"What are we getting into?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly.
Tazuna sighed and wiped his face with the towel as he stared into the flames. "What makes ya think ya aren't on a standard protection mission?"
"I was informed that it wasn't. You can't lie to the ones that make it their lives to lie Tazuna." There was a hint of steel in the normally jovial voice of Kakashi Hatake.
"Ya want the full story, the sob story, or the gritty reality?" Tazuna looked from the flames to meet the gaze of the Shinobi in front of him.
"You know the answer to that already. Stop procrastinating, what. Are. We. Walking. Into?"
"I wasn't happy when I was assigned genin. I gave as much money as I could, but I made sure dat the report was as messed up as possible while still being accepted. I knew your Hokage could spot it. I was hopin' fo' a group of Chunin, maybe evena coupl'a Jonin. I sure as hell wasn't thinkin' of children. What kinda village y'all runnin' sendin' children inta war zone?" Tazuna tangled his fingers in his hair and lightly pulled. "Da Hell was he thinkin'? Gato gonna kill 'em all."
"I suspected it was close to a war… I think we will be okay." Kakashi thought aloud.
"Whatcha mean ya think y'all be fine? They are KIDS Kakashi! They don't need this!" Tazuna was flabbergasted by the way the commander of the genin was treating the threat to his charges' lives.
"Is it open warfare? Or cold? Or is it on the brink of civil war?" Kakashi asked before looking up and gazing at the stars.
"It was cold, with light theft of food by da villagers." Tazuna said. "But dat was a week orso ago now. Lotta coulda changed."
"My team can handle anything short of full shinobi warfare. I'm confident." Kakashi stated.
"Explain ta me ya reasonin'. 'Cause I admit, I don't see it." Tazuna looked at the tent that held the sleeping genin.
"Sakura is a genius when it comes to general knowledge. Already she has the control to learn medic based techniques. Sai, Sai is the epitome of shinobi. He can and will strike from the best position, at the best time, to render the enemy either defeated, or weakened. And Naruto… Naruto while he seems stupid, there is so much more there. Last night I gave each a scroll of six jutsu. I expected them to have one down by the time we get to Wave. Sakura and Sai will likely make that goal. Naruto, blew it out of the water by learning all of them today. I suspect shadow clones. But you have to understand, what my team lacks in pure power, or pure experience, they more than make up for. If worst came to worse, I don't doubt they could take on a Jonin until I could get there. There would be injuries, but they would all walk away." Kakashi spoke with a confidence that only a teacher could have when speaking of their students. Tazuna looked at him wide-eyed.
"Ya think dat they are good enough to keep me safe?"
"I know they are. Naruto, himself, could pull it off with that shadow clone jutsu of his. Remember all it takes to stop a kage is a single Kunai." Kakashi smiled with his eye at Tazuna. "Don't worry. My team will keep you safe, and we will ensure that bridge is done. If that means we eliminate Gato, so be it."
Tazuna grunted his response before going back to his tent. It wasn't until he was about to drift into sleep that he realized that Kakashi was smiling when talking of killing Gato. 'Shinobi are weird'
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
The gigantuian fox glared at the man. He just wouldn't shut up. How was an immortal fox supposed to sleep when its roommate would not shut up!
"You know Kyuubi-sama, I think I am about done. Hehehe" Viscrag stated as he stared into the slitted pupil of the Nine Tailed Fox.
"Done? Finally, I can sleep." Slowly the eye of the fox started to close.
"Hehe, watch, Soon, I'll be FREE!" with that high pitched squeal, Viscrag started to wiggle and squirm until the chains around his arms loosened.
"You are an idiot shade. There is no way you can escape!" The Kyuubi growled at the maroon haired entity.
Viscrag just giggled as he jerked his arms forward with enough force to break both elbows. Slowly he pushed the now backward folded arms through the gap in the chains until they were both free. With sickening crunches and pops, the arms slowly mended themselves. "Ahh good as new. Amazing what your healing factor plus my own can do isn't Kyuubi-sama?"
"You still aren't free."
"Not yet.." Slowly Viscrag started to pull the chains way from his body. With each chain he grunted and forced his large amount of strength to bare. Finally, he heaved the last chain from around his neck and dropped onto the water filled floor.
"See, Free." Viscrag giggled. He started to walk toward the Kyuubi.
"Ha. And it only took you 12 years to pull it off." The Kyuubi sneered.
"What are you talkin-" Viscrag spoke until he was interrupted by thirty voices in his head screaming in agony. He dropped to his knees and held his temples. "MAKE IT STOP!"
"Why shade? Did you say you are all? You are pain. Surely a small headache won't stop you." The Kyuubi smiled widely.
Slowly the shade stopped screaming in agony and shakely stood. "You know, you didn't have to take such a gamble."
"Who the hell are you? Where is the Shade's personality." The Kyuubi was confused. He planned to absorb the Shade, by absorbing his chakra back. Eliminating the threat in his hyper-dense chakra.
"I've been fighting for control for 12 years now Kyuubi. Surely, you were aware?" The Shade smiled. "Soon, Viscrag will be back, but he won't be as insane this time. Even now he is absorbing the lesser spirits"
"I knew he was constantly battling the spirits inside his mind, I didn't assume you would be able to take control as my chakra was attacking." The Kyuubi prepared itself for battle.
"As we speak, Your chakra is eradicating the three spirits that are attempting to force Viscrag to crave human destruction. You must understand, Shades will naturally despise humanity. But, some, can gain a shade's respect. Just like I did."
"Who the hell are you!?" Kyuubi roared.
"Can't you guess? I thought you were the smartest of your siblings Kurama!"
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
They were just packing up the camp when Naruto collapsed.
"Naruto!" Sakura started to run toward her downed team mate when an explosion of pitch black chakra surrounded him.
"Oh no…" Kakashi lifted his headband to expose his sharingan, "Sai Sakura, grab Tazuna! Behind me. If I tell you to run, RUN. Straight to the village."
"But Sensei!" Sakura began.
"That is a fucking ORDER!" Kakashi lowered himself to the ground in a crouch and began to hold his left wrist.
The black vile chakra started to condense, forming into wailing faces frozen in agony as the pressure in the clearing slowly grew. Each in the clearing felt as if they were drowning in a wave of fury and hatred. The grass started to be pulled up by the chakra's fierce rotation around Naruto.
"See, Free." A high pitched, dark voice lashed out from the storm of chakra. Before the same voice started screaming.
Slowly before Kakashi's Sharingan, the black chakra was sparkled with red bubbling chakra. Soon, the black chakra was in an equal ratio, before the red overtook the black and started to pull. Kakashi stood from his crouch finally as the last of the chakra was pulled back into the seal. Leaving a shivering Naruto.
"I don't know what you did Naruto, but you sure as hell did well." Kakashi whispered to the young boy as he pulled him onto his back.
"We are pulling out of this mission. Tazuna, what you just witnessed will get you hunted down, and slaughtered if you ever speak of it. Ill petition for ANBU to complete the mission in our stead." Kakashi said.
"Sensei? Why are we pulling out? And What was that!?" Sakura asked.
"That seems to be from Naruto, possibly a bloodline limit that is unknown. The shinobi code dictates that if a mission has an unknown attached or discovered, that the hokage must make the decision on if its continued. Judging from the vileness of that, the Hokage won't agree to us continuing." Sai answered Sakura in a deadpan.
"Simply, it wasn't an unknown. It is classified. But what it means is that Until told otherwise, Naruto is not fit for duty. This mission is impossible for us without Naruto." Kakashi looked at each of his genin before continuing. "We go double time to the village. Sai, containment."
Tazuna's brow furrowed, "Wait double-" He slumped down as Sai knocked him out and unrolled a scroll. "I can't keep him in this scroll for long, Sensei. Father hasn't taught me the necessary hydration seals yet." With a single handsign, ink erupted from the scroll and surrounded Tazuna, before sinking back into the scroll, taking the bridge builder with it.
"Understood. We should get to the village in three hours going full speed. Move out"
The clearing was empty in less than a second.
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
A chunin ran into the office out of breath and holding a single scroll. The Hokage stood his hands behind his back as he stared past the outer most wall of the village, his pipe clenched between his teeth. "Hokage-sama! A hawk message from Sector 5! Priority 6!"
"Leave it on the desk, and wait for more orders, I have a feeling you will be fetching some people for me." Hiruzen spun from the window and grabbed the scroll from the desk. He rapidly read the contents and scowled. "Damn it why now? Chunin, what is your name?"
"Samsus Sir!"
"Samsus-kun, I need you to go to the Police Building, and grab Fugaku. He's newest ward is returning from a mission that is now deemed classified. He will want to know details. Also stop by the hospital. I want the head medic Kurosi, and two nurses here in less than twenty minutes. Dismissed." The old Kage commanded as he reached into his desk and pulled out a single scroll.
The Chunin disappeared in a shunshin, as Sarutobi unsealed his helmet and armor from the scroll.
"If I must, I am sorry Minato…" He slowly began to change into his battle dress.
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
Kakashi darted through the branches, his team trailing behind. 'We currently have three full teams of ANBU around us. Fuck. If they attack, Naruto will die, I can't stop all of them…' "Team Seven, step it up! I can see the wall through the trees!"
"Yes Sensei!" Both students spoke as they forced their tired bodies to increase their speed.
Within moments, the team with their watchers reached the gates of Konoha, and Kakashi looked wide-eyed at the battle-attire clad Hiruzen Sarutobi. With him was Fugaku Uchiha and an extremely old man wearing a cloak with the Uchiha crest on the shoulders. "Hokage-sama?"
"Halt Kakashi. Fugaku, your ward is there. Renchi-dono, please examine the seal. You are the only seal master present. Squads 4,9 and 13, disperse!" Hiruzen ran through a few handsigns before biting his thumb and slamming his hand on the ground. "Summoning! Enma!" A large humanoid ape with pure white fur appeared.
"What is going on Saru?" The summon growled.
"I am unsure if that is loose, and I'd rather have all our bases covered beforehand." The aged Kage replied.
'Hokage-sama is being extremely cautious. Could I have killed that thing?' Kakashi thought before speaking," Hokage-sama, a stage two event occurred. It seems the roommate and the landlord stopped the inmate from leaving."
"Indeed? Renchi, can you confirm?" The oldest person in the meeting, who was crouched beside the unconscious Naruto staring at his bare stomach intently. "I can"
Hiruzen peered at Kakashi, "Do they know? Or not?" His eyes flicked toward each of Naruto's teammates.
"Standard protocol Hokage-sama." Came the reply.
"I see. Kurosi, full evaluation! Fugaku, do you want Naruto to stay in the village or continue the mission?" Hiruzen looked at the head of the Uchiha.
"With the current scenario, he needs to be out of the village. Otherwise, the villagers will blame him, and that isn't what is happening." Fugaku smiled at the sleeping shinobi.
"Hokage-sama, are you asking us to…?" Kakashi questioned.
"Continue your mission Kakashi, as soon as Kurosi clears Naruto-kun. In fact, Squad 3!" Instantly five shinobi appeared behind the Kage. "Once they are cleared, travel with them, I want them to get to wave by the end of the day."
"Yes sir!"
"Naruto is cleared Hokage-sama, Kakashi-san. He is to refrain from fighting for 24 hours." Kurosi stood and straightened his pants. "Is that all you needed Hokage-sama?"
"Yes, dismissed." In a blur the medic was gone, back to his paperwork at the hospital.
"Give this to Naruto once he completes the jutsu you gave him. His…bloodline will benefit from its contents." Fugaku handed a scroll over to Kakashi who replied with an eye smile.
"'Kay"
The ANBU in a white cloak walked forward, and in a blur ran through handsigns before slamming their hand to the ground. In a giant poof of smoke, a dragonfly appeared.
"Ah, Flutter, you still working with this smuck?" Kakashi joked with the summon.
"Of course, he doesn't smell like dog chow." The dragonfly replied in a deep baritone.
"Flutter-kun, please expand, we have a team to transport to wave." The ANBU captain asked in a gruff voice.
"Fine Slave-driver…" With another explosion of smoke, the small Dragonfly expanded into a twelve-foot-long version of himself. "hop on."
As Team Seven climbed aboard, the ANBU captain ordered his team. "Positions! We fly to Wave. After drop off we continue with our mission!" His orders were met with a chorus of "Yes Captain!"
In a buzz of wings, the two teams were gone.
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
Fugaku strode into the Hokage's office, and sat on the couch present. With a deep sigh he ran his fingers through his black hair.
"Fugaku, what can I do for you?" Hiruzen asked.
"Uzumaki is one of my worries. Some of the clan saw the dregs of chakra in the air all the way from the village." The Uchiha clan-head responded.
"Surely you can explain that away?"
"Of course. But did you see his body? Really looked at it I mean." Fugaku asked.
"No, I was watching Kakashi."
"He was lither. The last time I saw him, he was built more for sturdy power. Now he has a speed-based body-type. Compact muscles, and defined core. His skin is also not the tan it was normally, but a lighter shade." Fugaku listed the differences his Sharingan noticed to the village leader.
"The transformation was halted. Tell me, do you believe that the Clan is the best for him?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes. All our research states that they are vuneralble to ocular genjutsu. That doesn't even mention the fact that we can predict any attack that the shade does. However, we are also able to teach Naruto's his father's taijutsu, since I personally memorized it, and Shusui has adapted a form of it himself." Fugaku answered.
"I see, so you have no desire to use it?" Hiruzen steeled his appearance.
"No, it's much too dangerous to control. It is not a beast, and highly intelligent. Trying to use it would be stupid." Fugaku easily replied.
"When he returns, he will be emotiontally compromised. They are stepping into a civil war Fugaku."
"Why did you approve his placement then? You had him in the village, and we could watch him. Why place him in a scenario where he could lose control."
"Because he isn't in the Village. He is in a small country that in truth, the Fire Nation doesn't care about. The worst case scenario, Naruto is lost to the shade inside, the Kyuubi is released, and Konoha gets a new jinchuriki, all while Wave is destroyed, Gato is killed, and We as a village, prosper." The old Kage stated as he packed his pipe, and started to light it.
Fugaku looked on in silent shock. This old man was ruthless… "Hokage-sama, that seems a tad extreme."
"The best case scenario is much better. Team seven returns, extremely battle hardened. They are easily Chunin level, and due to their actions, we have Wave as an ally." A perfectly formed smoke ring punctuates the sentence.
"But the negative is the loss of Kakashi, and the heir to the Hino-clan." Fugaku countered the argument.
"Gaka-san is expecting another child with his lovely wife. I received the news just last week." Hiruzen calmly stated.
"You are sending my ward as a weapon Hiruzen!" Fugaku finally snapped.
"No I am sending him as a shinobi Fugaku, the actual chances of the worst case scenario occurring are now less than two percent! Naruto was in control during the last of the event, and he stopped it." Hiruzen sniped back.
"He knows?"
"Of course he knows!" Hiruzen said. "I told him myself after he became a genin. I told him the risk, the potential rewards, and worse. What would happen if it escaped and he couldn't control it."
The elderly Kage suddenly looked twice as old. "I had to tell a child that I treated like my own grandson for the last decade, that if he lost control, I would have to kill him. I have never seen Naruto look so heartbroken. He hasn't treated me quite the same since."
"Of course not, you admitted that you would choose the village over him Sensei." A voice from behind him spoke out.
"Hello Jiraiya, it's a pleasure to have you in the village." Hiruzen calmly ignored the unspoken question.
"Fugaku, it would be in your best interests to leave. Sensei and I have a discussion to have. And you won't want to be here for it." Jiraiya walked around the desk, his normally jovial expression cold and hard.
The Uchiha swiftly left. As he closed the door behind him he heard,"Who the fuck do you think you are!?" coming from Hiruzen. "I'm the only shinobi in this village that can kill you, old man! And I just found out you gave my GODSON away-" Jiraiya's response was partially cut by the closing of the door.
"Don't interrupt, and I would advise calling a few squads of ANBU, Lord Jiraiya is furious." Fugaku spoke to the scared receptionist before leaving the tower. Hmm maybe I should try some of that new Ramen from Ichiraku's.
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
As the dragonfly transported the ANBU away from the coast, Kakashi told Sai, "Unseal the bridge builder. It's time for Naruto to awake."
Swiftly, the scroll holding Tazuna was unflared, placed on the ground and Sai was going through a series of fifteen handsigns multiple times. "Sorry, I don't want to mess up the unsealing process. Its something I have not practiced as much as the initial sealing." Sai apologized before slamming his hands on the two matrixes on the sides of a blob of ink. "Hijutsu, choju-giga-kai!" The ink blob blasted forward before stopping, and slowly retracting, leaving a sleeping Tazuna laying in front of the scroll.
Sai started to pant as he rolled the scroll back up. "Check him please Sakura, I barely had enough chakra to preform that… If he was a shinobi, I wouldn't have had enough at all…"
"He is fine, Sai. You did well." Sakura said after a swift examination. "Now for Naruto-"
"No, you take Tazuna and stay behind me. I am unsure how Naruto will react to being awoken." Kakashi lightly set down his burden, and waited for his orders to be followed before slapping Naruto's left cheek.
Instantly, Naruto's eyes snapped open and a kunai was at Kakashi's throat. It was mirrored by the kunai at Naruto's. The fog in Naruto's eyes slowly cleared, and he relaxed. "Sorry sensei, normally when people wake me with a slap, they follow through with other things…" Naruto jokingly said.
"Its fine, how do you feel?" Kakashi doesn't move the kunai from Naruto's jugular.
"Fine. Why don't you move your knife sensei?"
"Because less than four hours ago, you were a few seconds from letting it out." Kakashi growled.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Give me a moment? I'll make sure it's all fine."
"Fine. You know my orders however." Kakashi took three steps back and crouched.
Naruto sat down and took three deep breaths. Slowly he let his mind drift away, just as Jiji told him to.
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
"Interesting." A young man said as he sat up and gazed to the south west. "It seems I am not alone after all." He rolled out of the bed he was laying in, and started to pull on clothes. Black on black with red accents. Just as he liked. After getting dressed, he walked through to another portion of the cave he called home. He stopped as he entered his 'living room'. "Hello. You seem to have entered my home without knocking. Would you like me to knock your heads in?" He tossed his scarlet hair back as he laughed at his own joke.
"Hello Saud. I have orders to eliminate you." The two Root agents started to move to sides as Danzo entered to the cavern. Saud smiled viciously at the left arm on the elder that was normally covered in bandages, uncovered.
"You seem to have done some improvements… Since I tore off that abomination the last time you ran after me." Saud spoke as he flexed his fingers.
"Yes, after our last confrontation, I realized that I should focus on my own strengths..." Danzo raised his left arm, which was peppered with small indentions as if it was clay battered by children with marbles. Slowly wisps of chakra started to ease from the indentions before Danzo swung his arm through the air, unleashing a massive blade of wind. "Fuuton, Eddie Scythe."
ShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShadedShaded
Naruto stood infront of the cage that normally housed the Nine Tailed Fox and the shade. Yet now only the fox sat behind the bars. "Oh no…"
"Hello boy… My name is Viscrag."
