A/N: This, ladies and gentlemen, is the fifth chapter of this story. I have got this chapter, and the next few planned out. Lots more of this story is starting to come together, which is a general plus in terms of writing them, makes it a lot quicker and easier. (If you read Noir et Blanc, please ignore this. That entire story is planned out…but it is still going slowly.) Anyhow please enjoy this chapter.
And review, like always.
PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THIS CHAPTER! IT IS ALL RELEVANT TO MY ENTIRE PLOT!
THANK YOU :)
Summary: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley died at the age of eighteen. Six years later, they meet at a Ninja Academy, and they trio is reborn as first class ninja for Konohagakure no Sato. However, darkness is on the horizon as enemies approach. Enter: ANBU. NarutoHP
Rebirth of Ninja
Chapter V: A Snake Cornered
By The Morrigu
'I'm searching for answers
Cause something is not right.
I follow the signs,
I'm close to the fire.
I fear that soon you'll reveal
Your dangerous mind.
I'm searching for answers
Not questioned before.
The curse of awareness,
There's no peace of mind.
As your true colors show
A dangerous sign.'
- 'A Dangerous Mind' by Within Temptation
Flashback – Twelve years ago. Iwa-Konoha War
The plains surrounding the border between the Lands of Earth and Fire were the unspoken no-mans land. Any villages that were in these lands were free for alls, where the villagers had long since abandoned their homes, giving the warring ninja new grounds in which to wage their battles.
Perhaps two miles from the border itself was the Leaf outpost, where battles were planned, and ninja were stationed. It was the main camp, and the one closest to the no mans land. The camp housed approximately two hundred shinobi on rotating shifts, as they went out to scout the surrounding areas.
There was one section of the camp which was off-limits to the others, the section which houses the ANBU. The ANBU who went out at all hours, to do missions which were spoken of with mere whispers around camp fires of their fellow ninja. ANBU, whose restless sleep could be felt throughout the other camps, as they were haunted by deeds of what they did for the good of their fellow shinobi. For the good of their people. They did missions which no one else would do.
It was these ANBU who went to sleep every night, remembering the small child who got in the way of one of their kunai, who slaughtered entire villages without blinking, as a scare tactic for their enemy. Unlike other shinobi, it is ANBU who see war as being what it is, who see that everything is not painted black and white.
It was in the main area of one of these camps that Team Minato currently are, with Chuunin Hatake Kakashi, Genin Uchiha Obito and Inuzuka Rin. Their jounin sensei, Namikaze Minato. Night had long since fallen, and the four of them were within their tent, one of the many that littered the camp.
"Minato-sensei." Murmured Obito sleepily. "Do you think we shall get a mission to go out and do something yet? All we have been doing is scouting missions, or you have been going out on your own. I want to do something useful!"
"Obito, do you not think that if they thought we were ready to go out, they would send us out?" said Rin, rolling her eyes slightly.
"Iie, Rin-chan." Stated Minato lazily, stoking the fire, which was before them. "I think we shall be sent out onto active duty as of tomorrow. We are to report to the main tent at seven am. So you better get to sleep." Minato's eyes shot to the youngest member of their team, who was watching their activities dully. "That includes you Kakashi-kun. There is no need to take watch tonight, or any other night as I have already said. We are safe at the moment."
Kakashi blinked at his sensei, but didn't make any move to speak. His dark eyes boring into his sensei. Minato sighed, shaking his head slightly.
"Minato-san?" Came a voice from outside the tent. Minato walked out, seeing a cat masked ANBU outside. The ANBU had a purple vest on, and wore no cloak. From the ANBU's figure, they were identified as being female, and having brown hair.
"ANBU-san?" asked Minato to the Lieutenant.
"Your team is required at the mission tent as of this moment. It appears as though your mission has been moved slightly ahead of schedule. They have ten minutes to prepare and get there." Stated the ANBU calmly.
"Any idea what they should be prepared for?"
"Stopping a supply line to the enemy. ANBU teams shall be going with, but they shall be acting as a back up if the mission doesn't go well."
Minato nodded his head, before going back into the tent. He was apprehensive about going on such a mission, and it wasn't because of the enemies, but because of their allies. Bodies of Iwa-nin had been found, mutilated in such a way that the only way they were identified as Iwa-nin was by the mineral composition within their bones. The Jounin, himself included, had theorized the origin of such a thing. They hadn't thought to turn their gazes to their own forces, their own elite. That was until two ANBU, recruits from the way they presented themselves, joined in the conversation. They spoke of teams of ANBU who held particular vendettas against Iwa-nin. Iwa-nin who had been seen burning civilian villages down to the ground, with the civilians still within their homes. Iwa-nin who attacked those who were unable to fight back, all in the name of winning a war. Yet, as each and every border city and village was pillaged by the Iwa-nin, for supplies and the like, as they became more and more desperate, their numbers began to deplete.
More and more Iwa-nin were being killed on a whim, with no missions being authorized. According to the recruits, the ANBU had decided that enough was enough, and they had chosen to get revenge on these ninja for the deaths of the innocent. It had shocked Minato when he had found this out, that ninja who were supposed to kill without remorse, as quickly and cleanly as possible, were able to do such things.
This was why he was apprehensive about his team going on a mission with the possibility of seeing the ANBU doing such things. His team weren't ready to see such bloodshed, especially being done by their allies. Sure, they had seen being killed, and they had killed as well. But they had never, and would never if Minato had a say about it, seen someone kill for pure enjoyment. That was something else entirely, and he didn't doubt that these ANBU enjoyed killed the murderers.
End of Flashback
Rai sat in Hidemi's office, watching as the woman flicked through the book which was on her desk. The differences between Saito Hidemi and Hermione Granger were subtle, but still apparent. Hidemi's brown hair wasn't as uncontrollable as Hermione's had been, and it was also shorter than Hermione's as well. Just long enough to be held in a band at the back of her head.
Hermione had also been taller than Hidemi, most likely due to the altered diet that existed between the two cultures. Everyone in this era didn't reach the heights that they once did in times past. Hidemi was in better shape than Hermione had ever been her body toned and lithe. A body of a gymnast rather than a ninja. But in both lives, Hidemi's strength always lay in her mind, and the sheer intelligence that she wielded.
Her fingers weren't as calloused as Haru's and his, mainly because her main weapon was senbon, as the preciseness of such a weapon appealed to her. She didn't have as much chakra as Haru and him either, but her chakra control could rival that of Tsunade-hime. However, unlike Tsunade who used chakra to power her muscles for fights, she used hers to strengthen them. Make them more durable, more resistant to attacks. A protective shield of chakra hovered over her skin whenever she was in a fight, a shield which had saved her life on numerous occasions.
But what made Hidemi stand out as a ninja, was her ability in Seals. She was easily equal to that of Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage. She had combined Kanji with Ancient Runes to produce a more effective area of sealing, which worked especially well in the perfection of the seal used on Uzumaki Naruto.
She was an opponent not to be messed with, as she would have you locked in a genjutsu without anyone realizing it. Her genjutsu ability was so good in fact, as she had perfected the art of layering that Sharingan-Using Haru was only aware he was in one by the strangeness of the situation that was the illusion.
There were still characteristics that both Hermione Granger and Saito Hidemi shared. They were both intelligent, both curious about anything new. They both disliked frauds and illogical thinking. They were both deeply loyal, and protective of the young. They were both also, though Hidemi would disagree, easily intimidated by large crowds.
Deep down inside, Hidemi still remained very much the girl who had barged into their compartment, asking about a lost toad. Rai was kicked out of his thoughts, as Hidemi spoke.
"This bingo book is a very interesting read." Stated Hidemi, a small frown on her face. "There are some sketched images of what I can only guess to be ANBU masks. I can make out a wolf, cat and a raven in there. As well as several others. Looks like someone was left alive to remember us by."
"When was that though? The war? Our last mission?" asked Rai, leaning back in his chair, frowning.
"It doesn't say. Just merely that we are to not be approached at all, aside from by the best. S-Class Ninja. Such a title shall fuel Haru's ego." Murmured Hidemi, as she continued to flick through the book casually.
Rai sniggered to himself, leaning back in the chair, and stretching his long, lean muscles out.
"Hm…it appears that one of Kiri's ANBU has defected. They obviously haven't stated as such, but it's obvious by his skills. Zabuza." Stated Hidemi, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "Apparently he attempted to assassinate the Mizukage."
"That bastard? Who wouldn't?" growled Rai, rolling his eyes. "The guy is off his head. Hating kekkei genkai, the fool."
"Almost like a Pro-Mudblood, ne?" replied Hidemi quietly, her expression contemplative.
"Kinda, I guess."
Hidemi made a noise in agreement, before setting it down with a sigh.
"I need to start trying to find some new ANBU." She murmured. "With Kakashi gone, some of my Lieutenant's are debating upon their future, and I think that some of them will be leaving."
"You need help?" asked Rai.
"I should be alright; you stick to your own teams." Replied Hidemi.
"I would, but they seem to have the habit to not get killed, to be able to think for themselves, and to not need extra equipment."
"Shame." Shot Hidemi, rolling her eyes. "Get out of my office then, and go amuse yourself somewhere else. Some of us have work to do."
"I'm wounded." Muttered Rai, as he made his way out of the office, slipping his wolf mask on as he left the room. Waiting outside in the corridor was an eagle masked commander, whom was leaning against the office opposite.
"Washi." Called Rai, and followed his fellow commander into his office. The second the two of them were inside, they both removed their masks. Rai lent back in the chair opposite Washi, whom was sat behind his desk, his body rigid. The office was dull looking, not a single personalized item within, aside from an ornate sword which was mounted behind the commander's desk. The commander himself was older than Rai, looking to be in his late twenties. He was a Hyuuga, one of the branch clan, obvious due to the bandages wrapped around his forehead. His name was Hyuuga Genji.
"One of my captains ran into something that they thought I should be informed of. I think you; Hidemi-chan and Haru-kun would be interested in this information." Stated Genji, his voice monotonous.
"Oh?"
"Captain Ryu reported to me that he, as well as one of his teams ran into a group of what they initially believed to be missing-ninja, according to our bingo book."
"And?"
"They wore headbands with the insignia of a musical note on them on them. I have brought this information to Hokage-sama. The ninja proclaimed themselves to be part of Otogakure, the Village Hidden in Sound."
"Sound?" murmured Rai, a thoughtful look on his face, while his instinct told him that a rather important move had been made in chess, and he had been looking the other way. "What were Sound shinobi doing on our land?"
"That is a question both Hokage-sama and myself want to know."
Rai frowned to himself, thoughts whizzing through his head. Otogakure was a strange name. Generally, Hidden Village's named themselves after their village's general power, or where they are hidden. But Sound? It had no power, as chakra couldn't control such a thing. It had once been said that no power in the world could replicate the magic that music made. Rai's eyes shot open then, as he felt his heart beat quicker. Magic.
"Rai-kun?" inquired Genji, raising a slight eyebrow on his aristocratic face. "Something wrong?"
"Iie, I need to run something by Hidemi. Otherwise she will kill me, raise me from the dead, and kill me again if I go headlong into this. Ja." Called Rai, quickly fixing his mask. He exited the room, his mind still flicking through stray thoughts, all focusing on one thing only. Magic. Dumbledore had once alluded to the fact that music, sounds, could control magic to a greater affect than anything else could. What if he was right? Sound certainly couldn't be controlled by chakra, as it wasn't fluid enough. Not like magic. Nothing was like magic.
"The Sandaime wants to meet with us." Stated Haru as he leant on the counter in their kitchen, Hidemi and Rai were playing chess on it.
"What about?" asked Rai absently, moving his knight. "ANBU stuff, general stuff, or brat stuff?"
"Who knows?" replied Haru, massaging his temples lightly. "You two done yet?"
"No." hissed Hidemi, her eyes narrowing.
"Yes. Checkmate." Corrected Rai, rolling his eyes.
Hidemi was audibly grinding her teeth, as they strolled through the village towards the Hokage's office, their chuunin jackets on. They got a few smiles from villagers, or mutterings. After all, it wasn't exactly normal for two men and a woman to share a home, and for them to not be in an open relationship. It was rather scandalous to the ladies of the village, whether what they were alluding to was true or not. Hidemi smiled a sad smile up at Hokage Mountain, her eyes resting on the Yondaime for a second.
"You think I could have stopped him from doing it?" murmured Hidemi, frowning slightly.
Rai and Haru didn't ask what she meant. They didn't need to. Hidemi had revealed not long after the Kyuubi attack, and the death of Namikaze Minato, that she could have altered the seal so that it didn't require the presence of the Shinigami, and therefore a sacrifice. But the Yondaime didn't give her a chance to do such an altercation. It had weighed on her mind for weeks, until it had eventually dulled.
"No." whispered Haru. "He would have gone along with it anyway. He would have felt more comfortable using something which he knew would work, rather than something else. That might not have."
Rai made a noise of agreement, as they walked up the steps to the Tower.
"Maybe." Replied Hidemi. "But I can't change the past. No matter how hard I tried."
"If you had a Time Turner you could." Shot Rai in English, causing Hidemi to grin slightly.
"Too bad that there isn't too many of those lay around, hm?" stated Haru, rolling his eyes. "Come on, up we go. Hokage-sama won't wait forever."
"He might you know. I secretly think that the guys slipping some Elixir, just to live longer to spite us all." Muttered Rai in mock-annoyance. Hidemi snorted slightly, as they got to the top floor. She stalked to the receptionist, and smiled sweetly at her. "The Hokage is expecting us."
The receptionist nodded her head, and began to scroll down a list of names of those to see the Hokage that day. Hidemi rolled her eyes, and pointed for her.
"See, we're on the list. We're going to go in now."
She walked off, with the two men behind her, who were smirking behind her back.
"What have we turned her into?" muttered Rai.
"I heard that." Hissed Hidemi.
They entered the office unannounced, to see the Hokage looking out of the window, smoking.
"You would think, being the leader of Konohagakure, you would have more work to do, Hokage-sama." Stated Haru, with a raised eyebrow.
"I do, but don't tell them outside that." Said Sandaime, who then turned around, a slightly weary look on his face. He gestured for them to sit down, but they ignored the request. Like they always did.
"You called?" asked Rai.
"I did." Said Sandaime, a light frown on his face. He then reached down, and brought out an official looking document. He placed it on the desk, frowning at it. "This is a request for an alliance with this new Hidden Village. Otogakure."
They nodded, having already heard of this through Genji.
"Our information, collected by Nezumi, shows that Otogakure had links with a missing-nin of our own: Orochimaru." Said the Sandaime. "In fact, it has been rumored that Orochimaru is the Otokage."
"Which we haven't yet been able to prove." Shot Rai, frowning slightly. "Although I would bet my shogi set that he is the kage."
"Why does Otogakure think that an alliance with Konoha would be worthwhile for us?" asked Hidemi. "What do they have that we could want?"
"Nothing." Replied Sandaime, leaning back in his chair, his pipe in his mouth. He surveyed his three commanders, and Haru nodded his head, understanding where the Sandaime was going with it.
"Otogakure knows that we know about Orochimaru being there, even though his status in the village is questionable. Therefore, by offering an alliance, they are hoping to prevent us from invading them. Orochimaru is a wanted criminal enough that should we want to invade Otogakure, it would be understandable."
"So in return for an alliance, and us not invading them, what are they offering us?" murmured Rai, thinking back to his earlier conversation with Genji.
"The knowledge that Konoha's secrets, with Orochimaru knows, will not be spread to our enemies. Like Kumogakure or our shaky relationship with Iwagakure." Announced Hidemi, receiving a nod. "I trust that you have already accepted the offer of an alliance?"
"Orochimaru was a highly trusted and respected member of Konoha, he knew about everything. If this alliance allows us to keep him quiet, then so be it." Replied Sandaime.
"But he has had years to pass on Konoha's secrets. He is only now honor bound to keep them quiet. What is not to say that Iwa now knows about the inner workings of Konoha's kekkei genkai? Or Kumo knows about the weakness of the Byakugan? Orochimaru wouldn't have given up something like this, not without reason. An alliance with Konoha isn't worth it, not when it is feasible to believe that he could have got Kumo and Iwa to team together and start up another war." Haru trailed off, his eyes widening slightly. "We did stop the war."
Hidemi and Rai looked up at Haru, their eyes also widening as they too followed his train of thought, while the Sandaime nodded wisely from behind his desk.
"You are correct, Haru-kun. That is what I theorized as well. The meeting that you three interrupted during you mission away, while the Uchiha Massacre occurred, was most likely a meeting that Orochimaru organized. A meeting, which was to ally both Kumo and Iwa together so they could start a war with us. But because you attacked them, and caused them to believe that the other country did it, it stopped all relations between them. We unknowingly back Orochimaru into a corner, and he has had to announce the forming of a new Hidden Village, which is conveniently placed between Iwa and Kumo, so that they cannot war with one another on his turf. It also means that he is able to form an alliance with us, as one of the few moves he can possibly make."
"He is a snake. When backed into a corner, they are their most dangerous. He will strike, and when he does, Konoha will have to be ready for it." Shot Haru, his mind analyzing the new information they had just received.
"We shall Haru, we shall." The way the Hokage said it, caused Haru to send him a concerned glance. He had heard another old man say something in a similar tone of voice, and mere hours later he was dead in a flash of green light. If such a thing happened to the Sandaime Hokage, Haru wasn't sure what exactly Konoha would do to survive. "Anyway, as much as I would like to continue talk about my wayward student with you, I think we have other matters to speak of?"
"Yes." Said Hidemi. "Sasuke and Naruto are getting suspicious. I think that Naruto needs to know about the Kyuubi. People hate him. They broke into our home a week ago, just to kill him. Never mind the fact that Sasuke was in the same room as him. Sasuke, whom they laud over so much as being a survivor. They were willing to kill Naruto in front of him; it's getting out of hand. Naruto, at least, deserves to know why people seem so determined to kill him."
"I have always feared when this day would come." Murmured the Sandaime, who the stood up, and looked out across Konoha as a whole. "I guess I am fool, who has put too much faith into the hearts of his people. For them to be caring and considerate. To not hold the deeds of a monster against its jailor. But I am asking too much. This is one of the few times that I am ashamed to lead people such as these. People who would be willing to kill a child to get revenge. These people are not the ones that I wish to lead. They are undeserving of the title of Konoha-nin, or citizen of this village."
"Unless you announce his lineage to the village as a whole." Shot Rai. "He is Namikaze Minato's only son and heir. If that doesn't change public opinion, then I don't know what will."
"But it isn't saying much about the public if they are so shallow to be swayed by such at thing." Accused Hidemi bitterly. "They are human beings, they need to place blame on someone, and Naruto is convenient target for them to blame. If they were given something else to be afraid of, then the hatred for Naruto would decrease."
"Bring Naruto in sometime next week." Announced Sandaime solemnly. "He shall be told then."
The three of them bowed, understanding a dismissal when they saw one.
Hatake Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, as he sat in a bar, a cup of sake in front of him, and his trusty orange book open before him. Sat all around them in their area of the bar were a variety of other jounin. Sat closer to the bar were a variety of chuunin, while a group of ninja were close to the door, ninja whom Kakashi figured must have been ANBU at some point, or maybe still were. They appeared to be rather jumpy, and were speaking to one another in whispers. Kakashi himself was secreted away with the likes of Sarutobi Asuma, Maito Gai, Yuuhi Kurenai and other jounin. The bar was quite rowdy, although it was still daytime. The bar was strictly ninja only, and all ninja that entered went into their own particular niche. The Academy Teachers stuck together, the ANBU stuck together. Hokage's secretaries stuck together, jounin, chuunin and even the occasional genin were all grouped together. Each group talking about their own thing.
Kakashi nodded in agreement with whatever Kurenai was saying, until she promptly hit him over the head for reading his book. Although she was a rookie jounin, at least in comparison to the likes of him, Gai and Asuma, she was still quite talented. As a woman, she also had a very good handle on the latest gossip, and was acquaintances with most ninja in Konoha. Therefore, when three new arrivals came into the bar, it was no small wonder that she got up to greet them.
"Ain't that the Uchiha guy?" asked Asuma, after taking a drag on his cigarette. "You know the one that moved out of the compound? They say that's how he survived the massacre."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, before flicking a single black eye over towards the three newcomers. All three of them wore chuunin vests, although they didn't appear to be well worn. At least, in comparison to the chuunin which were sat on bar stools, whose vest's had seen better days. The first of the new comers was rather tall, had red hair, which spiked out in a variety of directions, and was quite built on top. He had pale skin and the usual Inuzuka stripes on his cheeks. His eyes were blue, and had a slit as a pupil. His partner wasn't with him, which was unusual for an Inuzuka.
The woman, who was in conversation with Kurenai, was of average height. Her body was toned, not overly muscled or anything. She had tanned skin, with brown hair, which was cut in a practical manner, barely reaching her shoulders. Her eyes were a warm brown, as she gestured enthusiastically along with whatever Kurenai was saying.
The other man, who was the one that Asuma was referring to, got his attention though. He had the classic Uchiha traits, pale skin and dark hair. He was tall, but not as tall as the red head. His body was lithe, built for speed rather than power, which was an Uchiha trait as well. His eyes, however, were a piercing emerald green. His face wasn't very expressive, but whatever it did seem to express was amusement than anything else. His eyes were casually flicking around the bar, before focusing on the Academy Teachers that were to the side. Leaning down, he murmured something into the woman's ear, before walking off.
"I think I remember Obito saying something about him." Said Kakashi absently, his senses telling him that there was something strange about them.
"Hm?" Came a hum from Asuma, as the other jounin got back into conversation, with Gai proudly announcing that he could out drink any of the other jounin.
"Hai. He spoke of Uchiha Haru with pride. Apparently he was the prodigal son of the Uchiha Clan, until he refused to do something for Uchiha Fugaku. There was a large fall out, and then he moved out. Moved in with those two there. Since then, he made no advancements in rank, and has remained a chuunin ever since. Obito used to visit him often, dragged Rin with him once or twice. I never went along with him."
Asuma nodded his head, while Kurenai returned, with the woman following. The Inuzuka was in discussion with a few members of his clan at another table. He and Asuma shared an interested look, as Kurenai invited a chuunin to sit with a table full of jounin.
"Hidemi these are the useless perverts that I told you about. Useless perverts, this is Saito Hidemi." Introduced Kurenai, before sitting down and sipping her water. Hidemi chuckled to herself, as she sat with the woman. Kakashi frowned, they seemed a lot more familiar with one another than he had initially perceived. Kurenai, seeing his expression, offered an explanation. "Hidemi and I are, or rather, were genjutsu partners. There isn't really many people in this village who specialize in the field, just Hidemi, me and a handful of others."
"Were partners?" asked Asuma to the brunette.
"Kurenai surpassed me." Said Hidemi, with a shrug. "Besides, Genjutsu isn't my specialized field. She knows this. I prefer seals to anything."
Kakashi widened his eye a bit, as he suddenly understood where he had heard the name Saito Hidemi before.
"You helped the Yondaime, did you not?" questioned Kakashi, causing both Kurenai and Asuma to send him questioning looks, which Hidemi looked mildly amused, though Kakashi couldn't see why.
"Hai. Yondaime-sama and I developed a method of conducting the perfect seal, but that is all I will speak on the subject. Besides, only Sandaime-sama and Jiraiya-san would understand the mechanisms of doing such a thing, as it was a series of very complicated seals."
Asuma nodded his head, before lighting another cigarette, while Kurenai looked mildly shocked. She obviously never knew that he friend was so talented. Kakashi only knew the name, because the Sandaime had told him afterwards the person who had aided his sensei in his sacrifice. Kakashi had sworn to find them, to ask them if it could have been prevented, but ANBU had slowly taken over, and Commander Neko had given him plenty of missions to keep himself occupied. Hidemi nodded her head at him slightly, and Kakashi got the feeling that she knew exactly what his sentiments were on the subject. Though, he didn't know how she could know.
"Hidemi-chan." Called Haru, as he appeared behind the woman, causing her to roll her eyes. "The teachers are confusing me. Can you please go and speak to them about it? They didn't appear to like my idea of having a free-for-all."
"Figures." Muttered Hidemi, before stalking over to the teachers, and Haru quickly claimed her seat.
"Uchiha Haru, I take it?" asked Asuma, raising an eyebrow.
"Hai. Sarutobi Asuma, I take it?" replied Haru in the same tone of voice, while leaning back in his chair, his position relaxed. Then, a slightly intoxicated Maito Gai jumped into the conversation.
"You are Uchiha Haru, as Asuma-san said?" announced Gai, causing Haru to jerk out of his comfortable position and watched Gai warily, to Kakashi's amusement. "You are said to be great at taijutsu. I believe that it is only right that you and I fight."
Kakashi kept his features in their 'amused' position, while he watched Haru for his reaction. After all, for a chuunin to be given the chance to fight with a jounin, one would have expected him to be rather flattered. But, like all Uchiha, such an emotion wasn't prevalent in them. In fact, he still retained his amused aura, and if anything, it had increased.
"Maa maa, Gai. It's everyone's day off, no one wants any fights." Drawled Kakashi, causing the tipsy Gai, expectant Asuma and amused Haru to turn to him.
"Kakashi! My eternal rival! How can you say such a thing? How unyouthful of you. I was only thinking that Haru-san here would be grateful for such a challenge, and I with him. Isn't that correct, Haru-san?"
Haru had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look about him for a second, before he shook his head slightly.
"Iie, I must decline. We only came in here to hunt down a few Academy Teachers." He nodded over to where Hidemi was in deep discussion with the teachers. "The Hokage wants some stuff on some brats. We have no time to fight at the moment. However, I am sure you can find where we live. Pop by any time, though I'm not promising that I shall be available."
Haru still remained amused, and it was starting to make Kakashi wary. What did Uchiha Haru have to make him so confident against Gai? Even he had lost many a time against Gai, and he wasn't exactly a rookie. There was a lot more to this Uchiha, and more than likely his two comrades.
"Haru." Called the Inuzuka, as he came up behind his friend, and lent over his seated form. "Looks like my clan has been holding out on me."
"Then perhaps you should go round to the compound a bit more, hm?" shot Haru.
"You are a hypocrite." Replied the Inuzuka wryly, causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow. "You couldn't wait to get out of the Uchiha Compound, and you haven't been back there since."
Haru made a hum in agreement, his eyes flicking over to Hidemi who then came over with a role of her eyes.
"Done. Got student names from them." She offered them both a bright smile, before turning to Kakashi and Asuma and bowed to them. "I thank you both for putting up with these two; I know they can be quite a handful." She ignored the indignant cries she got from the two of them. "Kurenai-chan, I expect you round at the house sometime soon, we need to catch up. Especially with you being a jounin – you kept that quiet."
"You weren't in when I went around to see you." Said Kurenai coolly, her eyes flicking to Haru and Rai. "Apparently, you were out on a mission, according to Hokage-sama. These two were in though, but I got no answer when I knocked."
"Really, how odd." Replied Rai, scratching his head, ignoring the significant look that Haru shot him, which Kakashi picked up on. What exactly were they doing? Kakashi's eyes flicked to the orange book which was poking out of his pocket…oh. Never mind.
"Anyhow, it was nice meeting you all. Sayonara." Said Haru, as the three chuunin left the bar.
"You think they were up to something?" questioned Asuma to Kakashi, having obviously picked up on the ex-ANBU's observation.
"Maybe. Are they usually that close to the Hokage? Doing things for him like that?" asked Kakashi, raising an eyebrow to the Hokage's son.
"I've seen them around the Tower a few times. Never put a name to the face mind you. Just sorta assumed that they were just his usual chuunin helpers. But they acted nothing like that Iruka does. They seem a lot more…aware." Replied Asuma.
"What, so you two think that there is more to them than what meets the eye?" asked Kurenai, and if Kakashi wasn't mistaken, she seemed almost amused.
"Perhaps."
Kurenai's scarlet eyes flashed in amusement, before it disappeared.
"They prefer to keep to themselves, but from whatever Demi has told me, Haru is overly suspicious of anything and everything. So such a thing isn't really much of a surprise. They serve as the Hokage's eyes and ears around the village. They often take long-distance missions, which take them out of the village for a few months at a time. They still work as a team, but they can each work on their own. Demi, and most likely the other two, refuse to take the jounin exam, for reasons no one is sure about. Except the Hokage, who I am pretty sure knows all of their secrets. What I do know for certain is that they trust none but each other, and from the few times that I visited their home, and watched them interact, they are the closest ninja team I have ever come across."
"For teams to get close like that isn't really surprising." Murmured Asuma, causing Kurenai to smile at him, and pat him on the shoulder in a patronizing way.
"I didn't really mean quite like that."
Kakashi got up, as he walked towards the Teachers. He lent against the bar, and was in the process of ordering more drinks, when he overheard the teachers talking.
"Why would Saito-san need the Academy files on Uchiha Itachi and Shisui? What good what that do?"
"They said it was for the Hokage."
"But still – what could the Hokage want with such files?"
Kakashi froze, as he mechanically carried the drinks back to the table. What was going on? Why did the Hokage want those files?
"Do you think that he will take the bait?" questioned Rai in a quiet voice, as the three of them journeyed back to their home.
"Maybe. Kakashi has always been quite a talented ninja, and his years under my tutelage have increased his abilities." Replied Hidemi. "Though, whether or not it will work, is another thing entirely. You are relying too much on Kakashi being quite vocal in his inquiries. Vocal enough to reach outside of the village anyway."
"Whenever the Uchiha are involved, everyone's ears strain to listen. They always have done. I would be surprised if it doesn't reach the civilian villages within a month." Stated Haru confidently.
"Do you ever feel as though we are in the wrong? We are playing god with these shinobi. We are making them do things. Hell, the old man wants us to pretty much fix the genin squads, all for the sake of Konoha." Hissed Rai.
"Makes you feel almost like Dumbledore, ne?" shot Haru, his voice almost nostalgic.
"But he did it in a different way. He had some style, I would give him that." Replied Rai.
"And we don't? The weak chuunins, forever to be underestimated for all time, doing things for the Hokage that no one knows about? No one expects us to have the skills necessary to undermine everyone, and to make them do the sort of things we need them to." Announced Hidemi, as she unlocked the door to their home.
"All for the sake of the village." Whispered Haru.
"That, and the fact that the old man wants to make another Sannin-Like team. Makes you wonder whether the first one was fixed, hm?" murmured Rai, watching as Hidemi bustled about the kitchen, tuning out the males' conversation.
"Maybe. We could never prove it. At first we thought that the Sandaime wanted to put Sasuke and Naruto on the same team for their safety, but now he wants it as a way to give the village hope. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy. He thinks that the village could fall within ten years, and wants a group around to inspire the same hope that the original sannin did. Just incase things go wrong." Assumed Haru.
"I doubt your wrong. But he knows that we will help him do this, even though it is unethical to fix the teams like this. The old man has allowed us to retain our anonymity in the village, no matter the cost. He has allowed us to flourish without the general hype that surrounds such a thing. He knows that we owe him."
"Even though we could inspire such hope if we removed our masks." Declared Haru.
"Lets hope that day never comes. If it ever does come, then maybe the entirety of the old man's plots will come. This could all be a big plan to make us take up the mantle of leading Konoha into the future. I have lost count of the amount of times he has made that suggestion."
"The old man could have another agenda, but until he makes it clear, or until it becomes noticeable, we will continue on with his plans. Unless they interfere with our own." Said Hidemi, bringing three cups of tea, and three herbal cigarettes.
"Aye."
With that, the three old friends toasted to it.
To Uzumaki Naruto, life couldn't really get much better than the way it was now. He had a purpose, he had a friend, and he had his precious people. He had a place to go to when his apartment got too big for him. He had a place he could go for free food, rather than the ramen stand where the owners took pity and gave him free food every so often. He had real teachers, people who actually took an interest in what he did.
But, not sound like he was not appreciating Iruka-sensei's efforts, but he felt that was Haru-nii-san and the others were doing was making him so much better. He felt like he could be Hokage next week, if he tried. Although, when he informed Sasuke of this, the boy had given him a rather strange look, before brushing him off with a whispered 'dobe'.
He didn't think that Sasuke realized how well he had it. He didn't have to lie to anyone, at least, not really. He could continue to be the best possible, doing enough to reach the top of his class, but nothing beyond it. But each day Naruto went to the academy, he felt as though he was doing something wrong. Sure, lying was a tool that ninja's used regularly, but he was lying to his comrades, and that just wasn't right. According to Rai-nii-san, it was all about making ones enemies and allies underestimate you in battle.
Naruto could understand what the red head was on about. At least, he thought so. But deep down, he didn't think it was right. Why should lies be covered in more lies, and everything coming out of a ninja's life be a string of carefully manufactured half-truths? What sort of life was that? How could anyone keep track of it?
He felt that in the last year since the trio had taken him under their wing. Since he had started to get a family, and a friend. He thought of them as his family, whether they agreed on that sentiment or not, he didn't care. But he was eating at their home at least four times a week. So that had to mean something.
He hated the fact that he had failed his exam, all for the sake of this team that Haru had come up with. He didn't think that the teme and him would make a good team. Why should they? They were complete opposites? They had nothing in common. They could barely work together, and when they fought one another, things never went according to plan. But when he had brought this up to Haru, the green-eyed man had just smiled mysteriously, before ruffling Naruto's hair, and asked the boy to trust him.
How could he not? The ninja who had saved his life however many times, taught him how to be a ninja. Taught him tactics and skills. How to behave and act. He was ever patient with Naruto's incessant questions, even when Hidemi had given up hope. The ninja who had given Naruto everything, and had welcomed him to their strange little family within the comfortable home, in the Middle-Class district of Konoha, so different to his run-down apartment. Naruto thought that he owed the man more than he trust. But if that was all he asked in return, Naruto would give it him to his hearts content.
All the while, he was counting down the time until Sasuke joined his class. Until the time came to stop pretending. The time came for him to put his skills to the test. He wasn't stupid; he knew that Haru was doing this for a reason. His years suffering in the harsh environment of what the worst a shinobi village could offer, was that everything had a price. Nothing was done without reason. Naruto was waiting for the reason to occur, and he swore that he would be ready for it. He wouldn't let Haru-nii-san down. He wouldn't. He owed the man more than trust; he owed the man his life. He owed him everything.
Haru stood in the office of the Hokage, with Hidemi by his side. Rai was at home, keeping an eye on Sasuke to make sure the boy didn't run off and do more training. He was a bit obsessive with it, as Haru had learnt over the few months since had had taken the boy in.
The Hokage was stationed behind his desk, his eyes settled on the small figure of the smiling, yet confused Naruto. A sad, solemn look was on the Hokage's face, as he appeared to be readying himself for what was to come.
"Ohayo old man." Said Naruto, having gotten fed up with the silence. "What's up?"
The Hokage continued to stare at Naruto as though he was seeing someone else. If Haru could make a guess, he would reckon that it was the boy's father the old Hokage was seeing. Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Naruto almost looked one and the same. Aside from Naruto's slightly darker skin and whisker marks. Haru would put good money on Naruto becoming something akin to what Minato became, and he hoped that his teachings would aid the kid into becoming that.
"I have asked you to come here." Began Sandaime, after he had spent a few minutes carefully gathering his thoughts. "I think it is past time that you were informed of this. But that is an old man's mistake, and for that I am sorry."
Naruto looked genuinely confused, but didn't interrupt.
"There was once a man, a great man. He was loved by all the village, and he was incredibly powerful. His skill in battle, and compassion for his enemies made him a legend. He was a hero of this village, and naturally like all heroes, he 'got the girl'." The Hokage smiled ruefully at this, and Haru did as well. If anything, Uzumaki Kushina had gotten Minato, rather than it being the other way around. "But, his chosen girl wasn't all that approved by the elders in this village. After all, the man was in line to become the next Hokage. So they kept it all pretty much a secret, aside from a chosen few, and the silent guardians who had been assigned to protect the future Hokage."
Naruto's eyes flicked to where Haru and Hidemi stood, and Haru knew that the Hokage picked up on it, as he nodded his head towards Naruto.
"Yes, these two here are some of these silent guardians. Though, that fact doesn't go beyond these walls. ANBU Captains Neko and Karasu, as well as many others, over looked the hero of the village, and his beloved. Protecting them from enemies outside of the village, and within."
Haru could clearly recall and assassination attempt on Kushina, made by members of the Village Council. There had been some shady links to leader of ANBU Root, Danzo, but nothing concrete. When Minato had found out, the man had become so cold, it was disconcerting. The next day, all of those who had arranged for it to happen, whether it could be proven or not, had bee found dead. All aside from Danzo, who was untouchable. It was the day when Haru had began to respect Namikaze Minato, and knew that he would follow the man as his Hokage.
"I don't see what this has to do with why I should be here." Questioned Naruto.
"You will see Naruto." Murmured the Sandaime. "Eventually, the hero's love became pregnant with his child, and they were both blissfully happy. The hero became the Hokage, and everything was at peace. No wars, no violence, nothing. That was until the child was due, and then in one single night, everything changed. The greatest of all the demon, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, attacked our village. The hero's love gave birth to the child, but died in the process. All the hero had left in the world was his son, in a village which would soon perish before the claws of such a mighty beast. Unless he did something which could condemn his son forever. It was either this, or the village would be destroyed. He hoped dearly that his son would understand someday." Here, the Sandaime looked up at Naruto, locking eyes with the nine year old. "What do they tell you about the Yondaime Hokage's sacrifice and the Kyuubi no Kitsune at the Academy?"
Naruto gulped, before speaking.
"That nine years ago, the Yondaime sacrificed himself for the village. That he killed the Kyuubi that night, and for that he became a hero that everyone respected. It was a great loss for the village."
"What they teach you at the Academy is a lie." Cut the Sandaime, leaning back in the chair, ignoring Naruto's shocked and intrigued expression for a moment. "The Yondaime sacrificed his life, yes, but there is a discrepancy in the story you just recited to me. Demons cannot be killed. They have no bodies, as they are pure chakra, nothing else. The only way in which to defeat such an enemy is to seal it."
Naruto's eyes turned to Hidemi for a moment, who the boy knew liked to use seals in her work.
"Hidemi here is a Seal Mistress, and if you are ever interested in the mechanics of what I am about to tell you, you may ask her. She engineered some of it herself." Stated the Sandaime. "The Kyuubi is the most powerful of all demons. It couldn't be put into an object, but something alive. Something young enough that it could accommodate the Kyuubi's chakra, rather than something with chakra which had developed. So the Yondaime had to seal the demon away into child, whose chakra was underdeveloped enough that the influx of the Kyuubi's chakra wouldn't damage it. I trust that by now, you have understood enough about the man's character to tell me what he did?"
"He used his own son." Whispered Naruto in awe.
"He did, he sealed the Kyuubi no Kitsune within his own son, and sacrificed his life doing it. Leaving his son an orphan, with no one to rely on. His last wish was for the citizens of this village to treat the child as a hero. The boy's identity was never revealed to the village, as the Yondaime had enemies who would do anything to get their hands on his son. So the boy was a no-body, put into an orphanage, and put to the mercy of the village's inhabitants. But they were not kind to him. They didn't acknowledge their hero's last request to them. To such a point that here we are, nine years later, and I am telling you this. Why do you think I am doing this, Naruto?"
Naruto's eyes were wide, and watery.
"You want me to befriend the boy?" asked Naruto meekly, as he lowered his eyes to the ground.
"No Naruto. I know you are smarter than that. Why am I telling you this?" Here, the Hokage paused for breath, and then he steadied himself. "Why am I telling you that you are the only son and heir of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his lover, Uzumaki Kushina?"
"Because I am a monster!" roared Naruto, who then sped out of the office, tears streaming down his face.
The Hokage had stood up quickly, but none of them could stop the child, or had the heart to.
"Did I do the right thing?" murmured the Hokage, ignoring the curious people outside the office, wondering what the commotion was.
"He deserved to know." Replied Haru.
"He has been told all of his life that he is a nobody. I think being told that he is a somebody was a huge shock for him. Too big to handle." Said Hidemi softly, her eyes sad.
When Sasuke had been told that Naruto was missing, he had initially laughed it off. The dobe always disappeared for period of time, but always came back to get fed. He ignored the serious looks the trio wore, as he dug into his food. But when night fell, and the three of them were still worried, Sasuke figured that maybe there was something to be worried about. So that night, when he was sure that all the others were asleep, Sasuke got up to go and find Naruto. He left the house, and began to walk down the street. During the night, Konoha was a strange place to be in. The only things moving were the occasional patrol group, who had stopped to watch him, before moving off.
The village was lit up by the occasional light, and the natural moonlight, nothing else. Sasuke began to walk the streets, searching in his mind for where Naruto would be. He looked up towards Hokage Mountain, searching for some inspiration, then he paused, looking at it. Lit up by moonlight, the four heads were perfectly aglow. So was the small figure on top of the Yondaime's head. Bingo.
It took Sasuke about ten minutes to reach the mountain, and then a few minutes climbing it. He reached the Yondaime's head, and saw Naruto there. He was awake, and was staring at the night sky. His eyes were glazed, as though he wasn't really there. His face held tearstains, and he looked like he hadn't moved in a few hours. Sasuke jumped down next to him, and noticed that his presence wasn't even noticed.
"What are you doing up here, dobe?" questioned Sasuke with a raised eyebrow. "You've had everyone worried."
"Why would they worry?" asked Naruto, ignoring the question. His voice was monotonous, and sounded dead.
"Why wouldn't they? You didn't show up to eat, and you know how Hidemi gets." Here, Sasuke rolled his eyes. He then looked onto the head they were sat on. "Don't you think sitting on Yondaime-sama's head is a bit disrespectful?"
"I'm sure he won't mind." Came the reply, the tone dull, lacking the energetic quality that Sasuke had come to associate with Naruto. It also had something else, something akin to amusement. Though, Sasuke must have missed the joke. Sasuke was then startled when Naruto spoke. "Do you think it is possible to piss off some higher being, before you were even born?"
"No." said Sasuke automatically. "Why?"
"Then I must have done something really bad in a previous life…or whatever." Murmured Naruto, as he slowly sat up. His body cracked, as the stiff bones began to move after being stuck in the same position for hours.
"What's happened?" demanded Sasuke, getting fed up with Naruto avoiding the questions.
"I was told about my parents today." Said Naruto. "And why everyone hates me."
Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, while his mind whirled to the conversation he had had with the trio a few weeks before.
"Today is Naruto's birthday. He is nine years old. Naruto is an orphan, his mother died birthing him, and his father died in the fight against the Kyuubi no Kitsune. The reason why everyone hates him is tied with his birth, and what happened to him subsequently." Hidemi said.
"Everything suddenly makes sense." Stated Naruto.
"Naruto, what were you told." Questioned Sasuke, frowning. He didn't like this Naruto, he wanted the other one back.
"My mum was a person the council didn't approve of. Apparently they tried to kill her. She was called Uzumaki Kushina." Said Naruto. "My dad was called Namikaze Minato, and he was this guy." Here Naruto kicked the head below his foot.
Sasuke eye's widened. Naruto was the son of the Yondaime Hokage? The greatest Hokage there has ever been, as well as the strongest ninja that ever graced the Hidden Countries. That was unbelievable.
"What is so bad about that?" asked Sasuke, frowning.
"It gets better." Shot Naruto. "Apparently you can't kill a demon. They can only be sealed. The Kyuubi was so powerful, it had to be put into a living host. A young, living host. Coincidently, my mother died giving birth to me, on the very day the Kyuubi attacked. I trust you can work out the rest yourself."
Sasuke stared at Naruto, his eyes were almost calculating.
"You can go now." Said Naruto. "You've looked at the monster. Bye."
"Why would I go? Your still the dobe, it doesn't matter what the idiots down there think." Hissed Sasuke, jerking his head at the village, while assimilating the new information with what he knew of Naruto, and drawing a blank. Those three knew about all of this. Might be why they were so insistent on training him.
Naruto made a noncommittal noise.
"You know, if you give in and become what they expect you to be, then your not the dobe I thought I knew. I fact, I think your worse than a dobe." Hissed Sasuke, trying to get a reaction.
Naruto's face morphed into a scowl, but he didn't say anything.
"If you let yourself be dictated to by them, then your not honoring your parents memory." Said Sasuke, ignoring how close to home this was hitting. Should he be honoring his parents memory, and be out there looking for Itachi? He was acting hypocritical, but the situations were different.
"No, I'm not." Murmured Naruto. "I guess I will have to prove them wrong. Become Hokage and all that."
"Yes." Said Sasuke seriously, nodding his head. "I will be right there with you all the way."
Naruto offered him a small smile, and they both sat there in the moonlight.
"You know." Began Naruto. "You're not a bad teme you know."
Sasuke chuckled lightly.
"Yeh, I know."
Silence descended on them, until Naruto broke it.
"What are your parents like?" asked Naruto.
Sasuke shot him a confused look. Didn't he know?
"They died." Murmured Sasuke, his eyes downcast.
"Oh." Replied Naruto. "I never knew. Just thought you were living with them for other reasons or whatever." He shot Sasuke a look. "What happened?"
Sasuke gave Naruto a curious look, before speaking.
"You have never heard of the Uchiha Clan, have you?"
Naruto shook his head.
"I am apart of the clan, as is Haru. The difference is that I am apart of the main branch, as my father was the Head of the Clan." Murmured Sasuke. "The clan was large, rivaling that of the Hyuuga Clan. We had an entire section of the village to ourselves. Clan secrets, everything. The clan ran the Police Force. It was once said that the Uchiha Clan was the strongest clan in Konoha, due to our bloodline ability: the Sharingan. But all of this changed about a year ago."
Naruto remained quiet, watching him.
"Our clan was a clan of genius ninja, this is why everyone expects so much from me. But, there is at least one ninja, every so often, which is a clan prodigy. Haru, who is my cousin of some relation, was the first one of our generation. Of this generation of Uchiha, he is the eldest. He was a prodigy, rookie of the year and everything, so he told me. But, he had an argument with my father, the Clan Head, and then moved out of the district. He was the Black Sheep of the family. This happened about twelve years ago. The clan sought a new prodigy, and found one in Clan Heir, who was but a toddler. Uchiha Itachi, my older brother." The name was like poison on his lips. "My brother was a master at everything. At our age, he was already a ninja. By the time he was thirteen, he was apart of ANBU." He gave Naruto a significant look, which the boy got. He was part of the same unit that the trio were secretly apart of. "A year ago, I returned home from the academy. I had been training late. I returned home to the district in shambled. Blood was everywhere…" He trailed off.
"Everyone was dead." Whispered Sasuke, his eyes closed as he saw everything. "I ran to the main house, my house. I came in time to see my parents get murderer. By my own brother. The one who I looked up to, idolized, who I wanted to be. He had killed every member of my clan, aside from me, and Haru, who was out on a mission. He told me to get stronger, to acquire a thirst for vengeance, and come after him to kill him. I had full intentions of doing as such, until Haru changed my mind."
Naruto's face was pale, and if Sasuke didn't know better, he would think the other boy was looking at him in a new light.
"What did Haru do to change your mind?"
"He told me about you. Said if you didn't give into the whims of childish and pathetic villagers, then why should I give into my psychotic elder brother and do as he wants me to do?"
Naruto made a shocked noise, but the expression of delight that flickered across his face couldn't be missed. He was obviously pleased that someone held such a good opinion of him.
"I guess we aren't so different, ne teme?"
A week later, when Haru was out on a patrol duty, he looked back on his young charges with a sense of pride. In fact, if anyone were to see the speedy ANBU Commander as he flicked through the trees, they would take note of the extra spring in his step. He knew that he was behaving like a proud parent, but he didn't care. He had accepted a long time ago that he would never have children. The Potter Line had died with him, and the lifestyle he lived now was too important to give up. He put his hopes on Sasuke reproducing, and then carrying on the Uchiha Line, and recreating the reputation of the Uchiha. Although this time they would be truly deserving of their reputation.
Haru paused on one of the branches, as he absently itched the red ANBU tattoo that was on his left bicep. He was wearing the standard ninja uniform, except he wore a white vest over it. A kodachi was on his back, with various holsters for smaller weapons on his body. His raven mask was on his face, which restricted his eyesight, yet allowed his hearing to become more sensitive. So sensitive, that he could pick up the footfalls of two individuals.
Individuals whom were heading in his direction, but on the forest floor below. Haru immediately crouched down, his chakra presence decreased in a second. From what his hearing was telling him, the two individuals were different in the way they moved. One was light on their feet, moving at a casual speed. The other was heavier, and appeared to be lumbered down with something, which was only noticeable due to his sharper than normal hearing. Eventually, they came within eye line, and Haru felt his blood freeze. Red clouds. The Akatsuki.
He was an ANBU Commander, yes, but he wasn't foolish enough to take on these members of Akatsuki. It would have been asking for trouble. So instead, he did something else.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
He murmured, creating a clone of himself. Haru watched long enough for his clone to jump down to greet the trespassers, and nuke-nin, while he himself retreated a safe distance. He the continued on his way towards his destination, near the border patrols towards Kaze no Kuni, where they had new information on Sunagakure. He had covered a few miles before information hit his brain, causing him to pause on a branch to steady himself, while the new information assimilated itself.
When it did, his eyes widened beneath his mask, and he felt his fists clench of their own accord. Hoshigaki Kisame, the heavier footsteps, bearing his sword Samehada, as he was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. A S-Class Nuke-nin, having left his village three years ago. With him was his partner, a fourteen year old Uchiha Itachi, S-Class Nuke-nin, and one of the most wanted ninjas in Hi no Kuni.
A wry smirk appeared on Haru's visage, as he chuckled to himself. The ANBU that Itachi had once been, still remained. He still recognized his commanding officers, and had stopped Kisame from attacking the shadow clone. All on the basis that he was ANBU Commander Karasu, and had been known to be the more vicious of the five Commanders. He knew all the rumors surrounding the five, and he wasn't about to risk his teammates life over such a thing.
The irony was that if Uchiha Haru, chuunin of Konohagakure has stood there, then Itachi would have probably led the charge to attack him.
'What an amusing thought. Maybe all this secrecy is good for something.'
TRIVIA: ANBU Tattoos. Males have them on their left bicep, females on their right. As proven by Kakashi and Yuugao. Google their ANBU images. :)
A plot has now and completely formed for this story. I had some problems with this chapter, as I had to go back and get my story straight with the previous chapters, so that was I was writing made sense. Then I pretty much changed EVERYTHING that is going to happen.
Let me tell you, from here on out, this story will be getting confusing. Full of conspiracy theories and strange theories with chakra and magic and the like.
If you have read the recent manga chapters, you will have an advantage about what will happen. Whatever has happened up to now, I am tweaking slightly so that it fits the story. As of the moment, it is working.
I am also going to try to explain some things which quite frankly – don't make any sense at all in the manga. For example, as genius as Itachi was, how could he killed 100 people (estimate) many of whom are ninja, with not one of them raising the alarm?
All shall be revealed.
Please review. Every single one makes me smile. I also have my exam results coming out tomorrow – so much love shall be appreciated.
ALSO – GO TO MY PROFILE THEN CLICK ON MY LINK TO YOUTUBE. WATCH MY HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE TRAILER TIMED TO NARUTO. It's amazing :)
Morrigu-chan x