Chapter 52 Summary: A year has passed since the siege of Konoha by Orochimaru failed and the Leaf village has come back stronger from it. Also, three Leaf shinobi traveling the lands and carving out a heroic reputation have continued to grow stronger as well. Soon they will embark on their ultimate and final training and once completed, hopefully they can return as soon as they can to the land they call home. Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
Naruto vs. Sasuke: The Aftermath
Chapter 52: "The Power of Words One Can Wield."
It had been an eventful few weeks for Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kakashi after the trio had helped free the kingdom of Tyrannia now renamed the Land of Mikomi (Hope). The Leaf shinobi had stayed to help flush out the remaining pockets of Lord Tyrannus supporters and to help rebuild the village. Still posing under the guise of the Hanzo family, the three ninja along with Akira and his rebels had made quick work of ferreting out the few remaining people who still bore an allegiance to the former regime. Akira's father Akio was voted in as the new village leader, while the former leader Tyrannus was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment in the very dungeons he had condemned so many citizens to in the past. Unable to face such a cruel and ironic justice, Tyrannus had taken his own life rather than pay for his crimes.
The former Princess Portlia now disposed of her regal title was spared, as it was decided by all that while she was complicit in knowledge of some of her father's atrocities, she had no actual involvement or any real power within the former government. In the end, Michiru granted Portlia a modicum of mercy and gave the former princess two options for her life. The first option was banishment from the Land of Mikomi never to return or face certain death. The second option was Portlia could remain and serve as Michiru's personal attendant. The very same role Michiru herself was forced to serve under Portlia during her father's reign. Begrudgingly, Portlia chose the second option, as the former princess might have been spoiled, ugly, and fat, but she was no fool. At least the second option would provide her with a roof over her head and food to eat.
The most difficult part of the reconstruction of the Land of Hope was rebuilding the economy and infrastructure of the land to what it had once been, an agricultural and trade community. However, besides being one of the strongest and most skilled shinobi in the world, Jiraiya was also an astute businessman. The wizened Sannin had surmised that what the Land of Hope needed to restart their agrarian society was a partnership with another land steeped in the same customs and infrastructure. Jiraiya proposed to Akio that he contact the leader of the village of Cornucopia, a man by the name of Akira Kurosawa. Cornucopia should be able to provide the livestock, tools, seed, and farming necessities needed to start up the Land of Hope agricultural and trade economy once again.
Akio was buoyed by the fact that the man Jiraiya had said would help him and his people bore the same name as his son. He felt that was a good omen or sign from Kami. However, there still was a bit of doubt in his mind and he asked with concern.
"Sarutobi-sama, why should this man Akira and his people help my people and our land? We are but strangers and it will take us at least two years even with their help to produce sufficient crops of which we can trade with them in the future."
"I understand your concerns Akio, but Akira is an honorable man and I've no doubt he will help you in any way he can. However, if it will ease your mind, just tell him Sarutobi Hanzo and his sons request their assistance in helping your people and land return to its former self."
Akio seem bolstered by this and soon sent an envoy to the village of Cornucopia seeking their help and to discuss a possible partnership in the future. The new leader of the Land of Hope was no novice when it came to politics between villages and had assumed it would take months of negotiations between them before an agreement could be reached. Needless to say he was stunned beyond words when his envoy returned three weeks later at the head of a caravan from Cornucopia filled to the brim with all the stock, supplies, tools, and animals they needed to revitalize their land. Even more amazing is that it was none other than the Cornucopia leader Akira Kurosawa who led the caravan.
It was a joyous reunion between Akira and the Hanzo family. When the Cornucopia leader had learned from the envoy that they were the ones requesting help for another village, Akira didn't even debate the request and quickly went about organizing and gathering what this Land of Hope would need to help return it back to its agrarian society. It was the least the people of Cornucopia could do to honor the heroic saviors of their village. So it was of no surprise to Akira when he learned from Akio of what the Hanzo family had done for the Land of Hope. Upon realizing the two villages shared such a unique bond because of the Hanzo family. Both Akio and Akira were able to quickly reach an agreement that would ensure a long and hopefully very prosperous relationship between the lands for years to come.
After the accord was finalized between the two village leaders, Akio ordered that a celebration to mark not only this historic treaty, but also to honor Sarutobi Hanzo and his sons for their deeds in helping to free their land and save their people. The weeklong celebration was enjoyed by all and Akio, Akira, and Jiraiya took great amusement in watching Kakashi and Naruto attempt to fend off the advances of several mothers and their daughters just as they had to do back in Cornucopia over a year ago.
After the celebration had finally ended and in seeing that the Land of Hope was on its way to a full recovery. Much to everyone's disappointment Jiraiya, Naruto, and Kakashi had to bid farewell to them to resume their journeys throughout the lands. Nevertheless, just as in the village of Cornucopia, the people of the Land of Hope would never forget what the Hanzo family had done for them. So much so, that in a show of gratitude, respect, and remembrance of the heroes of the Land of Hope. A year later a 15-foot granite statue of the family created by their finest artisans would stand majestically in the center of the village, as a proud monument to last throughout time.
As Jiraiya and Kakashi sat quietly under a tree sharing some sake and watching the sunset they were at that moment content. The only thing that interrupted the comfortable silence was their young student talking in his sleep a few yards away from them slumbering in his bedroll.
"No… no… not there, wait.… oh yeah that's it…that feels awesome Hinata-hime!"
"Naruto, are you okay?"
Kakashi didn't get a reply, as Naruto began to giggle lightly and grab his pillow in a tight and provocative embrace before slowly pushing the pillow down the front of his body.
"Heh, heh, heh, heh, oh you're so good at this hime, you've got a lot of talent you naughty girl."
Both Jiraiya and Kakashi blushed a bit at this, as they could only guess at who and what their young pupil was currently dreaming about.
"Should we wake him?"
"Nah let him be Kakashi. After what he went through in dealing Princess Portlia a few weeks ago, he deserves some fantasy time with the girl he loves and who occupies his dreams." Jiraiya replied, before slamming down another shot of sake and then pouring another.
"I suppose you're right; he's been working hard these last two years and has earned some quality time with Hinata, even if it's only in his dreams."
"Heh, heh, heh, heh, I can only imagine how those two are going to react when they finally reunite again." Jiraiya giggled in response.
"You know Master-Jiraiya, I've never noticed before, but you and Naruto have identical giggles."
"It's an inherited trait." Jiraiya absently commented, while downing another shot.
"It must have skipped a generation because I don't remember Minato-Sensei ever giggling like that."
"Just because you never heard my son giggle doesn't mean he didn't have the same gig…..oh crap!" Jiraiya answered before realizing what he had just said.
Taking another shot of sake and slamming it down. Jiraiya turned towards the silver-haired Jounin next to him and asked.
"How long have you known?"
"I didn't for sure Master-Jiraiya, but I've suspected for awhile. I remember whenever Minato-Sensei always spoke about you his tone and the way he talked always held a certain reverence more so then a typical student to sensei relationship. I was reminded of that whenever you and Naruto talked about his father; you also had that same type of reverent tone to your voice."
"Minato was everything I could ever want in a son and I still miss him to this day." Jiraiya comments softly.
"As do I." Kakashi quietly agreed before adding.
"I take it there's a reason why you haven't told Naruto you're his grandfather."
"Not a very good one…I'm scared."
"YOU'RE SCA…" Kakashi began to exclaim before realizing he might awaken Naruto and then quietly said.
"You're scared, for Kami's sake you're one of the legendary Sannin, I think you can handle Naruto."
"Baka, I'm not scared of Naruto attacking me, although I wouldn't blame him if he did. I'm scared of him hating me. You have to understand Kakashi; after Minato and Kushina died I was devastated. So much so that I went on a bender of booze, women, and debauchery of such degree that by the time Sarutobi-Sensei's Anbu had finally found me week's later I couldn't even remember what I had done since the Kyuubi attack. Hiruzen sobered me up, but he knew I was in no condition mentally or physically to take care of Naruto. So he convinced me to resume my spy network and continue to try and track down Orochimaru. Sensei assured me that he would take the utmost care of my grandson. Well, since you were there, you know how well that went."
"The Sandaime tried his best, but once he revealed what Minato-Sensei had done to defeat the Kyuubi no Youko to the village….it all just got away from him somehow."
"Sensei was a fool to have done that and Naruto paid a price for it no child should have to endure. To this day I still hold much anger towards Sarutobi for doing what he did and in failing to take care of Naruto the way he should have." Jiraiya spat in contempt; before taking a deep breath and continuing on.
"But as much as I would like to fully blame him for the life Naruto had to lead growing up, I can't. I'm just as much to blame. If I had only been stronger and not let my grief and anger overwhelm me, I could have been there for Naruto."
"The past is the past and there's nothing we can do to change it Master-Jiraiya. All you can do is be there for Naruto now. You are going to need to tell him the truth one day and the longer you wait the harder he's going to take it."
"You think I don't know that, its part of the problem. My greatest sin isn't the fact that I left the responsibility of my grandson's upbringing in the care of others. No, my most egregious sin is that I never even bothered to check on his well-being, while I was gone all those years. It was just easier to assume that everything was fine and that Sensei was doing a good job and that Naruto was healthy and happy. To learn upon my return that wasn't the case, the guilt of what I did eats at me every day knowing the truth of his life growing up."
"What of Naruto's grandmother, couldn't she have taken care of him?"
An image of Tsunade flashed through the Toad-sage's mind before he exhaled a heavy sigh and replied with a hint of sadness to his voice.
"No, she had been long gone from the village and me, before Naruto was even born."
"I see, so she left you Master-Jiraiya."
"In a sense, yes she did, but I had no claim upon her, we were never married. I didn't want her to leave, but the truth of the matter is I held no spot within her heart,….I never did."
'At least I thought I never did until recently.' Jiraiya thought to himself, before suddenly wincing in pain and grabbing his chest, he asked Kakashi in a now pain-stricken voice.
"Ka-Kakashi, get me the salve."
The silver-haired Jounin quickly retrieved a jar from Jiraiya's supplies and handed it to the wizened Sannin who lifted his shirt to reveal and ugly claw like scar in the center of his chest.
"Is the wound from the Kyuubi no Youko you received in Cornucopia acting up again?" Kakashi asked with concern.
"Hai, but once I rub some of Tsunade's medicinal cream on it the pain will ease up a bit."
"It was fortunate that Lady Tsunade had given you some of the medicines and other first aid techniques she had developed for dealing with demonic inflicted wounds. Without them, that doctor back in Cornucopia might not have been able to save you from the chakra poisoning you received from the Kyuubi's attack."
"That's true, but she knew you or I might be injured during our training of Naruto to control the fox demons power. And she wanted us to be as prepared as we could to deal with such injuries."
Kakashi watched intently the pained visage Jiraiya bore upon his face lessen as the Toad-Sage applied Tsunade's medicine, he quietly asked.
"Naruto still doesn't know about that wound does he?"
"No he doesn't and that's the way I want it. You know as well as I do that the kid would blame himself for what happened. And I don't want him beating himself up over something he had no control over."
"I understand." The one-eyed Jounin replied, before adding with a yawn.
"It's been a most enlightening conversation Master-Jiraiya, but all that sake is starting to kick in so I think I'm going to call it a night. I promise I shall tell no one of what I have learned this evening, unless you tell me otherwise."
"Arigato, I appreciate that Kakashi."
"A shame about Naruto's grandmother, he definitely would have had a better life growing up with her around. Ahh well, at least Lady Tsunade has filled that role to some capacity for him in his life now. It was good of her to step-up and do that." Kakashi offhandedly remarked, as he lay down next to the Toad-Sage before drifting off to sleep.
'It was good of her to step-up and do that…..ha! Tsunade-hime is no different than me, both of us trying to atone for our past mistakes with Naruto, yet without telling him the truth while doing so. And why, because we're both cowards and we know it.' Jiraiya thought to himself with bitterness and self-recrimination.
The Toad-Sage poured and drank down one last shot of sake, while the embers of their dying campfire crackled in the night. However, before the light of the fire faded away into the darkness. Jiraiya pulled out of his coat a worn torn letter that he had read and reread countless times and leaned back to read it once more.
Dearest Jiraiya-kun,
Always too late...that seems to be the story of my life. I was too late to protect Nawaki, too late to save Dan, too late to hear about the Kyuubi attack that took our son's life, and too late to save Sarutobi-Sensei from our bastard of a teammate. However, I'm taking a chance that I'm not too late to finally admit to myself and tell you that I love you. I always have and I always will. I'm also praying to Kami that you still want and love me, but if I'm honest with myself and with you, I admit I've done very little in my life to ever deserve your love.
You must think I'm crazy for coming out with this all of a sudden or that I'm under the influence, but I'm not. I am completely sane and sober as I write this. I know I should have told you countless times in our lives the love I have for you, but I didn't. Instead I chose to push you away and why,…...because I was scared. The necklace our grandson now wears is the ultimate expression of love I have to give. Yet, almost immediately after giving it to someone I was cursed to see them taken away from me and always in cruel fashion. After Dan died, I vowed that I would never let that happen to you Jiraiya-kun, which is why I never gave you the necklace, no matter how much I truly wanted too. I know that hurt you, but subconsciously I thought that I had to keep you at a distance. I truly believed if I allowed myself to love you, then the fates that had befallen Nawaki and Dan would also fall upon you. And I knew the loss of you was something I would never recover from. So my fear and cowardice dictated I could not love you Jiraiya-kun and we both paid a heavy price for that lie.
You've meant so much to me in my life Jiraiya-kun. Most people perceive me as a strong, independent, and confidant woman, a force to be reckoned with. I'm the Gondaime Hokage and even more, I'm one of the Legendary Three Sannin; that alone speaks volumes. Yet what they didn't realize was the fact that I wouldn't have been who I am without you as such a foundation in my life.
It's funny, because I never would have admitted it to you during our days on Team Seven, but I needed you back then. It was always you that had held the team together through those long years of training and through the first terrors of battle. And back then you were the only one who could keep Orochimaru under any sort of control. You were always the unrecognized leader and though I refused to openly admit it and Orochimaru rejected it, you were and are the best of the Sannin in every-way.
It should never have been me to take position of Hokage, but you. Oh, you professed in that maddening casual and flippant attitude of yours that it wasn't the job for you. It would be too much responsibility, too much paperwork, and not enough free time to train your new pupil or do your,….research. However, I now know your real motivation to come find me for the job was to save me. Orochimaru was a cruel manipulator to make the offer he did to me, but you were an even crueler one by bringing Naruto along with you. I would have satisfied myself by killing Orochimaru for Sarutobi-Sensei like a vengeful ghost from the past and then sink back into my drunken stupor of trying to forget my past and the pain that came with it.
Instead you forced me to face the grandson I never knew I had. Naruto-kun, Kami he looked so much like Minato-kun when I first met him all the memories I had tried to keep buried surfaced again. How I despised you then for dredging up my past and the pain that came with it. I never told you this before, but the sole reason I didn't take Minato-kun with me when I fled into the night like a coward was I knew you would take care of him whereas I was in no shape to. I knew you wouldn't abandon him just like you wouldn't abandon those three orphans during the Second Shinobi World War. I'm glad that Sensei revealed the truth to you about Minato-kun being your son, so you were able to have a relationship with him before he was ….….gone.
When you brought Naruto-kun with you to find me, I knew what you were trying to do. You were trying to save me from myself by giving me the gift of a family again. Even more aggravating was the fact that you weren't trying to include yourself as part of that family. Oh Kami, I was so furious with you for trying to manipulate my life even if it was exactly what I needed. At the time I didn't see that, so I silently cursed you and decided I wasn't going to be played by you. I was going to kill Orochimaru and disappear once again. Naruto had you for a family Jiraiya-kun and certainly didn't need a drunken gambling addict like me in his life. So I drugged you and went off to take care of that slithering snake we once called a teammate.
Looking back on that now I realize what an arrogant and overconfident fool I was. I was no match for Orochimaru in my prime and here I was years later, a broken down wreck attempting not only to take him down, but also his apprentice Kabuto. Orochimaru didn't even have to fight me, as I was barely hanging on against his protégé. And just as I was about to be defeated you came swooping in like you always did, acting like the hero you are to save me from the villain. I watched you take on Orochimaru without hesitation even though you were handicapped in the battle because of the drug I had given you. As I watched you fight tooth and nail against that snake, I suddenly remembered again why I love you.
No matter how much I have hurt you, neglected you, pushed you away, and ultimately abandoned you. You always stayed by my side and loved me, even when I didn't love myself. And no matter what I did to you, your love for me had never wavered. Even now I can't understand how it is possible for you to remain so devoted to me after everything I've done, and yet you do. As I watched you fight Orochimaru and Naruto-kun battle Kabuto, I realized if the two of you could fight so hard for someone like me, then perhaps there still was something worth saving in me. The two of you believed there was, so you accomplished your goal that day. And it wasn't me becoming the next Hokage, but in helping me to believe in myself again, which was something I thought I had forever lost long ago.
I've shared this with you Jiraiya-kun because I wanted you know how much you mean to me since that very first day you reentered my life. We've been through so much together in our lives that saying I'm sorry to you for all of my sins against you seems feeble, but I'm going to say it anyway.
Jiraiya-kun I'm sorry, I know I've said and done terrible things to hurt you in the past and I hate myself for that. I've no right to ask for your forgiveness, because truthfully I don't deserve it. But if you could find it in your heart to give me one more chance, I swear to you I can be…no, I am the woman I pray you still love, as I love you with all my heart. You will make me the happiest woman on the planet when you return if we can be together. And if you can't give me that chance anymore,….. I understand.
I hope I get the chance to speak with you before you depart to show and tell you how I feel, so you won't think these are just some insincere or meaningless words written on some paper. However, if I'm not able to talk to you, please know that what I've written here is genuine, honest, and heartfelt.
As are my feelings for you.
With all my love Jiraiya-kun,
Tsunade
Jiraiya folded up the letter and stuffed it back into his vest pocket, while a single solitary tear rolled down his cheek. As he leaned back against a tree, his thoughts turned to the conversation he had with Tsunade before he, Naruto, and Kakashi had departed. That discussion along with Tsunade's letter had thrown the Toad-Sage's heart into turmoil, as he silently mused.
'Damn it Tsunade, just when I think I've finally found the strength to move on without you, you finally open your heart up to me after 40 years. Why did it have to take you so long to do that my hime? And now I don't know what to do anymore. I've offered up my heart so many times to you only for it to be crushed time and time again. I still love her, but is that enough for me to give her the one more chance she's asking for. Because I know if I do and it ends up for whatever reason as before, it would be the end of me.'
Finally, the Toad-Sage of Mt. Myouboku shook his head to clear out the sake induced haze it held and realized he wasn't going to come to a decision this night about Tsunade. Unfurling his bedroll near the dying light and heat of the campfire Jiraiya flopped down onto to it to let the peaceful tranquility of sleep ease his troubled mind.
Jiraiya was roused from his slumber the next morning by a shout from Naruto.
"Hey, where's my pillow?"
"Check between your legs." Kakashi called out, as he too had awakened from his student's loud query.
"Huh, that's weird, how did it get down there?"
Jiraiya heard Kakashi chuckle and he himself grinned a bit before realizing that his pillow was between his own legs. Looking up to the sky, he silently pondered with amusement.
'It must run in the family, because I remember many a time when Minato's pillow was in the exact same position when he would awaken in the morning after he started seeing Kushina.'
The Toad-Sannin was brought out of his thoughts when Naruto asked.
"Hey pervy-sage, what are we going to be doing today?"
"I'm glad you asked gaki. First we're going to have some breakfast and then were going to break camp. We've got a long journey ahead of us to reach the spot where your final training can begin."
"Final training! Does that mean once I'm done with it we'll be heading back to the Leaf village?" Naruto exclaimed with excitement.
"Hai, it does, but don't get too excited about that, this training will be your toughest yet."
"Where are we going?"
"I've decided gaki it's time for you to receive Sage training from the Toads of Myouboku Mountain just like I did many years ago."
"Do you think he's truly ready for that training Master-Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked in uncertainty.
"Hai, he's ready for it and besides the Toads are holding onto something for you as well Kakashi."
"For, for me!"
Hai Kakashi, during these past two years in training Naruto, your own skills and power have gone up dramatically. And I think you've reached the point where you've gotten strong enough to utilize and handle what the Toads have for you."
"Wh-what is it?"
"What and ruin the surprise ha, ha, ha. No, you'll just have to wait until we get there."
"Umm pervy-sage, how long is this Sage training supposed to take?" Naruto asked in curiosity.
"It's hard to say gaki; it all depends on how quickly you learn everything."
"Well, how long did it take you?"
"Hmmm, about five to ten years I think it was." Jiraiya absently replied, while rubbing his chin in remembrance.
"TEN YEARS! I don't want to take that long before I can see my Hinata-hime again!"
"Oh pipe down gaki; I said that's how long it took me. It should be much shorter for you with your ace in the hole the multiple shadow clone technique."
"Grrrr, well I hope so." Naruto grumbled, before walking away.
'I hope so to Naruto, because I highly doubt the Akatsuki or Orochimaru will wait that long before either one unleashes their next scheme or attack to conquer or destroy the Leaf village or worse yet…destroy you.' Jiraiya quietly mused with heavy concern.
Tsunade heaved a weary sigh as she stared at the mountains of paperwork that sat on her desk like a mini-landscape. Turning her head slightly to the right she spied the framed photo she kept of Jiraiya and Naruto together both of them smiling, happy, and content. The blonde Hokage couldn't help but smile herself as she gazed at the picture before she closed her eyes and said a quiet prayer to Kami to watch over the two and keep them safe. After she was finished, Tsunade still couldn't believe they had been gone for over two years. So much had happened since they've been gone, especially over the last year since Orochimaru's failed invasion of the Hidden Leaf village.
Rising from her chair, Tsunade walked onto her office balcony and gazed out over the village. The blonde Hokage could see the final repairs and defensive reinforcements to the Leaf village's outer wall being constructed in the setting sun. It was amazing to her given the amount of damage the village suffered during the invasion that a little over a year later most of the village had been rebuilt even stronger than what it was before. The Will of Fire the Fourth had always believed existed in the villagers and shinobi was never more evident than in how quickly they had recovered from that terrible ordeal. The Slug Sannin had many people to thank for this and none more so than Shikaku and Shikamaru Nara.
The Nara clan leader and the Strategic Commander of Konoha's shinobi forces along with his son had done an amazing job in the last six months of not only organizing the reconstruction efforts for the village, but also increasing the speed and efficiency for which the work was completed. Both father and son possessed supreme intellects individually. However when they combined their formidable IQ's and worked together, there was no problem or obstacle they couldn't solve. Tsunade only wished they could have resolved their differences sooner, but was grateful that they eventually did repair their relationship nonetheless.
The first six months following the invasion had dramatically changed both Shikaku and Shikamaru's demeanor and attitude about life. Shikamaru was precariously close to following a dark and revenge filled path following the invasion and witnessing the death of his best friend at Sasuke Uchiha's hand. While Shikaku was going down a different path, one filled with regret, grief, and guilt over the loss of his god-son and the role he played in it. Both Nara men began drinking quite heavily to try and forget about their actions or the pain they felt about so many things. This behavior had gone on for several weeks and would only lead more pain and misery for the two men unless something was done about it.
Fortunately, for the Nara clan leader and his heir, they both had one thing in common that would not let them fall into a drunken pit of despair for the rest of their lives. What both Shikaku and Shikamaru each had was the love of good woman. After nearly two months of watching the men they love slip further into the abyss, both Yoshino Nara and Temari Subaku had decided enough is enough.
The blonde Hokage chuckled at the memory of both women marching into the Sharpened Shuriken tavern and dragging both drunken Nara men out of it, kicking and pleading with their fellow shinobi comrades to help them. However, the glare and killing intent both women unleashed inside the bar was ferocious enough that everyone inside remained rooted to the spot they were on. Both Shikaku and Shikamaru received hellish beatings in different locations that night before Yoshino and Temari healed their injuries and then talked and more importantly listened to what each of their men had to say. It took some time, but eventually both women were able to pull both Nara men back from the brink and mend their broken hearts and souls through the love they held for them. The only thing they weren't able to repair was the still icy and distant relationship the father and son had with each other, but luckily Chouza Akimichi had chosen to settle that matter once and for all.
(Flashback Six Months)
Both Shikaku and Shikamaru grunted in pain, as the force of being thrown back first into the unforgiving brick wall had knocked the wind out of both men. As they struggled to regain their breath, two large hands grabbed them and suddenly flung them down the alleyway even further, as they landed in some trash illuminated by a lantern hanging on a wall. As Shikaku and Shikamaru crawled out of the trash, still heaving and trying to catch their breath, an angry voice one of which they both recognized called out.
"My best friend Shikaku and my only Tenshu-sochi (God-son) Shikamaru, never in my life have I been so disappointed in the two of you as I am right now!"
"Chouza, (cough, cough) what, what are you talking about old friend?"
"What I'm talking about is the disgusting behavior the both of you have shown to one another these past six months."
"I don't understand Kyoufu (Godfather) Akimichi, what do you mean by disgusting behavior? My father and I have barely spoken these past six months." Shikamaru asked in confusion.
"Exactly, I've watched the two of you be present in the same room and not even spare a glance or acknowledge the other one. In fact to a complete stranger, they would never even know you two are a father and son and that disgusts me!"
"It's troublesome my friend, but Shikamaru and I just have some,…..issues were trying to deal with right now."
"Issues my ass, this all about Chouji's death and you know it."
Both Shikaku and Shikamaru remained silent, as they quickly glanced at one another before Chouza spoke up once again.
"You Shikaku blame yourself for Chouji's death, but let me ask you something. If I had been on the battlefield with you instead my son, would you have done anything different?"
"No, the only thing different is you would have led the initial Leaf assault in breaking through Otogakure's defenses upon their retreat."
"And I might have been killed in battle just as Chouji was."
"Not to sound crass my friend, but that would have been preferable to what happened."
"Yes, I agree with you, it would have been preferable. If I could somehow go back in time and switch places with my son, I would do so without hesitation. A father should never have to bury a child before him, but that's what I had to do. I miss Chouji everyday, which is why when I see the two of acting the way you are with each other over his death it makes me angry."
"Why does the way my father and I act with each other cause you such anger Kyoufu-Akimichi?"
"I'm angry Tenshu-sochi, because the two of you don't even realize how fleeting life truly is. I would give up anything to be able to spend some time with Chouji again, but that can never be. Whereas you Shikamaru could spend time with your father, but choose not to do so because of your irrational need to blame him for Chouji's death. What's worse is that this illogical blame you place upon him only reinforces the blame he's placed upon himself for it. It's all so ridiculous and if Chouji could see the way you've been acting Tenshu-sochi…..he would so ashamed of you."
Shikamaru could only look down to the ground, as his Godfather's words struck painful chord within him. After a moment, he then heard Chouza harshly say.
"And Chouji would be as equally disappointed in you as well Shikaku! You are not to blame for his death and by accepting that you are to blame. You insult Chouji's memory and diminish the heroic deeds he committed."
Both Shikaku and Shikamaru looked guiltily at one another neither one able to speak. The Akimichi clan leader looked down at his friend and godson and knew his words had affected them both deeply. Exhaling a heavy sigh, he spoke once more and in a calmer voice said.
"Now, I'm going over to the Sharpened Shuriken to drink a toast to my son and celebrate. It's a special day today, one you should remember Shikamaru. Today is the day you and Chouji along with Ino-chan graduated the academy and officially became the second formation of the Ino-Shika-Cho team. I was so proud of Chouji that day. You both are welcome to join me, but only if you workout right now the troubles between you two. Which I suggest you do, because if I find out you haven't even after everything I've said to you. The beatings you got from Yoshino and Temari a few months ago will be nothing in comparison to the beatings I will give you for being such stubborn idiots!"
As the two Nara men watched their friend and Godfather walk away and disappear into the darkness of the night, they finally turned to look at one another and said in unison.
"Ashikarazu." (I'm sorry)
Both of them cracked a grin at this before Shikamaru spoke up.
"No Dad, I'm sorry about the way I've acted with you. I don't really blame you for Chouji's death. I'm just so…..angry and frustrated about it, that I looked for someone to blame and unfortunately you fit the bill. Chouza-san is right, to blame you was totally irrational and illogical on my part and I'm sorry if I caused you any pain these past few months because of my foolish emotions."
"It's alright son, I know Chouji was like a brother to you and in a morbid sort of way I welcomed the blame you leveled upon me for his death. Your Godfather was right about me as well. I fully accepted your blame because it did reinforce the guilt I had placed upon myself for Chouji's death. I figured if you blamed me and I already blamed myself, then I must be the one who caused my godson's demise. However, Chouza is right; by doing that I never realized that I was insulting Chouji's memory."
"We both were insulting to Chouji's memory by the way we've been acting father."
"Hai we were, but that stops today son if you're willing to forgive your foolish old man."
"You're forgiven, but only if you can forgive your equally foolish son."
Both Nara men rose to their feet and quickly looked around to make sure no one else was present before they embraced in a warm hug with each other. After which, they began to walk out of the alleyway when Shikamaru asked.
"So what do we do now? Go home and have dinner with mom and Temari like we're supposed too."
"Well son, I say we skip dinner and go to the Sharpened Shuriken and join with your Godfather in celebrating the memory of Chouji."
"That sounds good to me, but you know when we celebrate we tend to get a little drunk which pisses mom and Temari off to no end."
"It's most troublesome, but even they can't get mad at us for getting drunk if it's in celebration of Chouji's memory."
"It's a drag, but I think they will still get mad at us for skipping out on dinner with them to get drunk. However, I do believe you're correct that the reason why we did it will prevent them from administering any beatings. At least I hope so."
"So do I son, so do I."
(End of Flashback)
Chouji's death had affected many people, but probably none more so than the girl he had been in love with and she recently discovering her love for him. Ino Yamanaka was always considered astrong, independent, and confidant young woman by her peers. However watching the boy she loved murdered before her eyes had nearly destroyed her. Both Inoichi and Keko were fearful that their young daughter would never breakout of her grief and depression in the weeks following Chouji's death. Fortunately, there was one individual who was not going to let Ino mourn the rest of her life away and that person was her Sensei Anko Mitarashi.
When Anko had been released from the hospital from the wounds she had received during the invasion. She quickly learned of the cycle of depression and despair her pupil was going through. The purple-haired Special Jounin sought out Ino's parents and was informed by them that they had exhausted every means they could think of to bring their daughter back to her former self. Anko asked Inoichi and Keko to let her try and they readily agreed, as they felt they had nothing left to lose.
At which point the trio returned to the Yamanaka compound and Ino's parents watched as Konoha's infamous Queen of Snakes marched up the stairs to their daughter's room and knocked on her door. Upon receiving no response Anko reared back and kicked the door in, ripping the hinges out of the door frame before marching in and giving Ino what she thought she needed…..a resounding smack across the young kunoichi's face. Keko immediately wanted to rush to her little girl's aid, but was held back by Inoichi , as the two parents listened intently to what Anko was growling out with fury at their daughter.
(Flashback Ten Months)
Anko turned her head to look down at her still weeping apprentice sprawled out on the bedroom floor, while rubbing her cheek and shouted at her in annoyance.
"Ino quit your damn bawling and get up off the floor!"
"Wh, what?" Ino replied, as she looked up in confusion and slowly stood up to face her teacher.
Anko grabbed the front of Ino's purple halter-top and pulled her forward to look the weeping young woman in the face and angrily said through gritted teeth.
"Damn it Ino, get a hold of yourself! I expect my apprentice to be made of stronger mettle than this! Because if you don't stop crying like a little baby in the next thirty seconds, I'll give you something to cry about!"
The Yamanaka heiress coughed out a few choked gasps and sniffles, but ultimately complied with her sensei's orders. For she knew Anko did not make idyll threats.
"Thank Kami; I hear enough damn crying when I'm at home." Anko declared with relief.
"Are Aniko and Anika being fussy Anko-sensei?"
"Who said I was talking about my daughters, it's Iruka-kun that's always whining and complaining about something."
Ino smiled in amusement for the first time in weeks upon hearing Anko's cheeky reply, who added with satisfaction.
"Good, it's nice to know that you can still smile princess even after your friend's death."
The small smile that was adorning Ino's face quickly disappeared as the image of Chouji being killed by Sasuke flashed across her mind. Tears began to well in her eyes once more, but Ino refused to breakdown in front of Anko who said in a calm voice.
"I know you're hurting right now about Chouji and that's understandable, but don't let your sorrow consume you over it. Especially when you and I both know that emotion isn't what occupies your soul."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Take a moment to look deep inside of yourself Ino. It isn't sorrow that fills your being right now, but pain, anger, and a pure rage in wanting to exact revenge on the person who took your friend from you, that is what consumes your soul."
"Sasuke Uchiha!" Ino spat with malevolence and hatred ringing in her voice.
"That's right, the little Uchiha bastard. So, instead of wasting your life away mourning over the death of the boy you loved. I want you to take the pain you feel over it and the hate and the unadulterated fury you now have towards that little Uchiha cocksucker and channel it into becoming the most badass kunoichi you can be. Take all of those emotions and use them to push you farther than you could ever dream in your training. The training will be like Hell on Earth for you, but I'll be with you every step of the way. If you can do that, I promise that when people see you in the future, not only will they see one smoking hot babe, but they will also see one of the most dangerous shinobi in the entire Leaf village. And maybe one day Kami permitting, you'll get your shot to unleash all of that pain, hatred, and rage onto the Uchiha and make him pay for what he did to you and Chouji."
Ino wiped the tears out of her eyes and realized everything Anko had said was true. Looking up with a determined visage to gaze into the face of her teacher, Ino nodded her head in understanding and uttered two resolute words.
"Let's go!"
The young kunoichi then marched past her sensei and down the stairwell and hugged her mother and father before striding with vigor out the front door heading towards the Konoha training grounds. Anko gave a respectful albeit hasty bow to Ino's parents, before she too raced out of the front door to catch-up with her pupil. Both Inoichi and Keko stood in stunned silence in the middle of their living room trying to come to terms with what had just happened. After a minute, Keko shook her head and made an attempt to go after her daughter, but was stopped by Inoichi who calmly said.
"Let her be Keko-chan."
"Let her be; are you crazy Inoichi-kun? Do you really want our daughter going down such a dark path as the main motivation in her life?"
"No, I would prefer that she chose another path, but we have to be honest with ourselves. At least Ino has chosen a path to follow and moved forward with her life, which is more than she was willing to do these past two months. And I would much rather have a functioning daughter of some capacity, than one completely consumed by depression and sorrow like she has been. Plus, it might be a dark path she is on, but it's also a path that will make her stronger."
"That may be true Inoichi-kun, but I don't want to wake up one morning and find Ino has turned into the second coming of Anko Mitarashi!" Keko angrily snapped at her husband, before storming off to their bedroom and slamming the door behind her.
The Yamanaka clan patriarch merely flopped down into a chair and heaved a weary sigh, as he thought to himself.
'My darling Keko, you still haven't let go of your prejudices about Anko yet. Because truth be told, Ino's personality was like Anko's long before the woman became her sensei, you just don't want to admit that. And being like Anko isn't necessarily a bad thing, because if Ino is able to attain the skills and strength that she has. Then I'll feel a hell of a lot better for her safety when she has to face someone with the power level of the enemies this village is going to deal with in the future. Those skills and strength may be just enough to keep our baby girl alive, whereas most other shinobi are going to fall.'
(End of Flashback)
Anko had indeed kept her word to her young pupil and Ino's training had indeed been brutal and bordering on sadistic some would say over the past ten months. However, no one could argue with the results, as the young Yamanaka girl had excelled and become by reputation a very skilled and dangerous kunoichi. Though still ranked as a low-level Chunin along with the rest of the Konoha 10 save for Shikamaru and Hinata. The majority of the Leaf shinobi ranked high-level Chunin and above knew that the rankings for the Konoha 10 had been rendered meaningless by all of them. In fact, the Konoha 10's reputation and stature since the invasion had grown immensely and become widely known throughout all of the elemental nations. The only reason Tsunade didn't promote all of them to a much higher Chunin rank was the fact that it had only been a year since they all received their initial Chunin promotions in the first place for their deeds and actions during the invasion.
The invasion, loss of their comrade and friend, and their battles against their former traitorous classmate Sasuke Uchiha had lit a fire under all of them. And through their intense training over the last year, each of them had improved dramatically in their power and skills as shinobi. It made Tsunade proud to see all of them take such impressive strides, but also saddened her a bit in knowing the motivations behind it. Still she was eager to show them off to Kazekage Gaara and the several Sand dignitaries who had come to Konoha on the one-year anniversary of the failed Sound invasion to renew their treaty between the two villages and celebrate their joint effort in defeating Orochimaru and his Sound forces.
The treaty signing and the two-day celebration that accompanied it had proceeded splendidly. Tsunade had indeed been able to show off the skills of the Konoha 10 for all to see, as she had set-up a spar between the Konoha 10 versus 50 Chunin ranked Leaf shinobi. Most of the Sand delegates had thought the buxom blonde Hokage was insane and thought the Leaf village's infamous Konoha 10 was severely outmatched and stood no chance of winning. Only Gaara, Temari, Kankurou, and their former sensei Baki who was now Gaara's Chief advisor remained silent as the spar started. As the match proceeded, the Sand delegation soon realized that Tsunade hadn't been insane at all, as they watched in awe at the power, skills, and more importantly teamwork the Konoha 10 exhibited and were astounded at how quickly and efficiently these 10 youths were able to win the match. Temari had felt a special sense of pride during the spar, as it was Shikamaru who directed all of the movements and attacks with his comrades to end the fight so swiftly.
The final night of the celebration is when a couple of potential political disasters between Suna and Konoha almost occurred in Tsunade's estimation thanks to one audacious Yamanaka heiress and her former lazy Genin teammate. The first incident happened during the formal line procession before the grand dinner. In which Gaara and the rest of the Sand dignitaries preceded to move down a line in an orderly succession being introduced to Konoha's various VIP's and their own dignitaries. Everything had gone smoothly until the very end when Gaara had reached Tsunade who introduced her two protégé's to the esteemed Kazekage, one Shizune Katou and Sakura Haruno. When Gaara's eyes fell onto Sakura, he recalled a memory and commented.
(Flashback One Month)
"Sakura Haruno,… ahh yes I remember you. You're Naruto's woman, the one he fought me so valiantly over to save during the Chunin exam. It is an honor to meet the girl my friend loves so much."
Hinata felt the sting of Gaara's words and even though she had made great strides in overcoming once woeful lack of self-esteem. Their still remained a small but deep-rooted doubt in her mind that she was the girl for Naruto and not Sakura. It also didn't help matters that the young Hyuga girl had missed Naruto terribly over the past two+ years and the mention of his name brought back a flood of memories, as tears began to well in her eyes. Rather than cause a scene, Hinata quietly excused herself and quickly left the proceedings to be alone. Sakura too had felt her stomach tighten in anxiety upon hearing Gaara's words and was about to politely correct the Kazekage. Unfortunately, she never got the chance, as Ino chimed in to correct Gaara and she was not going to be polite about it.
"Hey you pasty-faced red-haired jerk! That's not Naruto's woman or the girl he loves. That person just left in tears thanks you!"
"Ino!" Both Inoichi and Keko shouted in unison, but it seemed to fall on deaf ear for their daughter who continued on.
"And it wasn't Naruto who saved billow-board brow over there from you, but according to her it was her precious Sasuke Uchiha who beat you and saved her!"
What happened next surprised everyone in the room especially the Sand delegation, as no one had ever hear it before,…Gaara laughed.
"Ha, ha, ha, Sasuke Uchiha! All he did was run away from me during our fight. It was Naruto who defeated me, nearly dying in the process to save this girl. And considering how fiercely and bravely he fought to save her, I assumed she was his woman."
"Well, you got the ass part right!"
"Ino Yamanaka that's enough!" Tsunade screamed with fury at the young kunoichi before continuing on.
"You apologize right now to the Kazekage!"
"Fine, I'm sorry Kazekage Gaara,….sorry you're such a baka who makes assumptions and speaks without knowing all of the facts you dumb-ass!"
Ino then shunshin'd out of the room before anyone could stop her to go find her best friend and make sure she is alright. Meanwhile the Sand delegation exploded with cries and shouts of being slandered, insulted, and humiliated before Gaara's sand whipped menacingly around them and he yelled
"SHUT UP!"
"Kazekage Gaara, I most humbly apologize for my shinobi's outburst and the things she said to you. I promise she will be severely punished and…"
"Do not punish the girl Hokage Tsunade. I am to blame for this incident, not her. Everything that young woman said was correct. Instead of speaking with known facts, I did make an assumption and spoke out of turn, which as you know as a leader can be damaging in so many ways. So as a personal request, do not punish her for what she said. She may have been a little more brash and outspoken with the truth than most people would like, but it was still the truth nonetheless." Gaara calmly requested to the blonde Hokage.
"I will grant your request Kazekage Gaara and not punish Ino for her outburst. I thank you for being so kind and benevolent over this incident. Ino has indeed always been brash and outspoken as you kindly put it. I would more strongly describe her and say that she's hotheaded, impetuous, and presumptuous. Unfortunately, these traits seemed to have grown in the girl instead of lessen under the tutelage of her current sensei." Tsunade replied, as she fired off a quick glare towards Anko who immediately ducked behind Iruka out of the Hokage's sight.
"I believe it's the blonde hair Hokage-Tsunade, as I've yet to meet someone with blonde hair who didn't possess those traits, including my sister and even Naruto."
Temari bristled a bit at her brother's assertion and grit her teeth, but remained silent. While Tsunade a bit annoyed by Gaara's casual statement said.
"I have blonde hair Kazekage Gaara."
Gaara's response to the slightly agitated blonde Hokage standing by him was merely to cock an eyebrow while looking at her and asking.
"And?"
A tick mark appeared on Tsunade's face momentarily before she calmed down and turned her attention back to Gaara and contritely said through gritted teeth.
"If you would like to follow me Kazekage Gaara, I'll escort you and your delegation to the assembly hall now for dinner."
"Thank you Hokage Tsunade, please do that for my delegates and I will join you shortly. I wish to seek out Ms. Yamanaka and that young woman I inadvertently hurt and apologize to them."
"There's no need for you to do that Kazekage-dono!" One of the Sand delegates exclaimed.
"I feel there is." Gaara coolly stated, as he sent a glare towards the man silently signifying if you value your health do not speak again, before turning on his heels and exiting the room, while Tsunade guided the rest of the delegation into the great hall.
"I can't believe you let what that idiot of a Kazekage said about Sakura get to you like that Hinata! You know Naruto loves you and not billow-board brow. I thought you were past this doubt when it comes to you and Naruto."
"Naruto-kun loved her for a long time Ino."
"Right loved, as in use to love, not love like he has for you."
"You, you really think so."
"Kami Hinata, no I don't think so, I know so. The pink-monster blew her chances with Naruto a long time ago. Besides, Sakura probably isn't even interested in Naruto anymore. She's got Lee now as someone to abuse, torture, and crush for the next 40 years as a replacement for him."
"That's not nice Ino; Sakura's not the same girl she once was."
"Ehh whatever, a leopard doesn't change its spots. Anyway it's not Sakura you should be worried about losing Naruto to when he comes back, but someone else."
"Who?" Hinata snapped with sudden interest.
"Well, if Naruto comes back looking like a prime hunk of super-sexy man-meat than the person you're going to have to watch out for is…..me! (giggle, giggle)" Ino whispered into Hinata's ear with a giggle.
Hinata didn't appreciate her friend's attempt at humor and scowled at Ino before growling out in a malevolent and determined voice.
"Ino-chan, I swear if you put any moves on my Naru-kun when he returns I'm going to Juuken your bony-ass into the hospital for the next six months!"
"Ha, ha, ha that got your fire stoked, I promise, I won't be putting any moves on Naruto when he gets back no matter how hot he might be. Besides I won't have to put any moves on Naruto. I mean you can be pretty hot when you want to be Hinata, but once little Naru gets a look at me, he won't be able to help himself. You can't blame the guy, he's only human and for your information my ass is not bony. My butt is the most tight, supple, and exquisite booty in the whole village….smack!" Ino announced, as she slapped her own ass for emphasis.
Hinata couldn't help but giggle at Ino's antics before a voice called out to them.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"Ka-Kazekage Gaara!" Hinata stammered in surprise.
"Oh great what do you want, here to see if Hinata was still crying or did you just want to make her cry some more?" Ino fired off in angry irritation.
"Ino be respectful, that's the Kazekage, he didn't make me cry." Hinata chided her friend.
"Actually, I did inadvertently make you cry by my words, which is why I wish to apologize to you. I made an assumption about something and you were hurt by it. I most humbly apologize to you Ms….Hinata was it?"
"Y-yes Kazekage Gaara, my, my name is Hinata Hyuga."
"Please, you may address me as just Gaara. I remember you now from the Chunin exams. You fought with much bravery against your opponent another Hyuga if I recall correctly."
"I fought my cousin Neji, Kaze…I mean Gaara-san."
"Yes, and even though you were clearly outmatched, you continued to fight on. I remember I was very confused at the time about what your inspiration was to continue on with the fight."
"My inspiration was Naruto-kun."
"Naruto, I do not understand."
Hinata took a moment to think about how to answer Gaara's question before she exhaled a deep breath and continued on.
"You see for the longest time growing up I would watch Naruto and thought he was amazing. For you see it didn't matter what was said to him or what was done to him by people or even if the odds he faced in doing something were seemingly insurmountable, he would never give up or runaway. If he failed, then he would come back again and again until he succeeded. I was the exact opposite, always looking to give up or runaway, but in watching Naruto-kun and seeing his strength, determination, and unwavering confidence made me want change myself for the better. I wanted to show him that I wouldn't give up like I knew he would never give up. That is why I continued on with my fight against Neji-niisan. Do you understand now Gaara-san?"
"I believe so; Naruto does seem to have the affect of inspiring those around him. He also inspired me to change myself for the better. I would like to hear more of your thoughts about Naruto during dinner, if that is acceptable to you? You see even though Naruto is the first person, who wanted to be my friend, I find I know very little about him."
"Yes, I would happy to tell you all about Naruto-kun."
"And Ms. Yamanaka, if you have forgiven this pasty-faced red-haired jerk of a baka who makes assumptions, you are more than welcome to join us." Gaara said turning his attention towards Ino.
Hinata looked over towards Ino with a look of confusion before realizing what her friend must have done and sternly said, while leveling a scowl at her.
"Ino, you didn't!"
Ino just looked sheepishly to the ground and absently kicked a stone before saying.
"You had to be there Hinata"
"You I will talk later! Now let us escort the Kazekage to the assembly hall before he wastes any more time with us." Hinata declared with certainty.
"I don't consider it a waste of time Hinata-san." Gaara replied, as the trio walked back inside.
Needless to say, many people were shocked to see the Kazekage walk into the great hall with a Leaf kunoichi linked to each arm. And they were even more surprised upon reaching the Hokage's table that he ordered two of the Sand delegates seated next to him to leave, to which one exclaimed in query.
"But Kazekage-dono, why are you ordering us away from dining with you, as we have always done during our diplomatic trips?"
"Because tonight I would much rather enjoy my meal in the company of two beautiful women than in the company of your decrepit asses…..Now move!"
Both Sand delegates quickly scurried away when Gaara's sand started buzzing around them, as the Kazekage escorted both Hinata and Ino to their now vacated seats by him and they sat down to eat. A few feet away, Kankurou leaned over and whispered to his sister.
"Damn Temari, I know you've been working with Gaara about him opening up more to people, but I didn't think you were teaching him how pick-up on the babes…OWWWW!"
As Kankurou was rubbing the back of his head courtesy of a slap from his older sister, Temari hissed at him through clenched teeth.
"Baka, Gaara-kun isn't trying to pick-up any babes as you put it. He wants to learn more about Naruto and I told him the best way to do that is to talk to Naruto's friends while he is here. Next time, try thinking with your big-head instead of your little one before you speak!"
"Gaara should have also mentioned excessively violent as one of the traits all blondes have." Kankurou muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Temari snapped at her brother.
"Nothing, nothing at all Temari." Kankurou quickly replied, as if by reflex.
The rest of the evening went exceedingly well, as food and copious amounts of drink flowed freely throughout the hall. Gaara surprised everyone when he looked over at Tsunade and openly laughed, as an image of her with jet-black hair cut in a unique bowl style along with big bushy eyebrows entered his mind, as Hinata had regaled the Kazekage about Naruto's most recent great prank. For her part, the buxom blonde Hokage could only sit silently and listen to the laughter, while grinding her teeth and the tick mark had returned to her face. Temari meanwhile had excused herself and being a bit tipsy from the sake, as well as feeling randy sought out and found her boyfriend.
"There you are Shika-kun, why have you been avoiding me these last couple of days?"
"Mari-chan, you're one who said you wanted to keep on relationship guarded while your brothers and the rest of the Sand delegation were here.
"Well yeah I did, but that doesn't mean we can't see one another."
"Troublesome, yeah it kind of does."
"If were careful, we'll be alright." Temari cooed into his ear, while reaching around to give a quick squeeze to Shikamaru's ass.
"Mari-chan we can't do this. Let's just wait until after your brothers and the delegates return back to Suna tomorrow."
"No, now if you know what's good for you, you'll meet me outside in the Hokage's garden in five minutes. You got that!" Temari sternly ordered, before striding out of the great hall.
Shikamaru dropped his head in defeat and slowly followed his temperamental girlfriend. He had gotten to know Temari moods well enough to know that he either could join the Suna kunoichi outside or share the same fate as his father when he didn't follow his mothers commands. Truthfully, Shikamaru was quite tired, as it had been a long and exhausting day for him in many ways and all he wanted to do right now is rest. However, with Temari worked up into such frenzy, he realized he would not be getting any sleep for awhile. There was only one thought going through the Nara's mind, as he trudged out of the assembly hall.
'What a troublesome woman.'
Shikamaru had no idea how prophetic his thought would be, as thirty minutes later Tsunade had decided to give a very specialized potted plant to Gaara. The medicinal herbs this plant would provide could be added to the Suna greenhouse for future use. Needless to say both Hokage and Kazekage were equally surprised to find sitting on a bench in the private garden Temari positioned squarely on Shikamaru's lap and locked in a passionate kiss before they finally pull apart for air. Shikamaru then begins to unbutton Temari's top, while she attempted to catch her breath, before the sound of Tsunade loudly clearing her throat reached their ears.
"AHEM, are we disturbing you two?"
Both Temari and Shikamaru instantly froze, before slowly turning their heads to see both Tsunade and even worse Gaara staring directly at them. The stern look the blonde Hokage was leveling towards them was indeed troublesome as Shikamaru might say. However it was nothing compared to the cold harsh glare Gaara had, as his eyebrow twitched in spasms. Shikamaru instantly let go of the breast he had been holding and quickly pulled his hand out from inside Temari's blouse, as the Sand kunoichi frantically began to button back up said article of clothing. Both shinobi swiftly sprang up from the bench and hurriedly attempted to straighten their clothes, as Tsunade and Gaara approached them. Temari was about to stammer out something when Gaara raised his hand stopping her and stated in a cold monotone voice to her.
"We'll discuss this when we get back to Sunagakure."
"But, but I'm not scheduled to return back to Suna with you and the delegates."
Gaara's simply shot his sister a glare, before replying in no uncertain terms.
"You are now!"
The red-haired Kazekage then turned his attention to Shikamaru and his glare intensified, while releasing a sizable amount of killing intent at the Leaf Chunin. Shikamaru to his credit didn't flinch or move, seemingly unfazed by the killing intent, as he stared unblinking directly back into the eyes of Gaara. After a minute, the Kazekage emitted a low rumbling growl from his throat at Shikamaru before walking away followed by Tsunade who could only shrug her shoulders at the two youths. As the two village Kage's disappeared deeper into the private garden and out of sight. Temari suddenly exhaled a deep breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Shikamaru could feel his girlfriend shivering and pulled her in for a hug, as he whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry Mari-chan, everything will be alright, I promise."
"I hope so Shika-kun, I was planning on telling Gaara about us soon, but I certainly didn't want him to find out the way he did."
"Well, he's just going to have to learn to deal with it, because I'm not going to give you up."
"You, you mean that!"
"Of course I mean it, besides it would be too much of a drag to have to go out and find someone else to be with. Not after all the work I've had to do just to put up with you."
"Thanks a lot!" Temari replied with slight indignation, as she playfully slapped Shikamaru's chest.
Shikamaru merely smirked before leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on Temari's forehead and said with sincerity.
"I love you, troublesome woman."
"I love you too, lazy-slacker."
(End of Flashback)
Tsunade walked back to her chair and flopped into it, stretching her arms and yawning; the blonde Hokage leaned back in the chair and took one last look at the photo on her desk before closing her eyes, the fatigue of the day taking its final toll on her, as she began to drift off to sleep. Tsunade knew she would need her rest for tomorrow she was going to initiate her plan to take control of the Konoha Council. She could wait no longer, as Danzo had introduced a proposal in the Konoha Council today a plan that would eventually lead to Leaf village's downfall. And Tsunade knew if she didn't act now, then Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kakashi wouldn't have a home to come back too.
Author Notes: Greetings, I welcome all of you back to the adventures of known Naruto characters in this story. Apparently, my attempt to create a two-part original story with original characters wasn't as successful as would have hoped judging by the sever drop-off in reviews. Hopefully, getting back to the characters everyone knows and loves will bring a lot of you back to the story. In this chapter, I had quite a lot of narrative and some flashbacks as many of you are clamoring for Naruto's return to the village. So I wrote it this way to speed up the process a bit and I promise Naruto's return will be happening soon. However, I still have a few more storylines of life back in Konoha without Naruto that I want to cover and think all of you will enjoy reading before that happens. After that will be Naruto's grand return to the Leaf village.
As for this chapter there are a few points I wish to address. First is Tsunade's letter to Jiraiya. If it seemed lacking remember in chapter 39, Tsunade was able to speak to Jiraiya before he left with Naruto and Kakashi. So a lot of what she wanted to say was covered in that conversation. The current time-line of the story is now at two years of Naruto being gone and a little over a year since the invasion. This chapter was designed to try and convey what's been happening in the last year since the invasion. Also, as you have read Naruto is going to begin his Toad-sage training. I haven't decided yet if I will devote any ink-time to that training, but I'm leaning towards probably not.
Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and I'm anxious to see what your reviews will be for it. I do wish to thank everyone both old and new readers who took the time to review my last chapter. For those of you who did review, you all had a lot to say about it and I'm pleased that this story has such a strong fan base with readers who actually write out well thought-out reviews. Because of that, I enjoy reading many of your reviews, so please leave lots of them, as they do help a writer get an idea of the thoughts and opinions of the fans of a story. They also can help lift the spirits of an author as well. Also, to any readers who are staff members to any C2 communities, please feel free to add my story to your community if you feel it is worthy of it. I won't mind, I swear. I'll even pinkie swear if I need to?
Breaking News
News:
A couple of my readers and fine authors themselves brown phantom and Zentary have set up polls on each of their accounts asking the question.
Who is the best Naruto fanfic writer on this site?
They have each listed 50 authors and you're allowed to vote for 10 choices on each poll. Both authors have graciously placed my name on both polls. And both Polls have been going on strong for a few months and I'm looking forward to seeing the final results.
So I humbly ask if you feel I'm worthy of being one of your 10 picks to please place a vote for me. If you haven't voted yet on these polls please do so, as I could really use your help to make a good showing.
I thank you in advance for your support and the links to the profile pages for both brown phantom and Zentary are listed below.
brown phantom http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1634435/
Zentary http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2022054/
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"Naruto vs. Sasuke: The Aftermath" has hit a milestone of reaching 3000 reviews and I want to thank all of you for your continued support of my tale.
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Congratulations go out to CaptainPrice, as he was the only reader (that I know of via review) who correctly answered both the Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood quotes that were in the last chapter.
Arnold Schwarzeneggar Quote: "Come with me if you want to live." was from Terminator 2 Judgement Day. Said by Kakashi to Michiru in the chapter
Clint Eastwood Quote: "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." was from Unforgiven. Said by Jiraiya to Naruto.
I'll admit the Clint Eastwood quote was a bit difficult, but Unforgiven is one of the most awesome movies ever. If you have never seen it, I highly recommend that you do.
Enjoy your cyber-beer and Mozzarella sticks CaptainPrice!
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If you didn't already know, I've been writing a revised version of a Naruto/Bleach crossover story I was co-writing with my fellow author NeonZangetsu. The new revised story is called "Do I Have A Purpose Anymore?" If you're both a Naruto and a Bleach fan I think you will really enjoy this story. So far I've posted 11 chapters of the revised story, so catching up if you wish to read it will not be time consuming for you to do.
End of News
Now, onto everyone's favorite section Kingkakashi's rants on the manga yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Once again I have very few positive things to say about the last few issues of the Naruto manga!
*Warning I do give away some spoilers in my rants, so read at your own risk.
#556 – This chapter focuses on Gaara and the Third Tsuchikage Oonoki fighting the Edo Tensei revived Second Tsuchikage. Kishimoto actually devoted the entire chapter to this battle instead of his usual short length fights, which was great to see. Not much else to say as it was a good chapter filled with a lot of action.
#557 – This chapter is a continuation of the Gaara and the Third Tsuchikage Oonoki still fighting the Edo Tensei revived Second Tsuchikage. I'm actually impressed that Kishi has devoted so much time to this fight, as it has been quite entertaining to read. In the end, Gaara defeats the Second Tsuchikage who compliments him on doing so. Once again another good chapter from Kishimoto that's two in a row, can he make it three?
#558 – There's a lot going on in this chapter. It begins with Kabuto not pleased with how the battles have been going so far. However, we then learn that Naruto, Gaara, and Oonoki didn't take down the Second Tsuchikage, at least not completely. He was able at the last second of Naruto's attack to split his body, but at the cost that his second newly formed body is only at half-strength. We then switch over to the battlefield where the Ino-Shika-Cho trio has been battling. They've apparently been having problems dealing with the Zetsu's impersonating Alliance shinobi, as everyone is standing in their own personal circle not allowing anyone to come near them. Naruto arrives and the Edo Tensei Dan gets all whimsy about him. I wish they would hurry up and seal his ass away. We then cut to a scene of two injured Alliance shinobi begging Sakura for medical aid. The guards don't want to let them by because they could be Zetsu's impersonating Alliance shinobi. However, Sakura overrules them and she orders the guards to let the wounded in. Of course the wounded Alliance shinobi ARE Zetsu's and just as Sakura is about to be severely harmed or killed by them, a Naruto clone arrives to save her naïve and dim-witted ass.
We then cut to a scene Kiba, Shino, Neji, and Hinata in a desperate fight against several Zetsu's impersonating Alliance shinobi. Hinata is fighting for her life and then three Zetsu's descend upon her with katana swords ready to cleave her, but Naruto arrives and saves Hinata. As for Sakura, I think she deserved at least one hit from the enemy for being so stupid, foolish, and naïve in the first place. Maybe if she had gotten slightly injured it would wise her up and she wouldn't disregard the safety protocols the Alliance Command had set-up to guard against the Zetsu's and protect all the Medical nin's in the first place. Anyway, the chapter ends with the Naruto clones and the Alliance taking down the Zetsu's impersonating Alliance shinobi. Then Kishi cuts away to a final cryptic scene of the Second Tsuchikage Muu summoning something.
So did Kishi manage to make it three in a row, no he did not thanks to his Sakura loving ass. The only positive I take out of that scene is that we know Kishi loves Sasuke. And now we learn he also loves Sakura. So that's a plus that he will take the two characters he loves the most and pair them together before the story ends, I hope!
#559 – Ok, the best description for this chapter is confusing. It starts with the Second Tsuchikage Muu summoning another Edo Tensei shinobi, but you don't know who yet. However, judging by Muu's reaction he must be a real badass. We then switch over to Naruto with Kiba, Shino, Neji, and Hinata. Hinata's feeling bad about needing to be saved by Naruto, but he lifts her spirits and then we get a panel I guess of Naruto remembering Hinata attacking Pein. So is this when Kishimoto will finally address Hinata's confession…HELL NO! We get Naruto and the others charging off to take down the Zetsu's. We then cut to a scene of Kakashi, Gai, Lee, and Sai still battling the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist.
Nice that it only took Kishimoto 36 issues before he got back to this battle, because back then the Seven Swordsmen were mopping the floor of Kakashi's forces, even though they heavily outnumbered them. Now apparently Kakashi and his forces are winning and have taken out four of the Swordsmen. Not to nitpick, but it would have been nice to see or even learn how Kakashi and the others turned the tide of battle to their favor. Suddenly, a massive army of white Zetsu's show up and it looks like the tide of battle is going to swing back to the villains. However, as on every other battlefield, a Naruto clone arrives and turns the tide to victory for the Alliance forces.
Tsunade and Ei and pleased with this news and Shikaku wants to consolidate the Alliance forces towards Madara's position. However, an enormous chakra signature is detected at Gaara and Oonoki's battlefield and we switch back to them. It's discovered that the Second Tsuchikage Muu is still around, but even more shocking is we learn who the Edo Tensei shinobi is he summoned earlier…Madara Uchiha! So if that's the real Madara, then who is the guy in the mask heading towards Naruto and Killer Bee? Like I said at the start, a confusing chapter in many ways. I'm not quite sure what to make of this yet. So I'm reserving judgment until I see the how and the why Kishimoto comes up with.
#560 – This chapter is nothing but your usual example of the obsessive love Kishimoto has for everything Uchiha. Apparently his unrelenting love isn't given to just Sasuke, but anyone who bears the Uchiha name. As the chapter is nothing but the Edo Tensei Madara kicking the crap out of Gaara, Oonoki, Naruto, and a few hundred Alliance shinobi with ease. Unfortunately Kishimoto's love-fest for everything Uchiha just can't stop there. Just as Naruto is about to hit Madara with a Rasenshuriken, he gets from Kishi, you guessed it,…A POWER-UP! Edo-badass Madara absorbs the Rasenshuriken attack because he now wields the Rinnegan, which we learn is what awaits an Uchiha when they surpass the Sharingan. Seriously, are all of you as sick and tired as I am of the villains getting every advantage and the good guys getting nothing. Kishimoto is now so over the top with that, it just reinforces my belief that it's beyond the realm of even remote believability that the good guys can win against such overwhelming forces and when they do it will just seem utterly ridiculous to me when it happens.
#561 – This chapter is a continuation of the "Love-Fest-Uchiha-2011" that Kishimoto is on. Edo Tensei badass Madara now not only has the Rinnegan, but also the power to bring meteorites crashing down onto the earth. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I swear I can't take it anymore! So the meteorites take out Oonoki and a few hundred or thousand Alliance shinobi and the Alliance Command learns of the two Madara's. Tsunade sets off to join the fight against the Edo Tensei Madara. I don't what the hell she's going to be able to do? Kishimoto hints around that Edo-badass Madara might be a more dangerous villain than the fake Madara. However he still has time to give Edo-badass Madara, I kid you not,…ANOTHER POWER-UP! Apparently during his battle at the Valley of the End against the First Hokage, Madara was able to gain some of Hashirama's power. An explanation of how he was able to do this would have been nice, but you know that's not what's important to Kishimoto, only the actual Uchiha power-up matters to him.
So Edo-badass Madara also has Mokuton (wood) abilities like the First Hokage and sends in a forest wave of trees to kill off the survivors of his meteorite attack. How silly does that entire premise sound to you? Anyway, Kyuubi senses Madara and is hacked off about it. So he lends Naruto his chakra and the blonde Jinchuuriki is able to stop the attack of the trees, but uses up all of his chakra in doing so. However, everyone is suitably impressed and Oonoki decides after witnessing it that he has one more fight left in him. A blatantly obvious foreshadowing that Kishimoto is probably going to kill off the old man, which sucks as I really liked his character. Overall, this chapter is just utterly preposterous to me.
Yes, I'm still thoroughly disgusted that Kishimoto hasn't done anything yet with Hinata's confession to Naruto now reaching 124 freaking issues!
Now I'd like to give a shout out to a couple of stories of quality work that I recommend. I urge all of you to check-out these fine works when you have the time.
Recommendations:
"I don't care anymore" by Gakuto1991: One of the best one-shots I've come across in a long, long time. It involves a scene where Naruto and Sakura discuss her lies she spoke to Naruto at the Land of Iron. The story is very emotional, but more important very poignant. The author really nailed all the angst, drama, and the intense emotions that came with the scene. So if you're in the mood for some deep truth that Naruto lays onto Sakura, then this is definitely a story you should checkout and review.
"Kazekage's Right Hand" by Maevis Pas: One of the better stories I've come across in awhile. The premise is another Naruto banishment fic after a successful Sasuke retrieval mission, which I do know there are a lot of those stories on this site already. However, there aren't that many good ones and this story is definitely one of those. It's very creative and original and even the pairing of Naruto/Hinata/Temari in stories is extremely rare. The story is only six chapters in so far, so catching up won't eat up a lot of your time if you decide to check it out.
Now please be kind and leave precious valuable reviews on these stories.
As always, if anyone wants to discuss my story in greater detail, just shoot me a PM. I enjoy talking about the story with any readers who really have an interest in it. I'll try to respond back to you as quickly as I can.
Take it easy and be good!
Kingkakashi
School Time:
Abyss
Definition: A deep immeasurable space, gulf, or cavity. Also anything profound, unfathomable, or infinite.
Etymology: Greek to Latin to Middle English 1350a.d.
Part of Speech: Noun