Authors Forenote – I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does.
This is an expansion and modification of my scenelet collection Vanishing Kid.
Unfortunately, the story died on me at the graduation point.
Sorry.
The Travelling Shinobi
Prologue
Konohagakure, also known as Konoha.
The largest of the Great Five Shinobi Villages, Konoha is also the oldest, being formed as a result of an alliance between the Senju and Uchiha clans, former enemies who wished to do more than simply lose their members to the never-ending warfare that ravaged the lands.
When the Senju and the Uchiha set up a fortified camp in the shadow of a large cliff, making sure to place guard-posts and barracks above to provide security against those who would try to launch raids against them, the other clans took notice. Some of the clans chose to attack and lost heavily, discovering that a reinforced position is a great force-multiplier. Other clans chose to move further away and seek out places where they could form their own Villages.
And some clans chose to ally themselves with the new Village, either as distant allies (such as the Uzumaki) or as full members of the Village, such as the Hyuuga.
With the two strongest Dojutsu clans supporting the village, the newly-named Konohagakure was seen as being the first true Superpower. It's reputation of strength attracted other clans, the semi-bestial Inuzuka and their intelligent canine companions, the brute-force Akamichi, the illusion-weaving Kurama, the Nara who planned in the shadows that they used, the quiet Aburame who simply wished to live in symbiosis with their many bugs, the Yamanaka who often delved into the minds of others. Others came from further away, bringing their own outlooks and traditions to Konoha, increasing its strength.
And with that strength, Konoha made a decision that allowed it to look outwards, it welcomed those who were not shinobi. The civilians slowly took over much of the support structure, growing crops, raising animals, overseeing the placement of wells, water pipes and sewers as the Village outgrew its walls again and again. With the civilians taking care of the background tasks, the Shinobi could concentrate more on what lay beyond their walls, staving off threats before they could approach and making alliances.
The other Villages also followed suit, seeing the prosperity that Konoha enjoyed, but their own philosophies prevented them from attaining the same advantages.
The acceptance of civilians and refugees had another effect, one which most overlooked. Konoha was seen as the most approachable of the Shinobi villages, the one that did not disdain those who sought its services. This brought in more wealth for Konoha and also raised its reputation as being the Village who cared for others. A reputation which was generally true.
But people are people and rumors abound. After the incident which cost the Fourth Hokage his life and caused the Third to return from his retirement, new rumors went round, rumors placed by those who sought to control one who would one day be a powerful Shinobi, or to limit him that he would not be able to turn against the Village he lived in.
And those who listened to those rumors occasionally acted in ways that the originators had not forseen, with results that they would not have desired.
.
.
The young boy muttered as he returned from his failed errand to find that once again, the orphanage had locked its doors, condemming him to another cold night under the stars. Even as he thought it, he felt the first drops of rain hitting him.
"Kami damn it!" He growled as he stomped away, seeking at least partial shelter under a nearby tree or bush. "I wish I wasn't here!"
.
Sometimes, apparently inconsequential or apparently meaningless events may change the world.
The boy was unaware that he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, the Red-hot Habenero and Princess of Whirlpool. He was totally unaware that when the Kyuubi no Kitsune had been sealed into him by means of a sealing masterwork that had cost both parents their lives to perform, the seal had incorporated a Hiraishin seal, one that Minato had placed almost by reflex and, since its positioning meant that it wouldn't interfere with the main function of the seal, was allowed to remain.
Because Minato and Kushina both died to seal the Kyuubi, no-one knew about the accidental addition to the seal. Even Jiraiya failed to spot it due to the complexity of the main seal and so he failed to consider what might happen if even a tiny tendril of the Kyuubi's Chakra managed to slip through and interact with it.
The frustration and depression that Naruto felt that night allowed such a tendril through, a tendril that touched the Hiraishin portion of the seal, supercharging it and changing it very, very slightly.
That one little alteration would change everything.
.
Naruto blinked. Somehow, odd stars had popped up. Although he couldn't see them, he was suddenly aware of them in a way that he couldn't describe, as well as everything within a dozen feet or so of the odd little stars.
And one of them was in a warm, dry place with what looked like a large hut and trees laden with fruits he had never seen before.
Naruto reached out for the star, and vanished from Konoha, startling the old woman who had been watching him head towards his normal shelter with gleeful satisfaction from the window of her office.
"…oh crap!" The woman whispered in horror. "Danzo's going to kill me!"
.
Naruto stumbled as the ground under his sandalled feet changed from damp soil to sand. Looking round, he felt his mouth watering at the sight of the slightly-overgrown garden which boasted many bushes and trees burdened with berries, fruits and other things that he had never seen before. Running over to the closest bush and trying to no fall as the sand shifted under his feet, he reached the tree and pulled at the pinkish fruit hanging down. As soon as it was in his hand, he took a bite of it and wriggled in pleasure at the sweet taste while the juice from the fruit trickled down his chin.
All too soon, all that was left was the large, wrinkled stone-like center which Naruto quickly dropped even as he reached for a second one of the heavenly fruits. Soon, he was finishing off the fifth fruit and feeling happily full, albeit slightly nauseus from the accumulated sweetness.
.
"Report!"
"There's been an unexpected change in the internal chakra levels, sir." The leader of the Kekkai-Han stated. "The bubble in the Water Sensing Sphere that represented Uzumaki Naruto has vanished, but there was no matching ripple to show how he disappeared. He's gone, but he hasn't passed through the Kanchi Kekkai!"
"Vanished?" Sarutobi Hiruzen scowled at the sphere of water as if it somehow held the answer. "Vanished how? At this time of night, he should be at the Orphanage in his bed… ANBU!"
A hooded and masked figure appeared out of nowhere, dropping down to one knee as it awaited the Hokage's command. "Send an agent to check out the orphanage. If Naruto isn't there, bring the Overseer to my office!"
The figure vanished and Hiruzen turned his attention back to the leader of the Barrier Team.
"You did well to report this to me." He said, causing the man to relax slightly. "Now, I want Konoha locked down. Change the formula if need be, but I want everyone going in or out to be identified. And send word to the Kumo ambassador that the treaty negotiations are being put on hold!"
"Hai!"
.
Naruto pushed aside the curtain that blocked the doorway, giving a surprised yelp when the weights sewn into the bottom edge tapped against his legs. Stepping into the ground-floor room, he looked around the large room, seeing a staircase leading up the back wall to his left while an open-plan kitchen/dining area was visible behind the right of the central fireplace. Although the floor was covered in sand, gaps in it showed flagstones underneath and several pictures hung on the wall above the stairs. A doorway tucked under the stairs caught his attention, so Naruto darted through it and paused, finding himself outside once more, albeit under an angled roof leading to what looked like a small shed.
"Huh? What's that?"
Moving to the shed, Naruto reached out and pushed the hanging blinds aside.
"Yay! I needed to go! I really need a…"
.
"…shit."
The heartfelt exclamation seemed calm, but anyone with even the slightest knowledge of Hiruzen's personality or the ability to read emotional states would have known from the use of the profanity that the man that many called The Professor and The God of Shinobi was on the very edge of losing control of his temper and entering a beserker rage.
Cowering before him in a puddle of her own making was the woman assigned to the orphanage where Naruto had been placed in an attempt to ensure his safety from those who would seek to capture him for his burden or kill him due to his heritage. Hiruzen had believed that having a retired Jonin (who had been invalided out of active service) in charge would have provided enough protection to allow reinforcements to arrive.
He hadn't counted on the Jonin in question being one of the ones who couldn't be bothered to see the difference between the Kunai and the Scroll, though.
Only the presence of a Seal on her tongue had stayed his wrath and he had used careful questioning to eliminate the possibilities of who had placed it on her.
"ANBU. Take her to Inoichi and have him put her in a secure cell." He ordered and a masked figure appeared from nowhere and vanished with the elderly lady. "Get me Jonin-Commander Nara, now! There's a diseased root that needs to be dug up…"
.
The bed on the platform above the kitchen area had been somewhat dusty, but the mattress had been made of srong materials which had lasted for however long that small house had been abandoned, allowing Naruto to lie on the most comfortable futon he could ever remember lying on. Not a single lump or bulge poked into him and Naruto looked out of the window at the darkening sky before closing his eyes and allowing himself to fall asleep.
Oddly, he was actually looking forwards to the next day.
There were so many stars to explore.
Some of which looked really interesting.
.
"…interesting." Nara Shikaku muttered as Danzo shed the splint on his right arm, revealing it to be a pale-skinned limb in which several Sharingan eyes were embedded.
"I hate it when you say that!" Choza complained as he used an expanded fist to embed the few remaining Root shinobi into a nearby wall.
"How did he get those eyes?" Itachi queried, stepping away from the corpse of Danzo's second-in-command, flicking his sword to clear it of blood. "They all look identical… cloned?"
"Sounds like someone has been working with Orochimaru." Inoichi noted as he turned away from the two Root Shinobi who had stabbed each other. "This could be… tricky."
"It is not often that a Hyuuga and an Uchiha fight alongside each other." Hizashi noted as he moved next to the young Jonin. "Hopefully this will be over in time for me to attend my niece's birthday tomorrow."
"Yeah, you may have a problem." A young voice said and Danzo snarled as a silver-haired chunin appeared in the doorway to his office. "While you were taking out his forces, I got a look at his secret files. Danzo's trying to stir up war between Konoha and Kumo by having the Kumo ambassador kidnap the Heir."
Hizashi froze, then his eyes narrowed. "Kakashi, inform the Hokage of this."
"I heard." Hiruzen stated as he walked into the cavern. "Danzo… you have gone too far. Hand Naruto back and I shall ensure that your death is swift and your reputation unmarred."
Danzo blinked. "What? You mean all of this is because you think I kidnapped the Jinchuuriki?"
"…you don't know where he is." Hiruzen realized. "Your agent hadn't reported his kidnapping before I had her interrogated…"
"If the Jinchuuriki's gone, Konoha has been weakened." Danzo mused, then he snarled. "I knew your passionless weakness would doom Konoha! Once you die, I shall make Konoha great again!"
As he roared his last word, Danzo lunged forwards, a wooden sword forming in his hand.