Pre-word: Another shorter chapter, but the trade-off was a much faster update this time around so I hope that's okay.
I'm kind of finding it easier to write these shorter chapters focusing on single ideas rather than just cramming a bunch into one bit as well, so I think I might keep up with this for a while. No promise on such speedy updates, however, but I'll do my best.
Thanks as always to everyone that has continued to stick it out with this. Just like to continue making my appreciation known.
Heart Under Shadow
The Border
"Woohoo!" Naruto laughed, gliding through the air for several moments as his eyes glanced for his next perch. Finding it easily, he touched down on a sturdy branch and in the same movement kicked off it, sending him flying to the next one. "This is awesome!" He cheered, not having grown tired of this new way of transportation despite having been going at it for over half a day now.
"Yes, yes. We get it." Kakuzu grumbled. For him, who had been doing this nearly a century now, it was hardly anything to get excited about. Watching Naruto whoop for joy with every successful kick-off made him try and remember if he had ever been this excited about it. Even as a child, he had always been rather jaded, so he supposed that wasn't the case.
Yet the pure elation on Naruto's face almost had him feeling sorry for himself. The only time Kakuzu ever got nearly this excited about anything was money. He was starting to wonder if he was missing out on something in life. Of course, he had no intention of changing anytime soon, but perhaps it would be better for him to part ways with his young escort sooner rather than later. If only because he was starting to become uncomfortable with how optimistic he felt around him.
"We should be close to the edge of Sawa no Kuni, should we not?" Kaguya asked from within Naruto's shadow. While she had taken a liking to being outside of it for the past several days, Naruto's lack of experience at tree hopping made it impossible for him to balance her on his shoulders while simultaneously performing this new feat. So she had reluctantly for the time returned back to the place she was bound.
"Yeah, nearly there." Kakuzu confirmed. Their journey up until the night before had been slow going. At first because they had been traveling with several corpses. After finally disposing of them, however, it was revealed that any means of movement aside from simple walking was going to be impossible for Naruto who couldn't yet walk on trees.
So Kakuzu had resigned himself to having to stick with that pace for the rest of their trip. However, when Kaguya proposed the Shadow Clone training method, Naruto took what should have taken a week and crunched it into a single night. So now they were finally able to travel as Shinobi should.
"What is Sawa no Kuni even like, exactly?" Naruto couldn't exactly fathom anything aside from the forests of Konoha and Hi no Kuni. It was all he had known for his whole life and he hadn't exactly been big on books so he didn't have many images in his head for what other countries might look like.
To the question, Kakuzu could only shrug. "Takigakure is actually fairly close to the border, so you won't get to see much of the real country. Not right away, at least. It's called Sawa no Kuni because it's a fairly mountainous region with many rivers… and as you may have guessed: Waterfalls." It went without saying, but this was why the Waterfall village had been founded in the Land of Mountain Rivers.
"However, close to the border isn't really much different than what you're seeing now." Kakuzu looked around at all the tall trees surrounding them as he continued to kick off their branches. "Sawa no Kuni isn't a large country, but it shares borders with four other countries which has always put it in a rather perilous position. This makes it even more incredible that it's never successfully been invaded."
"Is it because the Ninja there are like super strong or something?" Naruto asked. His line of thinking wasn't exactly wrong, but it was about as naive as you would expect someone his age to be. Ignoring the things Naruto had done already, which you would think make him less prone to such naivety. Kakuzu was having a hard time figuring out Naruto's mental age the more time they spent together.
"Takigakure has always produced elite Shinobi, but their numbers have also been rather lacking. This dates back from the time when I was once one of their number." He paused, just long enough for the nostalgia to begin taking root before he squashed the feeling. "I would say it's more thanks to the terrain that they've never been invaded than anything."
"To the North is an ocean, the only real country of power that could invade from there being the peace-loving Yuki no Kuni." Shinobi also weren't well known for their impressive Navys. "To the East is Tetsu no Kuni… a land without Ninja, but Samurai. That land it mostly closed off. Ninja don't interfere with them and they don't mess with us. So invasion from there with a Shinobi force simply isn't feasible."
"Tsuchi no Kuni has perhaps been the most hostile towards Sawa no Kuni in the past, but they can't easily get past the vast mountain range splitting their country from ours to the West. They've lost many trying before and seem to have all but given it up. Finally, to the South is Hashi no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Hashi no Kuni has Kusagakure, another small village lacking the military power for expansion. Their land has many deep ravines, one of which is what splits their country from Sawa; making it unfavorable for either side to push into the other."
"I guess that just leaves Konoha…" Naruto mumbled, reaching up and rubbing at his left shoulder almost unconsciously. He had gotten a rather nasty burn scar leftover from Itachi's Amaterasu and while he wasn't aware of it himself, whenever he started thinking about his own village he unconsciously felt the scar itch.
"Yes…" Kakuzu debated whether or not to expand on that one. Not seeing any point in beating around the bush any longer, he just got it on with. "Konoha and Taki nearly got into it just before the First War. However, the Shodai Hokage gave them the Nanabi in order to establish a peace treaty that has been honored by both sides until now. The only thing separating these two countries is a simple river. Invasion from the south is the only real viable option which is why this treaty has been so imperative in keeping their title as the Uninvadable Country up until now."
What Kakuzu didn't say was that the spark for that war had been his attempt on the Shodai Hokage's life. He had failed, of course. It was an unreasonable request by the elders, who should have known that no one could take Hashirama's life and live to tell about it. The only reason Kakuzu had been spared was the man's generosity… or perhaps foolishness was more accurate.
He attempted to kill him and what did that man do? He gave his village a Biju in order to establish trust and request such things didn't happen again. Those bastards greedily took the Biju and then tried to frame Kakuzu as the sole orchestrator of that failed assasination. That was when he stole the forbidden Jutsu and took the hearts of those at the center of his betrayal before leaving for the last time.
Well, the last time until now.
Just as he finished explaining the territory in as much detail as he could, they flew over the river that he had only just brought up. "That's it." He said. "Welcome to Sawa no Kuni: Your new home." Assuming everything went well.
"It really doesn't feel like anything changed." Naruto didn't appear impressed, frowning as he looked conspicuously at the unchanging forest around them. "This place really hasn't been invaded in the past? There's no guards or anything keeping people from entering into the country."
"There is a checkpoint, but only on the main road." Kakuzu had actually been worried about whether they would have to cross it, which would have been their only option if Naruto didn't learn tree hopping the night before.
Nevermind the fact that security would have tightened at the checkpoint, what with all the rumors about Konoha right now, but Kakuzu would have never gotten past it even with a Transformation Jutsu. One of the complications of being a wanted man and all. On top of the fact that this was the country where his alleged crime originated. That would have been an awkward conversation.
"It does seem worrisome to us too." Kaguya piped up in agreement with Naruto. "Certainly they must know that Konoha has fallen and that a war is brewing. Yet they do not step up their security to ensure rats do not enter through the cracks?"
"It's not that easy, alright?" Kakuzu didn't know he had it in him to get defensive of his home village anymore. "I already told you, but they don't have the numbers to just have this whole border constantly monitored. Besides, if the force is sizable enough, they'll notice them well before they get this far. Other countries aren't going to be interested in Sawa no Kuni right now with Hi no Kuni up for grabs, so they're probably not prioritizing for an invasion in the first place."
"They're not interested in expanding?" Naruto wondered aloud, but didn't even seem to realize he had asked the question. No doubt he was just thinking if his new home was going to be run by those power-hungry enough to take more. Which could potentially put him back in a similar situation to what he was running from.
Kakuzu shook his head. "I can't say on that account. It's possible they're considering it, or those at the top are." Even if Takigakure itself didn't wish for it, the Daimyo of Sawa no Kuni might see a chance to extend their territory and as such their taxable populace. So Taki might be forced into the war, even if the Shinobi were hesitant to do it themselves. Which almost never ended well, but the Daimyo never seemed to understand that. Didn't matter what age or generation the spoiled brats came from. They never understood the true nature of their Ninja or the villages they lived in.
"We truly are incapable of comprehending this current Ninja system." Kaguya mumbled. "Why do the Shinobi placate themselves to these pitible lords who have no actual power of their own?" It would appear she had been following the same line of thought as Kakuzu just now. Which disturbed him more than he was willing to admit, that their wavelengths were so in tune.
"Money is the crux of the issue, as if most things." There was a reason that Kakuzu had come to value it as much as he had. Even the ever generous Shodai Hokage had been weak to money in the end. It was why he bowed his head to the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni, establishing the village and country system that all others would one day copy. "The Daimyo have all the money and Shinobi can't fight effectively without income. Not large-scale conflicts anyways. It's a symbiotic relationship, both sides providing something the other wants."
"It is foolishness of the highest order." Kaguya rejected him and his logic just like that. "This currency thou hold so highly in esteem is nothing in the face of divine right and power. You humans truly have lost the way, and we would have this corrected once the time is right."
"...It kinda sounds like you're saying the world doesn't need Ninja?" Naruto wasn't able to follow all the complicated political stuff, but he was pretty confident that was what Kaguya meant just now. At the very least, she wanted to tear down the system as it was.
This was something he didn't know how to feel about. He had always wanted to be a Ninja since he was a child. Well, even more of a child. It was like it was in his blood. Something he wouldn't learn was actually true until nearly a month ago. Becoming something like the Hokage was no longer possible for him with Konoha gone, but he still wanted to be a Ninja.
"Whatever name is given to them is of no consequence to us. Ninja in the first place are simply a result of Indra corrupting the teachings of Ninshu. In other words, the system was flawed from the beginning and this current structure is merely a holding action. Sooner or later it shall collapse. Which is why it would be best to change it before that happens."
"Lofty goals." Kakuzu snarked, wishing he could see her face within the shadow if only to see the glare she was no doubt giving him. "But you're running away to a small village in a small country. How do you expect to change anything from there? If you wanted to make these kinds of radical changes, wouldn't it have been better to stay in Hi no Kuni? You just created a power vacuum there, so it was the perfect opportunity."
"We nor our master are ready for such an undertaking. What we need is time which is why we chose this village. Furthermore, the size of the country we enact our plan is of no consequence. This small one, one of the larger ones. Once the result of our system begins to bear fruit, the others will have no choice but to copy it as theirs crumbles. Is this not what happened when the Uchiha and Senju first joined forces?"
She had a point there, Kakuzu would admit that much. Still, he was rather curious about what exactly this system she was envisioning even was in the first place. She had been pretty vague on the details, but he had no doubt she already had some grand scheme in play. Before he could ask, there was a sudden tension, Kaguya emitting some kind of force from within the shadow.
"...It would appear the time for conversation is over." She said, having spotted something with her Byakugan. Even still she didn't come out from the shadow, hiding inside for the time being.
It was only a couple moments later that Naruto and Kakuzu saw it too- A lone man standing on a branch several dozen meters ahead of them. At the next possible branch, the two traveling Shinobi came to a stop. Over the next several seconds, silent assessments were made as the two opposing sides stared one another down.
Naruto had a hard time believing that this… man, could be a Shinobi, but standing on the high branch opposite of them was far from the only indication of his profession. He also had a green Chunin vest, standard issue of Konoha. Then there was his Hitai-ate, the leaf symbol etched into it wrapped around his waist with a red belt.
Before all that, Naruto kept finding his gaze drawn to the thick highbrows and bowl cut atop his head. His mouth was curved in a deep frown as his gaze seemed particularly set on the young blonde. Finally, he was the one to crack first.
"You are certainly Uzumaki Naruto." It wasn't a surprise that he knew who Naruto was, considering he was old enough to also know about his status as the Kyubi Jinchuriki. Which meant things got much more complicated from here. Was this man working with Danzo? Or…
"And you are?" Naruto raised his right hand, revealing the golden Rinnegan in his palm as he pointed it directly at the man. He didn't want to fight him if he didn't have to, but Kaguya had also warned about needing to be the first group to Takigakure. This man being ahead of them complicated that.
"..." The man looked to respond, but hesitated as his gaze shifted to Kakuzu- no doubt reluctant to freely give out information in front of a well known Nuke-nin and bounty hunter.
It was all for naught as Kakuzu slipped out his bingo book and flipped right to the exact page with the man's face on it. "This here is Might Gai. Also known as Konoha's Green Beast. A Taijutsu expert of world renown. Believed to be the copy Ninja's equal in combat."
"Impressive that you know so much about me, Bounty Hunter Kakuzu." Gai rubbed the bridge of his nose and flashed them a bright smile. "But remember this: I hold the record in matches against Kakashi! I'm not his equal, I'm stronger than my eternal rival!"
There was another awkward silence where Naruto and Kakuzu shared a quick glance. A silent conversation passed between them, as if asking one another who should be the one to tell him. Gai seemed to sense the unease, smile quickly slipping from his face as he returned to all business. "What is it?" He asked.
Kakuzu nodded for Naruto to be the one to tell him. This kind of information could only come from another Konoha Shinobi, after all. If Kakuzu was the one to say it, things might be misconstrued and they would only have to work harder to correct the misunderstanding.
Sighing, Naruto reached into his pocket to fish out his Konoha Hitai-ate. He almost felt dirty wrapping it around his forehead, but this was all part of the act. Kaguya had expected such questions eventually. Not exactly this scenario, but they had a general guideline laid out for what story to tell when they finally did come into contact with other Konoha Shinobi that might potentially be allies.
"Kakashi… sensei-" Naruto hesitated for a moment to address him as his teacher, but thought it might be best, if only to quickly establish his relationship to him. "He died. Got caught up in the attack that destroyed Konoha."
"...I see." Was Gai's clipped and immediate response. It appeared rather heartless for someone that just called the man his eternal rival. But as Naruto looked into his eyes, he realized the man had simply taken the information and for the time being and compartmentalized it. He was putting the mission first, not allowing himself to feel for the loss of his friend. He truly was a Shinobi through and through, appearances aside.
"I would like to ask in more detail what happened, if that's alright." Gai hiked a thumb over his shoulder and behind them. "My Genin team is waiting about a klick ahead. We've set up a camp not far outside of Takigakure while waiting for information about Konoha. The four of us were on an escort mission in this country. We've heard something happened, but decided to lay low until someone with more information came along to tell us exactly what… and it looks like you're here."
Another silent exchange between Naruto and Kakuzu as they locked eyes, processing what to do. Naruto was relieved that this man seemed eager to talk rather than fight. However, he also couldn't be certain this wasn't some kind of trap. In the first place, he seemed pretty quick to accept Kakuzu's presence. Something the Nuke-nin also seemed to realize.
"You don't mind me tagging along then?" He asked, studying Gai for any kind of unsavory reaction. Of course, there was none. But that could just be his training.
"I'm uncomfortable with it, but if you and young Naruto are travelling together, I'm sure there are circumstances behind it. I would also like to hear those, of course." Despite his eccentric appearance, Naruto and Kakuzu could both acknowledge that he was far more rational than the Anbu that had attacked them the night before.
"Your call, kid." Kakuzu decided to leave it to Naruto. While he certainly would like to stake a claim on Gai's life and turn him in for the bounty, he was a professional currently in the middle of fulfilling another contract. So he couldn't risk jeopardizing that, despite what his instincts were otherwise telling him to do.
Naruto glanced down at his shadow, but Kaguya gave no input. It would appear she was also leaving this decision entirely up to him. The fact she hadn't jumped out to immediately dust this man was in a way the same thing as a stamp of approval. At the very least it implied she was willing to see how things progressed from here. So if she was fine with it, he didn't see any reason to make this another pointless bloodbath when he didn't have to either.
Naruto let out a deep sigh, not sure he dared allow himself to hope again. Hope for the chance to make actual bonds with people from the village that had up until now done nothing but cause him misery. Still, he steeled his resolve and looked into Gai's eyes with all the confidence he could muster.
"Let's talk then."
Chapter End
Post-word: The name of the game this chapter was world-building.
I tend to prefer using the Japanese words when talking about anything with proper nouns, such as Jutsu and locations, but I wonder if that preference is kind of a hindrance for expanding on the lore? In the first place, does any one else find it kinda aggravating that the countries with villages like Rain, Grass, and Waterfall don't have revealed Canon names? The easy solution is I suppose to give the country names the same name of the village, but that seems to be more the exception than the rule? I don't actually know, I'm sure Fanon has all kinds of their own theories but I'm pretty out of the loop on such things.
So a couple chapters back, I established that Takigakure(Waterfall village) is in Sawa no Kuni(Land of Mountain Rivers) which was a country mentioned and I think visited(?) in a filler arc in the original anime. Then this chapter I also named the country that Kusagakure(Grass Village) is in as Hashi no Kuni(Land of Bridges), which I'm pretty sure I just made that one up. It's just that the only two times anything relevant to Canon happened in that country, both incidents involved a bridge, so I ran with that, haha.
It also kind of bothers me that Tetsu no Kuni(Land of Iron's) location isn't properly established; to the best of my knowledge anyways. So I just picked that country to the East of Takigakure and made that Tetsu. This also kind of made sense to me as a location because it had to be somewhere fairly accessible to the five great nations that they would all agree to meet there. Otherwise, it's not particularly relevant, outside of trying to further add world-building and establish partially why the country that Takigakure is in has never been invaded. Which was my main objective this chapter. Anyone that's familiar with the standard Naruto land map should have a pretty rough idea of which countries and borders I was outlining here, I hope.
Anyways, just wanted to talk about all those names I dropped and their relevance a little. If I get an outcry that using the Japanese names for places is too confusing, I may switch to using the English in the future, or I'll find some other workaround. Until then, I just wanted to talk about it.
I'll save the reveal at the end of the chapter to talk about next time, but anyone that has read my other fics shouldn't be too surprised by the team I ended up sparing from all the previous events. So until next time!
