"Talking"
'Thinking'
Jutsu/ Bijuu/ Summons
Flashbacks and Setting
I don't own Naruto
Chapter 8: Questioning Loyalties
At The Next Monthly Council Meeting
"How is our rebuilding process looking this month? Any updates?" the Sandaime Hokage asked his council. It had been over 7 years since the Kyuubi attack, and while they had rebuilt most of their village's physical infrastructure, they had yet to recover completely.
It wasn't so easy to replace experienced shinobi, as it took years of training, and then even more years of gathering experience. It was a little easier to replace craftsmen and business people, as the replacements now had something like 7 years of experience under their belts. Still, they were still a work in process, and couldn't equate to the skilled workforce who had perished in the attack, as they had decades of experience.
"Our economic sector is slowly, but steadily recovering still. We've had a 5% increase in productivity from our workforce compared to the same time last year, and we're getting close to reaching 90% of our pre-Kyuubi levels of revenue from business and trade." One civilian council member reported.
"Still, that's not to say everything is all rosy. We're still short of reaching our goal in trade revenue. The quality of our products still hasn't reached pre-Kyuubi levels, and their image in other villages are even lower than their actual quality. We currently need to secure more trade partners." Mebuki reported.
"We've received reports from our team in Kusagakure (Hidden Grass Village). They say talks have been going well, and we might have them as trade partners in a bigger capacity if talks go through." A different civilian councilor added.
"Good, good. I knew I made the right choice sending that team." Hiruzen said in approval to that bit of news. Looked like things were slowly improving in Konoha, though not as fast as they hoped. Still, some progress was better than none.
"Only problem is that our revenue is increasing, but our expenditure is still way too high for us to be saving up any significant kind of money. Our coffers are still nearly empty, and we have nothing in terms of emergency funds. Another disaster to the village, and we might not be able to recover." Mebuki told Hiruzen. "Perhaps we could ramp up mission frequency again?" She suggested to the old Hokage.
The Nara Clan head spoke up. "Our emergency level of mission frequency is unsustainable. Our shinobi began to decrease in efficacy after a few months of non-stop missions, which started to impact the image of the quality and efficiency of our shinobi. It might make more money in the short term, but it does more harm than good in the long run. Which is why we stopped doing that and started giving adequate time to rest after missions again." Shikaku explained to the civilian council, who didn't understand shinobi matters that well.
"He is correct Councilor Haruno. Shikaku, please tell us the current state of Shinobi affairs." The old Sarutobi asked.
"Hai Hokage-sama. We've been able to add to the number of Jonin we have, coming close to 87% of pre-Kyuubi numbers, but they don't have as much experience as the shinobi we lost, who were battle-tested veterans of the 3rd Shinobi War. Honestly, their quality is slightly questionable. We have quite a few promising Chunin however, though the overall number of Chunin are slightly smaller than what we were hoping for due to the number of promotions we were forced to give to meet the required number of Jonin."
The Sandaime frowned. Quantity over quality it seemed. Oh well. The quantity could gain more experience and gain the quality with time.
"How's our image in terms of shinobi quality?" the old man asked.
"Luckily our small drop in shinobi quality hasn't been noticed by the others. We've also produced a few gems to fill in the shoes of the fallen, and if anything, prodigies like Shisui, Itachi, and Naruto are giving the appearance that we are still just as strong. Team Omega is also striking fear into the hearts of many and have given our ANBU a huge boost in reputation. Our ANBU have never been in a better position before." Shikaku reported. The ANBU commander smirked under his mask.
"Excellent. We are quite fortunate that we have had young talent who have stepped up to go above and beyond our expectations." Hiruzen commented.
"We also have some reports from Jiraiya-sama." Shikaku told the Sandaime.
"Let's hear it." Hiruzen gave Shikaku permission to speak.
"According to Jiraiya-sama, his spy network has heard reports of an uneasy atmosphere and strange, unconfirmed activity from Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village). We haven't been able to confirm anything, as no one has been able to enter or leave Ame without Hanzo knowing."
"This is troubling. I'll look for a team to go confirm these reports." The Sandaime stated.
"There are also reports from our spies in Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village), and Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village). They're beginning to suspect that we are not in as strong of a position as we are projecting to the world." Shikaku told the council. He paused for a moment to say what was next on the report. This was troublesome news after all. "Apparently they're also wondering if you are as strong of a leader as you once were."
"That is absurd. What makes them think that all of a sudden?" Akimichi Chouza blurted out in question.
"It's not all of a sudden. Our spies suspect our handling of the Hyuuga Incident may have planted seeds of doubt in their minds. The Raikage took a gamble to probe our position, and he may have gotten lucky with his guess.
Hiruzen sighed. The Raikage had been furious his ambassador came back in what was essentially a glorified shoe box. He accused Konoha of breaching the terms of their peace treaty. When Konoha explained it was in retaliation to the ambassador's attempted kidnapping of the Hyuuga heiress, Kumo refused to believe them, and threatened them with war.
Konoha was in no position for a war with the most militaristic village who also had the largest shinobi forces. It had only been 3 years since the Kyuubi destroyed a huge portion of the village, and they simply could not afford a fight. They appeased Kumo with a large sum of money, which they had to pay in installments, and a new treaty that was favorable to Kumo.
Danzo seethed. He had argued that they should call Kumo's bluff. As damaged as they were, they could still put up a fight. His ROOT ANBU could be used in asymmetrical warfare, hitting Kumo in unexpected and crucial spots, but still leaving Kumo unaware of the culprits. Kumo wouldn't risk throwing themselves into a war to gain little, over a wrong they knew they committed. Hiruzen didn't want to risk it, however, and disregarded Danzo's advice. Danzo knew he had been too soft.
The bandaged elder spoke up. "While we aren't in as weak of a position as they suspect or hope, they aren't completely wrong either. You aren't as strong as you once were Hiruzen. It's time you start to consider choosing a successor." The strength Danzo was referring to wasn't in terms of fighting prowess, and more in strength to make hard decisions. Hiruzen had successfully led them through the 3rd Shinobi war, but had come out a changed man. He hated war, and wanted to avoid war at all costs.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. Leave it to Danzo to talk about switching Hokages. His bandaged teammate had wanted to be Hokage since the 2nd Shinobi War, and didn't even try to hide it. "Well, I'm not as young as I once was Danzo, but I assure you, I am still strong enough to protect this village. From internal and external threats." He warned Danzo subtly.
"Perhaps Hokage-sama. But maybe it's best you choose a successor and groom him for the position while you're still strong, so that we may have a peaceful and seamless transition." Shibi, the Aburame Clan head, proposed.
Fugaku saw this as the opening he had been waiting for. "Might I suggest my son Itachi for the position? As we all know, he is one of our rising stars. One of our best and brightest. He is wise beyond his years. Perhaps Hokage-sama could groom him for 6 years, until he reaches 20."
"Aren't you worried he'll be too young?" Hiruzen asked Fugaku. He liked the boy, but he was currently 14, and better off in the field than in the office. He was one of the few that upheld the reputation of Konoha after all.
"He is only 14 in age Hokage-sama. Mentally I'd say he's already more thoughtful and wiser than most people twice his age. Also, his young age could be a benefit for us. With you as an advisor, especially when he is younger, he could get the experience he needs for the job. Taking the mantle at a young age and guided by one of our finest Hokage's, he could lead for a long time, giving the village the stability it has lacked recently." Fugaku reasoned.
Hiruzen thought about it. It wasn't completely preposterous. It wasn't like his own students were up for the role like he had wished. Jiraiya refused the role, saying he needed freedom to maintain his spy network. Tsunade hated the Hokage position so much that she had left the village claiming the position itself had stolen what was most precious from her. As for Orochimaru? Well, let's just say he was never going to be considered again.
Opposition to Fugaku's suggestion sprang up from his political rival.
"You can't consider this nonsense Hokage-sama. You would have a 14-year-old boy as your first choice for a successor? Granted the boy is a powerful shinobi, but he doesn't have the political acumen necessary to lead a village. It takes more than knowing how to kill people to lead a village. It would be much more prudent to have an older, more experienced shinobi for the role. One of us should be considered if anything. Clan heads have experience managing the affairs of a clan, and are well-versed in politics as well."
Many in the council nodded at that. He did raise some good points.
"Besides, the Uchiha's scheme is as clear as day. He means to place his son as a puppet Hokage, whilst he rules from behind the scenes. We can't trust the Uchiha yet, we have no evidence they were not behind the attack in the first place." The Hyuuga mentioned smugly.
"You dare bring that up again?! How many times must we prove our loyalty? Why is our loyalty in question when we've done nothing but prove ourselves over and over? Our clan has done much more for this village than the Hyuuga Clan ever will!" Fugaku yelled as he slammed his fist on the table.
"What!? How dare you!" Hiashi also stood up.
Arguments and insults began to fly across the council room, and other clans began to get involved as well. It was pure chaos.
Hiruzen silenced them with a shout. "SILENCE!" He released a pulse of killing intent to get their attention, and the angry clan heads began to simmer down as they sat down quietly.
"After much consideration, I have deemed Itachi unfit to be a candidate due to his age and lack of experience. We will consider him again in the future if I don't find a better option. I will continue as Hokage for now. I hope you all can behave yourselves better next meeting. Council dismissed." Hiruzen concluded the meeting angrily, disappointed that his council were not above acting like children.
The Uchiha Clan head left the room angrily. He had proposed a peaceful solution, and all he got in return were insults and mockery. He had no faith in the council. He now knew for certain, from this experience with Itachi, and many previous experiences with Uchiha candidates, that Konoha would never allow an Uchiha to be Hokage.
If they didn't want to play along, he would take matters into his own hands.
At the Academy
It had been over a month since Narumi had entered the Academy now, and things had improved since the disaster in the first day. She was still hated and avoided by most of her classmates, but at least they didn't openly insult her anymore. She still heard them whispering behind her back, and she could sense the negative emotions they had towards her.
Still, things were much better and more bearable now that she had more friends. She had grown closer to Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji over the past month, and last week Aburame Shino joined their little group. Due to her kind and compassionate nature, and being an outcast herself, Narumi didn't like seeing others being alone. She had noticed the other children avoiding the Aburame boy, grossed out by the bugs that crawled all over him. She didn't mind as much, and began to talk to him, and eventually convinced him to hang out with them.
"Ugh! I hate stupid math class! All this stupid homework! I don't even understand what the heck they're saying half the time! Why is Hideko buying 47 watermelons anyway? And why is Tomoki splitting his tonkatsu between 3 people? Who shares 1 tonkatsu with 3 people? Just order 1 per person! Gosh, they're stingier than onii-chan! It makes no sense!" Narumi groaned as she looked down at her book which seemed to mock her.
The Akimichi Clan heir nodded in agreement as he shoved a handful of chips into his mouth. Sharing tonkatsu? The question would have made more sense if it asked why Tomoki ordered 4 more for himself.
"Perhaps they are on a diet. Why? I do not know, but I have observed many people, including our own classmates, consume less calories for some reason." The Aburame boy offered.
"It's to maintain our figure, Shino. Some of us actually care about how we look." Ino said defensively as she glanced at Sasuke to gauge his response. She and Sakura had fallen for Sasuke, like many others, and had been dieting in their attempt to look their best to get his attention. Sasuke didn't seem to care. She had been hanging out with him in their group for a while now, and she still couldn't crack his code. Ino wasn't the type of girl to give up easily though. Being a Yamanaka, she couldn't help but be drawn to mind games. People's psychologies were something begging to be analyzed. She'd find what made Sasuke tick, one day or another.
Speaking of Sakura, the two were slowly drifting apart. Initially it was because Ino wanted to be Narumi's friend, but Sakura didn't, especially after she saw her mother get humiliated by Narumi's brother. Sakura had made new friends in the other bullies now anyway, and didn't need Ino as much. Their rivalry on getting Sasuke's attention just drove the wedge in deeper.
Hinata giggled at her friends' interaction. "P-perhaps you could ask the teachers for extra help after school?" She proposed. Many students got some afterschool tutoring to get help in subjects they were struggling in, whether it was history or shuriken throwing.
"Pffftt. As if those stupid buttfaces would help me anyway." Narumi rolled her eyes.
The redhead's skills in taijutsu and with weapons were increasing steadily; she seemed to grasp the concepts very quickly with a little practice. However, she struggled with more academic studies, and Naruto was often away on missions, unable to help Narumi in her book studies very often.
She had tried her hand at getting help from her instructors, but many of them didn't like her either. They were unable to refuse their help outright, as rumors of Naruto's fierce retaliation to the Haruno woman had spread amongst the teachers, and they feared his wrath. However, they did the bare minimum, and didn't try to hard hide their displeasure.
Narumi could sense the negative emotions, and found it hard to concentrate. She eventually lost the drive to ask for help, as she found it pointless. They made it clear they didn't want to help her, even if they didn't say it. She stopped asking for help, and started only coming to school to see her friends, as the teachers didn't care how she did in school, and largely ignored her. She stopped caring about her academic side, and focused on her physical training. It was much more fun training with her nii-chan, than reading some dumb book anyway.
However, it wasn't just Narumi who had problems with their progress. Sasuke had also been frustrated as of late. While his performance in school was stellar, he had been unsatisfied with himself when it came to physical capabilities. He was one of the top performers in his class in that regard as well, but he had higher standards for himself. He wanted to step out of Itachi's shadow and show himself as a prodigy as well.
Naruto and Itachi were both busy people. However, if Naruto had even the smallest sliver of time, he would spend it with Narumi, and help her with her training. Itachi on the other hand, had other obligations to his clan, and it was getting harder and harder for Sasuke to get training time with him. His mother offered to help, but he wanted help from Itachi, maybe even Shisui, but both of them seemed busier these days, and harder to find. Even when he did find them, they had grim looks on their faces, and were not focused on him, even when they did train him.
He was starting to get envious of Narumi. At least Naruto always had time for her.
At a discrete, isolated part of the village
Itachi and Shisui had been having problems of their own. Their clan was on the verge of a coup, and they seemed to be part of a very, very small minority that was against it. They had been trying to calm the situation down, and work towards cooperation with the village, but it had been largely unsuccessful.
"Last night, Fugaku-sama asked me to use my Mangekyo Sharingan on Narumi when the time comes." Shisui told his younger cousin with a resentful look. Shisui was one of the very, very select group of people in the clan who had awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan, awakening it a few years prior, when he was forced to kill his own teammate during a mission that went south. He regretted telling the clan head of his development.
"Does he really intend to release the Kyuubi again?" Itachi asked out loud, though he was really asking himself. He knew if the Kyuubi was released, or even if its chakra was used, there was no way that Narumi would come out unscathed. She was like a little sister to him, and he didn't want her to be hurt. Why was his father being like this?
"I'm not sure, but we can't take the chance. It will be a catastrophe for the village. We still haven't recovered from the Kyuubi's attack 7 years ago." Shisui responded. "We need to tell Hokage-sama about this."
"And betray the clan? This could be the nail in the coffin for the Uchiha clan." Itachi asked his cousin.
"A nail and coffin that our clan is making for itself." Shisui answered. He sighed seeing Itachi's hopeless look. "Hokage-sama is a reasonable and peaceful man. I'm sure he can help us come up with a peaceful solution."
Itachi thought about it. "And if he can't?"
"Maybe Hokage-sama will just punish the ringleaders and let the rest of the clan off. We are a crucial part of both its internal security and shinobi forces after all."
"If not?" Itachi asked.
Shisui paused. "Then the clan will have to pay the price for treason. We're at the crossroads, Itachi. Whether you want to make the choice between clan and village, the choice will be forced upon you, if you wait long enough. Maybe if you choose earlier, we can reduce the damage."
Shisui seemed to have made his choice already, though Itachi was not ready to make that decision yet. He was sworn as a shinobi of Konoha, to protect her from all dangers. Internal and external. But how could he betray his clan? His own flesh and blood? He was unsure of where his loyalty lied.
He was still thinking, when his ANBU tattoo starting tingling, signaling that he was being summoned.
"I have to go." Itachi told Shisui, as he vanished a shunshin of crows.
"Man, the whole crow shunshin thing was my thing!" Shisui complained out loud to no one in particular, glaring at the empty spot where Itachi stood a second ago. "Totally stole it. Damn Uchiha and stealing people's jutsu." He complained ironically.
At the Hokage's Office
Itachi appeared in the Hokage's office to find Naruto and the Hokage waiting for him.
"You summoned Hokage-sama?" The young Uchiha ANBU captain asked.
"I did. I have a mission for you and Naruto-kun." The Sandaime began. "We've received reports of strange activity from Ame. There are reports of clashes between at least 2 different groups. Amegakure's shared border with us means whatever is going on there could spill over. We need to know what's going on. We have been unable to gather any information from Ame for the last 15 years due to Hanzo's iron fist ruling over Amegakure, and his paranoia, but that lack of information makes the situation potentially more dangerous. We know close to nothing about what has been going on there."
"Will we be leading our respective teams?" the Yondaime's son asked.
The aged Hokage shook his head. "Due to this being an undercover mission, we can't afford to send out large numbers, and risk detection. Hence, we are sending just you, 2 of our finest, especially when it comes to infiltration."
"Understood. We will not fail you Hokage-sama." Itachi answered. Naruto nodded in agreement.
The Sandaime nodded back. "I know."
"Anything else Hokage-sama?" Naruto asked.
"If you two are detected, your priority is to escape. Do not engage in combat unless it's a matter of life and death. We can't risk another war." Hiruzen told the two, who nodded and vanished from the office to leave for their assignment immediately.
The old man pulled out his pipe and began to smoke as he thought about the blonde boy who left his office a minute ago. He always felt guilty when he looked at the boy. He felt as if he should have done more for him following his parents' demise, but he was just so busy.
It wasn't easy maintaining order after such a disaster, with thousands of deaths and destroyed properties, and it wasn't easy overseeing its reconstruction either. He was swamped with responsibilities, and his second term in office had aged him considerably, due to the stress.
Still, he felt as if he had failed to protect the boy and his sister from the wolves in the council, and he definitely failed to protect their inheritance. He had been the biggest voice opposing the use of their inheritance for the rebuilding of the village, but he had been outvoted by the council who argued that the village was in a precarious position and needed the fund immediately.
They argued two children didn't need that much money right now and the needs of the village outweighed their comfort. He tried to salvage the situation somewhat, by making the council promise to refill the Namikaze-Uzumaki bank account when the village was in a better position. They agreed, but that day seemed to be far off.
He had also looked after the two by keeping political enemies off of Naruto's back. Naruto was powerful, one of the top 10 strongest in the village, but he was terrible with politics, rarely considering the consequences of his actions. His latest incident with the Haruno woman had made her an enemy, and she wasn't the first. He barely had any friends, both personally and politically.
He had also vetoed any bill or proposition that regarded weaponizing Narumi. He was very clear about how he felt, and the last person who proposed using Narumi in such a way received lashes and was imprisoned, just like Hiruzen promised to. The number of such propositions dropped to zero after that.
Still, he felt terrible he couldn't protect Naruto's innocence and childhood. The boy was forced to grow up at the age of 7, and essentially had to become an adult overnight. At least mentally and emotionally. He had a heavy burden on his shoulder, and Hiruzen wished he could have done more to help him as he puffed away on his pipe.
Days later, somewhere on the border of Amegakure and Hi no Kuni
2 ANBU, one with a fox mask, and the other with a weasel mask, stealthily moved across the border, into the country where Amegakure was based. The two slowly moved closer and closer to Ame itself, and they had even stopped talking to each other, communicating with ANBU hand signals only to remain undiscovered. They moved in the rain for hours, until Fox spotted somewhere they could camp for the night undetected, getting them out of this damn rain, and signed this information to Weasel who simply nodded.
They sat down to eat their nutrition bars, tasteless things that did nothing but give them the calories and nutrients they needed. They didn't start a fire, not wanting to risk being spotted, or leave a trail. The two were eating in silence when they heard a commotion a short distance away.
The two looked at each other, and nodded. They used their own camouflage jutsu to become unseen, Fox using his Meisagakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Camouflage technique), while Weasel cast a powerful genjutsu over himself to make people overlook his presence. They slowly creeped closer behind some rocks they could hide behind, while still having a view at what was going on.
Ame shinobi were fighting a group of people who were poorly dressed. They had no identifying Hitai-ite, but seemed to be shinobi, based on the fact that they were using Suiton jutsu to fight back against the Ame shinobi. However, they were too few in number, and had old people, children, and other civilians with them that they had to protect, and were promptly cut down by Hanzo's men.
Fox assumed the refugees, or who he thought were refugees based on their attire and composition, would now be captured, only to be shocked when the Ame nin slaughtered all of them, including the children. They left their bodies there for the scavengers, only taking their valuables. Fox fumed, thinking that could have easily been someone like his sister, while Weasel saw their destruction and drew parallels to what could happen to his own family.
The two waited until the Ame nin left before they went and examined the bodies that were callously left behind. They seemed to all be related to each other. A clan perhaps? What were they doing in Ame? Didn't they know better than to cross its borders?
The two gathered all the information they needed before deciding to continue their info gathering. Was this the clashes they were told to look into? Refugees being slaughtered? They suspected either there was some other group that was clashing with Hanzo's men, and this was a coincidental, random, and unfortunate encounter, or there were more refugees coming this way, only to be slaughtered, driven here by something. Whatever it was, they needed to find out what it was.
They moved out, moving closer to Amegakure, until they came across a small village, that was under Ame jurisdiction. They infiltrated the village to gather more information. They agreed to split up to search, and meet up again at a promised location within 10 hours.
Fox spent some time looking around, eavesdropping when he could, and searching behind locked doors, which he easily picked. He eventually stumbled upon a house which seemed to be a depot of confiscated goods, and also a drop point for Hanzo's men, who left things here to be picked up and taken to Ame.
He found a few jutsu scroll, which he sealed away immediately, he would look through them when he was in a safer place. The rest of the things there didn't really catch his interest, and he left them in their place. He finally reached the last room, which had a multitude of locks on it to prevent people from entering. However, to someone like Fox, they might as well have not been there. He used his uniquely high fire release affinity to create a small jet of blue flames to cut through all the locks and bolts.
He was shocked at the loot he found here. It was full of higher rank jutsu scrolls which he sealed promptly, as well as some money and gems, which he greedily sealed away with a lustful smile and slightly crazy eyes. But the crème-de-la-crème of the loot was probably worth more than all the money and gems he sealed away. He had no idea why these things were here, but he knew he was going to make good use of them, especially the one his eyes were locked on. He had always wanted one of his own, but now he had one right before him. A summoning scroll.
Elsewhere in the village, Weasel had been eavesdropping some of Hanzo's shinobi who had been talking about a certain rebel group that they had been fighting. He was surprised someone dared to go against Hanzo the Salamander.
He was known as the strongest shinobi of his time, and had even defeated 3 of the strongest shinobi that Konoha had at the time, simultaneously. He was the one who had given them their legendary title, which they carried with pride, even though they received it after they lost a 3-on-1 fight against the man. The Legendary Sannin of Konoha could not stack up against the man, and now he was hearing there was a man who dared to go against Hanzo? What kind of madness was this?
He thought he heard enough and was planning to slip away, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was surprised someone was able to see through his genjutsu, and turned around to face his opponent. He dropped his genjutsu when he saw a group of 12 Ame Jonin and Chunin, looking for a fight.
"Like what you heard? Hope you did, since it's the last thing you're gonna hear." the man who appeared to be their leader said.
Weasel activated his Sharingan under his mask and got ready to spill some blood.
The man who had his hand on Weasel's shoulder had a direct view of the young ANBU captain, but didn't even see him move when suddenly the hand he had on the ANBU no longer belonged to him. He hadn't even been able to process the fact that he had one less hand, when he found himself looking at his body from a low angle he had never seen before. That was the last thing he saw before his life left his eyes.
Weasel kicked the severed head into the crowd, making them shift their bodies to avoid the bloody head. He used that moment to rapidly flash through some hand seals to set up his Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Jutsu), which sent several fireballs into the crowd. He used the distraction to kawarimi away.
The Ame nin believed their numerical superiority would have scared the ANBU member, when suddenly their leader's head was kicked towards them, and weren't ready for the large balls of fire that seemed to target individuals rather than coming in randomly. Some of the ones slower to react died quickly, when the shuriken hidden inside the flames pierced their skulls, and the surrounding flames cooked their flesh to a well-done state.
The faster ones were able to either jump away, or use Suiton jutsu of their own to try to block the fire balls, but the Suiton users who remained stationary were also caught unaware of the shuriken hidden inside and were injured by the projectiles. Within 2 seconds, they went from having the element of surprise and numerical superiority, to being the ones caught surprised, and having their numbers cut down to 8, with 2 injured.
A scared Chunin ran from the fight, claiming he would bring back up. 'Shit.' Weasel thought. He would have to finish this up quick and get out of here. The Ame nin had gotten over their initial surprise and started searching for the ANBU captain, who had switched places with the severed head after he kicked it, and hid his presence.
From behind the group, he used his ANBU chokuto to cut down the 2 injured stragglers, and now had 5 more to go. The 5 remaining Ame nin were the 5 of the strongest Jonin from the group, and the fight from there on was a little bit more difficult for weasel, especially when they came at him together with a combination of swords and Suiton jutsu. They looked like they had been working together for a while, with their excellent teamwork.
He used his Sharingan to track their movement to weave through their attacks, getting close enough to enter within the kenjutsu users' guard. Their long reach weapons came back to bite them, as in ultra-close range, their swords became unwieldy, while Weasel used his kunai to quickly deliver precise stabs to major organs and veins.
In a short couple of minutes, he had killed the last of his attackers, when the scared Chunin returned with 30 Amegakure nin, all of the remaining shinobi stationed in the village. 'Shit.' Was the one word that went through Weasel's mind.
A few minutes later
Weasel hid behind a wall of a house that was now ruined from the fight between him and the Ame shinobi, as he tried to strategize. He had killed 13 of them, but he was handicapped by not trying to draw too much attention to his location by using big, flashy jutsu. Luckily, weasel exceled in subtle and quiet killing methods as well, and had successfully taken care of almost half of them.
He peered over his shoulder and saw 25 dead bodies strewn all over, and blood everywhere. Suddenly he saw dead Uchiha in their place, the blood staining the ground of the Uchiha compound red, the night sky red, with a full moon hanging over the sky, staring down at him, as if it were a giant eye that seemed to tell him it had witnessed everything.
The vision shocked him, it was a nightmare for someone who loved his clan. The vision faded away as quickly as it came, but it had paralyzed him for a second, which the Ame ninja capitalized to attack him from all angles. He activated his Sharingan and pulled out his chokuto, but he knew there was no way he was getting out of this unscathed. Stupid. He never should have spaced out like that. That was very unlike him, he had never done anything like that before. And now, he would pay the price for such a rookie mistake.
He braced to receive multiple stabs, but he suddenly felt chakra latch onto him, and he was replaced in a Kawarimi. He looked at where he was standing just a second ago, and saw Fox take all the stabs that were intended for him. Then Fox disappeared in a puff of smoke. A kage bunshin, thank Kami.
The Ame shinobi now committed the same mistake that they tied to capitalize on, and froze when a different target suddenly appeared and vanished with a puff of smoke. They had no time to react when a giant blue ball of fire hit them and incinerated them. They died together instantly.
"What the hell was that Weasel! Get your head in the game!" Fox yelled out to Weasel. Whatever was bothering him was now putting them in danger. "I've never seen you freeze up like that. What was that all about? He asked Weasel.
"Sorry. I just thought I saw something that wasn't there. It won't happen again." Weasel told Fox.
"It better not." Fox told Weasel. "We got what we came for, now let's get out of this dump." Weasel agreed, and the two took off.
They quickly left in silence, heading towards the border with Kusa, to throw off their trail.
Somewhere on Kusa Territory
Weasel broke the silence after a few hours. "Thanks Fox. Things could have ended a lot worse than it did. I didn't expect you to show up there."
Fox replied back to Weasel. "Ah, whatever man. Of course, I was gonna rescue your ass. We're practically family after all. I'll always have your back."
Weasel stared at Fox for a brief moment in silence, before he nodded. Yes, Fox was indeed his family. In fact, he was more family than some in the clan who shared his flesh and blood, if that made any sense.
His mind began to work overtime, as two sides of him fought each other, as he struggled to make a decision.
He had two families, and he was being forced to choose one over the other. How could he make such a decision?
*Author's Note*
Back with another Chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed it!
Naruto finally gets a summoning! Any guesses as to what it is? Brownie points to whoever guesses correctly lol.
Anyway here's the latest results for the poll.
Samui 22
Shizune 18
Izumi 9
Tayuya 7
Anko 5
Yugao 3
Temari 3
Mei 3
Kurotsuchi 3
Ryuuzetsu 2
Mabui 2
Kurenai 2
Fuu 1
Yakumo 1
Shizuka 1
Hana 1
Fem Haku 1
Yugito 0
Ayame 0
Princess Koyuki 0
Wow Izumi really shot up out of nowhere! I've paired her with Itachi right now though, so I wonder if you guys still want her to be with Naruto. Samui and Shizune are leading by a landslide though.
Here are Narumi's pairings.
Shikamaru 3
Sasuke 2
Gaara 2
Shino 1
Omoi 1
Kiba 0
Male Haku 0
Lol I want to put Haku in both polls.
So one reader wondered why the Shinobi bother with the bank at all. Why not just seal it away? One word: interest. You see, they could seal away their money, but then it would just sit there, not building on itself. The bank or the village would take your money and invest it in other businesses, or to attract more clients, and give you back your money with interest, just like in real life. Also, accessibility is an issue as well. With the banking system that I've imagined for my story, you could go to any bank in the elemental nations, and as long as you have your identification papers, you can draw money from your account. If you don't use a bank, you'd have to carry your scroll with you, which can easily be stolen or lost in this dangerous world of shinobi. Not everyone is a seal master, and sealing something into yourself requires a lot more sealing knowledge than simply purchasing a scroll. Carrying your life savings is different from carrying your pocket money in your wallet. Also if you died, you would lose everything, and there goes the inheritance for your children.
Let me know if you have any questions regarding the world building I am doing, or see things you consider a plot hole. You might just be missing details that I've yet to reveal, or maybe I actually messed up and wrote some plot holes. The earlier I find the holes, the easier it is for me to write in an explanation, so I'd appreciate it if you brought it to my attention.
Anyway thanks for your time and attention again guys! Glad to see you like my story! I'll try to come back with another good chapter soon! Please continue to leave your thoughts and vote!
Until next time!