Disclaimer - I traded Naruto a bowl of ramen for rights to his person. So long as he doesn't figure out I can't stand ramen... everything should be cool. So don't tell him, 'kay?
Chapter 2 – Return
Given the outcome of their recent mission, Naruto knew it would only be a matter of time before he found himself being summoned to the Hokage's Tower to be chewed by Tsunade. It was because of this that rather to wait around for the inevitable, he was currently settled comfortably outside one of the patrol stations situated along the high walls surrounding the village. He was rarely ever assigned guard duty on the wall – he hadn't the patience for it. It was the last place Tsunade's messengers would think to look for him.
Not that he was hiding from her… oh no. That would suggest guilt… No, it was much more fun harassing the sentry guards.
"Here come four more…" Half-lidded blue eyes drifted from the wild-looking Chuunin perched at the wall's edge with a large what dog at his side, out to the forest where true enough, four figures emerged from the shadows of the forest. "What's the count now?" He turned and nudged a figure slouched on the ground below him with his foot. "Yo, Nara! Wake up, you slacker!"
The Jounin with the pineapple-esque hairstyle opened one eye, shooting his offender a dirty look. "I'm awake, thank you…" A frustrated sigh.
"A guy can't even relax around here…"
"Not on duty ya' can't!" Inuzuka Kiba growled. Of all the people for him to be paired with… Sheesh… "Do I hafta call Ino up here to get your ass in gear?"
Naruto grinned, his arms folded comfortably behind his head. He watched the Shadow mater twitch at the threat, rising to his feet muttering the usual "how troublesome" under his breath.
Pulling a notepad and pen out of his vest, the Jounin made a notation, dictating as he wrote. "Time, 1845 hours… 4 new arrivals from Southeast to Western gate… current count 77… 79 if you count the two birds that were circling 3 hours ago…"
"Birds?" Kiba scoffed. "They're just birds… besides, they're already gone."
Naruto's grin widened. "Are they?"
Kiba frowned at him, but then glanced at the dog beside him. "Akamaru?"
The dog barked a response.
"They touched down beneath the canopy…" Shikamaru glanced down at his notepad. "1515 hours… they didn't take off again, so my guess is they're probably trained."
"Are they nin?" Kiba asked.
"I couldn't tell," Shikamaru answered. "I couldn't see any hitai-ate."
Silence fell over the group only to be broken by Kiba dropping into a sitting position. "Man, this is lame…" he complained. "All these people showing up here… almost three weeks of this and still nothing!"
"You're getting paid, aren't you?" Shikamaru remarked. "Why complain?"
The dog ninja only growled in annoyance.
Curiosity piqued, Naruto sat up, peering over the wall at the small encampments set up in the distance. They were close enough to be spotted by the naked eye from the wall, but not close enough to be immediately labeled a threat. At least these people seemed to possess some idea of ninja decorum; even merchants knew how and how not to approach a Hidden Village. But if they were merchants and not enemies, why hadn't they approached the Main Gate yet?
"Do we know why they're here?" he asked.
"Nope," Shikamaru drawled, his brows drawn together in his usual thoughtful/partially annoyed expression. "No one's made a move since they showed up."
"So, no one's even approached them?" Naruto blinked. He'd known the old lady wasn't taking any chances when it came to external affairs – one of the reasons Team 7 was on her shit list at the moment for that debacle in Kusa – but this was ridiculous! "We're just gonna sit here and wait for them to make the first move?"
"Yup," Kiba snorted. "It's not like we're just gonna go up to 'em an' say, 'Hey, whaddya want?' right?"
Shikamaru shrugged.
"Hm, actually, that's not a bad idea." The blonde ninja rose to his feet, walking up the wall's edge.
"What! Are you serious!" The two ninja on duty gawked at him in horror. "You don't even know if they're friends or enemies!"
"All the more reason to find out, right?" He tossed them a wave and fox-like grin as he stepped off the ledge, landing nimbly on the ground beyond the wall. A few hand seals and some seconds later he vanished in a poof of smoke.
The young man stared in silence before Kiba broke the silence. "Ya think they'll kill him?" he asked.
Shikamaru groaned, slapping a hand to his forehand. "If not, Hokage-sama will…" He shook shis head resignedly. "Man, how troublesome…"
Akamaru barked in amusement.
They reminded him of the traveling groups he had sometimes come across in his travels with the Frog Hermit Jiraiya when he was 12. 'Gypsies' the Sannin had called them. From their clothes and mannerisms, they looked as though they came from all across the Elemental nations, and yet they behaved so familiarly amongst each other… like they were all a part of one, large clan.
As an orphan, Naruto had always found himself torn between his emotions regarding clan dynamics. On one hand, he couldn't stand when people boasted their superiority due to their affiliation with one large group…
Akastuki…
Hyuuga…
Uchiha…
It was his belief that a person's merits should be based upon their own individual strengths and achievements, not their family's.
'Who cares if your father was this, or your great-grand uncle was that? If you can't beat me one on one without bringing them into it, what kind of fighter are you…?'
Still, another part of him always felt a stirring of something, be it envy or longing… With clans, there was a sense of belonging, the knowledge that there were others that shared something in common with you, and would stand by you no matter what, even sometimes just because of that special bond. Naruto had his special people, those he would do anything to protect… those he would do everything to protect… But those people had their own clans, their own families with whom they shared something important, something special, something Naruto was certain he would never, ever know.
It hurt… it was times like these he understood most why people despised him. The day the Kyuubi no Youko attacked the village, it had taken the lives of ninja and civilians alike, wiping out entire clans, taking away that special something that could likely never be replaced. When he thought of that, he understood the hated glares directed towards him. He understood the pain, the fear, the anger…
When he thought of these things he felt them, too…
Caught up in his own musings, he didn't notice the foreign presence in the forest beneath him until his keen ears caught the snapping of a twig beneath a sandaled foot. Depressing thoughts pushed aside, a hand went for his weapons' pouch as he dropped down from his hiding spot, kunai ready to strike—
The most unassuming face he had ever seen. Aquamarine eyes stared at him wide and unblinkingly; small, graceful hands held up in a sign of non-hostility.
"Sorry, sorry… didn't mean to scare you, honest!"
Naruto regarded the intruder carefully; a young teenage girl dressed in a plain tan yukata with a light blue obi and matching sandals. Her round, cherubic face was framed by the short brown hair that fell this way and that around her head in uneven, but kind of cute, clumps, curling upwards at the base of her neck. With her aquamarine eyes, she almost put him mind of a female, non-homicidal tendency-possessing Gaara… not that he'd ever, ever tell the Godaime Kazekage (or anyone else) that, of course.
By her position behind him, she'd come from the direction of the village, so assuming her a Konoha-native (she didn't look or dress like a ninja, and he hadn't seen any activity from their visitors) he lowered his kunai, tucking it back into his pouch.
"You didn't scare me," he answered honestly. "You just surprised me. I didn't expect anyone to be out here at this time of night."
Smooth, brat, silky smooth, the Kyuubi muttered in the back of his head. However, before the blonde could think of a snappy comeback, the youkai's presence had already faded from his mind.
The girl smiled at him. "I'm on my way home now anyways," she admitted. "But I saw you sitting in that tree and I was curious about what you were doing…"
Naruto's pride smarted just a little, but he tried not to pull a face. After all, he hadn't really been trying all that hard to hide…
"I was just… well, you know… just hanging around, y'know?" He closed his eyes, laughing absently.
The girl blinked, but catching the poor attempt at a joke, giggled softly.
"Pretty lame, eh?"
Very…
"It was worth the shot," she consoled. "But anyways, I better run before my family starts to worry."
There went the mentioning of family again… Still, his fox grin did not falter. "Yeah, it's really not safe outside the village at night."
The girl nodded, bowing to him courteously. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Ninja-san." Naruto nodded his head to show he felt likewise. She then turned to leave but stopped, reaching into the sleeve of her yukata for a small tube. "Oh yeah, this is for you…"
He accepted the tube, realizing it was a small, metal canister for protecting important scrolls. Taking the scroll out of its protective container, he saw a seal with a Dragon, a Phoenix, and a Tiger all chasing each other in circle glaring back at him. He'd never seen anything like it before. Glancing up at the girl he frowned in confusion. "What isthis?"
"Could you please see to it that Hokage-sama receives it?" she asked.
"But what is this?" he said.
"It's from the Clans Hirai-Shiro-Ryuu," she answered. "We hereby announce that our mission is now complete."
oo
Tsunade rose from her seat, her deceptively youthful face red in anger and disbelief, papers from her desk fluttering to the ground in disarray. "What did you just say!"
Shizune cast a worried glance at the younger blonde cautiously backing towards the door.
"I went and talked to one of those outsiders," he said casually, though it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was sweating bullets under the Hokage's furious glare. Even with all of Jiraiya's tutelage, there was no jutsu in the world that would save him should he somehow incite the Slug Master's infamous wrath. "I don't see what the big deal is."
"What the big deal is?" Tsunade moved from behind her desk, striding up to the blonde to fix him with a stern glare. Despite the fact that he was almost as tall as her (even at 18 he was still the shortest male of his graduating class) the look was still intimidating. "Are you kidding me? Are you really that stupid?!"
Naruto sputtered helplessly before coming back with, "Hey, it's not like you gave orders not to do anything! Hell, I figured we actually wanted to know why they were here!"
"And did you figure that out, smart ass?"
"No…" Naruto sulked briefly before fishing in his pouch for the canister the girl had given him. "But a girl outside the wall gave me this. She said to tell you that they'd completed their mission."
"Who did?" Shizune asked as the Hokage studied the canister, her face paling at the seal on the scroll hidden inside. "Tsunade-sama…?"
oo
The Council Room was packed to the brim with people, representatives from various clans – shinobi and civilian alike – scattered across the large auditorium. They all conversed amongst each other about the recent events at hand.
Suddenly, the large doors behind the stage creaked open and the Hokage flanked by several officials emerged, causing a silence to fall over the room.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the Assembly," an older administrative nin replied, holding up his hands to attract everyone's attention to the center of the room. The few quiet murmurs that had echoed throughout the room quickly silenced. "Thank you all for your patience and attendance; now, if the representatives would please step forward."
Six figures standing at the base of the stage rose and approached the podium in pairs. Each figure, though no longer in their prime, each walked with the pride and strength of a warrior. They were all lean and graceful, donned in the traditional robes of high ranking clansmen. However, what drew everyone's attention most was the hitai-ate they all bore revealing a strangely version a spiraled leaf.
It signified them as shinobi of the Leaf.
The Administrative ninja stepped to the side making room for Tsunade, donned in the ceremonial robes of the Hokage, to address the newcomers.
"A lot of your faces look familiar," she confessed. "But if you would, for the Assembly, state your names and ranks."
Two members of the group stepped forward, an older man and a middle aged woman, bowing for the Hokage. By their appearance they shared the same clan affiliation; their robes were a deep, rich blue with green trim. They both had dark, graying hair that showed hints of green, pulled back in low ponytails. The woman wore her hitai-ate proudly on her forehead, while the old man bore his on his arm like an honor guard.
It was the man who spoke first. "My greetings to you, Tsunade-hime… Godaime no Hokage… I am Daiki and this is my daughter, Kanae." The woman bowed once again. "We are both Jounin representing the Shiromoto Clan."
They stopped to the side, allowing a second pair to approach. This pair consisted of a very old woman and a slightly younger man around Jiraiya's age. Over their navy blue kimono they both wore tan-colored haori with white trim that stopped just below the knees. They each also bore matching blue markings on their faces – a singular stripe running from the jaw-line to mid-cheek on either side of the face. The older man wore his hitai-ate around his neck, leaving his bald head exposed. His companion wore his over his forehead, the black cloth providing a stark contrast for his light-red hair.
"Hokage-sama, my name is Hideaki and this is my nephew, Tetsuo," They both grinned as they bowed, putting the Sannin in mind of a certain prankster. "We are both Jounin and we represent the Hiraiyama Clan."
As they stepped aside to allow the last forward, the Hokage let out a gasp of surprise. "You… you two are…"
A wave of murmurs passed over the crowd as an old woman slightly older than Tsunade (at her true age) and a middle aged man approached the podium. Of the group they were dressed the most elaborately, the woman in a light blue layered silk kimono, her hair arranged in delicate twists on top of her head. The man, in matching colors, stood with his arms hidden away in long wide sleeves that had silver dragons embossed around the hem. What set them apart most, however, was not their style of dress, but their shocking light blue, almost white hair.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the old woman replied, bowing with more grace and fluidity than women half her age. "We are ex-ANBU representing the Ryuuno family… I am Chika and this is my younger brother, Tsume."
The younger Ryuuno bowed his head. "We are all here as the Hirai-Shiro-Ryuu no Ninja-tai, the group sent out 18 years ago in search of the cause behind the youkai attacks plaguing Hi no Kuni all those years ago."
"I was not aware of any such mission," Tsunade said with a frown.
"It was a secret mission assigned by the Yondaime no Hokage," Hiraiyama Hideaki, who was by far the eldest of the procession, explained. "The Council was concerned by the number and severity of attacks occurring in the area surrounding Konoha."
"The Kyuubi attacks!" someone in the assembly hissed. Tsunade shot a glare at the offender, but then nodded for the clansman to continue.
"Yes," Hideaki murmured. "We believed these attacks to be unprovoked but we were led to believe that the Kyuubi no Youko's wrath was incited by none other than one of our own… one whose experimentation with humans, youkai, and cursed seals brought the Bijuu down upon us."
"Orochimaru," Tsunade ground out, inciting another round of murmurs from the crowd.
"He had been with the Akatsuki even then," Ryuuno Chika frowned. "His sin against Nature was an attempt to ruin what he had not been able to attain for himself."
The Slug Sannin frowned. She could remember her fellow teammate's fury at learning their sensei had nominated Jiraiya's star pupil for his seat. 'Wait a moment--'
"I remember now…" she exclaimed. "There was a Ryuuno and a Hiraiyama on the Yondaime's genin squad!"
Hiraiyama Tetsuo and Ryunno Tsume bowed. "We later joined, along with Shiromoto Kaede under his command as a Jounin – unfortunately Kaede is no longer with us."
"I see," Tsunade replied. "You have my condolences." Still, on the inside she found herself very puzzled. Due to her time away from the village, there was a great deal unknown to her about her deceased predecessor. However, from her understanding, the young genius shinobi had been closely tied to these families. Why had he sent them away?
'Ugh… so many questions to be answered… Grr, Jiraiya… Fine time for you to be on one of your little porn-writing jaunts you old lech…'
Her eyes fell on the elder Ryuuno and she gave her a barely perceptible nod, as if sensing her frustration. They would discuss this matter in greater detail privately… later.
"We specialize in long term under-cover missions," Hideaki explained. "215 A-Rank… 175 S-Rank… We were still in tense relations with Iwa and Kumogakure following the war at the time, so it was our task to blend in with other Hidden Villages, gathering information on our neighbors. We have uncovered many scrolls and secrets that will be very beneficial to our own village."
Tsunade glanced at the large chest that had been brought in before the assembly began. She sighed.
'Great… more paperwork…' Taking a deep breath, she addressed the crowded room. "Let it be known that today is a great day… a day that marks the return of three great clans thought lost to us. They have done a great service to Konoha, bringing with them knowledge that will strengthen our village against any who would dare threaten us." She traced her terra cotta gaze across the wide room. "I entreat you all to welcome back the Hiraiyama, the Shiromoto, and the Ryuuno families... they are once again home where they belong."
As she finished speaking, the room ignited in loud applause. Unseen by all, a sweatdrop formed on the back of her hat. 'This is going to take a lot of paperwork…'
End Chapter 2