Sorry for the late update everyone. I had come down with bronchitis and was in bed for a little over a week. After that I had finals for two classes, oh the horror. I started working on a new chapter and was almost finished with it when i scrapped it. It was well written but it just didn't feel right to me and i decided to take another direction. What you are going to read here is a build up of a lot of things happening at once. Thank you for your patience and enjoy. I would like to send out a special shout out to Kingkakashi for the great reviews and an upcoming idea. That author will know what I mean in chapter 15. Also while you are reading this kingkakashi, please update yours soon, they are such great stories.
Shout Outs:
troutman30: Thank you very much. I started writing mine forst and harrassed her until she started hers. There are some things i like in hers that I wish I could do in mine, but my story never took any of those twists. Although she has given me great insiration for another story I would like to try.
FlameDragon14: I noticed that to and I think one of my two year lod sons got to my laptop before I posted and messed with it a little. I have it fixed in my drafts and I will update those later. Also stay tuned for some more Hanabi and Konahamaru action in the future.
yang: There are a lot of stories out there that are unfinished and it irritates me to no end when I get a good one an finally noticed the author stopped updating like a year ago. I really would like to get this book finished and start of the sequel. I love my sequal idea and want to see that take shape.
Kingkakashi: There will be a son later and he will play a pivotal role in the future. There will be some things that happen with the son that will be very tragic. That being said, the daughter will be an inspiration to others.
Okazaki323: There will be some drawbacks to the seal and those will immediatly be known over the next three chapters.
Without further ado, here is chapter 13 of My Own Peace: I do not own Naruto, but I would buy it for a dollar.
Six Months After Kushina's Birth
Some Deep Hideout
"I don't give a damn about what you think or what your plans are," the young man said.
In an attempt to not lose his patience over the outburst of the young man, he sighed, "You must calm down and understand that you do not stand a chance against the village if you were to go it alone".
"Do not underestimate my skills. I am on a whole different level than those in that useless village. Not even the sannin could oppose me," irritated with the supposed leader at demeaning what he believed was his superiority. The young man wanted to gut the man in the mask. His plans for the destruction of his home village had been put on hold since his former teammate's death. He wasn't sure why the death had postponed the invasion; he was not privy to that part of the leaders plan.
"I'm not underestimating anything about you. The fact of the matter is that you will be grossly outnumbered. You cannot possibly take on everyone if they were capable of attacking you in mass. If you would show a little patience I will be able to assist you in your conquest. But, without the demon fox there is nothing I can do." Looking for a way to defuse the young man, he was surprised that he lasted this long, he had to think quickly. Over the time they had spent together he had attempted to refocus his inevitable hate for Konoha into training. By teaching him new jutsus, sending him on some tasks or missions to help him alleviate some of his rage, and giving him false information to send him in another direction he'd hoped to distract him. It had all worked well in the past but he was growing more impatient as time went on.
The mention of the Kyubi really started to push at Sasuke. The Nine-Tailed Fox, the Kyubi, the Demon Fox, the jinchuriki, and Naruto all played heavily on the Uchiha. They were once great rivals and had thought themselves like brothers at one time. Those days were over, as the only person he would even consider being as powerful as him was now dead. Those were days that were best left forgotten. "Never bring up the stupid biju again to me. As I said I do not care what your plans are. My only concern is the destruction of the Leaf and nothing more. The rest of it, you can have for your own twisted plans". All was said as he made his way to the door.
"I'll help you!" was all the Tobi said as he waited for Sasuke's reaction. When he saw the young man stop in his tracks he knew he had him enthralled, now he just needed the bait. "Without the Ni…, unspecified animal of epic proportions, it will be a difficult task to undertake. I want to know if you are ready for something where you may lose your life before you step through the gate. How about a test, you know, to see how much you've learned but on a grander scale". He was thinking about a location that was destroyed decades ago but was recently becoming a place that people flocked to. "There is a village that has been recently reconstructed. It was destroyed for some of the secrets they held and the abilities that they possessed. It is still small but they have grown rapidly. If you do me the favor of reasserting to the current inhabitants that the village should remain in the bowels of history then I will help you on this path to Konoha's destruction". In all reality he didn't think that Sasuke would be able to complete it. He was in truth hoping that he would come home after taking a lashing and at least learn the lesson of not underestimating the enemy. Normally he would allow Sasuke to just attempt Konoha, but he needed Konoha to remain in a sense of peace so they would drop their guard.
"After this you will give me all the resources I need to destroy Konoha?" Sasuke thought about this proposal. It would give him a better idea of large scale combat, how one would likely find when he actually went to the Leaf.
"You have my word. I will even go with you personally to ensure that those who ordered the destruction of your clan are dealt with," he said being as sincere as he could be. He didn't know much about the new village accept what he could get from the travelers. Even his spy network, mainly Zetsu, couldn't get any information from there. This was mainly due to the fact it was on an island surrounded by saltwater. Even when Zetsu was able to get onto the island he was always attacked by an unseen enemy. What he did know is the leader of the new village was well liked, mainly a mystery, and that everyone seemed to enjoy life there.
"Where is this new village?" he said trying not to sound enthusiastic about being closer to his goals.
"It is on an island just east of the Land of Waves known as Uzu no Kuni. The village's name is Uzushiogakure". Finally breathing a sigh of relief as he was watching Sasuke walk away with a slight smile on his face that almost no one would be able to see, he was elated that the redirection had worked.
Turning his back once again to the man behind the orange mask as he walked away his only response was, "Consider it done". Finally he was getting closer to what he equated to his dreams. He would have revenge for the things Konoha had done to him. They had deemed his clan for slaughter instead of making an attempt to peacefully avoid a coup. They had taken away his family, and the life that a normal child should have been expecting to grow up in. All of his family and clansmen were dead, done so by the orders of the village. The worst part that drove the nail into the coffin that will be Konoha's demise is that they had used Itachi to do it. Itachi, his brother who he looked up to the entire time growing up, had killed everyone except him. Even in Itachi's own twisted logic, he did it simply because he believed that it was best for the village. What about what was best for him, his little brother? Growing up alone without any support or family, he was left all alone because of what the village had decided.
Deep in Naruto's Mind
The sky was clear in the open field as only a sparse amount of clouds drifted in the far off distance. The small patch of trees in the middle of the field gently swayed in the light breeze. Naruto was lying on his back panting heavily from exhaustion. A short distance away a giant red and orange fox was scratching its back against the ground with its belly exposed to the sky. Nine tails swayed vigorously at the sensation of the itch on the fox being aptly scratched. Naruto sat up slowly and looked over the field at where he had been training with the fox, and the devastation was massive. If this was a normal field, rather than one he conjured in his mind, it would have taken the next twenty years for the foliage to regrow properly and cover the damage. Training in such a manner didn't necessarily increase the young man's strength, as his muscles and body were only an illusion, but it did increase the abilities of battle tactics, chakra control, and jutsu abilities.
This day was different though, it was more intense and required a lot more from the two than they had ever put out before. The battle had started off with Naruto assuming his sage mode while Kurama held nothing back. Even in sage mode Naruto had developed techniques that would inflict damage on a tailed beast. During this mode Naruto would concentrate on brute force abilities and jutsu training. Pushing his speed and strength to the max landing hit after hit on the fox. After a while he would release sage mode and work on his tactical training. This was the crux of his training as he had to rely on his brain to keep him alive against the sheer power that the fox would put out. Much to Kurama's surprise Naruto was lasting longer and longer against him with his increasing tactical abilities. There were even times that it seemed Naruto was snickering at him as it would seem that he was back to just playing pranks on the fox.
What made today's session different was the additional training that Kurama had decided to start. In the past when the battles were so fierce and Naruto's determination was unwavering he would demand the chakra of the fox. Doing so in the past had caused a loss of control and nearly freed the fox on multiple occasions. During the battle with Pain, Kurama had nearly succeeded in finally being freed from his prison. He still wanted out but even he knew the chances of him on the outside with the masked man were slim of ever retaining his freedom. Over the course of time they have come to an agreement of training Naruto to be the strongest shinobi the world has ever known. That is until the masked man was taken care of.
The intense training involved the absorption of the fox's chakra to push the limits of how much Naruto could handle. Even though Kurama would be able to handle all threats on his own if he was in the real world, they would not take the chance to allow Tobi to control him once again. When Naruto would call upon the fox's chakra in the past, to do so in mass quantities would send Naruto in a rage. Even with the increase in power, it was nothing if he couldn't control it by thinking rationally. Today was the first of many long and arduous steps in being able to control that power. Both parties were shocked and amazed at the outcome thus far. Through trial and error they had come to a conclusion that Naruto and the fox had to literally switch chakra reserves with one another. In doing so Naruto looked as if he was on fire and glowed a bright yellow. They had effectively dubbed this the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode as it was the only chakra that Naruto possessed during this time. Over the course of time they would train him on how to use the chakra and the techniques that were yet to be developed. Naruto had pushed himself today in an attempt to actually take the form of the fox. So far he was able to attain six tails of the fox and still maintain his control. Slowly but surely they needed him to be able to attain the full nine-tail form and have access to all of Kurama's power.
Can you do that again for me Kit? The fox said in an almost playful way.
Naruto looked over at Kurama and knew exactly what the fox was asking for. "We're not done training yet. I will after we are done though, ok?" Naruto said in a slight chuckle.
We are done though. Your mate has been trying to speak with you for the last five minutes about dinner being ready. He was slightly amused that after all the time they spent in the mindscape that the young man continuously forgot that time here passed differently than in reality.
"Is it really that time? I have to try to remember that time thing again. Ok fox, you win," Naruto stood up and concentrated a little while closing his eyes. When he opened them there were a multitude of wild animals in the field and surrounding forests. Bears, deer, wild boar, and even some fast flying birds for a slight challenge appeared everywhere. Naruto did this on occasion and was doing it more frequently after their training as a way to reward the demon beast for the help. When Naruto would leave his mindscape the fox would run around at first just to put a fright into all the animals as a show of intimidation. After a while Kurama would hunt and stalk his prey to hone his animal skills. Naruto had sat in on one of those sessions to help him develop patience. When it all became tiresome the Fox would give into bloodlust and just start to slaughter anything that would have been living.
Thanks Kit. Oh, and by the way, after you eat and the young kit is asleep, make sure you do that thing to your mate that makes her shiver in anticipation. We foxes like to play with our prey. The Fox gave Naruto a wide grin.
Naruto thinking about what Kurama meant got a very detailed image in his mind of the exact gesture and returned the demons grin with one of his own as he sped back into reality.
Uzushiogakure
Naruto's eyes popped open and he gasped at the sight in front of him. He started the mindscape while lying in bed, which he still was, but as he awoke Hinata was standing over him with her face nearly a foot from his. With the same grin he gave Kurama he quickly reached up and grabbed Hinata by the waist pulling her into the bed with him. He rolled on top of her kissing her passionately and deeply with everything he had.
She returned the kiss in kind, just enjoying the playfulness that he always showed while they spent time together and made love. When he broke the kiss she opened her eyes as they were glassed over with everything she felt for him. "Now if you're done ruining my hair, dinner is ready Naruto-kun," she said playfully.
"Well, if Hinata-hime isn't the main course, I'm not hungry," he said with lustful eyes that yearned for her.
Hinata playfully slapped Naruto on the chest, "I'm not, but I'm sure you will like what is. Besides, Kushina is in her highchair and expecting dinner too".
Wanting his wife to get back into the mood Naruto thought fast as a way to help the process along, "How about we give Kushi-chan a sibling to play with; maybe a little brother, with dark blue hair, like yours this time?"
Hinata blushed as Naruto knew that she loved the idea of having more children. Throughout their childhood she had thought on occasion what it would be like to give Naruto the family she always knew he deserved. "All in due time Naruto-kun. It has only been six months since Kushina was born and I like having my figure back. Besides, this time allows me to train and to get used to the side effects of that jutsu you used". Hinata crawled out from underneath Naruto and stood from the bed. As she made her way to the door she swayed her hips knowing that Naruto was watching her walk away. As she reached the door she turned around, looking at him in the most seductive gaze she could muster. "Hinata-hime may not be the main course, but I never said the she wasn't for desert." Hinata quickly left the room holding her lightly clinched hand to her mouth, smiling and giggling. She knew she invoked his wrath, but it was a wrath she was more than willing to take.
Naruto stared at the empty doorway as the wheels in his head just processed what his wife had said. Slowly his mouth hung open and drool started to escape it. His eyes started to glass over as his imagination started to run wild with all the desert options he could think about affixing to Hinatas naked body as he devoured her. Reality kicked in while he shook his head. He quickly jumped from the bed and raced to the dining room with an eager anticipation of getting through dinner as quickly as possible.
Still in Uzu
Across the Uzumaki Compound there was another couple eating in a luxurious house that sat on the estate. It was finely furnished with personal decorations that gave the home a welcoming feeling. Pictures of their time together in their youth and while on Team Nine could be seen throughout the house. Currently though, there were more pictures of the couples' wedding with the friends that they had made in the village and more so of the extended family they had living across the way. Tonight was not about extended family and friends but more of anxiety and worriment. As they sat close at the dining table eating their dinner they had more pressing matters on their mind.
"What are we going to do Neji-kun?" the bun wearing kunoichi asked with a sense of dread.
Raising an eye to look at his wife as he finished his bite of salad, "What do you mean?"
"Your clan back in Konoha would have never allowed us to be together. My parents don't even know we are married. I would at least like my parents to be here, maybe a little before and sometime after. In all honesty I'm a little scared. I don't know how your cousin did it all this time". Even though she had Neji there she felt a little alone at the prospects of what the future will bring.
Looking for a way to calm the young woman he thought hard to find something to comfort her in her time of stress. "Hinata-sama is a strong young woman that never received a lot of recognition in the village for being so. That being said, I know you are just as strong as she is, Ten-chan". In all honesty the stress was going to get to him also. He would have to visit Naruto himself to get advice on how to calm his own nerves down before he imploded. "Nothing says that you cannot tell your parents about us or about the baby."
Her nerves lessened a little knowing that he would not have a problem with her notifying her parents about their current status. She had written to her mother a multitude of times about life here in Uzushiogakure, but intentionally left certain details out. "Neji-kun, I would really like to see them though. Also, what about going back to Konoha so the baby can be born there?"
That was something Neji didn't want to think about. He simply shook his head lightly, "I do not believe that is such a good idea. If my clan caught wind of us being together, or that there is a branch baby being born, then they would attempt to keep us there until a seal can be placed on it".
The idea of her child having the Caged-Bird seal placed upon him or her on her scared and angered her all at the same time. She wasn't sure if it was hormones or just being sentimental, but she wanted her parents to know what her life has become and wanted them to be a part of it, even if it would be a small one. Thinking to herself, she listed it under sentiment as the hormone rage typically comes later. Right now she was two months along and still hadn't shown any discernible signs, other than morning sickness. Why do they call it morning sickness? I feel like I'm sick all the time, she thought to herself. "I know you would like to have your parents here Neji-kun, and I am sorry both have passed. I would really like my parents to be a part of this as well though," she said with a little more desperation in her voice.
Neji could never take it when she was like this. Whenever she became distraught he always wanted to sweep her up into his arms and hold her, just to let her know it would be all right. He was going to have to concede. "I will have a talk with Naruto tomorrow when I see him. We have to go over the report that is to be delivered to Lady Tsunade anyways, so I will ask him if we can request to have your parents brought here as special guests".
Tenten beamed at her husband and his idea. Squealing a little she jumped from her dinner and into Neji's lap, "Thank you Neji-kun. It means a lot to me. I hope Naruto will allow it".
Smiling devilishly he gave her a quick kiss on the lips and pulled back to respond, "I'm sure he will. If he tries to refuse, I will just ask Hinata-sama".
Sunagakure
Far to the west there was another young man looking off into the vast distance as if he could see the massive island. In the hidden village of Kaze no Kuni there stood its leader, the Kazekage Gaara. The young leader was looking far off in concern at what the future was to bring. He would be leaving shortly to travel to a far off land that had once been destroyed. For the last month he scoured through the village archives searching for any information about the island that would assist him in the meetings to come. He personally sought after a meeting with the Uzukage time and time again only to be denied. After combing through the records he could understand why. Evidently when war consumed all the elemental nations, Sunagakure was part of a plan that divided the Konoha forces to ensure that they would not have the resources necessary to aid their allies at Uzu no Kuni.
He could not be deterred though. Suna had dedicated a lot of resources to the rebuilding of Konoha and they were currently starting to feel the stress of the economies devotion to the Hidden Leaf village. They needed an influx of trade to help stabilize everything. The desert sands created a veritable limitless supply of materials for creating glass along with the lands robust mining operations. The resources they have would be a great benefit to the budding village on the island. With Gaara's thinking if he would just show himself in Uzu then they wouldn't deny him an audience.
The first step in his plan was to mend the old wounds by apologizing for his lands past transgressions. Then he would at least seek a treaty coupled with some form of trade agreement. For an added assurance he would be stopping by Konoha to retrieve his sister and her husband to help in his endeavors. Having already contacted Lady Hokage for permission to have a few of the Konoha shinobi escort him from Konoha to Uzushiogakure. From what his sister Temari had informed him, her husband, Shikamaru Nara was actually quite friendly with the Uzukage. If this was true then it would go a long way in helping introductions with Gaara.
Along with the married couple he had also requested Sakura Hurano to accompany him as well. He could not give a direct reason for the request but insisted none the less. He had a slight affection for the pink haired kunoichi, which had developed when she was assigned as a diplomat to his village from Konoha. This was just a diversionary assignment to help her get over the loss of her blonde teammate. Her assignment ended after a few months and he found himself missing her when she returned home. These were all new emotions to him and he had spent a lot of time analyzing them himself trying to come up with a reason for a slight depression from her absence. At one time he thought of requesting her on a more permanent basis, but he refrained from doing so because he did not want to push the young woman after realizing the feelings she had developed for her fallen friend.
With the passing of his friend he had taken it harder than he thought. Often pushing himself into his work more than most thought was healthy. It was only through Sakura's presence that he took a step back and started the healing process of losing his first and best friend, someone he thought of more as a brother. Looking off in the direction of Konoha he thought to himself as tomorrow would be the day to leave; he just hoped it would be a fruitful encounter.
Back in the Hideout
Staring at the darkened ceiling the woman cannot help but feel the irony of everything. She wonders if this is what it was like for her one time prisoners while waiting for their inevitable fate. Life has been dull in the underground headquarters as they wait for the next assignment that the masked man known as Tobi would be giving them. Given the time that they have been in the area she has seen the object of her affections very little. He spent most of his time during the down time training non-stop, never so much as paying attention to her unless he needed something immediately from her.
Karin hoped beyond anything that Sasuke's life long mission of destroying the Hidden Leaf Village wraps up soon. She would stand by the young man as long as it took so he would show her the attention that she felt she deserved from him. Currently there were many things about him that started to scare her to her core when she would use her special ability to sense and see his chakra signature. The longer time passed without his seeing the fruition of his dreams, the darker his chakra became. Believing that once his goals were met that the darkness from his chakra would disperse and he would finally be capable of showing the love she felt he had for her.
"Sasuke-kun," she sighed as she realized she would have to be content for the time being just being by his side. As she was resting she decided to just go to sleep early, hoping that her dreams of finally being with Sasuke would come to her, fulfilling her fantasies. Thinking about the young man in such a way began to start a fire that coursed through her body. Thinking that since it was late evening and the likelihood that anyone would disturb her was minimal she started letting her hands roam across her own body. Deciding to stoke the fires further she allowed her right hand to slip below her waistband and under her emerald green panties. She began to rub her sensitive area slowly but with force, allowing her imagination to fuel her ministrations. Unsatisfied with just the single action she pushed up her shirt revealing her matching bra and started to massage her breast through the thin fabric. Through her self-gratification she moaned lightly as she forced the thought of the sensations being generated by Sasuke. The feeling of his hands roaming her body and kneading her flesh roughly in a possessive manner, dominating her body, increased her anticipation for release. The more she imagined his hard body positioned above her, preparing to take her and claim her very essence, the more she quickened her pace, running for the finish. Moans of increasing volume escaped her throat, and his name could be heard rebounding off the walls.
A single loud knock came from the door and the knob started to turn. She squealed in a high pitched tone as she started to right herself. She pulled her hand from the inside of her waistband and quickly pulled her shirt down to cover her breast while sitting up on the edge of the bed. Hoping that the person coming to see her had not seen anything she looked to the door as it swung open. There standing in the doorway was the person that she had just imagined was ravaging her body.
Looking at his teammate sitting on the bed he could see that she had a deep blush on her face. He could also tell that her breathing was labored as if she had just run a great distance. He decided to put it all out of his mind as her training was her business.
"Sasuke-kun, can I help you?" she said between her heavy breaths. In the back of her mind she thought about what she was doing and wished that the help she could offer involved what her imagination was playing for her moments ago.
In an unemotional tone and dismissive of any hidden intention she may have given off he responded, "Pack your things and get some rest. We are leaving in the morning". He began to turn around to leave the young woman to get ready.
A little disheartened she asked curiously, "Where are we going?"
"To ensure that a village, that was destroyed, remains that way," he said this with a coldness that could have frozen even the core of a volcano.
With her interest peaked, she asked her last question before he tried to leave once again, "What village is that?"
"Uzushiogakure," he said plainly.
She froze in place while the name of the village raced through her head. A sense of dread overcame her as Sasuke left the room pulling the door closed behind him. A flood gate in Karin's mind burst open, threatening to shatter her psyche. Memories of her past rushed to the forefront of her thoughts as stories from her childhood played in vivid detail. A childhood she had kept closeted away since she was found by Orochimaru. She could see her grandmother sitting on the edge of her bed telling her stories of their long lost homeland. They were stories of her grandmother growing up and her time in her homeland. She spun tales of rolling hills and unique forests that were abundant in wildlife. She would play with her friends through the forest trying to catch the animals only to release them again, to be caught another day. She described the village as one of beauty with ornate decorations on the outside of shops and public buildings that housed government officials. There were tall towers that if you were to look out to the west across the water, you could see a small speck of land that denoted the island known as the Land of Waves.
By far Karin's favorite stories were those that involved her grandmothers time playing on the beaches that bordered the village. Times where she would collect shells and build sandcastles always kept Karin enthralled. Her friends would often start their free days on the hill behind the village where an enormous spring had created a fresh water river that traveled through the village. Floating on the water in the river they would allow themselves to be carried by the current out to the awaiting ocean. They would try to catch fish with their hands, along with other sea creatures, which usually ended up with one of her friends often grabbing ahold of something that was spikey or stung them.
Then there was the romantic story of how her grandmother had met her husband while searching in the shallow waters of the ocean beach. Her grandmother had found a small bed of oysters and reached down into the water to start collecting them. While reaching down to pick one up she had failed to notice that the shell was open. When she grabbed ahold of it, the oyster clamped down on her finger and would not release its grip. Her grandfather who was a young chunin at the time was training on the beach as well and heard her scream. He rushed over to see what had happened only to laugh at the sight in front of him. Taking her hand while the oyster stubbornly refused to release that single digit, he retrieved a kunai from his pouch, and began to pry the halves apart. As the oysters grip was lightened he slowly removed her finger, and out rolled onto her palm a perfectly spherical pearl. Throwing the mussel back into the water and still holding her grandmothers hand, he looked at the natural bead, commenting on how beautiful it was. When her grandmother agreed, he had quickly responded telling the young woman that she was more beautiful than the pearl.
Thinking back upon the memory, Karin recalled her grandmother wearing a necklace that held a single pearl, never taking it off. Now as she sat on the bed with the knowledge Sasuke had given her she realized that someone had attempted to rebuild the village of her heritage, one that her clan had once called home. Now she was being ordered to destroy it once again. Lying back down with her head on the pillow, Karin began to shake lightly. Forgetting about her previous fantasies, all that could race through her mind was the stories from the past that came back to haunt her, and the fact that she would have a hand in destroying those great memories that the current villagers would be hoping to tell their grandchildren.