"Talking"
'Thinking'
Jutsu/ Bijuu/ Summons
Flashbacks, Letters, and Setting
I don't own Naruto
Chapter 26: Mission to Taki Part 1
Team 7 set out at 7 in the morning the day after getting their mission from the Hokage, after meeting their client, the delegate from Takigakure. The client was Shibuki, the son of the leader of Takigakure, and he was to be escorted back to his home village after spending a couple months in Konoha, discussing and negotiating details of their renewed alliance.
Team 7 discovered he was a coward as they escorted him, when they saw how he flinched at the smallest noises and constantly looked over his shoulder. It made Naruto wonder if Shibuki had people who were after him. It was not befitting of his status of next-in-line as village leader.
They also discovered another aspect of Shibuki. He was rude and condescending. At least when he talked to them.
It all came together to make for a very troublesome escort mission, despite the fact that they didn't run in to any trouble. Sasuke and Narumi were disappointed the mission was going too easily.
It was sometime in the afternoon, when Shibuki suddenly stopped the entourage.
"Alright! This is good enough. You guys can go now." Shibuki announced abruptly.
"Eh? What do you mean? We're supposed to take you all the way to your village!" Narumi said out loud in confusion.
"This is as close as I'm willing to let you guys come to Taki." Shibuki responded.
"How come?" Sasuke asked.
"The entrance to Taki is a village secret which has protected our village for decades. Unlike you other "hidden" villages, our village is actually hidden. We don't let foreigners enter our village." Shibuki told Team 7, much to their displeasure.
"What!? That's stupid! So now what?" Narumi asked unhappily.
"Now you go home. Do whatever. I don't really care." Shibuki told Narumi.
The entourage was then approached by children of the village who had been outside.
"Shibuki-san!" The children yelled as they came to Shibuki.
Team 7 saw that the children looked friendly with Shibuki, and vice versa, and were surprised. Was he only a jerk to them?
"What are you kids doing out here?" Shibuki asked the children.
"We were out here picking up trash! Can you help us?" The children asked.
Shibuki did not want to pick up trash, but wanted to help the children of his village out. He turned around and saw a very good solution.
"Alright. You guys can help them pick up the trash around here." Shibuki basically ordered his escorts.
"Hey! Our mission was to escort you to your village, not to pick up your trash!" Narumi yelled out, and her 2 friends nodded in agreement to back her up.
"Fine, I'll hire you for another mission to pick up trash then. You can knock off 2 missions in the time to do 1." Shibuki proposed.
Naruto rolled his eyes, but he thought for a moment. By the time they were done picking up the trash, the sun would probably be setting. Unless Shibuki was a complete asshole, he would probably let them stay for the night, since they were there at his request.
"Fine. We'll accept your mission." Naruto told Shibuki, much to the surprise of his Genin who thought he would turn down such a menial mission.
The team soon found themselves picking up trash. Naruto gave them a little incentive by making it a competition to see who can pick up the most, with the winner receiving a prize from him.
Narumi was about to form shadow clones to help her, but Naruto forbade her from doing so, saying that would be cheating.
Soon, the sun was starting to set, and the Genin were done picking up the trash, with Narumi winning the competition, as Hinata wasn't too good with manual labor, and Sasuke thought the work was beneath him.
"Alright Shibuki-san. My team is done picking up the trash." Naruto told Shibuki.
"Good. We'll send the pay for that mission to Konoha. You can go now." Shibuki told Naruto.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean leave? It's almost nightfall and you want us to head back?"
Shibuki nodded.
"I don't think so. They've been running ever since we left Konoha this morning. They need some rest." Naruto responded.
"Well, you can camp out here if you want. You can leave in the morning tomorrow." Shibuki told Naruto.
"Your village is right in the vicinity and you want us to camp outside? Don't you think that's a bit extreme? I mean, we've tolerated your rudeness, but this is crossing the line." Naruto argued.
"Hey, it's our village policy. There's nothing I can do." Shibuki responded.
"Help! The village is under attack!" A cry for help rang throughout the air, distracting Shibuki from his argument with Naruto.
"Okaa-chan!" One of the kids cleaning up the trash yelled out when he saw his mom running towards them in a disheveled state, and collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.
"What happened?" Shibuki asked the woman, who was on her knees, supported by her son.
"I don't know! Strange shinobi have appeared and attacked the village! Many of our shinobi are injured!" She barely managed to cry out before passing out.
Shibuki looked at Team 7 in desperation. He needed their help.
Naruto saw this and shrugged. "Hey, don't look at us. We're busy trying to set up camp. Don't you know we can't enter your village? It's village policy. Nothing we can do." He repeated back what Shibuki had told him earlier, holding back a smirk.
"Please! Come and help us! I'll pay extra for the mission! We'll let you stay in the village afterwards for as long as you want! Just please help us!" Shibuki begged, their positions taking a complete 180.
Naruto turned around to look at his Genin. Hinata and Narumi wanted to help, because they didn't like leaving people in need, and the poor boy crying over his mother broke their hearts. Sasuke wanted to help for slightly less noble reasons, as he wanted some action from this boring mission. Naruto wanted to help because he wanted to sleep inside a warm building instead of camping outside in a tent.
"Fine. This will be at least a B-rank mission." Naruto told Shibuki.
"Fine! Now please help us!" Shibuki cried out.
Naruto motioned for his Genin to get ready for action.
"Follow me!" Shibuki yelled out, as he led his escorts towards a giant waterfall.
Inside Takigakure
The Team had to enter the waterfall and swim through an intricate underwater maze, with air pockets in random spots that only the residents of Taki were aware of. Even Naruto had to be a little impressed. If you knew where you were going, it was quite simple to enter, but if you were trying to find your way through on your own? You would most likely drown, unless you had some advanced jutsu that would let you breathe underwater. With some seals, he imagined he would be able to make this village nearly impossible to enter without permission.
When they entered Taki, they were greeted by the sight of chaos. There were injured shinobi all over the place, and there were still many fights taking place.
The Taki shinobi were taken completely by surprise by the invading force of missing-nin, as they had gotten complacent from the protection provided by their village's hidden entrance, and were caught off guard.
The Taki shinobi weren't as high of a caliber as Konoha ninja to begin with, so even though the force of invaders would have been easily repelled by a village like Konoha, they had lost quite a few shinobi.
Still, they were rallied by their leader, Shibuki's father, and were able to put together a counter-attack when they were able to gather enough shinobi from different parts of the village, and recall them from nearby missions, to halt the advance of their invaders.
Shibuki saw his father glowing visibly with an incredible amount of chakra, and dispatching several squads of missing-nin by himself with his Takigakure-ryu: Mizukiri no Yaiba (Taki Style: Water Cutting Sword), while the other Taki Jonin and Chunin fought individual shinobi.
Shibuki paled when he realized what had happened. His father had drunk the Hero Water of Taki!
The Hero Water was a special liquid that was harvested once in 100 years from a giant tree hidden in the village, that gave a massive boost to chakra in exchange for the user's life force, a trade off that reduced the user's life span proportionally to number of times the user's chakra was increased.
Due to the challenge in fighting a superior number of enemies and caught off guard, Shibuki's father was forced to drink the Hero Water of Taki to protect his village and buy time until his shinobi could organize themselves.
Naruto and his Genin joined the fight, and with the Taki-nin that seemed to arrive in droves by the minute, the missing-nin were soon exterminated.
"This wasn't what was agreed upon! They said the entrance to Taki would be exposed and that the defense would be minimal!" One of the missing-nin said, as he lay on the ground injured.
"It was supposed to be an easy job!" The missing-nin's eyes widened when he saw someone approch.
"You! You were-" The missing-nin was shortly silenced forever, when a Jonin named Suien stepped forward and shoved his Mizukiri no Yaiba (Water Cutting Sword) through the man's throat.
"Looks like that's the last of them." Suien reported with a dissatisfied look on his face.
Shibuki's father nodded, before the chakra around him faded, and he began coughing up blood.
"Otou-sama!" Shibuki yelled as he ran to his father.
"Shit. The side effects of the Hero Water are worse than I had imagined. Looks like this is the end for me." The leader of Taki coughed out, as his face began to grow paler.
"You'll have to lead and protect this village from now on. I know it's a heavy burden, but you can do this. Suien will help you." Shibuki's father managed to weakly say, before he slumped over in Shibuki's arms. "I'm sorry I won't be there to teach you and guide you, as I pass on the leadership to you. But you are my son. I'll put my faith in you." Those were the last words of the leader of Taki, as he died in his son's arms.
Shibuki sobbed as he held his father's body, and Suien stepped up to put his hand on Shibuki's shoulders, a gesture to comfort him.
"He was a good man. Taki will miss his wisdom and leadership." Suien told Shibuki.
"I'll do all that I can to help you lead this village, like your father had done before you."
Shibuki nodded weakly.
"His sacrifice will not be in vain. At least we were able to stop the attackers from destroying the village or doing whatever they had been planning. The village is now safe." Suien told Shibuki.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Naruto cut in abruptly.
Suien glared at Naruto.
"We don't need your opinion, outsider." Suien spat out the last word with venom.
"Wha-what do you mean? Why do you say that?" Shibuki asked through his sobs.
"Didn't you hear the guy before he was stabbed by Suien-san here? He said someone told them that the entrance would be exposed. They were told how to get in. I noticed as I came here. It's nearly impossible for outsiders to get in here unless they are guided by someone who knows the way. They had help from someone inside the village." Naruto explained.
"That's a huge assumption, that extrapolates wildly what a delusional invader said as he was dying. Besides, we can take care of our own problems, outsider. We don't need your half-baked assumptions distracting us from taking care of our problems." Suien replied.
"You made a mistake bringing them here, Shibuki." Suien scolded Shibuki. "We could have dealt with this on our own."
"They were a big help! They were able to take care of a huge number of them! It could have been worse if it weren't for them!" Shibuki said in defense of his actions.
"It was short sighted. Now a bunch of Konoha shinobi know our secret. They'll now go back and tell Konoha." Suien told Shibuki.
"But they're our allies!" Shibuki answered back.
"As if that means anything. In this world, today's allies might become tomorrow's enemies in a blink of an eye." Suien told Shibuki.
Naruto smirked. "Ain't that the truth. Someone close to you just might stab you in the back when you least expect it." He said as he looked Suien in the eye.
"What are you trying to say?" Suien asked angrily. "Are you accusing me of being a traitor?"
Naruto put up his hands. "Whoa. Slow down there. I was just agreeing with what you said. No need to be so sensitive." Naruto replied with a cheeky smile.
He gave Narumi a glance, and the two seemed to communicate through their gaze.
Shibuki looked over at Naruto. "So now what? Shibuki asked."
Suien cut in his with his reply. "We tally up our casualties and treat our injured shinobi. We'll have a funeral service for your father. Then we need to fix the damages done to the village."
"Very good plan. You do that. Meanwhile, me and my team will be getting some food, and finding a place to stay for the night." Naruto replied.
"Wait, how about the inside help the intruders were talking about? The traitors?" Shibuki asked.
"Don't get distracted by wild, unbased assumptions, Shibuki. There are more pressing matters." Suien stated.
"More important than plugging up a hole in security? Really explains why it was so easy for intruders to enter, with that kind of mindset." Naruto scoffed.
Suien stepped up to Naruto's face in anger. "What was that? You have a problem with how we do things here? Just go find your hotel room or whatever, and stay out of our domestic affairs."
Naruto wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "As a matter of fact, I do. I came here to make sure Shibuki-san got here safely, in order to make sure he can keep the agreement between Taki and Konoha. Our ally's safety is important to Konoha, and with such a glaring issue staring at me in the eye, I would be neglecting my mission if I let something that could harm Shibuki-san, Taki, and our treaty just linger and not take care of it." Naruto flared his chakra, and directed his killing intent to Suien, daring him to lay a hand on him. Did this Suien really think he could take him on?
Suien froze up when he felt Naruto's heavy aura pressing down on him. He felt his throat closing in on itself, as all the saliva in his mouth dried up. He saw visions of his death briefly, before the man stopped sending his killing intent towards him. It was a brief moment, but that was all Suien needed for him to realize Naruto was dangerous. He had felt like a mouse in front of a lion. He knew then that he was no match for the blonde Konoha-nin in front of him.
'Damn! This Konoha bastard is ruining my plans!' Suien thought to himself. There was nothing he could do at the moment though. He decided to back down for now and wait for a better opportunity.
"So, what do you suggest we do, Naruto-san?" Shibuki asked, suddenly respectful to Naruto after seeing him fight.
"I suggest we go through and interrogate your shinobi, and see who is the most likely candidate of being the traitor." Naruto suggested. "I have some experience with interrogation, so I don't mind doing it myself."
"And why would we leave such an important task in the hands of a foreigner?" Suien asked.
"Because, it was clear that it they had help from the inside. We don't know who that is, so it would be unwise to leave the job to insiders. I have a vested interest in rooting out the traitor and making sure Taki is safe and able to keep their end of the treaty, so obviously, I am the best candidate for such a task. Don't you agree?" Naruto replied with a smile that left Suien furious but unable to express it. He had to agree with his logic.
"Then please lead the interrogations, Naruto-san. This village will owe you. Please stay for as long as you need to, to root out the traitors. We'll provide you with everything you might need." Shibuki asked.
He had just become the leader of Taki, and he didn't need a traitor in their midst. Things were chaotic enough just dealing with the death of his father, and the damages done to the village.
Naruto smiled and nodded. "But first, we're gonna need some food."
In downtown Taki
"Sheesh, don't they have any ramen here? Narumi asked as Team 7 looked for a place to eat.
"I'm sure they'll have other things that are good. Since they have a lake nearby, I'm sure they'll have some good fish." Naruto suggested.
They were looking around at some potential places they could have their dinner, when a nearby commotion caught their attention.
"I told you not to come by here, you damn demon!" An owner of a small eatery yelled out as he threw a young girl with mint-green hair out of his store.
"Geez! All I did was ask if you had any leftovers you were going to throw out!" The girl yelled back as she got up to a sitting position up on the ground.
"Go look elsewhere! Don't show your face around here!" The man yelled out before slamming the door in her face.
"Sheesh. That's the 3rd store that threw me out now. Maybe I'll just go and catch my own food again… Here I was, thinking maybe I'll eat something special for my birthday." The girl muttered to herself as she brushed some of the dust off of herself.
Naruto knocked on the door of the restaurant, and the man opened the door roughly, expecting to see the village pariah.
"What did I say- Oh. Sorry about that. Thought you were someone else."
"Yeah, clearly. A man's gotta wonder what a little girl has to do to be treated so harshly?" Naruto asked, irked at the girl's treatment.
Meanwhile, Narumi sensed the extreme loneliness and hurt the girl was feeling, and ran over to her.
"Hey! Are you alright?" Narumi asked as she helped the girl get back up to her feet. "Geez! What a mean old man!" She yelled as she glared at the store owner who was talking to Naruto.
"Yeah… I'm fine. I'm used to that from him. It's like that with most people around here anyway." The girl replied.
"T-that's horrible…" Hinata quietly commented.
"What? Why would they treat you so badly?" Sasuke asked.
"That's so messed up!" Narumi yelled out.
The mint-haired girl didn't want to say the real reason, and tried to steer the conversation away from that topic.
"Eh, whatever. Maybe it's because I hid some bugs in his underwear before."
Narumi processed what she heard for a second, before she burst out into laughter. She loved pranks, though Naruto made sure she didn't pull any pranks that were too extreme so that she wouldn't be even more hated in the village.
"Oh man! That's a good one! I like you! You're pretty cool!" Narumi told the girl as she slapped her shoulder as she laughed.
The girl seemed to brighten up when she heard that. No one had told her that before. Most people in Taki could barely stand her presence, save for Shibuki, and they treated her almost like an insect.
"Really? You mean that?" the girl asked, still a little skeptical.
"Yeah of course! You seem alright to me! I'm Narumi by the way! It's nice to meet you! These are my teammates and best friends, Sasuke, and Hinata! Say hi, guys!" Narumi told her teammates.
The girl had a wide smile on her face. Somebody actually wanted to talk to her spend time with her! I mean, they were foreign shinobi, but at least they didn't seem to hate her! She decided she would hide her secret and enjoy their company while she could, before she had to return to her life of solitude as a pariah of the village.
"Hi! I'm Fuu! It's good to meet you guys too!" The mint-haired girl introduced herself.
"Cool! Always nice to make another friend!" Narumi told Fuu.
"We-we're friends?" Fuu asked in disbelief.
"Yeah! Of course! I mean, unless you don't want to?" Narumi replied.
"NO! No. I'd love to be friends!" Fuu waved her hands in front of her to clear up that notion.
"Yay! Now I'm one step closer to making 100 friends!" Fuu yelled as she pumped her fist in the air in celebration.
"Wow! 100 friends? That's quite a lot! What number are we?" Narumi asked.
Fuu blushed a little. "Well, I guess you guys are numbers 2, 3, and 4 if you only count people, but hey! Still an improvement! As long as you're doing better today than you were yesterday! Am I right?"
Narumi smiled. She liked how this girl thought. Fuu was pretty similar to her.
"T-that's a very positive and m-mature way to think, Fuu-san." Hinata replied.
Meanwhile, Naruto wrapped up his talk with the shop owner. "Well, you sure won't be getting our patronage. Grow the hell up and get over yourself."
Nobody other than the restaurant owner heard the other things Naruto said to him, but he was a lot paler and less confident looking than before, when Naruto closed the door in his face.
When Naruto walked over to his Genin, he found them talking to the girl, and having a good time getting to know each other.
He smiled when he saw how Narumi and the mint-haired girl seemed to be getting along as if they had known each other all of their lives. She seemed to have a talent for making friends. If only they gave her a chance.
He looked over at the green-haired girl. He knew right away what her identity was. He could sense it. He could also see all the similarities between the girl and Narumi, and felt for her. He decided he would do what he could for the girl while he was there.
"So, it looks like you three made a new friend?" Naruto asked, and they nodded.
"In that case, let me introduce myself. I'm Naruto. Narumi's brother, and the sensei of these three." Naruto told Fuu.
"Hi! I'm Fuu! Nice to meet you! Naruto and Narumi, huh? I'll call you guys the Naru siblings then!"
Naruto laughed. He remembered a time when he told his parents that people would call them that. Things were simpler back then.
"Heh, that's a good one. Nice to meet you too, Fuu." Naruto told Fuu as he gave her a fist bump. "How about we get out of here and eat somewhere else? The stench of some bigoted assholes is ruining my appetite. Why don't you join us, Fuu?"
Fuu was in shock yet again. "Really? You don't mind if I join?"
Naruto waved her off. "Of course not. It would be our pleasure. Tell me Fuu, where's the nicest and most expensive place in town?"
Fuu looked at Naruto, a little unsure if she should tell him the actual place, as it was rather pricey, and operated on a reservation basis. "Umm, I guess there's the Waterfall Pagoda, but it's pretty expensive, and you need to have a reservation. I'm not sure what the food is like, since I've never been there."
"Well, why don't we head over and find out?" Naruto replied.
At the Waterfall Pagoda
The group of 5 were let into the restaurant, after Naruto had a talk with the manager. They were led to a VIP room, that gave them privacy from the other diners. The Genin weren't sure what Naruto did to get them in, as they had initially been denied entrance as they didn't have a reservation. All they knew was the manager was bowing to Naruto in a complete 90-degree bow, and was personally serving them.
Fuu looked around the place, being a complete stranger to luxury. She wasn't even allowed into the smallest of restaurants usually, and now, here she was, in the nicest place in town.
Naruto smiled as the manager brought them the menu. Ah, bribes. The magic they could do. What a wonderful life. He could get used to this. He decided to give a silent toast to Gato.
"Order whatever you guys want. Don't worry about the price." Naruto told his Genin and Fuu.
Narumi was in shock. Who was this person pretending to be her brother? The Naruto she knew was a stingy person who tried to save every penny!
Fuu was also in shock. She had never had someone treat her like this. As she looked through the menu, she saw that she didn't recognize half of the things on the menu. These things were all too fancy for someone like her.
"Are you sure? Some of these things are pretty pricey." Fuu asked. She was used to eating things she had foraged or hunted herself. For her, a fancy meal was eating teriyaki chicken from a small restaurant, that Shibuki brought for her on the rare occasion.
"Of course. In fact, if you don't know what you want, I could order for you guys." Naruto offered.
Fuu didn't want to be rude or a burden, and decided to let Naruto order for her, so she wouldn't look a rude person by ordering something that was absurdly expensive, as everything appeared to be on the menu. She was thinking of getting the cheapest thing after all. She didn't want to make a bad impression on one of the few people that showed her kindness, or take advantage of them. She felt a little awkward and out of place overall, as all this was new for her.
"Excuse me? Yes, we'd like to order one of everything on the menu. You can bring them out one at a time, as they get prepared." Naruto told the manager, who bowed a 90-degree bow once again, and thanked him over and over as he left towards the kitchen, Ryo signs practically visible on his eyes.
Fuu was flabbergasted. Just who was he? How could he afford all of this food?
"This way we don't have to choose what we want. Just try some of everything. Sounds alright right?" Naruto asked Fuu, who nodded excitedly.
Naruto smiled. He could see a lot of Narumi in Fuu.
"Geez Nii-chan. Are you sure? I thought you hated spending money! This is more expensive than the Narumi Birthday Special Supreme Ramen Deluxe 2000!" Narumi asked Naruto.
Naruto winced when he remembered that expensive Ramen with the ridiculously long name that he was surprised that Narumi remembered.
"Well today's a special day, so it's my treat to you guys." Naruto replied to Narumi.
"What's the occasion?" Narumi asked.
"Well, it's to celebrate your new friendship with Fuu here." Naruto said as he raised his glass of wine, and motioned for the others to raise their glasses of expensive non-alcoholic drinks.
"To Fuu and her new friends!" They cheered. Fuu felt something warm in her chest and stomach. She was slightly overwhelmed by the kindness of the people who had been strangers just an hour ago. She almost cried, but decided a happy moment like this deserved a cheerful attitude, rather than tears.
"Thanks everyone!" She yelled out with a wide smile on her face. "To my new friends!" And she drank her juice.
At the Nicest Hotel in Taki
Fuu lay on her bed, unable to sleep. It was nearly 2 in the morning, but there was too much to think about.
Here she was, lying on what felt like clouds. Were all beds other than hers this nice? Or was this a really high-quality one?
She couldn't believe that she was here, in the nicest hotel in Taki, as an actual guest. She had passed by this place many times before, but she never imagined she would be allowed in here, when she could barely enter stores to buy necessities, let alone luxuries.
Today had been a crazy day, which started out bad, as usual, but by the time it ended, several of her dreams had come true.
She had been able to eat to her heart's content, eating the things she had always dreamed of trying, and even more things that were even better than the things she wanted to try.
Then, they took her along as they went shopping, and bought her anything she wanted, and even got stuff for her when she couldn't choose.
Then, they invited her to stay with them at this amazing hotel, while they were in Taki.
However, those weren't the best parts. The best part? That was the fact that she had made 4 friends in a single day! In one day, her pool of friends had grown by 500%!
She wondered if she had dreamt this all up on her rickety bed in the shack on the outskirts of town, and pinched herself.
"Oww!"
She knew she wasn't dreaming now. She thanked whatever gods had answered her prayers. They seemed to have ignored her all this time, but it looked like the backed-up prayers were finally coming through. To Fuu it felt like all of what she imagined her birthdays should have been like were all combined into one glorious day. To think someone would celebrate her existence and company! She didn't even tell them it was her birthday! It was hard to believe this was real.
'Is this… what it feels like to have a family?' Fuu thought to herself as she thought about the Naru siblings. Narumi felt like a long-lost sister, and Naruto felt like both a loving brother and doting father.
She felt her stomach and chest feel warm again, and a couple tears rolled down her tan face, while a huge smile formed on her lips.
She was incredibly grateful she got to meet these people, but there was a tinge of sadness to her mood, when she realized these people were from Konoha. They would be leaving soon, and she didn't know when she would see them again.
Her mind was swimming with all of these mixed feelings and crazy experiences, so she decided to go out to the balcony to get some fresh air clear her mind.
When she went there, she found Naruto there, lying on one of the recliners, as he gazed at the giant tree at the center of the village that overlooked a lake that reflected the moonlight from above to make a beautiful scene.
He didn't turn around, but he somehow knew she was there, and patted on the recliner next to him, motioning to Fuu to lay down on it.
She shrugged and went over and layed down, mirroring Naruto's pose, with his legs crossed, and his hands on the back of his head.
"Having trouble sleeping?" Naruto asked Fuu.
"Yeah. I guess so." Fuu replied.
"Something bothering you?" Naruto asked.
Fuu shook her head. "Nah, not really."
"Indigestion then? I wouldn't be surprised. Man, you and Narumi were really packing that food away like there was no tomorrow." Naruto responded.
Fuu giggled. "Nah. It's nothing like that. I'm not about to let anything that delicious make me sick!"
Naruto chuckled. "Alright then. If you want to tell me anything, you know where to find me." He decided he'd let the girl open up when she was ready.
The two sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Fuu felt comfortable to tell Naruto what was on her mind.
"It's just that… I don't know. I guess it was just a crazy day. A lot to take in you know."
"Hmmm. I'd imagine. Looks like the people here aren't so fond of you." Naruto responded.
"Yeah. They're mostly just jerks. If you ask me, they all need to take the sticks out of their butts." Fuu told Naruto, inciting a laugh from him.
"That got me wondering though. Why are you guys being so nice to me? I mean, you guys barely know me." Fuu asked.
"Why not? I'd say you deserve good things too, no? What could you have possibly done as a 12 or 13-year-old to deserve all of this crap?" Naruto asked in response.
Fuu stayed silent. The answer to that question was something she wanted to hide. She didn't want the few people that liked her and cared about her to find out her secret and hate her as well.
"Besides. I know more about you than you know, miss-lucky-number-seven." Naruto said casually.
Fuu's tan face drained of all its color. NO! He knew!
"Wha- h-how did you know?" Fuu stammered out. Drat. She knew things were going too well. It was bound to go bad eventually like it always did for her.
"I have my ways." He responded, and saw that Fuu was a moment away from freaking out.
"Relax Fuu-chan. I don't really care. For all I care, you're just another teen girl. A pretty cool one, if you ask me." Naruto told Fuu.
Fuu was on an emotional roller coaster tonight. She was going from grateful, happy, sad, scared, nervous, anxious, and now confused. She was having trouble processing her feelings, and also what was going on.
"Wha- what do you mean? How do you not care? I'm a demon!" Fuu yelled out to Naruto.
Naruto lazily picked his ear. "I don't know about all that. You seem a little too cute to be a demon to me." He said lazily. Kakashi would be proud.
Fuu blushed, but that didn't really help her understand what was going on. She couldn't find words to respond with.
"Besides, I don't really want to hear that garbage. You're no more a demon than Narumi is." He added.
Fuu was touched. He knew what she was, but he accepted her for what she was, and he didn't hate her, going so far as to compare her with his sister. It appeared he accepted her more than she accepted herself.
"Thanks…" That was all Fuu was able to manage to say.
Naruto just smiled as he continued to look out towards the lake. "No problem."
The two were content as they stared out into the beautiful scenery in front of them for a few minutes, before Fuu gathered her courage to ask him a question.
"Umm… Naruto-san?" She asked.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Can I call you Onii-san?" She asked nervously. She knew it was a strange thing to ask, but she always wanted a family, and she felt this was her best chance of finding some semblance of one.
Naruto chuckled. "Sure thing, Imouto."
Fuu smiled a brilliant smile, a bigger smile than she had ever smiled before.
She launched herself at Naruto, and embraced him in a hug.
"Thanks, Naruto nii-san."
Meanwhile, somewhere else in Taki
Another person in Taki was having trouble sleeping, but it wasn't because he was overwhelmed with grateful and happy emotions.
He angrily slammed his bottle into the table.
'Damn it all! Everything was going according to plan! I was able to get rid of him by hiring those missing-nin, and he was able to help kill them all, so they can't expose me, and I wouldn't have to pay them! Then here comes his son, that fucking cowardly rat Shibuki, and his damn guard dog! Fuck him! Why did he have to show up now?! If he just came a week later, I could have become the leader of this village!" Suien thought to himself as he fumed.
'And now, that blonde bastard is going to be interrogating our shinobi. If he finds out I'm the traitor, it'll all be over." He took another swig from his bottle of alcohol.
'Maybe I can assassinate him?' Suien shook his head. No, he knew there was no chance. Suien knew he was probably the most powerful Jonin in Taki, but when he felt the overwhelming pressure from Naruto's killing intent, he realized the man could kill him as easily as Suien could kill a civilian. It hurt his pride, but he was smart enough to pick his battles wisely.
He had to avoid interrogation for as long as possible, until he could come up with some sort of solution.
"Damn you. Why can't you just mind your own damn business!" Suien growled out before he finished off his bottle.
Naruto began his interrogations on the Taki-nin, while he let his Genin hang out with Fuu, and act their age as children. He was using his wide pool of seals, genjutsu, and mind games to interrogate suspects, but none of them were showing up as the traitor.
He knew he was wasting his time. He had suspected Suien due to his strange behavior right away, and he was able to confirm with Narumi, who used her ability to sense emotions, to know that Suien was probably the traitor. He just needed to get the evidence to prove it.
However, that slimy bastard was finding excuse after excuse to find ways to avoid interrogation, from overseeing the funeral, and leading trips to find potential holes in their security.
All that did was confirm Naruto's suspicions.
'You sure know how to make yourself look busy, you damn traitor.' Naruto thought to himself during a break from interrogations.
"Are you any closer to finding who the traitor might be?" Shibuki asked nervously.
"None of the people I interrogated were the traitor, but I've been able to narrow the list of suspects down." Naruto replied.
"How long do you think it'll take to find the traitor?" Shibuki asked.
"As soon as he stops making himself so busy and agrees to come to be interrogated, I suppose." Naruto suggested.
"You have someone specific in mind?" Shibuki asked.
Naruto nodded. "That Suien fellow. He sure has a fishy smell to him, and it's not because of the lake around here."
Shibuki waved Naruto off. "That's impossible. Suien has been a loyal advisor to my father for a long time, and he has even trained me. It can't be him."
"I suppose all the interrogation will do is prove his loyalty to you then. You've got nothing to worry about." Naruto responded.
"I've heard the screams that come out of the interrogation chambers. You don't need to do that to Suien. I can vouch for him." Shibuki told Naruto.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. His loyalty can vouch for him." Naruto replied.
"I'm the leader of Taki now! You'd go against my word?" Shibuki asked, slightly angry.
"And I'm a shinobi of Konoha. I don't take orders from you. I'm here to help you, not to serve you. Let's get that clear." Naruto responded, slightly intimidating Shibuki with his imposing body language.
"Besides, you don't need to worry about me hurting any of your shinobi. I wouldn't torture allied shinobi. What kind of monster do you think I am?"
"So, what is it that you're doing to them?" Shibuki asked.
"Oh, you know. I put a little genjutsu on them, that's powered by a seal. It kinda puts them in a false world which I can control many aspects of. It's inspired by a friend's jutsu. I can distort reality to mess with their sense of reality and play mind games with them until they don't know what's real or false anymore. They usually tell me what I want to know when I tell them I can bring them back to reality. The false memories are stored in the seal, and they have no memory of what happened, so no harm is done." Naruto responded cheerfully, as if he didn't just describe the worst kind of mind fucking Shibuki had heard of.
"That's… disturbing. Umm… yes. Carry on." Shibuki quickly cut the conversation and got out of there. He didn't like the feeling he was trapped in a room with a psycho.
"Hmm. I guess Inoichi, Ibiki, and Anko are the only people who are interested in my seal. Oh well. They say a genius is never recognized in their own time. Too bad for me I guess." Naruto told himself casually, before he got back to his interrogations.
A few days later
The main suspect kept evading Naruto's request for interrogation with excuses that seemed to get weaker every day.
'At this point, I'm about to kidnap that little shit and interrogate him.' Naruto thought to himself as he read through the dossier of suspects.
Just then, the door to the interrogation chamber opened up, and Shibuki came in with the man Naruto had just been thinking about.
"Ah! Just the man I wanted to see! Finally out of excuses are we?" Naruto asked Suien as he got up from his seat.
"There's an urgent message for you, sent from Konoha." Shibuki told Naruto as he handed him a scroll.
Naruto took the scroll as he observed the smug smile on Suien's face.
He filed that away in his mind for later. He'd turn that smile upside down soon enough. He began to read the scroll.
He read the scroll 3 times to make sure what he read was correct, then tried to dispel any genjutsu that might have been placed on it. This was an official order from the Hokage.
"What the fuck?" Naruto growled out angrily. "Is he senile? The old man has finally lost it!" He yelled as he crumpled up the scroll.
Shibuki was worried from Naruto's reaction. What was on the scroll?
"Umm, Naruto-san? Is everything alright?" He asked.
"No! Everything is NOT alright!" Naruto yelled as he glared at Suien, who grinned back at him.
"What's wrong?" Shibuki asked.
"The fucking Hokage wants me back in Konoha. Immediately." Naruto replied furiously.
"Your team will be leaving immediately? Wha-What about the interrogations? What about finding the culprit?" Shibuki asked as he began to pale.
"He told me to leave my team here for now." He growled out as gritted his teeth. "He said he'll be sending one of our shinobi by the name of Kakashi to take care of it, and to stay here with my team until the mission is complete.
"I swear… if anything happens to my Genin…" Naruto growled out quietly to himself in a low, threatening tone that told everyone to stay away from him for now.
He stormed out the room with the crumpled scroll in his hands. He needed to talk to his Genin.
With the Genin of Team 7 and Fuu
"Wow! 27 times! That's gotta be some kind of record!" Fuu exclaimed, impressed by Sasuke's skill in skipping stones across the lake.
"Heh. So does that mean I win?" Sasuke smugly asked a fuming Narumi.
"Shut up! Just wait! I'll crush your weak little record!" Narumi yelled back as she looked for a smooth stone to throw.
Hinata and Fuu giggled, as they watched the two competitive Genin try to outdo each other.
Some of Fuu's insects came and communicated to her that Naruto was on his way.
She turned around to see his form walking towards them.
She waved at him with a smile. "Hey! Naruto nii-san! Over here!"
When he got closer however, she noticed he didn't have a smile on his face.
"Team, there's an announcement I have to make." Naruto announced with a grim face.
"Did ya catch the slimy jerk?" Narumi asked.
Naruto shook his head. "No. Listen, I got a message from the Hokage saying I need to go back to Konoha immediately."
"So, we're going back home?" Narumi asked.
Fuu's heart sank. Were her days with her new "family" about to end so soon? She wasn't ready to go back to that life of loneliness.
Naruto shook his head. "He just wanted me to come. You guys will stay here for now. Kakashi-senpai will be coming here to complete the mission in my stead, and to bring you guys back safely."
"So, we'll be here alone?" Sasuke asked. This was highly unusual.
Naruto nodded. "For the time being. Until Kakashi-senpai gets here."
Fuu was sad her brother/father figure was leaving so soon, but she felt slightly better knowing her friends would stick around for a few more days.
"I want you guys to stick together all the time if you can. I know we're in allied territory, but I want you to all stay on guard, since you don't know what might happen."
Fuu and his Genin nodded.
"Good. Now you don't have to be paranoid and lock yourselves up, but just keep an eye out for danger, ok? Don't wander out by yourself. I'll see you all again, back in Konoha."
Fuu felt a pang of sadness when she heard that, but she knew that was reality, and she had to deal with it.
Naruto handed Hinata a scroll. "I'll leave you guys with some money, but Hinata will be in charge of it, since she's the most responsible.
"Hey! How come she gets to keep the money! I can be responsible too!" Narumi complained.
Naruto just gave her a look that said, "Really?", without having to say it himself.
Narumi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I guess my little splurge with the mission pay from Wave isn't helping my case." Narumi conceded with a sigh.
"No, it isn't." Naruto responded with a chuckle as he ruffled her hair.
"Alright, you four. Stay safe, ok? I'll try to keep in touch if I can, Fuu." He told the four kids in front of him, and Fuu felt better knowing they'd still be friends, even if they weren't always around.
"Alright. You stay safe too, nii-san!" Fuu replied, and the others said similar greetings as they parted.
Suien watched Naruto leave the village with a wicked grin. 'Good. Now that my biggest obstacle is gone, I can finally begin my plan!' He smiled as he looked at the letter he had received from his contacts in Amegakure.
In Konoha, the Next Day
"No, you can't go in there right now! He's busy!" A female voice yelled out, before the door to the Hokage's office was slammed open.
"What is the meaning of this!" Koharu yelled out.
"Can't you see the Hokage is occupied right now?" Homura scolded Naruto.
"What the hell is this!?" Naruto yelled out to Hiruzen as he unrolled the scroll he received from him, ignoring the other elders in the room.
The Hokage sighed. "Koharu, Homura, mind giving us a moment?"
The two elders scoffed at being interrupted and then ignored, but listened to Hiruzen and left the room.
"Now Naruto-kun-" Hiruzen began before he was cut off by Naruto.
"Don't fucking Naruto-kun me right now! What the hell is this!? You made me abandon my Genin in foreign territory! Explain yourself!"
Hiruzen sighed. He knew this was a bad idea. "Well, if you'd let me finish talking, you would hear the explanation."
Naruto crossed his arms. "Well? I'm listening."
If any other shinobi was showing this kind of disrespect and insubordination to the Hokage, they might have been demoted, or even imprisoned.
Fortunately for Naruto, he wasn't any regular shinobi. He was indispensable to Hiruzen, and the old man knew he was in the wrong for making him leave his sister, the person he cherished the most in the world, behind, and even made him break protocol in doing so, after scolding him for doing so in the previous mission.
"Do you mind finding the client and tell him to get in here?" Hiruzen asked his secretary.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the secretary replied and scurried out to find the person.
"Well, you were hired for a very important, and highly sensitive mission." Hiruzen began.
"I was already on a mission! Couldn't you have found someone else or waited for me to come back?" Naruto replied back. He couldn't believe this.
"Normally, I would have, but the nature of the mission means every moment wasted, more and more people may die." The Sandaime told the blonde Jonin in front of him.
"Why couldn't you send ANBU? Send Kakashi for Kami's sake! Why me?" Naruto couldn't accept this explanation.
"The mission is a highly sensitive mission. We can't afford to send a team, lest the world find out that Konoha is involved. It could spark war if the other village's find out. You were the only on I could trust with a mission like this. Besides, the client requested you by name, and was willing to pay a huge amount to get you." Hiruzen explained.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You're willing to risk a war for some money?"
The Third shook his head. "The money is what the client is willing to pay. The real prize here is what could happen if your mission is successful. We could gain a major village as an ally."
Naruto was intrigued, his anger temporarily forgotten. "Well, are you gonna tell me what the mission is, or are you just going to allude to it and hope I find out on my own?"
Hiruzen chuckled.
"Hokage-sama! He's here!" The secretary announced.
"Ah, perfect timing. Let him in!" Hiruzen told his secretary.
"I believe it would be best if the client explains the mission himself. I believe you two are acquainted after all."
Naruto turned around to see who this client was.
"It's been some time, eh, Naruto?"
"Huh? Zabuza?" What are you doing here?" Naruto asked in surprise. He was not expecting to see him again so soon, if ever.
"I'm using the war funds I was donated by a certain someone to hire help for the bloodline rebellion in Kiri." Zabuza told Naruto with a shark-like smile hidden behind his bandages that covered the lower half of his face.
Naruto smirked back. Well maybe this could be interesting. He decided he'd hear the man out.
*Author's Note*
And that's the latest chapter! What did you guys think of it?
Someone commented that perhaps a lot of the pairing votes were more weighted towards people who had already made their appearance in the story, and they may have a point. Some of the other comments said I should hold off on pairing Narumi before the Shippuden era, and they may have a point too. So, what do you guys think? Should I introduce more characters before I choose someone for Narumi? I thought it would be easier to set things up and have the relationship develop naturally if I decided earlier, but I guess it would be easier to choose as well if you could see how they interact first. Idk. Also, a lot of people are asking for a F&F pairing for Narumi. I mean, it could be interesting, but I don't think I'll be able to do that justice. I'm going to pair her with a male character in this story.
Anyway, here are the votes for Narumi's pairing for now. I wouldn't mind some more suggestions, other than Gaara and Shikamaru.
Shikamaru 49
Gaara 52
Shino 15
Also, people keep bringing up the Konoha is a military dictatorship thing. It's true, but even dictators have a council. Even people like Kim Jong Un have ministers and all that, so I don't know why people think it's weird for Konoha to have a council? The dictatorship part just means it's up to the Hokage to make the final decision. But if he always goes against the council's advice, he's bound to lose their support. Remember, the government type might be dictatorship, but don't make the Hokage into a Kim Jong Un or Fidel Castro type person who just does whatever the hell they want.
It's true, in canon, the council is limited to the Hokage and the elders. But I felt it would make more sense to expand the council. Also, a lot of people hate the existence of a civilian council in a shinobi village, but I feel like civilians focus a lot more on things like economy, infrastructure, trade, etc, and would have more expertise and knowledge than people who have to focus on their shinobi responsibilities and trading. Like, do you guys want to live in a place where the military brass control everything? History proves most countries that had the military control everything were not the nicest places to live. Most of us are civilians. If anything, we should see their side of the picture more. Another reason I expanded the council though, was to add some political intrigue. I don't want to make one dimensional villains. I want people to do things for a reason, and political ambition is a big driving force. Idk how good of a job I'm doing with that side of the story to be honest, but at least it gives me some pieces to work with.
Anyway, I get a lot of good suggestions from the reviews and PMs! I loved a particular one I got from the previous chapter. I'm definitely going to add it to my story. Too bad some of you comment as guests! I'd love to message you and thank you personally, but this'll have to do for now. If you're reading this, thank you!
Anyway, I hope you guys all enjoyed the latest chapter. Hope you guys all stay safe and have a good day!
Until next time!