Chapter 6. Midnight talk.
"Taihen kyoujaku no jutsu (great power)!" Sora activated his move catching the stone with his hands not letting it fall completely. "I can't just throw it, Arashi, do something!"
The blond Hokage thought only for a moment. The stone was big but he had to try.
"Rasengan!" he shouted making his jutsu and heard the same shout coming from the other side of the stone. He turned his head to see Naruto with the same blue ball in his hand.
Arashi nodded and they hit the stone at the same time with all the power they had. Dust covered everything around but it was all that was left of the stone.
"We are safe…somehow," Sakura thought. "But, oh my, it was really close!"
"What the hell happened?" Naruto shouted. "You said the arena is ready, didn't you?" he asked Sora.
Village chief shrugged.
"We checked everything. I don't understand how it can be."
"I think I know the reason," they heard Arashi's voice coming from somewhere above their heads.
Naruto looked up. Yondaime was standing at the top of the arena checking its construction at the place where the stone platform fell.
"He is fast," Uzumaki thought.
"Tsuki no heijin jutsu (moon blade)," he said. "It's your specialization, Sora. Who in the village could know how to use it too?"
"Any shinobi starting chuunin level knows it," Sora answered.
Meanwhile Arashi left his place and making a beautiful somersault he joined his companions.
"Looks like this shinobi band is from this village, Sora," he concluded. "Maybe you should cancel the exams."
"I can't," village chief shook his head. "Almost all the guests are already here. It will be the end for our village if I do what you ask."
"It can be the end for your village if we don't stop these guys and they do something like this during the festival," Arashi said coldly.
Sora met his sight without hesitation.
"I'll send all the men I have to find them," he told calmly.
"That's good," Arashi said.
"But anyone of them can be the traitor. If we don't find anything today we'll have to act tomorrow during the exam. Not good," he thought and continued aloud.
"We'll join them."
"As you wish, my friend," Sora said and moved to the exit.
They were searching the traces of the band till the night without any results. Sora and Arashi tried different jutsus and to the end of the day Naruto thought they already knew this small village better than Konoha. Finally Yondaime called it a day and they returned to the Chief's house. During the dinner everybody was silent. To say that they were disappointed was to say nothing. Naruto fell into bed and tried to sleep. He couldn't - too many thoughts about this mission were in his head. He turned to his other side and finally gave up on sleeping. So he left the room for a walk.
He didn't know why but just couldn't help but to come to his training point again. It was quite a beautiful place – the glade of the forest with a small lake. Naruto made one step to come out from the bunch of trees and stopped. Somebody was already here. Uzumaki sneaked up closely and finally recognized the man. Blond hair was shining under the moon's light. Yondaime was training doing some difficult kata.
Arashi moved quickly keeping thinking about his mission. Strike, another strike, leap, and then turn around.
"Something is really wrong," he thought. "Why can't we find any clues? What is it this band is going to do? What happened to the missing people?"
He added more chakra and his moves started looking like he was a flash.
"But this platform…who was their aim? Why did they do it? Only to scare us or it was something more…"
He turned around and repeated his moves again.
"Naruto…finally we were able to act like a team. Was it just an accident or can we do it again? So maybe there is a chance for us?"
Smile appeared on his lips.
"Two rasengans. It was powerful. I wonder if he can use the double rasengan variant."
Naruto watched him in awe. Such speed, it was unbelievable.
"Is it difficult to learn this jutsu?" he wondered. "I haven't seen somebody in our village using it so it's unique. What if…" he was scared to find such a thought in his head. Ask Yondaime to train him? Impossible!
Meanwhile the 4th Hokage finished his kata and sat at the lake's shore looking at the moon.
Naruto couldn't tell what he is thinking about but the elder's man face was so serious, not like to the goofy person he was before.
"Don't judge book by its cover," he remembered Iruka-sensei's words.
Uzumaki couldn't understand but it was almost physically painful to see him in such a condition – too much sorrow showed on his face. What was he thinking about? Funny and foolish, hot-tempered and flashy, stern and powerful – who of these three persons was the real Hokage?
"We are not as different as I thought," Naruto told himself. "How many times was I sitting at the lake shore in Konoha wondering about something just like him?"
The hokage's voice slapped him out of his thoughts.
"Don't sneak around, Naruto," Yondaime offered. "Just come here and sit down already. Let's talk."
Naruto was stunned for a moment. "How in the world did he catch me? I didn't make a sound," he was pretty sure. "What if taking me on this mission to kill was his real purpose? So now it's the perfect moment. Nobody will hear," this thought scared him a lot.
Arashi turned around and gave him a little smile.
"Don't tell me you're scared," he said.
Naruto began to boil with anger. "How did this Blondaime understand I'm scared? Wait, I'm scared? Uzumaki Naruto? Never!"
Fear disappeared in a moment and Naruto came to the blond Hokage and sat on the grass.
"The moon is really beautiful here," he thought looking at the sky. "Now I can understand what he's staring at."
"What do you think about this mission?" Arashi asked.
Naruto was surprised. The Hokage asked his opinion about their mission? It just couldn't be!
"Well," he began. "These masked shinobies looked like serious opponents. I think if we have to fight them during the chuunin exam it will be a big problem."
Yondaime sighed.
"You're right," he agreed. "Looks like we're forced to do it. It will be dangerous for guests, villagers, everyone. We should do our best to stop them."
"Yes," Naruto answered and looked for the first time during their talk at the Hokage's face.
It was an expression unfamiliar to him. Usually he saw anger and fear in the eyes of Konoha's villagers. These eyes were filled with compassion, understanding and something for which he couldn't find words to express it. Now he understood what Iruka-sensei was feeling when he was saved by Yondaime. This sight itself gave him power to be strong and not to fear anymore.
Naruto sighed and spilled the thing he wanted to say but didn't know how.
"Thank you."
"Thanks for what?" Yondaime's face looked surprised.
"Last night," Naruto explained. "You saved my life."
Arashi sighed.
"It was nothing. You could fight that guy easily. I was only in the way. I acted like a fool."
Naruto gasped inside. The Hokage told him he was acting foolishly just now? What was going on? Was he in some genjutsu again?
He looked at the 4th face looking for traces of lie or joke and couldn't find it. So he really believed him! He believed that he, Uzumaki Naruto, was only waiting and preparing for the attack at that moment! Maybe… he should let it be this way for Yondaime to feel foolish?
Naruto shook his head. He couldn't – and finally told the truth.
"I was trapped in genjutsu so the attack would have been fatal if you hadn't interfered."
Arashi looked very surprised.
"Is it true?" he couldn't believe it.
"Yes," Naruto's voice was wounded – he didn't like to talk about it. "I'm not good at genjutsu at all. I can't even feel it sometimes, especially when the opponent is stronger than me. You felt it, didn't you?" he asked the Hokage.
"Nope," Yondaime confessed. "I was too far to feel something. You see, I'm not very good at genjutsu either."
"Nani!" Naruto shouted. "How can it be?"
Arashi shrugged.
"It's true. My marks on genjutsu during the jounin exams were merely above average. They were enough to pass but it's not the technique I'd use in battle."
"Oh my," Naruto who was on his feet now fell on the grass in shock. Genius ninja was bad at something?
"Every shinobi has his weak spot," it looked like Arashi had read his thoughts. "Every shinobi has his favorite technique. Yours is rasengan, isn't it? "
"Well," Naruto said. "Actually I think it's Kage bunshin. But rasengan suits me perfectly too."
"Kage bunshin?" Arashi smiled. "It's quite a difficult technique for a genin. You have talent."
Naruto blushed.
"No," he answered. "It's kyuubi chakra. They say it gives me stamina to make such a difficult jutsus."
"Oh," Arashi said in a small voice. "I see."
Awkward silence fell on the lake shore. Neither of them could think what to say.
"You and I…" Yondaime finally began. "We used rasengan at the same time without thinking. It looked like teamwork, you know."
"Yeah," Naruto smiled. "But your rasengan is smaller than mine."
"What?" the 4th coughed. "Are you trying to say you're performing rasengan better than me?"
Naruto's smile became evil.
"Yes, you're right," he answered. "I'm pretty sure your rasengan is weaker. Also it took you 3 years to master it but I did it in a month!"
"In a month?" Arashi stared at him. "I don't believe it."
"Want another challenge?" Naruto jumped. "The conditions are the same. Looser will accomplish the winner's request!"
"I can't lose," he thought. "I saw his rasengan and it's weaker, I'm pretty sure. I don't know what I want him to do but I want revenge! I'll win no matter what!"
Arashi's smile became wider.
"You aren't afraid everything will end up with you in my team on a constant basis?" he tried to scare the boy.
"No," Naruto tried to surpass him even by the width of his smile. "Aren't you afraid of having to stop eating at Ichiraku's forever!"
Yondaime hummed rather cockily.
"Try if you can, baka," he said. "Here are two trees. The one who makes the greater damage is the winner."
"Ok," Naruto said calling his clone who quickly made a spiral ball in his hand.
Yondaime watched this scene with amusement.
"You're cheating," he finally concluded. "Rasengan can be made with your one hand."
"Who is cheating? Am I a cheater?" Naruto shouted. "It's my kind of technique that's all!"
"Ok," the Hokage smiled. "No matter how many clones you make I'm the winner!" he concentrated his chakra in his hand in a small ball.
"Sorry, Naruto, but for this jutsu size isn't the main part. I can squeeze more chakra in a little ball and its effect would be even greater. I'll explain it…later," he smiled and began to move.
They were too busy with their jutsus and didn't notice two masked men staring at them through the shadows.
"He is the most dangerous enemy," one of them said. "So it's the perfect moment."
"What about the boy?" the other asked.
"He's not an opponent. But now we can kill two birds with one stone."
Saying this he pulled out two kunais and prepared for the attack.
"I'll win!" Naruto shouted while moving to the tree.
Arashi followed him but stopped for a moment. Something was really wrong. What was this feeling like he had missed something?
Realization came a second later. Somewhere from the bushes flew out two kunais. He couldn't believe it. Such speed…it was impossible to throw kunais that way!
A second divided in moments for him. He concentrates chakra, moves to parry the first kunai… but the second one aiming for Naruto is too far. The wound could be fatal. He has to protect him…no matter what!
Naruto after performing his strike turned to look what's wrong with the Hokage only to be thrown to the tree. Arashi protected him with his own body taking the hit of kunai right in the back.
"I missed," the masked ninja cursed taking another kunai.
"Too late," the other one told him. "Somebody noticed them, come on!" and they ran deep in the forest.
Naruto just stood and stared in shock at the Hokage's face expression filled both with pain and relief. Blood appeared somewhere in the corner of his lips – seemed like kunai hit his lungs.
"Are you…all right?" he whispered.
"Why did you do it?" were the only words Naruto could manage. "You hate me, don't you? So why did you do it?"
Yondaime smiled trying to stay conscious.
"Do you think I would do this for someone I hate, baka?" he asked. "I promised I'll protect…" he didn't finished but fell down unconscious.
"Don't you die Blondaime," Naruto shouted desperately holding him. "I won the bet, so my request is that you shouldn't die, do you hear me?"
Someone – his mind didn't catch the face – Sora or Shinjiru checked Yondaime's pulse and shouted.
"Call for medics quickly!"
All Naruto could see now was the pale face of a man who he hated so much until now, the face of the man who gave his life to save him.