"CHIDORI!"
The chirping of a thousand birds rang through the forest, echoing off the barks of trees and ringing through the ears of those close enough to hear it.
Sasuke Uchiha and Sabaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Sand) screamed as they jumped towards each, throwing their hand out towards the other. Sasuke with his surging hand, and Gaara with his monster hand in the color of sand.
Kakashi had told Sasuke that his limit for using the Chidori was only twice. However, due to the situation, he had to make an exception. To his surprise he could feel a small burst of chakra as he performed the move. And, like last time, it sliced right through his right monster arm like butter.
When he landed on the tree branch though, he immediately felt a sharp pain throughout his entire body. Sasuke collapsed on the branch immediately, black markings riddling over his entire body.
The Uchiha immediately tried to move his hand, but to no avail. He couldn't move a muscle. All he could do was slightly move his head, and that was it.
Unfortunately, he had collapsed in the wide open, where Gaara—who's left arm was completely enveloped in sand to form a giant arm similar to the previously destroyed right one—had clear sight of him.
And now, it was the end of him.
He could not move whatsoever. He wasted his last Chidori on an attempt that proved to be absolutely fruitless.
He screwed up. And he was going to pay for it here…
Sasuke reflected on his life, his entire world going in slow motion as he saw Gaara leap away from his tree towards, his left arm lifted upward and ready to crash down and have him see darkness forever.
His entire family-no, entire clan...massacred.
All by one man, Itachi Uchiha.
That man lied to him for all of his life. Pretended to be the loving and doting brother that Sasuke used to admire.
But reality was cruel. He was a monster all along.
His goal...his only goal...his purpose for living was to kill Itachi.
And now he can't even do that now.
Sorry Naruto...Sasuke closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate. It looks like we won't be able to have that fight we wanted…
"SASUKE!"
Sasuke's eyes shot open at the sound of the voice. And the next thing he knew, an orange-clothed blond had kicked Gaara right in the face. The kick was strong, as it blew Gaara was away by quite a couple of feet.
"Naruto. You…"
"Sasuke-kun!" Another voice rang in Sasuke's ears. This one surprised him. One second later, he heard the thud of feet hitting the branch he was lying down on. He could see at the corner of his eyes a little bit of a red qipao with a white moon-like circle.
"Sakura? What are you…"
"Just be quiet!" Sakura spoke out loud, silencing him. "Don't waste your energy talking!"
"Why are you here?" Sasuke ignored her statement and asked his question.
He got silence in return for a couple of moments before he heard the Haruno take a deep breath, beginning to speak.
"You are a comrade...a fellow citizen of Konoha and a classmate from the Academy. There is no way I'd let anyone from our old class die, and that includes you too!"
"Comrade?" Sasuke repeated with a tired and confused tone. It sounded weird coming out of his mouth. The word seemed completely foreign to him, mostly because of the solitude he has went through for his entire life.
"Naruto-kun! Sakura-san! Sasuke-kun!" A third voice came out of nowhere as well.
Landing on the branch standing right next to Sakura was Hinata.
Sakura examined the girl, who had a concerned look gazing at Sasuke and then towards Naruto. She saw rips in random places of the blue shirt the Hyuga was wearing. They were particularly present on the sleeves and her midsection. The revealed skin showed fresh cuts, formed recently from something sharp.
"Are you okay, Hinata-san?" Sakura asked after seeing the cuts on her body.
Hinata nodded, not smiling because of the dangerous situation they were in.
"Hinata! Sakura-chan! Both of you get Sasuke out of here! I'll take care of this bastard!" Naruto told them, keeping his eyes on Gaara, who was beginning to release feral growls along with occasional drooling from his mouth.
Sakura gasped. "You idiot! None of us stand a chance at fighting that...monster!"
"No...you can't beat him, Naruto!" Sasuke said through deep, tired breaths. Using sheer will, Sasuke slowly exerted pressure to his hands, pushing himself up as he supported himself on a knee. "I'll...use whatever strength I have left to take him on!"
Naruto-kun...Hinata's eyes began to twitch as she looked at Naruto, who didn't waver in his decision despite the doubts he could feel radiating off of his comrades. It bothered her so much! It was just like when he was younger. He was all alone. And she was just watching him take it all alone. Not again…
She activated her Byakugan and spoke up. "Naruto-kun. Back in Nami no Kuni, I told you how I've watched you suffer from solitude. I never worked up the courage to jut walk up to you and hold out a helping hand. I don't want to make a mistake like that again...not with you...not with anyone! So that's why, I will fight alongside you no matter what you say!"
Hinata-san...Sakura looked at her former classmate with surprise flashing through her eyes. The girl was so quiet in the Academy. And she had completely forgotten about her performance in the Forest of Death. This girl isn't the shy, weak girl she used to know...she was stronger. Her will was stronger.
And honestly, it made Sakura's will stronger as well. She was not about to lose to Hinata in terms of determination after all.
"I told you guys…" Naruto started with a low whisper before raising his voice. "Leave it to me! I'll beat the shit out of this guy and protect you three at the same time!"
"You…" Gaara suddenly spoke with a hoarse voice. Naruto shivered as he set his gaze fully on the Sand Shinobi. "Those three...What do they mean to you? What are they to you?" Through his tone and demonic speaking pattern, one could tell that this was abnormal even for Gaara. What little sanity he had seemed to be deteriorating within the second.
Naruto put up a strong face, not letting Gaara's intimidating demeanor get the best of him. He stared right into Gaara's demonic half-human half-demon eyes and jabbed a finger towards Sakura and his teammates.
"They're my friends!"
"F-Friends?" Gaara repeated with a stutter as a drop of saliva hit the branch he was standing on. "Is that...so? How odd...you and I are the same...yet you still try to fight for others."
The same? Hinata reminded and replayed the words with confusion. As far as she was concerned, Naruto and Gaara had no similarities whatsoever.
"This the perfect obstacle to prove myself. To prove my existence! I WILL DESTROY YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS! STARTING WITH THE STOWAWAYS!" With a loud roar, Gaara leaped forward towards Naruto and the others.
A panicked expression appeared on Naruto's face, turning his head to the others. "Everyone! Get out of here, now!"
"NARUTO!" Sasuke yelled.
At the sound of his voice, Naruto looked back in Gaara's direction to see him right in front of him, ready to kill no matter what the cost.
And he probably would have died if Gaara didn't zip right past him and towards the other Genin, heading right for Sasuke in particular.
The next thing that happened shocked everyone, even Sasuke.
Sakura pulled out a kunai and jumped right in front of Sasuke's body, facing Gaara head-on with no hesitation.
The auburn-haired jinchuuriki widened his eyes out of shock as memories of his past began to play in his mind. A somewhat feminine-looking man with sandy-blond hair, fair skin, and violet eyes with a mug nearly identical to the face of the woman he could never meet.
Yashamaru…
Gaara furrowed his eyebrows, letting out a scream as he gave Sakura a hard smack to her side with his mutated arm. The pink-haired kunoichi let out a cry of pain as she was sent flying into the trunk of the tree with a bone-chilling thud.
"Sakura-chan/san!" Naruto and Hinata yelled out respectively.
Said girl's eyes widened from the pain as she puked out a puddle of blood, which rolled down the branch and began to drip onto the forest ground. Sakura touched her right side, examining her ribs.
She winced when she made contact, knowing that the ribs on the right side of her body were bruised and maybe even cracked.
Gaara glared at the pink-haired girl before looking down at Sasuke. He raised his arm, ready to finish of the kneeled boy. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain begin to form in the right side of his head. He clasped his hand over his face, seething with furious teeth as he let out loud groans from the pain.
Unconsciously, Naruto and Hinata saw the opening and acted on their own immediately.
Naruto formed two Kage Bunshins (Shadow Clones) that proceeded to leap forward and tackle Gaara's preoccupied form, flying off the tree and onto the lush green grass of the forest ground. After seeing Gaara's form disappear, he quickly told Pakkun, who had been watching the entire thing unfold, to get to a safe place.
The dog did as he was told, jumping to some trees behind Naruto and masking his presence there.
Hinata meanwhile, merely ran forward and grabbed Sasuke's body. She wasn't physically strong, so she struggled heavily when trying to carry the Uchiha's weight, but she could just barely manage to support his body as she leaped to a different tree, far away from danger.
The former heiress turned back, ready to help Sakura. However, to her surprise the girl had already jumped to the same branch she was on, albeit with a lot of difficulty of course due to her throbbing side.
"Sakura…" Sasuke spoke up, fully standing on his own with a small wobble in his legs once in a while. The girl turned and locked eyes with him. "That was the second time...you've come to my aid. Why? Why do you keep getting involved?!"
"You idiot."
Naruto and Hinata's eyes raised out of surprise when they heard those words come out of her mouth. After all, in the Academy, Sakura was tied for #1 Sasuke fangirl alongside Ino Yamanaka. They would praise him for anything he did, beating up anyone who insulted him.
But now she was the one doing the insulting…
"I already told you." Sakura stated. "You are a former member of our class. And a fellow member of the rookie nine. Despite how much disdain you hold for me I...can't stand seeing you get hurt…"
Sasuke's eyes twitched when he heard those words. He had always thought that Sakura only liked him for his looks and skills. He didn't think she cared about anything else about him.
It seems I was wrong about you...again...Sasuke thought to himself.
"Damn it!" Naruto cursed out loud.
Everyone turned their attention towards Naruto to see his body trembling at the sight of Gaara leaping upwards from the ground and onto the branch of a tree. The half-mutated boy was writhing and screaming as the grip he had on his forehead tightened.
Gradually, the monster portion of Gaara's body began to spread even more, with the boy's screams only becoming even louder as they echoed throughout the forest.
Soon, Gaara's entire body was turned into a yellow tanuki-like monster. Almost all traces of Gaara were gone, with the only things being left of him were the sound of his voice and the auburn hair that he sported.
Nearby, Zaku Abumi and Kin Tscuhi watched with horrified eyes at the massive killing intent that was leaking off of Gaara. Both of them didn't know how the four kids fighting him could actually withstand all of that killing intent without covering behind a tree.
Originally, they were planning to get revenge and beat the snot out of Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke—and maybe kill Naruto if he got in the way as well—however, they decided to ditch the area, thinking it was best not to get in Gaara's way. With the way he was now, he would annihilate them within a second.
Back with Naruto and the others, Gaara let out a malicious grin as the pain he was feeling subsided.
"You are frustrated." He noted, his eyes darting to the blond's trembling fist. "I can see why. You are not strong enough. And the reason for that is simple. The reason you are weak is because you fight for others, unlike me. Your stupid friends are holding you back! Had you discarded them a long time ago you would have achieved great power! You are me, after all."
"I am not you!" Naruto countered with a furious look on his face. "Sure, there may be a lot of similarities between the two of us, but there is one difference that outshines them all! I have my friends to support me! I don't care if Sasuke's an asshole! I don't care if Sakura hates my guts! And I don't care if Hinata is on the weird side of things! The truth is, no matter what you say, they are my friends! And I would never throw them away, even if it meant getting stronger! I swear on my life I will protect everyone dear to me no matter what!"
"So naive…" Gaara drooled with a smirk. "It is impossible to protect everyone. In this world where one fights for their purpose, anyone can die. And as long as I fight for my existence, you will never be able to protect your comrades!"
Naruto shivered at the killing intent being released into the area. It was already bad enough when Gaara was in his normal state. This was three times worse!
"Naruto…"
The Uzumaki's ears perked up at the sound of his name being called. He turned to the voice, which just so happened to be Sasuke, who was struggling to stay on his feet.
"You, Sakura, and Hinata need to get out of here. I can buy just a little bit of time."
"But Sasuke-" Naruto began to protest before being interrupted.
"I'm not listening to whatever you have to say, Naruto. Back then, I lost everything I had to the hands of my older brother. Right now…" Sasuke stood up to his full height, his eyes igniting with conviction. "I will not let another person I care about die in front of me like all of those years ago!"
"Sasuke…" Naruto trailed off, looking at his teammate with a look of awe. He had just admitted that he cared about him, Hinata, and maybe even Sakura if just a little bit.
The blond closed his eyes, clearly deep in thought.
It's true that our end results were different, but had I remained in that dark, lonely hell with no one to care for me any longer...I could have ended just like him. Naruto opened his eyes to stare straight into Gaara's eyes. It was similar to the feeling he had when looking into the cage or the Kyuubi, except worse since barely anything was suppressing the monster in front of him now. That's why I understand him so well. It's because I could have ended up just like him if I took the wrong path...a path without Iruka-sensei and the others…and that's why…
Ignoring Sasuke's plea for him and the others to run away, Naruto stood his ground and crossed his fingers, forming the sign for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu).
"I cannot fail!"
Three Days Later
Hinata's eyes fluttered open, shutting themselves immediately as an instant reaction to the sight of the blinding light bleeding into her room. Everything was such a blur. What even happened yesterday.
Oh yeah...the funeral of the Third Hokage…
Hinata frowned at the thought. She hadn't seen the man that many times in the flesh. The only reason she saw him at all was because of his visits to their Academy class for a lecture or her own class' visits to him for lectures.
But to think that the Hokage was gone...and dead to Orochimaru at that...it was an unsettling thought.
Just how strong was Orochimaru? To be able to put a fight with the Hokage was a feat in it of itself, but to actually defeat him in battle is a whole other thing entirely.
She thought back to the events four days prior. Without needing assistance, Naruto had beaten Gaara. Both of the boys' strength was on another level. Naruto had summoned from what Hinata had estimated to be 1000 Kage Bunshins, maybe even more.
Then, he used the Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu) to summon a giant toad. After that, to her surprise, the toad transformed. It turned into a fox that looked nearly identical to the Kyuubi, with nine tails, orange fur and everything.
That raised some questions in her head no doubt, but she didn't bother to press on the matter.
Focusing back on reality, Hinata opened her eyes, finally adjusted to the light. Stretching out her arms and legs with long, quiet groan, she rose from her bed to start her day.
There were no missions for the past couple of days due to the funeral and the reconstruction off the village. However, that wasn't going to stop Hinata from trying to get stronger.
Naruto had managed to defeat Gaara all by himself. Sasuke, while he was defeated still put up a good fight against the Shinobi from Suna. Even Sakura stepped in when it mattered most, and while she got thrown away easily, she still did something.
Hinata...she just stood there. And the only thing she did was get Sasuke's body.
She was still too weak! She was still far behind both of teammates and now Sakura to a certain extent. She had fixed her confidence issues a while ago, but it seems like she still had a tendency to freeze up against stronger opponents.
Hinata walked over to her closet which was located on the right of the entrance to her room. Opening the door to her wardrobe, she looked inside, seeing many organized hangars of clothes reserved just for her.
It was mostly those baggy jackets, but she still had some casual wear in there. She also had two sets of Hyuga training attire as well. Grabbing a set of Hyuga training attire, which was a simple brown shirt, matching pants, and a mesh armor undershirt to boot.
Minutes later, after taking a hot shower and putting on her clothes, Hinata trudged onto the courtyard. She didn't know why, but something about that invasion sparked something inside of her. She didn't know what it was because originally she didn't really want to be a ninja. All she wanted was to become a person that she could like better. A person who could believe in herself.
Now, she was glad she became a ninja, whether it was done forcefully or not. Now she felt like she had a purpose. She felt like was making another person's world better by being a ninja and fighting her heart out.
Digging her feet into the ground, Hinata began to run through a series of katas designed specifically for the art of striking tenketsu and the usage of the 64 Palms.
Had she wanted to, she could have asked her father to teach her a new technique, but before that, she had to learn the 64 Palms. And, if she put enough work into it, create her own variation of it to deviate from the normal Juuken style.
I have to become stronger...Hinata thought to herself as she stepped forward and performed a spin, throwing out a two-fingered strike from both of her hands. For Naruto-kun...Sasuke-kun...She continued to thrust out her fingers with great speed, trying to reach the speed needed for a successful 64 Palms. And everyone else that I care about…
Hinata let out a cry of fury, unleashing a barrage of 32 strikes. After the flurry of jabs was over, she bit her lip out of frustration. She got the movements down, but it was still too slow.
What was it that she was missing?
"I would advise working up your stamina and base attacking speed first." A voice said suddenly. Hinata's eyes widened slightly as she recognized the voice. She turned to see her cousin Neji walking onto the courtyard with a neutral expression, no hatred hoisted at her whatsoever. "With the 64 Palms, one must need a great amount of concentration. If you try to achieve the speed of the 64 Palms without working your base speed and stamina, then you'll just waste your time with smaller progress."
"Neji-nii-san…" Hinata mumbled. She closed her eyes, awaiting the barrage of insults and yammering about destiny that would come with a conversation with Neji.
Neji's lips quivered, as if he was hesitant to say what he wanted to say.
After everything he has done to her, from physically abusing her in their training sessions to emotionally stalling her progress by constantly looking down on her and insulting her, would she accept what he wanted to say.
Regardless of what would happen, Neji spoke, but not before dropping to both knees and bending over so much that his forehead was touching the ground, similar to how Hiashi was doing it after his match with Naruto.
"I am sorry. For all of my transgressions against you, I deserve the proper punishment, Hinata-sama!"
If there were a contest for the widest eyes in Konoha, then Hinata would take first place in it with no contest.
She turned around to see the boy kneeling down, his head down on the ground practically asking for someone to step on it.
"S-Stand up, nii-san!" Hinata blurted out with a startled tone. "You don't have to bow for someone like me. Besides, if anyone is sorry, it should be me."
Neji lifted up his head, raising a confused eyebrow. "Why should it be you? I-"
"I never tried to help you when you were hurting from your father's death. I kept my distance because I was afraid of how you'd react. I thought you would hate me because...because your father died thanks to me..." She admitted with a guilty frown. "I know you still probably hate me, and I don't blame you...I've made so many mistakes with other people...including myself. The truth is...no matter how hard I try to be kind, I am selfish. I've never seen how other people suffered and only seemed to care about how I felt…"
Neji looked with shocked eyes as he heard his cousin admit all of this to him. It's weird, despite confidently fighting against him the Chunin Exams, he had still
never expected her to talk so much in one moment.
"I know you'll think I'm lying when I say this, but now I wish to change the state of our clan just as much as you do! I'm done with letting others suffer while I sit down and mope about my life all day. And the best way to change that is by helping out family."
Hinata-sama...I never knew she was this humble about herself…Neji thought to himself as he fully stood up, getting up from his knees.
So...she genuinely wanted to help the clan. Neji's lips curled into a small smile at the mere thought of it.
"And that's why I have a favor to ask of you, nii-san!"
"A favor?" Neji raised his eyebrow out of confusion.
"It is clear that between the two of us you are superior. I can't even perform Kaiten (Rotation) or Hakke: Rokujuuyonsho (Eight Trigrams: 64 Palms)... And my physical condition could use some work as well..."
Yes, while it was true that she was very nimble and flexible, she was lacking in the stamina department. Her strength and speed could be better as well. Considering that Neji's sensei was the taijutsu specialist Might Guy, it was a no-brainer that Hinata asked him for help.
"I...I'd like for you to help me in my training...if it's not too much trouble, of course." Hinata said slowly with an awkward tone, her eyes drifting to the side before returning to Neji's face. "If I want to change the state of the clan, then I should be learning more about it. Father told me he would train me again, but he is busy as the Head."
Neji closed his eyes, pondering on his decision. He thought about it for a good couple of moments. On one hand, he didn't know if he could balance his own training time with his team along with the time he had on duty on top of training Hinata. But he supposed that with some adjustments he could make it work.
Neji's eyes brightened as he spoke. "I suppose I can make it work. However, I will not be easy on you, Hinata-sama."
Right after he spoke, Hinata's lips opened into a small grin, much to Neji's confusion.
"What is it?"
Hinata smiled. "Nothing. Thank you so much, nii-san! I'll make sure to pay you back somehow!"
"Very well, then. I shall see you later, Hinata-sama." Neji said with a bow. After Hinata returned the farewell, the member of Team Guy found himself leaving the compound.
Hinata continued to smile even as he left. She didn't think even Neji knew what he was doing that made her smile. She was just so happy. It was hard to describe it in words, but what he did today made her happy. No, it wasn't the fact that Neji accepted her plead. While that did make her happy, it was something else that made her more happy.
He smiled.
Neji genuinely smiled.
It wasn't a smile of superiority or maliciousness. It was a light-hearted happy smile. Something she hadn't seen from the boy since the time they met…
On the day of her third birthday.
Nine years. That's how long it had been since that fateful night.
Hinata shook her head from the thought. She figuratively and literally slapped herself back into reality. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. Now was the time to dwell on the present.
Not fazing from the stinging on her cheek, Hinata Hyuga activated her Byakugan and took her stance.
Meanwhile
Shikaku Nara had to refrain himself from yawning during this emergency meeting.
So troublesome…
He glanced past the Anbu commander sitting to his right and set his sight on the person next to the masked man. He looked at the bandaged old man two seats away from himself with a look of revulsion.
Danzo Shimura…
Notoriously known for his given title the Shinobi of Darkness, Danzo was the biggest rat Shikaku has ever laid his eyes upon. He hadn't heard from the old man since the year of the Uchiha massacre, where he claimed that Itachi Uchiha had gone bad and subsequently butchered his entire clan.
Following that, he noticeably disappeared, with the Sandaime Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi disbanding his secret organization Root along with stripping his position in the Konoha council to boot.
Now, with the old Hokage dead, he's made his presence known once again. As he is one of the village's oldest and 'wisest', he was allowed into the meeting for his position on who the topic being discussed.
Who should succeed the late Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Godaime Hokage?
Next to Danzo was Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Across from them all was the daimyo's committee. And, of course, sitting at the end of the table was the fire daimyo, who was sitting in a special throne-like chair with the symbol for fire posted on it behind him.
"It is quite a shame that Hiruzen has passed in this recent invasion. That being said...he had it coming. Those too weak to even kill a deranged rogue ninja are bound to perish pitifully." Danzo said, no emotion present in his voice whatsoever at the news of Sarutobi's death.
"You may be right. However, saying something like that only makes you a hypocrite." The member of the daimyo's committee sitting across from him spoke. "After all, you were never present in the invasion of Konohagakure when it was attacked by Otogakure and Sunagakure. In fact, until now you haven't been seen for about four years."
Danzo growled, his revealed eye showing a confines of anger, one of the only emotions that the man could ever be caught feeling.
Shikaku had to hold back a smile of satisfaction at that moment. Out of everyone in Konoha, the only person he really hated was Danzo, so seeing him get put down like this made him happy.
He didn't why he hated Danzo. He just did. There was something about the man.
Most likely it was his immoral ideals of leading a village. Or maybe it was something else. No matter what, the man was untrustworthy. In fact, Shikaku bet a million yen that something was up with the Itachi's massacre of the Uchiha.
He didn't know the boy that well, but he seemed much too loyal to the village to suddenly turn around and betray everyone. When Danzo said that Itachi butchered his clan, Shikaku immediately raised some eyebrows. It seems like he was the only one however, as no one else spoke up about any suspicions.
Had it been Hiruzen who gave the message, Shikaku would have been much more likely to believe it.
Fortunately or unfortunately, that wasn't the case…
He tuned back into reality when he heard the former leader of Root clear his throat.
"Enough about my actions. We must get back to the topic at hand, and that is the election of a new Hokage. Hiruzen's line of rule was weak and puny. Look at the Shodaime and Nidaime! The efforts of the first two Hokage brought great military strength to our land. If Hiruzen never became Hokage, then the Uchiha could have been alive today! Itachi would still be within our ranks, and Orochimaru would not be any sort of a threat!" Danzo yelled, trying to reason with everyone in the room, the daimyo in particular. "Someone like me, who is willing to take the necessary risks for the sake of the village, is much more suitable to be the Hokage!"
"My apologies, Danzo-sama." Shikaku finally spoke up, crossing his arms and straightening his posture for more respectful appearance. "You are correct, our village has been heavily weakened with the loss of the Uchiha four years ago along with the deaths of many valuable Konoha ninja in the recent invasion. Without a Hokage, there isn't a person to keep things in control. We know this. We also know that in the state our village is in, the last thing we need is your kind of harsh rule. We need someone who will nurture the young souls of the next generation and make them into Shinobi who are forces to be reckoned with."
He had spoken with an even voice, not showing any sort of disdain in his tone.
"I agree with Shikaku-san." The man who spoke up against Danzo said with a nod. "I suggest the next Hokage should be one who has been taught the ideals and goodwills of the Sandaime."
"What?!" Danzo widened his eye. "But it is his so-called good will that got our village into this weak and fragile state!"
"Then the decision is easy, no?" Homura interjected, ignoring Danzo's rebuttals as he had already thought of the perfect candidate to become Hokage. "If we are looking from one who has inherited Hiruzen's teachings, then a member of the Legendary Sannin shall be a suitable choice."
"You can't be serious…" Danzo murmured with a scowl.
"Tsunade left the village a long time ago and hasn't been in contact since. Orochimaru is clearly out of the question. That leaves only one choice then." Koharu deduced, looking straight into the eyes of the man in front of her.
"Jiraiya-sama." Shikaku finished the train of thought with a satisfied smile, turning to the daimyo who had taken the entire conversation into consideration.
"Oh? The Gama-sennin (Toad Sage) who also mentored Konoha's Yellow Flash. The same Yellow Flash who became the Yondaime and protected Konoha from the Kyuubi? Hmm…" The fire daimyo flapped his fan twice as he looked up at the ceiling, pondering his decision. He smiled as he reached a decision. "Indeed. Jiraiya-san will indeed make a fine candidate for Hokage."
Danzo looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. He couldn't. He had lost once again his chance to become Hokage and as a result change the village to what it should be in his own vision. With a glare towards Shikaku, he silenced himself with a scoff.
Shikaku ignored the death gaze Danzo had sent his way and listened as Homura spoke up. "The relationship between Konohagakure and Sunagakure. Earlier today we have received a message from Sunagakure stating about how they wishes to realign themselves with us." As he spoke, Homura reached into his grabs and pulled out an envelope. He opened the flap and revealed a single piece of paper.
After neatly placing the open envelope in front of him on the table, Homura stood up and held the parchment in both hands. He skimmed over the paper, clearing his throat as he proceeded to read the content.
To sum it up, the letter went into detail about the reasons for Suna betraying Konoha. They were in great danger due to dwindling resources, so they needed to form an alliance with Oto in order to stay alive and to gain more resources. However, after the invasion, a search was commenced when the Suna Shinobi noticed the absence of their Fourth Kazekage. Unfortunately, the letter revealed that the man had indeed died and by the hands of Orochimaru no less.
For the reason that Orochimaru has done both villages wrong and for the sake of eliminating Otogakure, Suna was proposing to rebuild its alliance with Konoha...for good this time.
And finally, the message depicted Suna desiring a joint mission with Konoha where they sent a couple of teams as they feared that Orochimaru would come again to do something bad. He had done both villages wrong so Suna proposed working together to potentially take him out.
Homura looked as soon as he finished reading, awaiting the thoughts of the others in the room.
"We cannot allow Sunagakure to get the best of us again!" Danzo yelled with conviction. "How can we trust them now? Hiruzen was foolish enough to form an alliance with them in the first place and look how that ended up! Most of our men are dead! Surely they want to trick us again later down the line to fully eliminate us. Now is the time for us to use an opportunity given to us in order to surprise Suna."
"Just one minute." Shikaku jumped in once again, cutting off Danzo before he could say anything else, much to the annoyance of the Root leader. "Once again, I apologize for my rudeness, Danzo-sama."
"It matters not, continue. Remember to watch your tongue next time, commander."
Shikaku nodded his head, ignoring the spite he sensed as he remembered Danzo's status above him. He looked around the table to the other occupants. Taking a quick breath, he spoke what was on his mind.
"Perhaps I should have mentioned this earlier, but now is a better time than any. I have received some intel from Ibiki Morino."
Koharu's ears perked up as she turned to the scarred Nara. "Ibiki? Ah, the dark one that is the head of the Torture and Interrogation Force. He does his job for the village very well, I must admit myself."
Shikaku turned his gaze to the daimyo. "Ibiki interrogated a bandit brought in by Kurenai Yuhi and her batch of Genin. According to her, multiple bandits on their mission were suspiciously acting and moving like real ninja. Anyways, Ibiki managed to extract some information from the captured 'bandit', and he managed to find out that this bandit was secretly from Otogakure. From that, I can only assume that the bandits acting like Shinobi were with a Oto as well. As for the real bandits...well, I think they were just stealing the goods."
"From what I've heard, those bandits were stealing the Fourth Kazekage's Gold Dust. Is that correct?" Danzo asked.
"Yes." Shikaku affirmed with a grim look.
The man across from Shikaku raised his head to speak. "As we know, the Kazekage's Gold Dust was an integral part of Sunagakure's survival when the village was going through economic strains."
"So it is safe to assume that these bandits accompanied by Otogakure Shinobi snuck into Suna to steal their Gold Dust." Homura adjusted his glasses as he set his gaze on the fire daimyo next to him. "And due to Suna's weak position and security at the moment, they could not detect the intruders. I think that this wasn't the first time this was attempted. It was just the first time it had been noticed."
Silence reigned supreme throughout the room as it took over everyone, even Danzo and the daimyo. No sounds could be heard except for the quiet breathing of the occupants in the room.
The Anbu commander sitting next to Shikaku was so quiet that everyone forgot he actually existed. True to how those of the Anbu usually acted, he barely said anything, only stating something he thought was of great importance.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Shikaku decided to speak up once again.
"Suna claims to only have attacked us because Oto approached them and for the fact that they were running low on resources. Who knows what could have happened if they declined Oto's offer. This is Orochimaru who is the leader, had he wanted to he could launched an attack to get Suna completely destroyed. Furthermore, I can assume that Oto was stealing resources from Suna to get them into a dire position where they would be forced to attack Konoha with them for survival."
"Sunagakure was being tricked by Orochimaru the entire time." The Anbu commander finally said something, raising his head, his voice sounding slightly muffled due to the mask he wore. "With all due respect, I believe that allying ourselves with Sunagakure is the best decision. We will improve relations and the chance of defeating Orochimaru."
Shikaku gave a smile of approval. At least someone understood where he was getting at.
"Hmm…" The daimyo looked up to the ceiling once again, deep in thought.
Danzo anxiously gazed at the man, not liking where this was going at all. He didn't know why anyone was listening to him. It just didn't make any sense! His way of going about things seemed to be the most logical. They had already tried Hiruzen's way and that got them hanging on the edge, nearly about to fall off and die.
"Fighting against Sunagakure will only make things worse for us! We are already in a bad condition, cutting off ties with them permanently with most certainly bring us to certain doom." Shikaku reasoned with everyone in the room, attempting to eliminate all doubts they could have.
Danzo opened his mouth to speak, but Homura cut him off.
"Danzo, I believe that you should have little say in the outcome of this meeting." The old man said, giving his comrade a stern glare.
"Homura!" Danzo seethed, surprised and angry at the fact that Homura didn't have his back. Usually, the bi-spectacled man agreed with his views on how to run the village. Why was he going against him now?
"You have been absent for a good while now, not responding to Konoha's darkest hours. Now, when Hiruzen has died, you think that you have the right to stand up and take over as the village's so-called protector? I'm sorry, old friend, but you couldn't be more wrong if you thought like that."
Danzo once again found himself sending death glares. This time, they were sent towards Homura. After a few moments of raw, exposed anger, Danzo took a deep breath and composed himself, remembering that he was in the presence of the daimyo and his committee.
"Very well, then. Do whatever you wish. However, do not blame me if things do not go as you hope they do. Such naïveté will lead you into pitiful deaths. But, if your way is how it should be done, then no more words shall be spoken from me."
"That is good." The daimyo spoke, grabbing everyone's attention immediately. "That way, we won't have any complaints about this decision. I have decided that we will once again form an alliance with Sunagakure, albeit on cautious terms. We will have to monitor them for a good while to make sure they are trustworthy, but for now we will accept their offer. After all, Orochimaru has been a pain in our sides for quite a while now." He turned his head to the left, facing the representatives of Konoha. "From here I will leave things in your hands. Konoha will take part in a mission with Sunagakure. Whoever you send is up to you."
The daimyo looked to the right to see his right-hand man and leader of his committee. The man sent his most trusted subordinate a look. He nodded in response, getting the message.
The member of the daimyo's committee stood up from his chair very formally, his clothes bearing no wrinkles whatsoever, unlike the clothing of the other three. While it was clear that all members present took their job seriously, it seemed this one did his job like it was his life, hence why he was the daimyo's most trusted underling.
"With this, the meeting has been adjourned."
Shikaku exhaled, having held a deep breath for the past minute now.
Good, it was over.
Unfortunately, due to the invasion, there was a massive decrease in living Shinobi. Most living ninjas in Konoha were either helping rebuild or out on missions to support the village.
This joint mission would require a lot of people, but Shikaku felt like he had the best people available for the job…
The Next Day
Naruto Uzumaki let out a long, strained yawn, his voice being muffled from the pillow covering his face. The soft cushion rustled as Naruto dragged his head, forcing his tired and groggy body to turn to the right so he could face the window.
A bad mistake.
Naruto winced, his face retreating to the darkness of his pillow due to the unforgiving rays of the sun.
Damn it…
Another day comes by. Another day without Hiruzen Sarutobi watching over the village.
Damn it…
When the Third Hokage was alive, he had believed that the Hokage was the strongest. He had thought that he could never be defeated by anyone no matter what.
He was dead wrong. Orochimaru had unknowingly proved him wrong.
Damn it…
He couldn't believe it! He wasn't wrong!
The Hokage was the strongest man in the village! He was invincible! No one could stop him! He refused to believe that someone like Orochimaru had managed to slay the Sandaime.
NO!
The only enemies the Hokage loses to are disease, old age, and Biju. Nothing else has a chance against the great leaders. No one else...stood a chance.
He was wrong…
"DAMN IT!" Naruto shouted out loud, gripping his pillow tightly with his left hand, punching it as hard as he could with his right. He punched for about two full minutes before finally calming down.
Taking deep breaths, he looked out his window.
Old man…
Naruto had wanted him to live. He had wanted him to live so he could see him become the Hokage, and as a result get acknowledgement from everyone in the village.
But now he was gone…
To say that Naruto was close to Hiruzen was an understatement. Other than Iruka, Naruto had found that he had the closest bond with the late Third Hokage. And for good reason…
Before he met Iruka...no, before Iruka came to acknowledge him, Hiruzen was the one who cared for him. Yes, he was busy with his duties as Hokage, but he tried to give Naruto the best life a boy like him could have…
He was like a grandfather to him...
Naruto smiled fondly as he recalled precious memories that he experienced with the wise man…
From the few times they ate and cooked fish together to the annual celebration of his birthday in Ichiraku Ramen with the old man and later Iruka who joined in as well.
Hell, Naruto had even kind of enjoyed those stupid lectures the Sarutobi gave to his Academy class once in a while.
All in all, he was such a good man…
It just wasn't fair for such a good man to die. It just wasn't fair at all!
A soft rapping at the door to his room interrupted his lamenting. Immediately, thoughts of the Third Hokage being at the door rushed in, draining out all thoughts of the harsh reality.
Succumbing to these thoughts, Naruto jumped off his bed, still in his pajamas. He rushed through his small apartment, nearly tripping and falling on the way to the door.
With an excited and gleeful tug, the door shot right open. Naruto ran right towards the person with his arms stretched with a wide, happy grin.
"OLD MAN!"
"KYAH!"
The person on the other side let out a scream as both they stumbled backwards out of shock from the tight, strong hug.
The grabbed person seemed to be trying to speak, but they couldn't get out a word. It was either because of Naruto's constant gibberish or it was out of embarrassment from the hug.
"Naruto." A hard, serious voice said.
Naruto froze, immediately separating from the person he was entangled with. In front of him, he saw Hinata with a small blush on her face, which went away quicker than usual. On his left, he saw Sasuke with an exasperated expression on his face.
"S-Sasuke...H-Hinata…" Naruto stuttered with a startled tone, scratching the back of
his head out of embarrassment for mistaking the two of them for the Sandaime.
It was Sasuke who spoke.
"Kakashi wants us in the Academy. We need to go as soon as possible. And get changed, you idiot."
Later
The walk to the Academy was a quiet one for Team 7. They didn't know what to say to each other. Not that it was their faults that is. In their own way and for their own reason, they were all socially awkward.
Naruto because of the ostracization he received from the village and lack of parents.
Sasuke because of the death of his clan and his goal of killing Itachi.
And Hinata for previously low self-esteem and high confidence issues in general. The sheltered and cold life of her clan didn't help with her social skills either.
For them, the silence was pretty unsettling, even for Sasuke.
Surprisingly, right when they reached the Academy building, it was Hinata who decided to break the awkward silence, unable to stand it much longer.
"So…" She began quietly as they entered the structure. "What do you think this meeting is about?"
After a few moments of no response, Sasuke finally decided to say something.
"I don't know. Kakashi didn't tell me anything except for meeting up in the Academy classroom we used to be in."
"Maybe it's a new mission!" Naruto exclaimed with excitement riddling his eyes.
Sasuke gave him a weird look as they walked to the door of their former Academy classroom and slid it open. "The Sandaime is dead. Do you really think they would let us go on a mission two days after his funeral?"
"Well look what we have here!" A voice speaking in a carefree manner said the moment the Genin of Team 7 entered the room.
"Oh! Kiba!" Naruto immediately identified the voice of the boy in front of them. "If you're here, then does that mean…" The whiskered Genin's Eyes darted all over the room, his eyes raised out of surprise when he saw many other people.
"Team 8, Team 10...oh, and even Neji-nii-san's team is here (without Lee of course)." Hinata murmured at the sight of the people looking in their direction out of interest.
"It looks like your team has picked up your habit of being late, Kakashi." The Jonin sensei of Team 10 Asuma Sarutobi walked up to the newly arrived Team 7 while lighting up a cigarette in his mouth with a lighter. He breathed out, causing smoke to puff out into Team 7's faces, causing all three of them to cough uncontrollably.
"God damn it!" Naruto cursed out loud through nasty coughs. "Oi! You better *cough* *cough* get that damn *cough* thing out of our *cough* faces!"
"Oh, sorry about that." Asuma said insouciantly. Taking a step back, he examined each of Kakashi's Genin. "Let's see…" He pointed to Naruto, "Idiot." He moved his finger to Hinata, "Wallflower." He directed his gaze to Sasuke, "Crazy and obsessed avenger."
Tic marks formed on Naruto and Sasuke's heads at the insult while Hinata noticeably hugged her arms.
"Call us those names again, bastard!" Naruto yelled with flames burning in his eyes.
He was silenced by Kurenai placing her hand on top of his head.
"Calm down, Naruto." She chided lightly before turning to Asuma with an annoyed expression on her face. "And seriously Asuma, stop being so rude! Also, I thought you were going to stop smoking!"
"You already know why I stopped smoking for five days."
"Ahh, a lover's quarrel! Such a fine part of youth!" Might Guy barked from the side with a joyful laugh. "Doesn't it remind you of our relationship, Kakashi?"
Tenten, Naruto and Sakura all choked.
Kakashi, who just staring at the Genjutsu Mistress and the son of the Sandaime arguing, turned his head to Guy, a blank expression filling his eye.
"What was that?"
Guy's form immediately slumped at being ignored, a depressed expression crossing his eyes.
That's so weird...and wrong coming from a grown man…Sakura thought to herself as she spectated the interaction between the two men.
Typical Guy-sensei...Tenten thought with a long sigh.
Kakashi retracted his attention from guy, looking at all of the occupants in the room.
Good. Everyone seems to be here…
"Alright! Let's get down to it shall we?" Asuma, who had just finished bickering with Kurenai called out, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
"Hey...sensei!" The lazy voice of Shikamaru Nara came from one of the desks. "What is so important that you had to call everyone here?" The Nara rose from the Deck, revealing a flak jacket on his upper body.
"SHIKAMARU! YOU BECAME A CHUNIN?!" Naruto shouted, dashing right up to the boy out of shock.
Shikamaru winced. No matter how strong he got, Naruto's yelling was just too much for his ears.
With a frown, he said, "You're too loud. Yes, you idiot, I became a Chunin."
"B-But how?!"
"How? It's a drag, but I apparently met the conditions to become one during my match against that troublesome woman from Suna."
"As I was saying," Asuma cut in with an irritated tone. "We have been given a request for a mission directly from the daimyo himself."
"All of us?" Kiba said with a surprised expression.
Kurenai nodded her head towards her student. "Correct. Us Jonin don't know the full details yet. However, fortunately for us, Konoha's Jonin Commander is coming down here to fill us in the info."
Shikamaru's ears perked up as he looked towards the door out of interest suddenly.
"Fifteen people just for one mission?" Ino questioned. "What kind of mission are we doing that would require this many people?"
"Actually…" Kakashi chimed in to give his own information. "There will be more people. Apparently, this mission is a joint team-up with Sunagakure."
Silence.
Until…
"Suna betrayed us! Why in the hell would the daimyo approve of a mission like this?!" Kiba questioned with frustrated features on his face. He received a bark from Akamaru voicing his agreement.
"I will explain that for you right now, brat." A voice said from the entrance.
Everyone turned to see a scarred, taller version of Shikamaru standing in the doorway.
…
"EH?!" Voiced nearly every Genin in the room with the exception of Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Shino, Neji, and the rest of Team 10.
"What? Is it that surprising? What a drag!" Shikaku muttered with an annoyed frown.
"Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled out all of a sudden. "You never told me your old man was the Jonin Commander!"
"That's because I didn't want to tell you...it's too much of a drag." The newly appointed Chunin responded, crossing his arms behind his head.
"Enough bickering!" Shikaku commanded, immediately causing a deep silence to fill the entire room. "Let's get to it, shall we? I assume you all remember the proctor of the first round of the Chunin Exams, his name was Ibiki Morino."
Naruto gulped at the memory. He never told anybody, but he actually had a nightmare about the man's scars the night before they went into the Forest of Death. They didn't bother him now, but they were still really freaky.
"Anyway, Ibiki interrogated a suspicious bandit who were seen acting like a Shinobi…"
Kiba and Sakura paled while Akamaru whimpered at the reminder of their mission. Shino made no subtle movements but his eyebrow was twitching under his glasses.
"And he found out that they belonged to Otogakure. Obviously, since Oto was a new Shinobi village at the time, we didn't think much of it until Ninja from that village entered the exams. Moving on, we have received a letter from Suna stating that Otogakure—Orochimaru specifically—had killed their Kazekage. Seeing that we were both deceived by Otogakure, Sunagakure is proposing to rebuild our alliance so we can take them down."
"So they proposed a mission to rebuild our bond and take a step into taking care of Orochimaru at the same time. Am I wrong to assume that?" Shino asked politely, making Kiba squeal quietly out of fear from his sudden outburst.
Shikaku cupped his chin in his hand. "I'm not 100% sure. This could just be a ploy to lure us in. So obviously, we are to proceed with caution in this mission. Suna will be sending some of their own Shinobi, some of whom took part in the Chunin Exams."
"Gaara!" Naruto blurted out, a small grin nearly appearing on his face.
He was glad that there was a possibility of Suna and Konoha getting along again. He really didn't want to be forced to fight Gaara because they were on different sides. He noticed that a small change spark in Gaara after he defeated him. It was small, but Naruto was sure that it gradually made him into a better person.
"We are targeting Orochimaru!" Shikaku informed everyone in the room. "Thanks to the efforts of Hokage-sama, he has been heavily weakened! We will be essentially be engaging in a small-scale war with Otogakure. Hesitation is not an option on a mission like this! So, if any of you would like to back out now, then leave the room."
The father of Shikamaru closed his eyes, waiting to hear the sounds of multiple footsteps dashing for the door. To his surprise, he didn't hear any. He opened his eyes to see that no one in the room had budged a single inch.
He couldn't help but smile. This new generation...they can be quite a force to be reckoned with if given the right training and discipline.
"Alright. Seeing that we have no cowards here! I will give you the final bit of the info I have right now. We will keep in touch with Suna on the whereabouts of Otogakure. It seems they have settlements north of Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire) and even in Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind) south of Suna. The mission will take place in Kaze no Kuni, which is almost completely desert. Oto's settlement is presumably near the hottest areas of the desert for environmental advantage. For this reason, I would advise wearing appropriate clothing for a hot setting while bringing water and other things to supply yourselves."
Shikaku looked up, setting his sights on everyone in the room. He saw the determined looks on each of the Genin's faces. This recent invasion taught them what it truly meant to be a Shinobi and what doing what they did stood for. They were now willing to pay the price for their occupation if need be.
He turned to each of the Jonin senseis, who gave him a nod.
"Do not fret, your Jonin senseis will accompany you on this mission. Us Shinobi are insane, not stupid. Your mission will occur two days from now. That is all for this meeting! Good luck, and welcome to the fight!"
Meanwhile-In an Unknown Area
Nine silhouettes.
All of them having different unique traits and features to them.
Whether it'd be a big lumbering sword, a big fat body with a metallic tail hidden underneath, or even a plant-like appearance.
The one thing all these silhouettes had in common however…
The black cloaks with red clouds that they wore.
"Zetsu. Report." One of the silhouettes commanded with utmost authority.
The plant-like silhouette now known as Zetsu sighed before beginning to speak. "I have recently found out that former member Orochimaru of the Sannin has formed his own little village in the form of Otogakure. And only a couple of days ago, he launched an attack on Konoha. He apparently murdered the Sandaime there."
The member with a large blade strapped to his back chuckled. "Look at that Itachi-san, your old village was attacked and its leader killed. Do you feel the least bit sorry for your former home?"
The silhouette in question stood next to the one with the big blade. He remained silent for quite a while, as if he was hesitant to answer. Eventually, he merely raised his head, revealing the red eyes of a three-tomoe Sharingan.
"No."
"Damn it! Why do you have to make everything so fucking dramatic, red-eyed bastard!" Another member wielding a three-blades scythe cursed out loud.
"Sasori." The leader said emotionlessly yet confidently, "Any information regarding the whereabouts of Orochimaru."
The member with the metallic tail turned his head towards the leader. "Kabuto didn't say much of anything. All he told me was that there was a settlement in Kaze no Kuni."
"Very well, then." The leader opened his closed eyes, revealing purple eyes with a ripple pattern. "Itachi. Kisame." The member with the Sharingan and the member with the big blade replied by turning their heads. "You two are tasked with going to Kaze no Kuni. If you find Orochimaru, get rid of him immediately. Put your task of finding the Kyuubi on hold. If you find the Ichibi (One-Tails), then immobilize him and bring him to us. Our hunt for the other Jinchuuriki will come later. After all, we still need to verify all of their locations. We don't need a repeat of what happened with Kakuzu's failed attempt of capturing the Rokubi (Six-Tails)."
"Understood." Itachi replied tonelessly, ignoring the boastful laughter coming from one of the silhouettes with a long ponytail as they mocked another member wearing a mask who threatened to kill him if he didn't shut up.
And with that, one by one, each of the silhouettes disappeared.
In an unknown location, Kisame and Itachi rose to their feet, their goal in mind.
Find Orochimaru...and kill him.
Finally finished!
So, I decided to introduce Danzo early in this fic. I know he wasn't created at the time, but I didn't like how he appeared out of nowhere after the time skip.
And yes, I know that I delayed the timeline by a couple of days. Roll with it!
Oh yeah, that bit with Kakuzu failing to capture the Six-Tails will be explained later down the road. It is something I decided to add in myself despite it not ever happening in canon or even filler.
I'm kind of nervous actually writing this new arc, so it might take a while for the next chapter to get. Plus, I'm gonna be heading to my home in a couple of days so traveling will drain me quite a bit. Hope you guys understand!
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Take care, goodbye!