Part 7: Shock and Awe
Naruko sat on top of the small water tower on the roof top of the motel she was staying at. It was slightly damp after it had rained earlier, but a quick burst of katon charka cleared it up so she could sit. She'd accepted a solo mission to deliver some orders to a border outpost on the eastern coast of Hi no Kuni. The mission was already done, it had only taken her two and half days at her top speed, but she'd arrived late in the night and not wanted to have to camp out again.
She was breathing steadily, almost as if meditating, with her mother's nodachi across her lap. It was almost midnight, the moon occasionally peaking through the clouds. The air was surprisingly cold; it was the beginning of winter so Hi no Kuni would be getting some snow over the next couple of weeks.
As such, she'd reluctantly agreed to changed her clothes, if for no other reason than to get a worried Shizune off her back. She still wore what was now her signature vermillion dress, though now with a custom jacket; it was essentially designed as a black Konoha chuunin-vest with long sleeves and a fur collar, and fur lining inside. She'd also switched out her hot pants and mesh pantyhose for tight black pants. Her heeled shinobi boots had also been replaced by simple black enclosed, ankle high, chunky-heeled leather boots. She also had a beanie stored in a new storage-tattoo right above the old one on her left wrist. She'd also very reluctantly changed her gloves so that they covered her fingers entirely. She had an odd fondness for her normal gloves, she mused. Probably just used to them, she even wore them when in civilian clothes most of the time.
After some reading into the many, many notes, scrolls and books left behind by her parents, she'd learned that the nodachi was more than simply her mother's sword. It was an ancient heirloom, passed down through the Uzumaki from before the Shinobi Era, when the Uzumaki were a clan of Samurai in Mizu no Kuni. It was forged by a master smith named Masamune, who's descendents went on to forge the blades of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shū (Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist). After she'd learnt that, she felt both an obligation and a desire to use it. The problem was, she was a ninjutsu specialist. A nodachi was simply not compatible with her current fighting style. She'd been trying to remember the way that Zabuza fought; he wielded one of the largest blades in the world and still used ninjutsu quite easily, though it was only a small pool of techniques that he used. She was able to cast jutsu and wield a sword at the same time, the problem lay in the fact that the nodachi requires two hands to be wielded correctly, and ninjutsu was about three time more difficult to cast with one hand. As such, she'd learned to use a two basic techniques with one hand. One was the Kage Bunshin (she'd also learnt to cast it silently), while a B-ranked jutsu, it was at this point basic to her at least. The other was the Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu, which in conjuncture with a wind-covered blade, was very deadly. Of course, she could utilise clones for ninjutsu, but their ability to concentrate and mould chakra was well below the original's.
She sighed, opening her eyes and looking down at the sheathed blade. Masamune was its name, after the smith that forged it. She frowned at the sword as she continued to dwell on her predicament. She was about to get up and go inside when a figure landed in front of her.
She was surprised to see Jiraiya standing there. He grinned and waved up at her. "Hey, gaki!"
"Hey, Ero-sennin. You know, you show up so suddenly like this, you gotta prove who you are." Naruko said, her hand ready to draw Masamune.
Jiraiya rolled his eyes but complied. "I once caught you making out with some random girl with purple hair in Tano in south Kaze no Kuni."
Naruko blushed and let her hand drop from her sword. "Alright fine. What're you doin' here?"
"I was in the area. Heard a local talking about a Konoha-kunoichi with bright yellow hair. Not many fit that description." He answered with a smirk. He sobered and continued. "Anyway, heard some rumours about a snake carving in a cliff nearby. Fits Orochimaru's MO perfectly. So I'm gonna look around. You comin'?"
"Oh yeah. That's Orochimaru alright." Jiraiya murmured. They were hidden in tree branches at the base of a tall cliff. In the side of the cliff was a large stone carving of a snake with a double door in its mouth.
"Spooky bastard." Naruko muttered. She adjusted her shoulders, not used to the feeling of Masamune on her back.
"You've got no idea. Alright, the entrances are never guarded. Lures unsuspecting civilians further inside so they can't escape. Be on your guard. If we get split, call sign is frost, counter is tiger."
Naruko nodded. "Got it. Let's go."
They entered the base. There was nothing but a long hallway for a while, the first dozen rooms they found were featureless barrack-style rooms that were devoid of life. Sooner or later, they started finding small libraries of everything from children's books to rare jutsu, a number of which they 'borrowed'.
They entered a huge lab with a large number of tables filled to the brim with random scientific items. As Jiraiya began examining the various items, Naruko investigated a door on the far side of the room. Opening it, she was surprised to see someone lying in a bed with their back to her. They had long, pale green hair and she estimated they may be about eleven or twelve years old.
She was about investigate further when a stone wall rose in the middle of the room. She quickly jumped out into the main lab only to see another wall had blocked the only entrance into the room. Sensing someone above her, she looked up to see a young woman with spiky light blue hair wearing green dress with one long sleeve and one short.
"What are you doing here?" she asked irritatedly.
"Just looking around for my old teammate." Jiraiya answered, coming out of the shadows. The woman was surprised but hid it well.
"Well." she said. "You won't find Orochimaru-sama here. This base has been abandoned for some time."
"And yet, you are here and are clearly an Otogakure-nin."
"Who's the kid?" Naruko asked, hostility clear in her voice.
"None of your business!" The woman shouted angrily.
"Ah." Jiraiya said, like he'd solved a puzzle. "Protective are we? Interesting."
The woman shunshined down in front of the door the kid had been in. "You will leave. Sannin or not, you will not go past this door."
"Odd that one of Orochimaru's would be so protective over one child, in an apparently abandoned base." Jiraiya said, walked over, not in the slightest bit threatened.
"Do not speak as if you know anything, Sannin!" she shouted, her hands forming a sign.
Jiraiya stopped. He dropped the smirk. "You'd do well to remember I am the strongest Sannin. Orochimaru would've been dead a long time ago if he wasn't such a slimy bastard. Now. Who is the behind the door?"
The woman seemed to consider her options. Naruko could see some panic appearing in her eyes. "Just stay away, dammit!"
"Answer me and I'll consider it."
"He's..." the fight left her as she realised the hopelessness of her situation. Jiraiya on his own, she might be able to injure or tire out. But him and his student, who was once the teammate of that bastard Sasuke. Not to mention the other rumours she'd heard about 'Shakuton no Naruko' (Naruko of the Scorch Release). "He's my responsibility." she finally answered.
"Orochimaru put you in charge of him?" Naruko asked.
"Well..." she groaned, obviously not wanting to answer. "Yes and no. I volunteered to take him because he is my responsibility."
"Why?" Naruko asked.
"I... Orochimaru-sama forced me to kill his mother." she saw no point in lying. Jiraiya was not only the strongest Sannin, but Konoha's spymaster, as many easily forgot given his loud and brash attitude.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "How did you become an Oto-nin?" he asked.
She glared. "That is none of your business!"
Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Fine. You have some choices. Come quietly, or go loudly. One way or another, you aren't staying here. That includes the kid. You fight us, you die, we take the kid back to Konoha. You fight us, maybe you live, we take you and the kid to Konoha. You surrender, we take you and the kid to Konoha. Decide. Now."
She glared, but eventually just leant against the wall. "Fine. I surrender."
"Naruko." Jiraiya ordered, nodding at the woman.
Naruko nodded and wordlessly made a clone. The clone walked over the tied the woman up with ninja-wire then placed a chakra-sealing tag on the back of her neck, one that would be very painful to take off if not done properly.
Jiraiya had forced the stone wall down and placed a genjutsu on the boy, placing him into a deep sleep. He handed the boy to Naruko, who took him in a fire-man's lift. Jiraiya did the same with the woman. "So, what's the name, lady?"
The growled at him. "Guren. If you touch anything I swear to Kami-"
"I won't touch your arse or anything, don't you worry, Guren-chan."
They'd made their way out of the base and were sitting outside, Guren tied to a tree and the boy lying at the base of another. Jiraiya and a large number of Naruko's clones were still inside, searching while Naruko sat tending to Masamune.
"So, what's the kid's name?" Naruko asked, closely watching what she was doing.
"..."
"Can't keep calling him 'The Kid'. It's just rude, more than anything."
"..."
"What? You afraid of me or something?" she asked looking up from the sword.
"...I'd rather not get cooked inside out, thanks."
Naruko was slightly shocked to hear that. "What? How do you know about... that?"
"I read Orochimaru's file on you."
"Can't keep anything from that slimy, arsehole can ya?" Naruko asked rhetorically.
"No. Nothing." Guren said with some bitterness, starring angrily at the ground.
"Oh? That doesn't sound like the loyal servant of Orochi-teme I thought you were."
"...I suppose not."
"And why is that, hm?"
"He is... not who I thought he was."
"Ah. You realised he only cares about himself and power."
"...yes. I realised I was loyal out of... envy and fear."
"Envy? Hmm, I see."
Guren looked up from the ground and glared at her. "You see? What, you a Spirits-damned shrink now?"
Naruko just shrugged and went back to her sword. "No. But, Jiraiya has taught me more than a few things about getting into someone's head."
"You? In my head? Alright, tell me something about what's in my head then."
Naruko looked up again. "...you envy Orochi-teme's power cause you felt, maybe feel, powerless. But Orochimaru let you take care of the Kid. He values your loyalty to the point that he lets you do some of what you want. Which means you either have something he can use, or something he wants. Tell me if I say something wrong."
"..."
"Right. So, what is he wants from you?"
"...Yūkimaru. His name." She nodding to the sleeping boy.
Naruko decided she'd gotten enough out of her for leverage if she needed it. She felt her clones start to pop and Jiraiya exited the base. "All good to go, gaki. Set it off whenever you're ready."
Guren looked up in alarm. "Set what off?"
Naruko just smiled and hoisted the kid up onto her shoulder again, Jiraiya did the same to Guren. Once they were far enough away Naruko made a one handed seal. The ground shook as Guren, who was seated at Jiraiya's feet, watched the cliff explode intensely.
"What the fuck!?" she yelled.
"Shock and awe, lady. That should send a message to old mate Orochimaru." Jiraiya answered.
"Inoichi eventually got through and Ibiki and Anko freaked her the hell out but we got a lot out of her." Tsunade sighed. She and Naruko were sat casually inside the Hokage's office. "Apparently, she was to be vessal for Orochimaru at some point, but it fell through."
"So, why did he want her body?" Naruko asked as she fidgeted with a Hiraishin kunai.
"She possesses a Kekkei Genkai we had no confirmation existed, only rumours and speculation. She has the Shōton (Crystal Release)."
Naruko raised her eyebrows. "Cool. So what'll happen to her now?"
"Well, Danzo will want her for breeding, the creepy bastard. Obviously, not gonna happen. At worst, if she dies somehow we'll take some DNA and eggs."
"But... Baa-chan that's just..."
"I know, Naruko. But either way, this is a Shinobi village and we have to take every opportunity we have to get stronger. She has so far cooperated, for the most part, and she came along with you and the perv willingly even if it took some encouragement."
Naruko nodded. "What about Yūkimaru?"
"Apparently, he has some sort of ability to partially control the Sanbi. Researchers are working on it. He's fully cooperated since he saw Guren alive and well, even if she is sealed and in a holding cell. He's a sweet kid."
Naruko sighed. "Alright, Baa-chan, thanks for tellin' me."
"No problem, gaki. Now, how have you gone fulfilling my other orders?"
Naruko groaned. "I'm doin' it. Fuck..."
"It's for your own good, Naruko."
"I know but... eating healthy is not worth it."
"It will be, don't you worry. Especially when you start dating someone, you'll be able to stomach the vegetables without cringing. It'll make you look better."
"What is it with you and Shizune about finding someone to date?"
Tsunade just shrugged with a smile. "We just want to make sure you'll be at the top of your game for whatever lucky girl gets ya'."
"Ugh, why've you gotta- wait. Girl? Who told- Ero-sennin." She growled.
Tsunade just laughed as she watched Naruko jump out the window in the direction of the hot springs, a hot flush of anger and embarrassment burning on her face.
End Part 7