Chapter 4: The Addition
A/N: I'm back at it again with chapter 4 of the story! As I explained in the footnote in the last chapter, my aim is to write longer chapters with more fulfilling content while keeping to a better consistency with posting the chapters. Now, there is something I wanted to address in this note, that being the arc we're currently in. I was doing some brainstorming the other night with where I wanted to take this arc in and decided to just keep it the way I have it planned out for now; so, this arc is the "Akatsuki Introduction Arc" or the "Akatsuki: Yorukō" arc to make it easier on myself, at least.
Here's a recap of Chapter 3: "Mission Briefing and the Confession"
Yorukō and his squad were given the mission to deliver a message to the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand village. This mission was led to some opposition from Yuina, who then revealed that her mother was slain by Hidden Sand shinobi years ago, swearing to exact revenge on her killers if given the chance. While Tsunade didn't necessarily directly tell her not to kill her killers, she reminded the teen of the Leaf's and the Sand's strained relationship. Her rant and Yorukō's comments that followed thereafter were interrupted by Naruto and Jiraiya's subsequent return to the village, the former's return not going unnoticed by Yorukō who expressed interest in Naruto's status as a jinchūriki, slightly earning Tsunade's suspicion in the process. Later on into the day, Yorukō and Kori finally addressed their rocky past together, which ended with Kori being forgiven by Yorukō for her actions which only seemed to reinforce her feelings for Yorukō.
With the recap out of the way, let's get onto the chapter, shall we?
"I'm glad you could make it on such short notice, Yorukō." Tsunade said. After Yorukō and Kori had their conversation, Kori earning the boy's forgiveness, Yorukō was on his way home when he was intercepted by an ANBU member. He initially thought he was there to fight when he was told of Tsunade expecting him out of the blue which confused the teenage jōnin. Thinking nothing of it, he made great haste to the Kage's office.
"Well, it's not often I get summoned out of the blue like this, so I'm guessing something has to be up." Yorukō said.
"Indeed. There's been a… change to this mission." The Hokage began.
"Change? What kind of change?" Yorukō queried, suspicious of his Kage's words.
"Nothing to the actual mission itself, but rather to your team. It's out of my hands, believe me, I tried stopping this – there's going to be an addition to your team." Tsunade explained.
"An addition." Yorukō calmly stated, taking a breath before continuing: "And, pray tell, who was it that forced this decision?"
"Danzō." Tsunade answered.
At the mention of his name, the teenager's chakra levels began spiking at abnormal levels, the Hokage's room becoming thick with and oppressive chakra. Had it not been for the countless fights and losses she herself experienced in life, even the Hokage would've fallen victim to the thickly oppressive chakra. Instead, she sighed at the sight, silently feeling for the boy she could – in another life – possibly consider him as a son to her. The people outside were not so lucky, many passing out from the chakra leaking out in troves.
"That… bastard! What more does he want?" Yorukō angrily asked.
"Calm down, Yorukō. Getting angry over it will get you nowhere." Tsunade sternly said.
"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Yorukō declared: "Setting surveillance on us in the form of another squad member, who the hell does he think he is?!"
"For one, even though I wouldn't blame you if you did, remember that he's a high-ranking member of this village, something like that WILL have negative repercussions if you even decide to fight him." Tsunade pointed out, something that caused Yorukō to somewhat calm down, albeit still enraged. The Hokage's expression softened as she continued: "Secondly, if you calm down some more, I can fully explain how this came to be."
"…Fine." Yorukō relented, dropping his chakra levels to his normal, yet still on edge over the information he just received. He made his way to the door when he turned around to look at Tsunade and asked: "Will a privacy seal be necessary?"
Tsunade shrugged at the boy's question. "Not unless you feel the need for it to be necessary."
"Just in case, I'll activate one anyway." Yorukō decided before Tsunade threw a privacy seal towards the teen who caught and activated it, a string of black seal markings slowly encroaching the room. Satisfied, he fully focused on Tsunade who took a sigh before closing her eyes.
"Where do I begin…" Tsunade said.
Flashback to three hours ago…
Tsunade sat around a table in a small room where she was met by Koharu, Homura, and Danzō, three elders of the Leaf. The three elders looked amongst each other before settling their eyes on the Hokage, who looked at them in confusion and slight anger. Homura cleared his throat towards Tsunade before placing both hands on the table in front of them.
"Tsunade, I'm just going to be honest with you. I don't like that group of shinobi from the Frost." Homura stated with a neutral tone, hiding any contempt.
"And why is that, Homura?" Tsunade asked: "They have done nothing but aid this village any and every way they can."
"They haven't, yet. Do you remember the last time we harbored someone from the frost?" Homura fired.
Tsunade kept quiet as the older man continued, his tone now beginning to be laced with venom. Koharu looked at her fellow elder, a sad smile forming on her face as she remembered the events that unfolded.
"I forgot his name…but I distinctively remember that he was from the Hasegawa clan. We took him in not long after the events of the First Great Ninja War. We thought everything was good until he killed Kagami Uchiha and stole his Sharingan before fleeing from the village!" Homura recalled, the elder shaking with rage: "What's worse, we couldn't do anything to stop him!"
"But Yorukō and his family aren't like that!" Tsunade argued.
"I can understand that Tsunade, but are you forgetting the last name that Yorukō possesses?" Koharu pointed out.
Danzō stayed silent as he watched the events unfold right in front of his eyes, the elder devoid of all emotions despite being close with Kagami in his younger days. He noticed Tsunade beginning to become aggravated towards the elders, continuing to stay silent throughout, at least for the time being.
"Yorukō is a part of the Hasegawa clan, no matter how you look at it. What's to stop him and his group from doing something of that nature, or even worse, attack the village not long after we've just fully recovered from the effects of Orochimaru's invasion?" Koharu pointed out, her fears realized.
"Yorukō, Yuina, Kori, Sayuri, and Aya have been living here for at least a year now. If there was anything that even remotely resembled an attack on the village, don't you think those feelings have passed for now?" Tsunade argued.
"You're more naïve than I thought, Tsunade." Danzō finally spoke, earning everyone's attention: "How long was it before Orochimaru decided to attack the village, and take Hiruzen's life from him? Was it just one year? Five? No. Longer than that. Where the Hasegawa family and/or clan is concerned, despite us not giving them enough attention to act, we cannot turn away from the notion that they are enemies of the Leaf, despite the Kagami incident happening years ago."
"Danzō has a point, Tsunade." Homura added: "It would be for the best if we ask them to leave."
"I wouldn't want something like that to happen again, so I'd have to second that." Koharu also added.
"I understand each of your comments regarding the last Hasegawa we had in the village, but you're comparing a past incident to an unfounded one." Tsunade argued: "Besides, Yorukō and his family – as I've said before – have little to no reason to attack the leaf."
"Didn't your apprentice, Shizune comment on Yorukō's 'dark and oppressive' chakra?" Danzō quickly pointed out, catching Tsunade off guard. Unable to make a retort towards the elder, he continued: "Better yet, why did he take sudden interest in the fact that our Jinchūriki made his return to the Leaf? These are variables that must not be overlooked, Princess."
"First off, how did you know about a private conversation between my apprentice and myself?" Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowing at the older man.
"I have eyes and ears everywhere when it concerns the safety of this village." Danzō curtly replied.
Tsunade was beginning to become more than annoyed towards the village elder and ROOT founder, with her chakra levels beginning to swell in response. Danzō remained unfazed at the sudden tension and K.I. being directed towards him, opting to close his lone visible eye and sigh at the sight that befell him. Koharu and Homura both looked at the Hokage, each also unfazed at her chakra increasing but sighed at the sight. Both elders looked at each other before looking at Danzō when an idea came to Homura.
"Tsunade, why don't we add a fifth man to their team?" The elder suggested to the Hokage: "That way, any suspicious actions or activity could be reported and dealt with accordingly."
"I like that idea." Koharu added.
"I can offer one of my subordinates from my division to serve as that fifth person." Danzō suggested: "They will be more than skilled enough to handle that family should any issues arise."
"That shouldn't be necessary, Danzō. One of my ANBUs should be enough." Tsunade countered.
"Now now, Tsunade," Koharu interjected: "Danzō has a fair point. I second his suggestion."
"Agreed. I could also get behind this idea." Homura chimed.
"That's three against one, Tsunade." Danzō said, a hint of arrogance sifting in his voice: "You may be the Hokage, but there are times when the elders will have the final say. This was one of them."
Tsunade gritted her teeth in anger at the elder's witty remark, the Sannin only able to glare at Danzō after being hit with his irrefutable comment. Instead, she rose from her seat and headed for the door when she stopped to turn and look at the three elders one last time.
"Koharu and Homura – I can understand, but you, Danzō…there's definitely something else to your problem with Yorukō and his family." Tsunade concluded.
"Any problem I have with Yorukō is contributed to the possibility of him attacking the Leaf Village considering we've just recently gotten back on our feet since the invasion." Danzō rebutted: "Before you leave, I will send the shinobi most suited for this mission to you forthwith."
Present Time…
"So, let me get this straight." Yorukō said after Tsunade finished recollecting the events of an hour ago: "Danzō and the other two old bags that call themselves elders don't like me being in this village because of some Hasegawa that snatched a pair of Sharingan eyes long before I was even thought of?"
Tsunade snorted at the 'old bags' line: "Yes. I'm guessing that they're still sore about that incident despite the fact this event happened years ago."
"Something doesn't add up though." Yorukō said in a serious tone.
"What's that?" asked the Hokage.
"I may not have had the best relationship with my father or some family members when I was living in the Frost Village, but not once have I heard about a Hasegawa with Sharingan eyes."
"Really?" Tsunade asked, surprised at that information: "That's…weird. Why would they say something like that then?"
"I'm not sure." Yorukō honestly answered: "Something doesn't seem right about that claim." The teen shrugged and shook his head: "Although, having the Sharingan in any capacity sounds extremely useful."
"Don't get any funny ideas." Tsunade warned the teen: "Remember that these guys don't like you."
"You're right, but you're also forgetting something. There aren't any Uchiha members left in the village for me to even consider the idea of taking a Sharingan." Yorukō pointed out.
"Well, when you put it that way, then I can see that not happening anytime soon." Tsunade agreed: "However, you're getting an additional member to the team, something that's completely out of my control." She shook her head at Yorukō and gave him an apologetic smile.
"That's fine, if I'm to be honest with you." Yorukō humbly told his Kage: "I appreciate you at least telling me beforehand like you promised."
"It's no problem, Yorukō. I do advise you to let your family know of the change – considering they're all going with you." Tsunade pointed out to the teen.
"You're right." Yorukō said before giving a slight bow to Tsunade and headed for the exit: "Before I leave, I will say this though. Any attacks on my family because of this decrepit old man and any 'hate boners' he has towards me; I will personally see to his demise." With that declaration, the teenage shinobi left the office, leaving an impressed Hokage.
"I shouldn't be rooting for the kid, considering who he wants to take down, but should it happen, it will most definitely be interesting to see." Tsunade mused out loud while reaching into a drawer to pull out a bottle of sake along with a cup. The sannin poured the sake into the cup and quickly drank it when she got out of her seat and looked out a window: "I may have said it once before, but things are only going to get more interesting in the leaf."
With Yorukō…
"There's a new addition to Team 1 now. What's more, he or she will come from Danzō's branch of Black Ops Shinobi. No matter how you look at it, nothing good is going to come from this situation." Yorukō said to himself while walking towards his home to give his family/team the 'lovely' news as he so puts it. Not wanting to deal with the citizens of the village or having to deal with making a scene, the teenage jōnin opted to take the rooftops towards his home as he continued to wrap his head around this and in the worst-case scenario, decide to deal with this situation.
"How would the dynamic work with five people in a squad? It seems overkill to me." Yorukō began thinking while jumping over a few houses at a time; his naturally fast-moving speed and agility in somewhat of a display here: "I know Tsunade didn't make any changes to me being the team leader, so at least she didn't change that much."
He jumped over a few more buildings at an even faster speed. Somehow, the teen forgot that the estate is located on the outskirts of the Leaf, something that only served the darken his mood even more: "Would this person fully listen to me during missions? If not, then I'd definitely have to take a more drastic measure to ensure team synchronization and effectiveness."
Yorukō jumped over three buildings this time. Upon jumping over the third building, he began seeing his home form into sight, the Hasegawa teen smiling in earnest. His mood immediately shifted when he returned to his thoughts.
"If this person were to make any moves against us, then…" Yorukō pondered, clenching his right fist in anger: "…that would most definitely result in their death. No questions asked."
With Sayuri and the others…
"Something doesn't feel right." The reanimated woman said out loud, catching everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" Kori asked. After having that conversation with Yorukō earlier, the pair were on the way home when Yorukō was intercepted, causing the teenage jōnin to leave in a rush. Since being separated, Kori went home on her own – concerned for Yorukō's safety but confident in his abilities.
"Think about it. After we all came home, hasn't it felt like something was just off?" Sayuri asked.
"Now that you mention it, I remember Yorukō-kun being intercepted by an ANBU ninja while we were walking home. I couldn't remember exactly what they were talking about, but Yorukō-kun just smiled at me before leaving with the shinobi." Kori noted.
"That is weird." Yuina noted before looking directly at Sayuri, a thick vein popping on her forehead: "Hold on a sec, what was the whole point of dragging Aya and I, Sayuri-san?!"
"Oh, that." Sayuri commented, her mind briefly off the uneasy feeling she had: "I just wanted for us three to not be there while Kori-chan talked to Yorukō."
"Oh?" Yuina asked, her focus shifting towards her cousin: "What, pray tell, did you and Yorukō-kun discuss? Without me, even."
"I just wanted to apologize to him for what I did a few years ago." Kori said, a blush forming on her cheeks.
"…Is that right?" Yuina asked, her mood darkening. She distinctively remembered the conversation she had with Kori a year ago, where she revealed the true circumstances behind her and Yorukō's 'relationship'. Some time passed before she spoke again, Kori beginning to become anxious with each passing second.
"And what did he say to you?" Yuina asked, her tone coming off as slightly commanding.
"Well, he forgave me." Kori answered.
Yuina was stunned at her cousin's answer. She never imagined Kori would muster enough confidence to address what she did to Yorukō. Moreover, she would've never imagined that Yorukō would even forgive her for her actions. She looked at her cousin, someone who Yuina always considered to be a younger sister to her – they share a year difference between each other – as being more mature, if even a step towards it. Sayuri for her part seemed happy with the favorable outcome that Kori had with Yorukō, finally satisfied that she took such an important step. However, her thoughts were once again shifted towards the uneasy feeling she felt earlier. Before she could say anything about it, she felt Yorukō's chakra rapidly approaching, something everyone else felt as well. Before anything else was done, Yorukō finally returned home, a scowl deeply etched on his face.
"Is there something wrong, Yorukō?" his mother asked.
"There's so much shit wrong right now, I truly don't know where to start." Yorukō bitterly answered: "But here's the gist of it: we're getting a new squadmate, and there's nothing I or even Tsunade can do about it."
"What?!" Everyone screamed in unison.
"Yup. This was a directly mandated order by the so-called 'elders' of the village." Yorukō explained to his family as he folded his arms in further contempt: "Apparently, the reasoning behind it is due to some Hasegawa from years ago killing this 'Kagami Uchiha' and stealing his Sharingan eyes. They fear we'd do something along the lines of that, or maybe even worse: attack the village."
"That doesn't make any sense." Sayuri noted: "I've never heard of a Hasegawa member doing such a thing, and even worse, why did those elders have the idea of us rebelling against the village?! We literally have not done anything wrong!"
"I told you when we were at Yakiniku Q, didn't I, mom?" Yorukō began: "How we simply just don't belong. There's more to it though; it turns out that Danzō was the one to push this additional member to the other councilmen first."
"But…why?" Kori asked out loud. In truth, all three women were beginning to feel frustrated at the elders' antics towards them. The teenager recalled Sayuri's rebuttal of how they have done nothing wrong in the village since living there yet to her, there's always an issue against them.
"Let me ask you this, Yorukō-kun," Yuina started, the focus firmly shifting towards the girl. Taking a small breath, she glanced at everyone for a moment before fixing her eyes on her significant other: "What are we going to do about this? As much as I love you, and you know how much I'd disagree with your…negative views to put it lightly, it's clear that we aren't welcome here, especially in recent memory. Wouldn't it be best if we try to find refuge in another village?"
Both Kori and Sayuri seemed to deeply consider the idea proposed by Yuina, finding it to be a favorable scenario for not dealing with situations like this anymore. After taking a few seconds to think it over, the duo seemed to nod their heads in agreement with Yuina's suggestion.
"No." Yorukō simply answered.
"Why?!" Yuina countered: "No matter what we do, it just won't be enough for the village as long as those 'elders' manipulate behind the scenes!"
"I'm still disagreeing with the idea." Yorukō reinforced: "In times like this, we tend to forget two very important things."
"And what's that, son?" Sayuri asked.
"Well, for starters, we've been through enough for the past two years. I could really give a damn about some decrepit elders that simply don't like us. If the Hokage – someone I respect – didn't like us, then I would understand and actually leave." Yorukō began explaining: "However, we, and in most cases, I, have had at least five to seven opportunities to wreak havoc over the village, and yet, we didn't. This is just another test until we find a way to mend our relationship with the Frost."
"Well, that's a fair and valid point," Kori agreed: "but you said there were two reasons. What's the second?"
"We always tend to forget that we're a group of five, not four when it comes to situations like this." Yorukō stated, placing emphasis on the number of people living with him.
That's when it hit everyone: Aya. Remembering what the young child said a few days ago reminded the three women that there was another goal at hand with being in the Leaf, that being to ensure Aya has a proper and fulfilling upbringing. This seemed to calm and placate each of them if even to a small degree.
"I can't believe I forgot about Aya-chan!" Sayuri commented: "Even though she's so young, she's basically been through a lot, and she basically deserves this!"
"I never got the chance to actually meet her in the beginning, but throughout the times we've lived together, she's honestly the pride and joy of the family!" Yuina added.
"If we focus our efforts on her, then even the elders' crap won't feel like anything to us now, would it?" Kori ended.
"Exactly!" Yorukō happily answered, a grin now plastered on his face: "So, even if it's only for Aya-chan, let's persevere until everything is smoothed over, shall we?"
"Yeah!" All three women exclaimed.
"However, we do need to get ready. The time's approaching for us to leave the village." Yorukō instructed, his leader's mentality beginning to show: "It'd be best if we leave as soon as we possibly can."
Without saying another word, the three women simply nodded at the teen as they went to the different areas of the house to retrieve their equipment with great haste before reuniting with Yorukō (as he already had a shadow clone made to retrieve his own belongings). He glanced at the three women in front of him once more before turning towards the door and boosted off the compound at breakneck speed, Yuina, Kori, and Sayuri following suit.
Twenty minutes since leaving the compound…
"Yorukō-kun…" Yuina said, her breath ragged from the sprinting she did: "I know…you're faster than us…but could you at least give us a heads-up when you plan on running off like that?"
"Yeah…we're fast in our own right…" Kori added, her breathing also ragged: "…but we don't have…your stamina."
"I feel fine!" Sayuri exclaimed, a grin on her face.
'You don't count, Sayuri-san!" Both Yuina and Kori screamed.
Yorukō laughed. "Well, I'll go a little slower next time."
The group made their way towards the south gate when Yorukō felt an unfamiliar chakra, causing the teen to get on edge; something the rest of the group picked up on almost immediately. They all walked at a slower, more cautious pace – the unfamiliar chakra signature becoming stronger. Yorukō reached for a kunai when he heard a voice speak from one corner of the gate.
"If you draw that kunai against me, it wouldn't look good for your standing in the village now, would it?" The voice mockingly taunted.
"…I suppose you're right. Who are you, anyway?" Yorukō demanded more than asked.
"Me?" the voice asked, revealing themselves from their position: "I'm the man whose task it is to 'watch' you guys. Truthfully," he shrugged: "I wouldn't want to be the one doing this. I don't really see the need to, but a mission is a mission. Call me Chikara."
"Chikara, huh?" Yorukō commented, taking note of the man's features before shaking his head: "Well, I suppose you're right – a mission is a mission. However, let me make this abundantly clear," the floor underneath Yorukō and Chikara slowly began turning into ice, killer intent fully radiating from the teenage jōnin: "make any move against me or my family, and there won't be a need for you to watch us."
"Oh, trust me, Yorukō-kun…" Chikara noted, fully aware of the shinobi facing opposite of him; his killer intent not fazing the black ops member in the slightest, countering Yorukō's with his own: "…even though I expressed my intent to not do this…I'll let you know beforehand: I do not do threats well."
Yorukō looked at the Black Ops shinobi for a brief moment with a tinge of excitement before relenting, if even slightly. He smiled at the man in front of him before extending his hand out. "We're going to have fun, you and I."
Chikara shook his hand in response: "Well, don't do anything stupid, and we will."
"Are we good to go, Yorukō-kun?" Yuina asked: "The faster we leave, the better."
"Yeah." Yorukō said, turning to face the village gate: "Let's go!"
A/N: Okay, I know. This one took too long to post. Truthfully, I lost a little motivation to post chapters due to external factors and the fact that my college work is piling up on me (at least at that time), but when I kept writing, I slowly regained my confidence in writing this story. This is a shorter one for me; I didn't have much to work with to make it a lengthy one, but I hope you enjoy the read. I'll try to make the chapters not be too far apart in posting, but one step at a time.