I'm back from an incredibly long hiatus, albeit under a new name as I wasn't able to recall the obscure email I used for my previous name. Anyways, my goal for this story is to try and make something that isn't a cookie cutter type story following the same events of the manga/anime in sequence. Story writers have a certain prerogative when it comes to their writing, as you will see me taking starting with the second paragraph. You may like it. You may not. That's for you to decide. And hey, maybe the original Naruto canon is out-of-date compared to the new generation. Guess I'll find out. Hope you enjoy the first chapter.
Chaos Theory
The science of surprises, of the nonlinear and unpredictable. One that follows this theory should expect the unexpected, should look beneath the underneath and turn the situation confronting them upside down in order to read the story in a different light than the secure vertical path. Within this theory stands a concept labeled the butterfly effect, a property of chaotic systems by which small changes in initial conditions can lead to large-scale and unpredictable variations in the future state of the system. In simplest terms, this concept suggests that small changes can elicit larger changes to occur within a system.
Now, what would happen if we were to significantly change the past of one Uzumaki Naruto, known by all as the most unpredictable ninja of all? Let's find out.
Epilogue
When does a myth become myth? When does a legend become legend? Stories that are told to this day must have a point of origin in the past for if not, they would surely not exist. Who are we to decide which proves to be backed by truth, while others are mere shams? We have no recollection of what transpired a hundred years ago, let alone a millennium, going only on word of mouth and words written in ink on paper long since faded. How truthful are the stories of how their great world was formed? No one really knows. However, as far back as any can recall, there has been one story relegated to the forefront of possible truths in regard to the creation of the present-day world.
The Elemental Nations. A collection of both vast and small countries segregated together in an ever-conflicting overall body. Once long ago, these lands were connected with one another, their earthen borders fused together to form one, greater land piece. However, long before present day, when the very idea of utilizing the energy flowing through nature was in its mere infant stage, there was a major clash of beliefs between the ruling family of the planet. The long-standing queen that had ruled over these lands for untold years became embroiled in a fight with her two sons. The fight was of unmatched proportions, fracturing the land into countless pieces; mountains once raised hundreds of thousands of meters above sea level were flattened and once prosperous valleys were decimated and left barren, life unable to set root in the dead soil. It has been said that the queen, weary in her final days of life, had desired to counteract the natural process of death by stealing the very life force of her subjects to stave off her fate. Appalled by the very idea of this, both sons challenged and engaged her in a fiery duel whose end result would mark whether their people would remain free or become enslaved under the thumb of an immortal Queen. Days turned into weeks in the constant struggle for triumph between the members of the ruling family, all three masters at wielding the mysterious force known now as chakra. Nevertheless, in the end, both sons proved victorious in vanquishing their mother, leaving them as the caretakers of what remained following the cataclysmic carnage of both land and people alike.
However, the damage wrought to the world from their fighting quickly proved irreversible and a sickness resulting from their monumental battle settled over the land, eating away at anything in its path and leaving behind only a wake of destruction and utter devastation. Crops withered, forests fell, and the waters themselves receded, leaving the people with nothing to survive on. In a desperate act to once again save their people, the two brothers joined forces once more: one attuned to nature itself and the other in accord with the heavenly forces of gravity. With their combined efforts, the land that had yet to be touched by the plague befalling the planet was torn from the crust itself and raised high into the air, away from the reach of the creeping disease. The brothers then transferred the land to a new dimension with their last remaining energy, one in which would provide the sanctuary their people required to survive and thrive. This dimension was near identical to their own save for one drastic difference: there was only air where there would otherwise be land and ocean aplenty. Confronted with this reality, the brothers altered the magnetic forces of the separated lands they had raised, thus enabling them to float in a geocentric orbit around the core of their new world, the lands set in position with one another but ever shifting in space. And thus, the great floating nations were formed and have remained since, ever adrift but always moving together as one collective group.
It took a long while for the people of the newly crafted islands to grow accustomed to their new way of life. During that time, the two brothers imparted their knowledge of chakra onto the people, craving for peace to spread through this method of connecting people. Inevitably over the centuries that followed, basic human greed morphed this chakra meant for acceptance and understanding into a means for conflict, and techniques of destruction were thusly formed. For many generations, people fought alongside their fellow clansmen, their sole purpose in life to fight and conquer. It was only thanks to a member of the famed Senju clan that centuries of fighting since the passing of the two brothers was abruptly diminished with the establishment of the first hidden village: Konohagakure no Sato. And so the Era of Warring Clans gave way to a new era. The Era of Hidden Villages.
Many countries adopted the idea and, while fighting did exponentially decrease, every so often conflict would break out among the major countries, and thus the major villages, leading to battles that would dwarf the death toll created in the previous era. There have been three great wars thus far in the span of only seven decades since the villages were created, and now the horns of battle and bloodshed are once again beginning to slowly sound into the forefront of the world. How long would it be until another great shinobi war wrought havoc upon the lands floating high above their original home? That has yet to be decided, but it is where our story officially begins.
It was early morning in Konoha. The streets were empty and dead silent save for the light pitter patter of rain as it came down in sheets across the immense village. It was the middle of the summer in Fire Country and with the season came the annual rainy season, rehydrating the land, causing the forests and the life within them to flourish in abundance. Often hot during the daytime in the lush, green country, it was a common occurrence for rain to fall as the temperatures dipped overnight.
And this rain was the only way a person would have been able to hear the steps of the cloaked figure as they made their way through the drenched, puddle ridden streets of the village, the soles of their sandals issuing wet splashes every time they came down onto small pools of water.
The figure's movements, while quick, showed evidence of stealth even in these conditions and at such an hour, skulking from one alleyway to the next as if to avoid detection. Back and forth the figure moved, keeping up this routine, always making sure they hadn't been spotted before moving on to the next checkpoint until finally they seemed to have reached their destination, stopping just off from a dimly lit doorway to one of the older wooden structures in Konoha.
The building was pressed up against the interior side of Konoha's wall, the gigantic defensive measure towering over the figure as they quickly looked up, eyes peering towards the top of that looming monstrosity the First Hokage had created for the village's defensive needs. Their eyes settled onto the backs of one retreating guard squad, waiting in the darkness for them to pass before approaching the doorway. Reaching out with a gloved hand, they offered the door a few quiet raps, the pattern definite and rehearsed, signaling to the occupant within.
They didn't have to wait long.
As the rain beat down across the top of their head, the soft sounds of footsteps could be heard within albeit faintly. A metal chain was then unfastened followed by the sound of a latch turning. Then the door creaked open and a wrinkled eye stared back at them through the small gap allowed.
"The code. Give me the code," came an old, raspy, yet distinctively feminine voice from behind the door.
The figure blinked at her before offering up the answer. "One must feed the snake or else be eaten in turn." The voice was most definitely male, the words coming out as a light whisper to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
The old eye seemed to consider him for a moment longer, obviously still suspicious of him as she ought given the circumstances, but gradually the door opened and he was quickly beckoned inside. "Come come. Before anyone sees you." The man did as he was told, moving into the building. The small old lady peered out into the darkness from the safety of her home, checking to see if their exchange had been noted. Satisfied, she closed the door and replaced both locks to their respective places. Then she turned and studied the man, no boy, shaking away the rain from his clothes, now able to see him better with proper lighting.
The boy was tall and lean with a narrow jaw, his youth illustrating early teens if the old woman knew any better. Ashen grey hair fell across either side of his forehead while eyes the color of onyx held an intelligent yet equally cocky glint to them as they scanned his new surroundings, making sure there were no potential trips lying in wait for him. There was a subtle confidence that radiated from his frame that demonstrated clear confidence in his own abilities, which made the old woman all the more leery of his presence within her home, prompting her to urge him down a hall with a frail hand in order to get the task over with as quickly as possible.
"Right this way. Right this way," she beckoned to him and the boy followed suit, trailing behind her with a hand tended and ready to snap to a kunai if need be.
Old floorboards creaked under foot as the pair made their way down the narrow hallway. She then opened a door to the left and they proceeded down the stairs that followed. As he moved down them, the boy heard the steady groan of the wood beneath his feet and he half thought they would collapse under his weight. They did not, however, and soon they were in the basement.
There was less light down here and he had to let his eyes adjust to the darkness before continuing. Apparently knowing where everything was without the need of sight, the woman proceeded further than he to light torches before putting them in various parts of the room, casting a dim, haunting glow across the small room.
Now able to see, he watched her move to the furthest wall to them where she placed her last torch. The firelight flickered, burning away the few cobwebs its flames managed to touch.
"Will these do?" she suddenly asked of him, standing beside ten small lumps pressed flat against the wall.
He approached, his eyes flicking first to her and then to the small figures bound and chained, their heads covered with dirty old sacks.
"That has yet to be determined," he replied. It was hard to tell in the murky light, but all the bodies seemed to be shivering, whether to the distinct chill in the air or out of fear of what was going on he didn't quite know, not that he cared either way.
Moving closer with soft steps, he made his way to the first in the line. Grabbing the top of the sack, he pulled it off and his eyes immediately began assessing his potential property.
It was a boy that stared back up at him. No more than six years old, he was frail and shivering terribly, his skin covered in a faint layer of dirt and grime showing he hadn't washed himself in weeks. A crop of brown hair cascaded down his shoulders and across his face, greasy and showing signs of matting. The lone eye that stared back at him through parted hair exhibited the fear the boy held, but the stranger didn't care. He never cared. He was only here to assess future subjects for his master.
After quick assessment, the boy made his verdict. "He'll do." That was it. Simple for him to say, but the words said countless times before almost certainly marked the end of the younger boy's life. Whether in the near future or at some future point in time, the life that the boy could have had was gone once he made his decision.
He moved on then, repeating the process for the rest of the children, for they were all children, all around the same age. When finally he came to the last form, he stopped for a moment. This child wasn't shaking. They were just still and motionless as though dead. Curiosity dictating his actions, he reached down and removed the sack.
The teen saw the golden blonde hair first quickly followed by a pair of piercing blue eyes. Whisker marks soon followed, etched across the child's cheeks. These were what caught his attention most. His master was always looking for unique children to take under his care. Perhaps this was another. Yet why did he show no fear?
This question elicited a curious hum from the grey-haired teen lips. Crouching down before the boy, he grabbed his chin in a cloth clad grip and turned his face this way and that, examining him more closely. There wasn't much that stood out save for those marks and the eyes that continued to simply stare at him, causing even him to somewhat shudder. The eyes were almost dead, offering a look that the teen had only seen in some of those that had come out of the last shinobi war alive: memories of atrocious horrors forever etched into their brains, haunted day in and day out by those awful recollections that never seemed to leave them.
So engrossed was he in staring into those eyes that he didn't see the old lady nervously shifting back and forth behind him. "I assure you he'll do just fine," she offered him, her voice overwrought with emotion.
"Is there something wrong with him?" he asked as he detected the anxiety welling up within the woman. Defective boys never lasted long and he wouldn't waste his Master's time if there was indeed something the matter with the boy.
"Of course not! He's just a little tired is all!" The old woman rushed over, a leather belt in hand. "Wake up, you insolent welp!" The belt came crashing down across the boy's face and he staggered to the side from the blow, unable to catch himself with his feet and wrists bound as he toppled to the dirty ground beneath. The woman then proceeded to beat him soundly, her actions erratic and full of a vengeful spirit, using all the strength she could muster up to back each blow she delivered. No place was safe from her and by the end of her fit of rage, the boy was finally crying, pleading for her to stop in between the stinging blows he received.
"There," she said matter-of-factly, her breathing somewhat ragged after her sudden and
wild exertion. She offered the prone boy one last slap across the back of the head. "See? He's fine."
The gray-haired teen had quickly gotten out of the woman's way and had simply watched the vicious exchange with interested eyes. Every so often he would look towards the rest of the boys, but their eyes were always looking straight ahead, apparently apathetic towards what was occurring. Whether out of a desensitization, fear, or simply uncaring of the blonde boy's well-being he didn't know, but he found it oddly interesting.
He stared down at the boy, now covered in bright welts that would surely morph into unsightly yellow and green splotches over the next several hours.
"I see…" he said slowly. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a small pouch and upon opening it, began to count out slips of money.
"This should do it for all ten," he said and handed her the amount owed.
The money was instantly snatched from him and she began to count with greedy eyes. After she had counted, her fingers tightened around the cash and her face assumed an indignant, irritated look. "Who do you think you're trying to fool? I want all my money."
The boy stared at her, neither impressed nor fearful. Placed under that flat look the old woman took an involuntary step back and whether she did so out of fear or a natural instinct to shirk away from that which had the potential to snap without warning was unknown. His answer came then, crisp and to the point. "You damaged property, so I took it out of your payment. If you have a problem with this let me remind you of something." A kunai suddenly materialized in his hand. "I've killed for a lot less. I could have easily taken the compensation with your life, so be thankful I'm in a rather forgiving mood." The kunai flicked out of existence and he turned to face the children. "Now if you'll excuse me."
The sound of grating teeth reached his ears, but he paid no mind to it. She'd comply or die, it was that simple.
Raising a hand to his mouth, he bit down hard on the calloused tip of his thumb. A few drops of blood oozed from the bite and he performed a few hand seals, finally slamming his palm onto the floor once done. A burst of white smoke followed accompanied by the form of an immense snake bursting into existence in front of the boy, its fifty-foot length coiled up tightly. Slitted eyes turned and regarded its summoner curiously.
The boy didn't immediately answer the silent request for an order, instead holding a tiger seal in front of the children staring up at him with dread paramount in their eyes. Small white feathers appeared over his head and slowly began to drift down and fall about the children, the genjutsu he cast quickly knocking them out, their faces taking on a much more peaceful regard as they drifted into deep, tranquil slumber.
He watched on, making sure they were all sufficiently knocked out before cutting off the flow of chakra needed to keep the technique active. His eyes stared at the blonde for a few moments after, narrowed ever so slightly. The child had resisted his technique longer than most, attempting to shake the fast-acting drowsiness away before finally succumbing to its allure. Being a high ranked genjutsu, many people, including shinobi, had a hard time resisting the hypnotic effects it gave off, so the small act of rebellion left the boy impressed, if marginally so.
"Keys," he demanded, his gloved palm poised behind him in wait. When no keys came he turned and sighed in exasperation when he saw the old woman sprawled out across the floor, snoring obnoxiously. He should have predicted that would happen. Shaking his head resignedly, he walked over to her and began rummaging through her pockets. Finding the keys, he then went through the arduous and rather irritating task of figuring out which keys unlocked which of the chain locks. After many a trial and error, the final chain fell heavily to the floor and he stepped back. He turned black eyes on the snake, in whom had been simply staring on, the process the same as always.
"Take them," he ordered, cocking his head towards the unconscious children.
The snake flicked its forked tongue once before shifting forward. Moving to the first child, it opened its jaws impossibly wide. Its long tongue flicked out and wrapped about the brunette's legs. Slowly it dragged the child's body into its gaping mouth, clamping down once the head had passed its fangs.
The man heard a loud gulp and watched as a large lump began to shift slowly down the snake's elongated form. It repeated the process nine more times and once done, it turned to him for further instructions.
"Keep them until I call you next. And don't you dare digest them." The snake nodded its bulky head then disappeared abruptly in a cloud of smoke.
He was about to make his escape when two foot-long snakes that he had previously set on guard outside came slithering in. He crouched and let one of them make its way to his extended arm, coiling about it before fixing its eyes on him.
This snake was one of his favorites. Since his work was mostly done in the silent shadows, he often utilized its type when on missions such as this. It was able to communicate with its mind, forgoing speech and thus reducing the likelihood of detection. It conveyed its message then.
"Two ANBU?" he questioned; his brows furrowed in confusion. The snake nodded and then went on to say they had been keeping guard on the building. Thinking it best to silence any possible witnesses, he and his brother had taken care of the two before coming to him.
'How unusual' he mused. Why would shinobi belonging to Konoha's most famed forces be watching this building? His mind drifted back to that blonde-haired child, wondering if he had anything to do with it. He shook his head. Best to leave now and ponder this at a later and more secure time.
He released the two snakes and summoned another, larger snake. The reptile regarded him before opening its mouth wide, wide enough for him to step his long frame in without having to duck his head. He wrapped his cloak tightly about him, placing a cloth about his mouth and nose. It was true, snakes were very useful in many a regard, but he rather despised getting their slime all over him.
"Take me home," he ordered it and the snake's mouth slowly closed about him, shutting him off from the dim glow of the room he had previously inhabited.
In all regard, it is rather difficult for anyone, no matter the skill, to sneak their way into a powerhouse shinobi village like Konoha, arguably the strongest of the five great hidden villages. There were always guards watching the passes, their patterns purposely erratic and unpredictable so someone like him could not discern and take advantage of a specific routine. That being said, it was by far an easier task to leave a shinobi village, especially when those same shinobi that watched the surrounding area had their backs to the village, believing any threat that might present itself would come from the front and not behind from within their beloved village.
This was how the larger than average snake was easily able to bypass and sneak by the guards, slithering its bulging form into the thick underbrush of the forest beyond and disappearing into the night, its passenger neatly stowed away within it, leaving those behind none the wiser.
XxX
Since the ANBU deaths had been shortly after they had assumed their guard duties that night, it wasn't until their replacements had arrived and discovered their still, unmoving bodies slumped over atop the rooftops directly opposite the orphanage they had been watching over that anything within the village was noted to be amiss. As protocol dictated, they did a cursory investigation of the scene and when they had moved into the orphanage and discovered Uzumaki Naruto missing, they had immediately returned to ANBU Headquarters and had given their urgent report.
Like that of a disturbed hornet's nest, the moment the news broke and orders were given out, ANBU burst forth from the shadows like angry hornets. Their objective? To find Uzumaki Naruto, and they went about their business in unnoticeable, well-trained silence. Barely a sound was heard from the dozens of shadows that descended upon Konoha like an angry albeit quiet swarm. Any commands given were done with hand signals and any suspicious activity was thoroughly investigated and individuals taken in for questioning. Man, woman, or child it didn't matter. If there was even a shred of doubt that they might be connected to the missing Naruto they were detained and immediately brought to the Interrogation and Torture facilities to be processed. While the vast majority of the ANBU forces stationed in the village searched out for the enemy that had invaded their home, killed their brethren, and had taken what did not belong to them, a lone member was given the unenviable task of informing the leaders of Konoha of what had transpired.
XxX
The mood within the Hokage's office was oppressive. Seated behind the desk situated at one end of the circular room, Sarutobi Hiruzen the Sandaime Hokage sat. For decades, the man had ruled over Konoha as one of the last remaining pillars from the relatively forgotten Era of Warring Clans. With grizzled features partially hidden away behind the cocked kage hat that was almost always situated atop his head, the man radiated an air of authority and power that towered over men half a century younger than himself. A heavy trail of smoke billowed forth from the end of the wooden pipe situated betwixt lips pursed with irritation. Standing on either side of him were his two advisors, their withered features unconsciously twisted into looks of disgust, apprehension, and concern over the current state-of-affairs.
Before the trio stood a member of Konoha's infamous ANBU crouched deep in respect for the three under whose leadership Konoha had thrived for countless years.
Hiruzen's head was tilted down, the front tip of his kage cap covering his eyes with the dim glow from his lit pipe bestowing upon him an ominous appearance. In the silent room they could all hear the grinding of teeth on wood, the pipe taking the brunt of the Hokage's checked emotions as he processed the report the ANBU messenger had just given them.
"Are you positive this information is correct?" Hiruzen asked of the unusually stiff ANBU crouched before him. The news was unsettling after all and being the bearer of such news would be uncomfortable for almost anyone.
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
The female advisor standing beside Hiruzen, Utatane Koharu, clicked her tongue. "Could there possibly be some kind of mistake here? We're all aware of how the boy acts. Perhaps he simply wandered off and is hiding out like he normally does around this time of year."
It was early October, near the exact date that, six years prior, their Yondaime Hokage had defeated the Kyuubi no Kitsune and had sealed it into that of a newborn babe. The village had been saved from certain destruction that night thanks to the Yondaime's efforts, but in the end the victory hadn't seemed so great in the grand scheme of things. The village had been left in shambles, half of the infrastructure destroyed due to the Kyuubi's rampage, and their Hokage had paid the ultimate price.
The village had been heartbroken when they had learned of the terrible news. He had been a much beloved Hokage to all: kind, generous, down to earth, but still incredibly powerful in his own right backed with a vast intelligence that at the very least matched the smartest of Naras. Once news had begun to spread of his death, the villages had acted as any human beings might and had sought out and outlet for their despair. With the news, coupled with the substantial loss of life and home, they had latched onto the nearest possible thing to relent their layers of built up anger, frustration, and anguish.
The child that now housed the demon that had caused them so much pain and suffering. Any normal individual would never have done what they had done that boy ever since, but since that terrible, blood-stained night, their psyches had twisted and most projected their negative emotions onto the child, treating him like the demon he contained through vigorous use of beating and shunning. Their feelings had dimmed over the years, as they always did, but every year around the Fourth's Remembrance Festival, the villagers would begin to act up again and the boy's ANBU security would have to be doubled. Angry people unable to handle their drink were not the most pleasant nor rational people after all.
The ANBU shook his head, head cocked down in a showing of respect for the village's elected leaders. "We are still searching, however, given his disappearance and the two dead ANBU operatives on site that were guarding the orphanage, there is a high possibility that he is currently not within the village."
This proclamation was answered with the sound of snapping wood as Hiruzen's teeth crunched down and snapped his pipe in two. Silence reigned through the room as all eyes focused on the grizzled, old kage that had led the greatest of all the shinobi villages for decades. Through strife and famine, through the horrors of international war and the rare civil war, he had guided them through it all and had vanquished all that would defile both the sanctity of their great village and of Fire Country itself.
"We will find him," the God of Shinobi said quietly. Despite the low volume his words held, there was the resolution of steel in his voice. Failure was not an option here, only complete and success.
"You say he is no longer in Konoha? Well then we must search elsewhere." All three shinobi felt the pulse of energy radiate from Hiruzen. It was a call to someone. But to whom?
A moment later from within the shadows across the room, a voice answered the unspoken question as they stepped into light. "You called for me, Hokage-sama?"
The hair on all their arms immediately rose as they heard those words, the only sound that marked the entrance of the voice's source. The crouched ANBU's head bowed considerably lower, and even the advisors took on respectful looks.
The ANBU Commander had arrived.
Garbed in a heavy arrangement of thick, ebony armor, a solid silver mask slowly shifted between the individuals standing within the room, leveling a flat gaze onto all those assembled. Their body was relaxed, but even in that unassuming pose, they radiated power and demanded respect. It was a pose that only few possessed. A pose borne by those of confidence, well aware and self-assured of their abilities to not only win in a fight, but to absolutely dominate.
Hiruzen nodded his head towards the leader of all Konoha's ANBU. They had appeared so quietly that if he hadn't been paying attention, even he wouldn't have been able to follow the arrival. It was as though they were a ghost, a very deadly and dangerous ghost that could kill someone in the blink of an eye. "I'm sure you are well aware of the situation facing us."
The Commander glanced down at his subordinate, then to the advisors, and finally settled his masked gaze onto Hiruzen. "More so than even those within this room." His words weren't ones of superiority or conceit. He was merely stating a fact. The Commander knew almost everything that happened in Konoha, knew more than anyone including the Hokage himself of the happenings outside the village and Fire Country.
Yet again the hair on their arms rose and for good reason. Built into the Commander's mask was a special contraption, simple enough in reality, but the effects were obvious. The device distorted their voice, producing an oddly aggravating sound that unconsciously grated at their listeners' nerves. Octaves and tones fluctuated on an extreme level, making the voice synthesized so gender was indistinguishable.
No one had yet to determine the gender of the one behind the mask, and even ANBU members weren't brash or suicidal enough to start a betting pool, and that was saying something given the type of shinobi that joined ANBU. You just didn't do that for someone that could kick you out of Konoha's top forces, let alone someone that could turn you into a bright red smudge in the dirt.
"Have Naruto's whereabouts been confirmed yet?" Hiruzen asked.
The Commander shook their head. "No and I expect no confirmation to come from within the village. ANBU have searched all known areas within Konoha by now. This in addition to the fact two members were eliminated whilst guarding Uzumaki leaves me to only one possible conclusion." There was no vestige of emotion as they spoke so casually of their two now deceased operatives.
Hiruzen rubbed his temples. He had been hoping that wouldn't be the case, but it was his job to decide the next course of action and decide he must. Sometimes he hated himself for retaking the mantle of kage. "Go. Take a division of ANBU and hunter-nin and keep me informed if anything new arises."
The Commander dipped their head. "It shall be done, Hokage-sama."
However, before the Commander could leave to implement those orders there was a sudden rustle of wind and crouched beside the first ANBU who had reported in just minutes prior, a second ANBU sat. With a fist pressed into the carpeted floor and his mask depicting that of a falcon angled down in respect, Falcon spoke six words that garnered immediate attention from all those within the room.
"Sir, we have located a scent."
"Report," came the immediate and resounding command of the Hokage, hoping that the news proved fruitful.
There was a hesitation to Falcon's answer, a subtle shift of uneasiness in his shoulders. He gave Hiruzen the news he sought, however. "Due to the rain, we have been suffering substantial setbacks in our investigation of both scenes in question. However, with the assistance of an Inuzuka clansman, we were able to pick up a scent that should not have been there." Falcon fidgeted, "It was the smell of snakes."
A stark silence fell across the room, realization and dread creeping into the bodies assembled there. A noticeable chill ran through them as a name immediately came to mind.
"Are you positive? Are you absolutely positive it was the smell of snakes?" Hiruzen asked quietly into the hushed silence that followed. His eyes were dark and fixed on Falcon as if demanding him to admit the information he was giving was wrong.
Falcon nodded.
A rumble began to form within Hiruzen's throat, and quickly escalated into a roar of fury as he slammed clenched fists down across his desk. Wood splintered under the weight of that heavy blow of anger, paperwork flew, and an unceremonious curse left his lips. He didn't want to say the name echoing through his mind, not now, not with the implications it meant for both Naruto and Konoha.
There were only two known snake summoners in the Elemental Nations. Mitarashi Anko was one, a Tokubetsu Jounin that served as an interrogator in Konoha's infamous Torture and Interrogation department. The other was...
"Orochimaru."
A window burst inward suddenly. Rain and wind pushed through the gap and swirled through the room, but no one paid any mind to it. All eyes were on the Hokage as the wind screeched and the rain fell. Their stares were expectant, waiting for his order. It was he that would decide their next plan of action.
"Can the scent be followed?" Hiruzen asked quietly after calming down from his uncharacteristic outburst.
"Hai, Hokage-sama, but it will soon disappear with the rain if we do not hurry," Falcon answered.
Hiruzen nodded and looked towards the Commander. "Go. Find Naruto at all costs."
With a single nod of their head, the Commander acknowledged their leader's orders and departed without a trace before the eyes of the onlookers. There was no swirl of leaves or blur of speed to mark their departure. They simply just disappeared.
"Hiruzen...if Orochimaru were to get his hands on a biju, let alone the most powerful biju of them all..." came the hesitant voice of Homura, the second advisor in charge of governing Konoha alongside the Hokage and Koharu.
"I know," came Hiruzen slow reply as he sat back in his seat. There was a weariness lining the face of the usually imperturbable leader of Konoha. Although, the feeling was understandable to those in the room. Orochimaru had been a part of the only team the man had ever taught and had grown to the title of Sannin before abandoning the village and becoming a missing-nin. Despite the atrocities the man had committed, he had still been Hiruzen's student, a fact that could not be escaped.
"We must find him at all costs. Uzumaki Naruto must be found," Koharu stated simply.
Hiruzen mentally snorted at that unhelpful comment, readily aware of the lack of any sympathy for the boy in question in the woman's voice. The two were worried about the sudden power drop that would occur in the wake of this event if Naruto wasn't found. A village losing its biju? There was precedence, but the villages always managed to get them back one way or another.
"If he is not, I fear Konoha might not be able to survive the militaristic blow that would occur," Homura agreed in the tense silence that followed. And the man had a point. Every member of the five great hidden villages possessed at least one biju to bolster their military might, each nation gifted their prized weapons by the Shodai Hokage in a bid of support for the current hidden village system. Of course, Konoha had chosen to refrain from placing their own biju on a pedestal both out of sheer discretion and to give Naruto some possible semblance of a normal childhood, but who knew what sort of information enemy spies within the village had managed to gather.
Jinchuriki. The epitome of human greed and corruption. To create a jinchuriki was to exploit the very power of the biju held within that unlucky villager selected to hold such a colossal beast. The life of the holder mattered not. The title of jinchuriki meant to become a human sacrifice, picked out of the thousands by strangers whose only goal was power. Their life would become forfeit once the tailed beast was forced into them, revolving around the title of pariah as any potential future was more-or-less lost to the whim of the village. They would be looked down upon, spat at, talked behind their back. Being connected to the beast, they were connected to the bloody atrocities that flowed in its wake. Not many separated human from demon, and as such, the holder was considered nothing more than a tool to be utilized by their respective village, to be used and manipulated by the chosen leaders of that particular village. They were the ultimate weapon.
Hiruzed saw the multitude of benefits having a jinchuriki offered a village, but he also the burden the chosen few that held these titans of chakra held upon their shoulders, weighed down by the problems and corruption of their world. He was of the diminutive group that didn't see Naruto as merely the beast in human form, seeing him as the six-year-old boy that he truly was, forced to endure what no child should.
"We will find Naruto. Should the kidnapper still be within our walls, ANBU will find them. If they have already made it out of the village our ANBU and hunter-nin will track them down and destroy them." His voice was steel, his words cold and leaving no doubt to the two that he was serious.
"Do we at least know how long they've had to make their escape?" Homura asked.
Hiruzen shook his head. "Not definitive. Two hours at the minimum."
"How could we have let this happen?" Koharu questioned, "How did an enemy manage to bypass the multiple layers of security we have installed to prevent this very thing from happening?"
And that was one of the many million dollar questions they would have to address after they hopefully managed to retrieve Naruto.
Konoha was almost an impenetrable fortress when it came to defense and keeping the unwanted out. Possessing multiple layers of enhanced security, it made even the most expert of infiltrators gulp in nervous wonder. It did help that one of those top infiltrators was a member of their shinobi forces. Jiraiya, known to all as the Toad Sage and a member of the infamous and legendary Sannin, would often experiment and tweak Konoha's security, occasionally even testing it out personally to see if he could manage to break his way in.
"I don't know, but we'll have the issue investigated," Hiruzen answered simply as he slowly rose from his seat. "For now, Konoha is on lockdown and will remain so until further notice in case the perpetrator is still within the village. ANBU will continue to search the village while squads scower the countryside for any hint of his whereabouts."
With those parting words, the Hokage departed from his office quickly followed by his advisors leaving behind the two ANBU operatives who simply vanished into the darkness with a flicker of movement.
Lighting crackled above Konoha. The deathly whale of wind buffeted building and tore shutters off windows off whilst shadows flickered across rooftops as they quickly assembled and drew ready for the hunt.
Far away from the deluge a snake slipped into a unassuming hole and descended within, its body bulging as it disappeared underground and into the dark depths below.
Hope you enjoyed.
-Fallion