Hey~ everybody! Dark0Insanity here bringing another chapter ^u^! I have no excuse for not updating during the summer except for procrastination managed to get a good hold on me ^^" But because I felt bad for not keeping my promise, this chapter is the longest chapter thus far with 5,533 words \(^o^)/.
Review Responses:
Guest- Sure thing ^^
Allykrau- Shishishi~ poor poor Hokage -w-
Guest- I'm glad you're liking the story ^u^
Tamani- -w- Don't worry he won't... at least, not yet +w+. A cautious Yoru = no fun for the enemies :3
sillyhater- I'm glad you like it :)
Jack's Ace- ):3 ^w^ It's good to feed your sadistic side every once in a while.
Daydreamer1024- Why thank you *bows* ^U^
naru chan- *evil laughter* You'll see~ ):3. About Jiraiya and Kakashi... I'm going to be evil and not tell -w-.
nana 123- Gaara can't sleep yet, but the situation will come up in this chapter ^^. That is going to be hard because the Uzumaki scrolls are either lost to history or are kept inside major villages like Kohona and are kept under strict security. He did not, because all though he trusted Yoru with his brother, he will need to trust Yoru even more to simply give him information on the Sharingan but you might want to keep an eye out for the books mentioned last chapter -w-. He won't be using ninjutsu as much as taijutsu, but he will learn some. There are some curious about Jiraiya and Kakashi, but~ I'm going to be evil not say a word about that~ -w-. The people of Kohona most likely think that Kurama was responsible for the 'death' of Naruto and the death of his parents so if Naruto would show up in Kohona, they would most likely think that the fox had stolen the form of the Fourth's child and the actions they would make out of fear and anger wouldn't be very good for him or any one else (oxo).
Izumikii- ^^" I didn't update as soon as I'd like too but here's the next chapter for ya! :D
Sweetly Staring- :D I'm glad you are! XD That is a great observation, but then that would mean that Okono is the father... *grins* you my dear, just gave me a fantastic idea ):3. The chibi children are cute ^u^ but the chibi versions won't be around for much longer T^T. I do as well, but it's for the better *nods sagely*. +u+ I thank you for your vote, I also put up a poll on my profile on whether or not people want yaoi in "The Blind Nuke-nin" and so far, 14 people have already voted ^u^. Yoru was 17 when he died and will stay 17 until the main characters of "Naruto" are either the same age or older.
ninjawolf2018- :3 I'm glad you're enjoying it, you're enjoyment pleases my muse greatly =w=
MindfulThoughtlessness- I have no words to describe how happy I was when I read your review and that you rendered me speechless. As for the yaoi, the story will be staying at a T rating and might contain a few kissing scenes and/or fluff so you won't have to worry about that however, there will be more intimate scenes as the story gets farther along but I will be posting them in a separate story all together so those who don't want to read those kinds of scenes can enjoy this story without having to worry about those types of scenes popping up and ruining the story for them. Thank you for reviewing ^u^.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, I only own Yoru and Okono.
Enjoy~!
First Person POV ~Yoru~
I grinned while innocently sitting upside down on the tree branch where I could perfectly see Naruto, Gaara, and Sasuke climbing - and most of the time failing - the trees around us with only their feet.
I knew that it was stealing Kakashi's teachings, but at the moment...
I was too busy selfishly feeding my sadistic side with all the attempts and failures that the three were going through in hopes of finally using the right amount of chakra to reach the top of the trees to care.
The teaching seems to be going well. Okono mused as Naruto fell halfway off of the tree only to connect with the bark once more.
Yup, now shush. I'm feeding my sadistic side. I said, quickly ending the conversation and caused Okono to chuckle at my antics.
So far, Gaara was the highest one with both Sasuke and Naruto below him by ten feet and only had about twenty-three more feet to go until he reaches the top. Unlike Sasuke and Naruto who both were only fifteen feet off the ground.
"Not enough!" I yelled just as Sasuke fell to the ground, doing a flip in midair to land on his feet instead of his head.
"Too much!" I yelled again just as the tree that Naruto was going up literally exploded into little tiny splinters though he landed on his back with a hollow thump.
I found it amusing when I could clearly see every single tiny piece that flew away from its source. Swatting away the splinters that came at me like they were flys, I detached myself from the branch and quickly made my way over to Naruto and helped him back on his feet.
"You alright there fish cake?" I asked, ruffling his hair to get out the stray pieces of wood.
He puffed out his cheeks as he replied, "I'm fine. But how come it's so easy for you to do it?"
I held up three fingers, "Three words: Practice and Patience. The more you try, the more you'll get the hang of it." I turned myself so that I was facing all three of them. "Once you three get the hang of it, we're going to crank it up a notch." I snickered when all three of their chakras flickered with irritation but quickly faded when I spiked up my chakra in warning.
I went back to my spot upside down on the tree branch to continue watching Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara running up the trees.
Within ten minutes, Gaara was the first one to get to the top of the tree and was sitting on one of its branches, catching his breath as Naruto and Sasuke were slowly but surely making their way to the top. I climbed up Gaara's tree with no difficultly and looked him over, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw that his sand had protected him from the little damage he would've gotten otherwise.
I grinned, still eye-level with the redhead, "Looks like you're the first to pass the first part, Gaara-kun." His chakra flickered happily - as well as slight confusion - as we both started walking down the side of the tree with Sasuke and Naruto continuing their steady practice.
Quickly locking on to them, I noticed that they both were running low on chakra, How long does it take for their chakra reserves to fill back up?
Okono groaned, using a few colorful words as he complained about being woken up, For Naruto. Not long thanks to the fucking fox, just give him a ten minute break and he'll be bouncing off the walls like normal in no time. Sasuke... I'd say almost a half an hour, less if he spends his time meditating. Gaara, same as Naruto. Now let me sleep, pup.
I mentally rolled my eyes at him, Fine. But know that you're going to miss out on their training. He only grunted, instantly falling back asleep as Gaara and I reached the grass. Once there, I picked up the seven-year-old and walked to a tree that was off to the side, yet close enough to keep a hawk eye on the two and act quickly if anything went wrong. I sat down at the foot of the tree and leaned my back against the bark with Gaara stationed comfortably in my lap with his back against my front.
A comfortable silence surrounded us as both the blond and raven were getting closer to the top and falling off the bark less often before Gaara spoke, "They're running out of chakra."
I smirked, "Good observation, Gaara-kun." I paused, a thought coming to mind, "I think it might be time for a break. What do you think?" He only nodded and stood up, allowing me to stand up. I looked up at the two children and tried thinking of some way to convince them to take a break without much trouble.
But that was before they both fell off of the their trees in exhaustion.
SHIT! Was the last thing that seeped into my thoughts before I acted on instinct. With speed I had only used in combat, my feet propelled me to the trees and the closest child which was Naruto. I continued going up until I was right underneath him and gently closed my arms around him, happily noting that he was breathing so it was most likely chakra exhaustion that caused both of them to fall out of the trees. Gently moving Naruto to my side, my foot connected to the bark and used my momentum to push my body to the side and slightly downwards to catch up with Sasuke.
I felt the air whip around me as I descended with my body slightly curving inwards, getting ready to flip around for when Sasuke was within reach. My body stiffened at how fast the ground was coming up. Connecting with the bark one more time and pushed myself, practically launching towards Sasuke. Right when I was about to pass him, I angled my body towards him and reached my free hand out and tugged him towards me. Once he was safe in my grasp, I flipped to my feet and touched down on the ground just in time, bending my knees so it would soften the impact.
"Are they alright?" Gaara asked, calling back his sand that was swirling underneath my feet.
"Yeah," I replied, "they just exhausted themselves. All they need is a little rest and they'll be fine." My response caused Gaara to relax a bit as relief passed through his chakra. After adjusting my grip on them so that they were each comfortably stationed on either side of my hips, Gaara was sure to stay close to me as we both made our way to where their rooms were located, I placed them both in their right beds with little trouble before facing the redhead in the hallway.
I tilted my head to the side as concern washed over me when I saw that he was fidgeting in place, obviously nervous, "Gaara-kun, is something wrong?" I asked, kneeling so I was at eye-level and kept my voice at a steady low, almost a whisper.
He stayed silent and started looking everywhere but at me.
It's Shukaku isn't it?
It would seem so. Okono stated, not even complaining about being woken up once more.
I hummed and put my hands over my mouth in thought before sighing, Then I guess it would be about time for me to meet our moody one-tail isn't it? Seeing as you had already met Shukaku.
He just grunted, but I could tell that he was preparing for us to meet the moody One-tail while I turned my attention back to Gaara.
"Ne, Gaara-kun," I started in a low whisper so I wouldn't scare him, "Would it be alright if Okono and I go into your mindscape so we can see what's wrong?"
He was hesitant, but he managed to answer, "Alright." I nodded, standing up and took Gaara's hand in my own as we started walking to one of the training rooms. Both Okono and I had decided that it would be better if we went to the water biome since that place was the most relaxing place we both could think of. Gaara was silent throughout the walk and I could tell, not even looking at his chakra, that he was nervous about what was going to happen.
The two of us - three if you count Okono - entered the water room and I lead Gaara to the rock where they caught me sketching the waterfalls. The quiet red-head allowed me to pick him up so it would be easier to sit on the rock before I set him in my lap.
"Gaara-kun, I'm going to put one of my hands on your forehead. When you feel my chakra try to get in your head, I want to you to pull on it like you're holding my hand and pulling me through a door. Alright?"
He turned his head towards me, "Like how you did when we first met?" I nodded, letting him continue, "Alright." I brought my hand up to his forehead and carefully wormed my chakra out onto his forehead but didn't go any farther. When I felt a light tug on my chakra, I allowed him to pull all three of us into his mindscape.
The first thing I noticed was that the wind was viciously ripping the sand from the ground and whipping it at my face. I put my arms up to at least lessen the amounts of sand that were hitting and blinding me.
I gritted my teeth in annoyance when I saw that Gaara wasn't with me, "Fucking hell." I growled out, "Okono, do you know where Gaara is?"
The familiar shadowy figure appeared next to me and nodded, "Yeah, Just turned to your right an inch or so and keep going straight." I followed his instructions without protest and ran the rest of the way with Okono keeping up with my pace. I glared at the path ahead and with each step I took my nerves sky rocketed more and more, causing more adrenaline to pump in my veins and make me run faster than originally. When I saw the silhouette of Shukaku towering over the red-head, growls vibrated throughout my chest and I didn't notice that Okono had shifted out of his human form and into his bijuu form.
"GAARA!" I shouted, using one last burst of energy to throw myself at the red-head and shielded him as Okono pounced in front of us, blinding me as the impact kicked up more sand.
As I curled my body around him, I could hear the two growl at each other as Gaara's mindscape shook with each step they took. Lifting my head to briefly glare at the two bijuu, then looked down to the redhead who was burying his head in my scarf with his hands gripping my vest.
Forcing my rage towards the one-tails to subside, I spoke to Gaara in a soft tone, "Are you alright, Gaara-kun?"
He didn't speak, only nodded.
"That's good." I said, relived that Shukaku only scared him and looked back to the still growling bijuu. My eye twitched when I saw that Okono was still a large, shadowy mass only larger and more animal-like. I still couldn't see how many tails he had or what he looked like save for the eyes and legs, arms as well if he was in a human form.
They growled at each other a bit longer before stopping all together. Confusion swept over both Gaara and I before we were flung back to the world of the living.
My head snapped up and I instantly questioned Okono, What the fucking hell was that and what happened?
He was quiet until I felt him tilt his head side to side as if thinking of how to answer my question, Well... for starters, Shukaku and I managed to come up with an agreement that would benefit them both. Shukaku will stop eating Gaara's soul whenever he sleeps and won't interfere with his sleep unless urgent while Gaara keeps up his end by using the sand to absorb our enemies blood to feed the one-tails as a replacement for Gaara's soul and they must also have a conversation with each other at least three times a day.
... That's it?
That's it.
I was astonished, And here I thought we would have to go into Gaara's mindscape as many times as possible before we could even get him to budge.
There was no way I could've missed Okono's relieved sigh, As did I.
We left it at that and I turned to Gaara who was still on my lap with his chakra neutrally leveled as if in a trance.
Or talking with a certain someone inside his head.
I decided to wait to talk with Gaara until he and Shukaku were done talking and decided to check up on Naruto and Sasuke, half expecting them to be tree climbing once more.
And that's also where both of their chakra signatures were coming from.
Holding in a sigh, my attention turned back to the child in my lap who's chakra was back to flickering normally with no hint of nervousness or slight fear that was usually shown, "Did you have a nice chat with Shukaku-san?"
Gaara nodded happily, "Yeah," He paused for a second, his chakra flickering in thoughtfulness, "But he's a little crazy."
I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing at his blunt honesty and almost fell off of the rock in the process. The fact that Okono was laughing along with me did not help stop my laughter in any way.
Once I forced my laughter down to hysterical giggles, I attempted to speak to the confused red-head in front of me the best I could, "H-He might be like that now..." I paused when I felt another wave of laughter try to escape and cleared my throat to fully get rid of the remaining giggles, "But the more you guys talk, you'll get Shukaku to open up a bit more and soon you'll both talk to each other like you guys have always been friends."
"Like you and Kono-jiji?"
...
...
...
I burst out laughing the same time Okono started yelling.
FUCKING DAMN IT! FIRST NARUTO AND NOW GAARA?! I swear if the Uchiha brat starts calling me that-
Oh calm down, I said, quieting down my laughter to snickers as I cut him off, Just think of it as him warming up to you... plus I think it's hilarious.
I tuned Okono out before he could start yelling at me and answered the confused Gaara's question, "Yup," I chirped happily only to stop and pause when I felt both Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra signatures bolting towards us, "Looks like Naru-chan and Sasu-chan are finally done with their tree climbing."
Gaara's chakra signature drew back in cautiousness, "We're not done with the chakra control are we?"
I all but cackled in response, "My chakra training is going to make Okono's academic lessons seem like a piece of cake."
I didn't need eyesight to know that Gaara paled considerably.
"Tou-san! Tou-san! We done with the tree climbing!" Naruto bellowed out, their chakra signatures right around the corner.
Okono sighed as he shifted slightly to get comfortable, Let the sadistic training continue.
A grin promising much torture spilt my face in response.
Third Person POV ~ Konoha, Uchiha Compound~
Everything was silent. Not even the birds were singing in the Uchiha Compound.
And this unnerved the masked ANBU.
The inu mask covering the ANBU's face shook from side to side as if shaking free from doubtful thoughts and brought out a single kunai, using it to draw out a line of blood from his hand and started moving both of them in a coordinated matter to perform the hand signs for the summoning justu.
Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram. "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu." At those words, the ANBU slammed his hands to the ground below him, causing a spider web-like design to spread around him accompanied by a poof of smoke.
When the smoke cleared, a miniature pug with brown fur and a dark brown snout with its ears being the same color. The pug was wearing a blue vest with a Konoha headband as well as a bandage being on the dog's front right leg.
The pug sniffed a few times, grimacing as he did so, "The Compound smells of death."
The ANBU nodded, "The Massacre did happen last night so the scent of death is expected to be strong."
"I see. Though I'm assuming that that's not the reason the Hokage wanted you out here." The pug stated, staring at the inu mask.
"You would be correct, Pakku. Hokage-sama has a suspicion that the proclaimed and elusive Eyeless Demon of the Snow has had a hand in both the missing Uchiha Sasuke and the disappearance of the Fourth's child. If we find that the Snow Demon was here, then there will be little doubt that he had taken the Fourth's child and had kidnapped two other children besides the jinchuuriki of Suna who was known as Gaara."
The pug, now known as Pakku, nodded as he absorbed the information given, "That is a reasonable statement. Do we know the reason why the Snow Demon would do this?"
"No, there are theories that he did it for power but they don't explain why." The ANBU explained, a little irritable that he didn't know why either.
Pakku chuckled at his summoner's annoyance, "Then I suppose we better sniff this place out before any out-of-the-ordinary scent goes away."
The ANBU was quick to agree.
The pug lower his head to the ground and took off, keeping a nose out for any scent that didn't smell like blood, death, or leaves as the inhabitants of Konoha always carry; the scent of leaves following them wherever they went.
The masked ANBU stayed behind the ninken and stayed silent to let his summon concentrate on his task, sniffing the air every once in a while as well.
Both traveled around the compound for anything out of the ordinary besides the faint blood stains that were scattered on the ground, walls, and even few on the ceilings inside the abandoned houses. When they were in front of the house that belonged to the Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku the father of Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi.
Neither shinobi or summon spoke as they entered the house, both staying silent as they investigated the house. There wasn't any foreign chakra in any of the main or side rooms, so the bedrooms was their best bet to find anything before they declared this mission a failure.
The room of Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto was clear.
As was the room of the missing Sasuke.
So that only left Uchiha Itachi's room.
They both stood in front of the door for a moment before the ANBU slid the door open and Pakku started sniffing around the room
Only to pause at the foot of the dresser.
The ANBU stopped behind him in mid step and watched the pug carefully, dead silent in all his movements before Pakku broke the silence, "He was definitely here, though his chakra was masked extremely well; I have a feeling that the Eyeless Demon of the Snow was here if only for a moment."
"How long?"
The pug sniffed the ground once more before answering, "Only a few seconds, but long enough for him to either leave or take something. But he doesn't move so he must've left something for Itachi-san."
"What does his chakra smell like?" The ANBU asked, silently hoping that the Snow Demon's chakra signature would give away the information that the Hokage was searching for.
"Almost like Moon Flowers and Night Phlox, mixed with it are scents of the sand, water, and-" Pakku stopped in confusion, sniffing the ground in front of the dresser once more but longer than the first time.
The masked man looked at his summon with slight anxiousness, "What is it?"
Pakku looked back to his summoner in total seriousness, "There's a combination of both your deceased sensei's scent mixed an Uzumaki's scent, more specifically Uzumaki Kushina."
Behind the inu-mask, a black eye and a Sharingan eye widened. This new information what was he, the Hokage and a certain Toad Sage were looking for.
The child of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina was found.
"We have to inform the Hokage immediately." Pakku nodded in agreement and they both bolted towards the Hokage's office as the sun rose.
First Person POV ~Yoru~
I bit my lip to stop the laughs that were threatening to break through as Naruto fell through the water... again.
"Aw, come on Naruto. You were so close to fully standing on the surface of the water." I said, casually walking on the slightly rippling water and helped the whiskered blond back to the surface where he took in gulps of air before turning to me.
"How long did it take you to do this?" He asked, his chakra flickering in both annoyance with the water exercise and curiosity for my answer.
I hummed a bit, faking the image of me being in thought as I checked the chakra signatures of both Sasuke and Gaara. They were both concentrating on standing on the water but their chakra gave away that they were interested in what I was going to say, "It took me... maybe about three days or so." All three of their chakra signatures spiked in determination as I set Naruto back on the surface of the water, carefully walking backwards but ready to jump into action if he used too much and rocketed towards the very high ceiling as he did twice before.
When Okono and I felt that he was fairing well, I turned and walked to Sasuke who was standing as still as statue in order for him to concentrate.
My expression turned to one of displeasure as his chakra smoothed out to show me how tense he was. It may have been Okono's training that caused me not to like the stiffness in Sasuke's posture or something else entirely but whatever it was, I was too focused on getting him out of it to care.
I walked up from his front so he knew that I was coming. When I was an arm's length away, I crouched so we were eye-to-eye... er, eye-to-blindfold, "You're too stiff, Sasu-chan. Take a few deep breaths and relax your shoulders more, it should help with your chakra control, alright?"
"Alright." Sasuke repeated, following my instructions and taking a few deep breaths as he relaxed his shoulders. I couldn't help but smirk in triumph when his chakra eased up and began flowing normally save for the extra pulse that was heading towards his feet.
Pleased, I nodded with a smile on my face and made way towards the quiet redhead who's chakra seemed to be pulsing with faint emotions even though he was also concentrating on keeping his balance on the water below us.
Shukaku again?
Yup.
I shook my head at both of them before taping Gaara on the head to bring him back to reality, "Your control is good, but it's best not to be distracted. Your opponent could use that to their advantage." He nodded in understanding and I trotted off until I was in front of all three of them and grinned, "Now that you three got the first part down, it's time for the second; water walking." I had to hold back cackles when they groaned, "Don't worry, once you get the hang of it walking on water will become a second nature same with tree walking and the last part is only to be used in emergencies if you have no other options."
You just love torturing the pups don't you? Okono chuckled as they groaned once more.
Yup! I replied, helping a now drenched Sasuke back to his feet so he could try again.
I heard Okono sigh and felt him shake his head.
"WHOA!" Naruto's chakra signature shot up to the sky. Sasuke's and Gaara's chakra flared up in shock with a pinch of panic hidden underneath the shock. I gathered up extra chakra around my legs just enough to get shot up into the sky just below Naruto. When I started to slow down, I swirled my chakra around the ends of my scarf and move them until they were draped past my now crossed legs before mentally forming them into a platform for each scarf end just large enough for the ends alone with the rest of the scarf wrapping around my shoulders to keep myself in the air.
I held out my arms just in time to catch the blonde, with him secured I stated, "I think you used a bit too much chakra fishcake." My reply was silence as I recalled my chakra from my scarf and started to descend back to the ground below.
"How'd you do that?!" Naruto asked after he had gotten over the shock and when we were back on the ground instead of the water. The chakra signature of Sasuke and Gaara were circling in question and wonder as I sat cross-legged on the air.
I couldn't help but chuckle, "Like I did with the first two, chakra." I didn't need sight to know that they were pouting at what little information they had gotten out of me, "Now, let's continue with the water walking shall we?"
Third Person POV ~Konoha, Hokage Office~
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the inu masked ANBU with a blank expression but inside he was both relieved and puzzled.
The relief came from the information that the child of the Fourth was alive after six years from Kyuubi's attack.
The puzzled came from what information was given to him. After much thinking, he concluded that the Eyeless Demon of the Snow was - without a doubt - at the Uchiha Compound before the Massacre had happened with his chakra signature only in one place and not found anywhere else in the Compound. With evidence of him being there, it only supported the theory of him kidnapping Sasuke. But that's not where the puzzlement came from, it came from the thought about what the Eyeless Demon needed the three children for. He already had two jinchuuriki under his command, so why an Uchiha as well?
Would he need the Uchiha to keep the other two in his grasp and under his command? If that's what was the Eyeless demon was working towards, then would he need others just as powerful to help him achieve his goal? But what kept his thoughts running around in circle was the information that he wasn't in possession of.
What was the Eyeless Demon's goal?
"Hokage-sama?" The voice of the ANBU still standing in front of him cut him from his thoughts.
He sighed, lightly massaging his temples before looking at the only other person in his office, "I'm alright. Thank you for your report, Inu-san. You are dismissed."
Inu nodded and was about to teleport out of the office when he was stopped by the Hokage's single sentence, "We will find Minato's and Kushina's child, Kakashi."
He faltered slightly, but he heard the confidence in his leader's voice and left in a whirl of leaves. Leaving the Hokage alone in the office with only his thoughts for company.
The Sandaime Hokage reached into his desk drawer and pulled out several sheets of blank paper, focused on writing to a certain Toad Sage with a messenger already in mind.
... Typing with a black lab/border collie mix sitting on your lap is harder than you think (oxo) But at least my lap is warm in this cold room (^x^)
Sneak peak of the next chapter:
Besides, what are the chances of you crossing paths with the people who most likely want you dead?
Now that you jinxed me... very high.
...
"So this is what the Hokage wants us to do?"
"Hai."
"This is going to be hard if the Eyeless Demon of the Snow's record is true."
"No argument there."
Reviews motivate me to upload chapters faster! Constrictive criticism is welcomed, flames (however) are not.
See you guys next time!