Shang: ARGH! So sorry for making you wait so long for this one! I had plenty of exams and I was busy with other stuff. Anyways I was able to sit down to it and finally finish the fourth chapter. I wanted to submit it as fastest as possible so once again I had to skip the double check, so sorry for any, grammar mistakes. Now, when it comes to your reviews... what the hell are you doing here?
Kai: SURPRISE!
Shang: Aren't you supposed to be at your own fic? I'm goign to submit the new chapter of it today too, you know...
Kai: Don't worry, I'll be fine. But I'm not here to explain myself to you. Time to find out some answers! Well, the most common question is who's this HE so many people mention...
Shang: I'd prefer to keep that a secret for now... but I can promise that you'll be able to find out more about that character soon (okay, depends on point of view, but...)
Kai: Okay, so above that you only get 'job well done' phrases... hehe, you suck at grammar!
Shang: You know what, that's it! Get the hell out of this fic! And if I see you anywhere outside your own, you'll be sorry!
Now, because I've already made you wait so long, without further delays:
Chapter #4: Human Sacrifices
The wounds on his body still haven't healed completely, so Tsunade decided to keep the blonde gennin in the hospital for a day or two longer. Luckily for Naruto (A/N: well, at least he was happy) Hinata agreed to bring him few bowls from the bar. Kiba, after complaining a bit, joined her since the Hyuuga heiress definitely wouldn't be able to carry all the bowls the loud mouth wanted.
In the meantime, the slug sannin send for the jounin instructors of the four teams which members could be considered Naruto's friends. Both Kakashi and Gai knew exactly what the Godaime wanted to discuss. Kurenai and Asuma however had absolutely no clue.
"Tsunade-sama, do you think it's wise?" asked the smoker politely after hearing about the Legendary kunoichi's idea. "The Third…"
"I remember…" interrupted the slug sannin. "But it must be done… I think you all knew this day would come eventually… besides, I believe it's best for Naruto…"
"But how will they react?" asked Kurenai with concern. "After all…"
"I understand that…" Tsunade interrupted again. "But at least he'll know…"
"We should at least let Naruto do it…" announced Kakashi, who didn't seemed to be interested in this conversation until now. "I'll talk to him and you just bring your students to his room… Tsunade-sama, may I ask you to take care of Sakura?"
The Godaime simply nodded and made a gesture with her hand that the jounins could leave. The meeting was over. The main part of the evening was still to come though.
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Kakashi knocked on the door and slowly entered the room. Naruto seemed completely healed. At the moment he was eating another bowl of ramen, that Hinata and Kiba brought him, with a wide smile.
The Hyuuga heiress was sitting near the bed an just observed the blonde as he ate. She was blushing slightly, but this time it was barely visible. She turned her head at the silver-haired jounin as he walked into the room and gave him a small bow.
Surprisingly, Kakashi returned the bow, which surprised Naruto a bit, but his astonishment disappeared quickly as he returned to eating his tenth bowl of ramen. The jounin only sighed and turned to the Hyuuga heiress: "Hinata, would you mind leaving the two of us alone? Just for a moment…"
"Of course, Kakashi-san…" replied the girl as she slowly exited the room.
"Now, Naruto…" began the silver head as the door behind him closed. "There's something we need to talk about. Making this longer is pointless, so I guess it's better to get straight to the point… Naruto, Tsunade-sama and me believe that it's high time to reveal your secret to your comrades…"
At hearing that the blonde stopped eating immediately and swallowed the noodles he had in his mouth. He didn't responded in any way, he was just looking deep into Kakashi's eye. The jounin knew his thoughts about that idea.
"I know how people treated you because of that…" he continued. "But if they're your friends, you should trust them… and if you think of them as friends, don't they deserve to know?"
Naruto looked out the window. He kept silent, but it didn't seemed like he was thinking about what Kakashi just said at all. It's not that he didn't wanted to tell them nor if he was scared to do so. It was more then he was afraid about them. Not their reaction to the news, just about them.
"Some already suspect something…" added the jounin. "It's better if they knew the whole truth, wouldn't you agree?"
"When…?" was all Naruto asked after a short silence.
"They should be heading this way right now…" replied Kakashi.
Soon after Kurenai, Asuma and Gai teams entered the room, along with Hinata and Sakura guided by Tsunade. The jounins backed away to stand under the wall so that their students could gather around Naruto's bed. The only, elder person who stayed close to the blonde was the Godaime.
Neji stood left to Naruto's head and the others circled the bed. Hinata placed herself between her cousin and Shino. More to the left stood Kiba with Akamaru sitting on his head (A/N: yeah, I read the newest chapters, but I already made him a small dog… plus, what he really is now is a bit too much in my opinion), then was Sakura and Chouji eating his potato chips. Right in front of him stood Tsunade with her arms crossed and next to her was Shikamaru, who seemed to be sleeping and only the fact that he wasn't snoring gave Naruto hope that he's not sleeping while he's standing. As he turned his head more to his right he spotted Ino, Lee and Tenten. Everyone was hear.
"Well Naruto?" rushed the Godaime. "Mind telling them why they were called here?"
"Okay…" replied the blonde, lowering his head a bit. "As you all know, or at least you should, sixteen years ago Konoha was attacked by a powerful, nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi. He couldn't be stopped by the whole legion of Leaf shinobies… only the Fourth Hokage was able to fight with the beast as equal…"
"Everyone knows that…" Gai whispered to Kakashi. "Why is he making this longer?"
"He's preparing both himself and them for it…" responded the silver-haired jounin simply.
"The beast was defeated and the Leaf was saved, the Yondaime gave his life for that success though…" continued Naruto. "But even though he won the battle, the Fourth was unable to destroy the demon, so he did the thing he thought was the best. He decided to seal it so that it won't threaten his village again… but the container for such beast couldn't be chose just like that… that is why he decided to seal the beast inside a new-born child…"
Neji instantly understood what the blonde was getting at, but he didn't want to show it. Shikamaru's eyes opened. He either got interested or figured things out as well. Shino gave Hinata a worried look. It seemed as though he knew too.
Naruto breathed deeply, preparing himself and everyone gathered around for what was coming. "That child was me…" he finished and raised his head to see everyone's reaction.
Both Neji and Shino didn't seem to be moved at all, however the others were surely shocked. Chouji even stopped eating. The blonde also noticed that Hinata's expression changed the most. It didn't seemed like she was shocked. It was something else… something he couldn't tell.
"That explains why you have such a large amount of chakra… and why your wounds heal at such a speed…" concluded the lazy chuunin. His announcement also ensured everyone that Naruto spoke the truth.
"To put it simply then…" Neji was the first to speak when silence filled the room for few moments. "You were sacrificed for the whole village. Be aware that the fact you carry a demon inside of you changes nothing to me… I still respect you as a friend… now maybe even more…"
Naruto's sky-blue eyes widen at hearing that.
"You did not chose this to be…" added Shino. "You may carry a demon inside of you, but that doesn't make you one… I do not feel different about you just because of that…"
"Even that demon wasn't able to extinguish the flame of youth that is inside you!" yelled Lee. "Shino-kun is right, you're not Kyuubi!"
"I think what I'm about to say goes for all of us…" announced Sakura, as all the eyes turned to her. "We don't care whether you carry a demon inside or not. You proved that you're a Leaf shinobi and that you're someone one can count on. The information was a shock, but I don't think you'll be able to get rid of us from your life with just that…"
The whisker-marks look at all the people gathered around. It seems that Sakura was right. The look in their eyes was different from the one he usually got from people who knew his secret. It wasn't hatred nor disgust. For the first time it was understanding and care. His gaze stopped at Hinata whose head was low.
"N-Naruto-kun…" she whispered with few tears falling from her eyes to the floor. "I… I'm sorry… if I only knew… such pain… such loneliness… I…" with that she fell to her knees and started crying openly.
Naruto stood up from his bed and softly embraced the young, Hyuuga heiress. No-one said anything more. Tsunade only smiled under her nose. "You found true friend, Naruto… those who except you the way you are… you overcame your past…"
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Few days pasted since that day. Not much changed in Naruto's life since then. Tsunade allowed him to leave the hospital and once more he received hateful glares here and there. Only this time it was easier for him to take that. Now he knew that he found people who accepted him. He was no longer alone.
Right now he was on his wait for a training session with Neji at the Hyuuga estate. As he walked through the opened gates, he noticed the young, Hyuuga genius already practicing with Hiashi.
Instantly they both turned their eyes to the blonde. The Kyuubi vessel greeted them. Neji returned the welcome, though Hiashi only nodded. The head of the Hyuuga learned to not only tolerate the demon child, but also gain some respect for him. He couldn't deny what Naruto did for Neji and that it was the loud mouth who pushed his oldest daughter to train more. He decided that he was unfair for the whisker-marks kid. Of course he still didn't show it too much, but the cold glare he used to give Naruto disappeared from his eyes and for the blonde that was enough.
"I see you arrived…" noticed Hiashi as he walked towards the estate. "I shall take my leave then… I won't be needed, I guess… Neji, just remember to bring Hinata back for dinner…"
"Of course, Hiashi-sama…" the young Hyuuga bowed slightly as the man disappeared inside the house. Neji drank a little tea that was left on the doorsteps and prepared himself for another training session.
"So Hinata isn't around?" asked Naruto curiously.
"No…" replied the young genius shortly. "Lately she's been training with her teammates… she rarely appears around the house…"
"I see…" nodded the blonde.
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Kiba breathed heavily as he propped his hands on his own knees. He stared to his right: Akamaru already had enough as the pup laid on the ground and seemed to be falling asleep. The young Inuzuka then looked in front to see Hinata in her fighting. She was also breathing heavily and sweat run down her face. Around the place she stood were many whole created by the dog ninja Gatsuuga.
"Hinata, what'd you say if we take a break?" asked Kiba. "Akamaru can't keep up…"
"Just one, more time, Kiba-kun…" begged the Hyuuga heiress.
"No, Hinata…" Shino cut in. "You should watch out for yourself… your body has its limits... Rest for a while and then we'll resume… I promise…"
"Okay…" she finally nodded with a weak smile.
Kiba only left out a sigh of relief. "To come this far in such a short time…" he thought to himself. "I wonder if he really is worth it…"
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After his training session with Neji was over (A/N: more like it was interrupted by Tenten who cut in) Naruto headed to the Ichiraku for his typical dinner. The moment he entered, he spotted team ten near one of the tables in the corner.
"Hey, what are you guys celebrating?" he asked, almost scaring Ino to death.
"What the hell is your problem!" she yelled at the blonde and send a fist right at his face. "You wanna give me a heart-attack idiot?"
"We're cheering for Shikamaru…" answered Chouji when Naruto finally got back to his feet and walked to their table once more. "He was chosen to be responsible for this year's Chuunin Selection Exam…"
"That's great!" announced the blonde. "Say, could you…?" he began, but was immediately interrupted by the lazy chuunin:
"Sorry, but no can do… I know we're friends, but I can't break the rules for you…"
"At this rate I'll never become a chuunin…" complained the loud mouth. "Can I at least join you guys?" and with that he made big, puppy eyes to them.
"Allow him to do that and we'll bankrupt paying his bill…" whispered Chouji to his teammates. Both nodded slightly and then gazed upon the blonde once more.
"I'll pay for myself…" he ensured. And only after that was he allowed to sit with them.
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Tsunade was going through another pile of papers. She read so much today that she even thought about buying herself glasses. Her eyes began to hurt, so she decided to take a short break (A/N: especially since Shizune had a watch at the hospital today and wasn't able to force her back to her duties). She walked to the window and opened it. Instantly a warm breeze hit her face.
She closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling and without opening them again, she said out loud: "Back already? Did you find out anything?"
Jiraiya, who was standing on the mould, propped against the wall, merely nodded: "HE's hard to track down… I was able to find out that HE was seen near the Ame Gakure few days ago and headed west… HIS destination is unknown though…"
"That certainly isn't much…" replied the Godaime. "But still it's the best information we have… at least HE's not heading towards Konoha… any idea what HIS objective might be?"
"Hard to guess…" responded the toad sannin. "But from the direction He is heading I'd say that HE may have some business with the Akatsuki…"
"It is possible…" nodded Tsunade. "Well, for now just try to track HIM down and find out all you can about HIS current actions… I'm counting on you…"
"I'll do my best…" replied Jiraiya. "But the trip was kinda long and exhausting… plus my fans are getting impatient… you wouldn't mind if I'd stop by to do some research, would you?" and before he knew it he had to duck under his old teammates fist.
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Naruto was sitting on top of the Fourth Hokage's head, looking down on the Hidden Leaf Village. He smiled under his nose and glared to his left at the face of Tsunade. "It's going to be painful… having my head curved next to that old bat…" his smile widen at his own joke.
"N-Naruto-kun…" he heard a shaking voice behind him. As he bended back, he noticed Hinata standing right behind him. "May I join you?"
"Sure…" he replied with a wide smile. "Be my guest…"
She returned the smile and slowly settled down next to her crush. For a moment they just stared at the white clouds slowly moving through the blue sky. Finally Hinata decided to break the silence:
"Naruto-kun… I just wanted to tell you that…"
"I know…" he interrupted. "But don't be… it wasn't your fault at all… just the fact that even knowing my secret you still wish to be my friend is enough for me…" and with that he gave her another smile.
"Only a friend?" she lowered her head a bit, but immediately raised it again. "I'll always be your friend, Naruto-kun… no matter what'll happen…"
The blonde just smiled: "I know…" and a second later a loud 'burk' came out of his stomach. "Damn I'm hungry… I haven't eaten since… twelve… what'd you say for some ramen, Hinata-chan?"
"Chan?" her eyes instantly widen at hearing that. She gave the whisker-marks a warm smile and after a short silence she replied: "Sounds good…"
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Meanwhile, far away, in the Hidden Village of Sand the new Kazekage was walking around his tower, gazing at the dark sky that suddenly appeared above the desert. He had short, a bit messy, rusty, red hair, green eyes and a kanji symbol for love on the left side of his forehead. He was wearing a black dress and carried a huge gourd on his back.
"Storm is coming…" he thought to himself. "Something's gonna happen…"
"So, Itachi and Kisame failed to get the Kyuubi, yeah…" announced a thin girl (A/N: yeah, I know he is a guy, but I have no info about any kunoichi being a member of the Akatsuki and I wanted them to have at least one… live with it) wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it. "It doesn't change our plans though, does it?"
"No, it doesn't…" replied another figure, dressed just like the first one. From its posture you might guess he was hunching on purpose. "The nine-tails is their problem, not ours. We were ordered to retrieve the raccoon… nothing more…"
"Yeah…" nodded the first figure. "You must be happy…" she added after a short silence. "Coming back to your own village… brings back memories, yeah…"
"My mood is not of your concern… You should concentrate on getting the Shukaku… unlike the other Jinchuuriki, this one is strong. We must keep our guard up…"
"Don't worry, we'll get the one-tail before the storm starts, yeah…" and with that the figures slowly began walking towards the Hidden Sand gates.
And that's that for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review with your opinion once you're done reading.
Also, the ending of this chapter might gave you an idea of the events that happened in the manga, but I can promise that what's about to happen is way different from what you read in the original.
I think that's all for now. I'll try to write the next chapter soon, but due to exams I do know when the fifth chapter will appear. I think I'll manage to write it before November ends.
Until then: best wishes and hopefully till the next update.