Chapter Seventeen: All Things Change
(WARNING: Scene(s) of attempted rape will be depicted in this chapter!)
~~Border of the Lands of Wave and Fire~~
"Are you serious, they want to ignore Lord Shinigami's warning?"
Jin was in a tent that she and the others had pitched up earlier in the day, the force of roughly two hundred clan members of Chikyugakure now unsure what to do when they got word from their Kuraikage that Konoha chose to ignore their warning and didn't want them to cross into Fire Country. Naruto stood in front of a table in the tent, looking over the letter sent to him by Minato. He understood the fact that Minato fully acknowledges the warning he gave him, but due to the politics of their village the council voted to ignore them and keep them out of their country and village. Naruto also understood the annoyance, the anger, that Jin and the others felt towards the Hidden Leaf at refusing the warning that Lord Shinigami was kind enough to give them. He sighed mentally, slowly hating the position of Kuraikage at the moment.
"I am serious, Jin. But that does not mean I am fully pulling back. I will continue to the Hidden Leaf to complete the exams and continue my plans. You, Genki and our forces will remain here outside of their border. If things get dire there, I doubt they would oppose a helping hand."
Naruto tucked the letter into his pocket for later, thinking on what to do next. He knew that he and the others couldn't refuse the orders of the Shinigami. He told them to go and help the Leaf, but at the same time he understood that he couldn't force their will onto Konoha. It would just start a war, a war that would lead to pointless deaths on both sides. He looked to Jin, who seemed like she wanted to speak.
"What is it?"
She looked at Naruto, anger blazing in her eyes as she started to talk. "Those ants are disrespecting Lord Shinigami by ignoring his warning, and now spit in our faces for even wanting to help them. They are arrogant, Naruto, and we should show them why the Shinigami is the true god of this world."
Naruto narrowed his eyes on her, something that his mother wasn't expecting. "I am not a warmonger, and refusing to listen to their request would bring a war to our doorstep that I know would end up killing hundreds of our own before it's over. We need to think of the big picture, Jin. We are in the eyes of the world now, and if we acted against what was asked in a formal letter from their village it would paint us in the colors of being rash, uncaring people who ignore the wishes of others. They would learn to not trust us, or how we act. And the first thing Lord Shinigami asked of me was to bring ourselves into the world, not piss it off."
For the first time in her life she snapped back at Naruto, raising her voice. "Yes, he wanted us to be known by the others but he never truly said peace or violence! We must show them that we can act on our own, that their laws and edicts mean little in the eyes of Lord Shinigami!"
"I know what he said, I was there too!" Naruto shouted back, startling his mother but she collected herself and stood her ground.
"We have, and always will, listen to the words of Lord Shinigami! I know that myself and the others of the village will not take this disrespect! Once they know, they will be furious, Naruto!"
"And you think I don't know that?! I am aware of this situation, either way we lose in the end. We go home and decide to ignore them, who says Lord Shinigami won't be pleased with us not doing as he told us? If we go by force, we will surely die and have the most powerful Hidden Village in the Elemental Nations as an enemy! You told me before that a leader, clan head of a Kage, will look out for his people's lives and wellbeing, and that is what I am trying to do now!"
He was letting out his Pure World Chakra, the chakra flowing and oozing into the tent into a thick fog. "So, as your Kuraikage, I order you and Genki to remain here til I say otherwise! I will not abandon Lord Shinigami's mission, nor will I risk my people's lives! This is the best solution that I can think of that does either or. Now you will go and do as you're told, Jin Tuyin!"
The woman was gritting her teeth, looking down at the ground as her anger was overflowing inside her. She looked back up to him, the look of betrayal in her eyes as she turned to leave. Before she opened the tent flap to leave she turned her head enough to give him a sideways glance. "The son I raised wouldn't turn his head to an upfront to Lord Shinigami like this. He would have been the first to act to defend the honor of our lord and our village. The time in the surface world has made you soft, Naruto. And I don't even know if I can see you as my son anymore. Your orders will be done, Lord Kuraikage."
With that she left the tent, leaving an emotionally exhausted and wounded Naruto to sit on the chair in the tent. He had felt the sting of blades to the flesh, poison in the veins, and exhaustion that could kill. But none of that compared to what she said to him. She all but renounced him as her son, all because he chose the path that wouldn't lead to bloodshed. He brought his hands to the table, tossing it in the air where it proceeded to rip through the tent and fling into the forests around the camp. He gripped his fists tightly, his nails cutting into his skin as he fell to his knees.
"I…I don't understand what to do anymore. I am tasked with protecting my people, but they want me to put them in the lines of danger. Lord Shinigami, you put me in a no win situation. Is this a test? ARe you testing my resolve to you or the village? What did I do to make you torment me like this!"
He all but screamed the last part, which caught the attention of the three women walking by his tent. Haku didn't hesitate to walk in, followed by Kin and Yugito. They saw Naruto on the floor, clenching his head with bloody palms as he went into a fit of hushed whispers. He was conflicted on what to do, what to say, how to act. The woman that raised her as his own hated him now, practically saying he was not the boy she raised. Haku took his hands into her own, seeing the bleeding caused by his own doing. She didn't wait for bandages, she instead ripped the cloth of her kimono and wrapped it around his hands snuggly to help put pressure onto the cuts. She let go of his hands, pulling his face up to look at her's. He looked at her, seeing the loving, smiling face she showed for him. She pulled him into a hug, letting him sob into her shoulder as he held onto her like his life was dependent on it.
"My sweet love, what happened?"
It took him a few moments to collect himself enough to talk. He pulled away, seeing Yugito and Kin smiling alongside Haku as they looked at him with nothing but love in her eyes.
"I…I don't know who I am anymore. Am I the son of Jin Tuyin, someone who would act to defend the honor of Lord Shinigami? Am I the Kuraikage, the man who is meant to keep his people away from harm? Am I Naruto Namikaze, the son that was lost and taken away? I just…I don't know…"
Haku frowned, pulling him into her embrace again. Naruto was about to wrap his arms around her again, but couldn't when he felt the arms of both Kin and Yugito snake around him. They held him close, letting him release the conflict within him to them. Haku let him cry for a moment longer before she thought of what to say.
"You…are neither of those three, my love." She whispered softly, running her hands up and down his back as he listened to her soothing voice. "You are Naruto Shingami, the man that chose to save me and my father from the clutches of Gato. You are Naruto Shingami, the man that brought justice and stability to the Land of Waves. You are the hero that ended an endless civil war, who brought peace to the Land of Water."
Kin was the next to speak, resting her head against his as she spoke. "You are Naruto Shingami, the man who saved my life by the people I thought were my friends. You didn't hesitate to spare my life despite knowing I was the enemy. You welcomed me into your home, gave me a new chance at life. You are a selfless hero, Naruto."
Yugito spoke last, resting her head on his shoulder as she talked. "You are Naruto Shingami, a man who put others before your own life. It matters not if Lord Shinigami sent you to do so or not, because in the end you do it because it's in your nature. You saved my life when you saw me dying, you put yourself in front of a foe you knew you could not win against without fear and was able to save me in the end. You are Naruto Shingami, the man who took me in when I was tossed out and alone."
The three girls kept close to him, letting him cry in their embrace. Haku gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before she and the other two pulled away from him, his lover leaning up and wiping the tears on his face away. "You are Naruto Shingami, a father to be. Those things are who you are, the others you spoke of are what others want you to be. In the end Naruto, your life is your own to choose. If others hate you for it, so be it. At the end of the day, what matters is those who love you."
He nodded slowly, a small smile creeping on his lips as he kissed her gently on her soft lips. He took a deep breath, nodding as he stood up and collected himself. The girls smiled at him as they stood up with his help, Haku coming and holding his hands as he looked at them. "The four of us are going to Konoha together, I want to see the Chunin Exams through. Haku, make sure Zabuza comes too. The forces of Chikyugakure will remain here, and wait for my orders to act if it's needed."
The four of them nodded, and to Naruto's surprise each of them took a turn giving his cheek a kiss. Naruto looked at Haku as she and the others left the tent to prepare. She turned back and smirked, giving him a look of "We can talk later" before she left with her guards. He sighed, sitting back down in the chair as he thought about how things have changed so much. He just needed to get the exams over with and return home. He would work on regaining his mother's approval, but he knew deep down his choice in this matter was correct.
Meanwhile, less than a mile away, another group of Shinobi were preparing themselves for their missions. They were killing the time before they needed to start their mission by spying on those in the camp. They were learning everything they could before they attacked.
~~Chikyugakure~~
The hooded men looked through the tree lines, seeing the few guards watching over the entrance into the Hidden Earth Village. One of them reached to their ear, pressing on a mic nestled into it.
"This is Sand from Desert Team One. We are imposition. Sound One, Sound Two, Desert Two, confirm positions."
There was static for a moment before a voice was returned. "Echo of Sound One responding, in position."
"Screech of Sound Two responding, in position."
"Oasis of Desert Two responding, in position."
"Copy. We are waiting for confirmation from Snake to act, keep watch and eliminate any who cross into you."
All radios responded with "Understood" before going silent again. Sand looked to the four others on his team, settling back into their little spot they made a distance away from the gate. "Alright, are we prepared?"
The four shinobi nodded, looking to their leader. "Yes sir. All equipment is prepared and checked. We are good to wait for the signal to go."
Sand nodded, turning back around to keep surveillance on the entrance. This mission needed to work. He would not return to his Kazekage a failure.
~~Konohagakure two days later~~
Naruto quickly noticed the stares that he and his group were receiving. Now that Kin and Yugito were officially kunoichi of the Hidden Earth the two of them proudly wore the forehead guard of their village, the four lined diamond. Naruto was wearing his too, of course, but now had it wrapped around his waist like a belt. He had changed how he wanted to wear it after his growth spurt in the Pure World. He also changed his style up since that day too. He now wore deep red ANBU pants instead of the black ones he wore before. His trenchcoat was no longer on his body, instead there was a simple black hoodie that was unzipped to show the snug, white muscle shirt he wore underneath. He also changed his footwear, not wearing black combat style boots instead of the much quieter ninja sandals. Lastly, he let his hair stay long. He now had it in one large, solid braid similar to a style he learned from old texts that spoke of an extinct culture called Vikings. He liked the style personally.
He thought that his change of appearance from the last time he came here, or the fact he was accompanied by three beautiful women, would be the reason why they were staring at him. But he saw their eyes, they weren't of envy or curiosity. They were of fear and paranoia. He inwardly sighed as he made his way with the others to the hotel, choosing to ignore it all. It seemed that they feared the Hidden Earth now.
When they got to their room Naruto plopped onto the bed, laying back as the others got their things in order. They would be only staying for two days, but it was common for Naruto to linger for longer when he went places so they packed for at least a week. Haku, once she put her things into the provided dresser, went to her boyfriend and crawled in to snuggle against him. She knew he was still not very talkative, she and the others in the room understood that. However, to see that smile of his gone for the last few days worried them all, especially Haku.
The only time he let that smile show now was when he and her talked about the baby, about their plans and hopes for it. Outside of that, he was shut off from his emotions. She honestly hoped that the chunin exams would be done quickly, she knew that Naruto needed time to fix things in Chikyugakure.
"It's just one day my love, then we can return home and figure everything out." She whispered into his ear as Kin and Yugito sat on the bed with them. They didn't cuddle close to Naruto like Haku, but just smiled down at him. During the last two days they made sure he knew that they were there for him, and slowly showed the bits of affection they felt for him. They understood he couldn't really reciprocate their feelings, at least not at the moment, and were patient with him.
He leaned over to kiss Haku, letting a small smile cross his lips before it vanished just as quickly as it came. "I know love, I know. I don't think I want to stay here after it's over. I just want to go back home."
Yugito looked at him a bit confused. "What about your family here? I thought you wanted to talk to them before you left?"
Naruto shook his head, a hand running up and down Haku's arm as she cuddled against his chest. "No, now is not the time. I need to focus on my home, not them. I know it might upset them, but I need to fix my life before I welcome them in again."
Yugito nodded, getting a bit bold and leaning down to snuggle against him along with Haku. Kin felt a little left out, now taking the other side open to his chest as the three of them cuddled against their source of affection. Naruto let out a content sigh, enjoying the feeling of warmth and love they gave him as they embraced him. He closed his eyes, thinking about how he was going to explain this to Anko when he went to take her out for their date.
~~Lower Apartment Housing - Konohagakure~~
Anko was busy getting herself ready for her date with Naruto. She had gotten word from the little messenger lizard he had sent her that he was in the village again, a day early like he promised her. She didn't think he'd remember, or care to think of her and the time he promised her. It was honestly a big mood booster for her when he told her that he was excited to talk to her again. Ever since the news that Orochimaru had attacked the precious Sasuke Uchiha and infected him with the curse mark she was once again being seen as an unwanted pariah of the village. She was used to it, or at least she thought she was. It had been years since she heard the words "Snake Whore" spoken so openly towards her in public. And it wasn't just the civilians harassing her again, it was some of her own fellow ninja that did so. Even their Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was suspicious of her.
She wasn't going to let that all get to her, not now. Not today. She finished getting her hair up in her typical fanned out, spiky ponytail. She wasn't too concerned about her makeup, she was never one for it, but decided just this once to use the purple colored lipstick she had for the rare occasions she needed to look more "presentable". She ditched her trench coat and mesh underclothes in favor of a modest, slender dress that matched the brown of her eyes. She even wore a pair of heels for this occasion.
Now, Anko was never known to be one to doll herself up, in fact she took pride in her usual appearance that she had every day. However, this was sort of her first date, and with someone who never saw her or thought of her the same way her own village has. This was a chance for her to finally find a way out of the anger and resentment that clouded her daily life.
After one last check of herself in the mirror she has an approving nod before making her way to the door. She opened it, smiling till she saw a group of four men wearing black bandanas over their faces. She knew what was about to happen and tried to slam the door and run for her ninja gear. That didn't work though as the four men rushed into the apartment, two of them tackling her onto the ground where a lizard was watching and disappeared quickly. Anko saw the lizard run away, hoping it would get to Naruto in time as she felt one of the men stomped on her ankle, crushing and cracking the bones in the joint. Anko opened her mouth to scream in pain but was stopped when a gag was shoved into her mouth and tied behind her head. She was flipped over onto her back, her ankle swelling into a bubble of black, blue and purple. Two of the men held her arms down, smirking under their masks as she was easier to jump than they thought.
The other two made sure the door was locked, turning their sight back to Anko as she was trying hard to scream through the gag as one of the men approached her. He got on top of her, the fourth of the group sitting on her couch as he spoke up. "So, it looks like the Snake Whore got herself all done up for us. Makes things more fun for us, Anko. WE have a message for you to send to your traitorous master. We are going to send his favorite slut to him in a broken pile, a warning to stop fucking with the Leaf and clean that fucking curse mark off of Lord Uchiha."
The fourth man nodded to the man on top of her, forcing her legs apart with his own, which made the dress run up her thighs and expose the panties she wore underneath. The men snickered at her, the man on top of her using a kunai to rip the fabric off of her crotch before he worked on his own pants. As this happened Anko struggled, trying hard to leave the men kneeling down on her arms off, to perform even one jutsu to get her a chance out of here but she couldn't. Her left ankle was limp, her arms were unable to be moved, and the kunai now held to her throat told her it was over. She closed her eyes, trying to pray to any person out there to save her. She prayed for her only friend, Yugao. She prayed for her boss, Ibichi. She prayed even for the Hokage. Lastly, she prayed for Naruto.
Out of the people she called for, only one came to her aide. An eruption of chakra unknown to her and the men attacking her spewed forth from her shadow. The chakra lashed out, hands forming from the energy and shooting out to pin the four men against the walls of her apartment. Anko, not free, crawled away from what was coming from the shadows. She expected Naruto, knowing he was able to travel in between shadows, but instead of the smiling blonde she had developed a crush on she saw the blonde covered in a black cloak as deep in darkness as her shadow. The chakra hands clasping the men to the walls was made of some sort of strange chakra, and she saw its effect on the men. Slowly, one by one, the men started to wither and rot, their flesh drying out or being eaten by the infectious rot that the Death Chakre was pumping into their veins. It took only a few seconds for the four would-be rapists to die, their eyes forever etched in horror before they too rotted away to the dust now on the ground.
Anko looked up at Naruto with both relief and fear in her eyes, seeing the deadly arms of chakra returning to him and the spewing gray aura around him dying out to reveal him. He turned to her, not hesitating to come to her and cover the lower part of her body with his hoodie. Typically, he would have loved the chance to peek at Anko's womanly features, but he didn't dare right now. He pulled her into a hug, running his hand up and down her back as she sniffled, trying to keep it all in.
"I am so sorry I didn't get here quicker, Anko…I got the message from the lizard only a second before I arrived. Forgive me, I was not fast enough to stop them from getting that far…"
He held her tight, afraid of what she would say for not coming to her in time to stop them from exposing her like they did. It took her a second to understand that he felt guilty for not getting here in time, and he held her close not just for her comfort but for his. So when she felt his hands rubbing on her back in a calming motion, she let the dam break. She held onto him, her fingers clenching into the hoodie covering his shoulders as she let her tears fall and crash around them. She never, even when they first hated her, thought that anyone in the village would do this to her. Sure, they would scream and mock her for turning the men, and some women, down, but never once did she imagine anyone would do this…sin to her.
Naruto just let her cry into his shoulder, holding her close to remind her that she wasn't alone. After a while she pulled away, sniffling as she looked at him with strained eyes. "I-I'm sorry…that I ruined our date…"
He didn't even hesitate, he brought his hands to her cheeks to have her look at him. She flinched at first, not appreciating the forceful act after what had just happened, but she looked into his eyes. She saw no anger or hurt towards her for what had happened.
"Listen to me. What happened was not your fault. You didn't invite this onto you, no matter what those fucking wastes of life said or done. No one deserves that sort of hell, let alone think it was their fault it happened. You did nothing wrong, Anko. Not a single thing. You resisted, you tried to fight, and that was all the proof any sane person would need to know what was going on."
He brought her back into his embrace, and she accepted with her face nestled into his shoulder. They stood connected to one another for what seemed like an hour before Naruto pulled away to Anko's dismay.
"It's not safe here for you anymore, Anko. I want to take you to my hotel room for the time being. I am going to talk to the Hokage directly about this and raise hell. For now, you will relax with Haku and the others."
She raised an eyebrow, wiping away a tear. "Haku and the others?"
He sighed, picking her up bridal style before standing in the shadow of the couch. "I wanted to talk to you about that during our date, but it can wait till you recover."
Anko, still in shock from what had happened, just nodded as she rested her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in his presence before he took her away to Haku, Yugito, and Kin.
~~Hokage Office - Konohagakure~~
Minato was finishing up the day's paperwork when he saw Naruto come out of the shadow of his desk. He smiled at his son, but Naruto just gave back a look of utter contemptment.
"I didn't know that the shinobi of your village condoned rape of their own allies, Hokage."
Minato raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a glare at the accusation of something so vile being allowed in his ranks. "Naruto, what are you talking about?"
Naruto kept his own glare at Minato as he tossed the forehead protectors that the attacks had hidden in their pockets. Minato looked at them before looking at Naruto. "Four men decided to assault Anko Mitarashi, a kunoichi of this village. A comrade."
The Hokage understood now. He was no fan of Anko and didn't care much for her, but to have this happen to her by her own comrades is unforgivable. "Where are the men that attacked her?"
Naruto picked up the headbands again only to shake them and show the bits of dust that were still clung to the fabric. "Nothing but ashes now. I killed them as soon as I got word from the messenger lizard I had with Anko."
"You killed them?! Naruto, they were shinobi of the Hidden Leaf! You killed them, a foreign shinobi, without approval for their deaths. Do you not understand what sort of situation this could cause if it got out?!"
Naruto just kept his glare on Minato. "You care more about the politics and edicts of this village then you do about the fact that she was almost violated in her own home by people she saw as comrades?"
This made Minato bite back a growl as he stood up, looking eye to eye with his son as he spoke. "Of course I care what happened! She is a kunoichi of my village, even if she is tied to that traitor, Orochimaru."
Again Naruto's eyes narrowed. "So I see…your lack of care for the attack makes sense now. You tie her to Orochimaru due to her past with him and the curse mark on her neck. That is pitiful, Hokage."
Now Minato was enraged, slamming his hands down on the desk as he eyed Naruto. "How dare you talk to me like that, Naruto! I do not care if you are a shinobi or not, I am the Hokage of this village and your father! I demand you show me some respect!"
Now it was Naruto's turn to let out his own anger. "A Hokage that cares little for someone who devoted her life to this village any chance she was given! One appearance of Orochimaru and the whole village went against her! And what did you do, Minato? I know what you did, your reaction to all of this speaks volumes for your discernment for her!"
"And why does it matter to you what happens in the Hidden Leaf? You already made it clear that your allegiance is to the Hidden Earth, not here where you were born and your family lives!"
"Yes, the village where my father was prepared to seal the nine tails demon fox into me for the sake of the village! A family that has a perverted old fool that embarrassed my name and standing in the Hidden Mist and a father who puts his precious village ahead of anything else!"
"Damn it Naruto, take those words back this instant!" Minato had enough, his fists balling up and ready to take this a step further if Naruto didn't start to act the way anyone should towards a Kage. Naruto kept his eyes on him, seeing the balled up fists.
"If you want to fight, then so be it. But that will only cause a war to happen and you know it. You are so angry and resentful that I call you out for your flaws and your way of thinking. Not once did you say I was wrong in anything I said. You keep barking about respect and giving it to you, but I will never respect a man who seemed to care little about one of his kunoichi being attacked. Who cared little for his children's futures when he wanted to seal the greatest Bijuu into them. And a man who cared little for the warning I gave his village and the help I would give."
Minto's eyes went wide, now openly giving out his killing intent. "Is that what this is all about? Are you that pist off that I had to refuse your offer that you're turning your back on all of us?"
At this point Naruto had enough, turning away before he spoke up. "I gave you the warning, and you let the politics of your village dictate your own actions. Whatever happens, happens. As for me, I will be participating tomorrow for the chunin exam finals but after that I am done attempting anything with Konoha. In my eyes, you are not a father, you are a Hokage. And I should have kept that view of you since the day you first showed those colors to me."
With those words spoken Naruto sunk into his shadow, leaving an enraged Minato. He was half tempted to move and go to the hotel where Naruto was staying at, but couldnt. He looked down at his hands, thinking about how he let his anger overcome him. Why did he let that happen? He never got that worked up before. What caused him to do this?
As he sat down at his desk, trying to calm himself, an ANBU with a markless mask witnessed everything. He moved silently out of the ceiling tiles of the room, going to report what he had witnessed to his leader in their secret base outside of Konoha.