Challenge by: pain17ification
Bestia Carmesí de Konoha: Crimson Beast of Konoha
Chapter 5
A furrowed his brow in thought, trying his best to mull over everything Yoruichi had told him about the encounter with the Akatsuki as he found it hard to believe. Yet it all made sense with the evidence they had found at the scene.
From the dead headless Akatsuki member body to the wired arm of the other Akatsuki member, the bodies and surroundings having sustained damage he had never seen before in all of his years of battling. It made him lose any doubt he had that if it wasn't for the little four year old kid, who was now sleeping curled up against Yoruichi's side in her hospital bed, he would have lost Yugito and the Bijuu she held.
"I swear A, that is everything that happened and as odd as it sounds that is what happened" Yoruichi said as A nodded, waving her off with a sigh before he turned towards Tier, who was standing beside Yoruichi's bed to keep an eye on Naru.
"Did you know he could transform like that?" A asked, hoping they had some sort of experience with it all.
"No, this is new to us as well. We knew of Naru's Cero being that he fired it at Suigetsu once while upset but everything else is new" Tier said as she pet Naru's head, making the small boy smile softly in his sleep. "Karin and Tayuya figured something was unique about him after they escaped Orochimaru's base with Naru but what the man had done to Naru after kidnapping him was unknown" she added as she was still mulling over the info herself from what Yoruichi had told her, Suigetsu, Tayuya, and Karin.
According to Naruto, Naru's supposed to be true self, he was only young because when absorbing the Kyuubi into his sword he ended up absorbing all of the Kyuubi instead of the apparent half that was sealed in him. It ended up being more than he expected, as the other half was supposed to be in the Shinigami's gut, which caused the surge that created the crack in his mask that reverted him to a kid.
It all happened because of what he became when Dead Bone Pulse fused with the seal created by the Fourth Hokage with the Shinigami's help. With the combination of the two it resulted in him changing into an Espada ranked Arrancar, a being he claimed to be an evolved version of a being created after death and he also mentioned how 'Espada' meant he was a much stronger Arrancar than normal ones.
Yoruichi did mention though that before Naruto had reverted back to Naru he had told her that he would try and transform more often when it was needed or to try and heal his mask since it apparently could only actually heal when he was in his older form. It was that way because apparently in his kid form he didn't have access to all of his powers that he did in his adult form.
She was brought out of her thoughts as A let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. "What should we do next Raikage-sama about the Akatsuki and everything?" Sui-Feng asked as she stood by his side with a frown.
"We need to warn the other villages of their threat and I was somewhat hoping you all could help and go warn Onoki as witnesses" A said as he looked towards Tier and her group.
"You do know the dangers of us traveling now that the Akatsuki are active right? Naru might not be a technically a jinchuriki anymore but he still might be targeted now that he fought against them" Tier said as A nodded, understanding their issues with it.
"I know and that is why I am willing to send Yoruichi and Sui-Feng alongside you. Iwa has been an ally to Kumo for many years and if I were to send my approval with you Onoki would more than willing to reform their alliance with Kiri as I have now officially done as well" A said as he ignored the shocked look from Sui-Feng and kept his eyes on Tier who was looking at him with cautious eyes.
"You have done Kumo a great service by not only saving Yugito and our Bijuu but also Yoruichi, who you healed with Karin's abilities. I am more than happy to formally agree to the alliance between Kiri and Kumo" A said as he was immensely grateful that the Uzumaki girl was able to heal his jonin's injuries with her healing ability.
"And do not worry about the travels to Iwa, I will personally coordinate them but only if Mei aggress to the trip to Iwa after everything that has happened" A added before he stood up, looking Tier in the eyes before she nodded, causing him to smile thankfully and nod before turning to most likely set things up and message Mei.
"I'll come with so that you can send the message" Tier said before she turned to Tayuya, sending her a look that told her to keep an eye on Naru before the flute wielding girl nodded and Tier left the room with A.
"We better get the little guy his own bed, after everything that happened he passed out after transforming and fighting those two" Tayuya said as Yoruichi nodded and pet his head before Karin gently picked him up.
"Feel free to drop by once you are released as I'm sure Naru will be happy to see that you are okay" Karin said as Yoruichi nodded with a soft smile.
"I'll probably bring Yugito along as she most likely wants to thank the little guy as well for saving her" Yoruichi added before they nodded and left letting Sui-Feng let out the sigh she had been holding in.
"Oh calm down an escort mission like this isn't that bad and it's with a group of people that helped our village. It is the least we can do" Yoruichi said as she opened up the lid to her pudding with a smile before looking over at Sui-Feng who frowned but nodded.
"I know, I'm just more annoyed at myself for how I acted" Sui-Feng said as Yoruichi waved it off with a roll of her eyes.
"Relax, you acted like a normal kunoichi. I'm sure you would have acted differently if you had known about him being a jinchuriki and I am sure Tayuya doesn't hold it against you. We can talk it out tomorrow but for now enjoy some pudding my little bumblebee bodyguard" Yoruichi said before tossing her a pudding cup with a smirk before Sui-Feng pouted and opened the cup.
-Kiri – The Next Day-
Mei furrowed her brow in both thought and worry as she read over the joint report from the Raikage and Tier. A part of her was happy that Kumo was more than willing to reinstate an alliance with Kiri but she was more worried about Naru after reading what had happened with the Akatsuki and his apparent transformation.
She wasn't sure if she should agree to the Raikage's offer to send them to Iwa with two Kumo kunoichi, the Flash Goddess and her high ranked chunin student as addition bodyguards, or to request them to return and put this ambassadorship mission on hold.
The main thing keeping her towards allowing it to continue was the fact they were heading to Iwa and she knew for a fact that one of her strongest swordsmen was nearby as he was working on hunting down the remaining seven swords of the mist from the previous generation.
"Ao," she said as she looked over to her advisor who looked up from his report and made his way over to her side "tell me is our hunter still currently in Iwa tracking down one of the swords?" she asked as Ao nodded with a slight frown.
"Yes but with his sense of direction you can never tell where he wound up getting lost to" Ao said as the man in question could get lost even if his destination was down the road.
"Prepare his hawk as it is the only one that can actually track him down. Naru and his group are heading to Iwa and if he is there then I want him to meet up with them and guard them while they are in Iwa" she said in a serious tone, showing no room for arguments as her little nephew was more important to her than the old set of seven swords.
"Of course I will ready it at once" Ao said as he left and Mei just hoped that man would heed her call and actually not get lost for once before readying her message to both him and Kumo.
-Kumo – Next Day-
Yoruichi smiled as Naru happily sat on her lap as the others packed around them with Sui-Feng by her side. Both of her and Sui-Feng's bags were packed and ready to board the ship A had set up to drive them through Gaikotsu bay, around Iron and into Aisu bay.
"So Naru-chan are you excited to go and visit Iwa?" Yoruichi asked as ever since she had been released from the hospital and had come to visit him he hadn't really left her side.
"Yeah! You are coming with right?" he asked with a worried look in his eyes before she ruffled his hair with a smile making him smile back as she nodded.
"Of course I am, so is Sui-Feng. We were asked to travel with you and keep you all safe" Yoruichi added as she nuzzled her cheek against his making him smile happily before she wrapped his arms around him.
"We are ready to go as none of us had that much with us to begin with" Suigetsu commented as he slung his and Naru's pack over his shoulder while the others walked out of their room with their bags as well.
"So we are meeting up with another swordsmen of the mist when we get to the Land of Stone?" Sui-Feng asked as she ignored her sensei fawning over Naru as they stood up.
"Yes, he is in the area hunting down one of the older generation swords of the mist, either that or he got lost" Tier said with a sigh as she led them out of the hotel room.
"Well either way I contacted a friend of mine near Iwa as well to help out as even if a representative from Iwa is meeting us, like you all, I want to keep this little guy safe" Yoruichi said as she started to direct them towards one of the gates of Kumo that would lead them towards the docks facing Gaikotsu bay.
As they arrived at the gate they were surprised to see not only A waiting for them but Yugito who was nervously looking towards Naru who was in Yoruichi's arms still before she set him down for the Nibi jinchuriki.
"Are you Naru?" Yugito asked as she looked down at the boy who smiled up at her.
"Yeah! Naru is Naru!" he said before he widened his eyes, realizing who the woman in front of him was. "You're who Naru saved! Naru is glad you are okay Yu-chan!" he said happily as he smiled up at her while she blushed at the nickname.
"Yes, I just wanted to thank you for saving me and Matatabi. If you hadn't heard her cry for help I have no doubts I would be dead right now" Yugito said as she bowed her head towards Naru. "Kumo and I are indebted to you and Kiri and we wish you safe passage to the Land of Stone and Iwa" Yugito said before she widened her eyes as Naru hugged her, though with his size he was more so hugging her legs.
"Bye-bye Yu-chan!" he said as he smiled up at her before she nervously hugged him back, rubbing his back before Yoruichi picked him back up.
"Come on little guy, enough embarrassing Yugito as we have a boat to catch" she teased as Yugito nodded in thanks, as she was unsure how to handle the hugging kid, before Yoruichi made her way over to A who handed Tier a scroll as her arms were full with Naru.
"Here, it's a message to Onoki for him to read once you arrive. I know he'll be skeptical but I hope he understands that I am not one to cry wolf" A said as Tier nodded and slid the scroll into the bag on her back.
"We hope he heeds the warning as well and that this helps with the alliance talks" Tier said as Yoruichi looked around.
"So where is Bee? I'm surprised he isn't here to meet Naru and send us off" Yoruichi commented as A rolled his eyes.
"He wanted to be here but he's been busy all day talking with Gyuki as his beast wants to warn him and fill him in on what it thinks is happening. I'll be sure to tell him you all said hi but it's best he doesn't meet Naru. I fear what he might make Naru copy from him" he said with a shiver that Yoruichi shared with him before holding a confused Naru closer to her.
"Well, we better get going as if we wait too long the water might get too rough" Tayuya said as she urged her group to get going before they left and started to make their way towards the boats that would take them to Iwa. As they left Naru happily waved goodbye to A over Yoruichi's shoulder with a big smile that couldn't help but make A smile along as he watched them leave.
-Akatsuki – Hologram Meeting-
Obito did not like what he was hearing as he listened to Kakuzu's report of how a red haired skull mask wearing man, who bore the same name as the presumed dead jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, not only killed Hidan but injured Kakuzu enough to cause him to retreat.
With the explanation of the man's so called Cero and Bala as well as his apparent impervious skin it made him somewhat understand why someone like Kakuzu would retreat. The thing that upset him the most was that the Nibi got away and their organization was now know to the likes of Kiri and Kumo, who was sure to pass the news onto Iwa.
"Itachi, Kisame. You both are in the Land of Stone right now, hunting down the Yonbi and tracking the Gobi right?" Nagato asked as Itachi and Kisame's silhouettes nodded.
"We are in the process of cornering the Yonbi as he has proved crafty in hiding his presence. The Gobi though might take some more time as he is more hidden then the Yonbi is" Itachi said as his Sharingan glowed in his hologram form.
"Proceed with caution as Kumo might be sending people to warn Iwa. Capture the Yonbi as soon as you can as with one of the major villages knowing of our existence things will not be any easier for us" Nagato said as the others nodded before all the holograms disappeared leaving Nagato alone with him.
"I thought you said the Kyuubi jinchuriki had been killed in the invasion on Konoha?" Nagato said with slightly narrowed eyes before he shrugged his shoulders.
"I thought he had, I had no direct intel as he went off the map after it. I am as surprised and curious as you are as to how he became in the possession of Kiri as well as everything else new with him. Those powers aren't any powers Kyuubi jinchuriki have shown in the past. This will require caution before we try and capture him" Obito warned Nagato as he knew the man wanted to capture the Kyuubi himself but with the new powers he had.
"Keep me posted on whatever you find Madara" Nagato said before his hologram cut off as well leaving him alone in the cavern he chose to sit in while he listened in on the meeting.
His mind was already racing as he tried to figure out what could have caused the evolution of the Kyuubi jinchuriki's powers. He knew, from his talks with Orochimaru, the last experiment done on him was the Dead Bone Pulse but that didn't explain anything at all.
'Guess I need to pay the snake a visit again' Obito thought with a slight groan as he allowed himself to be drawn into his pocket dimension as the sooner her figured things out the sooner he could get his plan back on track.
-Sakura-
For the last six months of training under Tsunade Sakura could be proud to say she was a medic nin and solid kunoichi. The six months had be harsh and rough in terms of training but she had survived and came out not only a summoner of slugs but also the inheritor of Tsunade's super strength technique.
Things had been a bit rough between her and her teacher at first given her connection to Naruto, Tsunade's god child, but in the end she agreed to teach her as a way to make up for not being there for him and afraid to. She apparently entrusted saving Naruto to her as Tsunade was afraid to try only to find him dead.
"You take things on quickly. Only six months and you are easily mid to high chunin level in power and skill" Tsunade commented as she watched her train with a saucer of sake in her hand. "So the pervert wants you to train for a year or two and then return right?" she asked as Sakura nodded before she finished the saucer and set it down.
"Yes, I am to train for either a year or two or until you say I am finished" Sakura said before she quickly caught two scrolls her teacher had thrown at her.
"Well you're officially finished with everything I can teach you for now. One of those scrolls contains the secrets to my Strength of a Hundred Seal, something you have to figure out on your own. Shizune might not be able to achieve it due to its complicated creation but I have hopes for you" Tsunade said as Sakura couldn't keep her eyes from widening in shock from the faith her teacher had in her
"The other contains a letter of recommendation to an old friend of mine in Kiri as well as documents allowing you to freely roam as my 'apprentice on a journey to complete a task I set upon you'" she said while making quotation marks around the last bit with a wink.
"Wait, why Kiri and who am I going to meet there?" Sakura asked as she was incredibly confused by all of this.
"My friend that I am sending you to is Retsu Unohana. I met her on a mission once and while she was a demon in a fight she and I became friendly after I decided to heal her since she wasn't my enemy on my mission and she had mistaken my squad for one from Suna at the time. After I healed her up she became interested in healing ninjutsu so I gave her a scroll on it I had. Last I heard she became a driving force in Kiri's medic corps and after the rebellion ended she is now heading up their hospital" Tsunade said as Retsu was one of the few people she still kept in touch with and was the one to offer to train Sakura more.
"Since I refuse to head back to Konoha and you need more experience healing actual people I figured Kiri could be the best place for you. Retsu got it approved by her Kage so there shouldn't be any problem. Plus who knows, maybe they can help you figure out how to track Naruto as their hunter corps are one of the best" Tsunade said before letting out a grunt as Sakura crashed into her with a hug.
"Thank you teacher! I won't let you down! I'll complete your training, make you proud, and find Naruto!" Sakura said with clear determination and drive in her eyes that even Tsunade could see.
"I know you won't girl and I'll keep in touch with you through the slugs. Tomorrow we head to Wave, or I take you to the bridge and you head to Wave where the boat Retsu set up for you will be waiting for you" Tsunade said as Sakura nodded and quickly ran back inside to pack her things leaving her alone in the backyard.
She knew sending her to Kiri without taking it up with the pervert could be dangerous but her student, like her, needed to roam free to figure herself out and figure out her path instead of going on dead-end mission after dead-end mission. Kiri could help her better than Konoha could, she could feel so in her gut and after years of trusting her instincts she wasn't going to ignore it now.
-Next Day – Great Naruto Bridge-
Tsunade couldn't help but sweat drop at the name of the bridge before she shook it off and looked down at her student who stared ahead at Wave with anticipation in her eyes. "Now when you dock in the Land of Water Retsu said she'd be waiting for you. Listen to her like you would be and if she decides to teach you things other than just medical ninjutsu then that means she sees something in you so try your best at it" Tsunade said as Sakura nodded along with a serious look to show she was taking what she was saying to heart.
"I will make you proud and grow even stronger under her teachings" Sakura said before Tsunade nodded and watched as Shizune hugged her sister-pupil.
"I know you will, just stay safe" Tsunade said before Sakura nodded and she and Shizune watched as Sakura walked down the bridge towards Wave, only turning around once Sakura was at the end of the bridge.
"Come on Shizune, we can't keep our ride waiting and the sooner we get back to Tanzaku Gai the sooner I can start drinking" Tsunade said as Shizune chuckled as she knew her teacher all too well to know that drinking was her way of pushing down certain emotions, like sadness of seeing the student she had grown close to leaving.
"Sounds good Lady Tsunade" Shizune said with a smile as they both headed away from Wave towards the ride back home.
-Iwa-
The whole group, minus Tier, Yoruichi, and Naru groaned as they got off the boat they had been stuck on for a full day. Originally the boat ride wasn't supposed to take a full day to travel to Iwa but with the islands of the Land of Snow making them drive around, the Land of Iron threatening them if they got to close they would be destroyed, and the harsh waves all made the trip longer than expected. But in the end it didn't matter as they reached Iwa and finally docked in Aisu bay.
"About time you showed up. I swear I thought you were supposed to be the Flash Goddess?" an older female voice spoke out as Yoruichi's smile grew wide before she turned and chuckled before walking off the boat with Naru to see the woman who called out to her.
The woman was average in height with messy black hair that parted in half down at the small of her back and green eyes that sparkled at them as she smirked.
She wore a red shirt that barely counted as a top due to how it exposed a great deal of her ample chest that was easily E cup with how large they were and held together by ties on her neck and back. She also wore a white skirt of sorts that went down to her ankles with a part of wooden sandals, that were currently tapping on the ground as she tapped it impatiently on the ground before Yoruichi rushed towards her, setting Naru down for a moment, and pulled the woman in for a close hug.
"It's so good to see you again, good to see you haven't blown yourself up" Yoruichi said as the woman hugged her back with one arm, allowing everyone to notice how she only did have one arm, the other a stump that was wrapped in bandages.
"It's good to see you too, though I wasn't expecting all these people with you especially not for you to be carrying around a little kid" she said as Yoruichi picked back up Naru and smiled.
"Naru, everyone, I would like to introduce you to Kukaku Shiba, the ex-commander of the Iwa Blast Corps and the Queen of the Explosion Release" Yoruichi said as the others were a bit surprised to see such a powerful Iwa kunoichi so friendly towards the kunoichi of another nation since while Kumo and Iwa were close it was mainly the Kage that were.
"Please, none of this 'Queen of the Explosion Release' stuff. I retired long ago and am just doing this guide stuff to spend time with you Yoruichi. Though it is nice to meet you all" Kukaku said as she looked down at Naru who was looking up at her with a big smile.
"Nice to meet you Ku-chan!" Naru said before Kukaku smiled and crouched down a bit to Naru's level.
"Why aren't you just utterly adorable? Is he always this cute with girls?" Kukaku asked as she pinched his cheek making him giggle at her touch.
"He's sweet with everyone and he has a habit of calling people nicknames. He even called the Raikage his uncle" Tayuya said with a sigh as she ruffled his hair making him pout before Karin offered her hand for him to hold.
"Oh really? Then I really can't wait to see what he calls Onoki" Kukaku said as she held her arm under her chest with a smirk, accentuating her chest a bit more to the point that Suigetsu had to look away to wipe his nose, causing Karin to elbow him in the gut.
It didn't take Kukaku long to guide them to Iwa given its closeness to the bay and as they reached its main gates they were surprised by the monotone color of the village as it seemed all the buildings were all built from stone and rock.
"Well welcome to the most boring looking village of all five major ninja villages" Kukaku dryly said as she rolled her eyes before Karin picked up Naru before a petite woman and a large man walked up to them.
The woman had short black hair and pink eyes, her outfit hiding her figure but from what they could see she had a figure similar to Sui-Feng. The man was rather large with a bulbous nose, dark eyes, and black hair that spiked out from underneath his bandana style forehead protector.
"It's about time you all showed up. You all should have been here like half a day ago at most. I'm Kurotsuchi and this big guy is Akatsuchi, who all are you so I can make sure?" Kurotsuchi said as Tier frowned and stepped forward.
"The ocean was rough on the way here and with weaving through the islands of the Land of Snow and keeping the assured distance away from the Land of Iron we were slowed down. Please excuse us. My name is Tier Harribel, this is Tayuya, Karin, and Naru Uzumaki as well as Suigetsu Hoshigaki" Tier introduced as Yoruichi and Sui-Feng stepped forward beside her.
"And I am Yoruichi Shihoin and this is Sui-Feng Suzumebachi. We are representatives from Kumo sent to validate a message our Kage sent with this group of Kiri ambassadors as well as guard them if need be" Yoruichi said as she watched the girl's eyes widen at her name before she took a step back.
"O-Oh, then right this way I guess" Kurotsuchi said as Kukaku smirked and followed them before Akatsuchi stood in her way. "Not you deserter" Kurotsuchi growled out as Kukaku narrowed her eyes at the large man.
"Let her through, she's with us as our guide since no one was waiting for us despite the message we sent half way here about our delay" Yoruichi said before Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes and scoffed.
"Fine, see if I care if grandfather attacks you on the spot" Kurotsuchi said as she continued ahead of them making Kukaku roll her eyes.
"Drama queen. Your old man willingly let me retire so stop with this deserter talk unless you know the full story" Kukaku warned before they continued towards the Kage's building, which they figured to be the tallest building in the center as that was normally how it went.
"I always hate coming to this village, it is way too crowded for my liking" Kukaku said as she looked around with a frown as people looked their way. "Say are you all staying at an inn or do you maybe want to stay at my place?" she asked as Tier shrugged her shoulders.
"We haven't been offered an inn but it depends on how close and safe it is" Tier said as Kukaku patted her on the back and draped her arm over her shoulder.
"It is nearby, allowing you all to travel to the meetings without taking too long and I have my brother and assistants to look after you. All of them, like myself are proficient in the Explosion release and my brother being a chunin in power and my assistants easily jonin. Myself and them can look after the little guy with Sui-Feng and Yoruichi alongside or one or the other if they are needed for the talks" Kukaku said, easily figuring out a plan and set up for it.
"We'll see how this initial talk goes first before deciding" Tier said as they continued on and Kukaku removed her arm from Tier's shoulder with an understanding nod.
"I'll go tell him you all are here" Kurotsuchi said before leaving through the double doors in front of them, allowing Tayuya to crouch down to Naru's level.
"Now listen Naru, do not give the Tsuchikage any nicknames please. This man might not be so understanding like everybody else" she warned as Naru pouted before Kukaku ruffled his hair with a chuckle.
"Relax, he isn't the kind of man to get angry at a kid even if the kid calls him a silly nickname. Hell his own granddaughter calls him old man so I think he'll be fine. Kids call them as they see them so I doubt he'll be able to hold back" Kukaku said as she winked down at Naru who was smiling up at her.
"He's ready to see you all" Kurotsuchi said with a sigh before she opened the door to reveal the Tsuchikage behind her as they walked in.
The Tsuchikage was a rather small and very old looking man with a triangular beard and mustache that sat under his big and red nose. The top of his head was completely bald with white hair styled in a chonmage and a topknot tied up with a yellow ribbon on the back of his head.
His outfit consisted of a green and yellow coat with a red collar with the traditional Iwa outfit of a light green Iwa flack jacket, mesh armor and a pair of olive green pants and sandals.
"Ah greetings ambassadors from Kiri and delegates from Kumo I am Onoki the Third Tsuchikage. I am sorry my granddaughter didn't wait for you at the docks but I am thankful someone showed you the way or things might have been terrible for our village's relationship" Onoki said as he stood up from behind his desk and walked over to shake their hands one by one before he got to Naru.
"Ah so this is the nephew of the current Mizukage. I am honored that she trusts our village enough to send him along" Onoki said as Naru smiled.
"Naru is Naru nice to meet you Grandpa!" Naru said as Tayuya groaned and Kukaku started to laugh out loud until she was hunched over and red from laughing.
"Naru! What did I just tell you?!" Tayuya groaned out before Onoki started laughing jovially and patting his head with a smile.
"You are as adorable as A said you were. I have to say it is refreshing compared to how my granddaughter merely calls me either old man or old fart" Onoki said before Tier patted Naruto on top of his head with a smile before gaining Onoki's attention.
"I am sorry to interrupt but we are here on rather urgent business alongside a treaty talk. The situation can be explained in the scroll the Raikage sent with us" Tier said in a serious tone before Onoki nodded before accepting the scroll from her and returning to the place behind his desk.
Onoki's worry was clear on his face as he read through the scroll before he set it down and looked up at them with slight disbelief at everything he just read. "Is this fully true? An organization is starting to hunt the jinchuriki and they tried to start with the Nibi before you all drove them off and killed one?" Onoki asked as Yoruichi nodded.
"Tier and I were able to kill one before the other escaped. If it wasn't for our sensor we wouldn't have been able to tell where the Nibi jinchuriki was" Yoruichi said as that was the tale A and Mei agreed on to keep Naru and his status as jinchuriki secret as well as his powers.
"I'm glad A decided to warn me of i-" Onoki said as Kurotsuchi burst into the room, having been apparently listening in on the conversation.
"Wait old man! You can't seriously trust them so easily! They could be trying to find the identities of our jinchuriki!" Kurotsuchi yelled before Onoki groaned and slammed his hand on the desk before glaring at his granddaughter.
"Kurotsuchi, first of all there is no reason they would do that as the alliance between Kumo and Iwa includes knowledge of our jinchuriki. Plus this isn't a false alarm as A isn't one to strike fear for no reason" Onoki said before he pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Kukaku.
"Inside that scroll are the safe houses I have set up around the Land of Stone for our jinchuriki to live in. I recently lost contact with Roshi, the jinchuriki of the Yonbi, while Han, our jinchuriki of the Gobi, is more of the kind to always stay nearby and be hidden to everyone but me" Onoki said with a frown, ignoring his granddaughter's glare before Tier listened on, already having an idea where this was going.
"It would be too suspicious if I sent ninja out to look at the safe houses as if the Akatsuki are in the Land of Stone they would simply track them to the houses and ambush once our jinchuriki are found. If you all travel around it can be written off as sightseeing" Onoki finished before Yoruichi smirked.
"So it's a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' kind of a situation right?" she asked as Onoki nodded with a sigh.
"I have no qualms with an alliance with Kiri with the conditions asked by your Mizukage so please, consider this a request from an ally to help keep our jinchuriki safe. If you want young Naru may stay here with another of your group to ensure he isn't put in danger" Onoki added before Yoruichi shook her head.
"If we have Naru and part of our group stay behind then it might look suspicious. We'll stay with Kukaku to not rise any suspicions. We'll keep in contact with you via a hawk every time we check one of the houses you all have not yet" Yoruichi said before looking over towards Tier. "Does that sound okay?" she asked before Tier nodded.
"If we have to do this without making it clear we are with you then we can't have anyone staying inside Iwa. Plus, from what my Kage has told me, help should be arriving soon" Tier said Onoki nodded and pulled out another scroll and this time held it out towards Tier instead of throwing it.
"A hawk is sealed inside so if you need to send a message you can" he said before frowning and letting out a sigh. "I am sorry to send you out just as you get here but I ensure that once this is done I will be sure to make up for it" he added before Tier nodded and bowed before they turned to leave, walking past a shell shocked Kurotsuchi.
"Bye Grandpa!" Naru called back to Onoki as the old man smiled back and waved before they left the reception room of his secretary.
"So now we are errand runners?" Suigetsu asked once they made their way entirely out of the Kage building.
"We do this and not only is Kumo allies with Kiri but so is Iwa. This is to the mutual benefit of both villages" Karin said as she held Naru's hand tight. "The sooner we do this the sooner we can move onto the next village of Suna if they are on the list" she added before Kukaku chuckled.
"Don't worry, it shouldn't be that long of a mission" Kukaku said as she looked over the map scroll that Onoki had given them. "Apparently the Roshi went missing around a few months ago and his ninja checked out a lot of the safe houses before we showed up. If we find the help Tier mentioned it should make things easier" she added before she handed the map to Tier to look over before she felt a tugging at her hand.
"Are we going to your house Ku-chan? Are we going to play?" Naru asked as he stared up at her, holding her hand with excitement in his eyes which made Kukaku, a normally not girly girl squeal a bit and crouch down to his level.
"Why yes we are and I think you'll have fun at my house" Kukaku said as she softly bopped his nose before standing up and continuing forward with Yoruichi moving in line beside her.
"You're in love with little Naru aren't you?" she whispered as Kukaku nodded making Yoruichi giggle.
"He's just too cute I swear" she added as Yoruichi understood the feeling since she knew how utterly adorable the hooded boy was.
It didn't take long to reach Kukaku's house as, like she said, it wasn't too far away though like her, it was a bit odd. The house itself looked normal but the odd part was the two set of stone arms jutting out and up from the ground, their closed fists holding up a red banner that had 'Kukaku Shiba' printed on it in black lettering.
"So? What do you think?" Kukaku asked, her chest slightly puffed out as she took pride in her house.
"It's definitely something that's for sure" Suigetsu commented as Karin nodded along.
"I've seen weirder" Tayuya commented off handedly as compared to some of the layouts and designs of Orochimaru's bases a pair of arms wasn't anything weird.
Tier though was silent as she stared at it with a raised brow and Sui-Feng buried her face in her hand from how much of a weird woman her sensei had as a friend.
"Your house is as weird as ever Kukaku. At least that's something consistent with you" Yoruichi said as Kukaku frowned before crouching down to Naru with a smile.
"You like my house don't you Naru-chan?" she asked as Naru vigorously nodded.
"Your house looks so cool and strong!" he said excitedly as he looked up at Kukaku with a smile before she ruffled his hair with a smile.
"See, at least one of you actually likes my house" she said before she tensed up and quickly turned around and moved Naru behind her. "Hey you! Come on out before I blow up the trees you're hiding in" she said before Tier held up her hand.
"Relax, I know who that is" Tier said as Kukaku relaxed slightly as Tier walked forward a bit. "Glad to see you didn't get too lost" she said as a figure stepped out of from the trees.
The figure, or figures now that they could see them, was a man with a small girl that was roughly Naru's age on his back. The man was a towering six foot seven inches with a muscular build. He had black hair that went down to his shoulders with an eyepatch over his right eye and a scar running over his left sole visible green eye. He wore a black kimono with a white sleeveless haori and wooden sandals as he held a beaten up sword in his hand.
The girl was easily only about three almost four feet tall with soft pink hair that had a cross-bone hair clip on the left side of her head with darker pink eyes and what seemed to be a perpetual blush on her cheeks. She also wore a matching black kimono that was the same as the man's only minus the haori.
"Holy crap, he's our back-up?" Suigetsu asked as he instantly knew who this man was as he couldn't call himself a swordsmen if he didn't.
"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Kenpachi Zaraki, a fellow Swordsmen of the Mist and his daughter Yachiru Kusajishi a swordsmen in training and our back up while we are in Iwa" Tier said as Kenpachi smirked at them.
"So who are we killing?" he asked as Tier just motioned for him to follow as it would be much easier to explain inside, especially since they had a lot to talk about.
-Chapter End-
Sorry, was busy building an entertainment system for my grandmother (Thursday) which left my arms like lead afterwards and then I had to pack to head home all day only (Friday) to find out we are leaving tomorrow (Saturday).
But hey! I got it done and posted. Saturday's story might be a bit delayed (like this one was) as I'm driving home (finally) in the morning.
So A reacted well to everything as I figured he would if someone saved his village's jinchuriki as well as one of his village's powerful jonin. Plus him sending them to Iwa to warn Onoki, his ally, makes sense as well as he'd want to warn his ally of the danger.
Plus sending Yoruichi and Sui-Feng along makes sense since they are allies now and Yoruichi is close with Naru and Sui-Feng is Yoruichi's student.
Mei agreed only because Kenpachi was in the Land of Stone hunting down a sword of the mist and considering how powerful he is (which will be delved into next chapter) he is more than enough to keep them safe.
He still has Nozarashi but I added a twist to it to make it fit in the Naruto-verse as well as make it a sword worth of being in the new set of Seven Swords of the Mist. I already have the new swordsmen and their swords figured out and they will be revealed later.
Also yes! Sakura is heading to Kiri as Tsunade is medic friends with Unohana (not much of a stretch) and Mei agreed to that because she, as well as most of the nations, know how Tsunade isn't connected with Konoha much now-a-days so allowing it isn't a risk to Naru (that she knows of). Again, she isn't in the pairing but I want to actually use her in a story and eventually make her join the group.
I do plan on having them return to Kiri soon, maybe after Suna but we'll see how it turns out.
I hope you like Kukaku as I really like her and I have a lot of stuff planned for her in mind for the coming chapter(s).
I also wanted to write Onoki to be more jovial a bit outside of combat and especially to little kids like Naruto as Onoki is a father and grandfather so he's bound to be good with kids. Plus he trusts A and his judgement as well as his warning.
He's willing to ask for help if it means helping his village, especially from allies or allies of his allies/soon-to-be allies. He's a smart man and knows when help will do better than his own ninja. I'm personally trying to write him and A outside of the usual 'war mongering, power hungry, distrusting Kage' that they are normally written as and feel it's a fresh version.
Girls in the running as Naruto's protector/pairing:
Yoruichi Shihoin – Kumo jonin and pseudo-sister/teacher of Killer Bee
Sui-Feng – Kumo chunin and student of Yoruichi
Kukaku Shiba – Iwa jonin bomb expert and inventor
Tier Harribel – Kiri jonin new member of the 7 swordsmen with a new set of 7 swords
Nanao Ise – Suna chunin and member of Suna's Intelligence Division
Nemu Kurotsuchi – Ex-Root member that escaped
I hope you all liked it
Until Next Time
Rate and Review!
Buh-Bye!