A/N: ok...I promise I'll make this one longer...it's just that I don't have the time because of the hectic schedule that I have...well eniwei...thanks to those who gave their insights and suggestions to improve this crap! Joke! Well as stated in the story, Naruto is no longer a virgin...shucks and Hinata is not the lucky girl... let's just say it's one of the reasons why the title of the story is " Even after..." don't worry because there will be more Naru/Hina scenes in the future. I just want to go along with my plot. About the length of this fic, I'm not quite sure. Ideas just keep on coming to me everyday. And to those questioning why Sarutobi is still the Hokage...you just wait ok? Mwah!!!! Thanks to your support!!! I love you all!!!!!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!
P.S. I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO CLICKE BECAUSE HE AGREED TO BECOME MY BETA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK A LOT!!!!! ARIGATOU GOZAIMASHITES!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: the usual.... And I borrowed some excerpt from the manga, volume 16 chapter 136. Hehehe...
daijoubu desu ka= are you ok?.
"" for dialogs and '' for thoughts and SE (sound effects)
NOTE: PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!"Ei Naruto...what are we going to do now?" Jiraiya asked his former student who was silent for a while. Naruto sighed. They were perched on the building across the crime scene.
"You really didn't kill him, did you?" Jiraiya asked again. "He'll live...although in darkness. I destroyed his eyes." Naruto told him. In his hand was the Taishaku Kaiten, still stained with blood from the battle. People were streaming in and out of the building across them to see what happened. The medics had brought out Joker earlier and rushed him to the hospital.
"You think he'll be able to recover?" Ero-sennin asked again. "I think so. He'll probably go to Yanagi-sama to seek cure." Naruto answered him. He stood up and started walking away from the scene. "Y-Yanagi-sama? Who is this Yanagi-sama?" Jiraiya asked again, now following Naruto's suit.
"The great healer, Yanagi." Naruto said before he started leaping from one building to another.
"But Naruto...what we are going to do now? We finished our mission six days earlier than expected." Jiraiya told him. They were traveling northward. Naruto sighed and stopped for a while. "What now?" Jiraiya was forced to stop too.
"You think they could do it, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked him. Jiraiya looked into Naruto's eyes and saw sadness and doubt. "Why are you saying those things Naruto?" Jiraiya asked worriedly. "You saw how strong Joker was. Do you think the others could match against people like him? There are more of Joker's kind that we need to face. There's Neon and her sisters. If we analyze the situation, our ninjas would not stand a chance against these people." Naruto said.
Jiraiya sighed. "As I've said before, don't underestimate the power of the shinobis. They can handle it. We have lots of strong people, capable of fighting for Konoha." Jiraiya told him. "But these people have the advantage, Jiraiya-sama. They are known as Nature's masters. We may have unique and strong clans and jutsus but it's still not enough." Naruto insisted. "So what do you think we need to do?" Jiraiya asked him. Naruto smiled.
"What are you smiling at, baka?" Jiraiya asked, getting confused. "We still have six days right?" Naruto asked him, smiling like a maniac. Jiraiya stared at him. It took a couple of seconds before, "Ah! I got it!" Jiraiya exclaimed.
"Let's go!" Naruto said excitedly. "To where?" Jiraiya asked. "To Akita to see Neon!!!" Naruto said. He formed a handseal.
"HENGE!!!!"
Meanwhile (Konoha)
"I never thought I'd be back here to seek refuge." A woman said.
"But we're already here so don't worry." Her companion told her. "Because people here are not stupid enough to lend you money..." she whispered in adding to what she said.
"I heard that! SHIZUNE!!!!!!"
Konoha training grounds
"Neji-nii-san, I want to train with you!" Hinata insisted. "You go train with Kiba, Hinata-hime. Sasuke and I are training together." Neji replied. "Am I still not strong enough to become your sparring partner?" Hinata asked, getting upset by her cousin's cold attitude towards her. He may show his soft side to her once in a while but he returns to the same old Neji when it comes to training.
"Yes..." Neji said and walked away from her. Hinata was flaring in anger. Someone tapped her shoulders. "It's ok Hinata. You must understand that the two of them do not belong to our level." Kiba told her. "Demo..." Hinata murmured.
"Don't worry Hinata-chan. Neji and Sasuke may be stronger than us now but if we train harder, we'll be able to beat them, ok?" Lee told her with an encouraging smile. Hinata felt her heart lighten up. "You're right Lee-san." Hinata told him with a smile. "Oh the wonders of youth!!!!" Lee cried out in happiness. "Uh daijoubu desu ka, Lee-san?" Hinata sweat-dropped while looking at Lee. "He's ok, Hinata." Kiba said in between giggles.
Hinata chuckled a little then cast a glance at her cousin who started sparing with Sasuke.
"I'm strong now, Neji-nii-san." Hinata muttered to herself.
Konoha (Shinobi Headquarters)
"What would you want us to do, Hokage-sama?" Anko asked. She, together with Kakashi, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai were summoned by the 3rd to a special meeting.
"Gather all the Genins and Chuunins and assemble them in the training ground. Kakashi, Asuma, gather as many Chuunin captains and Jounins as you can. We will train our little warriors hand in hand starting today. By the time Naruto and Jiraiya get back, we will stage an all-out training with the Madougus." Sandaime told them.
'POOOOF'
"What's that?" Kurenai said in alarm, grabbing a kunai from her holster. Anko and Gai immediately jumped in front of the Hokage to protect him.
"What's the fuss about, Oyajii?" someone spoke up through the smoke.
"Oyajii? That voice is kinda familiar..." Sandaime murmured. When the smoke cleared, they saw Gamakichi, son of Gamabunta the Frog Boss, in front of them.
"A frog?" Asuma asked in disbelief.
"What are you doing here, Gamakichi? Who summoned you?" Sandaime asked the frog.
"Ch! It's the Ero-sennin who summoned me alright. I only agreed because this is a highly classified information." The small frog arrogantly spat.
"What's Jiraiya's message?" Sandaime asked. He gestured to the Jounins to lower their guards down.
"I will tell you what he exactly told me." Gamakichi said excitedly. He was hoping up and down.
"Well what is it?" Sandaime asked again.
"Here I go...aherm!" Gamakichi cleared his throat.
"Sorry to break the contract, Sarutobi-sensei. Naruto and I decided to complete Operation White Lotus now. By the time we get back, we will bring all the Madougus with us. We decided that it is best if we get them by ourselves after seeing Joker's power. It is not safe for our young shinobis to fight such cruel bunch of ninjas. We are on our way to Neon to get the S&N sword. Wish us good luck!"
Gamakichi finished his report. "Uh...feel...dizzy." The frog complained then suddenly fell unconscious. "What happened to him?" Kurenai asked worriedly. She went to the frog to see if he's still alive. "That idiot. He made sure that after doing his job, Gamakichi will forget everything about it so he would not spill it out to anyone but us." Sandaime told them.
"You mean they are going to collect all the Madougus all by themselves?" Anko asked in disbelief.
"Will you allow them, Hokage-sama?" Gai asked worriedly.
"So unfair! I want to see the outside world!!!" Kakashi complained.
"There's nothing that I can do. If we're to stop them, we don't have a clue where to start." Sandaime told them.
"So we're just going to wait here until them return. What if something bad happens to them while they're on mission? They are carrying a huge and very important baggage." Asuma sighed.
"If you're talking about the vulnerability of the Madougus to the public, I think Naruto has that covered. He has this special technique that makes objects shrink into smaller packages." Kakashi told them.
"Well, we'll just have to question them about their decision when they return. As of now, a team of ANBU is looking for Tsunade and the rest of us will train our asses off." Sandaime told them. "YOSH!" they replied.
"Ok, you're dismissed." Sandaime told them. One by one, the Jounins left the headquarters in a poof. Only Anko remained behind. "Are you still thinking that you're going to die? That's why you're looking for Tsunade-hime and preparing everyone to be stronger." Anko said with a solemn voice.
"I'm old, Anko. Life is ephemeral. I can't leave forever." Sandaime answered her. "We will protect you!" Anko shot back.
"But still, one cannot live forever. I know that Jiraiya doesn't want the responsibility that's why Tsunade is our last chance." Sandaime told her with a sad smile.
"Demo..." Anko insisted but she was cut off.
"You're dismissed Anko. I believe that we have a busy day ahead of us." Sandaime told her cheerfully. Anko sighed and bowed before disappearing.
"We are the shinobis of the Leaf. The place where the leaves dance...the fires burn...is in our hearts..." Sandaime murmured, while watching the clouds float from above.
Back at Tokyo
"Why are we in Tokyo?" Jiraiya asked him while looking at the tourist's folio in his hands. "I realized that we need to see someone quick." Naruto said. They started walking along a deserted street. "And who is this someone?" Jiraiya asked.
"You ask too many questions Ero-sennin. It's best for you to walk silently so that dogs will not chase us." Naruto told him. A vein popped in Jiraiya's head. "Ch!!! Know it all idiot." He muttered. They turned around the block and stopped in front of a white-painted house.
"Why are we stopping here?" Jiraiya asked. "You ask too many questions..." Naruto said while sniffling around. "Hey! What are you doing?" Jiraiya asked, looking mortified by his actions. Naruto ignored him and rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, the gate opened and a man with bird-like eyes greeted them. "Oyahou—"he paused when he saw Fujin showing underneath Naruto's sleeves. "What do you want from me? I'm not working for Kurei anymore!" the man backed away when Naruto advanced towards him.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could have the Hizangu and relieve you from the burden of hiding out, ne Hanemaru-san?" Naruto said with a wide smile of his face. Jiraiya decided to leave everything to Naruto.
"But I already told you, I'm not working for him anymore!!! I have nothing to do with you people!!!" the man named Hanemaru stammered. Naruto's wide smile turned into a maniacal one when he heard what he said.
"I guess you still remember Kirisawa Aira right? And Fujin too? I can see the fear in your eyes when you saw this." Naruto said and pulled his sleeves up to reveal the fujin. "That-that" Hanemaru stuttered.
"And you still remember what she did to you using this, right? It's possible and amusing to repeat history, right Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto continued to threaten him. "Uh yeah...it is..." Jiraiya answered. "Please...leave me alone..." Hanemaru pleaded.
"If you would give the Hizangu to us, then we'll leave you in peace." Naruto told him. "O-ok. Wait here." Hanemaru murmured before he stood up and ran inside his house.
"Are you sure he'll give it to us? What if he'll call the police or something?" Jiraiya asked him. "Nah! He won't do that. The pain fujin caused him is too much for him to let himself experience it once more." Naruto said with a smile. After a few seconds, Hanemaru came out carrying some sort of a pair of wings with him.
"Here, here! Take this! I don't want it anymore!" Hanemaru hurriedly gave the Hizangu to them. A familiar red blanket shot out of Naruto's palm and wrapped itself around Hizangu, shrinking it into a very small package.
"How did—"Hanemaru started to asked but Naruto cut him off with a gesture of his hand. "Wouldn't it be nice if you could shut your mouth from now on?" Jiraiya suddenly asked him. Naruto gave him a knowing glance. "H-hai." Hanemaru stuttered. "We better get going. We need to see Neon right now." Naruto said before he and Jiraiya turned around to leave. "Y-you're going to Neon-sama?" he asked. "Clean your ears Hanemaru-san." Naruto said. Before he and Jiraiya finally disappeared, he paused and looked back at the frail man. "And by the way..." he started.
"W-what?" the later asked his trembling voice. "Send my regards to your brothers, Kushibashimaru and Tsunimaru." Naruto said before they disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Kami-sama...that boy reminded me of Hanabishi Recca." Hanemaru said shakily as he watch two eagles soared towards the heavens.
Somewhere near Konoha
"You think it's wise that we stay here?" a woman asked. A man with glasses turned to her with a smile.
"Its fun watching Konoha scramble to prepare for the war..." the man said.
"Oh come on, Kabuto! If we get spotted here, it'll be the end." The woman cried. She flipped her long red hair over her shoulders. "Ok fine, Katsura...we'll leave for now." The man called Kabuto sighed. He stood up and turned to leave. "Wait for me!" Katsura stomped behind him. 'Ch! she's very troublesome...if she has not been Orochimaru's new pet, I would have killed her already...'Kabuto mused before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Somewhere in Konoha
"Now where can we find some money?" Tsunade rubbed her hands in earnest as she stared at the pawnshop in front of them.
"Come on, Tsunade-hime! Stop gambling!" Shizune sweat-dropped. The pig squealed in agreement.
"You are such a party-pooper, Shizune." Tsunade told her.
"I think she's trying to save your from more harm..." somebody spoke behind them. "And who the hell is that?" Tsunade asked, looking rather irritated.
"It's me, Tsunade...your sensei...Sarutobi."
Konoha (Training grounds)
"Ne...ji..." Sasuke panted. They are both wasted for they've been sparring for hours and none between them would want to admit defeat. "Sa...Sasuke..." Neji breathed, holding his kunai up with shaking hands.
"Tell me...tell why are we doing this again?" Sasuke asked while whipping the blood off his chin. "We're doing this so that we won't be left out." Neji replied. His Byakugan started to disappear and saw Sasuke's Sharingan deactivated too.
"I...can't hold up...anymore..." Sasuke mouthed before he fell on his knees.
"Me too..." Neji agreed, following his suit.
"Ne...Sasuke..." Neji said in between gulps of air.
"What?" the younger boy snapped.
"Naruto..." Neji started.
"What about him?" Sasuke asked, taking interest in what the older Chuunin has got to say.
"He's getting stronger...I can feel it Sasuke..." Neji breathed.
"How did you know?" Sasuke retorted. It's supposed to be a normal thing but Naruto getting stronger seems too hard for him to take.
"I...saw it...he has a new source of power...not only Kyuubi's..." Neji told him. "This guy really doesn't want to be left out...' he concluded in his mind.
"What?" Sasuke gasped.
"And we may not be able to catch up with this kind of training..." Neji added. He saw Sasuke stood up abruptly and did the same.
"There's no way I'm going to lose to him." Sasuke said in a hard and firm voice.
"You think you're the only one thinking that way? Come on...you're too selfish." Neji said. Both of the reached for their kunai holster and took one out.
"Here's for Naruto!!!" Sasuke cried as he and Neji lunged towards each other at the same time.
Akita, Japan
"Wow! It took us what, thirty minutes?" Jiraiya asked in disbelief as they reappeared on a vast violet-covered field.
"It's been a long while since I grazed these plains." Naruto murmured with a wistful look. He took a deep breath of the violet-scented air.
"Aw...never thought you're the nostalgic type of guy, Naruto-kun." Jiraiya teased. "It's not my fault that I came out this way..." Naruto shot back. Jiraiya gaped at his sudden change of attitude.
"Now what?" Jiraiya asked him. He reached out to place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The long blonde hair caressed his skin and it made him feel wistful, as if even that part of Naruto tells him the burden inside the young shinobi's heart.
"Promise me Ero-sennin..." Naruto murmured. "W-what? Can't hear you." Jiraiya said. "I said..." Naruto took a deep breath. "Uhuh..." Jiraiya prompted. "Pormisemeyou'llneverleaveme!" Naruto said abruptly that Jiraiya barely made something out from what he said.
"Naze, Naruto-kun? Of course I'll never leave you, you're my student." Jiraiya ruffled his blonde hair. Naruto's shoulders shook. Jiraiya was surprised to see glistening tears flowed down Naruto's pale cheeks. Jiraiya faced him and shook his shoulders.
"Hey! Are you ok? Naruto..." Jiraiya said worriedly. Naruto kept his eyes downcast.
"I..." Naruto choked.
"Don't worry...tell me..." Jiraiya said.
"I...don't want to be..." Naruto murmured.
"Yes?" Jiraiya prompted. Naruto brought up his shaking hands to wipe his tears.
"I don't...I don't want to be alone anymore..." Naruto choked out. Wistful sapphire eyes looked up to Jiraiya...pleading....
Jiraiya felt his heart broke when he saw Naruto crying. He brought his hands around the boy and pulled him closer, head burrowed against his chest. "You're not alone, Naruto-kun. You still have us and Konoha. We will never leave you..." Jiraiya murmured, still holding the sobbing shinobi in his arms.
'After all the façade you've orchestrated earlier...you are still a kid...a kid who was exposed to the bitter world...alone...no matter how much you hide it or pretend that you're strong...you can never lie to yourself that you're weak...all this time...you still haven't recovered from the pains of your past, our past. I'm so mad that you let people abuse your youth...and for that...I even hate myself.'
The wind blew across the violet plains...sending a wistful mood...
"I'll...I'll be strong..."
A/N: nahnah!!!!! It's my midterms for heaven's sake!!!!!!! Well...let me see...a new character appeared in this chap...that's Katsura. I will not elaborate on her because that's part of the future chaps. About "the new world" part, it refers to the new Konoha...you'll find that one out later too...so be patient with me ok? Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To CLICKE: hehehehehehehehe...I don't know if this crap is ok...you go tell them, ne?
Ok....about the OCs, it's just the way my story goes....
and by the way...to those confused, they used HENGE no jutsu to
transform into eagles...its quite a sight to see you men leaping from
building to building across Japann, right? thanks!!!!
Please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!
Please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!