A/N - Okey dokey, it's been a while since I updated this one. I figured it was about time I added another chapter to this story.
This chapter introduces a character Metroid fans should be quite familiar with. It also introduces a dangerous new enemy that, again, Metroid fans should be familiar with.
Anyways, on with the chapter! Hopefully you enjoy it.
Chapter 3 - Introducing…!
"Wait, are you sure this is the right place?" Sakura questioned as she looked at the village just up ahead.
They had reached Inuvusha village easily enough, but when they arrived, the entire village looked as if a tornado had gone through it recently. Debris was scattered everywhere, houses were smoking, showing that they had been burning until just recently, and there weren't any Zoomers or people in sight.
"Something doesn't feel right about this…" Naruto said, sounding a tad frightened. "Asuma-sensei? What the hell do we do now?"
Asuma frowned and looked around at their surroundings. "We investigate and try to find out what happened here. This wasn't done by those Zoomers. This was done by people. Split up and search for clues. If you find anything, radio the rest of us and we'll come running."
Nodding in understanding, the Genin quickly split up to go search the village. Asuma, meanwhile, couldn't shake the feeling that they were about to encounter something terrible. Slowly heading into the village, he kept his eyes peeled and focused on his hearing as well, just in case.
It didn't take long before Shikamaru radioed to everyone, saying, "Guys, I found something. It's a dead Zoomer. But...there's more than that. It looks...ugh. You have to see this for yourself."
The team quickly found Shikamaru and, as they approached, they could smell a foul odor in the air. They saw Shikamaru pointing at something, so standing near him, they looked in that direction. What they saw made them feel sick. There were pieces of the villagers scattered about, and there was a pile of corpses, both Zoomer and Human alike, that was on fire.
Sakura, unable to take it, collapsed to her knees, her eyes wide, and she quickly began to vomit the contents of her stomach onto the ground. Naruto, being the kind and considerate boyfriend he is, held her hair back so it wouldn't get dirtied. Gently rubbing her back, he frowned sadly at her and said, "Just let it out sweetheart. I know exactly how you feel. This isn't easy to see, and…"
Before he could continue, Naruto saw movement, but when he looked in that direction, he didn't see anything. I know someone's there. I just saw them!
Not wanting to chance it, he touched his medallion and quickly transformed into his Power Suit. Afterwards, he activated his Scan Visor and began to look around for anything out of the ordinary. In a moment, he saw something decloaking itself and aiming a strange device at the back of Shikamaru's head. So, as his visor scanned the creature before him, Naruto leapt towards Shikamaru and pushed him to the ground right as a beam of light went flying, right where Shikamaru had just been standing.
After his scan had finished, Naruto went wide-eyed at what he was reading. This was a Space Pirate, a group of baddies working under someone called Ridley. Worse than that was the fact that these things could cloak themselves, thereby making it harder to track them and even harder to kill them.
Quickly looking back in the direction he had seen the Space Pirate, he prepared to fire upon the creature with his Power Beam, but the monster had already disappeared again. "Guys, watch out! They're invisible! We're up against Space Pirates that have cloaking technology! Don't try to fight them one on one. They're fast, they're strong, and they're incredibly dangerous. Stick together and we should hopefully make it out of this alive."
Asuma frowned deeply at this information and said, "Focus your senses. If you can't trust your eyes, trust your ears. They may be fast and they may be invisible, but I doubt they know how to move silently like a ninja."
As his friends and sensei began to focus their hearing, Naruto continued to look around with his standard Visor, trying to see if there was any way to predict their movements or when they were about to attack. When he saw a small flash, he turned and, upon seeing a small glimmer, fired his Power Beam in that direction, hitting something numerous times and causing it to screech out in pain before it died.
Looking the creature over, the team couldn't help but be a bit fascinated by the creature's physiology. "It certainly looks humanoid in shape, but it's also incredibly different from us. How many of them do you think there are, Asuma-sensei?" Naruto questioned as he looked at his team sensei.
Asuma shook his head and said, "I'm not sure, but I think it's safe to say that there's quite a few here. We're in for a tough fight. Everyone, stick together and we'll get through this situation alive, I promise! I won't let any of you die on my watch!"
Hearing a strange clicking sound, Sakura spun around and saw a beam of light heading her way. Quickly leaping out of the way, she looked in that general direction and quickly threw a handful of kunai at her invisible target. When two of her kunai punctured the creature's body, she watched as it decloaked and couldn't help but shiver at what she was seeing.
The Space Pirate was a bipedal creature with a bird-like head and eyes. It had talon-like hands and it had metal objects of some kind attached to its arms. It was looking right at her, as if staring into her very soul. When it raised one of its arms and fired at her with the device on its left arm, Sakura squeaked in surprise before ducking down, allowing the beam to sail past her and impact a tree some distance away. Eyeing it curiously, she went wide-eyed when the tree began to disintegrate. "Oh...that's not good."
"Agreed." Asuma said as he did battle with a Space Pirate of his own This one had a crustaceus head and had two large pincers. It was also a bipedal creature, and he couldn't help but wonder if there was more than one species of Space Pirate. Either way, it didn't matter. They needed to defeat these monsters and get out of here alive. Getting out alive was definitely the most important thing, of course.
After a while of fighting these invisible foes, the team was feeling exhausted and they didn't know how much longer they'd be able to continue the fight. They had killed at least a dozen so far, and there appeared to be at least three or four more, if their guess was correct.
Soon, they heard something approaching from up above and glanced that way to see a large, orange spaceship descending to the ground. When it came to a stop and just hovered in place, they were surprised to see someone in armor similar to Naruto's appear atop their ship. Before anyone could say or do anything, this person managed to pinpoint the exact location of the remaining Space Pirates and blasted them all with what Naruto was able to identify as a Plasma Beam.
Once their enemies were dead, Naruto took a few steps forward and removed his helmet. "Um...excuse me? Thanks for saving us. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Who might you be?" he questioned curiously.
The armored individual turned to Naruto and removed her helmet before looking him in the eyes. "I am Samus Aran, though you are free to call me Samus. I'm curious, how is it you came to possess a Power Suit like mine? I didn't expect to find that level of technology on this planet."
Naruto looked himself over for a moment before he shrugged. "Apparently, many years ago, a strange medallion fell from the sky. The Hokage, our village leader, at the time took the medallion and sealed it away in the Scroll of Seals. I came into possession of the medallion, and ever since then, I've been able to transform into this armor, the Power Suit. I'm still trying to get the hang of everything, but I know there's so much more this suit can do if given the opportunity. My suit has informed me about these things called Power-Up Stations. I just wish I knew where some were so I could become stronger. I want the strength to protect my friends and loved ones so...so I don't have to lose them."
Samus nodded and lost herself in thought for a time. Once she had gathered her thoughts together, she said, "I believe the Chozo sent that medallion of yours to this planet in an attempt to give your people a chance to survive against the likes of these Space Pirates and their commander, Ridley. As for the Power-Up Stations, I hope I can help you find them, as you've got a noble goal. However, I must insist that you help me fight the forces that threaten your planet. There are dangerous creatures out there in the vastness of space. A great many of them have somehow found their way to your world, and it's my job to exterminate them. It doesn't help matters any that the Space Pirates have begun to invade. You all did well fighting them. I'm impressed."
When Samus smiled at them, Naruto found himself blushing a bit. She's beautiful… he thought silently to himself.
Sakura easily noticed how her boyfriend was staring at Samus and frowned. Stomping on his foot, she took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. When he turned to face her, she leaned in and kissed him passionately. When they parted, she said, "I know you think she's beautiful, because she is, but I'm your girlfriend, remember?"
Nodding slowly, Naruto held up a finger and cancelled his transformation, returning to normal. The sixteen year-old wrapped his girlfriend up in his arms and kissed her on the nose. "Sorry sweetheart. I was just caught off guard a bit. You shouldn't worry though, I like you a lot and I want to see where this relationship of ours takes us."
The pinkette blushed prettily and giggled happily for a bit. "Thank you, sweetheart. That means a lot to me."
Shikamaru and Asuma couldn't help but smirk at this. Leaning closer to Asuma, Shikamaru whispered, "She's got him whipped already."
Asuma chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. "That she does." Turning to Samus, the bearded jonin asked, "You mentioned the Chozo. Can you tell us more about them?"
"Certainly. The Chozo are a peaceful alien race that are avian-like in appearance. They're bipedal as well, like the Space Pirates. Sadly, they're also responsible for the creation of the Metroids and a powerful, evil creature known as Mother Brain. I'll explain more on those later, if you wish. The Chozo prize knowledge in all its forms, and they loved to explore, as evidenced by the ruins and artifacts left behind on a number of planets. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are some Chozo artifacts and ruins on this planet as well."
"The Chozo were highly technologically advanced, and prize flora and fauna alike. Normally, any power-ups you might attain are found with a Chozo Statue and grant you abilities that the Chozo, themselves, knew. So they aren't necessarily Power-Up stations, but gifts granted by the Chozo themselves. And, most importantly (to me at least), the Chozo took me in and raised me as one of their own after Space Pirates destroyed my colony and killed my parents. They infused some of their blood into me and trained me as a warrior to take on any and all threats that the galaxy might produce, especially in the form of Metroids and the Space Pirates."
Naruto and the others stared at her for a time before the blonde finally broke the silence. "Wow. They sound amazing. I'd love to meet one someday."
Samus sadly shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. Nobody really knows what became of them. Yes, some are still around, but they're hard to find. Besides that, you'd need a spaceship like mine if you wanted to get out there and explore the vastness of space."
Naruto nodded in understanding and smiled at her. "I see. Well, now that you're here, why don't you come with us back to Konoha? I'm sure Gramps would like to meet you and he will probably have some questions for you. Though, what are you going to do with your spaceship? I wouldn't recommend leaving it here, because you never know what the people of this world might do if they got their hands on such technology."
The bounty hunter from outer space nodded and turned to look at her spaceship. "You make a good point." The others watched as she somehow sent her spaceship back up into orbit where it would remain until she needed it again. "That should take care of that. Now, you said you were going to take me to your village? Please do, I'm curious to learn more about this world and its inhabitants. The better I understand your people, the better I'll be able to cooperate with all of you to deal with any and all threats to this world. I just hope Ridley doesn't show up, as he's a nasty piece of work."
Asuma frowned and nodded his head. "Alright. If this Ridley is as dangerous as you say, we can only hope he stays away from our planet. Anyways, follow us, we'll lead you back to Konoha so you can meet with Pops. I'm sure he can help you out."
"Thank you. Shall we be off then?"
Asuma nodded and said, "Of course. I just wish we could have saved the villagers here. This mission turned out to be a colossal failure." Sighing softly, he shook his head before turning and walking off.
The three Genin frowned, but nodded their heads in agreement. The Hokage would need to know about the Space Pirates. They just wished they could have arrived sooner to save everyone. It didn't help that they barely managed to fight the blasted things. So, with matching sighs, Team 10 and Samus began the trek back to the village of Konohagakure.
Konoha - Hokage's Office
Hiruzen frowned as he looked at the dejected Team 10. "So you're telling me that you failed to save the villagers? These Space Pirates sound incredibly dangerous. I'm just glad you are all alright. Despite failing your mission, you survived against an unknown enemy with technology far more advanced than our own. For your first mission outside of these walls, despite being a failure, I'd like to congratulate you on surviving a B-rank mission. I'll have the money transferred to your bank accounts. I'm sorry you had such a hard time, Team 10."
Asuma offered his father a weak smile. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. I'm just glad my team is alright and we made it out of there alive. If we had been hit by even one of their attacks, I'm sure we would have perished. They are that dangerous."
"I'm sure they are. You four did well to make it back alive. Now, Miss Samus Aran, is it?" Seeing her nod in confirmation, he motioned for her to take a seat. "Please sit. We have much to discuss. After we are finished, I'll try to figure out what to do with you. If you truly mean to help the people of the Elemental Nations, you will need a home of sorts to use as a home base, I suppose would be the best way to describe it. We could definitely use your help to combat these new foes."
Taking a seat, Samus nodded her head once and began to explain what she knew, which was quite a lot. At some point during the conversation, the Hokage had dismissed the members of Team 10 so he could continue speaking with the beautiful bounty hunter alone.
Upon leaving the Hokage tower, Asuma smiled at his Genin and said, "You three did very well on the mission. You should never have had to deal with such a challenging situation on your very first mission, but you did. I'm just so glad you're alright."
Sakura smiled at her sensei and said, "It was a tough mission, but we made it out alright. I'm just happy I didn't let you three down. I'm also happy we didn't die." she said, giggling a bit nervously afterwards.
Naruto hugged his girlfriend tight and kissed her forehead. "We're alive. That's what matters. It hurts to know we couldn't save the villagers, but we brought back some vital information on a potential threat, so it wasn't a complete failure."
Shikamaru and Asuma nodded in agreement. "We'll be better prepared for the next time we face off with such creatures, that's for sure. Though we'll need to train harder than ever to ensure we're ready for them, no matter when they might strike. For now, I'll walk you two home. The villagers are likely still against your relationship and there's no telling what they might try to do while you're both exhausted. Shikamaru, I'll see you tomorrow at the usual training ground, bright and early."
The sixteen year-old Nara heir nodded in understanding before he turned and walked off, lazily waving over his shoulder at them. Once he was gone, Asuma smiled at his other two Genin and began escorting them home.
Sadly, as they walked along, they could see all the glares sent Naruto's way and heard them muttering about the demon and his whore. Seeing how it was affecting his younger team members, Asuma placed a hand on both of their heads and said, "Don't let them get to you. Stay strong and try to be happy with one another. They'll eventually let this go...I hope."
Sakura nodded slowly and clung to Naruto's arm as they walked. Naruto looked at her and kissed her lightly on her lips. "We'll be okay, Sakura-chan. Now, let's get you home."
Once they reached the Haruno household, they were a bit shocked to see Ino in a maid uniform taking care of some simple chores out in the garden. After the shock wore off, they all remembered that this was part of her punishment for what she had done. Deciding to ignore her, Sakura would have entered her home, but an Anbu agent soon appeared next to them, getting their attention. "Naruto Uzumaki, Hokage-sama would like to speak with you. Please follow me."
Naruto looked between the Anbu agent and Asuma, only to see the Jonin shrug his shoulders, signifying that he had no idea what was going on either. So, the three of them began to follow the Anbu until they reached their destination.
They were standing at the gate that protected a rather large home. They could see a seal that held that gate shut, but none of them really understood just what the seal was. It looked rather complex, after all.
Looking at the Hokage, they saw Samus was standing there with him. "What are we doing here, Gramps? I thought we'd be meeting in your office." Naruto asked.
Hiruzen smiled kindly at his grandson figure. "Naruto-kun, there's something I need to tell you. However, it's best we go inside where we'll have some privacy. So, if you'd please smear a bit of blood on the seal, we can get inside and have our chat."
Feeling a little unsure, Naruto still did as requested and was surprised to see the gate swing open afterwards. Stepping inside tentatively, he slowly made his way up to the house and looked at the door a bit unsurely. Turning back to the Hokage, he asked, "What exactly is going on, Gramps?"
The Third Hokage used a key to unlock the door and pushed it open, allowing everyone entry into the house. Once they were all inside, he locked the door again from the inside and proceeded to make his way to the living room and sat in one of the chairs. Motioning for the others to sit where they will, he began to speak.
"Naruto-kun, I've decided that it's time to come clean about a few things. I should have informed you about this much sooner, but I was afraid of the consequences doing such a thing would have caused. But, like with the Kyuubi, I should have informed you so much sooner."
Before he could continue, Sakura decided to pose a question. "Hokage-sama? What do you mean about the Kyuubi?"
Hiruzen looked into Sakura's eyes before staring at Naruto. "I had assumed you would have told her by now. Oh well." Looking back at Sakura, the elderly Sarutobi decided to explain. "Sakura, Naruto is what is commonly referred to as a jinchuriki. What this means is that he has one of the nine bijuu sealed within him. You see, the Kyuubi wasn't killed on the night of the attack, like so many believe. No, the Kyuubi cannot truly die and therefore had to be sealed. However, only an Uzumaki is capable of housing the Kyuubi, and therefore Naruto was the only choice left to us at the time. Now, let me pose a question to you, Sakura. Does this make Naruto the Kyuubi?"
Sakura quickly shook her head in the negative. "Of course not! Just because it's been sealed inside of him doesn't make him the Kyuubi! Wait…" Going wide-eyed, Sakura stared at her boyfriend in horror. "Is this why the villagers are so cruel to you all the time?! Because they believe that you are the Kyuubi in disguise?"
Naruto slowly nodded his head, a sad smile forming on his face. "Yes, Sakura-chan. Either they believe that I am the Kyuubi...or they believe that by hurting me, they're hurting the Kyuubi as well. The Fourth Hokage was a master of fuinjutsu and you'd think they'd place more trust in his abilities to seal away the Kyuubi. However, rather than believe in him, they'd prefer to just harm me in an attempt to hurt the thing that caused them so much grief."
The pink-haired teen hugged her boyfriend tight and could already feel tears welling up in her eyes. "My poor Naru-kun! You don't deserve that at all! You're so sweet and gentle and kind…! It's so...so wrong!"
The Kyuubi jinchuriki hugged his girlfriend tight and kissed her forehead. "I know. I've just grown so used to it by now." he said sadly.
Before Sakura could say anything more, Hiruzen looked at Naruto and decided to get down to the topic he wanted to discuss to begin with. "Naruto-kun, as I said before, I have something I need to tell you. I know who your parents are, and I've known for quite some time. Before you get too angry with me, please understand that I was just trying to protect you. However, I see now that it was wrong of me to deny you the knowledge that your parents loved you, let alone who they are. So, if you'll allow me to share that information with you now, it would do this old man's heart some good."
Naruto nodded slowly, but he had a scowl quickly forming on his face. When he didn't say anything, Hiruzen took that as his chance to continue. "What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room, is that understood?" Seeing everyone nod, he continued. "Naruto-kun, your parents loved you very much. If they could have had the chance, they'd have raised you themselves and showered you with all the love you could handle. I remember when your mother first found out she was pregnant. Your father and mother couldn't even contain themselves, they were so excited." Chuckling a bit, he decided to explain. "Naruto-kun, have you ever compared yourself to the image of the Fourth and seen a resemblance between the two of you?"
The whiskered teen frowned, but slowly nodded his head. "Sometimes, yeah. But...I always figured it was just a pipe dream. There's no way I could be related to him, after all. If I was...maybe people wouldn't be so cold to me all the time."
The Third sighed, but nodded his head. "If only people weren't so cruel and blinded by their hatred of the Kyuubi, they could see the resemblance and piece it together themselves." Shaking his head in disappointment, he closed his eyes and said the words that would forever change one Naruto Uzumaki. "Naruto-kun, your father is the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Eyes widening, Naruto shook his head and said, "T-That can't be! If...if that's true...he's the one that sealed the fucking Kyuubi inside of me! His own son! W-Why?! Why would he curse me like that?!"
Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "There wasn't much of a choice, Naruto-kun. Besides, Minato was the kind of person that would make the decision that he couldn't curse another person's child to suffer that fate. He cared about the village above all else and its people as well. Because of these things...he had no other choice but to seal the Kyuubi inside of you. Knowing him, he was hoping the villagers would see you as a hero for holding back the Kyuubi. But...he was blind to the true nature of his people."
Naruto clenched his fists tight and let his tears flow down his cheeks. "Damn him. I can't believe I ever looked up to him! If he was still alive, I'd slug him for this!" It was at this point that he decided to ask a question. "Would my mother have wanted this for me too?"
Hiruzen shook his head and said, "On the night of your birth, someone must have freed the Kyuubi, but I don't know who it could have been. Your mother would never have wanted this life for you. In fact, I'm sure she would have taken the Kyuubi to the grave with her if she could have. Knowing your father, though...he likely convinced her that the only real choice was to seal the Kyuubi inside of you. My guess is that, unable to convince her husband otherwise, she reluctantly agreed to seal the Kyuubi within you, just as he wanted. Trust me when I say that your mother NEVER wanted this life for you. She knew that if the people ever found out that you were the Kyuubi jinchuriki that they'd make your life a living Hell."
Naruto nodded slowly in understanding as he clenched his eyes shut to try and stop the flow of tears cascading down his cheeks. "It sounds like the Fourth was an idealistic fool that placed too much blind trust in the villagers. Are you sure he didn't just want me to be the villager's weapon or something?"
Hiruzen sighed and shook his head. "No, Naruto-kun. Knowing him, he wanted you to have a fighting chance against anything that stood in your way and sealed the Kyuubi within you in the hope that you could master that power and use it to protect not just yourself, but those precious to you as well."
"I have no intention of harnessing that kind of power. I want to become strong through my own power rather than relying on the Kyuubi's chakra as some kind of crutch." Naruto said, sounding pretty angry after what he had just learned.
"Of course, Naruto-kun. For what it's worth...I'm truly sorry. I tried to keep the knowledge of you being the Kyuubi jinchuriki from getting out in order to protect you. But somehow the information got leaked and got lost in translation somehow. This means that somebody on the council revealed the truth about what you are to the village, despite orders against doing such a thing. If I knew who it was, I'd have them executed immediately. However, they've covered their tracks well and made it damn near impossible to figure out who it was. The village was never informed about Mito-sama or Kushina-chan being the Kyuubi jinchurikis before you, but for some reason, the whole village was informed about you being the new Kyuubi jinchuriki. If I had to fathom a guess, I'd say it was likely Danzo who revealed such information. Sadly, without proof, I can't do anything. That man is a slippery bastard and has always been a thorn in my side. If he could get away with it, he'd have me assassinated and he'd take the mantle of the Hokage for himself. He covets my position. He always has. But Tobirama-sensei saw a darkness inside of him and chose me to be the Third Hokage instead. It was a wise decision on his part."
Naruto nodded slowly in understanding. "I see. Thank you for informing me about this, Gramps. I agree that you should have revealed all of this to me much sooner, but I suppose I can understand where you were coming from." Sighing, he shook his head and said, "My mom sounds like an amazing person, from what little you've told me about her. I assume this is their house? It's been left for me, hasn't it?"
The Hokage nodded. "Yes, Naruto-kun. They left you this house to use as your own. And they left letters and an inheritance for you as well. Here." he said before unsealing the contents of a scroll, revealing a number of scrolls, a couple of letters, and a number of tri-pronged kunai. "This scroll here contains a large sum of money that they left for you. The rest is stored in the bank, only accessible to you and myself. I haven't used any of it, so your parents' account should have remained untouched. I'm sure you can make good use of it. The rest of these scrolls contain other items such as information on their unique taijutsu styles, the techniques they knew, and more. I'm sure you can become a force to be reckoned with, with all this information. But, I think the most important thing they left for you is all their notes on fuinjutsu. If you're anything like your parents, you'll be a true prodigy of the art and become one of the most dangerous fuinjutsu users the world has ever seen."
Looking at everything that had been left for him, he nodded slowly. "Alright. Thank you Gramps. Is there anything else I should know before I move my stuff in here?"
Hiruzen looked from Naruto to Samus for a moment before returning his gaze to Naruto. "I've decided that Miss Samus Aran is to live with you here in this house. It's the safest place for the both of you while you're within the village. Nobody can trespass on your property thanks to all the seals in place. The gate will automatically lock after you enter and exit the grounds, so nobody can ever break in. Even my student, Jiraiya, cannot break in here. And yes, I insist that Samus-san live with you here, Naruto-kun. I wouldn't put it past Danzo to try something once he learns of Samus-san's origin and where she comes from. I truly believe he's getting private information that's discussed in my office or elsewhere somehow, and he's not above using said information to try and have some kind of advantage over everyone and everything that stands in the way of his goals."
"This Danzo, do you think he's got your office bugged? Or maybe he's got someone that hides in your office and relays information to someone else, probably even Danzo himself?" Naruto questioned.
The Hokage sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea, Naruto-kun. What I do know is that he's getting information he shouldn't and I wish I knew how so I could deal with the problem as soon as possible."
Samus frowned at this, not at all liking the possibility of such a corrupt individual knowing about her. "Would you like Naruto and me to scan your office for anything out of the ordinary? I think we might be able to find something, if we're lucky."
Hiruzen thought on it for a moment before nodding. "That would be fantastic. Anything we can do to stop the flow of information to Danzo would be for the best. If it helps any, be on the lookout for people that look like Anbu, but aren't. I ordered Danzo to disband his Root organization a long time ago, but I believe he's kept it running right under my nose. Root soldiers wear blank masks, rather than regular Anbu masks. Danzo has trained them to become emotionless, obedient soldiers that only listen to him. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's done something to ensure they don't spill any information on him or his activities to another party." he explained. "Danzo's always been a rotten bastard. He claims to be a patriot that does everything for the village, but he's really in it for himself and his interests. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's done some truly terrible things with his influence."
Sakura frowned at this and said, "It sounds like he's dangerous. If you know all of this about him, why haven't you acted against him?"
"Because he's covered his tracks too well. I'm highly suspicious that he's been involved in a few things that have happened here in the village, but without proof, I can't do anything. In fact, it's my belief that he had something to do with the Uchiha Massacre, but again, without proof, there's little I can do." Hiruzen explained, a scowl forming on his face.
"I wouldn't put it past him." Asuma said with a sigh. "We need some way to get evidence that he's been involved in certain problems within the village and elsewhere. If we can find some kind of evidence, then we can deal with him once and for all. He's as corrupt an individual as you can get. Evil and rotten to the core."
"Agreed." Hiruzen said. "Anyways, are you comfortable allowing Samus-san to live here with you, Naruto-kun? As I said before, it's the safest place for the both of you."
Naruto looked at Samus for a moment before he looked into Sakura's eyes. "Sakura-chan, are you okay with this? If you aren't, I'll try to find some other solution, but it sounds like this really is the safest place for her."
Sakura frowned as she looked between the Hokage and Samus. After taking some time to think on it, she finally nodded her head and said, "Yes, she can stay. I'm a little jealous, sure, but I understand the situation. I'm tempted to ask if I could live here with you, but I don't want to leave my mother on her own like that. So...I don't know what I'll do. Just promise me you two won't do anything like that together."
Naruto chuckled a bit and shook his head. "I wouldn't do that to you, Sakura-chan. Thanks for being so understanding."
The green-eyed girl nodded slowly before she leaned in and kissed him. "Of course, sweetheart. And thank you."
Hiruzen smiled at his surrogate grandson and said, "Well, now that we've got all of that out of the way, I'll just be on my way. Take care of yourselves." And with that, he stood up and saw himself out after patting Naruto on the shoulder gently.
Asuma smiled at his students and said, "Sakura-chan? I'll escort you home. Naruto-kun, I'll be coming to pick you up in the morning with Sakura-chan. Samus-san, what do you plan to do now?"
The beautiful blonde woman shrugged her shoulders and said, "I think I'd like to stick around and help Naruto in any way that I can. I also need to inform him about the various alien species we're likely to encounter now that they've arrived on your planet. It's important that he knows about every potential threat we're likely to encounter out there. And I'd like to join your team. If you're being sent on many missions outside of the village, it will give me the chance to learn more about your world and what to expect now that I'm here. Besides that, we may just find some Chozo ruins that will provide a power-up of sorts for Naruto. I'll need him to become as strong as he can get so we can work together to protect the inhabitants of this world."
"Understandable. Alright, Sakura-chan and I will be off. Take care of yourselves, Naruto-kun, Samus-san. See you in the morning." Asuma said before leaving with his female student.
Once they were alone, Naruto looked at Samus for a moment before averting his gaze. "So...what do you think of the village so far, Samus-chan?"
Sitting down next to him on the couch, she looked at his inheritance before staring at him. "Honestly? So far, I'm not liking what I've heard or seen. On our walk through the village, I couldn't help but notice all the glares directed your way, and they weren't exactly quiet either. The things they said about you bothered me a great deal. So far, you've proven yourself to be an honorable, kind person. You're someone worthy of respect, but they're blinded by their hatred for something that's not your fault. I'm wondering if there's anyone here that sees you for what you are: a person."
"Besides my team, you mean?" Seeing her nod, Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I have few other friends, but they care for me, as I do them. But the majority of the people in this village see me as a demon and like to refer to me as such. Just recently, a girl named Ino Yamanaka spread the news that Sakura-chan and I were a couple and it's kind of incited a mild riot in the village. People tried to 'convince' her to stop seeing me, but that's really a light way of putting it. They physically assaulted her in their attempt to make her stop seeing me. Now, they're more focused on calling her the 'demon's whore' and claim I've used some kind of demon magic to seduce her. It's all very frustrating."
"Is it really so wrong for you and Sakura to be happy together? What is their problem?"
Sighing sadly, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I was the class idiot, so other people my age think she's pathetic for choosing to be with me. The adults, however, want to 'save' her from my wicked ways. I'm evil after all. I'm the 'demon'. I'm sure if my peers knew the truth about me and what I contain, they'd probably react the same way as the adults do."
Samus frowned and placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. "That's a shame. I'm sorry you've had to deal with this. Is this why Asuma has to escort you two everywhere? And these C-rank missions that I've heard about, is that why your team is taking those, rather than doing missions here in the village?"
Naruto nodded in affirmation. "Yes, that's why he has to escort Sakura-chan and me everywhere. As for the C-rank missions? Well, we're taking those until the people have finally gotten over the fact that I'm dating. Once they finally settle down and leave it alone, things should return to normal. Hopefully."
"I see. I wish I knew of some way to help you out, but I'm simply a stranger to these people. I have a strong feeling that, once they find out I'm living with you, they'll likely try to convince me to find somewhere else to live. Right?"
"Sadly." Naruto said. "They're assholes that way."
"I've noticed. Anyways, I'll leave you to examine your inheritance. I'm going to take a shower and try to get some rest. It's late and I'm honestly kind of exhausted. So, good night Naruto." Patting him on the shoulder gently, she rose from the couch and walked off.
Once she was gone, Naruto couldn't help but blush a bit as images of Samus in the nude flashed through his brain. Smacking his cheeks, he tried to will the images away. Oh Kami, living with a woman as beautiful as her is going to be hell on my libido. He thought silently to himself before he decided to focus on examining his inheritance. Okay Naruto, get rid of the bad thoughts and focus!
The Next Day
Team 10 currently stood before the Hokage in his office, each of them wearing a deep frown. "Let me get this straight, Pops. A boy named Sai has been placed on Team 7 with Sasuke Uchiha and Choji Akimichi. You think Sai is a member of Danzo's Root forces, and you still allowed it?"
Hiruzen sighed and nodded his head. "I'm hoping that by allowing this to happen, Sai will slip up and I can finally get the evidence I need to act against Danzo. But…"
Asuma nodded as well and said, "Despite only being a team for a short while and clearly not being ready for it, Sasuke demanded a tougher mission and Kakashi agreed that they were ready for such a thing, most likely in an attempt to please the little asshole. Most likely, he's not taking training them very seriously and simply wants to cater to the Uchiha. And you allowed them to take on a C-rank mission, even knowing this?"
The Third Hokage sighed and nodded his head in the affirmative. "Yes. It was supposed to be a simple escort and protection mission with very little risk, but it seems the client lied about the difficulty of the mission. Kakashi has requested backup, and I have decided to send your team. When you rendevous with Team 7, I want you to take charge of the mission. Kakashi may be the senior Jonin, but I want you in charge from this point forth, Asuma-kun. I've also decided to make Samus-san a member of your team under the guise of studying under you as an assistant Jonin sensei. I hope you don't encounter anymore of those Space Pirates or anything else dangerous, but that's always a possibility. Samus-san should be able to help no matter what the situation, but I still want you to be careful. Do you understand?"
The members of Team 10 each nodded to signify that they understood their orders. "Good. And I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but don't let that little brat of an Uchiha pressure you into giving into his demands or whatever the hell else he does. I give you permission to put him in his place if the situation calls for it. He needs to learn the cold hard truth that just because he's an Uchiha, that doesn't put him above everyone else. I'm tired of that little brat acting like he's more important to this village than anyone else. If he continues to push me, I'll have his chakra sealed and remove his damn eyes myself if he's somehow activated the Sharingan. They'd be better off given to someone else more worthy of them."
Glad to see his father acting like his old self again, Asuma gave him a salute before he turned to his team. "Pack for at least a month. This mission is likely going to be difficult, so I want you to be fully prepared for whatever is to come. Hurry, please. I'll meet you at the gates."
The Genin of Team 10 nodded once to signal that they understood before they quickly vacated the room to go and get packed. Once they had left, Samus asked, "I'm not going to like this Uchiha person, am I?"
Hiruzen shook his head and released a frustrated sigh. "No, you're really not. He's an insufferable brat that thinks the world owes him everything just because he's an Uchiha 'elite'. He's obsessed with growing stronger so he can kill his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, for wiping out the Uchiha clan in one night."
Asuma spoke up at this point. "He acts like he's the only one that's suffered loss in the world and harbors a deep hatred for pretty much everyone. I fully expect him to betray the village someday if it means he gets the chance to grow stronger faster."
Samus frowned deeply at this and shook her head in disbelief. "If I were you, Hokage, I'd do something about him before he does do something like that. He's obviously a loose cannon that should never have been allowed to become a shinobi."
Hiruzen nodded his head in agreement. "I agree with you. However, people on the council have argued against me in his favor so many times by now, it would have a negative backlash if I had his chakra sealed or something without provocation. Unfortunately."
"I don't think that should matter. You lead this village, therefore it's your choice whether or not to seal his powers before he can do any harm to the village or its people. Forget about the people that worship the ground he walks on and do the right thing. It's not that hard." Samus said, frowning deeply at him.
"She has a point, Pops. I think it's high time you step up and do the right thing, rather than the easy thing. You're gradually returning to the man we called the God of Shinobi, and that's good. But it's important that you take the next step and deal with the Uchiha before things spiral out of control." Asuma said, staring hard into his father's eyes in an attempt to get the point across to him.
Hiruzen closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. "You might just be right about that. I'll do my best, but I make no guarantees. Knowing Danzo, he'll likely take any chance he can get to use the Uchiha against me in some way, especially if I act against Sasuke without provocation, as I said before. I'd need a damn good reason to seal his chakra and remove his eyes before I act against him. If he proves to be unstable enough on this mission, and continues to be a disrespectful little punk, that might just be enough of a reason for me to do something about him. I want you to keep an eye on him during this mission and give me a full report on your return. Do you understand?"
"Of course Pops. Now, if that is all, we'd best be off. I can't keep my team waiting forever, you know?"
Nodding his head in understanding, Hiruzen made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Of course. You'd best hurry. I don't trust Kakashi and Sasuke to be patient enough to wait for you. He seems to favor the Uchiha runt, after all, and if Sasuke wants to go on, that'll be that." he said with another heavy sigh.
"I don't see why you made a man like that a Jonin sensei if he's so unreliable." Samus said with a frown marring her beautiful features.
"It was an oversight on my part. I had hoped that teaching a squad of Genin would prove beneficial for not just him, but his students as well. It would seem I was wrong."
"Obviously." Samus said before releasing a sigh of her own. "We will see you later Hokage. Take care of yourself."
Once his son and Samus had left the office, Hiruzen sighed again and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "I swear that Uchiha is going to give me a brain aneurysm or something."
A few days later
After convincing a boatman to take them across the water into the Land of Waves, the party ventured through the woods in search of Team 7. When they finally came across them, they weren't very surprised to see them in the middle of combat with a rather recognizable figure, at least to Asuma. Remaining hidden in the trees, he said, "That is Zabuza Momochi, one of the famed Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. This opponent is currently out of your league, but I think if you and Samus activated your Power Suits and attacked him, it might catch him off guard enough to take him down. Okay Naruto-kun, Samus-san?"
The two of them nodded and Naruto quickly donned his suit. Samus simply put her helmet back on and the two of them waited for the perfect moment to attack. Kakashi had been captured in a sphere of water and Zabuza was currently taunting the Genin of Team 7. Sasuke, being the hothead he is, charged to attack, only for Zabuza's water clone to kick him backwards, causing the Uchiha to tumble along the ground a ways.
Seeing that Zabuza's attention was focused solely on the members of Team 7, the two Power Suit users nodded at each other before Naruto took aim and fired upon the real Zabuza with a Charged Shot. As soon as he noticed this, Zabuza released his hold on the water sphere and jumped away to avoid the attack. He was even more shocked when the blast exploded upon hitting the ground, leaving a deep crater where it had hit.
"Who's there?!" Zabuza shouted, searching for his new foe. He wasn't prepared when a Wave Beam came flying at him from behind, striking him and causing him to scream out in pure agony. It wasn't enough to kill him, but his back would be injured for quite some time. The moment he spun around to see who had hit him, he quickly had to block as Asuma attacked him with his chakra blades. "Shit!" he exclaimed as he continuously blocked Asuma's attacks, only for his sword to receive a ton of deep scratches and gashes along the blade. Damn it! He's pumping wind chakra through those blades of his! This has gone from bad to worse in under a freaking second!
Suddenly Zabuza wasn't able to move, causing his eyes to widen in horror as he looked down to see his shadow connected to another. "Oh fuck me." he said before he received a deep gash along his chest and a number of projectiles strike him in the back, causing him to grunt in agony before slowly collapsing to his knees. "D-Damn it...I can't...d-die here…"
Before anyone could react, a kunai flew from the trees and pierced Zabuza through the throat, causing him to gasp and begin choking on his own blood. The kunai had cut off his airway and he could slowly feel his life leaving him "H-Haku…" he said quietly before he collapsed on his side, deceased.
Sakura came out from the trees and looked on in horror at what she had just done. Collapsing to her knees, she proceeded to vomit and let her tears pour down her face. Naruto quickly leapt down into the clearing and deactivated his Power Suit before he rushed over and began to comfort his girlfriend. "It's okay Sakura-chan, you didn't do anything wrong. I know it hurts right now and it's making you feel sick, believe me I know. When I killed Mizuki on accident, I felt so sick and wasn't sure what to do. It helped that Gramps was there for me. Sometimes...when it comes down to you having to weigh the life of an enemy over that of your comrades', the only choice you have is to take the life of your enemy. Sparing them will only allow them the chance to return at a later date to try and exact their vengeance upon you. Gramps told me that, and...and it helps somewhat. I'll admit that sometimes, when I think back to the time I killed Mizuki, I still feel sick. I know it'll eventually pass, but it's still troubling. So get it all out of your system, sweetheart. Let it all out and just know that we're here for you, okay?"
The pinkette slowly nodded before offering him a shaky smile. "T-Thanks Naru-kun. That really helps. I still feel sick though. I know he was our opponent and he would have killed all of us if given the chance, but…"
"It still hurts, having to take a life like that. I know." Naruto said before looking at Zabuza's body. "He said someone's name as he passed away. Any ideas, Asuma-sensei?"
Asuma stared at Zabuza's body for a moment before he severed his head and sealed it away in a scroll so they could cash in his bounty later. Afterwards, he burned the body before turning to Naruto and Sakura and shaking his head. "Most likely it's the name of an accomplice of his. I'm guessing it's someone he cared about. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine. If it is his accomplice, I wouldn't be surprised if he or she comes after us for revenge soon enough. We'd best be prepared and keep an eye out for the entirety of this mission. There's no telling when this Haku might strike."
"Agreed." Shikamaru said as he walked into the clearing. "How are Kakashi-san and Sasuke?"
"We're fine." Kakashi said as he walked up to the group. "I'm impressed. Your team handled that most effectively. Zabuza never had the chance to counter your attacks. How did you do that?" he questioned, sounding slightly suspicious.
Asuma narrowed his eyes on Kakashi and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know. Also, Pops has placed me in charge of this mission from now on. So I want everyone to round up and we'll set out. I'd like to reach our client's house before we have to deal with anymore surprises. Let's go!"
As both teams set out, following after Tazuna, Kakashi couldn't help but narrow his eye at Asuma's back. This was my mission. What the heck is Hokage-sama thinking, putting him in charge? It was easy enough for anyone to tell that he was quite unhappy with how things had turned out. Only time would tell how this mission would play out from this point forward.
A/N - And that's the chapter! A bunch of things happened this chapter, and I think it turned out pretty darn well.
As you can see, Samus has been introduced and Naruto is quite enamored with her beauty. She's also living with Naruto now, which should be a pretty interesting experience. Naruto has also been told about his parents and has been given his inheritance, so expect to see more stuff about that in future chapters.
Anyways, I have one hell of a headache right now, so I'm going to end this here. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I dunno what's next, sooo...yay? lol