Rise, Son Of Rome

by Young Napoleon22

After Naruto makes a discovery on a diplomatic mission to Wave country, he begins to question his current place in life. Then, after being banished for "roughly handling" Sasuke in the retrieval mission, Naruto sets off to bring honor to his ancestors and rebuild the Roman Empire...and no one is going to stand in his way.

8. Unius enim honor acerrimum

A/N: Usually I don't do these at the beginning too, but I felt it appropriate this chapter. Naruto will be showing more emotion in this chapter; I know some of you've said he's acting cold. I want to show that he does in fact have a soft spot for Hinata. Speaking of Hinata, she's going to be on the receiving end of some very...unorthodox interrogation methods at the hands of Kurenai, but I feel that Hinata would never give up information under pain; she seems too strong-willed for that. And I came to realize, through reading KingKakashi's "Aftermath" story, that a fanfic can be serious and lighthearted at the same time; you just have to be able to give both equal amounts of use.

Other than that, I'm not sure there are anymore curve-balls in this chapter, so, enjoy.

Ch. 8- Unius enim honor acerrimum

(For the honor of one held close)

"No, you'll be forced to try."

Uchiha and Hyuga stared each other down, both waiting for the other to make the first. Hinata knew the Interceptor Fist relied on countering your opponents moves, and then capitalizing on the opening in their defense. And even if Sasuke didn't have his sharingan activated, the style was still dangerous.

Sasuke realized that the longer her stood still, the less chance he'd have of escaping, so he broke his stance, and charged his opponent.

Hoping to end the fight quickly, Sasuke feinted with his right fist, and brought his left to bury itself into Hinata's stomach. He followed this up with an upper-cut that knocked the heiress off her feet, and landing hard on her back. Trying to capitalize again, Sasuke brought out a kunai, and leaps forward; hoping to bury the blade in Hinata's chest.

Hinata had been surprised at the speed Sasuke demonstrated despite just being released from the hospital. This shock cost her when she was caught off-guard by Sasuke's feint, and then on the receiving end of a gut-busting shot to the stomach. Hinata wasn't afforded any time before she was hit in the chin and sent sailing onto her back. Luckily, she managed to open her eyes in time to see her opponent jump at her.

When Sasuke was in range, Hinata curled her legs back, and slammed her feet into his chest sending him flying back, landing with a loud "thud", on the ground. With a moments rest Hinata sat up on her knees and took stock of her condition.

She felt her stomach and noticed that a bruise would form where she'd been hit if she didn't apply treatment. Next she checked her mouth, and thankfully, found it to only be a little sore; nothing that would impede her ability to fight. So, taking advantage of the time she was given, Hinata applied a basic medical-jutsu to her stomach to avoid any bruising.

Sasuke wasn't as lucky. The young Uchiha could feel blood leaking from the wound on his chest, and his back ached from the impact with the ground. 'Gah, that bitch! She's going to pay for this!'

Pulling himself together, Sasuke pushed himself into a crouching position, and looked over to Hinata. 'She knows medical-jutsu!? Damn it, this isn't good. If I give her too much space she can just undo all the damage I inflict; I'll have to be careful.'

With his thoughts in order, Sasuke stood up, and addressed the Hyuga heiress, "Hinata, I feel it's only fare to warn you, that you have no hope of beating me. I haven't even activated my sharingan and already you're resorting to medical-jutsu. Why don't you just stand aside, and that way, I won't have to ruin that pretty face of yours, hm?"

Hearing Sasuke's voice alerted Hinata that her time was up. But it gave her the advantage of allowing her time to get ready for her opponents next assault. Deciding to continue fighting, Hinata stood up, and re-entered into the Gentle-Fist stance; this time with byakugan blazing.

Receiving his answer, Sasuke also stood. But he was not allowed time to ready himself before Hinata was upon him. Sasuke was forced to dodge a two-fingered strike aimed at his chest. When he tried to counter-attack, Hinata ducked under his left hook, and closed off two of his tenketsu before jumping back.

Taking note that his chakra was now off-balance, Sasuke decided to test just how seriously he'd been hindered. So, going through his favorite hand-signs, the Uchiha brought his hand up to his mouth and called out, "{Great Fireball-Jutsu}". The move required a bit more concentration, but nothing Sasuke thought was worth worrying about.

When Hinata saw the giant ball of fire charging towards her, she knew that if she dodged to either side Sasuke would be ready for her; so she jumped. The Hyuga heiress barely managed to escape being caught by the flames.

Choosing again to go on the offensive, Hinata reached into her pouch, and produced a handful of shuriken. Throwing them, Hinata let herself drop to the ground, before she rushed Sasuke. Her plan backfired however when Sasuke performed another set of hand-signs, jumped back, and let loose a barrage of mini-fireballs.

Seeing no way to dodge, Hinata performed a substitution, and placed herself on the side-lines of the training ground. But when she looked around, the Hyuga heiress was unable to spot Sasuke. Re-activating her byakugan, which had been deactivated while avoiding the fireball, Hinata just managed to catch a glimpse of Sasuke underneath her, and rolled forward to avoid his reaching hands.

Sasuke shot up out of the ground, his {Head-Hunter-Jutsu} failing; luckily he managed to catch sight of Hinata lunging for a palm-strike. Ducking her attack, Sasuke gripped the outstretched arm, swung Hinata around, and threw her back into the center of the field. When he finished placing distance between them, Sasuke allowed himself to cringe from the pain in his chest; his wound having been opened farther due to his rapid movements.

'I have to end this soon, or I might succumb to this wound.' Steeling himself, Sasuke activated his sharingan, and walked away from the edge of the training field; waiting for his opponent.

Hinata a pushed herself up from the ground and blinked the cobwebs from her brain. 'When did Sasuke-san learn that? I don't remember him ever knowing any form of Earth-Stlye.'. Deciding to place such thoughts in the back of her mind Hinata looked over to the Uchiha, and felt a twinge of fear at seeing his sharingan activated. 'With two tomoes each!'

Hoping to catch him off-guard again, Hinata charged at Sasuke. Opting for a palm-strike strike to the chest, Hinata wasn't too surprised when the sharingan wielder parried her blow. Thinking fast Hinata used her momentum to enter into a roundhouse kick. This time she was shocked, when Sasuke took hold of her leg, and simply pushed her over.

Landing on her hands and knees, Hinata felt her body ache and her breath catch in her throat. The heiress realized that she hadn't recovered enough from her training, and was now running on fumes. 'But I can't just let Sasuke walk away!' Hinata shot out her leg and spun, hoping to sweep Sasuke's legs out from under him; she missed. But she used that momentum to jump away from her opponent.

Sasuke had seen Hinata's movements as if she were going in slow motion, and had no problem stepping over the girls feeble attempt at an attack. When she jumped away from him Sasuke chuckled to himself, 'She's getting tired. That last attack was significantly slower than the ones she was throwing out before her last impact with the ground; this fights over.'

As if to confirm the Uchiha's thoughts, Hinata stood in a slouched Gentle-Fist stance, and was taking in heavy breathes. When Hinata charged again Sasuke didn't even bother to enter into a fighting stance; considering it a waste of time.

As she charged, Hinata noticed that Sasuke hadn't adopted a defensive stance. Angered at her opponents lack of concern, Hinata mentally formulated an attack pattern to teach the Uchiha that she wasn't to be underestimated.

Using the lack of sun to her advantage, Hinata performed the clone technique,and in an explosion of smoke there were two more Hinata's; their lack of shadow unseen because of the lack of light-source. The two Hinata's on the outside made moves to attack from Sasuke's left and right, while the middle one jumped into the air.

Sasuke, with the aid of his sharingan, noticed that the Hinata in the air and the one on his left didn't disrupt the grass when they ran at him; showing him that the Hinata on his right was the one he had to engage. When she got within range Sasuke ducked under her first strike, and moved inside her guard to begin his assault. The Uchiha locked his hands behind Hinata's head and brought it down to meet his knee; only for the girl to explode into a cloud of smoke.

While Sasuke was caught in shock Hinata rushed in from behind, having used a substitution while she was enshrouded in the clones smoke. 'I'll have to thank Naruto for allowing me to see his {Shadow-Clone} technique.' While her clones distracted Sasuke, Hinata had gathered up her bokken and sharpened them with chakra; a thin layer lining the edges. As she reached the dissipating cloud of smoke Hinata entered into a basic sword routine she'd worked on earlier.

Hinata started off with a horizontal slash across Sasuke's back with her right blade. Then, she spun around to his front and punched the Uchiha in the stomach with her left fist. This was followed by a rising-slash, up the chest, with her right blade again. As she was coming down from her jump, Hinata slammed the hilt of one of her bokken into Sasuke's skull. The Hyuga heiress finished her routine, she thought of a follow-up attack, and moved to stab the bokken into Sasuke's shoulders; intent on lifting herself, and using her flexibility to perform an ax-kick on the boys head. This failed when her opponent grabbed her wrists, and head butted Hinata; a 'crack' echoing throughout the training field.

Sasuke hadn't been expecting Hinata to know the {Shadow-Clone} technique, and was momentarily stunned when the Hinata he hit exploded into a cloud of smoke. This lack of focus would cost him when he felt a razor-sharp pain across his back. But the Uchiha didn't have time to think about that, because soon his stomach was assaulted by Hinata's fist. As Sasuke let loose a gob of blood and spit, he was once again introduced to that razor-sharp feeling; only this time on his chest; which re-introduced the wound Naruto had given him earlier. And just when he thought it was over, his head was assaulted next with the force of a blunt object.

Sasuke was given a brief moment of reprieve after that, and he used this time to catch a glimpse of Hinata trying to continue her attack. 'I don't think so!' And he grabbed hold of his attackers wrists, before introducing his forehead to hers in a sickening headbutt.

Letting go of the Hyuga heiress' wrists, Sasuke introduced his knee to her stomach, before delivering a bicycle-kick to her chin; sending Hinata staggering back, but still on her feet. 'Well now, that just won't do.'

Sasuke casually walked up to Hinata, who was holding her bleeding mouth, and back-handed her to the ground. As she lay there groaning in pain, Sasuke loomed over her, sharingan eyes glowing ominously, and said, "Now then, I think it's time you were taught a lesson in who towers above you."

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Naruto was awoken by the sound of someone banging on his apartment door. "Fucking shit," Naruto hissed out to himself. "ALRIGHT ALREADY, I'M AWAKE!" He screamed to his visitor.

Sitting up in bed, Naruto took a moment to gather himself together. Looking around the room he noticed a naked Ino frog-tied on his floor and a vibrator inserted into her womanhood and taped to her nipples; her first stage of punishment. He'd set it up so that the vibrator's intensity would fluctuate, never allowing the platinum-blonde to reach an orgasm. She'd been gagged, of course, to keep her from ruining his sleep.

Deciding he couldn't answer the door naked, Naruto walked over to his closet and retrieved his tunic; looking good as new after being mended by Ayame Ichiraku. 'Who knew she could sow?' The blonde fastened his weapons into place and went to untie Ino so she could get re-dressed. "Hurry up, I don't want to have to listen to anymore knocking."

Once she was presentable Naruto walked into his living room and opened the door. Cobalt-blue eyes narrowed at seeing another ANBU agent had been sent for him. 'What could I possibly be needed for now?'

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company so early this morning ANBU-san?"

"Hokage-sama has requested your presence at the hospital Naruto-san. She says it's urgent."

"And what could possibly be so interesting at the hospital, that my presence is necessary?"

"It involves Hinata Hyuga." The moment the words left his mouth, the ANBU found himself face-to-face with a stone-faced blonde.

The second Hinata's name left the masked ninja's mouth, Naruto had taken hold of the front of his armor plate, and yanked him down to eye-level. "Why is Hinata Hyuga in the hospital ANBU-san? When I left her yesterday Miss Hyuga was fine, so WHY is she in the hospital NOW!?"

"I'm not sure Naruto-san, all I know is that Lady-Tsunade asked me to relay this message to you." The ANBU's tone never wavered, years of suicidal missions having jaded him to the practice of intimidation.

Seeing that any more questioning would only bring a similar response, Naruto let go of the masked ninja, "Very well. If you could, go back to Tsunade and inform her that Ino and I are on our way." With that Naruto slammed the door in the ANBU's face, then punched a hole in his wall out of frustration.

"What do you think could have happened to her?"

Naruto turned to look at his fellow blonde, "Did you not just hear me ask the ANBU that same question? The only way we're going to learn what happened, is if we go to the hospital." At this point the young Roman had laced on his leather bracers and put on his boots. "Let's go"

No more words were spoken as master and slave exited the apartment and made their way to the hospital. But as they walked the streets, both minds were clouded by thought.

'How could this happen? When my clones dispersed she was fine, so what could have happened after they left her alone?' Were the primary thoughts racing through Naruto's mind. The blonde told himself the worry was for his greatest weapon and it's ability to be useful, but in the back of his mind Naruto heard a voice tell him that it was much more than that.

Ino's thoughts,however, found themselves treading down a different path, 'If Hinata's hurt, maybe it will make Master rethink our positions. Hinata thinks she's so special, well I'll show her and Master. I'll prove that I have just as much value as that mousy little whore.' Ino, after multiple sexual episodes with Naruto, had developed an emotional attachment to her master; and with feelings came jealousy.

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After arriving at the hospital, the two blondes ran into a bit of trouble.

When Naruto asked the receptionist what room Hinata was in he was met with a hateful look and then an upturned nose as she responded, "Lady Hinata doesn't need to be disturbed by the likes of you, she's being visited by a group of respectable ninja, including two of the Sannin, and I am sure that they don't wish to have you there tainting the heiress with your vile presence."

The pair of blondes stood and stared at the woman; one in confusion the other in quiet fury. Then, faster than anyone could see, Naruto had the woman held at knife-point. He had his left hand gripping the back of her head while his right held his pugio at her throat.

"Speak like that to me again, and I will cut open your throat!" The blonde whispered. "Now, you're going to tell me what room Hinata Hyuga's staying in, and you are going to do it before I count to five. Because if you don't,I'm going to make sure that no one's ever going to wanna look at your face again, understand!?"

The receptionists body trembled as her eyes, glistening with unshed tears. She was only in her mid-twenties, and she'd just gotten this job a week ago! Deciding that she valued her life more than her hatred for the boy in front of her, she stuttered out, "S-She's b-being kept in r-room 321. P-Please, I-I'm sorry, p-please don't hurt me." By this point the woman was crying, fearing for her well-being.

Seeing that he'd gotten the information he wanted, Naruto let go, sheathed his dagger, and walked in the direction of the stairs; Ino wordlessly following behind, not daring to question her master's methods of persuasion.

When they arrived at Hinata's room the two blondes noticed that it was indeed packed with people.

Her team was, obviously, present, along with Team Guy; Neji taking a seat by his cousin's bedside. Also present was the rest of Team 10, each member finding a place against the wall. But what surprised Naruto, was that only two members of his own squad were here. 'Where the heck is Sasuke?'

While it was true that the two of them had fought the day before, Naruto felt that such an incident would be put aside in light of the attack on Hinata. With his mind set on getting answers, Naruto opened the door, and marched inside; making his way to Hinata's bedside.

"...Would someone like to tell me what happened?" The blonde started off. "When my clones left her, Hinata was fine, but now...now she's laying here; in the hospital." Naruto's tone held an edge to it. One that said that someone better speak up quick, or there would be problems.

"I suggest you lose the attitude genin Uzumaki," Kurenai spoke up," you do not hold any form of authority so I suggest you don't act as if you can demand answers from us."

"My apologies Yuhi-san, I'm just very...upset, that someone important to me has wound up in such bad shape and I don't know how it happened."

Naruto's informal address of Kurenai's position didn't go unnoticed by the other occupance of the room, but most passed it off as "heat of the moment". It was Asuma Sarutobi who spoke next.

"Lady-Tsunade has been pulled aside to hear the doctors assessment of Hinata's injuries, we'll know what happened when she returns. As for who assaulted her? Well, Jiraiya-sama is analyzing a note that had been found with Hinata's body earlier this morning."

"I see. And, who was it that found her like this?"

Shino stepped forward this time, "We did. We had gone to the Hyuga estate to retrieve her for training, but were informed that she never returned home. With that in mind, we assumed she'd passed out from exhaustion; a common occurrence when she's training alone. When we arrived at our training ground we found our team-mate laying, covered in blood and dirt, on the ground. We immediately brought her here, where it was discovered that a note had been stuffed into her mouth."

Each word only angered Naruto further. His body had locked up, his muscles bulged with retrained anger, and his eyes had become a dark, cold cobalt-blue; a sharp contrast to the cool, calculating pair most had become accustomed to. However, before he could voice his anger, Tsunade walked in the room.

"Ah," she said upon noticing her favorite knucklehead, "Naruto, it's good that you managed to come. I'd heard how...close you and Hinata were getting, and wanted you to be aware of what happened."

Naruto growled in his throat, "Well then get on with it; tell me what damage she's sustained."

Tsunade took a moment to clear her throat before answering, "-Ahem- Well, Hinata has suffered a concussion to the head, a broken jaw, and a broken nose; and that's just her head. Her left arm is broken and she has multiple bruises covering her upper-body. Half of her ribs are broken, with the other half being bruised. She has stab wound in both her shoulders and a horizontal laceration across her back."

When Tsunade went to take a breath, Kurenai's hoarse voice croaked out, "T-Tsunade-sama, Hinata, she..she wasn't..." The young Jounin couldn't even form sound of the word, but the blonde Hokage knew what she was trying to say.

"Thankfully, no, Hinata was not raped. However, we did find traces of hand-shaped bruising along her breasts. Seems her attacker couldn't hold himself back completely. But I'm happy to say that Hinata will make a full recovery, and she will be able to return to active duty once she's properly healed."

While Naruto was glad to hear that his greatest tool hadn't been broken beyond repair, the more human side demanded blood for this dishonor. "While that's all well and good, none of that tells me who attacked her."

"Actually, the part about the note does tell us who did it Naruto...and I don't think you're going to like the answer." The voice came from Jiraiya, who had just re-entered the room. "The note was a little hard to make out at first; it was written in the girls blood, and being stuffed in her mouth for so many hours smudged the attackers words. However, we did manage to piece together what was written on the paper."

Kakashi felt a nauseating feeling begin to build up in his stomach. He, like Naruto, had wondered where Sasuke was. The lazy Jounin had gone by the boys compound to retrieve him, but found the place empty. Kakashi thought nothing of it at first and went to check their usual training spots. Now, after not finding Sasuke, and hearing Jiraiya-sama's ominous reply, The silver-haired cyclops began to fear for what was going to be said next. "W-What does the note say Jiraiya-sama?"

The legendary ninja's eyes squeezed shut, as if he were in pain, before he let out a breath and spoke, "-sigh- It reads..."

"Hey Naruto,

I hope you like the present I left you. Don't worry, after I beat her I didn't stop and have any "fun"; I didn't have time for more than a quick boob session anyway. Normally I wouldn't have bothered with her, but she got in my way, so I had to teach her the error of her ways. But, again, don't worry, I'll be back some day and then you can thank me for teaching the bitch her place.

-Sasuke"

The whole room was silent after Jiraiya finished reading the letter. Yet despite the silence, different reactions played out in each occupance mind. For Kakashi, he couldn't believe his student would abandon the village so easily; especially after all the work he'd put in to training the boy. For Sakura, the pink-haired kunoichi's mind was stuck in denial. She believed that Sasuke wouldn't leave the village without proper reasoning or, barring that, of his own free will. Most of the others had suspected the Uchiha to go rogue eventually, but none of them thought he'd do what he did to Hinata; someone who's done the boy no ill will. It was Naruto's reaction that startled everyone,

The sound of wood splintering echoed throughout the room as the bedside-table was thrown into the wall and broken. All eyes turned to look at the blonde who stood, glaring at the floor.

"Tsunade," Naruto's voice called out, "please tell me that you plan on sending a squad after that traitor." The way the roman so casually called his former team-mate a traitor astonished the rest of his team.

"As per protocol, yes, I will be sending a team to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha and return him to Konoha, where he will be prosecuted for desertion."

At that, Naruto turned his ice cold, cobalt eyes to the buxom Hokage and requested, "Then I ask that I be, if not the leader, than at least a part of the retrieval team. Sasuke did this," he motioned to the beaten Hinata with his hand, "as an attack on me personally. I'd like to show him how grave a mistake it is, to have me as his enemy."

The female Sannin thought about her fellow blondes proposal. While she was going to send out a retrieval team, she hadn't planned on having any genin or even chunin on it. But then she ran through the list of available ninja, and Tsunade realized that most of her Jounin were already out on missions.

'Granted I could send this group of Jounin here in the room, but, judging from the looks on most of these genin's faces, this isn't just a mission; it's personal. No, I can't let that be the deciding factor here.'

"I'm sorry Naruto, but I can't send genin to do such a dangerous job. What I didn't mention to any of you yet, is that our Eastern patrol was killed yesterday; leading me to believe that Sasuke isn't alone. And knowing Orochimaru like I do, there's no way he'd send anyone other than some of his best ninja to bring Sasuke to him. I'm sorry Naruto, but I'll be sending this group of Jounin to handle the retrieval."

When she finished her explanation Tsunade could see that many of the younger ninja were unhappy with her decision. "You can all be as upset as you want, but that won't change my mind. As much as I don't wanna say it, this mission is about more than what happened to Hinata. This retrieval is about a ninja, with critical knowledge about our village and a powerful bloodline, leaving the village to join one of our greatest enemies-" Anything else Tsunade may have said was cut-off when Naruto slammed the side of his fist into the wall.

"NO! This mission is NOT about Sasuke's eyes, and it's not about "village secrets." This mission is about getting back the Hyuga heiress's honor as not only a ninja of the Leaf, but as a woman. Hinata deserves at least that much." Naruto's speech lit a fire in the eye of many of the young ninja in the room.

"Naruto's right Lady-Tsunade," Shikamaru spoke first, "this is about Hinata, not Sasuke. You can't honestly expect many of us to just sit back and let the grown ups handle this. Hinata is a part of the rookie nine, and we take care of our own!" Almost immediately after, Neji spoke up.

"I have to agree as well. Hinata-sama's well-being is my responsibility, one that I have failed miserably at. This isn't just another retrieval mission Milady, it is a matter of honor!" After this were several similar arguments from the other genin.

Seeing so many young genin willing to throw down their lives to reclaim the honor of one of their own made Tsunade's heart swell with pride. These young ninja each held the 'Will of Fire' in their eyes; a fire the blonde Hokage didn't have the conviction to put out. "...Alright."

Looking around the room Tsunade addressed the group of genin, "I'll allow a team made up of the young ninja in this room to take up this mission." Her eyes landed on Shikamaru, "As the only chunin of your class, you're in charge Mr. Nara; you may select four of the genin in this room to accompany you."

Shikamaru looked every ninja of his generation in the face. He could see each of them, to a degree, wanted to be a part of this mission. But the young chunin could see, in some eyes, that this truly more than just a mission.

"Alright, I've chosen my team. First, for obvious reasons, I'm choosing Naruto and Neji. You two have the most legitimate reasons for going after Sasuke, and it would feel wrong to deny you guys justice. The final two are Kiba and Choji. Kiba because Hinata is his team-mate, and I'm sure they want revenge against Sasuke, and I chose Choji for a practical reason; we need a heavy hitter."

The young shadow-manipulator could see the looks of anger from the genin who hadn't been chosen, , but he could also see understanding in why they weren't chosen.

Seeing that the team was assembled and ready to go, Tsunade cleared her throat and addressed her ninja, "-Ahem- Okay, now that that's been settled I want this squad ready to move out ASAP. Sasuke and his new band of friends have a significant lead on us so you'll need to be fast if you want any hope of reaching them before they cross over into the Land of Rice."

A chorus of "Yes, Lady-Tsunade" was her response.

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Naruto stood, his arms extended , in front of his mirror. At this moment he was having a Shadow-Clone fit his armor into place. "...And, done. What you think?"

Naruto looked at himself. He looked at his grieve covered shins, the pteruge that covered his waist. Next he made sure that his blades were strapped on properly. Once satisfied with their grip, Naruto allowed his eyes to fall upon his silver cuirass; its polished and gleaming surface not yet marred by the experience in the field. Lifting his head, the blonde rotated his shoulders to loosen up his leather shoulder guards; listening as his lappets as they moved against each other. After this he made sure his focale wasn't too tight against his throat. Finally, as he stared into his reflections eyes, Naruto donned his officer's helmet.

As the young roman looked at the reflection in the mirror he could feel the power and confidence that oozed from the armor. Naruto felt invincible, like there was no one who could stand against him.

Re-checking his leather bracers to make sure they were situated correctly, Naruto turned and spoke to the girl on his bed, "Well, Ino, how do I look?"

The platinum-blonde had returned with Naruto to his apartment after he had been sent to prepare for his mission; she told her team she had to run the family flower shop. As she watched her master get suited up Ino was amazed at the complete transformation that took place before her eyes. When Naruto turned and addressed her, the young kunoichi was blown away by the sight of him.

"You look...commanding, Master. Truly, you personify all of Rome's greatness; and the helmet holds in all your hair."

"Hmm, yes, I'll have to get that trimmed down when I return. And , while the praise is greatly appreciated I must serve correction. I still hold the look of a fresh recruit; someone no true roman would follow. But, in time, I will prove myself worthy of carrying my ancestors name." With his response finished Naruto began to make his way to the door. "You might as well come along, see your team-mate's off and all that."

Ino stood and smiled gratefully towards her master, "Thank you master, I did hope to see them off, but didn't know how to broach the subject with you."

With those words, the two blondes exited the apartment, and made there way towards the Eastern gate.

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As they came upon the gate Naruto and Ino noticed that only Shikamaru was present.

"Shikamaru," Naruto called out, "good to see you were the first to arrive; although I am a little surprised. And where's Choji, usually you two are attached at the hip?"

The lazy Nara turned towards his blonde friend and Naruto immediately noticed that he was speaking, not with a Nara, but with a Crassus.

"I informed Choji that I needed to speak with you in private, so he's over there," he pointed to a stand that looked to be selling sweets and, sure enough, there the Akimichi was. "I see you've decided to represent Rome. Will this become a common sight?"

"And if it is, do you object?"

"Of course not, Imperator, I merely asked out of curiosity. In fact, it makes me wish I could join you in donning the official armor, but you know how suspicious that would look."

Naruto clasped his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, and gave his fellow roman a look of understanding. "Don't worry friend, that day will come. And when it does, know that it will also be the day we begin to reclaim our empire."

As the two young ninja talked, Ino stood off to the side and watched; waiting her turn to talk with her team-mate. Ino, being Naruto's save, had been informed of the current network of alliances the blonde had, as well as his plans for the future. As far as the Yamanaka heiress knew, the only one not fully aware of the situation now, was Temari; who Naruto had told Ino about while he was punishing her.

Before too much longer the rest of the retrieval team began to walk up, prompting Naruto and Shikamaru to put their conversation on hold. Kiba arrived first, followed almost immediately by Neji. And when those two arrived Choji pulled himself away from the sweet shop and made his way over as well.

"Alright team," Shikamaru called out, "like Lady-Tsunade said the group from Oto has a several hour head-start, so we'll have to move quick if we wanna close that gap. The formation will be: Neji in the front, followed by Kiba and Choji, and Naruto and I bringing up the rear. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Kiba raised his hand, "I've got one. Naruto, what's with the get-up?"

"Kiba I meant does anybody have any questions about the mission, not about irrelevant factors like: what someone's wearing."

"Well, what if that armor has some kind of special ability? Like what if it can absorb jutsu or enhance his strength huh? I mean c'mon, look at him, since when did Naruto have muscles!?"

The gathered ninja did look at Naruto, and they did notice the cuirass was molded to look like muscles; maybe there was something to Kiba's argument after all.

"Actually Kiba," Naruto spoke up, "my armor doesn't do either one of those things. And to answer your other question: do you not see my arms?" At this the blonde set his arms in front of his chest and his arms swelled. Kiba quickly rescinded his argument.

"Well, now that we've all been introduced to Naruto's new physique, can we please get on with this mission? I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd actually like to try and reclaim Hinata-sama's honor." Neji's face was creased into a scowl set deep into his face; the Hyuga prodigy didn't like these distractions.

Naruto looked over to the byakugan wielder and shot the boy a cold glare. "Don't assume you are the only one who wants to get this mission over with Neji, or have you forgotten that it was me who convinced Tsunade to let us have the mission?"

"I need no reminder of-" anything else that would have been said was cut-off with a shout of "Naruto!"

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Tsunade stood in her office with the older ninja that she'd originally selected for the retrieval mission. They were currently discussing Naruto and his behavior back in the hospital.

"Since when did Naruto and your student become so close Kurenai? The kid went ballistic when he found out about the cause for her condition." Kakashi directed towards the genjutsu mistress.

"It started back during that diplomatic envoy to Wave country. Ever since then those two's relationship has been...different. I know Hinata's always had feelings for the boy, but, what I've been observing is something far beyond any normal crush. It's staring to worry me."

Tsunade took I this information and looked over to her fellow Sannin, "Jiraiya, have your spies returned from Wave country yet? This whole mystery would be so much easier to solve if we had their intel."

"-sigh- Unfortunately, I wont be getting any information for about two more days Tsunade-Hime. I received a letter recently that told me they had run into some trouble; something about "not being able to get answers from anyone". So they needed a little more time, but my spy network works so well because they take their time; they never leave any stone unturned. I myself only managed to get a bit of information when I followed Naruto, he mentioned the old world."

Kurenai looked to the Sannin in confusion, "The old world, Jiraiya-sama? Do you mean the time of the Sage?"

"No, Miss Yuhi, I do not. I forgot that you weren't made aware of the times before chakra. The "old world" as some call it, is the time before the Juubi attacked. Not much is known about this era because it's said that most written record of those times was destroyed during the Ten-Tails attack; very few people have extensive knowledge of those days."

"Okay," Asuma spoke up, "but what does that have to do with what you found Jiraiya-sama?"

The Toad-Sannin looked to his sensei's son, "It matters, because I caught Naruto teaching Konohamaru how to sword-fight, and I heard him mention the word "gladius" as he spoke about his sword."

Gai, who had been silent up until now, chose to speak up, "Kakashi, I take it you did not introduce young Naruto to the practice of Kenjutsu, so can we assume it was something else he picked up in Wave country?"

"Yes," Kurenai responded, "when we were leaving, a man came up to Naruto and presented him with a wrapped bundle of cloth; which I now believe were those blades he now carries around."

"Well as we saw from looking at Sasuke, Naruto has knowledge of how to use a sword. He must have practiced while Sasuke and I were incapacitated."

Kurenai then remembered something she'd heard after arriving in Wave. "I think I know where we can get a few more clues." All heads turned to look in the ruby-eyed Jounin's direction.

"And where would this convenient source of information happen to be?" Kakashi asked, skeptical of the new development.

"Hinata. When we arrived at The Great Naruto Bridge my squad and I noticed a pair of statues with a strange language written across their pedestals. None of us could figure out what it said except Hinata; she said it was Latin. And when Naruto asked her how she knew, Hinata replied that she'd been taught the full history of our nation; back before even the Sage Of Six Paths."

While many in the group began to feel a sense of relief that the mystery surrounding Naruto would be solved, two members felt something else. Kakashi was the first to voice his feelings.

"As nice as that is to know, you all seem to be forgetting one thing; Hinata's feeling for Naruto. What makes you all think that she's going to give us information on him if she thinks we're a threat to the kids well-being?" This brought down the hopes of many of the conspirators.

"Well maybe I can get her to reveal a few things. My relationship with Hinata is still pretty strong, I think I can persuade her to tell me. And if not, there's always genjutsu." Kurenai offered.

While most of the ninja in the room were on board with this strategy, the sole blonde of the group began to feel apprehensive. When Jiraiya mentioned the gladius and the old world, Tsunade didn't let herself make the connection. But when Kurenai mentioned the Latin language, the pig-tailed Hokage began to feel sweat form on her brow. If Naruto found what she feared he'd found, the world would soon be thrown into a frenzy.

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The group looked over and noticed Sakura Haruno rushing towards them from the mob of civilians that were out and about. The pink-haired kunoichi stopped in front of her blonde team-mate.

Naruto looked at Sakura with a stoic face. The young girl's eyes were red and there were stains left behind by tears; clear indications that Sakura had been crying.

"What do you want Sakura?"

Her response came in a hoarse tone, "Naruto -hiccup- I-I wanna ask you a favor."

The blondes cobalt-blue eyes narrowed in suspicion, he had an idea of what Sakura was going to ask, but he hoped the girl wasn't really that stupid. "And what would this favor happen to be?"

"Naruto," at this the young kunoichi started to cry again, "N-Naruto please -sob- please bring Sasuke-kun back. I-I know everyone -hiccup- everyone thinks he abandon the village but, -sob- but that can't be true. Sasuke-kun would never leave on his own, those Oto ninja must have kidnapped him o-or he's being controlled by the curse-mark. S-So please, Naruto-kun, please; bring Sasuke-kun back to me."

At the end of her plea Sakura took hold of Naruto's hands and stared into his eyes, as if trying to will him to accept. While she did this the other young ninja looked on at her in disgust. None of them could believe that Sakura was actually defending Sasuke and his actions; almost outright denying the Uchiha's involvement in Hinata's attack, even though Sasuke himself left a note saying he did it!

Neji was about to confront the pink-haired girl and give her a piece of his mid, but Naruto beat him to it.

Naruto pulled his hands away and brought one up to cup Sakura's cheek. The young kunoichi leaned her face against the warm, rough hand that cradled her face and smiled in gratitude at the blonde youth in front of her. When Naruto's and slowly slid down to her slender neck, Sakura could feel her cheeks heat up at such a forward and intimate move. 'I-Is he..going to kiss me?'

That thought was shattered when Naruto tightened his grip and began to lift Sakura off her feet. Her emerald-green eyes widen in fear as she looked down into her team-mate's cold, cobalt-blue's.

"N-Naruto-kun, w-what are you doing!?" She choked out in terror.

"Sakura, since we're team-mate's I won't break your face but, if you ever try to defend Sasuke for beating Hinata in my presence again, then you won't like my response. Sasuke left the village because I defeated him, because his pride was hurt; NOT because he was kidnapped or being controlled. Hinata has never done any wrong to another member of this village, least of all your precious Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura began to cry again. Partially from the pain of her throat being squeezed, the other being because Naruto was tearing down her ideal of Sasuke right to her face. "B-But Naruto-kun -hrgh-" she didn't get to continue because Naruto's grip tightened further.

"And don't EVER refer to me as "Naruto-kun"! You are not fit to refer to me I such an affectionate way you sniveling worm! You want me to bring Sasuke back to you, well you're gonna get him; but he wont be very talkative because I'm going to rip out his tongue and feed it to him!" Naruto's rant ended in an icy hiss as he brought Sakura back to eye level. Tossing the distraught kunoichi away from him, Naruto turned and addressed his squad-mates.

"We've wasted enough time here! Like we've already been told twice, Sasuke and his group have significant head-start on us; one made larger by these distractions! But no more, as of this moment it's all about the mission. When we catch those guys, because we will catch them, I don't wanna see any mercy shown to any of them! Now, lets move out!" As he shouted this Naruto rested his right hand on the pommel of his sword and started to run out of the gate.

The rest of the squad looked at where Naruto had just been, before they too ran off to chase down Sasuke. None of them even sparing a second glance at the distraught Sakura.

With the team having left, Sakura and Ino were the only ones left standing at the Eastern gate. Sakura, needing some comfort after her "ordeal" turned to Ino.

"I-Ino, you don't think-" the pink-haired girl was again cut-off, only this time by a slap in the face. As she lay on the ground Sakura held her stinging cheek and looked towards her fellow kunoichi.

"Ino, w-why did you hit me?" She shrunk back when the platinum-blonde took a menacing step forward.

"Why? I slapped you because you're being stupid Sakura! Sasuke abandon the village, and attacked Hinata! And while he may not have raped her, how do you think she's gonna feel when she finds out he decided to use her breasts like stress balls! Sakura we may have been best-friends once, and I know we said we'd work on repairing that relationship, but if this is how you're going to act then I don't think I want anything to do with you." She began to walk away, but turned around and made one final remark.

"And Sakura, if I EVER hear you refer to the Master as "Naruto-kun" again, you and I are going to have a problem...understand!?" And with that, the young heiress began her trek back home.

Sakura lay in the street with only one thought going through her mind, 'Master?'

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As this was going on, Kurenai was visiting Hinata in the hospital. The young heiress had been heavily sedated when she was first brought in that morning, but she had since woken up and been allowed to be seen.

"Hinata," Kurenai began as she sat on the girls bed, "how are you feeling?"

The blue-haired Hyuga looked over to her sensei, her eyes holding a firm, suspicious look as she responded, "I'm doing alright Kurenai-sensei. A-Although, I'm disappointed in myself for allowing Sasuke-san to escape." The young girls defeated tone broke Kurenai's heart, making her almost not want to question her student. Almost.

"Hinata I feel that I should be the one to tell you this: Naruto, Neji, and three other members of your graduating class have been tasked with retrieving Sasuke. But I don't want you to feel as if you failed," Kurenai wrapped her arm around Hinata's shoulder and held the girl close, "you did your duty as a ninja of the Leaf, and no one can say you didn't try your best. I figure Sasuke wouldn't have done what he did if he didn't consider you a threat."

Kurenai's attempt at a pep-talk did manage to make Hinata feel a little better about her skills, but it didn't alleviate the suspicion the young girl held about her sensei."Kurenai-sensei, I-I feel like there's something m-more you wanna talk with me about...what is it?"

'-sigh- Leave it up to Hinata to be able to read me like a book.' The female Jounin thought. Deciding that lying would only hurt her chances of coaxing out information, Kurenai answered, "Hinata, I...was hoping you'd share some of your knowledge of the old world with me. You see, there's this...puzzle that I'm trying to solve and neither I nor any of my fellow Jounin, or even the Sannin for that matter, have been able to figure it out. Can you help me?"

"W-What kind of information do you need?"

"Well, let me tell you one of the clues we found; gladius. We aren't really sure what it is, or what it could mean, so I was hoping that you would have some knowledge about what a "gladius" is.

Hinata did know what a gladius was. Her Naruto-kun had explained that it was the type of sword his ancestors used to do battle, among other war machines. Hinata realized that Kurenai, and apparently many high ranking ninja, were watching her blonde love, 'I-I can't tell them about Rome, they m-might try to stop Naruto-kun's plan.'

"I-I'm sorry Kurenai-sensei, I-I can't remember learning about that. M-Maybe I could ask my t-tutor when I return to the compound."

Kurenai watched the different emotions flash across her students face, before it settled into a quick look of understanding, and then a false confusion. 'Hm, so she caught on already. I shouldn't be surprised, Hinata always was smarter than the average kunoichi.'

"Hinata, I can see that you've caught on, but you have to understand; we're only doing this because we don't know what we are dealing with. This is a ninja village Hinata, it's dangerous to keep certain things a secret."

"Certain things? Kurenai-sensei Naruto-kun doesn't keep any other secrets from the village, why can't he just have this one?"

"Listen, Hinata, I don't want to have to make you tell me; but I will if I have to." As she said this, Kurenai tightened her hold on Hinata and started to form hand-signs with her free hand.

"Ninja art: {Mugen no Torishirabe} level E." Once she finished this, Hinata's eyes glazed over and her mind was trapped in her sensei's technique.

GENJUTSU-

(While the torture and interrogation will be comprised of real torture later in the story, I chose this because 1) Hinata is still Kurenai's student, and beaten from last chapter, so she's using something that wont scar her mentally. 2) So many people like Hinata as a character {myself included} so I know none of us wish to see her put through pain.

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Hinata found herself tied spread-eagle to a wooden table, her eyes covered by a blindfold. While normally this wouldn't stop Hinata's byakugan, the young girl knew that inside Kurenai's genjutsu, she made the rules. The young heiress didn't believe Kurenai would do anything to hurt her, but she was still nervous as to what her sensei would do to her.

"Well Hinata, here we are. I don't wanna have to do this, but you've forced my hand. I've set the level of the genjutsu at Level E, so you won't get hurt. But knowing how sensitive you are, this may just be worse than any pain for you."

Hearing Kurenai's vague explanation of her torture made a knot form in the pit of the Hyuga heiress stomach. If Kurenai planned to do,what Hinata thought she was going to do, 'Then it really will be worse than pain.' She thought.

What confused Hinata was that all of her spots were covered, so there wasn't any way for Kurenai to really get to them...until Kurenai re-affirmed her control over their current reality. In the blink of an eye Hinata found herself clothed in just her lavender bra and panties.

"I hope you're ready for this Hinata, because this is only stage 1 of your torture. Although I don't think you'll be able to stand anymore than this."

Because of her blindfold Hinata couldn't see the numerous ghostly hands appear out of thin-air. The hands floated over and hovered above various places on her body. "We'll start with something you'll actually enjoy." Kurenai snapped her fingers and two hands moved to begin massaging her breasts; the thumbs rubbing the shy heiress's nipples in little circles.

Hinata, for her part, wasn't expecting this. The hands were gentle, and warm, the young kunoichi could actually feel the heat pass through her bra and envelope her pale globes. It wasn't a surprise when Hinata felt her nipples begin to harden under the ghost hands pleasurable ministrations; she'd never been touched in such a way by anyone but herself. Then the hands changed tactics.

The two hands that had been massaging her chest began to pinch and lightly twist Hinata's nipples. This sudden change in sensation made the shy kunoichi lose focus and let out a sharp gasp; even Hinata hadn't done this to herself. Before long the hands added tugging to their routine, so now they alternated between massaging, pinching, twisting, and now tugging.

Hinata could feel her entire body begin to heat up. Even when she tried reminding herself that this was all just a genjutsu, the pleasure caused by the ghostly hands would override any coherent thinking. Soon the Hyuga heiress was laying, panting and sweating, in a heap of sensual pleasure.

Kurenai took notice of her students current state, and could see that this wasn't enough to get the girl to speak against her blonde love. 'Well then, I guess I'll just have to change things up.' With that the genjutsu mistress snapped her fingers again, and the hands stopped.

Hinata was left frustrated when the hands quite pleasuring her heaving bosom. She wanted to yell that she wanted it to continue, but then remembered what the cost would be, 'And besides -huff- if I hold out -huff- Naruto-kun will reward me with something far better than this.' But these thoughts didn't prepare the young kunoichi for what Kurenai would order the hands to do next.

"Now that I've got your nerves charged and ready, it's time for stage 2." With another snap of her fingers, the ghostly hands descended again onto Hinata's ivory skin; only this time, it wasn't to pleasure her.

Hinata's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she felt the wispy, ghost-like fingers trace along the outer-edge of both armpits, and the rim of her little naval. Each spot was only tormented by a single finger at the moment, but Hinata knew that would change soon. For now, she'd gather strength to withstand the inevitable.

The young heiress didn't have to wait long because,minutes after the fingers began, the rest of them came into play under her arms, while the single wispy digit at her naval began to poke, prod, and twist around inside the small dimple.

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut as the fingers scraped gently against her smooth skin. Kurenai had been right, the sexual teasing had in deed set her nerves on edge; making it all the harder to fight back the laughter that wanted to pour through. Just when she thought she may surely explode, the hands once again halted their movement.

Kurenai looked at her frazzled student with surprise. The genjutsu mistress could remember back when she'd gotten Hinata to out-right confess to having romantic feelings for Naruto through the use of tickling, and yet here she was, holding in her laughter. 'This isn't good. I need to find a way to get her to break, because at this rate she'll never crack.' As she thought this, Kurenai's red eyes traversed across Hinata's entire body, until they stopped. 'That's it!' With the snap of her fingers, Kurenai re-assigned the hands, and set them to work.

Hinata waited apprehensively for Kurenai to continue her attempts to extract information from her. The young kunoichi used this valuable time to draw in as much breath as possible, getting ready for whatever came next. But it didn't help prepare for what came next, and Hinata knew that this would be what broke her.

The hands had been repositioned at the young heiress feet, and were quick to apply their feather-like touch to the soft skin. Up and down they went, along the entire sole of the girls small feet. Hinata could feel tears leaking from her eyes as loud, melodious laughter poured out from her mouth as a single finger from each hand concentrated on her arches. And when she tried to ball up her feet, the ticklish kunoichi found herself unable to do so; it seemed Kurenai had anticipated this, and forced the young girls feet to remain still.

Hinata knew she was finished when two more hands came into play, and began to focus on her toes. 'T-This i-is so unfair! I-It's so humiliating, oh, Naruto-kun please forgive me; I can't take much more.'

As she thought this, the hands at her toes pulled them so that the gaps in-between were made fully available, and then they began to saw themselves along the trembling skin they found there. This was too much for the ticklish girl to handle. She was soon begging for it to stop, as even more hands arrived and began to tickle the pads of her toes, held still by Kurenai's genjutsu. "Okay, Okay I'll tell you! J-Just stop p-please!"

Kurenai held her hands in the release symbol, and brought the two of them out of the genjutsu.

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-END GENJUTSU

When she came back to her senses Hinata jerked herself away from her sensei's hold, only to cringe and groan in pain as she moved her damaged ribs.

Kurenai simply looked on at her student with regret; regret that she had to use her favorite students greatest physical weakness against her, after promising never to do so. "Hinata, I know you're upset with me, but please try to understand. The others and I just want to make sure that Naruto isn't becoming dangerous. And while I hope you'll forgive me for what I had to do, I stand by my decision. Now, you said you'd tell me what I want to know, so I expect to hear some answers soon; or else I'll be forced to put you through that again, and this time, it'll be for a lot longer."

Hinata merely looked down, defeated, at her trembling fists. Her eyes welled up with tears as she got ready to reveal what she knew about Rome to Kurenai. Her only thought was, 'Naruto-kun, please, forgive my weakness.'

What neither kunoichi noticed while they were in the genjutsu, was that a certain platinum-blonde had been about to visit her fellow "sister", and watched as the mentally trapped Hinata's physical body expressed her torture. 'So, Miss favorite's got a weakness after all hm? This will be fun.'

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While Hinata was being forced to betray her love, he, along with the rest of the retrieval team, were catching up with group from Oto.

Naruto could feel his rage building the closer Neji said they were to the enemy. And soon, the group of rookies could clearly see the Sound Four in front of them; and one of them was carrying a barrel on his back.

When they managed to get a little closer Naruto asked those in front of him to clear a path for him. Once this was done, the blonde bit into his thumb, swiped it across his left bracer,'Glad I studied up on seals before that trip to Wave, otherwise this would've been difficult,'* and summoned a pilum(Roman military spear). Aiming, the young roman stopped quickly on the next branch, and hurled the spear at the barrel. The weapon hit its mark, and when the blonde started chasing again he could notice that the guy carrying the barrel was having a tougher time due to the added weight of the pilum. Eventually the group was forced to stop, and the Sound Four turned to face the Retrieval team.

Naruto took in each member with a calculating stare. He looked from the large one with the orange mohawk, the one who carried the barrel on his back, 'More than likely with that traitorous fuck curled up inside.' To the silver-haired, sickly-looking youth next to him, who also looked to be carrying something on is back. Next he looked to the pineapple-haired teen with six arms and a cocky smirk on his face. And finally, Naruto's cobalt-blue gaze fell upon the lone female of the group. It was here the boys eyes stayed for a while.

The young roman took in every detail of the girl before him. She was slender, but held an athletic build, and she had a very beautiful face; even if it was currently etched into an annoyed scowl. Naruto took in the curtain of smooth, red hair that waterfall-ed out from underneath her skullcap. Even with the unflattering attire she wore, Naruto could tell that this kunoichi was truly a sight to behold when given the chance to clean up.

Realizing that he had to push such thoughts aside for now, Naruto addressed his enemies.

"I know you have Sasuke Uchiha stuffed inside that barrel, and I'm going to ask you nicely once to hand him over so that he can pay for his crimes. If you refuse, my team and I will be forced to defeat each of you, and carry the traitorous fuck back to the village anyway. It's up to you, but I'd rather not have to hurt some of you," at this the youths cool gaze centered on the red-head, "if I don't have to."

Tayuya had noticed the way Naruto's gaze seemed to focus on her near the end of his ultimatum, and wasn't really sure what to make of it. When she and her team stopped, Tayuya had been expecting to see the blonde youth, but in the tunic he'd worn on the roof of the hospital, not donning a strange set of armor. 'Although, the armor is pretty fucking hot, and it makes Blondie look like such a bad-ass.'

The red-headed kunoichi of the Sound Four wasn't like the rest of her team. Tayuya didn't consider Orochimaru her master, nor did she believe the things he'd said about achieving greatness through serving him. As far as the Tayuya was concerned, following Orochimaru was just a means to an end; getting the chance to improve her skills, and scope-out potential new allies that could help her escape from Oto.

Tayuya wasn't stupid. She figured out a long time ago that it was Orochimaru who had burnt down her small fishing village; in hopes of "taking in" orphaned children, who he would later experiment on. She was lucky compared to most of the other children. She had only been given the curse-mark. And while the initial pain was agonizing, Tayuya would gladly go through it again if it meant staying out of the crazy Sannin's lab.

Shaking herself from her reminiscing, Tayuya just barely caught the look Sakon threw her way; signaling the beginning of their escape plan. So, the foul-mouthed kunoichi drew her prized flute up to her lips, and began to play, ensnaring the Sound Four's enemies inside a genjutsu. Or so she thought.

When he was caught in the genjutsu, Naruto felt a series of pulses vibrate throughout his body, and then the haze of illusion began to fade. It didn't take long for Naruto to realize that the Nine-Tails had canceled out the genjutsu's effects. Looking around Naruto noticed that the rest of his team wasn't as lucky as him, and were still trapped in the illusion. Deciding he'd give them time to break out of it, Naruto turned and looked to the Sound Four.

The team from Oto looked on in shock, as the strangely dressed blonde seemed to just be immune to Tayuya's genjutsu. Swiftly coming back to their senses, the foursome focused on the young ninja in front of them who was unsheathing his sword.

As he entered his ready stance Naruto looked at each member of the rival squad; trying to determine which would make the best target. He considered the fat one who was carrying Sasuke, but decided that move would be expected. Next he looked to the silver-haired youth with the hunch. The guy didn't look like much, which probably meant he was the smartest of the group, so he was probably analyzing Naruto in the same way the blonde was doing to the Sound Four. Deciding to go for the brains of the group, Naruto leaped from his branch, and brought his gladius down on Sakon's head.

Sakon had in fact been studying Naruto; trying to discern what, if any, special properties the blondes armor may have. He'd also been trying to determine which member of the Sound Four Naruto would attack first. It didn't come as a shock when the blonde chose Sakon as his target.

When Naruto came down on him, Sakon brought up a kunai to block the sword slash, and the did his best to shove Naruto to the side. As Naruto landed the rest of Sakon's team spread out, getting into position should they need to jump in. Deciding not to give the blonde any time to ready himself, Sakon rushed forward to try and end the battle quickly.

Naruto twisted away from the stab that Sakon attempted, and continued his spin to bring his elbow around to meet the silver-haired youths cheek. When he tried to bring is sword down on is opponents shoulder, Sakon caught Naruto's wrist, and attempted to swipe his kunai across the blondes throat. Naruto leaned back to avoid the slash, and when he jerked his hand back, Sakon stumbled forward; caught off-guard by Naruto's impressive strength. This proved even more true when Naruto uppercut the silver-haired youth in the chin; sending him sprawling onto his back.

Sakon spat out his broken tooth and wiped the blood from his mouth. The silver-haired youth realized that he'd grossly underestimated his opponent. 'But no more. Now it's him that's in for a surprise.' In a shocking display of speed Sakon charged at Naruto.

Naruto barely managed to side-step a right-hook, but was unprepared for the fist that came out of the outstretched arm, and sucker-punched him in the face. The blonde managed to hastily parry a kunai swipe at his face, but when he attempted to retaliate with a stab to Sakon's stomach, he was again surprised when, this time, two hands came out of the boys stomach and caught his sword. Naruto looked over to his opponent, his eyes narrowed in frustration.

"Aw what's the matter? Upset because I've stopped playing around?" The leader of the Sound Four mocked.

"What is this? How are you managing to extend extra limbs from your body?"

Sakon cocked his head to the side and let a condescending smirk etch its way onto his lips, "It's a bloodline my brother and I posses. I'm sure you've noticed the hunch on my back, well, that's my brother Ukon. We're able to merge and separate our bodies at will and become the strongest fighter in Oto; in other words, you're finished!" At the end of his explanation the hands, now confirmed to be Ukon, pulled Naruto in, and allowed Sakon to headbutt the blonde in the nose.

Naruto staggered back, clutching his bleeding nose, and unaware of the spartan-kick that was aimed at his chest. While the cuirass managed to absorb the majority of the impact, Naruto was still sent off the branch, and forced to re-assert himself on a new one. Before he could re-engage Sakon and Ukon Naruto noticed a dark streak racing towards the Sound Four leader. 'Shikamaru, it's about time.'

Unfortunately Naruto wasn't the only one to see the approaching shadow; Tayuya also caught sight of it. The red-headed kunoichi quickly warned her team-mate, and Sakon was given enough time to avoid the attack.

Shikamaru appeared at Naruto's side, followed shortly by the last three members of their team. "Took you all long enough." The blonde spat, not even bothering to look at Kiba, Neji, or Choji.

"Hey dope, don't push me alright!? I don't know how you managed to break out of that genjutsu so fast, but don't think that give you the right to insult us!" Kiba looked ready to get in Naruto's face, before Shikamaru's voice halted him.

"Kiba, cut it out. We need to be focusing on the task at hand, not arguing amongst ourselves because we don't like the way we're being talked to."

At the same time, Sakon and the rest of the Sound Four were discussing what to do about escaping.

"Have you managed to get that fucking spear out of the barrel yet Jirobo? We can't move fast until you take the damn thing out; and I wanna hurry up and finish this stupid mission, I didn't even wanna come." Tayuya seethed to the orange-haired boy who was pulling at Naruto's pugio.

As he twisted and pulled at the pole of the spear, the now identified Jirobo replied, "I'm trying Tayuya, but this things lodged I here good. I've never seen a spear like this before; who the heck is that kid?"

This time it was the youth with six arms that responded, "Who cares who that little punk is, just get that god-damned spear out and make sure it didn't hit the prick inside. Heavens only knows what Orochimaru-sama will do to us if we let his "prized" Uchiha get damaged."

Sakon turned, while Ukon kept an eye on the Leaf ninja, and addressed his team, "Calm yourself Tayuya, Jirobo's doing the best he can. And Kidomaru, don't disregard that "little punk" so quickly; he's more skilled than he let on. I have little doubt that he'd have managed to prove troublesome had we continued out battle."

Kidomaru looked over to his leader with eyes full of disbelief. 'If Sakon's serious, then this kid must really be something else, because I can't remember the last time Sakon gave an opponent respect.'

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As the two teams interacted, Tsunade was once again in her office. Only this time she was trying to prevent a headache.

"Please Gaara-san," Tsunade groaned out, "you have to understand why I'm not authorizing you to back-up the Retrieval team. You are a highly influential member of Suna, and the favored to become the next Kazekage. How would it look if I, Hokage to the village Suna attacked, sent out such an important figure and allowed him to get hurt or killed?"

Gaara's green eyes hardened with anger, "And I've told you Lady-Tsunade, that I do not care about the political backlash this might cause. The only thing I'm concerned with, is making sure my friend and 'brother' is returned home safely."

Gaara had caught word that Naruto had been dispatched with a squad of fellow classmates to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha, who had gone rogue. Naturally, the Ichibi's Jinchuuriki decided he would go along as reinforcements. But when the red-head arrived to learn the direction in which the team fled, Tsunade had told him "no", and refused to budge on the matter for the past hour. Gaara was beginning to lose his patience.

"-sigh- I can understand where you're coming from Gaara-san, but unfortunately politics are an important part of the world we live in, you can't just ignore them. Besides, Naruto's a powerful ninja and a capable human being, something I'm sure you of all people can attest to, so I'm not all too worried about his ability to succeed on this mission."

Tsunade really didn't feel like dealing with this at the moment. She had been researching her family history, and had been close to what she was looking for, before Gaara came in and interrupted her. The blonde Hokage had gotten a sinking feeling in her gut when she'd learned about Naruto's new weapons and the resurfacing of the Latin language. While she loved Naruto like a son, Tsunade hoped the boy wouldn't get himself to in over his head, with what she believes he has planned.

Before Gaara could continue his argument, Shizune came in and addressed Tsunade, "Lady-Tsunade, I'm sorry this is so late but, Naruto and his team exited through the Eastern gate approximately an hour and-a-half ago. They are now in pursuit of the team from Oto and the rouge Sasuke Uchiha."

Tsunade barely had time to open her mouth before Gaara disappeared in a whirlwind of sand.

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Naruto stood in a field staring at a pale figure standing in the center of the grass. The rest of the Retrieval team had each been left to battle one-on-one against members of the Sound Four. (The only thing about those battles that will be different is Tayuya lives, so I'm not going to wright them.)

After Kiba stopped to battle Sakon and Ukon, it was just Naruto and Shikamaru left to chase the, now solo, Tayuya. Thankfully, when it came to physical strength, the red-headed kunoichi seemed to be at the bottom of the food-chain; because the barrel had slowed her down significantly. It wasn't long before the two Konoha ninja managed to run right along side her, and force the girl to stop.

But as the three ninja stared each other down, a pale young boy with snow-white hair appeared on a branch above them; an ally to Tayuya. The new-comer took possession of the barrel that contained Sasuke and sped off, leaving his fellow Sound shinobi to distract their enemies.

Shikamaru told Naruto to go on ahead, stating that, out of the two of them, Naruto was their best chance at beating Sasuke. So, with a quick roman salute*, the Nara heir sent his Imperator on his way. And now here the blonde stood.

Kimimaro stared across the field at his strangely dressed opponent. The young Kaguya boy had never seen armor like the set his enemy had on. 'It matters not. Orochimaru-sama wishes to have Sasuke Uchiha brought to him as soon as possible; the others have failed in that regard, so I must be the one to do it. I will finish this boy off quickly, and return to my Master.' With his resolve set, Kimimaro pulled bone-swords out from his wrists, and set himself into his stance.

Naruto, seeing the boy create weapons out of his own bones, became weary of this strangers ability. Deciding to proceed with caution, Naruto unsheathed his gladius, and entered into his ready stance.

Kimimaro knew he only had a limited amount of time before his illness acted up again, so the young servant of Orochimaru chose to attack first. Rushing forward at an impressive display of speed, Kimimaro brought down his first bone-sword in an attempt to split open Naruto's skull. When this was parried, the Kaguya boy spun on the ball of his right foot, and went for a slash at his blue-eyed opponents armored side.

Naruto found the white-haired youths speed to be mind-boggling. The Jinchuuriki barely managed to parry the first blow; but as he did, Naruto noticed that the bones were considerably dense, probably having enough strength to pierce his armor! With that thought in mind Naruto made sure to jump back to avoid the horizontal-slash that was aimed for his side.

After avoiding the second attack Naruto decided to go on the offensive. He started with a stab at Kimimaro's chest, but when this was parried Naruto simply let his momentum carry his arm, and switch into a vertical-slash that successfully cut a line up his opponents torso. The blonde didn't get much time to celebrate, because immediately after, Kimimaro delivered a spartan-kick to Naruto's chest before jumping back to asses the damage.

Kimimaro inspected the vertical laceration he now sported along his chest. Thanks to the Kaguya boys quick reflexes he managed to avoid too serious of an injury, but he still managed to sustain a shallow wound. 'This boy is rather skilled, it explains why Tayuya said Sakon had some trouble with him. I have no doubt that, if it weren't for Ukon's assistants, Sakon would have had to activate his curse-mark to have any real hope of defeating him. But I am not Sakon, I am Orochimaru's most powerful knight; I will not be defeated by this boy.' Deciding to try a different approach, Kimimaro retracted his bone-swords, placed his palms flat on the ground, and called out: "{Hone no Parusu}!"

When Naruto saw is opponent put his weapons away, the blonde tensed his body in preparation. This paid off when Naruto's superior hearing caught sound of a heavy rumbling under the earth...and heading straight for him.

Naruto jumped to the side the moment the rumbling would be noticeable to regular hearing, but as the young warrior rolled across the ground he heard the rumbling change course; and head straight for him again! Realizing that his opponent must be able to control the movement of the jutsu, Naruto raced towards his opponent; intent on distracting the boys focus away from his technique.

Again the Kaguya had to give silent praise to his opponent. Most people, even high-ranking ninja, were unable to hear his {Hone no Parusu} until it was too late. So when Kimimaro noticed Naruto running towards him, he canceled his attack, brought his palms up to face Naruto, and activated another of his techniques: "{Aibori Missiles}!"

Once he'd gotten about half-way to Kimimaro's position, Naruto heard the rumbling behind him stop; but he didn't quite running. The Uzumaki focused his cobalt-blue eyes on the target in front of him, and watched as the boy brought his hands up to face Naruto. When Naruto's ears picked up the call of another technique, he hadn't been expecting hundreds of small, sharp, bone spikes to come hurtling towards him at such a rapid pace. Bringing out his side-arm, Naruto faced the rain of tiny missiles head on. The young roman slashed and knocked aside as many of the little darts as he could, but some managed to get by and leave shallow, stinging cuts along his arms; the grieves on his legs protecting the skin there. Some even came into contact with his armor, but thankfully his cuirass was made of high-quality metal, and was able to be left unpierced. However there were small dents in some places that had been hit particularly hard.

When he got within range, Naruto dove and rolled towards Kimimaro's unprotected legs, and performed a sweep-slash. What he hadn't expected was for a tusk of bone to protrude out from his opponents leg and stop the blondes gladius cold. 'So they can be used for both attack and defense, while being able to come from all four limbs, and even be used as projectiles. Fuck the gods, this guy's a walking one-man army!'

Caught up in his observation, Naruto didn't notice Kimimaro ready his leg for a kick. The next thing he knew, Naruto was rolling along the ground before stopping in a heap. The blonde mentally admonished himself as he wiped his lightly bleeding mouth and glared at his opponent. 'Damn, I was careless. I should have known better than to let my guard down around this guy. That was an amateur mistake; one I can't afford to make again.' As Naruto got up and prepared himself for another round, he was surprised to see a whirlwind of sand appear between him and Kimimaro. Around this same time, the barrel that contained the runaway Sasuke began to glow and splinter.

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Gaara arrived to the scene of his best friend garbed in an interesting set of armor, standing in a sword-stance he'd never seen, facing off against a pale, white-haired young teenager. Behind this young ninja, a wooden barrel with multiple seals slapped across it was glowing an ominous purple and beginning to splinter. 'That must be where Sasuke is. But I wonder, why did they put him inside there?'

The future Kazekage was right, Sasuke was inside the barrel. In seconds the entire thing exploded, sending shards of wood and scraps of sealing paper scattered across the field. When the dust settled, Sasuke Uchiha stood with his entire body covered in black flames; a malevolent purple chakra outlining his body. Sasuke stared at his tattooed hands, a feral smirk stretched across his face.

"Sasuke!"

The avenger turned his smoldering onyx-black eyes towards the one who called his name. What his sights landed upon, was a young boy wearing a strange outfit. He wore leather boots, silver, metal grieves on his legs, a skirt made of leather strips, a chest-plate that was designed to look like muscles, what appeared to be leather shoulder-guards; with even more leather strips coming out from underneath, and a helmet with a loud vertical line of red horse hair. But what jogged the Uchiha's memory was the pair of cold, commanding, cobalt-blue eyes that glared in his direction.

It was Naruto.

Sasuke started to chuckle, and then that turned into a maniacal laugh, "So I guess you got my note, huh, Naruto? I hope you don't mind the state I left your whore in, she tried to get in my way, so I didn't really have a choice; I had to teach her a lesson. Maybe if you'd do it yourself, the little bitch wouldn't try to stand up to her betters."

Every word out of Sasuke's mouth only fueled Naruto's anger. How dare this peasant trash talk to him this way, and speak so disrespectfully about his most trusted subordinate! He was going to pay!

"I can see it in your eyes," Sasuke spoke again, "you wanna kill me don't you? Ha, well, I'd love to see you try. But not here." At this Sasuke turned, holding his and up and waving it in a "follow me" motion, "I'll take us to a spot where we can have all the fun we want, and no one will get in the way. Try to keep up." With that, Sasuke leaped into the trees, laughing as he headed towards his destination.

Naruto knew he had to chase after Sasuke, but remembered his current opponent, 'There's no way that guys just going to let me leave. He'll probably try and weaken me before letting me chase Sasuke, or worse, follow us and team-up with that bastard to defeat me. Either way I-' "Naruto!"

The blonde looked to where he heard his name and finally noticed Gaara standing off to his side. "Naruto, you go after Sasuke. I'll handle this guy here. I heard about what happened to your friend; you are the only one who should be aloud to defeat that traitor. Go, I'll be okay here."

Looking at his fellow Jinchuuriki, Naruto felt his heart swell with gratitude towards his 'brother', before nodding silently, and chasing after his traitorous team-mate.

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A/N: And there it is. I couldn't think of any really interesting way to end this particular chapter, so I'm personally a little disappointed in the ending.

As I said in the beginning, KingKakashi's "Aftermath" is one of my favorite stories on this entire site. This is because, to me, it embodies so many different facets of Fanfiction that most other stories can't seem to grasp. There's a chapter that is solely about the rape and torment of Sakura(please don't cause trouble for this author over that, if the idea bothers you, then don't read that part.) but in the very next chapter the tone is light and enjoyable. So I want to try and do the same thing(although most of my story will be serious).

Naruto and Sasuke battle next chapter, followed by Naruto's banishment and the start of his true journey. I tried to show that Naruto isn't all powerful this chapter, while still showing that he was an exceptional fighter. As I wrote, he's going to be underestimated at first, and that's what will win him most of his first battles in the beginning, but after the time-skip it will be pure skill.

I'm not really sure what else to comment on(I feel this will be a common trend with these long chapters) so if there's anything you guys wish to discuss with me, my email is checked regularly, and I enjoy hearing from you guys. Thank you for your continued support :)