A/N:
Sorry for the long wait guys, had a few problems with my laptop. Enjoy the chapter and please review.
Mission as Jonin Leader
The next day Naruko woke up and did her morning ritual. She got up and did her stretches. At the end of her bed Triala was lying on the floor. She once again looked like a large wolf. That was because Naruko had modified her DNA so that she now could still do Ninjutsu and Genjutsu and talk, but would never have to be reminded of her time as Orochimaru's experiment.
Triala now wore a collar and would follow her mistress everywhere on the compound and most places in the village. Naruko allowed her to voice her opinion and had given her the task as a guard dog and play mate for the soon to be coming child. Ameyuri was now in her ninth month, so it would not be long anymore.
Naruko got dressed and looked at her slave. She knew she had no choice in the matter, it was the way of their world, but she still would treat the woman, or wolf, with respect.
"Good morning, Triala-chan. Did you have a nice sleep?"
"Yes, thank you for giving me this wonderful rug, Mistress. I know I do not deserve it after what I did."
The wolf looked down at the floor.
"Triala-chan, even if you are a slave, you are still part of this clan. Hence you will be treated with as much respect as your status allows. You are the lowest member in this pack, yes. But you are also one of its protectors, therefore you are important to the pack. You will soon learn that we respect and value one another. Just remember that you are to do as you are told and everything will be at its best for you. I have told the clan what they can and cannot do with you and they will listen and respect the boundaries I have given them. So come on now, we have a breakfast to attend."
She walked out of the room with Triala walking behind her. They made their way to the kitchen and Naruko sat down on her chair. Soon everyone gathered and sat down. The younger members of the clan, the children were seated at a different table with Triala watching over them. Once they had eaten the meal Ameyuri had cooked for the, the left overs were put in a bowl and mixed with dogfood. Naruko put the bowl on the floor and left it there. Triala patiently waited for everyone to leave the room. She had no right to eat with those above her status and she knew she was lucky to be allowed to sleep and eat in the mansion, let alone so close to her mistress.
In the Animal Kingdom, slaves were basically there to be used as entertainment for the masters and mistresses. Be that entertainment, a beating every day, starvation, selling the slaves body for a night while their owners watched and, or joined, sometimes in larger packs of only males, slaves were made female and used to the heart's content of the owners. So she could have ended up far worse than as a guard dog.
When she finished, she licked the bowl clean and went to look for her mistress. She found her in the study. She walked around the desk and laid down underneath her mistress' feet. After a few hours Naruko got up and left. She walked out into the village. She had been accepted into the IT department and was immediately given a great work contract.
She was allowed to come in whenever she wanted and work over anyone she wanted. Her skills had impressed Morino Ibiki and that was something that rarely happened. She walked to the ANBU HQ and headed to her level. It had been nearly a year, since she became part of ANBU and in that time she had made herself a name that rivaled Itachi's and Kakashi's. She was ANBU's new secret weapon and everyone in ANBU respected her. As she walked through the halls of the Interrogation Level she was spotted by Ibiki.
"Kitsune, report to my office immediately."
Naruko nodded and made her way to the man's office. Once she arrived she took a seat and waited for her commander to begin the talk.
"Kitsune, mind telling me why you brought a wolf into work today."
"She is a slave, and by laws of my kind, she is to follow me everywhere inside of the walls of the greater area I reside in. What this means is, she has no other choice than to come along wherever I go inside of the village. If this is a problem, I will tell her to stay in the compound the next time I come."
"There is no need for that, Kitsune. I know you follow some different customs, so as long as I have your guarantee that she will not cause any problems, she can come here with you. By the way, I have a new friend I would like you to meet. Here is the file. I have already had all the recruits try their luck and even some of the older and even some of our more experienced members of our branch were unsuccessful. I would have given him to Anko, but she is already overloaded with play mates and I myself am overpowered by paperwork."
Naruko quickly looked at the file and saw it was almost blank. There was no name only general information. Height, age, gender, affiliation, blood type and appearance characteristics. The man hailed from Iwagakure, the Village Hidden in the Stones. Naruko nodded and walked to the designated room after grabbing all the gear she would need. She told Triala to wait in the observation room.
Naruko stood in the Observation room and studied the man. He seemed calm and relaxed. He was big and looked like he saw a lot of rooms like the one he was in. His breathing was even and there was no sign of nervousness. Naruko grinned, she loved friends like these. They never anticipated her act and were instantly on edge. She told Triala to stay put and walked to the door to enter the room.
Just as she was about to open the door she saw Ibiki herding all of the interrogators on duty into the observation room. Ever since she had demonstrated her abilities and skills to scare the living daylights out of someone, whenever she did an interrogation, it was always a spectacle and used for the entertainment of the ANBU and staff of her branch. She grinned and swung the door open.
Observation Room
They watched Kitsune skip into the room with her little children's bag and her notepad, looking like she had just been given a pony. The man from Iwa saw her and was startled. Inside of the room many were starting to grin.
Naruko skipped to the table and waved at the prisoner like a five year old.
"Hello Uncle." She laughed happily and jumped on his lap.
The man was now extremely confused. But this was always part of the act. Naruko used the fact that the prisoner was always bound to the chair at the ankles, under the knees, under the elbows and at the wrists to her advantage. By acting like an innocent ten year old, she unnerved the prisoner and made them loosen their guard.
"I want a new pony for my birthday."
Some in the room giggled. She pulled her role with such a great way, that it actually seemed like she was meaning every word she said.
"Who do you think I am, Brat, bloody charity?"
Naruko looked at him with big eyes and started to tear up.
"No, but that is still no reason to be so mean."
She slid off of his lap and slowly made her way to her chair and sulked a bit. Then she looked at him again.
"So tell me Uncle, what is your name? I can't keep calling you uncle now, can I?" she asked sweetly.
The man sighed.
"My name is Tsouruu Amadu. I am a Jonin of Iwagakure."
"Wow..." Naruko said with awe.
"So what are you doing here in the Leaf? You are a long way away from home. I bet you have seen a ton of cool things haven't you, Amadu-ji-san? How is Iwa like? Please tell me, please!"
The people in the room chuckled at the sight of the Jonin being condemned to the Puppy Eye Technique, which was only used by Kitsune. Many Kunoichi and even some Shinobi had tried to use it in interrogation, but only Kitsune could pull it off believably and actually gain something.
The man's defenses were crumbling fast. It was to be expected, Kitsune was known for her very unorthodox interrogation style.
Back in the room Naruko had opened up her note book and was showing him drawing of the Hokage Monument she had drawn. She was very enthusiastic about her achievements to make it sound like she really was a ten year old.
"See, and here I added myself as the Godaime, isn't it pretty?"
"Yes, it is very pretty girl."
Naruko smiled and bowed.
"So tell me, Amadu-ji-san, why are you in the Leaf?"
She still stayed in her role, but had a crayon in her hand and the note book in the other.
"That is something you don't need to know."
Wrong answer. Everyone was short of laughing when the saw Kitsune's grin. Kitsune was cheering and dancing around the man.
"Yay, I get to play with my toys."
She opened up her bag and got out a smaller pink bag. As she opened it up and emptied the contents on the table. There was a rolled up leather cloth and a pink plastic jar and a pink plastic knife. Kitsune unrolled the leather and revealed a batch of syringes. She was hopping up and down looking at each one intently. The Jonin was starting to get nervous.
"Alright Amadu-ji-san, I want you to be completely honest with me, alright."
She took one of the syringes and walked over to him.
"Please tell me exactly what you feel, okay?"
"What is in that thing?"
The Jonin was now sweating profoundly.
"This just a cocktail of herbs I found in the forest. Now please tell me exactly what you are feeling Amadu-ji-san."
She took the cover off of the needle and jammed it into his right thigh. She emptied the syringe and pulled it out. She walked back and sat on the table. She looked at the man and waited.
The Iwa Jonin was starting to feel the effects of the contents of the injection. He was sweating profoundly and soon he started to move about on the chair. Soon he was screaming in agony. Meanwhile Kitsune was putting down notes. After another few minutes, the man was begging for mercy. Kitsune skipped over to the man and jabbed a syringe into his chest. The man gasped for air, but his screaming subsided.
In the room all was silent. Kitsune was now getting everything, all the while thanking him for being so kind and volunteer to play with her and her toys. They were impressed as always. When the man had spilled all of his beans Kitsune gave him another syringe. This one was very swift in acting. They started to hear the man scream again as his skin melted and inch by inch his body broke down into a pool of blood. It was gruesome to see each layer of tissue being dissolved from the outside inwards. A couple of minutes later all that was left was the pool of blood. Kitsune sprayed something onto it and within seconds it was gone. Kitsune packed up her things and entered the observation room.
With Naruko
Kitsune walked into the room and saw the grinning face of Ibiki Morino.
"That was a very good job, Kitsune. Thank you."
She gave him the file and her notes and nodded. She left the complex with Triala and headed back to the mansion. Naruko was greeted by the smell of food and the sight of a busy clan. She sighed and made her way to the kitchen. Triala broke away and took her place near the children's table. After the food, Naruko walked into the extensive garden and made her way to the portal. Triala followed.
Once they were through the portal they stood in the Hanyou camp. Naruko walked through the camp and saw Nagai-ha. She looked at him and noticed he now wore an armband on his right upper arm. She gasped. Just then he saw her and walked to her.
"Well hello there, Hime. How nice of you to visit. And you have attained a slave, it would seem. One of many more to come, if your heritage comes out."
"You are most likely correct, but that is in the future, I will deal with it when the time has come, but right now, I would like to know if you are really property of a female?"
"Yes, I have been claimed as a mate by Mara-sama."
"I am so happy for you two. But I have actually come here to request the help of the tribe."
"Please tell me what we can do for you Hime?"
"Two of my family are still out there, I would be thankful if the tribe could seek them out and tell me where they were so I could take them home."
"The tribe will do so, and for return, you can hunt down this man. It does not matter when he dies, only that he dies. He is the last of a line of our enemy and he has to die for the sins of his ancestors."
"He will fall by my hand."
She walked back through the portal and went to her room. After she had done some meditating, she laid down and went to sleep.
Mindscape
Naruko walked along the meadow to the house her mother was most likely sleeping. She entered it and was greeted by the sweet smell of black honey tea. She walked to the living room and saw her mother sitting on a chair.
"Naru-chan, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?" she said with a smile.
"Good evening to you too, Kaa-chan. I hope you had a nice time since we last had the chance to talk. I apologize that I have not yet completed the communication override seal for this prison. I am nearly done with it though another week perhaps and then we will be able to communicate mentally through the seal."
"That is wonderful news, Naru-chan, but I don't think you came here just to have some small talk and inform me of the progress of one of your projects. As much as I do enjoy our little get together. Please have some tea."
"Thank you. And you are right as always, Kaa-chan. Yes, I have come here to discuss something one of our kin has told me a while back. I would have come earlier but it slipped my mind. When I was in Mizu no Kuni you were called a lady, though I did not get any further explanation. I was hoping you could clear this matter up for me."
"Of course. We Biju are ranked by our tails. The more tails, the greater the power of the Biju. That is the common conception of humans when the talk about demons. But what is left out is that we nine Biju are the advisors of demon kind. There are many demon and devil clans and houses, who all have their summoning contracts. Now how it works for the demon clans is fairly easy, the more power a demon possesses, the higher his or her standing within the clan. Now with royalty inside of those clans it is solely dependent on one thing. It is what humans call Sen-Jutsu. The ability to harness and use the powers of natural chakra. If a demon can use Sen-Jutsu, that demon is considered royalty, by default. Now with the Biju it is a slightly different story. We all hail from different clans but we share the same rolls. So the Biju are sort of a pseudo clan with me as the royalty. Every Biju has a station that comes with his or her rank. Me, I am the Lady. Shukaku is the Entertainer. Matabi is a Spy. And so on. Do you have any other question, Naru-chan?"
"Not right now, but it is also getting time to be waking up again. Thank you for clearing things up for me Kaa-chan. It's been nice to talk to you again."
"Anytime, Naru-chan. Have a nice time and stay safe."
Real world
Naruko got up and got dressed. Triala followed her downstairs. Breakfast was uneventful and soon Naruko left to the ANBU training facilities. Triala was following her. Before she entered, she put on her mask. She walked through the corridors and made her way to the sparring area. What she found was most interesting, it seemed that there was new meat to work into shape. This could turn into something quite amusing. Just then one of the new members spotted.
"Ey, Taicho. Who let the little girl in here?"
The ANBU captain turned around and gulped audibly.
"I apologize on behalf of my subordinate for his rude and out of line comment, Kitsune-sama."
Naruko nodded and jumped down in front of the group. She patted the man on the shoulder and grinned behind her mask when he flinched. The last time an ANBU had called her a little girl she turned him into one. Not even Tsunade could repair the damage and from that day on, ANBU had one more female member and everyone knew not to judge her by her size.
"I will deal with him myself, if that is alright with you."
She looked at the ANBU and took a deep breath.
"Let's see here. Obnoxious, loud-mouthed, ignorant to the facts and jumping to conclusions. You're civilian born. The utter lack of respect you showed not only me, a senior member of ANBU, and your captain is clear evidence that suggests you come from a wealthy family. Let me tell you something boy. Your name may have meant something in the normal ranks, but here in ANBU you are just another mask to me and any of your superiors. I hope this got through your head, or next time, I will not be this friendly."
Just then Washi entered the area.
"Kitsune! Stop scaring the new recruits and get to the Hokage Tower immediately."
"Hai, Washi-taicho-sama."
She turned around and made her way to the nearest exit. Just as she was opening the door she heard a harsh whispered comment.
"Fucking demon bitch."
Naruko stopped and slowly turned around.
"Would you like to say that to my face, recruit?"
Naruko made a Shadow Clone and sent it to the Hokage.
"Yeah. I said you are the bitch of a demon and argh…"
Faster than anyone could see or react, Naruko was on top of the man. She rammed her right elbow straight into his upper left side of his abdomen, crushing his spleen. She followed up with a right knee to the inside of his left thigh, breaking his femur. She whipped her leg to his left flank, breaking a rib or two. She stepped back, jumped and let her right leg shoot forwards. She connected with his sternum, sending him flying into a wall.
The other ANBU had smartly cleared the immediate radius around their fellow recruit and were now watching the angered female ANBU named Kitsune.
"Be happy that you are still a recruit, next time I will not be as forgiving. And that goes out to all of you. You are a mask, and until that mask does something extraordinary in its duty, it stays a mask. Ask any of your senior members about mine, I'm sure you will see what I mean. Tora-taicho, I will be taking my leave now."
She turned and left the complex. And headed to her home. Her clone had dispelled. She was chosen to lead a team of Genin on an escort mission to the Land of Tea. She would be leading Squad Seven. This was going to be a pain. In any way, she still had an hour and she still had something to do. Ever since she had that dinner on the Hokage Monument with Shikamaru she had felt an odd connection to the boy. She didn't know what it was and it intrigued her. So she had decided that another dinner would be adequate to find out more about this connection. She dropped Trial off and made her way to the Nara compound.
Once she got there, she was stopped by a guard.
"Excuse me Nara-san, I wish to talk to Nara Shikamaru."
"Of course, Uzumaki-san. I will let him know right away. Please follow me."
She was led to a visitor room and asked to wait there. She did and a few minutes later Shikamaru entered the room.
"Naruko. What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you, Shikamaru. I was wondering if you were inclined to join me for dinner again some time."
"Sure. My mom's been nagging me to get out more often. Just tell me when."
"In a few weeks. I have a B-rank escort in half an hour and I do not know when I will return. I will let you know though as soon as I return."
"Sounds good enough to me. I'll see you around then."
"Yes. Have a nice day, Shikamaru."
The rest of the time was spent cleaning her equipment and making sure it was still in pristine condition. Then she made her way to the gate and found she was the first there. A couple of minutes later Squad Seven arrived. They still had five minutes so they were on time.
"Good you are here. As you know I will be your Jonin leader for this mission. I'll say this once and only once. If you do any form of insubordination, I will have you put on D-rank duty for three months and discipline you three personally. Now take one of these soldier pills, they're my own recipe and will give you enough energy to run to the Land of Tea."
The three took a pill each and Naruko sprinted off. Her squad followed her. Naruko was cursing inwardly. If this were a solo mission she would already be halfway there. She had to limit herself to a fifth of her usual speed. After a few hours of running they had reached the borders of the Land of Tea. After another couple of minutes they reached a tea house. Naruko stopped. She had a look at her team and sighed. She had already greatly reduced her speed but it seemed that even then she was still too fast for them. The three Genin were done. They were panting and drenched in sweat.
"We'll have a break here. We'll have some food and drinks and then we'll continue. The leader of the Wasabi Family is an old and dear friend of Lady Hokage. We do not want to make a bad impression."
They entered and Naruko ordered rice with cheese and egg for the entire group and gave the lady some rabbit meat to go along with it. The lady took it and went to the kitchen. Naruko scanned the inn. It was mostly empty except for one person, male, going by the scent, in the far corner. They got their food and the stranger started to walk to the exit. He stopped at their table.
"Just sitting around in the shade, eating rice? A Ninja's life must be pretty laid back."
Naruko chose to ignore the boy but one of her subordinates was sure to take the obvious bait. Sure enough, Gotegma did.
"What did you say?"
Naruko sighed inwardly and prepared herself to put them all in their place, the boy included.
"I guess you must get pretty bored in the Leaf Village, judging by how out of shape you look."
He looked at them and Naruko had to admit she was intrigued by the balls of the boy. He was insulting shinobi and he did not seem to have shinobi training himself. Gotegma of course went sky high.
"That's it!"
He stood up and planted his hand on the table.
"Hey, where did you come from, sweetie? I didn't see you sitting here," he said, his attention turned to Sakura.
"I take back my previous comment, I didn't mean you of course."
"Thank you," Sakura said.
Naruko had to give it to her, she could be polite and reserved when she had to.
"Hello, I'm Morino Idate. So… What do they call you?"
Now this was interesting. She had some dirt on the boy and could use it whenever she needed, but she decided to see where her subordinates would take this.
"Are you going to knock his teeth in or shall I?" Gotegma said.
"Sakura, huh? That's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. And now that fate has brought us together, how about we talk about our future."
He winked and Naruko had to admit he had guts.
"I… I'm not sure, what you mean. What future?"
"Oh you know. You quitting on this ridicules ninja business and you and I get married."
"Hey! Stop hitting on her, or else I'll start hitting on you!" Gotegma yelled.
For once Naruko agreed with him.
"Don't worry. I was just kidding around. But the rest of it was no joke. If it's one thing I can't stand, it's a ninja. You better get back to where you came from, or there will be trouble, I'm warning you."
"Then why wait. Bring it on."
It was amusing to see the too staring at each other.
"Calm down, Gotegma," Sakura said.
"She's right. Just ignore the punk, we don't have the time."
Reluctantly he did back off and so they noticed he had run off. Naruko was slightly impressed by his speed, but she also noticed the lady putting down to recites on the table.
"I guess our friend told you, we would be paying for him? Here you go."
Naruko gave the lady the money not wanting any further arguing. They ate their food and proceeded to track him down.
"I don't know what this kids trainings been, but he's incredibly fast?"
"Correct, which means we must be faster than our prey. Hitori, Haruno follow the path. Uchiha on me."
She broke off and started to use her Orion'aigan to see where the boy was. She found him and saw he had slowed down. Sakura and Gotegma would soon catch up. She and Sasuke would cut him off and block the road. It turned out to be unnecessary planning, because just as he was about to reach a bend in the path, he stumbled and fell to the ground.
"That is quite embarrassing, is it not? No matter how fast you are, it won't help you, if you do not look to see what is on the path."
They were standing on some trees and looked down at him. He was cornered and he knew it. He broke down and served them a petty tail about some bandits stealing his money. Naruko did not believe him, but her squad fell for it, hook, line and sinker. So after a few exchanged words he raced off once again.
They gave chase but it soon had to be broken off because the Genin were too slow. They made their way to the town. Once they arrived, they immediately headed to the client.
"Welcome. I thank you for coming on such short notice."
"It is our pleasure, Boss Jirocho. It is nice to finally meet you in person after Lady Tsunade told me so much about the success of your family."
"It is nice to meet you too, Miss…"
"Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruko no Hanyou. And these are my subordinates, Hitori Gotegma, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. So, what can we do for you, Boss Jirocho?"
"Every four years the Wasabi Family and the Wagarashi Family have a race to the Great Todoroki Shrine as part of our Dedication Ceremony. The roots of this festival have their roots in an old legend. Once there was a bad storm and men that were caught out at sea offered the Ryuko's Jewels to the shrine. The storm receded and so the ceremony was held every four years. The ceremony turned into a festival with a race. And now in recent years, what was once a friendly race turned into something else. Port Degarashi was divided for generations between two families. The Wasabi and the Wagarashi. Both families with their own operation. Naturally skirmishes happened and sometimes full out battle. The villagers were caught in the cross fire and the battles ended with unneeded loss of life. So for the first time to put an end to the conflict, it was decided that both sides come to a peaceful agreement. Hence forth the leader of the town was to be decided not by street brawls but by competition. The race we hold every four years is that competition. Last time the Wagarashi hired a ninja to win and we have found out that they have done the same thing this time. That is why we sent messengers to you, to even the playing fields, but they were attacked, ambushed before they could reach their destination. I beg you. Please lend our family your strength. If we lose again, the Wagarashi will control this town for four more years!"
"We assure you, Boss Jirocho, the Wagarashi will not succeed in the race this time. Are we allowed to use lethal force?"
"No, just make sure our runner will not be disturbed by the ninja of the Wagarashi."
"Of course. So who is the runner?"
"Excellent that means you will take the job."
He clapped his hands and a door slid open.
"You wanted to see me, Boss?"
Naruko was moderately surprised. It was the boy they had met earlier today.
"You three stay quiet. Morino-san, what a coincidence to meet again so soon. Especially after you left us standing in the dust, quite literally, if I may add. I guess you will be the runner we are to escort?"
"So you know each other? That makes things a lot easier."
"It does. You three go to the room. Boss Jirocho, if I could have a word in private, I would be extremely grateful."
"Of course. Idate, stay inside of the compound."
"So what is it you want to discuss, Namikaze-san?"
"Please, Boss Jirocho, I'm an Uzumaki, I only use the name of my father as a formality. What I wish to discuss with you is strictly business outside of this mission and will not be mentioned by me in the report. If you do not wish to do business on the duration of an already established contract I will come to you after the mission has been completed."
"No, it is perfectly fine. What can I do for you, Uzumaki-san?"
"The Wasabi Family has hold of a great amount of funds and holds sway in many parts of the Elemental Nations. I am planning to rebuild my home to its former glory and for that I need funds. I was hoping for the financial support of the Wasabi Family. In exchange I am willing to give the Wasabi Family the permission to run a gambling business on the territories of Uzushio no Kuni. On top of that I would offer the protection of the Uzumaki along with the return of all funds given to me by the Wasabi."
"That is a solid agreement, Uzumaki-san, but how do I know you can uphold your end of this bargain?"
"Simply, I am head of the Uzumaki Clan and I give you this as a sign of my loyalty to our partnership."
She showed him a scroll with the Uzumaki crest on it. After unrolling it, she showed the crest again only on a larger scale.
"Well, Uzumaki-san. The Wasabi Family agrees to help you in your endeavor. Just send all bills to us and we will pay. Once your land has been restored we can talk about how you are going to repay us."
"Thank you, Boss Jirocho."
With that she left and had her team guard Idate. Soon the race began and they were off. Idate surprised them by turning away from the boat and ran up the shore line. Idate was moving at impressive speeds and she stopped.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Out of the smoke a Mountain Dragon appeared.
"There is a boy running along the shore. Carry these three and keep an eye on him. Get on her and do not provoke her. I will follow on foot."
The dragon took off and Naruko sped after Idate. She dispelled the two Genjutsu and continued to follow him. They reached the sea and set off. Naruko was impressed with the use of the advantages the weather provided him. She had her team dropped off on the boat and kept Arrow circling the sky above.
"Hey Naruko."
"What is it, Haruno?"
"I was just wondering what you thought of Idate. The speed he runs at is supreme, he must have received specialized training, or even visited one of the hidden villages."
"Perhaps, but even if he has been to, say the Leaf before, it does not have anything to do with the mission. You're doing a fine job, keep your eyes peeled on the starboard side."
She walked over to Idate he visibly tensed.
"Who exactly are you?" he asked suspiciously.
"Your protector, Pariah of the Leaf, Princess, Heir of the Yondaime Hokage, Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan… Take your pick. Fact is it does not matter. You just call me Naruko or Uzumaki and we won't have any problems, alright Idate?"
"Okay… How come you said I was in Konoha and not in Iwa for example?"
"You know exactly why, my friend. But it has nothing to do with the mission so I will not say anything."
He eyed her for a few minutes and then spoke again.
"You are no ordinary Genin, are you, Naruko?"
"No, I am a Jonin and in charge of this mission. Why do you ask?"
"If you are a Jonin, you must have passed the Chunin Exams, right?"
"Correct."
"So who was your proctor?"
"Your brother… Morino Ibiki. Head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Unit. You seem surprised. I know why as well. I read your file. E-class missing Nin. Rank Genin. Left Konoha with his Jonin Sensei Aoi only to be fooled and captured and later abandoned his own brother in a flaming hut. No bounties of any kind nor any warnings. No interesting prey to say the least and not worth hunting down."
"So he is alive?"
"Very much so and a tad sadistic as well."
Just then an arrow hit the deck.
"It's an ambush. Hitori, Haruno take care of Idate. Uchiha you're with me."
Ronaaz let go a raging ball of fire from the sky and dispelled after Naruko saw it did nothing and gave her the signal. Soon they were tied together and were being boarded. It were three Genin from the Rain. They used clones, which were quickly dealt with. The enemy retreated to their boat and started to cover them in black rain. Naruko instantly realized what was happening and started shouting orders.
"Get into the water. We swim the rest of the way. This ship is a lost cause."
Sasuke jumped into the sea followed by Gotegma. Idate however was hesitating.
"What the hell are you doing, Idate. You are going to die if you stay here. You want do your boss proud then swim."
Naruko heaved him up and threw him into the water. Sakura jumped after him. Naruko stayed behind and saw a flaming arrow flying towards the boat. The oil ignited and she dove into the water and stayed under water. She made her way to the shore, her Sea Serpent blood giving her the ability to do the distance without any difficulties. Her team had made it to the shore as well. They were exhausted and struggled to get to their feet.
"Stay down. There is someone coming."
She covered them up with a Genjutsu and had a clone transform into Idate and had it struggle to get away from the water. The clone made it halfway when a man appeared in front of it.
"You…" it said weakly.
"My, my, Idate. How often do I have to teach you to not trust anyone?"
The man kicked the clone and knocked it out. He disappeared and the clone dispelled. A few minutes later Naruko released the Genjutsu and listened. This entire ordeal had cost them a great amount of time. She could hear the crowd. Idate may have had a great strategy, but he was still in last place. Just then her instincts kicked in. She dodged a hail of needles and looked to the sky. Cursing herself for her momentary tardiness. She had not concentrated on the man's chakra signature and now she was paying the price. Again a hail of senbon rained down. She heard the pained grunts of her subordinates and a scream of Idate. She looked back to see them collapse and struggle to get the needles out of their bodies.
"Poison," she cursed.
"That is correct. Poison made by Rain and it will kill you in a matter of minutes."
He threw a needle at Naruko and hit her in her thigh after that he left. Naruko pulled out the needle with a grin. She now had her target and she could do while she was on this mission. She walked to her team and charge and channeled her into the wounds and pulled out the poison and got them on the move with a soldier pill.
They made their way up the staircase and charged to the jewels. The made it up and Idate took his jewel and started running again. Naruko left a Shadow Clone with Jirocho to explain everything and followed suite with Squad Seven. As they neared a bridge Idate was shocked.
Again the man that had attacked them, stood in their way. This time wielding the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. The blade wielded by the Nidaime Hokage. Naruko sighed, this was going to be extremely annoying. She ordered her team back and stood in front of them. She made four Kage Bushin and waited.
"Alright… My clones will throw you to the other side and give you cover. I'll take care of this one myself."
Her team nodded and so the clones executed the plan. They picked up the squad and threw them over the river to the other side and jumped after them. Meanwhile Naruko was charging at Aou to keep him from attacking her team. It was a rather difficult task as she got struck by an electrical current with each contact her blades made with his. Luckily she had a solution to that problem rather quickly. The problem was not that the blade of her opponent had electricity flowing through it, rather than that, the problem was that her blades did not have such a thing. Once she had realized that she channeled lightning chakra through her blades. Very soon, the tides of the battle had shifted. Naruko was slashing and hacking and spinning at and around him cutting him open little by little. Naruko got quite a few scorch marks herself but in the end her healing abilities gave her the edge and the victory.
"It is time to end this," she said, looking straight at her prey.
"The Hanyou have suffered because of your ancestors and now we will repay you in kind. You die here Aou. I will make sure of it. Tajo Kage Bushin no Jutsu. Now, You, Die!"
She and her clones charged slicing and dicing the tired Jonin, leaving only the head intact. She quickly sealed everything away and summoned a Mountain Dragon. She flew over the landscape and made it in time to see the phenomenal chase and victory Idate had managed. He put the jewel on the shrine and was celebrated by the entirety of the village. As it turned out, there were some darker deals going on for years and with the abuse the Wagarashi family dealt to the village, the family was soon disbanded. Naruko jumped down from her dragon and crashed down to the ground, just in time to catch a crossbow bolt aimed for their client. She crushed it in her hand and disappeared in a burst of speed. Seconds later she was back with a knocked out body. She drew some blood and licked it off of her kunai. After that she instantly broke the man's neck.
"Your assassin is dead," she said, looking at the feudal lord's right hand man.
"I hope the disgrace you have brought to your lord is enough to see you relieved of your duty and put in a cell for the rest of your miserable life. And you, Wagarashi Kyuroku, she be ashamed of yourself to have dishonored this sacred ceremony by hiring ninja to take care of the competition. Here, I present this man as a gift to you for your win here today, Boss Jirocho, Do what you will with the body."
She put the body down in front of the man.
"It is I who should be thanking you, Uzumaki-san. If it were not for you and your team, Idate would have surely been killed during this race. As for your mission, I will have the paper work done shortly."
She bowed along with her team and after that she joined the celebrations. A few hours later, they were picked up by ship. They walked aboard and were greeted by Morino Ibiki. Idate recognized his brother and called out to him, but got no reaction other than the statement that Ibiki has no brother. He smiled and waved goodbye.
Once they were back at the village, they gave their report and were paid.
"You did a good job," Naruko said, as they were leaving the tower.
"I would like you to come by the Uzumaki Estate later today, Sasuke. I have an offer for you that you will be ready to accept very quickly."
"I'll be there in three hours."
Naruko nodded and did a string of hand seals.
Hunting Realm
Naruko walked to the closest shrine and did a chant. A few seconds later, the Shinigami appeared.
"You have called me, young huntress. Though I am unsure as to why. You do not seem to be here for another hunt, are you?"
"No, Shinigami-sama. I have come here to ask a favor of you."
The Shinigami stayed silent, so she continued.
"I am looking to reanimate the mother of one Uchiha Sasuke. The problem however is that I cannot due this by the usual parameters, as the one who killed her is of much more use of me alive than dead. I was wondering if there was a way we could strike an agreement about how I could still do the reanimation, without paying the usual price."
The Shinigami thought for a few moments and then nodded to himself.
"You have been a loyal servant ever since we struck our first agreement. There is a way we can do this, however, the price for it is more difficult to attain than usual. I will give you permission to bring back the Uchiha you want, in return however, I will accept only the sacrifice of ten living souls and the complete destruction of the entirety of the Sharingan knowledge of the Uchiha. I wish to help them break their accursed cycle of hatred. And I will do this by altering the Sharingan into a friendlier tool. But I will need to see the entirety of the knowledge of the Uchiha regarding the Sharingan destroyed."
"I thank you for this generous offer, Shinigami-sama. The Uchiha I wish to revive is Uchiha Mikoto. I will see you again when the next hunt is called out."
The Shinigami nodded and left. Naruko did the same moments later.
Real World
Naruko appeared at the estate and told Gozu and Meizu to expect the arrival of Uchiha Sasuke in the next couple of hours. With that she walked into the house and took a warm bath to relax her body and mind. Three hours later Naruko was awoken in the bath by Haku. She got ready and exited the mansion to greet one, Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke was waiting patiently at the front gate with Gozu and Meizu watching him. Naruko walked over to them and stopped a few feet away from the gate.
"Gozu, Meizu, open the gate. Uchiha, please surrender all of your ninja equipment to the guards. It will be kept safe until your departure. Thank you, please follow me."
Sasuke did, after having surrendered his weapons and gear. He followed Naruko to the back off the garden to the pavilion. They sat down and were brought some tea by one of the clan members.
"So why did you want to see me for?"
"Tell me Sasuke, do you miss your family?"
"I do, what kind of stupid question is that, dobe?"
Naruko took a deep breath and looked at him.
"It may seem like an irrelevant and unneeded question, but for what I am about to offer to you, it is vital. Tell me Uchiha Sasuke, what would you be willing to do, to be reunited with your mother?"
Sasuke was shocked.
"I would do anything to see her again."
"Are you sure you are willing to do anything to be reunited with her?"
"Yes, anything."
"I hope you mean those words. Follow me, I'll introduce you to a friend of the tribe."
Hunting Realm
They found themselves on a wide open plain a few feet away from a majestic shrine. Sasuke looked at it more closely and found it to be a shrine of a god. He looked it over more closely and found it was a shrine dedicated to the Shinigami. He jumped back a few feet much to Naruko's amusement.
"What the hell is going on here?"
"Shrine's like this and others of similar nature can be found all over this realm of existence. The Hanyou do not worship just one deity, but many different, each in charge of their own spheres of existence. The Shinigami, as you know him, has had numerous names before our era. Many eras before humans worshipped different deities than us all together and there were countless wars fought deciding who was worshipping the right gods. The point I am making is I do not care if you believe in the gods I believe in, fact is I am going to have you talk with one of them and let you decide yourself. I need you to do this so you can see the truth of my offer, with the price you are going to have to pay for the result to come out of it. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, I do."
"Good. Do you see the Oni mask at the foot of the shrine? I want you to put a few drops of blood on it. This is the only way an outsider can commune with Shinigami-sama. Once you have summoned him ask him whatever you want about the offer I gave you."
Sasuke nodded and walked over to the small pedestal of the shrine. He bit open his thumb and swiped it over the mask. He took a few steps back, when the mask started to glow. A bright light shined and receded and in front of them stood the Shinigami in all of his mighty glory. He looked around and saw Naruko and next to her a boy, an Uchiha, going by the blood.
"It has been ages since I have been summoned by blood, longer since anyone not of Hanyou blood to come to this plain of existence. What do you want, Uchiha?"
"I want answers. Is Uzumaki truly able to resurrect the dead?"
"Of course not. No one but me can do such a thing. Uzumaki, as you call her, is however able to ask for the return of some souls from this plain to the Plain of the Living. Speak. Why are you here?"
"Uzumaki, said I could ask you any question I have about her bringing me back my mother. What do I have to do for it to happen?"
"Surrender all the knowledge the Uchiha have about the Sharingan. And allow me to change the requirements for it. The Uchiha are cursed with an endless cicle of hatred. I know of the reasons your family was slaughtered and I despise them. I am giving your blood lineage a second chance, by changing the requirements for your eyes."
"Alright, but what do you get out of all of this?"
"I don't get anything out of this. I simply am taking care of the remnants of a punishment I have given to your ancestors eons and eons ago. With the near extermination of your lineage blood was paid with blood and I now relieve you of your curse. Naruko you take care of the rest."
With that said the Shinigami threw a small green sphere at Sasuke and disappeared. Sasuke was engulfed in a green hue that disappeared.
Real World
"That was weird…" Sasuke said.
"Well, anyway. You and I have something to do."
They made their way to the Uchiha district and entered the meeting hall. After a brief search the found the entrance to the Secret Shrine.
"Is this all the knowledge of the Sharingan?" Naruko asked.
"All that I am aware of."
"Good enough. Time to blow this place."
She handed him a patch of seal tags and they proceeded to tag everything containing information about the Sharingan.
"These aren't normal Explosion Tags, are they?" Sasuke said after having a closer look at one of the tags.
"No, they are an idea of mine I've been tinkering with. The tests I did were all successful so they're field ready. These are Disintegration Tags. They exhort such a heat that everything burns and disintegrates everything in a five foot radius."
"Impressive, but isn't this a little overkill then?"
"Well maybe, but when will I get the chance to legally destroy your property again. Face it Uchiha, I am helping, you because I made a promise to someone and because I know that you as an Uchiha can be better than the ones that were lost nine years ago. I think you suffered enough to be offered a second chance. Whether you use it or not is up to you. Just try and act with more humility and get that pole out of your ass, alright?"
"Why are you doing this anyway…? I mean your real reason."
"Well firstly because of the favor I was asked, but also, because our families used to be very close friends, especially our mothers. That should do it. Let's get outside and get this done, shall we?"
Sasuke nodded and they walked to the front of the hall.
"Do you want to do the honors?"
"Hnn…"
Naruko handed him another seal.
"Just channel your chakra in that and it will activate the tags inside."
Sasuke grunted and did as was told. Seconds later they felt an immense heatwave role over them and Naruko whistled.
"Maybe that was a bit over the top."
"Gee, you think."
They reentered the shrine and saw everything was a molten mess. Some of the stonework needed redoing but other than that the building stood intact and everything that needed destroying was no more. Naruko nodded to herself.
"Now all we have to do is get ten souls. Come on, I know a place where we can get ourselves some prey."
They walked to the Hokage Tower and went straight to the office. Good afternoon Lady Hokage."
She bowed, along with Sasuke.
"Naruko? What can I do for you?"
"I am hereby asking for permission to take out the bandit camp two clicks to the south west with one Uchiha Sasuke. The Uzumaki Clan will pay for the mission."
"Alright, but why take along Sasuke? I thought you hated each other."
"While we have our disagreements, we both also have our equalities. I am merely upholding my end of a bargain. So do we have your permission?"
"Yes, just sign here and we'll do the paperwork when you get back."
"Actually, we can do it now, I'll just leave a clone here for everything."
"Alright."
They walked out and headed for the gate, soon as they were out of the village they race ahead. After a few minutes they were there.
"Alright Sasuke this is how it's going to work. I'll take position in the trees with some clones and have an arrow pointed at each of them, you can have fun. Don't worry I won't interfere unless I think you're being over whelmed. Stay here with this clone. She will give you the go ahead."
Naruko disappeared in to trees. A minute later, she had all eleven bandits in her sights.
"You're good to go, have fun in there."
Sasuke charged and did short work with them. His Taijutsu and Sharingan giving him the edge to thoroughly dominate his opponents. After a quarter of an hour they were all knocked out. Naruko dispelled her clones and dropped out of the trees.
"Well done, now kill them."
"What!?"
"Kill them. In order to revive your mother or any person, you have to send someone else over to the other side. Shinigami-sama was kind enough to offer me such a lacks deal for your mother. Only ten souls have to be sent over in exchange for hers, along with the Uchiha's knowledge about the Sharingan. I have an open number I have to send over for my parents along with the death of someone who has been under the radar for decades. Killing a few bandits is nothing compared to what I have to do to bring them back. Be happy that you are so lucky to get off that easy for the return of your kin. I hope you don't think I need your help to survive in this world. I am only helping you, because I know your pain, remember that."
"Yeah, yeah."
Swiftly he cut their throats and emptied his stomach that much faster. After a few minutes he had regained his composure. And looked at Naruko.
"Well done. Now then pile them up and I'll begin the summoning."
Sasuke did and as soon as he heaved the last body onto the pile, Naruko began.
"Shinigami no Tangan: Tamashī no Ten no Ritān Ga Ichido Ushinawareta!"
The bodies lit ip in a blaze and out of the flames a figure clearly female stepped out.
"K… Kaa… Kaa-san?"
The woman looked around and focused on Sasuke.
"Sa… Sasuke?"
"Kaa-san!"
He ran up to her and embraced her. Naruko stood back and let them have their moment.
"Alright. We still need to get back."
"And who might you be, young lady? Sasuke's girlfriend?"
Naruko stared at her blankly and Sasuke was beat red.
"Mother, no!"
"No, I am not, my name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruko."
"You're Kushi-chan's daughter?"
"Yes."
In an instant she was embraced as well.
"I thank you for this kindness, however, we really need to get back to the village."
She created a clone and had it dispel again.
"We have to wait a minute and then I'll try a new Jutsu I just learnt."
With Tsunade and the clone
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade, here is my signature and the money. Oh and the mission was a success. Eleven bandits dead. I'll reverse summon them now."
In a cloud of smoke Naruko, Sasuke and his mother appeared. Naruko instantly set up a Privacy Seal.
"Naruko, what in the name of Kami is going on here?!"
"I reanimated one Uchiha Mikoto and changed the requirements for the Sharingan. Your welcome."
"What?"
"I have the ability to bring back the dead with permission of Shinigami-sama and he changed the requirements for the Sharingan."
"Okay but why?"
"As an act of peace, more or less. Anyway, where do you need my signature to end the mission? Thank you. If you don't need me anymore I will leave. Have a nice day."
She puffed away in a cloud of smoke and made her way home…
Jutsu
Ninjutsu:
Shinigami no Tangan: Tamashī no Ten no Ritān Ga Ichido Ushinawareta = Plea to the Shinigami: Heavenly Return of Souls once Lost
Tajo Kage Bushin no Jutsu = Multiple Shadow Clone Technique
Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique
Misc.:
Kage Bushin = Shadow Clone
A/N:
Hope you liked it and please leave a comment. Til next time.