Jiraiya looks at Naruto with concern. For the past 2 weeks, he wasn't in his usual, loud and cheery mood. He couldn't blame him though. His former crush is dead. His "best friend" has joined Orochimaru. And now, the infamous Copycat Nin is blaming the Ero-sennin for taking away Naruto from him. Then he recalled his conversation with Tsunade about the Yondaime, Kyuubi and Naruto. The words "Kyuubi" and "Naruto" have a strange effect on him. He really didn't know what was the Yondaime's exact reasons and why Naruto of all people. Sarutobi-sensei maybe the one who knew all of this but he's dead and thus taking the secret with him to the grave. What he does know it's also personal. To the village of Konoha, Yondaime was a great and well-respected leader. But to Jiraiya, he was like Naruto. Loud, noisy and always gets into trouble. He chuckled softly about the time he and the Yondaime were caught peeping women's baths. The Yondaime claimed that he caught Jiraiya and scolded him. The Ero-Sennin knew his student was there to peep.
After contemplating in the past, Jiraiya glances at the young nin as he sleeps while he snores. Definitely like him, he thought. He puts out the fire as he readies himself for a sleep. The forest is quiet yet Jiraiya knew that the Akatsuki would come after Naruto. So, he summoned as small frog to be as the guard. And that, Jiraiya fell asleep.
Sasuke wakes up and finds himself in a very small room. He was greeted by a killer headache, which wasn't good anyway. He quickly remembered Itachi and his "proposition" of a duel. But when exactly? Last they met before the "proposition", Itachi knocked him out with a very powerful Sharingan. This further fuels his need to be more powerful. He then hears the door opening and Kabuto enters the room carrying some first aid supplies.
"Ah, Sasuke-sama, good thing you are awake", Kabuto politely tells him as he places the supplies at the table. Sasuke continues to hold his forehead as the headache continues. Kabuto immediately notices his discomfort. "I'm sorry. I gave you a pill to heal your wounds quickly. The only side effect is you'll get a killer headache within a day or two, but after that, you'll be as good as new."
Sasuke glares at him. "Couldn't you just find a medicine that doesn't include killer pains as a side effect? I think I'm going to die."
"Now now, Sasuke-sama, it's for your own good", Kabuto scolds him. "How do you feel?"
"At the verge of dying", Sasuke sarcastically points out.
"No. I meant the Curse Seal. Orochimaru-sama noticed your transformation into Level 2. That's quite an accomplishment."
"What do you mean?"
"Most of the Sound Nins who got the Curse Seal take days, weeks or months in order to reach Level 2. You, on the other hand, have achieved it by a day."
"It's the adrenalin", Sasuke replies. "Speaking of Orochimaru, where is he? When can I start my training?"
Kabuto sighs. He knew Sasuke would reach at that point sooner or later. "Orochimaru-sama has some business to attend, but don't worry, he'll call you within the day. But, he orders that you need complete rest before you can start your training."
Sasuke nods his head and lies down. Afterwards, Kabuto exits the room and proceeds to Orochimaru's room where he saw another servant slain.
"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto lightly chides, "keep doing this up and you'll likely to lose the entire Sound population."
Orochimaru didn't bother to answer him back. "It still hurts." Kabuto knew he was talking about his arms. "How is Sasuke-kun?"
"He's resting. The medicine I gave him had a side-effect: headache. But he's okay now."
Orochimaru grins. He knew Sasuke has successfully used the seal. "Good. Kabuto?"
Kabuto turns to his master. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"
"Tell the servants to fix Sasuke-kun his meal. Tomorrow, I will have visitors. Old friends of mine, not from the Leaf."
Kabuto knew what he was talking about. "The Akatsuki..." Orochimaru nods.
"Even though I lost respect to that organization, they are some who supported me. Yet, they do not have the power to rule because of those fucknuts."
"Orochimaru-sama, if I may? Based on our spies, the Akatsuki were after Naruto-kun because of..."
"The Kyuubi", Orochimaru replies. Then, Kabuto notices the former Sannin is bothered. "Orochimaru-sama, is there something wrong?"
"Where did the Kyuubi came from? No one knew where it came from and why was it in Konoha."
"No one knows or bothers digging it up for research. Are there any other Youmas aside from the Kyuubi and from the Sand?"
Orochimaru shakes his head. "No...but she might."
"She?" asks Kabuto.
"The one who introduced me to the Akatsuki, my dear Kabuto. Also, be on the look out for Naruto-kun in the near future. I'm afraid he will be the obstacle to our plans. But don't kill him yet."
"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!"
Tsunade winces at Kakashi's reaction to rescue Sasuke, which was turned down by her.
"YOU SAID WE WILL GIVE HIM ONE MONTH!"
"Kakashi", Tsunade decides to interrupt his outburst, "I know you're concerned with Sasuke. But I'm sure he won't come back willingly. If he has to kill himself rather than staying here, then he'll do that."
Kakashi looks at her eye to eye. "Look, Tsunade-sama, you don't know Sasuke! He's confused and lost. He needs proper guidance."
Tsunade answers him back. "He was your favorite alright. You should have known it would come into this. Sasuke may be physically strong but mentally, he's unstable. And...you could have given Naruto and Sakura some extra training but one of them is training with Jiraiya because he chose to do so while the other one...dead."
Kakashi steps back. He was naïve that everything will be alright. It didn't. "Just give me a chance..."
"No", Tsunade warns him. "I have an assignment for you..."
Before Tsunade could finish speaking, Kakashi bolts out of the room. Tsunade knew he was a stubborn one. All geniuses are considered to be stubborn.
Kakashi walks towards his apartment to debate whether he should go rescue Sasuke, yet he knew the risks. He paused for the moment and remembers his students. Sakura, dead by a gas leak, or so they say. Sasuke, now on the dark side. And Naruto, trained by one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. Maybe he did regret ignoring Sakura and Naruto.
"Ah, good-morning Kakashi-san!"
Kakashi turns around to see Iruka coming to the Academy. He knew the Chuunin was a bother but he decided he should be polite to him. After all, he was the one who took care of Naruto very well.
"Good morning as well, Iruka-sensei", Kakashi lazily replies. "Have you heard a word from Naruto?"
"No", said Iruka. "But he did promise to write."
"I see..."
"Anyway, I better go now. I might be late."
Iruka waves him good-bye as he heads the other direction. Kakashi remained in his position. He didn't move. He didn't know why, but he forcefully tried to do so which ended up in failure. Either, his legs were tired or the higher-ups were trying to bleep him up. Then, he proceeded to his apartment, thinking of what to do now.
The next morning, both Naruto and Jiraiya are faced with a dilemma.
"Hey Ero-Sennin! I'm hungry! I want ramen!" Naruto ranted at his sensei. Their problem is that they are now very hungry and the nearby town is 10 km. away from them. Plus, the whining of Naruto almost made Jiraiya wanted to strangle him. Calm down, Jiraiya, he thought to himself. You wouldn't want to kill him accidentally.
"Hey brat. Listen, we're not far away from the nearest town and I know you're hungry. So I'll make you a deal: either you behave and I'll teach you a new jutsu or continue whining and I'll snap your neck", Jiraiya warns Naruto. "Do we have a deal?"
Naruto dumbly nods. Then he recalls what Jiraiya said to him. "Wait. You're going to teach me a new jutsu?"
Jiraiya grins. "Yep! A jutsu way more powerful than the Rasengan!"
Naruto is awed. A jutsu more powerful than the Rasengan? "Really? What? Tell me? C'mon, old man! I haven't gotten all day!"
"Hey! Take it easy! This jutsu is very hard to master, brat. It took me 4 years to learn it."
It was true. It was right after developing the Rasengan that he decided to learn a new one. He got this jutsu from an old scroll that he got from one of the villages. He experienced the hardship of learning that jutsu. Then again, not all jutsus can be learned within a day. Then again, a person like Naruto can master the Rasengan in a shorter time that the Yondaime for 3 years.
This got Naruto interested. "4 years? What kind of a Sannin are you?"
"Don't insult me brat!" a peeved Jiraiya tells him. "It was hard obviously! This jutsu cannot be also easily copied by the Sharingan!"
When he heard the Sharingan, Naruto instantly frowned, remembering the day Sasuke defeating him and did something to him that confused him the most. Jiraiya wanted to bite his tongue for mentioning it, knowing that Naruto would feel inferior. However, Naruto quickly flashed a smile at the Ero-Sennin.
"Don't worry, Ero-Sennin! I'll be okay", Naruto tells him. Jiraiya also smiles. However their joyous bonding came to an end when he sensed two familiar chakras. He knew they would return, but now is a bad thing. Naruto notices his alertness.
"Ero-Sennin?"
"SHOW YOURSELVES COWARDS!" Jiraiya yells. Then, two familiar figures appeared out of nowhere. Naruto flinchs at the sight of Uchiha Itachi and Hoshikagi Kisame, watching them while standing at the large branches.
"Great", Kisame whines, "Not that old man again!" Itachi said nothing. "Hey Itachi! Any ideas how to get that Kyuubi brat?"
"I'll distract the Sannin, you get him now", Itachi orders him. "But don't harm him. Our leaders would have our heads if you hurt him one bit". The older Uchiha knew capturing Naruto is harder than possible. Kisame knew he the boy wouldn't come with them without a fight. Jiraiya knew the possibilities of one of them capturing Naruto while the other distracting him. But they put their attention at the blonde boy, whose chakra is ready to eat some people.
(BGM: "Ironside" excerpt by Quincy Jones)
Naruto now clearly remembers that it was Itachi who drove Sasuke into madness. It was he who destroyed Sasuke's life by killing his own family. Such thought drove Naruto into transforming into what he was when he fought Sasuke awhile back. His transformation stunned Jiraiya, Itachi and Kisame. By now, his physical features are somewhat similar to a fox's (A/N: His transformation in the latest chapters as of this writing). Naruto looks at Itachi viciously, with the look that could kill without really trying. Although on the outside Itachi is calm, deep down he is nervous. Nevertheless, he was ready to capture Naruto alive. Jiraiya and Kisame are ready as well. Naruto begins to lunge at Itachi while Kisame jumps in to fight Jiraiya.
Meanwhile at the Hyuuga Mansion, Hinata is struggling to get up after her fight Hanabi. This sparring session was conducted by Hiashi himself in order to find out whether Hinata is still fit to be the heiress of the Main House. Hiashi sighs, as so far the odds are against Hinata. The other elder Hyuugas are mentally taking notes on Hanabi's potential. The fight resumes as Hinata, with her kunai at her grip, charge at her younger sister and throws the kunai at her. As expected by the elders, Hanabi avoids the dagger and counters every attack made by Hinata, which ends with Hanabi kicking her elder sister's head. Hinata collapses on the floor, breathing raggedly while trying to fight back her tears.
Hiashi knew the outcome of the fight. He secretly wished Hinata would improve and be a better person, but as the head of the Main House, he must act on his duties. However, he was disappointed with his older daughter. He glances at her before he looks at Hanabi and motions her to stop. She nods and drops her fighting stance. Hiashi looks sternly looks at the now-fragile looking Hinata and feels that she has completely disgrace the line. She wasn't the first one though, but to Hiashi, she was in his lifetime. Hinata knew she was going to get it. She just knew it.
"Hinata", said Hiashi in a very strict tone. "I gave you time to improve your performance but the way I see it, you've been slacking off! You've brought shame to our family line!"
Hinata cringes at the statement. What does Hanabi have that she doesn't? Or maybe she was thinking of...Naruto, the boy who encourage her to do her best. The same boy who also broke her heart. "I'm sorry", she mumbled.
"Sorry isn't enough!" Hiashi scolds at her some more. "Now leave. I don't have time for anyone weak." He looks at her once more only to find her not moving from her spot. She stared at the ground while she clenches her fists hard. Truth to be told, Hinata was tired of being the weakest link of the Hyuuga Clan. She was also tired of being one. Now she knows how Neji felt before, that is if she knew what he really felt before he was defeated by Naruto at the Final Chuunin Exams and Hiashi telling him the truth about his father.
"Why...why do you...hate me?" Hinata asks her father. To Hiashi it was like being stabbed at the heart that took him by surprise. "I did what I really could...to reach your expectations..." Hinata slowly tells him how she feels. "But the truth is...I...I...can't...I'm not the warrior you try to mold me. We're different...I'm completely different from you, Hanabi and Neji-niisan. I wish you would be so proud of me that I did my best in everything. I wish you would look tenderly at me like a father to his daughter, not a strict master to his student. I wish I was different and I could meet your expectations..."
Hinata and Hiashi face each other eye to eye. Hanabi, meanwhile was worried for her father and sister. "Hinata", Hiashi responded, "I know how you feel. But you are a Hyuuga, one of the greatest clans of the Leaf. We live in a harsh world that can eat us anytime without us knowing it. Everyday we sacrifice our lives for the safety of our village. I expected you, Hanabi and Neji to know that." As the head of the Hyuuga Main Branch, Hiashi has experience the things the shinobi have: death, loss and everything in between. He had lost his comrades and his brother. He wasn't sure that he wanted his daughters and his nephew to experience it but they are shinobis.
Hinata felt she was an outsider of the Hyuuga clan. "Maybe I don't fit your expectations. I don't like...this...the shinobi way..."
The only answer Hiashi could give is something Hinata would dread later on. "Very well then. You are not fit to be a Hyuuga."
"W-what?" asked a stunned Hinata.
"I am giving you two choices: I will disown you and live the life that you choose or stay in the clan and always be a failure", Hiashi told her sternly. The choices are better than face death, he thought.
Hinata thought about this. For one thing, she would be free when she will be disowned but on the other hand, she will miss her family, even though their treatment won't guarantee them Family of The Year award. But what about the consequences? What about the elders? Neji would kill to be on her spot. Fuck the consequences, she thought.
"I wish...to be...", Hinata sighs. "Free."
"Are you sure? Once you make up your mind...", Hiashi replies.
"I made my choice", Hinata answered back. It was then Hanabi realized that she would be losing her elder sister. Would she care for her elder sister who is a failure?
"Hinata...", was the only thing Hanabi could muster. Hinata notices her younger sister's tone of worry.
"Don't worry. I'll be okay", Hinata reassures her. Truth is, she wasn't sure if she would be okay but she knows that she can handle it one way or another.
Hiashi decides to interrupt the sisterly talk. "If that is your wish Hinata, you will have a week to pack up your things and find another place to live."
A thought occurred on Hinata. "But, what about the elders?"
"I'll make sure they won't touch you. There is one thing though. When you leave, you shall address me as Hiashi-sama, not 'father' anymore. You shall retain the Hyuuga name but you will be disassociated with the Hyuuga family. You can socialize with them. And another thing..."
Hiashi approaches his elder daughter and gives her a hug. It was the kind of hug that he doesn't Hinata to go. Hinata herself was surprised.
"I'm sorry I wasn't a good father to you, but know this: I will always love you and I hope when you grow up, you become the strongest kunoichi of the Leaf", Hiashi tells her in a tone of sorrow and reassurance, just like any other parent whose children are leaving. Hinata let a tear fall. It was the first he said those words to her as far as she could remember.
"I...forgive you, father...", Hinata replies. This would be their only father and daughter bonding they would have before she leaves. Hiashi knows that this would be the best for Hinata. She has to find her strength from her own, if not from her family.
There is one thing Tsunade did regret when she became the Hokage: lack of sleep. For the past 48 hours, she has been filing, compiling and signing reports and she hasn't got any sleep, even for a minute. So, after doing all those hard work, she slept on her desk, for 30 minutes. It was peaceful and comforting. It was, unfortunately, short.
"TSUNADE! TSUANDE! TSUNADE!"
The Godaime wakes up only a little bit. "Oi...Kotetsu...I'm not...sleeping..."
"DAMMIT TSUNADE! WAKE UP!!! NARUTO IS MISSING!"
The words "Naruto" and "missing" are enough to wake her up and see a battered Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, what happened? Where's Naruto?" asked a panicked Tsunade.
"We were attacked by the Akatsuki. To be more specific, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshikagi Kisame", replied Jiraiya.
"He was kidnapped?" Tsunade has assumed the worst.
"That's the thing. He wasn't kidnapped by either of them. We fought them until there was a large projectile aiming for us. We all dodged it and it caused a large explosion and..."
Jiraiya nearly collapses on the floor. Tsunade comes to him and quickly heals him. "Jiraiya what happened?"
"The...explosion created a large crater. After everything was clear, Naruto was gone. I assumed that it was Itachi who took him. It was then they were there too. In fact, they were looking for Naruto. Heh, it's safe to assume that the brat wasn't with them."
"We have to find Naruto as soon as possible!" Tsunade helps him stand up. Jiraiya tells her his plan. "Thanks for the healing, Tsunade. I have to go find him now."
"But you're injured!"
"I'll be fine! Tsunade. It would be best if you send a team to help me look for him. Tell them to meet me at the gate now!"
Tsunade watches her former teammate leave. She was beyond worried for Naruto. If Itachi didn't kidnapped him, then who did? She immediately calls for Shizune to find Kakashi and Shikamaru.
Jiraiya saw his team not too far away. The team is consisting of Hatake Kakashi, Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, Hyuuga Hinata, Yamanaka Ino and Tenten. When they meet, the younger nins and Kakashi wanted to know what's going on for they still don't know what happened to Naruto.
"Okay, listen up. I suppose Tsunade told you this would be an A-Rank mission", said Jiraiya.
This surprised the younger nins. "Wait. What do you mean A-Rank mission?" asked an anxious Ino. This would be her first.
Kakashi, on the other hand, knows something is going on. "Where is Naruto?" he asked the Ero-Sennin coldly. They weren't still in good terms.
"That's the mission. Naruto is missing. I lost him during our fight with the Akatsuki."
Kakashi was surprised. "WHAT?"
"We have to hurry! I'll take you to the spot where Naruto vanished and from there we'll form a search party!" Jiraiya orders them.
They quickly jumped from branch to branch. It took them three hours to reach the place. Along the way, thoughts of the other nins were filled with worry. Kakashi is silently praying that he would find his only student left. Same thing goes for Hinata, even though he broke her heart, she still cared for him. Ino and Tenten were excited for this would be their first A-Rank mission but at the same time were worried for Naruto and the possibility of bumping into the Akatsuki. Shino sent out for flies to look for Naruto's scent. Shikamaru is still thinking how Naruto disappeared.
When they finally reached the place, Kakashi and the younger nins were surprised at the size of the crater. It was big enough to cover ¼ of the forest.
"This is where we fought the Akatsuki and Naruto disappeared", Jiraiya tells them.
Hinata activated her Byakugan. "Naruto-kun could be anywhere by now!"
"All right listen up. We will split into three groups. Look for Naruto as hard as you can. Also, if you run into any Akatsuki member, the best advice I can give you is to either run or hide. So far, they can kill you with ease since you kids are still Genins", Jiraiya orders them.
"What would be the signal be if we find Naruto?" asked Tenten.
It was at this time Shikamaru steps in. "I'm tired of looking for missing nins. It would be best if Shino could give us his bugs, we could use it as signals. But, to tell you the truth, I'm assuming the worse case scenario."
Jiraiya incredulously looks at him. Shikamaru sighs some more. "What I meant is that looking for Naruto would be harder. You said that Naruto disappeared after the explosion. What if he was taken away from someone else? What if the two Akatsuki members have another one who is waiting for the annoying one to kidnap him? Another thing, luckily we have Hinata for her Byakugan and Shino for his bugs, but with Kiba in the hospital, finding him would be harder."
"Hey! Are you calling me and Tenten useless?" an irritated Ino asks him.
"No", Shikamaru answers back. "You two are useful but with Kiba and his dog, we can look for Naruto very easily. It would be also better if Neji were here with us."
Kakashi nods at Shikamaru's analysis. "He could've been kidnapped. But if not the Akatsuki, then who?"
"Definitely not Orochimaru", Jiraiya answers. "If he is, he would've tried to kidnap him in the past." He closes his eyes and thinks hard. If not them...then...no, but...beyond impossible. He has to look at the bright side and hopefully they could find him, beat him up and treat him for ramen.
Jiraiya decides to put the plan into action. "All right. It would be best if we split into three groups." He then looks at Shikamaru, who only responds with the sigh. He must be the intelligent yet lazy chuunin, he thought. "Kid, I know you hated doing this, but we need your smarts badly."
"Che, I'm doing this for that idiot", Shikamaru replies. Naruto may be irritating and annoying, but to him, he was a special friend, next to Chouji. "Okay, since we're low with resources, Hinata and Ino and I would form one group with Jiraiya-sama. Shino and Tenten the second one with Kakashi-sensei. The reason for forming two groups instead of three is because it would be easier to find him."
Shino steps in the conversation. "I have two flies, each for one group. They will serve as communicators."
Afterwards, Jiraiya decides it's time. "Search for Naruto as hard as you can. Don't stop until you find a clue to where he is. We will meet at this spot two hours later. Any questions? Good, split up!"
Orochimaru waits at the meeting room for an old friend. He was informed by Kabuto that Sasuke is still having headaches but he will be fine. His train of thought is interrupted when he hears a knock from the door. Kabuto reveals himself as he opens the door. He enters and lets the person in. She has very dark green long and wavy hair with a black lipstick that contrasts to her fair skin. She wears the Akatsuki cloak but covers everything except her exposed shoulders and cleavage. What's striking about her appearance is that she wears an eye patch on her left eye. She approaches Orochimaru like an arrogant woman with power.
"It's been awhile, Orochimaru."
"Same thing goes for you too, Yuigateki Mitsuki", the former Sannin replies back at the woman. Mitsuki sits on the chair and looks at her former comrade.
"Tsk. What the hell happened to you? Your arms looks as if they took quite the beating", Mitsuki tells him. If there was one thing about her, she carries a tone of arrogance in her.
Orochimaru didn't want to remember that time when the Sadaime sealed his arms. "Long story. How is the Akatsuki?"
Mitsuki leans back on the chair. "Same old, same old. Assassination, robbery and finding the Kyuubi brat, which the very dear Itachi-kun and that moron Kisame were assigned to." One more thing: she has an obsession with Itachi. Think Sakura's with Sasuke. Do the math.
Orochimaru softly growled when she mentioned Itachi. "So, they still failed to kidnap Naruto-kun? Guess your dear Itachi-kun did a bad job."
"Shut up! Don't talk to Itachi-kun that way!" Mitsuki spats out with pure venom. "Come to think of it, why are you inviting me here for anyway?"
A smirk crosses Orochimaru's face. "I have a proposition for you and anyone who's interested."
"What? Join your village. No offense sweetie, but your village sucks. Dirt and poverty everywhere I could vomit hard."
"Pfft. You're shinobi and yet you're disgusted at such things? Anyway, I have Sasuke-kun here now."
"Sasuke-kun? Itachi-kun's younger brother? Did you kidnap him?" Mitsuki asked him in a skeptical manner.
"No. All I did was offered him some candy and he came willingly." Needless to say, Mitsuki didn't get the analogy. Orochimaru sighed at her sometimes small perception. "What I meant is that I offered him power to defeat Itachi and he came here willingly."
"Willingly?" Mitsuki knew Orochimaru has something more than just that. Then an idea crosses her mind. "You gave him the Curse Seal."
"Bingo."
"Does the poor boy know that he cannot defeat Itachi-kun and you won't be offering him power?"
"Ah. Very smart of you. I'll lead him for a while..."
"You want the power of the Sharingan. Many people wanted it. And here's how it goes: you'll transfer to Sasuke-kun's body, am I right?"
"Again, very smart of you. Although it would take years to do that."
"There are other forbidden jutsus to heal your arms. What you know so far is limited, compared to the former leader of the Akatsuki."
Orochimaru is silent for the moment. "Have you heard anything from her so far?"
Mitsuki shrugs. "No. You know, Orochi-kun? We've never bonded together since we massacred that bitch of the traitor and her family two years ago at the Stone country. Our former leader was quite smart that she knew that bitch was a spy."
"Even up to now, you still hated her."
"Does it matter? She's dead. Itachi-kun killed her personally. Now, no one will stand in our way between me and Itachi-kun. Well except, assignments and trainings."
The former Akatsuki comrades sipped their respective wines in silence. Then, Orochimaru looks at her straight in the eye. "What do you think of the proposition?"
"Give me time to think about it", Mitsuki replies. "It's not going to be very easy since right now the Akatsuki is in near shambles."
This got Orochimaru interested. "What? What happened?"
"Office politics."
It is raining hard yet they didn't stop to find Naruto. Their search took them more then 5 hours but they didn't stop. Yet, their hopes are slowly vanishing. Hinata, even with her Byakugan activated, still couldn't find Naruto. Shikamaru is still contemplating on how to find Naruto but all of the efforts fail. Shino's bugs couldn't pick up Naruto's scent even before it started to rain. What's worse is that there are no signs of footprints. Kakashi earlier summoned all of his dogs to find Naruto. That effort, failed.
The two groups reunited at the designated meeting place with bad news.
"No sign?" Jiraiya asks them. Everyone shake their heads.
"We couldn't pick up his scent. Whoever did kidnap him did an excellent job of covering his or her tracks and scent", Kakashi answers.
"We couldn't find him either", Hinata mumbles.
Ino began to sneeze loudly. "I'm sorry, but with this rain...I feel sick..."
Kakashi nods. "Okay, you kids return home."
Jiraiya looks at him. "What about you?"
"I'll continue to find Naruto."
"But Kakashi-sensei, it's raining hard. You could get sick!" Tenten protests.
"Don't worry. I've been in these kinds of missions where the weather can surprise you", Kakashi reassures her with a smile.
Jiraiya decides to stay with Kakashi while Shikamaru and Shino lead the girls back to the Leaf. After the kids were gone, the only ones left were the two older nins. Kakashi warily looks at Jiraiya. The Sannin knew what he was thinking.
"You hate me for losing Naruto. I blame myself for everything", Jiraiya mused.
"You, of all people, should know that the Akatsuki are still roaming around", Kakashi replies coldly. "You should've thought of that even before you offered him the training trip!"
Jiraiya is upset of this. "What do you want me to say? Sorry while I lower my knees? I wanted to safeguard Naruto with all my power. I offered him some training so that in the end, he'll be facing adversity alone but with power! We all know we can't protect him forever! I know that he'll have the potential to be one of the greatest shinobis if given the proper training! Why am I babbling about this? We have to find Naruto now!"
The two separately look for their student over the course of one week. Unfortunately, they couldn't find him.
A week later, Tsunade sent a team of ANBU to aid Kakashi and Jiraiya to look for Naruto, but she knew that looking for the young boy would be futile. She also knew that the ANBU wouldn't try their best to look for him. After all that searching, they couldn't find Naruto. All she could do is cry.
The villagers got word of the disappearance of Naruto and all they could do is rejoice. Only a handful of few people didn't take this very well. When they heard about Naruto, Iruka was saddened. Kiba, Neji, Lee and Chouji were upset of this. What surprised everyone is that Kakashi decided to continue to resume his ANBU duties to look for Naruto. His fellow Jounins noticed their fellow nin's personality. Gone was the bored, lazy and good-natured man. In came is the cold and detached man who mourned the loss of his students. They are very worried for him and his well-being. He didn't took any rests and continued looking for Naruto and if possible, Sasuke.
One day, after another-mission failure to locate Naruto, Kakashi returns home for the first time in months. Kakashi stripped off his clothes and took a bath. He wears his old Jounin uniform and decides to relax. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end when he hears a loud knock. Another knock and Kakashi grumpily gets up from his bed. He opens to door only to see a cheerful yet inwardly nervous Gai. Just great, Kakashi thought. He has no time for him of all people.
"Ah Kakashi! My great friend and sometimes eternal rival! Or is my eternal rival and sometimes great friend? Anyways, Kakashi, I would like to invite you to a party!" a cheerful Gai tells him. Kakashi just stared at him in a cold manner.
"No", Kakashi said. He'd rather eat his own shorts than be with a bunch of people right now.
Gai frowns at Kakashi's reply. "Ah c'mon! It'll be just us. Not that too many people!"
"Let me guess. All of decided to cheer me up by throwing a party?"
Gai nods.
"My answer is still no. Now if you excuse me..."
Finding a way for Kakashi to say yes, Gai dropped on his knees and begins to beg. "Kakashi, please! Everyone is worried about you! Some think that you're going to self-destruct! Kakashi, we're your friends! We care for you!"
The Copy nin thinks about it. They are concerned for his well-being, but does he care for them? He doesn't know that. He wanted to continue his search for Naruto and Sasuke, but he was so tired that he could sleep for a week. Kakashi could take Gai's offer, but looking at the Taijutsu-expert begging on his knees like an idiot amused him a little bit. In fact, he played Gai by not giving him an answer for a few more minutes while the latter looking like an idiot. Finally, Kakashi decides to give in.
"Che, fine. When the party?"
Gai shouted with joy. "Tonight, 7 p.m. at Asuma's house. Of course knowing you, you'd be late."
"As they say, better arrive the party late with style than be the early bird and get nothing at all."
Kakashi arrived at Asuma's house at 8:30. He could've come to the party very late or not coming at all. But he doesn't want to disappoint his friends. He carefully watched the happenings inside house via the window. He could see Genma and Aoba singing their hearts out badly in the karaoke while Kurenai and Shizune blush over Anko's outrageous and sometimes ironic storytelling. He could see Gai doing his usual "holier than thou" speech while the uninterested Kotetsu keeps on eating. He then sees Iruka and Asuma talking about something.
He didn't go in the house immediately. He just leaned on the wall, pondering some thoughts. How could he celebrate when three of his precious people are gone? He could remember Naruto's loud, outrageous and joyful attitude, Sasuke's cold and aloof behavior and Sakura's sweet and frank approach. Over the course of time, they became THE Team 7, legendary of its own way. They could've been more legendary if they weren't gone. Now what? He'll probably keep looking for Naruto, knowing that Sasuke doesn't want to be found unless Orochimaru sends him a mission. He could probably see Sakura's ghost from time to time. After 10 minutes, he knocks the door and Asuma opens it.
"Hey Kakashi! We never thought you'd arrive!" Asuma said.
Kakashi shrugs and went inside the house. He never thought that there would be many people. Everyone is laughing, singing and cheering. To be frank, Kakashi hated here. He would rather be alone than a bunch of people. He was greeted by a lot people. Kakashi sits on the couch beside Iruka, who just sat there.
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei! How are you?" Iruka politely greeted him. It seems Kakashi didn't respond to his question. Iruka decides not to pry further. Kakashi closed his eyes, imagining that he isn't in the party but somewhere else. He gets up and goes to the bathroom and locks it. He looks at the mirror carefully. He looks horrible deep down. He opens the faucet and splashes his face with water. He looks at the mirror again and opens the door. As he goes to get some food, he overhears a conversation among a group of Jounins and Chuunins.
"Did you hear? The demon brat is gone."
"Really? When?"
"Last week, man! Thank Kami-sama for that miracle!"
"Yeah! Fuck the Kyuubi! He won't be touching with dirty hands on our village! Man, if I see another sight of that freak I'd spit on him, tie him up and burn him into hell!"
The Chuunin who stated the last sentence immediately got smacked by Kakashi, sending him over the table. The group who blasted Naruto is now facing a very pissed off Kakashi. Knowing that it wouldn't be nice to mess with the infamous Copycat-Nin, they backed off faster than you can say "Jiminy Cricket". The joyous atmosphere quickly died down and the focus of attention went to him. Kakashi went over to the Chuunin whom he punched and grabbed his collar. He begins to punch the man numerous times until Asuma and Gai stop him by grabbing his arms. Kakashi quickly removes himself from their grasps and backs off. He begins to destroy more of the furniture as the others tried to stop him. He then stops wreaking havoc and looks at them angrily.
"Hey Kakashi! What the hell are you doing?" asked an irritated and upset Asuma.
"SHUT IT! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE CELEBRATING? IS IT BECAUSE OF THE VESSEL OF THE KYUUBI GONE? HUH? IS THAT IT?" shouted an angry Kakashi.
"Hey! That's not true!"
"THAT'S BULLSHIT! NONE OF YOU CARE FOR NARUTO! HELL, NONE OF YOU EVEN BOTHER TO ASK ME HOW I FEEL THAT I LOST MY STUDENTS! SO LEAVE ME ALONE AND FUCK ALL OF YOU!"
With that, Kakashi stormed out of the house, leaving a group of worried people.
The next day, Kakashi, much to everyone's surprise, left the ANBU. Everyone is worried for him that they tried to visit him at his house. Unfortunately, Kakashi didn't respond to their pleas for forgiveness. He was sitting at his bed like a very depressed man. To further acknowledge how depressed he really is, he didn't read his Icha Icha Paradaise collection. It went on for a few days until he found out that he was hungry and hasn't been to the grocery for food. Along the way, he bumps into Konohamaru. The young boy tried to apologize for his actions but he scolded and cursed him that he made him cry, but he didn't care. Afterwards, Iruka got word of this and rushes towards Kakashi's house. He doesn't give a rat's ass about his mood but cursing Konohamaru is definitely crossing the line. When he reaches the house, he bangs the door many times. At first, Kakashi ignores this. After awhile, he was so irritated that he wanted to kill whoever disturbs him. He opens the door to see an angry Iruka.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?" asked a very-pissed off Kakashi.
"That night party, what you said wasn't true! I care for Naruto and I miss him! I know how you feel! But you don't have to show your anger at others, including to Konohamaru! He accidentally bumped into you and wanted to say sorry but all you say is bad words? What kind of a Jounin are you?" Iruka angrily tells him.
Kakashi is annoyed at this. "Is that all you're going to tell me, Chuunin? If that's the case, I suggest you get the hell out!"
Iruka didn't heed his threats. "There are a lot of people who wanted to help you! But all you do is shun them away!"
"Who the fuck are you? My therapist? FYI, dad: I don't care what you say about me!"
"Hey! You think that your cold attitude is going to help you recover? Huh? Answer me Kakashi!"
At this time, Kakashi wanted to snap his neck. "You don't know a thing about me, Iruka. And why would I listen to a lowly, pathetic Chuunin like you? You don't have the guts to face me."
"Well, you don't know a thing about me as well. But I can tell you're hurting deep down."
Kakashi responds by punching Iruka in the face. Iruka spins back and smacks him in the face, much to Kakashi's surprise. Both men are in their fighting stance, ready to tear each other apart. They began with a series of punches which is until Kakashi sends Iruka 15 ft. away inside the house. Kakashi grabs his kunai and rushes over to stab Iruka. The Chuunin gets up only to be tackled by the Jounin to the ground. Iruka immediately flips him over and sends him to the ground. Iruka tries to escape but Kakashi quickly grabs his right leg. The younger shinobi tries to escape but with Kakashi's strong grasp, it was impossible. Then, Iruka sees a large vase, grabs it and smashes it on Kakashi's head. This is not an ordinary shibobi battle but more of an anything goes battle.
Iruka grabs his kunai but he knows that Kakashi wouldn't harm him. He only uses it for protection. Kakashi immediately disappears with a vanishing jutsu and reappears behind Iruka. He lunges kunai at him only to find out the latter senses his presences and counters it with his kunai. Both blades clash into each other as Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka tried to fend off each other. Kakashi finally overpowers him by pushing Iruka and while being off-guard, kicks him at the face. Iruka is slammed to the wall and throws his kunai at Kakashi, but the Jounin easily predicts his action by dodging it. Kakashi throws a punch at Iruka but his fist ends up connected to the wall. Iruka, while dodging the attack, punches Kakashi at the stomach and uppercuts him at the chin. It didn't knock Kakashi off his feet but the Jounin realizes that Iruka is no ordinary Chuunin. Iruka leaps into the air and spin kicks Kakashi but the latter grabs his legs and slams him to the glass table. Kakashi grabs his collar and proceeds to punch him until Iruka smashes him with a statue. Kakashi staggers back as Iruka escapes to the kitchen.
The silver haired man chases him with his kunai and sees Iruka. In a swift motion, Kakashi slashes Iruka's right leg. Iruka yelps out in pain. Kakashi proceeds to stab him but Iruka quickly grabs the wooden cutting board and uses it for protection. The kunai is stuck at the board as Iruka throws it away at Kakashi, who dodges it. Kakashi rushes over him but Iruka kicks him at the chest. The two men spar some more until Kakashi hits Iruka's back and punches him at the face. Iruka immediately grabs his arm sends him at the sink. He then kicks Kakashi at the head, grabs his hair and smashes him at the glass cabinet. Kakashi then uses his elbow to smack Iruka's face. Kakashi smacks Iruka again and throws him off the kitchen. Iruka slowly gets up but Kakashi jump kicks him at the face. Iruka flips up and the two counter each other's attacks. Then, Iruka is about to kick Kakashi when the latter grabs his leg. Knowing that Kakashi would break his leg, Iruka flip kicks him, hitting him at the chin.
It was at this time, Kakashi uses his speed and surprises Iruka by knocking him off the ground and is about to kick him when the brown haired teacher grabs his leg and moves it away from him. The two grab their kunai and face each other. After a series of missed thrusts and lunges, Iruka looks at Kakashi and notices his face expression. His features indicate that he was tired. Iruka wanted to stop the fight and not kill each other, but it would really depend on Kakashi. Not surprisingly, Kakashi drops his fighting stance and his kunai to the ground. He walks away to his bedroom, with Iruka tailing him while keeping his kunai away. He sees Kakashi seating on his bed while looking the two picture frames he was holding. Iruka slowly walks toward him when Kakashi looks at him. This time it was a face of sadness. Iruka could tell even with his mask on.
"Why did it happen?" Kakashi asks no one in particular. "Why do these things happen?"
Iruka immediately understands him. "I don't know. I keep asking the same questions but couldn't find the answers. If this is really life, then we're probably in hell."
Iruka sits beside Kakashi and looks over the pictures. He sees Kakashi's old Genin team with the Yondaime before he became Hokage and his team with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. "I miss them too you know. I miss Naruto and Sakura the most. It's okay to mourn for them, but you can't live this way, Kakashi-san. You have to move on."
"Easy for you to say", snorts Kakashi.
"I'm not saying it's easy. I had a hard time coping over my parent's death when I was young. Didn't know what to do and that time, I was angry at the world for taking away the people that I loved. Do you have a family, Kakashi-san?"
Kakashi shakes his head. "Never knew them. I was young at that time. They told me that they died at the line of duty. I didn't know what to believe. But you Iruka-san, you were lucky. At least you have parents who love you and you knew that."
"I guess you're right. But there are some who care for you. It's just that you're too blind to see it."
Kakashi looks at Iruka. "Do you care for me?"
Iruka blushes. "Ah...eh...of course I do! As a friend!"
Kakashi smirks and remained quiet for awhile. "What am I going to do now?"
"I could help you fix your house. It's my fault for..."
"No, it was my fault. I was irrational and angry. I couldn't contain my emotions. So much for my reputation for being cold and deadly."
"Oh yeah, both of us are in trouble right now."
Both men suddenly laughed. Kakashi is the first one to interrupt. "What do you think Tsunade-sama's going to do with us?"
"If we explain to her properly, I can be sure she'll let us go lightly. If not...well, who knows?"
Kakashi looks at his window and sees the bright blue skies, which is contrast to his former mood. "Do you think everything's going to be okay?"
Iruka looks at him. "I hope so, Kakashi-san. I hope so."
UP NEXT: 4 years later...the story begins.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
1. The Naruto-Jiraiya vs. Itachi-Kisame fight will be explained further.
2. The Kakashi-Iruka fight scene is more of a burly brawl than ordinary fight scene. The fight is similar to the Sydney-Alison fight scene at the end of the second season finale of "Alias". Expect some fights that don't have long explanations over the jutsus used.
3. Destiny1029: This won't be a Naruto/Sakura fic.
4. I saw the new Akatsuki member in the manga. Does he have a name? Also, I'll be waiting for the names and appearances of the new Akatsuki members so they'll appear in a while. Mitsuki is an OC created for the annoyance of Itachi and much more.
5. PeterKim: It was nice of you analyzing what happened to Naruto. But, it'll go deeper than what I explained to you before.
6. If I have my way, the next OP of Naruto would either be Asia Next Generation's "Rewrite", Cool Joke's "Undo" or Pierrot's "Barairo No Sekai". But, both are from Full Metal Alchemist and the last one is from "GetBackers".
Any feedback/criticism/comments would be appreciated. Please do it constructively.