A/N: I would like to say, before it gets out of hand, that if I seemed I was desperate for readers in my post-chapter A/N last time, I am not. I appreciate all of you. Each and every one of you that even opens my fic means more to me than you could possibly fathom. I would merely request you give me feedback, either positive or constructive negative on the stories I have published other than 'The ANBU Genin'. Even if you don't I will continue my work on them, but I will be unsure of where to go with said stories, and less inclined to work on them as a result. Let me give you an example.
You go to a store and see two videogames, both the same price, for the same console, which you own. The one on the right, your friends all own and gush over, saying it's one of the best things they've ever played. The one on the left, you have never heard of, never heard any mention of it at all. It's just there, and you know next to nothing about it other than the name and rating. Which would you be more likely to purchase?
I guess... it' time to get to the next chapter?
Chapter 14: Return! A Saviour Comes Home!
Itachi and Naruto stared at each other from separate ends of the clearing. The blue met the red, one stoic and confused, the other full of a potent clash of rage and sorrow. Itachi, to himself, mused how often those two unfortunate emotions coincided.
"You might want to stay ready, Kyuubi-san," came a chuckled voice behind Naruto, who's eyes widened. He rolled forward quickly, barely avoiding something that cratered where he had just been standing. He came up, summoning a clone to guard his back, for appearances, and turned to face his assailant. Then, his golden skin turned white as snow.
Surrounded my a quickly dissipating cloud of smoke where once stood his clones, towered a man with blue skin and hair. His lips widened into a grin, revealing shark-like teeth, and on his cheeks were what appeared to be gills. His black coat with red clouds matched Itachi's, who calmly rested his arm on the third button down, leaving his chest exposed. The blue man hefted a giant bandaged... what looked like a club. But Naruto knew better. It was Samehada, one of the Seven Mist Blades, so long as you counted the Kiba blades as one.
"Hoshigaki Kisame..." the man's smirk widened as he was recognized. He straightened, casting a dark eye to the Uchiha.
"You gonna do anything?"
"I see no need. You should be more than capable of handling one young boy," Itachi responded coolly. Naruto felt a slight shiver run up his spine, but Kisame's grin grew into a full-blown smile.
"Goody. Samehada was getting hungry. Now, gaki, I assume you actually know something about me other than my name?"
"S-Rank Nuke-nin from Kirigakure no Sato, wielder of the blade Samehada, AKA Sharkskin. Known tags are the No-Tailed Beast, and the Monster of the Mist. Ex-cipher division, who killed his own team to prevent intel leaks." the smile grew wider and more sadistic.
"I think it only fair if I ge tto know a little about you before I slice you up and pull that Bijuu of yours." Naruto immediately fell back into his old ANBU training; show no emotion, speak only what is required, and under no circumstances leave an opening.
"Uzumaki-Sarutobi Naruto, Adopted grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, Last of the Uzumaki Clan, and Shinobi of Konoha." Kisame's eyebrow shot up at the mention of the Uzumaki clan.
"Uzumaki? From Uzushiogakure no Sato? Peerless sealmasters, kenjutsu users, and close ally of Konoha no Sato?"
"The same." Naruto pulled his spare tanto, wielding one in each hand, the left in a reverse grip, and assumed a stance Kisame had seen only once, back in the Third Shinobi World War. The UzuRyuu Kenjutsu style of the Uzumaki clan. The Boy's arms were at right angles to his body, his legs were fluidly planted, ready to move in a blink, and hiss torso was turned to the side, minimizing the area Kisame could see.
Naruto had learned of a CLAN of Uzumaki's some time ago, and made the connection he was a member. So he did what any orphan would do given such a tantalizing carrot of family in any form. He'd done as much research as possible. Some time after Iruka had apologized, he'd found some ancient scrolls on Uzumaki fuinjutsu and kenjutsu in the Konoha Shinobi library. They were free of dust, but it was obvious none could open them, from numerous scratches on the case, evidence of nails or kunai. As soon as he'd touched them, they'd popped open like a ripe berry and spilled the secrets to the boy. He kept it a secret, naturally.
"The UzuRyuu..." Kisame breathed. Naruto gave no action. Kisame hefted his massive blade and charged the blonde, who spun to his right, extending both arms. His arms, which had a moment ago been rigid, were now flowing in circles around the duo. Itachi was surprised at the sheer skill the boy showed in such a style, which, frankly, seemed against his general nature.
Naruto, meanwhile, was trying his best to keep up the rapid pace he had set with his defensive attacks. The UzuRyuu, or Whirl Dragon, kenjutsu didn't exactly focus on any one aspect of combat, but rather it brought everything to balance. Attack to defend, defend to attack, dodge to counter, counter to dodge. If it didn't make such perfect sense to his own thought process, he'd have given up long ago. Basically, the whole style was a balance of speed, power, agility, attack, and defense. But damned if it wasn't hard to maintain. Kisame brought his sword down as hard as he could where he knew the annoying gaki would be in a moment, only for his weapon to meet soil once more. He growled in frustration.
"You little..." he was bloody, cut in several places, and had a feeling the day would not end well for him. Naruto had not escaped totally unscathed so far, though. He always just barely dodged the sword, only for the ridged sharkskin to extend and cut him several times. He grit his teeth.
I'm still not good enough to use this against an S-ranked opponent! He thought frantically as he ducked under a swipe, feeling his back get sliced in several lines. Especially when I'm still recovering from that fight with the Suna nin! I've got to...
"Tsukoyumi!" came a sudden shout. Both combatants froze, knowing that technique well. Naruto and Kisame both tried their best to avoid eye contact with Itachi, lest they be subjected to the hellish nightmare world. Kisame, though, was unsuccessful. He fell to the ground, screaming and writhing.
"Now, Naruto-kun, we have some time to talk. Why did you come here?"
"To bring you back," the blonde grunted, dropping into a seated position a fair distance from the shark man. Itachi quirked an eyebrow.
"Sasuke overheard Kakashi-senpai talking about how I helped on... that night, after he figured it out. When I tried explaining, Sasuke wouldn't believe me."
"And so you sought to bring me back to Konoha to prove you speak the truth. What would you have done if I hadn't been able to drop a report today?"
"I would have waited until you did arrive, no matter how long it took," shrugged the blonde. Itachi gave a trademarked Uchiha smirk and shook his head slightly, closing his eyes.
"And I take it you did not receive permission before leaving the village to retrieve me?" Naruto shook his head, causing Itachi to sigh. "You could be marked as a nukenin, Naruto-kun."
"Jiji was there. He saw the whole thing and knows how impulsive I can be sometimes. I'm sure I'll be fine."
"How do you plan to get me into the village without people rioting?" Naruto smirked, both in response to Itachi's question, and the implication that the man would be coming back.
"Nii-chan, I stayed in ANBU for two years after you left. I know the patrol routines like the back of my hand. I can get you tot he Hokage tower without being discovered as easy as Jiji can scare a civilian." the Uchiha cast a look at the still-writhing Kisame.
"It seems I'm no longer staying in this organization, doesn't it?" he questioned rhetorically as he shrugged off his Akatsuki cloak, revealing a lithe torso covered in a mesh armor shirt, with ANBU pants on his legs. On his finger was a ring, which he removed after folding up the cloak. He set them both next to the Hoshigaki, then turned to his blonde companion. The two took off into the trees, running at pace. Itachi cast a side-long glance at Naruto as they moved.
"So how have they been?"
"Who?" Naruto quizzed. "My family or your Genin team from your year as a Jounin instructor?"
"Both I suppose."
"Family has been fine. As for your Genin... well, Shikozu got killed on a B-rank after he became Chuunin. Kisa and... what was his name?"
"It was rather hard to remember for some reason. Jozun."
"Kisa and Jozun both became emotionally distraught when it was announced what you did. They went from being the outspoken twerps they were, to being quiet and sullen, never leaving each other's sides unless it was a gender-specific area, like the baths or the restroom."
Itachi quirked his eyebrow again as he jumped off a thick branch.
"Did they move in together?"
"To Jozun's apartment. I'm still unsure if they're a couple or not. Jozun made several attempts on his own life, but Kisa saved him." Itachi's eyes widened at the news, and grew a little watery. Those two had grown on him with their exuberance and enthusiasm. Thank Kami he'd broken them of holding him on a pedestal though.
Naruto was also considering the duo.
Flashback- a few years ago; Training Ground 13
Three Genin were bent over at the waists, panting heavily with their hands on their knees. As was standard formation, two males and a female comprised the group. They looked with tired eyes to their sensei, and his... assistant for the day, Uzumaki Naruto. One of the boys, a tall, lanky youth with squared glasses, a thick mop of dark brown, almost black, hair, and angular features fell over backward, flopping spread-eagle on the ground, regaining his breath fairly quickly.
"Jozun," panted the girl, who had about the same color hair, if just a bit lighter, down to her waist in a high ponytail. She was an attractive girl by many accounts, mainly because she had some meat on her bones, as opposed to being a twig like most kunoichi nowadays. One could almost mistake her for a thin Akimichi. "Sensei said that laying down without stretching can cause you to cramp." she was still huffing heavily, and glaring at the boy she addressed, who was now breathing normally. He merely snorted, keeping his eyes closed.
"Kisa we both know I'm not going to cramp up. I may not have the stamina Naruto-sensei does, but I recover quickly and my muscles adjust quickly to any given situation. Gotta love them Sekazu genes, eh?"
"You... lucky prick," panted the third of the trio, a boy of average height for his age. His hair was completely different from his team-mates darker tones, being the platinum blonde of the Yamanka clan. "And... that's not the... only thing you got..." Jozun chuckled and flapped his hand weakly.
"It's a minor Kekkei Genkai Shikozu."
"I'd hardly call what you can do minor, Jozun. Especially considering how quickly you mastered it, and so much better than the rest of your clan," Itachi commented. Naruto cocked his head in confusion just as Jozun opened his eyes, revealing a deep hazel color in his irises. Kisa grumbled to herself about his eye color, her own being a light brown so common to their village.
"What exactly can he do?" asked the Blonde Jinchuuriki.
"His Kekkei Genkai is actually very similar to the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya clan. But, instead of manipulating his bones, he manipulates his muscles and nerves. He can make himself stronger, faster, or improve his reaction time by running Chakra through his neural system. The downside..."
"The downside," Jozun cut in. "Is that not only is it insanely Chakra consuming, if I use it too much in a set amount of time, it WILL kill me, because the increased abilities cause my muscles to break down faster and rebuild slower. On top of that, those of my clan,"
"Everyone," coughed Shikozu discreetly.
"Who inherit the Kekkei Genkai have such weakened immune systems that if we catch a minor sneeze, we could die." Kisa frowned and patted her friends shoulder supportingly.
"It seems odd then, that you chose to be a Shinobi," commented Naruto.
"Well," shrugged the teen. "I take immune-boosters, vitamins, and generally do my best to avoid sick people."
"Why DID you become a ninja?" Kisa suddenly asked, looking at Jozun. The boy scowled fiercely.
"I have my reasons. Let's leave it at that." Kisa scowled back.
"We told the group our reasons, why won't you?" she said, her voice raising steadily as she straightened and stalked up to the taller boy. It was apparent by the time he stopped growing, he would be one of the tallest people in Konoha.
"Because," he snarled, his eyes blazing with pain and rage in equal parts. "It's. None. of. Your. Business." Kisa took a step back, never having seen this kind of anger from the usually happy and active boy. Itachi grimaced, as he knew a little of his students' past, but not enough to comfort him.
"Jozun," Itachi said in a clipped tone, causing the Genin to stiffen. "We will respect your decision to keep reasons your own, but do not vent your anger towards your teammates. That would lead to lack of trust, which would bite you in the long run." The Sekazu remained towering over his female comrade a moment longer, before backing down, head bowed.
"Sorry Sensei. May I be dismissed for the day? I have errands to run." Itachi nodded, and the boy plodded off. The Uchiha then turned to his other students.
"You two may leave as well. I will see you tomorrow." the two nodded and left, chatting amicably.
"Those two..." Naruto said softly.
"Kisa and Jozun?" Itachi asked, to which the blonde nodded. "Yes, they are nearly the same. To an extent. Jozun is actually more like you, believe it or not." Naruto cocked an eyebrow in question. "His parents were... less than kind, from what I gather. He ran away from his clan when he turned seven, and has been living on his own ever since, refusing to return for anything. His exuberance is more a mask to hide whatever pain he holds." a pair of blue eyes looked after the barely visible form of the Genin, and softened. "Still, Shimizu Kisa is good for him. They normally have a healthy relationship, except when she tries to pry into his personal life. I can see them together at some point."
"Really? She seemed more set on getting with you," commented Naruto, drawing a smirk from his friend.
"Oh, she is. But I find while you chase one person, another worms their way into your heart and diverts your attention. Kisa chases me, and Jozun for some reason helps her attempts. I seriously doubt they'll never be more than just friends, even if only for a bit." the two turned to go see the Hokage, as they had been summoned earlier for that exact time.
Flashback end
(Yeah, Kisa I f-ing went there. XD)
"Any progress on curing Jozun's immune system?"Itachi asked quietly. Naruto shook his head.
"No, but he puts that regenerative ability of his muscles to good use training. He runs himself into the ground more than I do, only for his muscles to build back up overnight to repeat again the next day. He's already about as strong, physically, as Rock Lee."
"The academy student unable to use chakra?"
"Gai's student now, but yeah, that's him." the two suddenly stopped moving, staring ahead of them.
Konoha waited.
With heavy ANBU presence on the walls.
"Well, shit."