and Sai flashed into the clearing. Sakura stared at the pale teenager who just gave her an expressionless look, cold, devoid of any emotion. She wanted to say it was definitely not the look of Sasuke, but then then she grimly remembered, before he left, Sasuke had held nothing but contempt in his eyes that even when he appeared to be looking at you, you realized he was looking past you.
"Okay…" Kakashi drawled, his visible eye glancing around the three. "Sai is a former 'Anbu.' He is ranked as a Jonin, and will be our teammate from now on since we have lost one member. I remain team captain. You two can welcome our new teammate. We will meet later on for our first training session. And then once our teammate is in rhythm, we can talk about requesting missions."
But with current events, it was unlikely that they would have to request a mission. Sakura was strong enough and he didn't have to worry about Naruto and Sai. They would be dished out to the village before they could even settle because there was trouble outside the borders of the Fire Nation.
Naruto smiled, looking at Shizune who was busy with the papers in Tsunade's office. The Godaime was there, busy with other things, but Naruto focused on the black haired medic. He had seen her fight before. But he'd never quite noticed her like this. She was always the one who was taking care of Tsunade when she was drunk or bunking work because she was tired or in one of her moody days. He wondered, did she have someone in her life? Tsunade was lonely, perhaps even sexually frustrated. He liked to believe it was not the same for Shizune.
"You're having indecent thoughts, aren't you?" Tsunade asked with a glare.
Naruto's eyes glanced at the blonde Hokage for a second before looking back at Shizune. "My mind is innocent… I am merely admiring Shizune's work ethics…" he said with a smile.
While the Godaime Hokage scoffed, Shizune glanced at him, smiling. Even she knew the undertone in Naruto's words. Things had changed, huh? Jiraiya had not been wrong in his report. The blond had become a truly likeable young man.
"Don't tell me you are getting into this, Shizune!" Tsunade exclaimed.
"What?" Shizune responded with fake ignorance. She then smiled. "I was merely thinking how Naruto's face looks more like his mother than father…" she said innocently.
Naruto laughed when Tsunade glared at the black haired woman. "I should take you for a drink one of these days, Shizune. You can tell me all about how much of a slave driver the Godaime Hokage is… and just how much I look like my mother… while I praise your dedication and passion to your job and this village…" he said in a light tone.
"That would be great… I could use a drink… things have been hectic these days…"
"I can imagine… it is tense out there…" Naruto said before turning to face the Godaime Hokage. "You wanted to see me?"
Tsunade blinked. The switch was quick. His expression had changed, so had his tone. There were new things she was learning about this Naruto with each day. But it still concerned her. "Yes," she then the paused, glancing at Shizune, just wondering if the woman was serious about having a drink with Naruto. She then shook her head and faced Naruto. "I'm assigning you to an S-rank mission… but it should really be A-rank. It is only S-rank because of its significance, your status and the potential danger you may face. We are not sure about the strength of your strength. But she has to be at least an A-rank," she said, handing Naruto a scroll.
The blond took it but he did not open it.
"You are going to find this woman named Guren and apprehend her… bring her back to this village. If she talks before you even return, you will be required to stay where you are and Team 7 will join you. An Anbu team will be dispatched to collect her. The information that she has to give will lead us to Orochimaru and Sasuke. So, be ready for anything."
"When do I leave?"
"Tomorrow." Tsunade said. "You have at least a month to find her. I imagine that she could have moved already. If that is the case, you'll need to inform us whilst getting in contact with Jiraiya's people. Along the way, you might come across Iwa or Kumo shinobi. Avoid them if possible. I want to remind you that the outside world does not know about your status as a Jinchuriki, for now, we want to keep it that way."
"Of course."
"But, Naruto, if it cannot be helped and you must fight to get out of your way of a difficult situation, don't be afraid to use any force necessary. But if that is the case, try to eliminate witnesses. We don't want to alert Orochimaru of our movements or Iwa…"
"Understood."
"Dismissed."
Naruto bowed and departed from the office along with the scroll he had received from the Godaime Hokage.
"Naruto-kun! Have you come to test your youthful flames with us once more?!"
Neji quickly twirled around, hearing that loud voice of his sensei. The man was asking, but he was already dashing toward the blond in speed. He watched in fascination as Naruto held out both hands to block a flying kick from the Green Beast. When the kick connected with the blond's hands, he exploded in a cloud of smoke. Gai's eyes flashed toward him, grinning widely.
"Your sensei is always energetic, isn't he?" Naruto suddenly, asked, standing behind him.
Neji only narrowed his eyes. How the blond got behind him was a mystery to him. One would underestimate Gai because of his antics but Neji had seen the man fight. He was easily one of Konoha's most powerful shinobi, without question or doubt. It was not surprising that the Jonin was first to notice the blond behind him before he could.
"Frustratingly, yes…" Neji more or less groaned, just thinking that he was going to get challenged by Lee. Of course, his mad teammate never went all out with him. He had been frustrated learning just how fast and powerful Lee was in the Chunin exams. It was a pity that he had fought the wrong opponent. But there was no doubt, the Genin had been stronger than him, even when he claimed victory in many of their sparring sessions.
Naruto smiled. "I feel your pain," he said quietly. "I even came prepared because I knew he would attack while asking questions. You cannot make the mistake of exciting your friends…"
Neji nodded. Lee was like. Anyone who fought better was going to become his eternal rival. As he was. "I didn't know you were close to Gai-sensei."
Naruto shrugged. "I wouldn't say close, but I have sparred with him once. He is the best Taijutsu user in the village… I wanted to learn some things from him."
"Not from Lee then… if it had been, I would have known about it…"
"I'm sure he would have been shouting about it every day…" Tenten cut in, staring curiously at her green teammate who was busy decimating a dummy with his kicks and punches. How many did he destroy in a day? His budget, and Gai's, just went away in those things. Then again, she spent overly more in her weapons. She then glanced at Naruto… "Coming to fetch Neji?"
Naruto shook his head. "Hell no… Your teammate cannot laugh. I was already asking why I was paired with him before we even left the village," he said with a smile. "I came for your sensei."
"Good luck getting out without being forced to fight. He seems rather motivated today…"
"Lost a challenge to Kakashi-sensei?"
"Apparently," Tenten said with a shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow, Neji…" she said waving her right hand.
She was merely leaving because Gai was coming. And Lee appeared to be following from behind. The Green Beast was upon them in a couple of moments.
"Not in the mood today?" He asked, a bit seriously.
Naruto shook his head. "I would rather not get injured when I have to leave tomorrow for a mission. I came for the weights I asked… I want to try them…"
Gai grinned. "Lee will have a truly spirited rival…" he said with joy. "Did you say you were going to collect them?"
"You said you'd buy them for me."
"I did…" Gai seemed to think about it for a moment. "I have some at home… come later and fetch them… We still have some things to do with Lee… You can join us if you like…"
Didn't the man hear what he just said? He was going out on a mission and couldn't afford to be part of any of Gai's ridiculous training regimes. He didn't want to break anything that would make him sit this mission. "I'll join you when I return, Gai. Perhaps then I will have become used to the weights."
When he was leaving, Neji followed him. The Hyuga was silent along for a couple of moments before asking. "Team mission?"
"Solo," Naruto answered.
Naruto glanced at the Hyuga for a moment before looking at the road ahead. He didn't have anything to say to the Hyuga and the silence are comfortable. It didn't last long as Neji opened his mouth to ask.
"Why do you need weights? From what I saw, you are already fast enough."
Naruto shook his head. "Not fast enough," the blond said. "I turn here…" he said, waving his right hand as he walked away from Neji.
If Naruto ever forgot Iruka, he would be doing injustice. While the man had resented, and loathed him at every end, he was the only person who came from contempt to love. The man had been willing to take a bullet for him. Mizuki could have killed him. He would have ended his dreams. But he stood up for him, with no ulterior motives, and he was forever thankful that the man had showed him love in such a moment in his life. Still, he had been stupid. How had he even allowed himself to be duped by that moron called Mizuki? That man had never cared for him.
Sighing, Naruto glanced at the academy teacher for a moment before staring at his ramen. It was fine when there were people who valued your life, your existence. Could he trust anyone else with all his life? The answer was no. Laughable as it was, he could only trust the Kyubi to save his life. Even then, it was because the Bijuu needed him to be alive, for its own survival. But the people in this village would always think about Konoha first. Even with Tsunade. Despite her good intentions, if it came to it, she would choose her village.
"You should come to my house for dinner one day. All we have ever eaten is ramen," Naruto said to the Chunin.
"You're probably going to serve me ramen… even at your house…"
Naruto smiled. "Perhaps in the old days. But I have learned that you need to eat other foods to maintain a healthy body. As a shinobi, the condition of my body determines my longevity and my ability to withstand stressful moments. A strong will doesn't result in a strong body," the blond said.
Iruka smiled; proud. He was proud when Naruto become a genin, although in an unconventional method, but he was still proud. He had been proud when Naruto performed better than expected at the Chunin exams. And now, he had not only grown in strength but in mind as well. The Sandaime would have been proud as well. It was a pity he was not alive to see this moment.
"You'll tell me…"
"Please bring a girlfriend…" Naruto said to Iruka.
Iruka turned to face the genin with a raised eye brow. "Shouldn't I be the one to ask that of you?"
Naruto just smiled. "I just thought I must see who wakes you up in the morning. To love and to be loved, who doesn't want that? There are certainly things that male friends cannot give you, but you get them from female companions."
Before Iruka could respond, Ayame asked; with a curious look on her face. "And what is that, Naruto?"
The blond smiled, and then motioned for her to lean over. He whispered something into her ear and she blushed before walking away without a response. He only laughed seeing her reaction before turning to Iruka.
"I don't have a lover. And I just returned to the village. But admittedly, love is not something I am looking after. I am still young, there is still time… but you are not getting younger, sensei. Someone gave birth to you, you need to continue with that tradition…"
The following day
Naruto already had his bag on his back. He was, nevertheless, not going to hurry. It was not a quick mission anyway. And looking at things, there was no call for him to do things in haste. He was not even against the idea of doing things slowly to give himself some time away from the Hidden Leaf. He still could not come to love this village and its people. He could not force himself, because really, he didn't want to do so. Being here was just tiring. If the word gets out that Minato was his father, a comedic situation was surely going to rise and it would be amusing to watch.
With the bag on his back, and one hand holding it firmly to ensure it doesn't fall because of his movements, Naruto jumped back slightly, and landed on both feet. A second later, Konohamaru lunged at him, driving a right jab towards his gut. He caught the punch and gripped it tightly while slowly twisting. This caused the boy to cry out in pain.
When he let go of him, Konohamaru glared at him. "This is frustrating!" he exclaimed.
Naruto sighed. Well, at least with this boy, things were not awkward unlike they were with Iruka. Perhaps things had worked well because of the past dynamics in their relationship. He had been the disobedient student who had to be followed after on everything and Iruka was the teacher willing to go to the extra mile for him. But there was no longer a need for that.
"You need to learn to control that frustration. When you get frustrated, you start to act recklessly and that leaves you open for danger. The shinobi out there will kill you." Naruto said this in a cold tone, releasing a bit of killing intent to drive his point across. "You need to remember that if you meet a powerful opponent, and you are not strong enough, you will die. I know it is not something you want to hear Konohamaru, but you are a shinobi now, you need to know this. In my first real mission, if our opponent had been intent on killing us, I would not have returned to this village. To survive, you need power, and friends who can have your back when you need it. A loud mouth will only get you killed."
Konohamaru massaged his head. Naruto was saying a lot of things. It was not like he was not getting it. He did get it, but what did have to do with anything. Besides, Naruto was being a little harsher than normal. When the blond gave him a hard glare, he was forced to nod in agreement.
"I get you…" he said. "You said you'd teach me a new jutsu…"
"I'm going to show you the Rasengan. The jutsu is not elemental but purely chakra manipulation. It will be difficult and I won't be around to tell you what to do. I have come to learn that experience is the best teacher and there is nothing that motivates you better than failure, of course, if you are mentally strong enough…" he smiled. "Today and tomorrow, a clone of mine will beat into you the knowledge you require to learn the jutsu."
Later that day
Intel did suggest that Naruto was a stamina freak, but he could not figure out why and how the blond could keep running for hours without taking rest. It was almost as if he was running away from something. He couldn't have seen or sensed him since he was not on land. For Sai, there was a limit to how much more he could keep following the blond. He didn't have unlimited chakra. It was nice being a Jinchuriki. He'd yet to see anything that made him think that Danzo was true to say there was no better weapon than the Nine-tails Jinchuriki.
The problem there was that since he has seen Naruto, there has not been a hint of his use of the Kyubi's power. Danzo could not even get the secret file that the Godaime had in her possession containing Naruto's stats. Think…
Sai's thoughts were cut off when a firm hand gripped him on his neck from behind. It was such a firm grip that came out of nowhere. His heart raced, he couldn't twist his neck to see who it was. He was flying, on his bird. Who could have the ability to get behind him, having even flown to him like that? He narrowed his eyes below – Naruto was still running. Who could it be? Sai felt himself being picked up into the air, his bird bust into black ink, and gravity started pull them down. The hand did not let him go. Sai faced down, closed his eyes.
His body hit tree branches, snapping past them. He did not flinch while being slapped across his face and the rest of his body. Nor when his body brutally slammed to the ground, face first, creating a crater. He only winced in pain when a foot suddenly crashed into his back, nearly breaking his spine. He held back a cry. He had been subjected to many tortures and pain, but it didn't mean he was immune to pain. He was not afraid of death, but it didn't mean he was ready for it. Not in this manner.
He was flipped to the side, eyes still closed. A foot slammed onto his chest, causing him to cough out blood, and gasp for air. He felt something snap as he was buried to the ground. When his eyes opened, to get a look at his assailant, he found Naruto standing above him, glaring down at him with such cold eyes that would have made a lessor man flinch. After a second, he smiled, but didn't remove his foot off him. He just leaned in, staring at him in the eyes.
"Sai…" he started slowly, tilting his head to the side. "For a moment, I thought you were an enemy. In this kind of world, you can never be too careful. Aren't you glad I am a kind person, I could have plunged a kunai through your chest before I even recognized you?"
Naruto was not an idiot, Sai realized. He understood what the blond was saying. Sai wasn't even supposed to be here. If he had died, the blond could bother turning him to Konoha and then claiming he hadn't known it was him. Or he could just keep quiet about it. Only Danzo knew he was here. It would create a problem if the Hokage knew he was here.
"Are you going to kill me?"
Naruto just continued smiled. "Now, why would I kill a fellow Konoha shinobi? We are teammates, are we not? Unless, of course, you have other motives… but certainly if I press down a bit, I could crush your chest and then burn your body to ashes… but I am not that kind of person…" he said causally before asking. "Aren't you supposed to be in Konoha?"
"Are you going to let me go? I'm having trouble breathing and I'm bleeding internally," Sai stated the obvious.
Naruto blinked, feigning surprise. "You were speaking so naturally, it slipped my mind," he said. But he still did not remove his foot off Sai, he just loosened the pressure. "Speak." He ordered.
"Kakashi-sensei was sent out on a mission just after you left. Team 7 activities were thus suspended. Danzo-sama sent me out to give your some information," Sai answered, a bit too quickly. "How did you do it?"
Naruto smiled, before bursting into a cloud of smoke. Sai blinked in surprise: a clone? How had that happened? Naruto hadn't made a clone while he was watching him. And that still didn't explain how he was able to get in behind him without him knowing. A shinobi skilled in assassination could do that, but how he had flown?
"You're not a sensory type, at least in terms of chakra. You're good at keeping surveillance, nonetheless." Naruto said, walking up to the clearing. He leaned against a tree, folded his eyes hands across his chest, and watched Sai recover, before continuing to speak. "I guess you know my mission and Danzo has information about my target."
Sai nodded and watched Naruto carefully. He was not going to explain how he had managed to do what he did, Sai realized. But it was alright. He would figure out the secrets. At least now, he has learned that he needed to keep both eyes opened when sleeping, and never blink in the presence of the blond. Danzo was going to be impressed. Much more over the fact that the blond seemed a bit receptive to the 'help' from his master.
He removed a scroll and threw it toward the blond, who caught it. "Danzo-sama's information is more specific. That woman you are going after, she is has a rare bloodline. But also a lot of information about Orochimaru."
"What does he want in exchange?"
"Nothing for now… Danzo-sama is merely interested in seeing Sasuke Uchiha return to the Hidden Leaf. If you can do that, he will see it as a debt paid."
Naruto held back a snort. Power hungry fool. He just wanted to control Sasuke and probably thought that if he had control over Sasuke's Sharingan, he would have control over him or the Kyubi. But there was no need for Danzo to go that far, in using Sasuke for that at least. He could do it on his own. He had been informed of Danzo's little secret. He was just not going to tell. Besides, he had a remedy for it, should it ever be attempted to be used against him.
Without responding, Naruto pocketed the scroll and then started to walk away from Sai.
There was no need to say anything. If Sai was tracking him down, he would know about it. For now, he was free. He could return to a slow pace. It was troubling that he had been forced to run when he had not even planned on doing it.
Three days later
There were times one thought that certain events were linked to the other. In this world, were power meant everything, actions brought consequences. Perhaps it was not the events that were linked, but rather the behavior of humans. People may live in different worlds, follow different cultures, but fundamentally, humans were all the same. Both Kumo and Iwa were similar and their actions just proved that people were not truly different. Sighing, Naruto glanced at the cup in front of him, and then stared into the clear skies.
He was in a town within the Land of Canyons. Guren was still some distance away, he was not sure he would even meet her a day or tomorrow. There was no hurry either. Tsunade had given him time to complete this duty. Of course, there was the danger of coming across shinobi with evil intentions. He had been warned as such. But at least he was confident, that no one in Konoha was following him, not even Danzo had his rats on his tail. Jiraiya would have warned Tsunade against such actions. Perhaps this was also another test for him. Just to see if he could be faithful while left on his own devices. No doubt, in those secret Anbu files, he was marked an S-rank flight risk.
"Are you sure you should be enjoying the comfort?"
Naruto glanced at his right; a man was walking up to him. He was a little bulky, had long black hair. The man stood on his right for a moment, taking in the air before sitting down on the rooftop. "If you cannot be settled, you can never have the peace of mind. But I must admit, I'm not fully briefed on what is happening in this world… the matters between Kumo and Iwa…"
Admittedly, he was honestly not that bothered by it. Perhaps it was because he was most concerned about his health than the battles of other people. They had a war to fight. A score to settle, they could settle it themselves. Getting involved would not stop the war, it just increased in the number of sacrifices and the amount of blood that will be spilled if a war eventually broke out. Jiraiya would be disappointed if he knew such thoughts. Still, Naruto smiled. He was not looking for approval from his sensei. Each man had his mind, and each with his ideals to follow. It was the thing called freedom. But freedom in the shinobi world was such a foreign concept.
"Well, you were not focused on trying to discover what was happening. Jiraiya-sama would have been willing to share the details had you been a wiling recipient."
"Such news would have taken away my focus on my training…" Naruto answered with a shrug. "How did things go?"
"Getting in was honestly difficult. I'd thought I was going to die," the man responded, glancing at Naruto at the corner of his eyes. "But there is nothing in Uzushio. There are no survivors, it is just ruins, a memory of a once peaceful clan…"
Naruto frowned. He had been a little hopeful that there may be something. But it did look like the masks were the only things he could treasure, aside from the Fuinjutsu scrolls that his mother left behind. It was sad. Maddening even. His clan had only been peaceful. They had never been involved in wars. Perhaps Mito's entrance in the shinobi world in sealing the Kyubi had threatened many. The Uzumaki had not required fighting to subdue a Bijuu – it was just simply the use of their chakra chains and then the Bijuu would be sealed away. Despite being such peaceful people, the end had not been gracious. It was ruthlessly cruel. It exposed the mentality of this world, just how treacherous it was.
Of course, treachery could be on the part of the Hidden Leaf.
But Naruto was not going to focus on that. "Disappointing," Naruto said expressionlessly. "But such is the world we live in. I must still visit it. I never got the chance to do so in my time with Jiraiya. Perhaps he was afraid I would decide to settle there rather than return to the Leaf…"
"Well, even I had doubted you'd actually return to the Leaf. You were ordered to return and you ignored that order…" the man said. "You will be happy to know that you are in Iwa's bingo books. But it is nothing flattering. C-rank shinobi. No serious jutsu. Aside from the Rasengan and summoning jutsu. It doesn't help that your official rank is Genin. It does appear that they still don't know that you're a Jinchuriki of the Kyubi…"
"That is because it was something Konoha held secret to avoid problems. Jinchuriki are still high commodity, but it is not going to last long. Very soon, they will know the truth. And my status is going to change once I have handled a couple of missions," Naruto stated. Perhaps another one of Tsunade's reason to give him these missions was to test him, and then give him the ranking based on mission success, after accessing the difficulty of each mission.
"What is not in the bingo book is that Iwa suspects you for being a Jinchuriki. I assume their reason for withholding this information is because they want to test it and if found to be true, they will act in their best interest."
Naruto smiled. The Kyubi was still the strongest Bijuu. It did look like he was probably the only Jinchuriki who could not use the full power of his Bijuu. But perhaps that was mainly due to his seal. There was no advanced seal than the one used by his father – a product of the Uzumaki.
"That will surely get Konoha panicking if they become bold with their intentions," Naruto said. "Can you come to Konoha?"
"Are you sure that is safe?"
"You are not a shinobi of any village, nor a rogue shinobi. But perhaps I could be accused of plotting things," he said with a sigh. "Normal contact is fine then…"
"One more thing before I leave," the man said in a serious tone. "Itachi is on the move. His condition is still fine, but I assume is eyesight is only getting worse. Sasuke is probably still with Orochimaru…"
"He is," Naruto confirmed. "Intel from Konoha says so. The problem is finding out their location. My mission now is to try to find that location by tapping into someone who was once close to Orochimaru…" he stood up, and looked around the town for a couple of seconds. "Go to Iwa… find out what you can… you can speak to Jiraiya's contacts… return here in three weeks. I think I should be done by then."
"Is it that difficult?"
Naruto shook his head. "I want to make a stop elsewhere…"
As I have already stated, the pace is going to be a bit quick. Next chapter will have some parts of the Akatsuki and a good surprise as to where Naruto is going and to do what.The Omnipresent Sage