Chapter 7. The scroll with burnt pages

They passed the remains of the wall and Arashi wondered.

"What village it was?"

Strange man-monster turned to him with unreadable expression on his face.

"It was destroyed long time ago. So it doesn't have name now. Its name doesn't matter anymore."

Umi shot Arashi a warning look – don't push him – and blond Hokage decided to obey for this time.

They walked around broken shops, trees and Arashi kept wondering – what kind of disaster should happened to destroy this beautiful place – it was beautiful, he believed. Finally they stopped near the remains of the small house. It didn't look like the place worth to live but at least it had the roof unlike to the other buildings with only walls and remains of windows.

"You look terrible," Umi turned to their companion. "Let me help you. Let's have a rest for a little."

It was the truth – the man was out of breath and looked older thah he was only several minutes ago.

"That's ok," he stopped her. "It doesn't matter – I'll die anyway. The source that kept me alive for that long – Gobi – is now gone, as for my chakra… it's too weak. It won't keep me in this world for long."

"That's horrible!" Umi exhaled. "I'll remove the seal immediately, let me…"

He caught her hands in the middle of jutsu.

"Don't. Please," he pleaded. "I want to die. I don't want to be a monster anymore."

Umi dropped her hands looking at him and Arashi in despair.

"What I have done," was read in her look.

Yondaime cleared the throat.

"Why this monster was kept in you?" he asked. "Why did you attack people? What was the purpose?"

Old man's look was somewhere far beyond the horizon and when he began to speak Arashi almost didn't hear him.

"It happened many years ago…There was a very strong shinobi's village. Not the best maybe but one of the best. Here lived good people. Strong, brave, true warriors. The village prospered but one day their neighbors decided they don't have enough place to live and started the war. It was cruel ages. Many people died but none of the sides couldn't win. So the elders and best shinobies gathered and found the way to become stronger. They created the jutsu to summon demon beast with such a strong chakra that could crush the mountains and create lakes."

"But summoning demon isn't enough," Umi whispered. "To use this chakra one must control it!"

"You are right," the man nodded. "They found the way to seal the demon into human's body so the human container could control it."

"Controlling such a crazy chakra," Arashi whispered. "It's impossible!"

"That's difficult but not impossible," the man turned to him. "If you put it into new burn baby who will grow with this thing inside he will get used to it."

"That's cruel," Umi shook her head. "Those who created this jutsu were monsters themselves. To do this with a child not giving him the right to choose."

"There was a war," the man reminded her. "They just wanted their village to survive. Didn't you the same to your village?"

"I…"Umi stopped. "I don't know…" she trailed.

"The most crucial part," the man continued. "Was when the child grows up enough to use the full power of the beast. If the child uses its chakra in improper way or his own chakra is too weak then the monster can overpower him and take the control. So the child becomes a monster himself."

"That happened to you," now Arashi understood. "You…you destroyed your own village!"

The man lowered his head.

"Every man…every woman…nobody survived that night," he whispered.

Umi's face became pale as moon.

"That wasn't you," she touched his hand. "It was Gobi, do you hear me?"

"I was too weak," the man sighed.

Remembrances brought him a lot of pain. Arashi saw it but couldn't find the proper words to comfort him. This story…was too horrible to accept.

"When the chief of the village understood what happened it was too late," the man continued his tale. "He performed some jutsu that imprisoned me at this place. I…killed him but the jutsu's effect didn't disappear. I couldn't get out of here…living for years unable to die thanks to this damned chakra."

"What can we do for you?" Arashi couldn't recognize his own voice – so uncertain and shocked it sounded.

The man stood up, went to the remains of the house and gave him a big scroll. It was burnt in several places and looked like very old thing.

"Please keep it," he pleaded. "Or destroy it. Do anything you like but don't let it fall into wrong hands. It will be the end for this world if it happens. It contains both the jutsus for summoning the monster and sealing it into human's body."

"We can't take it," Umi's voice sounded scared. "It's too dangerous! We must destroy it!"

"But if there is somebody more with monster inside?' Arashi looked at her and took the scroll. "If somebody tries to create and perform this jutsu again we must have the key for fighting it! And of course we must make sure this scroll won't be in wrong hands after all. Ever."

"It's the lethal weapon, blond shinobi," the man warned. "Here, in your hands you hold the key to save the world or to destroy it!"

"I understand," Arashi's look became gravely serious so unlike to him. "I promise I'll protect it with my life!"

"That's good, I trust you," the man smiled sadly. "Now, please, go. I don't have much time left and I want to die here, where my house was, alone. Farewell and thank you for saving me!"

Arashi and Umi nodded unable to answer him. No one couldn't find the words to say to the dying man who did so much evil in his life…and was so not guilty at the same time. So they just walked away both silent tears kept hidden somewhere in their eyes.

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"What shall we do with the scroll?" Umi asked when they got out of the destroyed village.

"I'd kept it behind the bunch of strong protecting jutsus," Arashi said. "We don't need the risk."

"But what about the village where you are going to keep it?" Umi asked turning to him. "Mist of leaf?"

Arashi sighed. It was really difficult question.

"Look," he turned to her. "I don't know if even the elders should know about this scroll. Mizukage and hokage are the only men we can trust that's what I think. But still there is a chance that they would like to use it for their purpose."

"I don't like the idea of keeping the scroll," Umi said again. "To destroy it would be the best. Still I have a feeling…" she trailed.

"What feeling?" Arashi turned around to face her.

Umi's eyes narrowed and at the same moment she shouted.

"Suiton: Suishoha!" and a huge wave raised its edge right above Arashi's head.

"Wha?" Yondaime exhaled. "What of the sudden? His companion decided to kill him? Was it all about the scroll? It just couldn't be!"

But as he kept thinking the wave passed along him and rushed to the nearest tree knocking a figure hidden on the branch.

"I have a feeling I've been watched," Umi finally finished the sentence.

Arashi in an instance understanding the situation flashed to their knocked down opponent and pushed him to the ground not giving him a chance to attack.

"Easier, blondy boy," somebody very familiar to him growled just under his hands.

"Orochimaru?" Arashi choked out tightening his grip.

"The one and only," dark haired shinobi laughed.

"Do you know this jerk?" Umi asked watching ths scene attentively.

"Of course," Arashi squeezed his opponent's hands making him to get up. "He was one of the Sannin once but now he is a criminal."

"What has he done?" Umi wondered.

"Oh, nothing special, young lady," Orochimaru smiled showing his snake tongue and Umi shuddered. "Just happened to be at the wrong time at the wrong place."

"He conducted forbidden experiments that endangered people's lives," Arashi explained replacing his grip with the tight rope. "Was caught and ran away. So we'll do a good job if we convoy him to the hidden leaf's prison."

"Why did you follow us?" Umi asked Orochimaru with suspicion. "What were you doing?"

"What are you talking about?" Snake master looked surprised.

"Don't play fool," Arashi growled. "I know you too well. What are your intentions?"

"My intentions?" Orochimaru laughed. "Funny boy, even becoming hokage you stayed the same idiot you have always been! Futon: Daitoppa! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)" and world around Arashi exploded. Yondaime had to back out quickly to avoid the main damage.

"You!" he shouted getting up and desperately trying to catch him but all he saw was a figure running away.

"Arashi, scroll!" he heard Umi's shout of horror and his eyes widened as he realized what happened. Oroshimaru, this bastard, stole it!

"So he heard the whole story of the monster man," Yondaime realized as his hands already performed two jutsus almost at the same time – searching and body flicker. At the next moment he disappeared too.

"I was right after all," Umi sighed saying to nobody. "This scroll will bring us only problems. Mizu-Shunshin! (Water Body Flicker)" she concentrated her chakra and quickly followed them.

Yondaime's heart was racing.

"What a fool I was," he cursed while he was getting closer to Orochimaru. "It was the first thing I should think about, that he was there to get the scroll but I didn't. Umi was right, four thousand times right. This thing is too dangerous to keep."

He finally saw Orochimaru standing at the large mountain near the sea holding the scroll with his hands and smiling with his awful smile.

Arashi thought for a moment and then shouted with all power of his lungs gathering chakra in his body.

"Katon, Karyuu Endan!" and the scroll began to burn. Orochimaru's smile turned into mask of pain.

"Fool!" he shouted fighting with flame. "Don't you understand what you are doing? It's ultimate weapon! Probably it's the most powerful jutsu in the world!"

Arashi didn't answer – he was too busy with his next move. He jumped on Orochimaru causing the snake master to drop the scroll.

"I've caught it!" Umi's triumphing shout resounded along the mountains as she got hold on the scroll.

"I'll kill you!" Orochimaru growled and rushed to her throwing Arashi away like he was just a little insect.

"Suirou no Jutsu!" Umi shouted raising her hand and a great wave raised from the sea surrounding all around. The water gathered around Orochimaru causing him to stop.

"Seneitajashu!" he turned around and a thousand of snakes rushed to Umi. Arashi flashed on their way.

"Katon eiki toku!" Arashi growled and a huge wall of flames stood up on the way of Orochimaru's snakes stopping them.

The snake master himself looked awful. His hand was badly burnt, his clothes were wet, and his eyes flashed with crazy light.

"Give me the scroll!" he shouted throwing another bunch of snakes to Arashi and Umi causing them to step back closer to one another.

"Don't give him the scroll," Arashi whispered trying to catch his breath. "At all costs!" and then concentrated the remains of his chakra around his body turning into the figure of light. Then he rushed to Orochimaru.

Umi couldn't believe with her eyes. No one, even shinobi couldn't move at such speeds! She couldn't match it even with her sight leave alone to counter attack. But Orochimaru dodged somehow.

"Lightning body," he laughed. "Your favorite technique. You think you're indestructible with that, aren't you? Sorry to disappoint you but my snakes are much faster! Seneitajashu!" Arashi crushed one snake then another but there were too much of them! He couldn't react, he had used a lot of his chakra in his fight with monster-man!

Feeling the uncertainty Orochimaru laughed.

"You are thousand years younger to fight me, blondy!" he stood up preparing the next strike. "Sarutobi-sensei made a great to promote such a weakling to the Hokage!"

"Maybe," somebody's grave voice caused both Arashi and Orochimaru to shudder. "But he's not fighting alone!"

Arashi turned around and saw Umi, silver blue chakra all around her body became visible. She was making some quick hand moves he couldn't match with. A second later he felt he's beginning to freeze. A wave of water passed along him to Orochimaru in an instant freezing and catching the snake master into the ice.

"You will pay for that," his lips whispered as he turned into an ice statue.

"I'm so scared," Umi laughed coming to Arashi. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, thanks to you," Arashi smiled. "But this jutsu…such a crazy chakra. I haven't seen any shinobi doing this trick in my life!"

"It's my new jutsu," Umi blushed coming closer to the frozen man. "Nobody has seen it before. Did you like it?"

"It's magnificent," Arashi answered honestly.

Busy with their talk they forgot about Orochimaru for a moment. Arashi heard a sound of cracking ice but it was too late. It exploded into thousand of pieces showing Orochimaru completely unaffected.

"The scroll!" Arashi thoughts raced as he rushed to the criminal holding the scroll and smiling.

Seeing this Umi made a quick move with her hand and a wave catching snake master's body pushed it from the mountain. But something went wrong - at the middle of jutsu Arashi almost felt that Mizukage lost the control of her chakra and the wave took her away too.

"No!" Arashi's heart stopped for a moment. What he had to do now? From the one side he had to take the scroll from Orochimaru at all costs and from the other he couldn't let Umi die!

"Grrr.." he gathered all his chakra left giving it into speed - the one and only weapon he had at that time.

The time divided into small moments.

First move – and Orochimaru falls down the mountain, the end of the scroll in his hand. Arashi caught the other side and at the same moment it broke into two pieces. One of them stayed in Arashi's hand while the other one turned to be in Orochimaru's hands.

Second move – and the scroll into snake master's hands exploded and began to burn with yellow flame. Arashi smiled – his opponent's face expression was priceless. Orochimaru continued falling while Yondaime made the last one and the most important move – he jumped from the cliff catching Umi with his one hand and holding the rope with the other.

"Huph," Arashi sighed. "What a fight."

Umie's eyes opened and she saw hokage's face close to hers.

"Did you win?" she sked.

"Of course," Arashi laughed. "I always win. It can't be another way. How are you?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Looks like I should work on this jutsu – it eats too much of chakra. I even can't create a clone now."

"Everything will be o…" Arashi began and then the stone holding the rope fell down the closs and they continued falling.

Umi caught one stone and continued hanging breathing heavily.

"Hold on!" Arashi shouted a few meters higher. "I'll give you a hand!"

"It's too dangerous!" she shouted back to him. "You don't have much chakra left either! If you fall you will die!"

"I won't let you die!" Arashi breathed out trying to reach her. "Hold the hand, quicker, come on!"

Something in his eyes caused Umi to obey. What was it? Power, the will to help, friendship? Something that made him different from everybody she met before. She couldn't describe it but when she looked in these eyes she felt like there was no thing in the world she couldn't do.

So she just gave him her hand and he caught it.

"Alright," he made himself smile. "Come on, easier, one more step and…"

Ten minutes later they fell on the top of the cliff tired but alive.

"We did it," Arashi sighed turning on his back and looking at the sky. It felt good – like he hadn't breathed such a wonderful air in his life.

"You knew it, didn't you?" Umi's voice sounded gravely.

He got up looking at her, her face terribly serious like something wrong happened – something he didn't know.

"Know about what?" he asked hesitating.

"You saved my life," Umi sat hugging her legs. "Our family always had traditions about it. If somebody saves your life then you owe him for the rest of your life. My life is your life now, my village is your village, my friends are you friends, my home is your home. Did you know it?"

"No," Arashi shook his head. "I think you take it too serious. I just helped you, that's all."

"You didn't know," Umi concluded in disbelief and chuckled. "You are such a baka, you didn't know what you were doing."

"I know only one thing," Arashi turned to her. "I couldn't let you to die because…"

He didn't finish blushing completely. Then he looked at the scroll and quickly changed the topic.

"Looks like we have only a half of it. It's better than nothing but we'll never know what the other half was about."

"It's not in the hands of this jerk," Umi answered. "That's the main thing, the other is unimportant."

"What do you think, the explosion killed him?" Arashi asked looking down the cliff. There was only the sea.

Umi shrugged.

"I don't know. He's a good shinobi, maybe we'll hear about him soon."

"I really hope you are wrong," Arashi sighed turning to her. "The mission is over, come on?"
"Some on," Umi smiled.

Blond hokage made a step without looking under his feet, stepped between two stones and then he fell with a loud thump.

"Arashi!" Umi rushed to him.

"I'm ok, ok," he assured her. "Just tired a little." He tried to get up and found it a problem – he tried to grab the scroll but a growl of pain falling down his lips made him stop "Ow!"

Umi caught his hand causing another cry of pain and examined it attentively.

"Looks like you broke it," she finally concluded.

"Broke! It just can't be!" Arashi growled.

"Being uninjured during such a furious battle and breaking your arm in such an innocent situation. Looks like it's you talent," Umi chuckled. "Come on, let's return to the hidden mist. I have some medicine that will help you, baka."

"Ok," Arashi gave up. "And Umi…"

"What?" she turned to him.

"Stop calling me that!" he growled again.

Her smile was wide and shining.

"I'll stop calling you that when you stop acting like you're a baka," she answered.

Arashi looked at the sky, sighed desperately and followed her.

----------------------END OF THE FLASHBACK

"We are almost at the place," one of the shinobies told his companion. "How is he?"

"Still unconscious," the second answered.

"That's good," the first one nodded. "We have enough problems with these leaf ninjas."

"They are strong but it's still not enough to catch us," the second one laughed.

"Wait…something is wrong…" the first one lifted kunai as something looking like a yellow flash rushed behind him. Finally it stopped revealing very angry hokage. Yellow chakra was running all around his body and he looked like a statue of light not a human being.

"I offer you to give me Naruto and surrender immediately," he exhailed. "Otherwise I'll kill you in a second."

"Try, blond hokage," the first shinobi smiled holding the kunai tighter.

Arashi's eyes turned into blood lust ones.

"That's the answer I wanted to hear," he smiled cruelly and rushed to them.