Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and gang. Just playin' with 'em ;P. Any OCs you see in the story are mine.
Notes: Thank you all who reviewed! Nothing much to say 'bout this chapter. Oh, and by the way, just wondering, from the way I write, which gender do I sound like. I know, weird question. Heh. I need sleep.
Enjoy!
Chapter Twelve: Mission start, past knowledge
Naruto carefully and silently eased out the bed, leaving the sleeping Haku on the couch against a pillow. The first rays of day peeked out, splaying out in a dim orange light across the sky. Dawn was approaching.
Naruto unconsciously smiled when he saw the peacefuland cuteexpression of the girl, before heading towards the bathroom.
Twisting the knob of the tap, Naruto cupped his hands under it, collecting the shimmering water and splashing it onto his face. After rubbing more water onto his cold skin and wiping it off, Naruto shut it off. He stared at the mirror, a faint, amused smile appearing on his face when he saw his wild, blood-shot eyes and messy hair.
I look like shit.
I'M GLAD YOU FINALLY REALIZED IT.
Naruto rolled his eyes at the demon's booming insult, but chuckled out loud.
Grumpy as ever, Kawaii-bi.
STOP CALLING ME THAT, BRAT, growled the fox, but a slight undertone of laughter seeped through.
Heh, snorted the blonde, as unbuttoned his shirt, parting it to look at the blackened scar embedded on his chest. His fingers gently caressed it, trailing down the silken, onyx flesh.
You hid it last night with genjutsu, didn't you?
DUH. COULN'T HAVE YOU GOING ANGSTY AND WACKO OVER HER QUESTIONS, COULD I? said Kyuubi dismissively, but the blonde vessel knew the fox cared.
"Going soft already, Kyuubi? Aww. . .how touching," laughed a voice behind Naruto.
The blonde whipped around, staring open-mouthed at the amused golden-eyed teen. He was in a long, black cloak with high collar. Shimmering suns and stars dotted his cloak, slowing shifting across the black velvet.
"I-Iikagen!" stuttered Naruto. "Uh. . .nice coat!"
"But of course! Miss my awesomeness, brat?" proclaimed the god jokily.
"Still as egoistical as always, I see," the boy sighed in mock-sadness.
Iikagen punched him softly, sending him crashing onto the floor.
"Oops," the deity whistled innocently, ignoring the venomous glare of his adopted brother.
Naruto righted himself, raising an eyebrow in surprise when a long scroll was shoved into his hands.
"Nani?"
Iikagen sighed. "It's a jutsu scroll. You can't use it, of course, with your chakra chaos and everything. . .but you can use this as a basis to built your own jutsu."
"Who wrote this?" asked Naruto distractedly as he scanned the scroll in excitement.
". . .someone. . .someone powerful," said the deity distantly. A sad smile tugged at his lips when Naruto nodded his head furiously, a wide grin on his face as he read the scroll.
"Sugoi!" whispered the blonde.
"Later, blondie. I need to attend some party," Iikagen waved, suppressing a murderous intent when the boy just ignored him, too engrossed in the scroll.
"Ungrateful brat," he muttered, before disappearing.
The sun rays danced and twirled in various shades of purple and orange across the sky.
Sakura smiled softly at the enchanting sky. Sasuke was beside her, leaning quietly against a tree. The pink-haired kunochi jumped off the bridge she was sitting on, and approached the silent, fair-skinned boy.
"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun," she said, almost timidly.
The boy glanced her with unreadable eyes, but nodded his head.
"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" continued Sakura, losing some of her nervousness. The morning breeze picked up around her, flitting through her pink locks.
Sasuke turned to look at her, ready to give a non-committed answer. His eyes widened slightly while his breath was caught in his throat when he saw the kunochi. The reddish sunlight fell onto her smooth, bare shoulders in long, sweeping strokes of orange. Her pink hair was a fiery tangerine, fluttering soundlessly in the mild wind. Her emerald eyes glinted with marvel as she eyed the sky.
Sasuke shook his head. Was hanging around Haku making him soft? He was an avenger. Emotions were useless.
Sakura turned around, focusing her enthralling emerald orbs onto the confused boy.
"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?" she asked concernedly.
"I'm fine," said the boy cuttingly, ignoring the hurt flashing in the girl's eyes, or the wince in his heart when he saw it.
I am an avenger. Emotions are weaknesses. . .right?
"Ohayo!"
The two turned around to see Tsunade dragging a resigned Kakashi.
"Ohayo, Tsunade-sama," they replied politely. The silver-haired jounin waved weakly at them.
"Yo!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes, and unceremoniously dumped the lax ninja onto the ground.
"Well, I'm here to bring you to the Hokage tower for your mission briefing. I'm also here to drag Kakashi over here out of his bed. He has a tendency to be very late," the sennin beamed, giving the sheepish jounin a dirty glare. "Well, now"
"Sensei!"
Tsunade turned to see her apprentice and a blonde behind her. They were panting slightly.
"Haku. . .Narashi?" she asked, caught off-guard a second. "Well, I guess since we're all here, I'm saved the trouble to get you guys too! C'mon!" Tsunade waved, urging the confused genins towards the Hokage Tower.
Kakashi trailed behind the group, watching Narashi carefully. The blonde had a long, white coat, with an orange shirt and black pants on. The way the white fabric was swept tightly behind the boy. . .the way the sun danced across the light tone of his face, bringing the bright blue of his eyes out. . .how his blond hair would sway handsomely in the breeze. . .
. . .it was reminiscent of his former sensei.
"I'm supposed to be guarded by these little things!" scoffed the boy in a high-pitched whine. His companion, an older lady shrugged apologetically.
Sasuke glowered. His onyx orbs flashed dangerously with a glint of red, fixing the prince with a venomous stare.
Sakura mentally growled. WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS! she screamed angrily in her head.
Naruto twitched erratically at the rude and arrogant boy. His hands were shaking, almost uncontrollably as he fought the rising urge to throttle him.
HE'S A PRINCE OF THE WAVE COUNTRY, DUMBASS. YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO ESCORT HIM TO HIS VILLAGE, NOT KILL HIM.
Honestly, I don't really care much about that, replied Naruto.
HN. WELL, I SEE YOUR POINT. HE TALKS TOO MUCH.
". . .and look at the blonde! Wearing a mask as if he's very cool! He looks the most retarded of them all! Even pinkie looks as if she could hold out better!" drawled the young prince of the Wave Country, Senichi Taro.
Then his eyes fell onto the irritated Haku. His eyes became wide for a moment. Then he stepped forward, slinging his arm over the annoyed girl in a silent marking of possession.
"What a cute lady!" he cooed nasally, ignoring the pointed, black glare of Haku. "What is your name, my beauty of a flower?"
"Haku," she spat curtly.
"Eh? A boy's name. . ." Taro trailed off when he felt the invisible daggers piercing him. "A beautiful name, nonetheless! Well, Haku-chan, you now have the honour of Yours Truly acknowledging you!"
Haku stared at him, stepping out of arm. "Do not take liberties, my prince," she said, with the threat of or else left hanging in the air.
"A girl that plays hard! I like that!" announced Taro. Then he turned to his guard, Chihiro.
"Alright! I'll take this group then! At least they don't have the weird jumpsuit guy with those thick eyebrows and stupid haircut!"
"Hai, Senichi-sama," bowed the older girl.
Naruto slapped his face with his palm, groaning loudly. Sakura and Sasuke looked at the blonde, and sighed, wordlessly agreeing.
It was going to be a long mission.
He stood in the shadows, letting the darkness swirl around him and obscuring his features. The light fell to the ground in sweeping strokes, highlighting the tip of his dark blue cloak.
Kin Juujikei stood a distance away, his hands tucked deep into his pockets. The sun glinted off the multitude of shiny crosses dangling from his coats. The shinobi glanced lazily at the dark stranger, his glasses glowing white in the bright light.
"You wish us to test out this Kento guy out?" Juujikei asked, shifting his feet in slight curiosity. "Why?"
"The purpose is of no concern," the stranger replied coldly. A faint shimmer of red peeked from the shadows menacingly. Juujikei gave an imperceptible shudder.
"What do you want to know?" he asked his question, recovering quickly.
"Everything," was the simple reply. A large bag was thrown near the shinobi's feet, jingling loudly with the sound of coins. "I will be watching."
A long, wicked smirk grew on Juujikei's face. He smoothly swung down, grabbing the bag in a fluid motion.
"Deal."
The sun was perched high on its celestial throne, eyeing the world below with a fiery glance. Kakashi shut his visible eye, trying in vain to shut his escort's whines.
"Argh! SO HOT!" shouted Taro, waving his arms madly while tumbling wildly on the road. Chihiro followed the prince dutifully, her umbrella up and open, shielding the boy from the sun.
Naruto shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets, resisting the urge to knock the prince out. He had been constantly wailing since leaving the village. It was a miracle that they already covered a third of the journey.
"Can we take a break!"
The silver-haired jounin sighed. "Hai, Senichi-san. Let's rest under that tree over there. It's probably time for lunch anyway," Kakashi said, pocketing his Icha Icha Paradise.
The group set their packs down, before taking their lunches out. Taro munched on his rice balls while trying (and failing miserably) to snuggle up to Haku.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at the sad attempts of the prince, wondering how much longer the raven-haired kunochi could take of his advances.
Chihiro giggled softly as she eyed her young master. In Wave, dozens of women would throw themselves at the prince with loud declarations of love, inflating the boy's ego greatly. It did not help that he was pampered from birth, and had a high title of 'prince' already assigned to him.
The girl turned away, silently observing the rest of the ninja team. The jounin seemed lazy and unbothered and is also a pervert, considering he reads that book! but Chihiro knew better. The name Hatake was widespread amongst the shinobi world, either associated with The White Fang of Konoha, or The Copycat Ninja Kakashi.
Uchila Sasuke was a lowly genin, but hailing from the genius clan, Chihiro knew that the sole heir and bearer of the Sharingan was a prodigy in more than one right. Haruno Sakura was quiet, sitting shyly between Haku and Sasuke. She had limited chakra, but Harunos were well-known jutsu-writers and genjutsu specialists. It was unknown whether the pink-haired kunochi would live up to her family's name, but Chihiro reserved her judgement for later.
Finally, the guard rested her gaze on the eating blonde.
"Kento Narashi," she murmured to herself. The boy was an enigma. Decked out in orange and black, with a bright white coat and mask, the ninja was a sore thumb. Stealth was lost on the genin. A slight frown flashed across her face as she remembered the previous conversation between the boy and his sensei.
"Why did you wear that awfully bright outfit, Narashi?" asked Kakashi, a bored, but curious eye on the blonde. "You do know that you have almost zero stealth whatsoever?"
Naruto grinned and laughed. "What's the use of winning, if you don't do it in style?"
Chihiro nearly snorted at that moment, but held back. The arrogance! Besides the rumour that Kento was dead-last in his class, the boy's chakra was wild and unchecked.
What a poor control of chakra! But still, he does have potential, thought Chihiro. We'll see what he's made of soon.
The group soon continued on, with Taro slightly subdued. Naruto trailed alongside Kakashi, engrossed in his jutsu scroll.
The jounin eyed the blonde inquisitively. "What's that, Narashi?"
"A jutsu scroll, sensei. My brother gave it to me."
At this, the group paused mid-step, turning to look at Naruto with mild expressions of surprise.
"What?" asked the blonde, slightly snappish and annoyed at bring interrupted in his studies.
"You never mention you had any family. . ." trailed off Haku uncertainly.
"Well, you never asked," replied Naruto, now amused by his companions' strange shock.
"Is he a ninja?"
Naruto looked at Chihiro with a strange look in his eyes. He cocked his head, a slow smirk spreading across his face.
"He's a lot more than that, Chihiro-san"
Then the ground shuddered, before a loud explosion echoed throughout the forest. Mud rained from the sky, dropping in large splats onto the ground; leaves fell, shaken from their branches, in slow, twirling motions.
"My, my, my, what do we have here?"
A man stood before them, his feet planted firmly on the left arm of a giant cross, firmly impaled into the ground.
. . .the cross was dangled in front of him, glowing a strange, enthralling orange. Then the night went silent; the moon disappeared. The orange flash descended, gorging a blackened, charred nest of dead skin in his chest. . .
Naruto whirled around dizzily, his blue eyes flashing in shock as crosses, dozens of them embedded in the woody trunks of the trees, in the parched earth, glinting with a wicked gleam of gold. He felt his throat tighten in cold terror. His irises dilated as he involuntarily took a step backwards.
. . .the blade upon his skin. A sudden numbness engulfed him, stopping the pain as terror rattled his bones. His eyes widened as he stared into the cold, beady eyes of his captor. . .
He was frozen, his gaze rested on the giant cross that blocked their way. He ignored the strange looking man who stood atop of it, only focusing on the cross. . .the cross. . .the cross.
. . .whimpering misty protests while his broken limbs shifted and writhed in the white sleet. He felt, once again, pain pressed against his chest, charring his skin, searing his flesh. He felt the cells crinkling, rolling and dissolving into a blackened dust as. . .
Naruto whimpered faintly. His scar throbbed and winced. The faint, frantic shouts of Kyuubi faded in his ears. A loud, sadistic gurgle rang tauntingly in his mind, with the soft insinuations of death creeping across his mind like winding vines.
"Shall we play, my dear shinobis?" the man shrieked, a maniacal grin slinking across his face.
Twirling his hand, a long spear, with a wicked-looking cross at the tip appeared. The man grabbed it, holding it firmly for while, before flinging it straight at Naruto, aimed for the heart.
"Come and play, little genin!" he cackled, leaning forward while his arm was slung around the cross-stand. His yellow eyes widened in a crazed anticipation, while his yellowed teeth leered widely, shark-like, as the spear inched ever closer.
"KENTO!"
Naruto was frozen, his eyes unseeing while he stared blankly and terrified at the cross. His eyes became slightly silted, with strands of twisting amethyst enveloping his cerulean irises.
In case you think I'm making Naruto a pussy-hissy-dick, err, no. Actually, I've read before a manga in which is guy, whom saw his father get killed by strangulation when he was four, couldn't pull on a tie. every time he tried to wear a tie, he experiences a choking sensation. I just applied it to Naruto's case, making it more painful and worse. I love torturing our favourite blondie. . .and don't worry, this also further expands on Chakra Chaos.
Anyway. . .first cliffhanger!