Arashi
Author's Note: Naruto and all related characters/trademarks belong to Masashi Kishimoto – however, this story is my own work, and continues from the latest Naruto manga developments (up to 224).
Edit: Some unwanted text has been removed - hopefully it reads better!
Speech in bold and italic is Kyuubi's voice.
The door burst open, thudding into the wall at the end of its swing. In the doorway stood a silver-haired, masked Jounin. He struggled under the massive bulk of an unconscious, white-haired man dressed in a traditional red and white costume, with matching red wooden sandals. His mask inflated and deflated at his mouth in gasping breaths, as he struggled to drag his load along with him through the hallway and into the lounge.
Kakashi groaned with relief as he released Jiraiya onto the couch, glad to relieve himself of the heavy burden. He cracked his spine, relocating some vertebrate, and rubbed his shoulder. While Kakashi was a very athletic young man in his mid-twenties, it was not often he was asked to move such massive loads. Like Jiraiya, for instance. The Sannin was quite large, and he had a heavy, muscular body which looked in very good condition for a man of his age. While Jiraiya lay on the couch like a rag doll, the Jounin carefully pulled the Sannin's overlarge scroll from underneath him, taking care not to tear it or dump him onto the floor.
The scroll now removed, Kakashi held it in his hands in a ceremonial manner. His visible eye casually scanned its battered red leather and cream coloured paper. He noticed the large written incantation stuck onto the scroll, sealing it shut.
That's a very powerful-looking seal there, Kakashi thought, one hand lightly brushing across the paper seal, and it looks like one of those seals that can only be opened by the blood of the person it is made for. There were no clues as to what lay within the scroll. For a fleeting moment, the silver-haired man fantasised of all the Come Come Paradise secrets that the scroll could contain. As the dirty thoughts milled around his mind, Kakashi could not help but chuckle pervertedly, his cheeks flushing. Oh, if only he could get a sneak peek at the master's work in progress!
Back to business, Hatake Kakashi! The Jounin's mind scolded him. Slowly, and carefully, he reluctantly placed the large, heavy scroll down upon the glass table in front of the couch. There was something odd about the table. Squinting carefully, Kakashi realised that images of naked women were engraved onto the clear surface. He sighed and rolled his eye. Jiraiya was much, much worse than him when it came to perverted fantasies. While Kakashi openly read his Come Come Paradise books, that was where he drew the line. He never peeked at women, and he never decorated his flat with erotic art. In fact, the books were simply excellent at keeping females at bay, saving him from unwanted attention.
As Kakashi's eye scanned the room, taking in various pictures and scrolls hung upon the walls, he reached into his utility pouch and took out a small glass bottle. Carefully unscrewing its top, he focused on an old photograph in a simple wooden frame. It had what looked like pride of place in the middle of the wall, and stood out like a sore thumb amongst the erotic art scattered elsewhere on the wall.
It was a photograph of Jiraiya in his mid-twenties, with a handsome young blonde boy with striking cerulean eyes. Yondaime. Yondaime had studied under Jiraiya while he was a promising young Genin, and he had grown incredibly strong and brave.
Kakashi's exposed eye grew misty at the memories. I miss you, Arashi-sensei, he thought, a nostalgic smile creeping along his lips. Shinzui Arashi was Yondaime's real name, and he had been Kakashi's team leader when the silver-haired man was still a young 5 year old Genin. That was some years before Arashi had been accepted as the Yondaime Hokage. Kakashi had never met anyone like Yondaime before, and it was incredible to think that such a powerful shinobi could also be so down to earth and seemingly carefree. So human as well as superhuman.
::::Flashback::::
A tall blonde-haired man stood amongst several fallen ninja, his long white coat billowing in the breeze that caressed his young face and ruffled his hair. That man had taken out 12 enemies without breaking a sweat. He wasn't even breathing hard. His fallen enemies, meanwhile, were covered in red dust from the ground, their faces soaked in sweat. They gasped and writhed in pain.
"When someone is protecting their precious people," Arashi said calmly, "the true strength of a shinobi will manifest."
"I don't let my comrades die." The man turned to face Kakashi, Obito and Asuma, and flashed a fox-like grin.
The three genin were surrounding the client, kunais in hand, protecting him just as their sensei had ordered. Kakashi could not help but gawp at Arashi in sheer admiration.
Arashi-sensei is so... cool.
That single Jounin had taken out a dozen Chuunin-rank shinobi, and made it look easy. The Chuunins had attacked Arashi and Team 5 in a surprise attack, obviously hoping to capture the client, an inventor, and use his expertise to further the ambitions of their village. They had not reckoned on Arashi's skill - and that was where they had failed.
All of a sudden, the blonde Jounin groaned. He bent over double, clutching his stomach, his face grimacing in pain. Kakashi shot forward and was at Arashi's side in a matter of seconds.
"Arashi-sensei!? Are you all right!?" Kakashi's eyes darted all over his sensei's body, looking for any signs of kunai, shuriken, or even poison. He was very worried.
Arashi laughed nervously, his face creasing up in amusement despite the pain.
"I knew I shouldn't have drunk that spoiled milk in my rush to get ready this morning..."
::::End Flashback::::
The Jounin chuckled at the memory. There had never been anyone like Arashi, and there most likely would never be anyone like him. Except perhaps Naruto.
Naruto's very interesting indeed, but he still has so much to learn, he pondered.
He could see Naruto shared an uncanny physical resemblance with Arashi, and even had the very same pig-headed stubbornness and nindo that had seen them through many a trial. He even possessed some of the cunning the Fourth had. However, that was where the similarities ended for Kakashi. Naruto was very hot-headed in comparison, and tended to charge in with his fists, while Arashi would vary his tactics depending on the situation. Still, Kakashi had suspicions he had not been let into the full picture. There was so much mystery surrounding his young charge. His history could be summarised in just two sentences:
Naruto is an orphan.
Naruto's parents are unknown, and he has no known living relatives.
Kakashi could not quite put his finger on it, but he could feel it. He could feel that something was being kept from him. That feeling had grown ever since Jiraiya had taken Naruto under his wing, and trained him to use Kyuubi's chakra, summon frogs and the Rasengan. But Shinzui Arashi had never fathered any children, as far as he knew. And the small Shinzui clan, including his wife, had been wiped out.
Kakashi could so clearly remember that terrible night, how it had so drastically changed Arashi. He sighed and shut his eye, long-forgotten emotions of sadness and anger welling up within his chest, yet never breaking through his calm and collected demeanour.
::::Flashback::::
The sky was jet black, the clouds highlighted in a blood red by the inferno that raged beneath them. A barely-teenage Kakashi raced down the path leading to the Shinzui clan home, his feet slightly skidding on the loose granite surface. Sweat trickled down his brow, his eyes wide open, his breath panicked, ragged. Everything before him was blacked out, lit only by the ferocious flames that licked the modest homes. He could not see anyone, but he could smell the blood and decay. The silhouettes of ANBU flitted amongst the flames, weapons at ready, as they searched for any survivors and enemy ninja. The only sounds Kakashi could hear were the roar of flames and the muffled shouts of orders amongst the ANBU.
The teenage Chuunin skidded to a halt at the main gate. There was already a small crowd before him, and three ANBU stood before them and the small compound. Those ANBU simply refused to let any of the people enter the Shinzui compound, citing that the area was not safe yet due to the fire and the possibility that a few enemy ninja were still around. A hubbub of protesting voices rose from within the crowd, many people expressing their desire to help control the fire and aid any survivors. However, the ANBU remained at their stations, seemingly unmoved by the outpouring of concern.
Kakashi's eyes darted around the area, taking in the chaos. He spotted a dead ninja lying near him, his forehead protector glinting in the firelight. Upon it was the stamp of the village of Hidden Cloud. Another ninja lain near him, this time bearing a Mist forehead protector. His right arm was a few yards away from his body, the two connected by a line of blood along the ground. The arm still grasped a large dull grey bladed disk in its hand.
A Lightning and a Mist ninja? Kakashi pondered, frowning beneath his mask. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed into an intense gaze, scrutinising the two bodies. Either the Mist and Lightning village had teamed up to attack the leader of Konoha through his family, or they were Missing-nins working for someone. There was not enough evidence for Kakashi to draw conclusions, but what he did know was that the Shinzuis had been attacked, and it was very likely the fire had been intentionally started. Arson.
A muffled shout could be heard, and many smaller shouts rose in response to that. All of a sudden, the rushing of water could be heard. Several water dragons burst out of the unseen lake at the centre of the Shinzui complex, soaring into the air, arcing gracefully, before colliding with each other and sending an almighty shower down into the flames. The fire flickered and died, a few tongues of flame desperately reaching up into the sky before they petered out. The damp smell of smouldering ruins drifted through the air, even making Kakashi clasp his hand over his nose. The smell of charred flesh. Violent coughs racked Kakashi's body, spit spattering onto the inside of his mask. While he had killed, and was quite familiar with death, the smell of burnt bodies was even worse.
Amongst the smoke, Kakashi could just make out several bodies scattered around the scene. Most looked like enemy ninja. But there were also women and children. Even elderly people. He could even see the body of a woman lying in a foetal position, shielding a small child. Both were dead. Most of the victims had been mutilated, their bodies hacked apart. Most of them were unarmed, save for a wooden walking stick or two.
The young teenager clenched his fists, his body shaking in fury and grief. He blinked back tears, not wanting to succumb to his emotions.
No-one deserves to die like that... with not a blade to defend themselves with. He ground his teeth in anger. This was a cowardly surprise attack on a family.
The three ANBU that stood at the gate started to roll out yellow warning tape, lines criss-crossing each other at the entrance arch. Behind Kakashi, a small group of Konoha policemen forced their way through the massing crowds. They were dressed in flak jackets and a dark uniform, with half-skirts hanging behind their legs and ending at the knees. Upon their shoulders was the symbol of the police - a shuriken with the Uchiha family symbol imprinted upon its centre. The four men walked past Kakashi and began to converse with the three ANBU members. The police captain was quite slim, and his face looked quite drawn, aged. Receding black hair was scraped back with oil, the strands quite short and spiky, and stopping at the base of his skull. His eyes were dark and cold, with heavy leathery bags underneath them. His cheekbones were very prominent, and this gave his face a hard, skeletal look. His expression was one of concern, yet also business-like.
Kakashi recognised one of the three men who accompanied the captain. He had neatly cut shoulder length hair with a central parting, his bangs neatly framing his face. He had a handsome face, and his jaw was fairly square. His eyes were red. An Uchiha. His Sharingan scanned the scene as his captain spoke with the ANBU. Kakashi felt a slight pang of jealousy. He had long admired the Sharingan, and would do almost anything to have that bloodline ability. The ability to see and copy jutsus sounded like heaven to the silver-haired teenager. This particular Uchiha was named Kyo, father of an infant son named Itachi, and elder cousin of one of his friends.
His envy of the Sharingan pushed to the back of his mind, Kakashi's ears slowly tuned into the discussion between the police captain and ANBU member. After a few seconds of tuning out the noise of the crowd, he was able to focus on their voices.
"The attackers came from several villages. Some were even formerly Konoha. We've taken care of them, and two ANBU squads are mopping up the ones who retreated from the scene."
"...Missing-nins?"
"Looks like it. Some were even in the bingo book as Class A criminals. But who hired them? And why did they specifically go for the Shinzuis?"
"Well, Shinzui Arashi is the Yondaime Hokage. But he's away at the Chuunin exam in the Village of Sand."
"But why here? Why not attack Hokage-sama while he travelled to or from the Sand?"
"... This was an easier target..." The captain trailed off, into silent thought. His heavily bagged eyes then widened in realisation. "This isn't an attempt on Yondaime's life."
The ANBU nodded slightly in understanding. "Revenge," he said simply, his voice and mask hiding his emotions.
"Yes... revenge. It has to be him. We all know what he said when Hokage-sama was accepted into his post." The captain's upper lip curled up at one end in disgust. "He would easily be able to afford such men, and provide them with inside knowledge of Konoha's defenses. He did help design those defenses, after all."
"Orochimaru..." the ANBU snarled, clenching his fists.
::::End Flashback::::
Arashi had become a changed man after that terrible night. While he still fought to protect the village and still appeared to be the same old Arashi to everyone, Kakashi could easily sense Arashi was now a shell of what he had been, and was never the same man. He remained haunted by the deaths of so many people close to him, so precious to him. For every day of his little remaining time, Arashi visited the shrine of his family. The Yondaime Hokage hardly ever left Hokage Tower any more, except for important business matters and his brief visits to the shrine. Spies had been sent out to try and locate Orochimaru, but none were able to find any trace of the traitorous Sannin. That had frustrated the blonde man to no end, and there were times he would lose his composure. Even Kakashi had been on the receiving end of one of his explosive outbursts.
Two weeks later, Kyuubi Kitsune attacked the village. Arashi gave his life to protect the village from the wrath of the Youma, and sealed the demon within Naruto. The last of the Shinzuis was lost, and the clan became extinct. In only two weeks since the attack on the Shinzui compound, events had conspired to wipe out the last of the clan. The Third became Hokage once more, and he took Naruto in for the first couple of years. "The Rule" was created to protect the young baby, and anyone who broke the rule was expelled from Konoha. Jiraiya had taken the loss of his former student and the Shinzuis very personally, making it his mission to track down Orochimaru and, despite the Third's best attempts to convince him otherwise, left the village on a long lonely journey.
So much had happened to the village in those two terrible weeks, and nothing was ever the same. He had detested Naruto at first for the death of his beloved sensei. But the young Kakashi had come to realise that he could not blame a new-born baby for Arashi's death. The baby had done nothing, and Arashi had made the decision to sacrifice himself. That hate slowly gave way to sympathy and pity as he watched the baby grow up into a young boy, alone and hated by most of the villagers. That boy did not even know why, until Mizuki had revealed all - and Iruka saved Naruto. Ever since Naruto had understood why he was so hated, he gradually dropped his class clown act and truly grew as a shinobi.
Shaking his head, the silver-haired man cleared his mind of memories and old feelings. Time to focus back onto the present.
Kakashi then stooped slightly, and waved the clear bottle under Jiraiya's nose. The hermit coughed and spluttered, his face grimacing in distaste as the smelling salts irritated his nostrils. He brought a large hand up to rub his nostrils, wiping away the dried trail of blood from his previous nosebleed. His other hand felt his temple, and he winced.
"Dammit... I have a hell of a headache. That Naruto brat..." Jiraiya groaned, squeezing his eyes shut in response to the pain that shot throughout his head. His fingers traced the Leaf symbol imprinted upon his temple.
"What the hell is on my forehead..?" Jiraiya grunted. He slowly pushed himself up from the couch and staggered to the bathroom. Once there, a strangled scream of anger burst out of the bathroom.
"I am going to kill that brat! I have this horrible, ugly mark on my handsome forehead! And I have a hell of a headache!" The Sannin ranted on, still fingering the indentation on his forehead, his eyes murderously glaring at Kakashi, who simply stood motionless, silent, his bored eye gazing calmly at the irate, red-faced, white-haired man. The Jounin slowly and calmly screwed the top back onto the bottle of smelling salts, then stored the bottle within his utility pouch.
"I would give you a painkilling pill, Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi calmly spoke, his voice sounding bored once more, "but I am afraid that I left them at home so I could fit my book into my pouch." His right hand lazily scratched behind his right ear.
Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his eyes. He stepped back into the bathroom, and opened the glass cabinet - taking out a small bottle of pills. The bottle rattled as he shook out a pill.
"Sometimes I wonder why I decided to train Naruto. He can be so much trouble at times," the Sannin lamented, his mouth creeping up into a slight smirk, offering a glimpse of his perfectly white teeth. He threw the pill into his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully while he replaced the bottle within the glass cabinet.
"Why did you take Naruto on?" Kakashi asked, his head tilted at Jiraiya. His eye no longer looked bored, but now carefully watched the older man's face. "I know that you want to protect him from the Akatsuki, but you could have simply acted as a bodyguard," Kakashi reasoned. He knew his statement could be so easily brushed aside by the Sannin, but he wanted to try and see if he could glean anything from his response.
"Being a bodyguard would have been no fun," Jiraiya grinned, swallowing what was left of the pill. "Besides, I think Naruto is an interesting egg... Of course, he's not a natural prodigy, and he too often acts rashly. But he has a hell of a spirit, and instinctively believes in victory, himself and his friends," Jiraiya said, his hand now pointing at Kakashi to emphasise his words. "And that, is the true talent of a shinobi."
Kakashi nodded with agreement, hiding his disappointment at not having been able to catch anything interesting from Jiraiya's response. "Yeah..." the younger man murmured, "Naruto reminds me of Yondaime in a funny way."
"That he does," Jiraiya chuckled. "You miss Arashi, don't you, Kakashi?" he asked, a faint smile on his lips, his hands now on his hips.
"Yeah. I miss him," Kakashi sighed, nodding.
Which is exactly why you cannot know yet, young Kakashi... Jiraiya thought, his face and body not giving away any of his inner feelings and thoughts. Then he clapped his hands together, like a showman about to announce an event. "Sake, Kakashi?" the white-haired man asked cheerfully.
"No, thanks," Kakashi said politely, shaking his head. "I should return and see Naruto and Sakura - they're awaiting my return," he finished, waving his hand in the air. Jiraiya nodded, understanding, and poured himself a cup of water. He felt like drinking sake, but it was not a good idea to have some so soon after taking a pill.
Kakashi excused himself, and strolled down the hallway. His hand turned the handle on the door, and he paused, turning to face Jiraiya once more.
"Do you need any beta-readers, Jiraiya-sama?" Kakashi asked, smiling slightly, his eye glinting with hope.
Jiraiya scoffed. "Sorry, I don't use beta-readers. But I'll keep you in mind, Kakashi."
The Jounin smiled with resignation, and shrugged his shoulders. "It was worth a try," he said. With that, Kakashi opened the door, stepped outside, and carefully shut the door behind him.
Sakura snapped out of her slumber as soon as she heard the door open. Blinking sleepy tears out of her emerald eyes, she turned to face the ajar door. She blinked some more as the scene sharpened into focus, revealing a silver-haired Jounin standing in the doorway, his eye gazing at her.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura greeted wearily, covering her mouth with her hand and surpressing a yawn.
Kakashi cocked his head slightly and surveyed the scene before him. Sakura was laying on Naruto's bed, on top of the sheets, while Naruto was under them. The boy was sound asleep, a content and peaceful expression on his face. His spiky hair fell over his brow in places, giving his appearance an appealing softness. His hands cradled his prized forehead protector, and lain upon his chest, over his heart. His head was nestled upon Sakura's shoulder, her arm wrapping around the back of his head and down over his right shoulder, her hand on his chest. Sakura herself looked as if she had been enjoying a short nap, clearly bleary-eyed. She looked upon Kakashi with a quizzical expression on her face.
"You guys look cute," Kakashi chuckled, "I wish I had a camera."
Sakura's cheeks flushed furiously and she yanked her arm from underneath Naruto's head, jerking him awake. She was clearly stung by Kakashi's comment, her lips pouting in irritation, her eyes blazing furiously at the Jounin. She was clearly trying to think of a suitable comeback, but words failed her. So, instead, she seethed at Kakashi in silent fury.
"Wha... Who..?" Naruto groaned, his eyes half-open. His head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton wool, and it took him some seconds to get a grasp on himself. He blinked at Sakura and Kakashi, before noticing Sakura's red cheeks. She looked as if she was about to explode in Kakashi's face. Kakashi, meanwhile, was chuckling and lazily scratching the back of his head.
"Sakura-chan? Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, confusion evident on his whiskered face. He really had no idea why Sakura was glaring at their sensei. In fact, he didn't even remember falling asleep in her arms.
Sakura snorted sharply at Kakashi, her blush finally receding. The Jounin waved his hand dismissively at Naruto, still chuckling. "Don't worry, Naruto, it's nothing," he said. The pink-haired girl shook her head, sighing with exasperation.
The silver-haired man cleared his throat twice. "Anyway, guys, I wanted to let you know that I will be away for a few days. We still have a small backlog of missions," Kakashi explained. "So, Team 7 is suspended until I come back next week. When I come back, we will meet the new member of the team, and discuss our training," the man said, casually shrugging his shoulders.
Naruto and Sakura said nothing, staring downwards at the bedsheets. They had still not accepted Sasuke's betrayal, and were finding it hard to believe that they would be working with someone else.
"Naruto, Sakura," Kakashi whispered, "I know that it will take time to accept what has happened, but we must move on. There is still much you guys need to learn. Even I need time to accept this." His eye showed sadness and regret. "We did all we could to help Sasuke, but he chose to leave Konoha," he finished.
The two genins nodded and murmured their understanding, neither one looking up at Kakashi, nor at each other. The Jounin shifted slightly at the uncomfortable silence. Ever since they had met half a year ago, Kakashi had started to feel like a father for Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. To see his two students hurt by the betrayal of the third hurt him a lot.
"Take care, guys. Remember that you're not alone here," Kakashi said, bowing his head slightly. "Sayonara," he called out, waving back at them as he left the room.
Naruto and Sakura finally lifted their eyes and watched Kakashi leave. "Take care, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto whispered. Sakura, meanwhile, said nothing. The blonde then wrapped his arms around Sakura's shoulders, and she leant into him, settling her head into the crock of his neck. She shut her eyes and exhaled slightly, relaxing into him.She didn't know why, but she felt so comfortable.
"Are you hungry, Naruto-kun?" Sakura asked after a few moments of silence, not shifting from her current position.
"God, I could murder a bowl of ramen," Naruto moaned, his stomach rumbling in agreement.
"Only one bowl?" Sakura questioned, raising an eyebrow and smirking.
Naruto shrugged helplessly, grinning nervously. "I'm not sure I can eat much more than that, Sakura-chan," he said.
Sakura smiled and patted Naruto on the chest, making his blood surge throughout his veins and his heart speed up. She didn't notice, and pushed herself off Naruto's bed, swinging her feet down upon the ground. The blonde gulped. She still had the power to make Naruto's heart race, and he could never get used to it. However, he also felt guilty at feeling like that - what right did he have to think like that about Sakura, when he had failed to bring Sasuke back for her? Right now, Sakura was having to get over Sasuke's betrayal - and she did not need Naruto chasing after her.
I won't bother Sakura-chan any more with requests for dates for a while at least! Naruto vowed, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. He nodded once with a grunt, emphasising his silent promise to himself.
Sakura noticed Naruto's odd gesture just as she was about to stand up. She looked curiously at Naruto, one brow raised, her arms still by her side and ready to push herself up. Naruto, in response, chuckled nervously and waved his hands at her.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! It's nothing!"
Sakura blinked, and looked strangely at the blonde boy. After what seemed like an eternity to Naruto, she turned her eyes away and pushed herself off the bed and stood. He sighed inwardly with relief.
"I'll see if I can sneak some ramen in from the hospital canteen, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, giving him a wink. She then left the room, gently shutting the door behind her.
Naruto flopped back into his bed, sighing heavily. He stared at the harsh fluorescent light on the ceiling, a slight guilt in his eyes.
He was convinced life had it in for him and loved to torture his heart.
Shinzui = Mystery
Arashi = Storm
Chapter 7 will finally get Naruto out of hospital and around Konoha! And Team 7 will restart.