Chapter Twelve
Heyo! Twelve is here. Hope ya like it. Leave any feedback on a review, I like to know that y'all are enjoying it. It really helps me stay motivated to keep at this.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. If I did, Sasuke wouldn't be so wack.
"You're going to come with us, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto stared at the man, bewildered. "Sasuke? No...who is he? He has the same Sharingan….wait! Uchiha Itachi! Fuck, Jiraiya-sensei where are you!" The man beside the criminal Uchiha made himself known. Naruto took in the man's shark like features.
"Itachi… it'll be a pain if this kid moves around. Maybe I should chop off a leg just in case." The shark man reached back and grabbed the hilt of his sword. "Now then…." He began approaching the young blond, intent to do harm evident in his eyes.
"Long time no see, Sasuke." Came the stoic voice of Itachi, as he acknowledged the arrival of his younger brother. Naruto's eyes widened, immediately he flickered to the side of his best friend.
"S'ke I'm pretty sure I know why you're here. But we gotta stay calm and think this through. The man beside your brother is Hoshigaki Kisame. Meaning the two shinobi we are facing…..are both S-Rank."
"I know."
"Mind if I help you kill your brother?"
"I've always intended on having you help anyway idiot. Combo five."
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The massive roaring inferno tore through the hallway, ripping apart the building and burning the floor, walls, and ceiling to a crisp. Only for the blaze to disappear in a cloud of steam as it hit the nin.
"Nice try, but my water jutsu are second to none.." The blue skinned nin laughed aloud as if he hadn't just stared at what might as well have been the heat of the sun itself.
"Damnit! Itachi! You'll die by my hand!"
"Sasuke. Stay calm we can't rush in." Naruto attempted to placate the angered Uchiha.
"Hn." Sasuke growled through gritted teeth
"You're both weak." Started the elder Uchiha. "Neither of you have enough hatred or power to stand against us."
A massive cloud of smoke suddenly enveloped the hallway. As the smoke cleared, a man standing beside a toad with armor and a sword could be seen. "I'm sure you've heard of me, Itachi. Must be why you sent a woman after me, but unfortunately for you, women fall before the sex appeal of Jiraiya the Gallant!"
The large man motioned to Naruto, who quickly grabbed the youngest Uchiha's shoulder and flickered them both beside the toad sage.
"You shouldn't call yourself a man, using such cowardly tactics. But that's not what matters. Your target…..is Naruto after all." The blond's eyes went wide at this revelation. So they really were after him, presumably for the beast sealed within him.
"That's right...the collection of the nine beasts is the number one goal of our organization." Confirmed the clan slayer.
"Akatsuki…." The Sage said solemnly. "The two of you will not leave here alive."
"No! I have to be the one to kill him!" Yelled Sasuke.
"Boy! Stay out of this!" Jiraiya's presence switched from that of a friendly kind person, to that of cold hardened shinobi.
"Sasuke. I get you want this right now. But these two, and Jiraiya-sensei are in a whole different league."
The black haired boy growled, and slammed his fist into the wall. "Damnit Naruto! I know that!"
"Good! Then settle down!"
"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!" The hallway was suddenly engulfed in the fleshy substance of a toad's stomach. "Sasuke! Naruto! Stay still!" Kisame's eyes moved to his sword, seeing the flesh beginning to engulf it, he ripped it away, and slipped back toward Itachi. The two criminals bounded down the hallway away from the Sannin, the fleshy walls closing in on them. Itachi's eye opened wide and the black flames of the Amaterasu ripped through the wall. The two nin leapt through the hole, fire sealing their escape.
Naruto an Sasuke bounded after them fixing to jump through the fire. "Stop!" The Sannin's commanding voice stopped them cold. "Don't get any closer. The black flames cannot be put out." Jiraiya approached, pulling his scroll from his back. "I'll seal it away."
"Ah! Jiraiya-sensei! Can I do it? I think I've got the fire sealing down."
"Hmm. Be my guest." Jiraiya tossed a small blank scroll with ink and a brush to the boy. "Let's see if you can draw the seal properly."
Naruto crouched before the fire, quickly getting to work. His calligraphy had always been perfect, one of the few things Iruka had praised him on before his training had truly begun. Naruto looked at his sensei after finishing the seal, waiting for the confirmation. Jiraiya inspected it closely, before nodding at the blond. The boy smiled at his sensei before bringing his hands together and forming a few hand seals. "Sealing Technique: Fire Seal!" The black flames turned to a cloud of chakra that was sucked to the sealing scroll. Kanji for seal burning into the circular space left for it on the scroll.
"What are we waiting for!? We have to pursue them!" Sasuke yelled at the two.
"Boy, my student and I are on an important mission for the village that we cannot abandon. And I'm sure you saw for yourself you are not yet strong enough. Grow alongside your comrades and one day you will be able to end the life of your traitorous brother."
Sasuke stared at the Sannin with anger on his face, before breathing deeply and settling himself. "I- yes Lord Jiraiya, my apologies."
"It's alright kid. Now run on back to Konoha and report these happenings to Nara Shikaku."
"Yes sir. Later, Naruto." And with that the young Uchiha left.
Later that night, Naruto sat in a new hotel room with his sensei. They were eating a small meal of ramen when Naruto set his bowl on the table and looked at the man. "Sensei...why is this, Akatsuki after me? I'd assume it's for the Nine Tails?"
Jiraiya sighed setting his bowl down as well. "Yes. The Akatsuki is an organization of S-Rank missing nin, who intend to capture all nine tailed beasts, for purposes still unknown to me."
"I see."
"That's why you're going to need to get stronger Naruto. But worry not, I will see to it that you grow as a shinobi. Once the war with Otogakure has settled a bit, I intend to take you on a training trip."
"I look forward to it sensei."
A few days later found the boy and his sensei in Tanzaku Quarters, a fairly famed gambling town. At this point Naruto was well into the final step of the rasengan, containment. He was having some trouble with it, but he felt he was making progress. However where he was beginning to excel in bounds, was with fuinjutsu. His clones had been reading through all the material Jiraiya could possibly provide the boy. He was quickly advancing his skill in the art.
"Alright brat well let's have a look around and see if we can find anything-"
"Hey! Did you hear!? A giant snake destroyed the castle!"
The student and teacher overheard the conversation of a few civilians. Jiraiya looked down at the boy, who nodded back at him and the two lept off in the direction of where the castle was supposed to be. Upon arrival, they found a destroyed castle, but no one in sight.
The toad Sannin sighed. "Well whatever let's go grab dinner and begin searching tomorrow."
"Alrighty Jiraiya-sensei, lead the way." Replied the student as he once again buried his head in a book on seals. As the two arrived at a local bar the older male was stopped in his tracks as they entered.
"Well now, I didn't expect to just randomly run into you like this, Tsunade."
"Jiraiya!?"
After a bit of talking, the boy and his sensei found themselves sitting with Tsunade and her student, eating their dinner.
"It's hard to believe this lady is fifty years old." Naruto sweat dropped.
"So what do you want from me?" Tsunade asked pulling a deck of cards from her shirt, dealing between her and Jiraiya.
"Tsunade, the village demands you come back and become the Fifth Hokage." The Sage said straight faced and serious. The look of shock upon Tsunade and Shizune's faces were enough to show that was the last thing they had been expecting. "Do you know about Sarutobi-sensei?"
"Orochimaru did it right? I heard about it. Directly from him."
"Are you sure this lady is fit for the position of Hokage, Jiraiya-Sensei?"
"Pffft who's this brat, Jiraiya?"
"He's Uzumaki Naruto."
Tsunade stared at the boy a moment. "This is Minato and Kushina's brat huh? The jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox."
"I'll say it again. The village demands you return, and take the mantle of Fifth Hokage. So what is your answer, will you accept?"
The woman threw her cards down on the table. "Impossible…I refuse."
Jiraiya chuckled and then smiled. "You said those same words when I asked you to go out with me."
"How can you refuse to be Hokage. It's an honor to serve the village as Hokage, how can you just refuse it!" Naruto growled out.
"Unlike your last apprentice, this brats a little hot headed. Seems pretty damn stupid too." She dealt out another hand of cards between the two of them.
"Well you'd be surprised, just how much like the Fourth Hokage this boy really is. I'd say he's picked up fuinjutsu almost as fast, if not faster than Minato."
"But even the Fourth died early. Sacrificing his life for the village….pffft. Life is different from money…. to easy to risk it and lose it, it's a fools doing!" She smirked at Jiraiya. "Both my Grandfather, and my Granduncle, the Second Hokage seemed to want to protect the village above all else. But after all they died in vain, in the midst of their dreams for the village."
"You've changed Tsunade… I don't know what you had in your heart before, but to say such a thing aloud…."
"The same goes for Sarutobi-Sensei… no wonder he died showing off at such an old age." Jiraiya leveled a glare at his old teammate, and subtly noticed Naruto's increasing anger.
Tsunade noticed the boy's anger too, she let out a laugh in response, and set her cards down. "To be Hokage is a death sentence. No one but an idealistic fool would take the hat."
Naruto audibly growled, his clenching hand snapping through a chunk of the table. He took a deep breath, before leveling his glare at the woman. "I don't fucking care who you are. If you dare to make fun of Lord Fourth Hokage, and Lord Third Hokage again, it won't matter if you're a lady or not. I'll destroy you." Naruto smashed his fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles and grinding his teeth.
Tsunade let out a laugh. "You're pretty gutsy, confronting me like this. Let's take this outside, brat."
"Fine with me, hag." At this Tsunade grew a tick mark on her forehead, face contorting in anger.
Meeting outside, the Sannin and their respective students stood across from each other.
"Though it may not look like it, I am one of the Sannin. Why should I even take some lowly Chunin seriously?"
Naruto retorted with a focused glare leveled at the woman. "One finger. It's all I'll need to take you down."
"Watch your tone lady." Naruto appeared before the blond bombshell, already in a handstand and swinging both legs around to deliver a massive kick, which she deflected with a flick. Sending the chunin flying back. "Damnit. I'm letting my anger get the best of me. This is a Sannin. I need to chill out and think."
"I'll ask you one thing before I knock you out cold. Why do you get so passionate at the mention of the title of Hokage?"
"Unlike you…" The boy growled out. "I'll be the heir to the title of Hokage, no matter what. Because it is my dream, to be Hokage." He smirked at the older blond. Tsunade couldn't help but be reminded of Dan and Nawaki at this statement. "Shit..her guard dropped. I can't get her head on, but I think I might have the rasengan under control. I know I can get close in a flash."
Jiraiya could see the cogs turning in his student's head. "I'd bet money he's going to try catching her with his substitution. God he's so much like Minato." It took quite a bit of restraint for him to hold back his hearty chuckle at the thought.
Naruto whipped three kunai into his hand and hurled them at the female Sannin. Two impacted at her feet, the third heading straight for her head. She promptly shifted her head to the side so it could slide right past her. Only for her eyes to widen as the boy disappeared, a kunai taking his place.
She was treated with a noise she had only heard when Jiraiya had shown her the jutsu after he had first learned it from his student. She spun around to see the blue orb of chakra rushing at her in between the boy's two hands. She moved to flick him away only to launch away a kunai with her finger. It was almost comical, the look that appeared on her face as she heard the noise, once again behind her.
She was forced to jump away to avoid the impact of the jutsu, that then blasted the boy back down the street, only for him to be caught by Jiraiya. "That jutsu…" she looked upon the damage it had cause to the street. "It's not yet mastered, but dammit if the boy isn't close."
She looked to the boy who was being set down on his feet by his sensei. "Jiraiya! Was it you who taught this boy the Rasengan?"
"I am his teacher."
"Showing someone a jutsu that he cannot master? Don't give him false hope. That's why the moony kid starts joking about becoming Hokage."
"Oi. I'm not kidding. I will be Hokage one day. I'll have the Rasengan mastered in three days."
She smiled. "How about a bet then?"
"A bet?" The boy questioned.
"I'll give you one week, if you can master that jutsu, I'll acknowledge that you have what it takes to become Hokage. And I'll give you this necklace, however you lose if you can't do it in a week. And my prize will be you give me all the money you have, and you give up on that stupid dream of yours."
"I don't need your necklace, and I don't need a week. I'll have it down in three days."
"Oi, Naruto don't say such things. That necklace belonged to the First Hokage, you could buy three mountains with it." Jiraiya scolded.
Shizune chose this moment to voice her concerns. "Lady Tsunade! You can't bet away your Grandfather's necklace!"
"Pfft, it's not like he'll win." The elder blond turned to the boy. "Take the damn week boy. Don't mess with your odds."
"Fine. Let's go Sensei, see ya in a week Tsunade."
Five days later, and unbeknownst to the female Sannin. The boy had technically already mastered the rasengan, the shadow clone "cheat" he had come up with had sealed the deal for him. But Jiraiya insisted that the boy not stop there. "Learn it one handed Naruto. It's much more useful like that. I'll find another jutsu to teach you once you do."
"Alright got it Sensei! One one handed Rasengan coming up!"
"That's the spirit brat."
Two days later, Naruto had one handed mastery over the Rasengan, however he had exhausted himself over the last day, and was now sleeping in his hotel room.
Meanwhile, the toad Sage was headed for the bar.
As he stepped in, he found his childhood crush drinking away at the counter. "Ah Tsunade."
"Jiraiya."
"So...what exactly did you and Orochimaru talk about?"
"He asked me to heal his arms. He said he would bring them back if I did."
"Ah. And? Did you believe him?"
"I don't know." While Jiraiya closed his eyes to think of what to say next, Tsunade slipped a drug into his drink.
"Tsunade….if you go through with this deal with Orochimaru...I won't hesitate to kill you as a traitor to Konohagakure. Do you understand?"
The woman stared at him wide eyed at this statement but looked to the floor as Jiraiya suddenly passed out.
She sighed loudly, before heading off to the hotel to check the boy's progress. Arriving there she walked into the room to find Naruto still passed out. "What an idiot I was to think he might pull it off"
"Lady Tsunade, where's Jiraiya? Wait! Don't tell me you-. You don't intend to help Orochimaru do you?! If you do I swear Lady Tsunade I'll kill myself to stop you!"
"Shizune…" Tsunade quickly knocks the girl unconscious leaving her in the room with Naruto before heading to meet Orochimaru.
"Shizune! Wake up! What happened!?"
She awoke to the sight of Naruto crouched over her, shaking her shoulders. "Lady Tsunade!" She shouted sitting up. "I'm sorry Naruto I have to go!"
"Wait what's going on!?"
"Stop Shizune." Came the strong voice of the Toad Sage. "That damned woman. She drugged my drink. My chakra control is messed up and I can't move properly." The man sighed loudly. "Do you know where they were supposed to meet Shizune?"
"Yes Master Jiraiya. Come with me!" With that the two males took off following the young woman.
"Well at least you haven't betrayed Konoha, Tsunade." Jiraiya said, as he, Naruto, and Shizune arrived on the scene. Standing between the elder female, and Kabuto.
"Out of my way Jiraiya! I'm going to kill this brat." Tsunade said, pushing the man to the ground and charging at Kabuto. The man smirked, and slit his wrist, the blood splattering across Tsunade. The woman crumpled into a catatonic sloppy mess, shaking uncontrollably, and unable to move.
"Lady Tsunade!" Cried our Shizune in worry.
"You son of a bitch! I knew something was off about you! You fucking traitor!" Naruto yelled at the man in glasses.
"Oh Naruto, how could I be a traitor if I was never loyal in the first place." The blond only growled in response.
"Shizune, Naruto. Handle him. I'll deal with Orochimaru." Ordered Jiraiya.
"Kabuto!" The snake Sannin yelled, summoning his subordinate to his side. "Do it." The man rolled up the snake Sannin's sleeve wiping blood across a summoning tattoo. A massive snake appeared in a cloud of smoke. The two shinobi standing upon its head.
Jiraiya quickly move through hand seals as well, performing the summoning jutsu as he had many times before. Only to be met with the face of the Chief toad's son, Gamakichi. "Hiya!"
"Naruto!" Yelled Jiraiya, and the boy quickly flickered to his side already beginning the hand seals for the jutsu.
"Summoning Jutsu!" The two Konoha shinobi appeared atop the head of Gamabunta. "Hey Lord Gamabunta! I've summoned you so you can make that snake skin wallet you always wanted!" Shouted the boy to the massive toad.
Orochimaru stared on in awe. "Kabuto go handle Tsunade and her apprentice."
"Yes sir"
"To think the boy would be capable of summoning Gamabunta in one go with no trouble is almost beyond me. I should have guessed, he is Minato's child after all." The snake Sannin thought to himself.
"Naruto stop him." The white haired man ordered.
"Yes sensei!" Leaping down, the boy moved to intercept Kabuto. Shizune immediately engaged the man, firing away at him with sebon.
"Ninja Art: Poison Fog!" Called out the black haired woman, a cloud of fog filling the air between her and Kabuto. He suddenly burst from the ground below her smashing her face first into the dirt. She stood again, blocking him from having access to Tsunade. As he moved to remove Shizune from the battle, intent on killing her, he was stopped by a hail of kunai landing between them.
"Back off bastard." Naruto said, calmly approaching. "I'll kill you here if you don't."
Kabuto laughed at the boy. "Naruto...you can't stand against me. I'm on par with Hatake Kakashi in strength. There's nothing you can do against me."
"I spar with Kakashi-sensei daily. I'll be the judge of that." The boy stated as he replaced himself with a kunai, bearing down on the Oto shinobi, a second knife in hand. Kabuto caught blond's hand, only for him to once again become a kunai. Appearing next to the enemy nin in a handstand, he spun, and his heel impacted the man's side. He was launched back a small distance, but otherwise looked unharmed.
"I'll heal any damage you do to me, before you have the chance to do enough to kill me." Naruto didn't give a response rather choosing to flicker to the man, catching him across the face with a right hook. The man was quick however, and caught Naruto on the leg with a chakra scalpel, separating muscles, effectively debilitating his leg. "What will you do now Naruto?" He mocked.
"I told you I'm gonna kill you." He forced himself to stand. He knew he couldn't hit Kabuto with his leg messed up like this. He wouldn't be fast enough, and he had no kunai near the nin. He'd have to wait for him to come.
"Naruto! Stop! Go away don't protect me!"
Kabuto smirked, and approached Naruto before appearing in front of him in a burst of speed. "You will die here Naruto." Kunai in hand he moved to shove it into the boy's neck.
"Fuck off Kabuto." The boy said catching the hand holding the kunai by letting it stab through his own. "I won't die until I've become Hokage, and even then. I'll be strong enough it will only come from old age." Kabuto's eyes widened at the fact that he was now stuck. "Just die already." The boy said. Holding his right hand out to his side, a ball of spinning chakra formed in his palm growing to the size of his hand. "It's over. Rasengan!" He yelled slamming the ball of chakra into Kabuto's chest. The ripping of skin and snapping of bone could be heard, as the deadly jutsu ruined the enemy nin's chest. Kabuto quickly moved his hand to Naruto's chest, cutting the muscles away from the boy's heart before he was launched away by the force of the Rasengan.
As the man impacted a rock a distance behind him, Naruto fell backward into the dirt. "Naruto!" Yelled out the elder blond, watching the boy fall. She ran forward crouching over him.
Kabuto's laughter broke the silence as he stood. "I started healing before that jutsu even hit me. Orochimaru favors me, because of my recuperative power." He began to walk forward before falling again. Immense pain shooting through his chest, as he realized the damage that had been dealt was far more than he had expected.
Tsunade, most of her mental stress disappearing as she began to work on the boy, snapped back into a state fit for a Sannin. He was the last one. She would stake her bet on the boy. Just one more time. She quickly set to work healing the boy, and as he regained his life he reached up and grasped at her necklace. "I won our bet." He said before passing out once again.
"That you did." She said as she lifted his head, and slipped the necklace around his neck.
"That boy is too much like Namikaze….he could be a real pain if I don't take care of him now." Orochimaru thought to himself. Extending his sword from his mouth, he quickly moved away from Jiraiya. He struck out to stab the boy in his chest, but was stunned when the blade was caught through Tsunade's own. "Damnit woman, you were the one I wasn't going to kill, but now you're in the way." He pulled the blade from her chest and moved to lob her head off, but was shocked when he saw a fist swing up and hit him in the jaw. The snake Sannin was sent flying away. "Her trembling has stopped!"
"Orochimaru. As the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure, I will kill you by my own hand." The female Sannin began to attack the snake, the other male soon joining in as well. They battled it out for a while more, before all three summoned their beasts to battle. After a slightly drawn out fight, and with his two former teammates attacking him, Orochimaru chose to make a quick retreat. He grabbed onto Kabuto's extremely damaged form, and sank away into the ground.
The two remaining Sannin along with Shizune gathered around Naruto. "So, you're taking the job?"
"Yes. This boy, he's special. Minato and Kushina always meant a lot to me too, Jiraiya. I just never thought he would force his way into my life. I will hold the title of Hokage until the day he is ready to take it from me."
Welp that's a wrap. Trying to gun for longer chapters from here on out, but some I can only fill with so much. It's a weird process. Anyway thanks for the support! Follow me on Twitter DarlingintheFo1 and ask questions or give feedback or something, I don't know I just made it so I can talk to y'all. Darling in the Fox out!