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Chapter 22
Naruto arrived at the gate to see that the Sannin was already there. He couldn't help but feel thankful that it wasn't Kakashi. He respected his Sensei and all, but to appear so late was ridiculous.
"So are you ready for the search?" Jiraiya asked once he noticed the blond.
"Yes." Naruto answered.
"Good." The Sannin nodded. "Now, the mission may take awhile and it could be full of treachery. We shall travel the lands and face the unknown and overcome them with out heads held high!"
Naruto looked at the Shinobi with unblinking eyes, clearly unimpressed. "Where to first?"
"We're going to a nearby village." The Sannin answered with a pout. "There we will meet one of my contacts and we can get an idea of were my old teammate is. From there-"
"Hey, wait!" A voice cried in the distance.
Naruto turned to see his fellow blond and love of his life Ino. He noticed that she had a smile on his face, but that was never a clear answer. Could be good, could be bad.
"I-Ino, what're you doing here?" Naruto asked nervously, hoping he wasn't still in hot water with her.
"Well I wanted to be the first to congratulate you." She stated with a smile that was eerily like his. "So, congratulations!" She cheered before giving him a kiss.
Breaking apart, Naruto looked at her in confusion. "I love your kisses, but I'd still like to know what I'm being congratulated on." He stated.
She smiled and handed him a scroll. With a raised eyebrow, he unraveled it and saw that it was a storage seal. Opening it, he was greeted with a Chunin vest.
Wow, in all the commotion, I had forgotten why we entered the exams. Naruto thought.
"Congratulations Naruto." Ino stated as she smiled. "Only you and Neji Hyuga were promoted."
Without a word, the newly instated Chunin put on his vest. It fit like a glove.
"This was Iruka-Sensei's rank." Naruto stated distantly. He had finally reached the rank of his first Sensei.
Ino could see that he was feeling something at the moment. While he never told her what happened on the mission, she new it was life changing for him. It must have been if it got rid of that orange loving buffoon and replaced him with the ninja in front of her.
"Naruto, could I ask you a favor?" Ino asked cutely. "Could you leave me a few clones. Just to keep me company till you get back."
Suspiciously, he made four clones. She just continued to smile at him, giving no hints of to what she had planned for them.
"Don't do anything crazy with them while I'm gone." Naruto called.
"I won't!" She stated with her fingers crossed behind her back.
"Promoted and off on a high ranking mission." Jiraiya stated. "Things are looking up for you."
"Yeah." Naruto agreed, absentmindedly.
He couldn't stop admiring his new vest. It wasn't that he cared for the look, he was just so proud. He was actually moving up in rank, making noticeable progress as a Shinobi. Progress for his village.
See Iruka-Sensei. Naruto thought proudly. I'm on my way to the top!
Naruto and Jiraiya had traveled for awhile, though the blond had managed to keep occupied by reading a scroll on training.
"Excuse me, are you the author of those books, Jiraiya?"
"As a matter of fact, I am!" He answered proudly. "And who might you be?"
"Jiraiya." Naruto spoke.
"A huge fan!" She stated as she leaned onto his arm.
"Jiraiya."
"Not now kid." Jiraiya stated, making a shooing motion. "Why don't you go find us a hotel room."
Naruto could only watch in disappointment as one of the villages so-called greatest ninja was led from a mission by a woman and a few nice words.
"We're on a mission." Naruto spoke.
His words fell on deaf ears as Jiraiya focused solely on the woman before him.
Naruto had found a room to use for himself, if the sage wanted to stay out then he could find his own room. The blond had continued to study his scroll when he heard a knock on his room door.
So the sage was turned down already. Naruto thought with amusement.
That turned to confusion and then to determination once he opened the door. It wasn't Jiraiya.
There stood two imposing figures in black cloaks with red cloud prints on them. One was a blue man that reminded Naruto of a shark and he had a giant weapon on his back. The other was a man that had a resemblance to Sasuke and even wielded the sharingan, a clear sign that he was an Uchiha.
"Naruto, you will come with us." The Uchiha ordered.
It was subtle, but Naruto could feel the effects of a compulsion Genjutsu being placed onto him. Thankfully with his new training and bloodline he was able to resist, if only just barely.
"Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki." Naruto spoke mechanically. "Butcher of the Uchiha Clan and Monster of the Mist. I assume that it was you two who put that woman in the Genjutsu?"
"Smart." Kisame stated with a smile. "So you're the brat who killed Zabuza and Raiga."
"I killed Raiga, Zabuza was killed by my Sensei." Naruto corrected. "Are you here to avenge your fallen comrades?"
Kisame laughed as if he had been told an funny joke.
"Of course not." He stated with a wicked smile. "I probably would have killed them myself eventually."
"We have come for you Naruto." Itachi spoke calmly. "Or rather, your burden."
Naruto reached for his weapons but his enemy was faster. Kisame grabbed the handle on his large blade and lifted it with ease. He aimed the large weapon at Naruto, who stared unblinkingly but stopped his movements.
"We need him alive kisame." Itachi stated.
"Alive, but not whole." The shark man stated. "I'll just take a leg so he can't run, or an arm so he can't fight. I am interested to see the skill of one who has survived an encounter with two of the Seven."
"Itachi!" An all too familiar voice shouted.
The sudden arrival of Sasuke couldn't have been better for the blond. The two Rogue Shinobi turned their attention from the blond to the young Uchiha for a second, but that second was all Naruto needed.
Stepping back from the swords range, Naruto began to flare his chakra trying to bring it to the highest level he could. He began forming hand signs for one of his strongest attacks.
He hadn't gotten half way through before Kisame acted. The Monster of the Mist swung the large sword at Naruto, no intent on striking him, just getting the blade close. Instantly Naruto knew why the man hadn't tried hitting him. That swing had brought the blade close enough for it to rip away the chakra Naruto had been producing.
Naruto jumped back and drew the Kiba blade and the W.C.B, holding them defensively.
"That's quite the collection you have there." Kisame stated. "Are you any good with them?"
Saying nothing, Naruto raised the Kiba blade and fired a large blast of lightening at the two. The flash nearly blinded the group, stuck in such a tiny hall. Instead of a powerful impact, as he was hoping, Naruto watched as the blast hit the weapon Kisame was holding.
There was no electric current to the missing nin or even a strain from all of the chakra he had released. The weapon Kisame wielded convulsed under the bandages before several spiky appendages shot out. Naruto watched as they twitched, almost as if it were alive.
"Heh, no one's ever fed it that much in a single blow. Impressive." The Swordsman stated. "Though you'll have to do better than that! Samehada is a glutton!"
Ninjutsu is obviously out against these two. Naruto thought. A weapon that absorbs chakra and Uchiha to copy them. It'd be stupid to try and-
Naruto's train of thought was cut when Sasuke attacked his brother with a Chidori. The Elder brother was faster and simply swatted his brother away.
"I'll handle this." Itachi spoke as he made his way towards his brother.
"Then that leaves us to play." Kisame stated as he grinned.
Naruto raised both of his weapons in preparation for the confrontation.
Need to stall him. Naruto thought.
The flaring of chakra had been for more than a Jutsu, it had been a signal. Though a lecher, Jiraiya was still a Sannin and would recognize the danger. Hopefully. He's be there soon, but it would take time. And timing was a precious thing in battle.
"You know, I'm disappointed." Naruto spoke. "Of all of the swordsman, I think I respected Zabuza the most."
"Oh?"
"I've done my research and I know a bit of what each blade can do." Naruto continued. "So I've decided he's the best of the Seven."
"I could crush Zabuza with ease." Kisame stated.
"I don't deny your power, but your skill is questionable." Naruto stated. "I mean, your swords do all of the work. Zabuza was the only one who fought with his own skill."
"So you want to see my skill?" Kisame chuckled. "Fine."
The Monster of the Mist raised his sword high, but Naruto didn't focus on that. He focused on the mist that was beginning to fill the hallway.
"The Hidden Mist technique?" Naruto questioned. "That won't work on me."
"That's not me." Kisame stated as he looked over his shoulder.
As he said those words, Naruto and Kisame noticed a chill in the air. Being an expert in the technique, Kisame was able to sense the incoming attack and raised Samehada which alerted Naruto, who jumped back to avoid it. Senbon.
"His life belongs to us." A voice spoke.
Naruto heard Kisame chuckle before he waved the Samehada blade around, drawing the mist into it. Once gone, they saw Haku and Ranmaru, both wielding the respective blades of their former companions.
"Release him!" Haku ordered.
A layer of ice began to coat the walls of the hallway they were in. The two Akatsuki members looked around in mild interest before turning their attention back to the target and the others.
"Ice Jutsu with no handsigns, an Ice Bloodline trait and a Doujutsu." Kisame spoke. "Too familiar to be a coincidence. You two are survivors of the Bloodline purge, aren't you?"
At the mention of the massacres in Mist, the two tensed.
"We're leaving Kisame." Itachi stated. "A fight like this would only bring unwanted attention."
Raising his sword, Kisame brought it down on the ground, causing the floor to cave in. They didn't bother trying to follow the rogue Shinobi, it would have been a suicide mission.
That just left Naruto, a wounded and unconscious Sasuke with Haku and Ranmaru. The two former Mist Rogues tightened their grip on their weapons. Naruto did as well.
"It is I, Jiraiya!" The Sannin exclaimed as he appeared in a puff of smoke.
With the appearance of the Sannin, the former Mist nin knew that there was no point in fighting. Haku, grabbing Ranmaru by the hand, turned and began walking away.
"Thank you." Naruto spoke.
Haku spun and launched several Senbon needles at the Chunin. The blond casually deflected them before looking into Haku's hate filled eyes.
"We didn't come to save you." She sneered.
"We just refuse to let anyone else kill you." Ranmaru stated.
With their part said, the two disappeared in a Water-Body flicker.
"So...what'd I miss?" Jiraiya asked.
"Dynamic Entry!"
Review
Sorry that this was so short. I posted it more to let you all know that I'm still working on this story. Others are in the work too. Don't worry.
For those following 'Lantern Bearer' I just need one more positive review to update! 10 a chapter!
Quirk: Symbiote has been updated!
Please check 'Revision of Life' It's a 'Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends' story.
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