Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and I am making no profit from this story, it is only for entertainment.
Also a few warnings attached to this story and they apply to the whole story although they won't be present in every chapter: explicit language, past abuse, disability, chronic illness, canon-typical violence, and implied sexual content. If any of these make you uncomfortable, then please read at your own discretion. If there are any more warnings you think I've missed, please let me know and I can add them.
Chapter Summary: In which Naruto's nosiness catches up to him and Team 7 play with dogs
Chapter 30: The More You Know, The Crazier You Look
Naruto waved off Hijiri as he juggled his pile of papers, trying to balance the toppling pile. Maybe Hijiri had had a point about needing help or making two trips but Naruto was determined to do this in one go. He didn't want to go to the Hokage's office more than he absolutely had to.
He tapped the door to the office with his foot, nudging it open with his elbow. He walked into the room and forwent the bow as that was a recipe for disaster.
"Hokage-sama, these are the papers for the chunin exams you requested."
He stopped just in front of the man's desk and waited. Just over the papers, he could see the Sandaime raise his head from his own set of documents. The man looked wearier every time Naruto saw him but he tried to make it a point to see him as little as possible. He personally thought that it was long past time that the old man retired. He didn't know who could replace him but it was long since passed the time of the Sandaime.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun," the Hokage smiled weakly. "You can place them beside my desk. I'll get to them later."
Naruto stepped forward and tried to gently place the pile on the varnished wooden floor. They slipped out of his hands slightly and he hunched forward, keeping them in place under his chin. He finally got them in a stable position and he let go, backing away and retaking his place in front of the Hokage's desk. As he was about to bow and make his escape, the door opened behind him and a small child rushed into the room, holding a kunai above his head and screaming at the top of his lungs.
"TODAY'S THE DAY I BECOME THE HOKAGE!"
Naruto watched the kid immediately trip over his impractically long, blue scarf and face-plant in the middle of the office. He raised his head, a red mark on his forehead and tears in his eyes, and he looked frantically around the room. His spiky brown hair bounced with him and his yellow t-shirt was scrunched beneath him. As the kid's dark eyes latched onto him, he pushed himself quickly to his feet, throwing out an arm in accusation.
"You tripped me!" He condemned, pointing his finger right at Naruto's face.
Naruto just stared back at the child incredulously. He turned to look back at the Hokage to search for an explanation.
"This is my grandson, Konohamaru," the Sandaime said fondly.
Naruto's eyes snapped back to the still fuming child. So this was the grandson. He remembered when the kid had been born. He'd meant to meet him but then the Uchiha Massacre happened and things had gotten…complicated.
"Hey! You tripped me! I want an apology!" The kid insisted and crossed his arms. "Don't you know who I am?"
"Hokage-sama just told me," Naruto replied, unimpressed. "And you tripped over your scarf, kid."
"You totally tripped me!" Konohamaru scowled.
"Okay, whatever you say," Naruto dismissed. He had to get back to work and he wasn't going to stand here and argue with a kid. "My bad."
Konohamaru glared at him for a long moment before a look of realization crossed his face.
"You're trying to take down my grandpa before me!" He yelled. "You won't win! I'm going to be the one to take him down and I'll be the new Hokage!"
Naruto sighed. Was this karma for thinking that the Sandaime should retire? They really did need someone younger but this was a joke. What was wrong with this kid?
"You know that's not how it works, right?"
"The Hokage is the strongest in the whole village," Konohamaru scowled. "If I beat him, then I'll be the strongest!"
His logic was technically correct. It was a child's reasoning but Naruto wasn't sure how to explain the much more complicated selection process. He shook his head; this was ridiculous. He was not here to debate this. He needed to get back to work. His own pile of paperwork was probably growing even as he stood here.
"It takes a lot more than that to become Hokage," was what he settled for before he bowed low to the village leader and began to walk out of the office.
The door was flung open once again and Naruto huffed a breath in exasperation. Why did everyone decide to come to the Hokage's office while he was there? All he had wanted to do was drop the papers, get out of there, and resume avoiding the Sandaime at any given opportunity.
"Honorable Grandson!" Ebisu swept into the room dramatically.
He'd run across Genma's genin teammate a couple times in the past but he didn't know him that well. He always wore a bandana over his head like Genma-sensei and a pair of round, black sunglasses that hid his eyes. He was dressed in his usual nondescript navy jounin uniform. He knew the guy had a stick up his ass about things being 'by-the-book' but he was a decent shinobi.
"Hokage-sama, I apologise more profusely for this interruption," Ebisu simpered. "Honorable Grandson, we must go."
"It's quite alright, Ebisu," the Hokage smiled gently. "I'm always pleased to be able to see my grandson."
"Hey, this guy tripped me!" Konohamaru stomped his foot. "He admitted it!"
Ebisu's gaze snapped to Naruto, ready to reprimand him but stopped short as he processed who he was. Naruto raised an eyebrow expectantly. While he wasn't Ebisu's direct superior, he'd noticed that shinobi of all ranks had been treating him differently since his promotion. It wasn't just the new chunin in the office now but even the seasoned chunin and jounin were deferring to him more and more. He wasn't sure why and he'd made attempts to get them to stop but it was a fruitless effort.
"Honorable Grandson, I'm sure you're mistaken," Ebisu hesitated. "I'm sure Uzumaki meant no offence."
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Naruto, Ebisu?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "You know I hate it when people call me by my clan name, especially when they're older than me. I'm Genma-sensei's student; you don't have to be so formal."
Konohamaru's eyes darted back and forth between them in confusion.
"Now, the kid tripped over his own scarf," Naruto continued firmly. "Stop treating him like glass just because he's the Hokage's grandson. You're going to produce a spoiled brat instead of a good shinobi. Treat him like a normal kid, for Kami's sake, he has a name. Now I'm going to go back to my office; make sure the kid doesn't follow."
At those last words Naruto pushed past the other tokubetsu jounin and left the office, slightly annoyed at the exchange. He had enough going to be worried about another kid. He missed Konohamaru's considering gaze that stuck to him until he was out of sight.
A few weeks later, well into the month of June, Naruto found himself once again in the Hokage's office. He stood at attention beside Kazuya, waiting for the Sandaime to speak.
"The chunin exams will commence in just under three weeks, as you're well aware, and the time for sending out messengers has come."
Naruto kept his face neutral. Of course he knew, he'd been one of the ones helping to organize it. It'd been a lot of work so far and Naruto hadn't realized until now how much planning such an event required.
"Other than Iwa, we are sending jounins to each of the shinobi villages with an invitation and details on the chunin exams and how to register and attend."
"Why not use hawks?" Kazuya asked.
"Not secure," Naruto answered for him. "They can be intercepted and the details of the RSVPs can be altered. Sending a jounin means that there is a direct and secure line of communication and decreases the chances of someone using the event to attack us."
"Indeed, Naruto," the Hokage nodded. "I'm sending you two to Kirigakure."
"Why Kirigakure?" Naruto couldn't help but inquire, the choice seeming to come out of the blue.
"Tanigakure still has a blanket ban on your team and Kumo has too much interest after the Bingo Book incident. Taki, Suna, Ame and Kusa are being handled by other teams. Kiri is the only one I could send you to."
"Why send us at all?" Kazuya demanded, trying to be respectful in his worry. "Naruto is more of a security risk than ever and he has plenty of information that the other villages would love to get their hands on. Why take the risk?"
"While Naruto is at more risk, he is also more than capable of protecting himself. His A-rank status is more than earned and between the two of you, you're one of the most capable teams I'm sending out."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, scanning the old man's face. There was something different about him; he wasn't acting like himself. Things had been strained between them but this was something else.
"But who's going to do my work while I'm gone?" Naruto asked dubiously. "I'm helping to organize the whole thing."
"Nemori and Shikaku will take over your workload."
"That doesn't explain why it has to be us."
The Hokage sighed deeply, folding his hands in front of him.
"The new Mizukage has requested an Uzumaki be sent," he admitted carefully. "Rio and his team are not ready for this kind of responsibility so it has to be you."
"Isn't it kind of suspicious that they asked for Naruto specifically, especially since the update to the Bingo Book was only a month or so ago?"
The Hokage placed his hands flat on the table and rose from his seat.
"There will be no further discussion on the matter. You are to deliver the invitation to the Mizukage, find out what they want, and bring their answer back. That is all. You are dismissed."
Naruto and Kazuya bowed low and exited the office. As soon as the door closed behind them, Kazuya shook his head, frustration visible on his face.
"I don't like this, Aka-chan," he frowned.
"We don't have a choice no matter how weird it is," Naruto patted his friend's shoulder. "We have our orders. Besides, I'm a bit curious about why they want to see me."
"To fucking kidnap you is my bet," Kazuya grumbled beneath his breath.
"Didn't you think the Sandaime was a bit off today?" he asked, voicing his thoughts aloud.
"Isn't he always off around you?"
"There was definitely something off about him," Naruto frowned. "He seemed even less thrilled than we are about sending us to Kiri."
"We still have to go," his friend rolled his eyes.
Naruto nudged his shoulder and began to walk towards the Desk offices. He had to make sure the Desk wouldn't make any mistakes while he was away. He'd sufficiently reamed them for their fuck ups last time but he didn't want to take any chances.
Naruto took a deep breath of the salty air, the taste lingering on his tongue. They'd been stuck on this boat for four days and as the vessel finally began to approach land he was more than ready to disembark. He hadn't been seasick like Kazuya had during the first two days but he had firmly decided that the sea was not in his future.
Kazuya flopped over the side of the boat dramatically, staring at the approaching land mass with longing. He didn't look ill anymore but Naruto had rarely seen him so flustered.
"I think this is officially the worst mission we've ever had," He groaned. "The Lands of Rivers and Suna have nothing on this."
Naruto snorted and Kazuya turned betrayed eyes on him.
"Kaz, the Land of Rivers mission went so bad we're still banned and in Suna we were framed and then attacked by a sleep-deprived Jinchūriki. I hardly think being a bit seasick measures up to those; we haven't been attacked yet."
"You're just saying that because you don't feel sick," Kazuya said petulantly.
Naruto shook his head in amusement. Kazuya could be such a baby when he got ill; thankfully, it was a rare occurrence.
"I still don't know why we're even here in the first place!" his friend grumbled. "I've tried to rack my brains as to why Hokage-sama would risk you on something anyone could do."
Naruto nodded; he'd also been thinking the same. After Kumo, it'd been assumed that he'd be confined to the village barring any extenuating circumstances. He didn't think this counted and even Shikaku had mentioned before they left that they'd already had someone to go to Kiri. It'd been changed at the last moment to their team.
What changed? Something had to have happened recently; someone didn't want them in the village. Why would someone want them specifically away from Konoha? What had he done recently to cause this?
He paused.
"Oh shit."
Kazuya raised an eyebrow at him.
"What?"
"I think I know why we were sent away."
Kazuya heaved a heavy sigh, dropping his head to hand over the edge of the boat.
"What did you do?"
"I don't think it was the Hokage that was behind sending us on this mission," Naruto continued, not even hearing Kazuya. "It had to be someone high enough that the Hokage couldn't just shut them down so maybe the Elders? This must mean I'm getting close."
He felt someone shake his shoulders and he looked into Kazuya's pink eyes.
"Naruto, what did you do?" He said slowly, his grip tight.
"I've been investigating the Uchiha Massacre," he blurted out. "There were too many things about that night that didn't add up and so I've been doing some digging, you know. To find out what really happened that night; why Itachi killed his clan. There are connections to Uchiha Shisui's suicide that they aren't talking about and that Uchiha signature I sensed that night. Itachi didn't do it alone."
Kazuya let go, taking a couple of unsteady steps back.
"I've been scanning the signatures around the village and since I've been training the ANBU, I know their signatures now," Naruto pushed on frantically. "There's a cohort of chakra signatures running around Konoha, ANBU level signatures, and I can't find anything about them. I don't know who they belong to. I tried following a couple but their signature disappeared. The only thing I can think of are seals that block chakra sensing but why would they be there?"
Kazuya shook his head in bewilderment.
"You know what you sound like, right?" He stated faintly. "You sound like one of those conspiracy drunkards that practically live in the bars."
"Kaz, do you really think that someone could kill a whole clan, single handedly, and no one would notice until it was over?" He demanded, frustrated. "There's something going on! The Hokage ordered that I lie to everyone about what happened; that there wasn't a second Uchiha!"
Kazuya switched his gaze back to the approaching shore. Naruto sighed; maybe he shouldn't have dumped this on Kazuya right now. He'd had years and the thought was still surreal even to him. He just knew he was right and Sasuke deserves the truth. All the fallen Uchiha deserved the truth.
"Look, I'm sorry I never told you but it's an S-rank secret what happened that night," he offered. "The rest of it doesn't make sense without knowing about the stuff that was already being covered up. You can't tell anyone."
"What, that there's apparently a conspiracy above even the Hokage with invisible shinobi and the death of a whole clan and no one knows but you?" Kazuya shook his head. "No one would believe me anyway."
"The Sandaime and I might have our differences-"
"That's the real reason you fell out, wasn't it?" Kazuya interrupted abruptly.
"It doesn't matter now," Naruto shrugged. "There are a lot of things I disagree with him about. Anyway, he wouldn't intentionally put us into a vulnerable position like this; it puts the village in a bad position too. He was acting strange when he issued us this mission and it makes me think that he wasn't the one who assigned us it. I think it was one of the Elders. It means I'm getting close to something they don't want me to find."
"Let's just quit talking about it, okay?" Kazuya frowned. "We have more immediate things to be concerned with than some conspiracy about people who are already dead."
Naruto nodded although he couldn't help the disappointment at Kazuya's reaction. His friend was never one for mysteries; he much preferred to deal with what was in front of him. It's one of the things that made him such a great medic. He was excellent at solving problems and dealing with emergencies but he was never one for the big picture.
A silence emerged between them as they pulled into the harbor. As Naruto followed his teammate off the boat, they were met by two Kiri nin. One was tall, as tall as Kakashi, with bandages acting as a mask and a huge cleaver-like sword strapped to his back. Naruto could sense his wet, roiling chakra that was a giveaway that he was from Kiri but Naruto could also taste iron at the back of his throat.
The other was much shorter and looked to be about his age. At first glance Naruto was sure they were a girl but there was something in their frame that suggested otherwise. Either way, they were beautiful, with two long locks of brown hair framing their heart-shaped face and soft brown eyes scanning them carefully. Their chakra was cold but not harsh, like freshly fallen snow; it was one of the nicest signatures Naruto had ever felt, a breath of fresh air.
"Welcome to Gaiyou Naval Base," the man announced, crossing his thick, bare arms. "I am Momochi Zabuza and this is Haku. We are to be your guides to your meeting with the Mizukage."
Kazuya bowed slightly and Naruto quickly followed suit.
"I am Arai Kazuya and this is Uzumaki Naruto. Thank you for your consideration."
"Uzumaki?" Haku asked, their voice soft.
"You did request one," Naruto answered wryly.
"You must be related to the kid," Zabuza scoffed. "Figures there would be more than one."
The Kiri nin began to walk and Naruto followed.
"You know Rio?"
"The brat saved our lives," Zabuza admitted reluctantly although Naruto could detect an undertone of fondness in his voice. "Meddling little shit if I ever saw one."
"That's an Uzumaki trait," Kazuya piped up, chuckling.
Haku slowed down to walk beside him and Naruto returned their gentle smile.
"You taught your kin well," Haku complimented. "He told me that I could have more than one chance to achieve my dreams; that as long as I was alive, I could try over and over again. I hold those words close to my heart."
Warmth flooded through Naruto at their words. He'd heard what had happened in Wave but he didn't get any specifics. This only reinforced the pride he felt for his little brother. He was growing up into an incredible person.
"I didn't need to teach Rio anything," Naruto beamed. "My brother's brilliant all on his own."
"You don't look like you're related," Zabuza shot back at them.
"We get that a lot." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "We take after different parents."
He turned to Haku.
"Thanks for not killing Sasuke," he tilted his head. "He means a lot to me; he's family, you know?"
Zabuza scoffed.
"Haku's too soft to kill anyone if he can help it." It sounded like an insult but the love and care in his gaze as he looked back at the other Kiri nin was unmistakable. "The kids weren't in danger with him."
"They were worthy opponents although I much prefer them as friends," Haku chuckled.
Their conversation died down as the pace began to pick up. Soon they were well on their way to Kirigakure.
Rio ducked beneath a branch, his breath leaving him in heavy gasps and sweat pouring down his face. His legs were beginning to burn with the strain of running for so long. He paused to sniff the air and he lunged in a different direction, desperately trying to get away from his pursuer. He pushed chakra to his ears and heard the almost silent footfalls behind him. The sound pushed him to run faster, having abandoned stealth a while ago.
Panic flooded through him as the footfalls grew closer and before he could blink his chest hit the ground, his head bouncing off the dirt floor. He groaned as the wind was knocked out of him and as he lay spread-eagled, his limbs turned to jelly. He might not be able to get back up again. He craned his neck back to see the dog sitting on his back, looking far too pleased with himself.
"Was that really necessary, Ūhei?"
The hound bared his teeth in a grin and hopped off of him, plonking himself down and watching Rio struggle to haul himself upright. At least it wasn't Bull; Rio had been squashed by the massive bulldog once and it wasn't something he wanted to experience again. Ūhei was a brown and white greyhound with bandages wrapped around his neck, forehead and ears and Rio knew for a fact he was one of the best trackers of Kakashi's ninken. It was totally unfair that Kakashi sent him after Rio.
Ūhei began to nudge his shoulder and Rio struggled to his feet, glaring half-heartedly down at the summon.
"You could have taken it a bit easier on me," he pouted.
The greyhound just trotted out in front of him, leading the way back to the others. Rio trudged after him. He didn't know how long he'd managed to evade the hound but he hoped it was longer than his teammates.
After a while, they finally broke through the tree line and Rio could see Kakashi sitting against Bull, flicking through his orange book. Surrounding him was the rest of the pack in various states of sleep. Bisuke and Guruko had formed a pile with Shiba while Pakkun lounged in a particularly sunny patch of grass. He grinned as he spotted Sasuke and Sakura sitting beside their trackers, in equal states of annoyance.
"So Akino and Urushi caught you guys, huh?" He plopped himself down in front of his teammates, leaning back against Ūhei as the hound settled behind him. "Who got caught first?"
Sakura grumbled as Sasuke pointed at her. Akino wagged his tail and Rio beamed at him. The golden retriever had a long, tan coat, with a pair of sunglasses perched on his white snout and the same navy jacket that all the ninken wore. The dog nudged Sakura's arm and she patted his head gently, a smile breaking through her annoyance. He watched Sasuke try to ignore his own dog, Urushi tilting his head and boring his angry looking eyes into the Uchiha. He looked intimating, with his spiky light-brown hair and sharp teeth, but Rio knew that he was really a big softie. All the ninken were to some extent.
"You did well, Rio-chan," Pakkun padded his way towards them. "You still have a lot of work to do but your instincts are as sharp as ever."
Kakashi closed his book and eye-smiled at them.
"Mah, you all did better than expected for your first evasion training," he drawled. "We'll have to keep at it."
Rio's shoulders sank and he didn't have to look at his teammates to know that theirs had done the same. Kakashi had been true to his word and had been taking training more seriously. They were stuck with the dodge training Kakashi got from Genma and the man had added daily physical conditioning and taijutsu practice. They had also received a couple of jutsu each to learn and Kakashi kept ambushing them with genjutsu. Rio wasn't proud to say that it had once taken him three hours to realise he was in one; it had never been his strong point.
He could feel himself getting stronger. He could ran further and faster and things that he had to spend several seconds thinking about were now instinctual. He had noticed the change in his teammates too. Sasuke had been quiet since they came back, even more than usual, and he attacked the training like it was his last chance to improve. Sakura left Sasuke alone completely now other than official team stuff and Rio knew she was doing training outside of this. She'd built up muscles since graduation and Rio was now wary of being hit in their taijutsu spars.
"So are you guys summons?" Sakura asked curiously, a hand still curled into Akino's fur.
Pakkun nodded.
"We are," he said. "Kakashi-kun made a contract with us many years ago and we've been working with him ever since. We are mainly utilized for tracking but Kakashi has found other uses for us over the years; including babysitting this one."
Pakkun nodded his head in Rio's direction.
"The best days were when Kashi-sensei summoned you," Rio leaned further back, gazing up at the sky in reminiscence. "I remember using Bull as a jungle gym and I'm pretty sure you all let me win at hide-and-seek."
"So you've really known Kaka-sensei for a long time," Sakura mused, her green eyes switching between them.
"Yeah, you knew that," Rio shrugged. "My brother had the academy and stuff when I was little so I had a bunch of babysitters."
It was strange to think of back then. He'd been so oblivious of the stuff going on around him; Nii-san protected him from a lot. It must've been so hard for Nii-san to juggle the academy and looking after him and whatever else he had going on at the time.
"Who else?"
"Tenjirou-jiisan, Jiji, Tsume-baachan, even Genma after Nii-san graduated. It happened less after we moved into the apartment and stopped completely after I joined the academy but I made a lot of friends that way."
They were distracted by Kakashi clapping his hands.
"Okay, my cute, little genin," he chirped. "Say goodbye to the ninken because it's time for today's D-rank!"
Rio dropped his head back onto Ūhei's back. He hated D-ranks, no matter how important they were to the village. Kakashi better not have them picking up trash again; they stank for days after that mission.
Naruto stood with his eyes closed, quietly listening to the world around him. He knew Kazuya hated it when he did this but only people with sensing abilities could really understand. He could see more like this; he could feel the Mizukage and a jounin-level signature beyond the door in front of them. He could feel the bustle of the Kiri shinobi below them, moving around the building and the civilians beyond, navigating the market. Haku's cold signature had moved away with Zabuza's and he could feel them lingering somewhere below them.
There was a whole world that he could feel and it was hard to describe. He could always sense the world around him; there was a part of him that was never present in the moment. At this point he didn't know what it was like to not have this extra information constantly running in the back of his brain. He imagined it was much quieter but he also thought it would be constricting; to be trapped in his own head.
He opened his eyes as the doors opened and he stepped through the archway, Kazuya at his heels. The office wasn't as big as the Hokage's and it seemed colder somehow. The walls were made up of large stone bricks and they were pretty bare; there were two tan cupboards set in the walls either side of the Mizukage's desk and a small picture of the Land of Water. The carpet beneath their feet, leading to the Mizukage's desk was a deep blue, the fibres being highlighted by the natural light from the wide window behind the Mizukage's desk. The woman herself was seated behind the round desk, with a lilac cloth banner hanging about her head and her title engraved into the front of the table.
Terumī Mei was an imposing figure and her scorching chakra was a stark contrast to the room around her. Her long auburn hair was partially tied up into a topknot, with several stands framing her face and covering her right eye. Her dark blue dress showed off her pale shoulders and her green eyes scanned them contemplatively.
Kazuya bowed low as they stopped in front of her and Naruto quickly followed suit. His eyes flickered over to the man at her side; he could feel him probing. He was a sensor. He straightened and turned to look the shinobi square in the eye. Short, blue hair was spiked up and a black eye-patch covered his right eye. Naruto noticed something about the hidden eye and he narrowed his own gaze.
"Welcome Konoha," the Mizukage began. "I understand you have something for us."
Kazuya moved forward, slowly extending the scroll to her. The man next to her tensed but she took the scroll and rolled it open, scanning the contents. She placed it to one side and looked back up at them.
"Thank you for making the journey to deliver this invitation," her green eyes latched onto Naruto. "Uzumaki, was it?"
Naruto resisted the urge to cross his arms and roll his eyes; he wasn't in Konoha right now. He had to be careful.
"Uzumaki Naruto, Mizukage-sama," he confirmed. "My teammate is Arai Kazuya. We understand you asked for an Uzumaki specifically."
"I did," she acknowledged. "I saw your entry in the Bingo Book and I must admit I grew curious. We had a beneficial relationship with the Land of Whirlpools many years ago before they were wiped out by Kumo and Iwa."
She looked him in the eye.
"You resemble the Uzumaki of old quite prominently."
"I have heard that before," he replied neutrally.
"It's truly remarkable," she continued. "Red hair, fūinjutsu, sensing; do you have their healing abilities also?"
Naruto shrugged. He wasn't sure how to answer that. Whatever healing properties he may have inherited, it wasn't enough to save him. It might just be slowing it down a bit.
"If I may interrupt, Mizukage-sama, why did you wish to speak with an Uzumaki?" Kazuya spoke up, eyeing her warily.
Naruto closed his eyes and centred his chakra on the woman. The searing, hot chakra was the first thing he could feel, no doubt a product of her bloodline limits. Digging deeper, he could sense the almost damp energy that was shared among all Kiri shinobi. She was strong; her reserve was huge. His eyes snapped open as he finally found what he was looking for, hidden behind the much more prominent aspects of her signature. If he hadn't known how to find it, it would have been impossible to identify; perhaps all those years of cataloguing chakra signatures were paying off.
"What are you doing?"
A deep voice cut through his concentration as he felt a chakra signature probe back at him. It was much less experienced and decisive but it was more than Naruto had felt before. He opened his eyes and met the stern blue eye.
"You have a sensor of your own, Mizukage-sama?"
"This is Ao," she gestured to him. "He indeed possesses some natural sensing ability."
"Not much, but more than most people I've met," Naruto nodded, grunting softly as Kazuya elbowed him in the ribs. "No offence, Mizukage-sama."
She frowned.
"Ao is the most powerful sensor in Kirigakure."
Naruto considered her words before he turned fully towards the man.
"What can you sense? What can you tell me about Kazuya's chakra signature? How many people are in this building?"
Ao was taken aback for a moment, looking at his leader for permission. The Mizukage nodded with her face open and curious.
"There are seventeen people in this building and I can differentiate between them," he answered calmly, his back straightening. "I can tell how much chakra your teammate has and that he is not from Kirigakure."
"That's not bad at all," Naruto grinned. "Way more than anyone else I've met. Does the Byakugan help with your sensing?"
The man stiffened and the air grew heavy with tension. Naruto glanced around, confused at the sudden change in atmosphere. He looked at Kazuya and his friend's pink eyes were screaming something at him.
"How do you know about the Byakugan?" The Mizukage leaned forward intently, her expression closed.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" He said slowly. "His eye, while integrated into the rest of his chakra network, is still distinctive. It's like a beacon."
No one answered him for a moment and he realised that it was not in fact obvious. He thought he'd gotten better at that. Since Tenzo he really had tried to keep what he felt to himself but he slipped up sometimes. He forgot that what he could feel wasn't normal.
"And you can sense this?" she tilted her head.
"Yeah," Naruto nodded, before he remembered where he was. "I mean, yes, Mizukage-sama."
"You asked Ao some questions," she leaned back in her chair, seemingly dismissing the fact he unearthed a village secret. "I'd like you to answer them now."
"He was right about there being seventeen people in this building and I can also separate them by signature. I can also tell you how much chakra training they've received, if they have a bloodline limit, their total supply, what chakra nature they possess and which village and clan they are from."
"That is not possible." Ao spoke up harshly, scowling deeply.
"It's taken me years," Naruto shrugged. "I've had this ability since I was three and I can't turn it off. I also need a few minutes to get most of that information. I only started with the chakra nature aspect five years ago."
"Impressive," the Mizukage smiled, although the edges were sharp. "And what is your range?"
"Passively, most of the village; actively, a few hundred metres beyond the village borders."
The Kiri nin exchanged a look and Naruto decided to end this.
"You called for an Uzumaki, not a sensor," he stated calmly. "Mizukage-sama, you requested me because of your own lineage."
He could feel Kazuya burning a hole into the side of his skull. His friend was going to kill him after this. The Mizukage turned to him in surprise.
"How did you know?"
"It's buried deep but I can sense it. We're pretty distinctive after all; it's not every day I sense chakra like mine."
She stared at him for a long moment, Ao bristling at her side.
"You are correct, Uzumaki; I am descended from one of the survivors. I have no clan so you are the closest I have and I wanted to meet you. I am sorry for the false pretences."
"It's okay," he grinned. "There's always room for more family. There's so little of us left that we have to stick together, you know?"
Her eyes widened before a matching smile spread across her face.
"I am glad you see it that way."
Naruto disembarked the boat, glad to be back on friendly soil. It was nice to breathe and not inhale half the sea with it.
"I'm glad we went," he beamed at Kazuya. "They may not be coming for the chunin exams but I think it went really well."
"Yeah, I get what she was saying about still trying to establish herself as a leader," Kazuya answered, shooting a hateful look back at the boat. "You, my friend, are a lucky man. There aren't many village leaders who would tolerate how casual you can be."
"I can't believe I'm related to the Mizukage," Naruto ignored his remark. "Rio is going to flip."
"What about what she was saying about re-establishing the Uzumaki clan?"
Naruto paused.
"I've never thought about it before," he admitted. "I don't even know the rules about clans. I thought there would have to be more of us."
He shook away the thought.
"Either way, that's something for the future," he grinned. "Right now, we have a strong ally in Kirigakure; that's something no one thought would happen."
"All you need is Iwa and you've got the set," Kazuya poked him in the side.
Naruto stuck out his tongue at his friend. He wasn't allowed near the Land of Earth; not even Danzo and Elders would be that stupid. He dreaded to think of the day that the Tsuchikage found out that the blood of the Yellow Flash lived on. They picked up the pace and a comfortable silence settled between them; they had a couple of days of running before they would be back in the village. Naruto already had a list a mile long of all the stuff he had to do.
It was three hours later that something distracted Naruto from his mental to-do list. He tilted his head but kept on running as he tried to pinpoint what it was. He pushed his range out but he couldn't feel any chakra signatures.
"Kaz, do you see anything?"
His friend looked over at him with an eyebrow raised.
"Should I?"
"I don't know."
Kazuya began to slow down and Naruto joined him. There was something he was missing. He didn't like this feeling; he was normally so in tune with everything around him. It had been a long time since something had surprised him and he just felt like there was something waiting to pounce. He stopped and closed his eyes, focusing fully on his sensing ability. He still couldn't sense anyone out there.
"Naruto?"
He waved a hand at Kazuya as he continued to concentrate. He picked something up briefly and he focused his energies in that particular direction. There was no chakra signature but he could feel something. It was small; like an animal but not. It felt familiar too. What was it?
"Naruto?"
His eyes snapped open as he clicked.
"Shit, we need to move."
"Naruto, what are you sensing?"
"Remember that seal in Konoha? The one that blocked my ability to sense those not-ANBU?"
"Yeah?"
"I can't sense any chakra signatures but I can sense active seals," he said nervously. "I'm feeling them moving towards us. I think they stuck those chakra blocker seals to themselves specifically so they could sneak up on me."
"Shit." Kazuya ran a hand through his hair. "That's premeditated shit. They knew where we would be and when."
Naruto's stomach dropped as he got the final number.
"Kaz, we need to run."
His friend snapped his gaze over to him.
"How many?"
"About thirty. Chunin and jounin at least."
"Who the fuck did you piss off?"
"Now is not the time!"
Naruto darted into the bush with Kazuya hot on his heels. He was still running in the direction of where he could sense some of the seals but they were in every direction; they were surrounded. He could feel the seals speed up after them and he cursed. The ones up ahead were getting closer.
"Kaz, we need to split up."
"What the fuck, Naruto? That's a terrible plan!"
"They're after me!" He snapped back. "I can draw their attention and you can go for help! There's no point in both of us getting caught!"
"I am not leaving you," his pink eyes were stern. "There are too many, even for you!"
"Too many for both of us."
Naruto held his gaze as he stopped in the middle of a clearing. Kazuya hesitated and Naruto could see the conflict in him.
"I need you to go for help, Kazuya."
He knew there wouldn't be enough time for Kazuya to find help and get back. Not with these numbers but he wouldn't forgive himself if Kazuya died for something Naruto did. He was the one that pushed the Uchiha investigation; that kept trying to find the not-ANBU. Whoever sent these shinobi after him, they weren't after Kazuya. He'd be damned if Rio lost both his brothers.
"For Rio."
Kazuya sent him a filthy look.
"I'm going to give you hell when I see you again," he hissed. "You hear me?"
"I can't wait."
Kazuya vanished into a shunshin as Naruto sent out a huge pulse of chakra into his surroundings, alerting the enemy to his location. Kazuya reappeared somewhere to his left and while he hadn't quite escaped them all he stood a much better chance. Naruto pulled out some kunai and palmed them, settling into a defensive stance.
He only saw a headband with a single music note before they descended on him.
Thanks for reading!
