Sorry it took so long to get this up, i've been kinda busy lately. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up tomorrow. If not, it will be up before Friday, or so im hoping...
Naruto: The 10th Jinchuuriki
Chapter 4: New Friends
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"Here's the report you requested." Gai said as he handed over a file to Tsunade. The Hokage scowled at the thought of more work, but she didn't say anything. Something involving the Akatsuki was too important to set aside, so she swallowed her complaints and read quickly through what was there.
"So, the rumors are true. You picked up a Jinchuuriki from the Akatsuki members encountered earlier." Gai nodded, all serious now that such matters had come up.
"She is in the hospital now, correct? Very well. I'll assign a squad of ANBU to guard her, just in case." Tsunade signed, leaning her head on her hand as she watched Gai leave, no sign of his past injures present. Soon after he was gone, one of the ANBU members appeared before Tsunade's desk, as swiftly and stealthily as always.
"You called, Hokage?" The man asked, his face covered by a white mask with cat features on it.
"I am assigning you a very important task." The leader of Konoha responded, steepling her fingers before her as she gave the ANBU all the details.
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Three day's later, the Ritual for the Jinchuuriki extraction was complete. All of the Akatsuki members had used up only a little of their chakra, but nonetheless they all felt the drain, if only slightly.
"Zetsu, dispose of the body." The Leader ordered, and the inhuman man eagerly dropped to the cave floor. Hidan barred his teeth in disgust, eyes turning to face Leader.
"May we go now?" He asked in a sarcastic tone, and the grey-shrouded figure narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
"What's the rush, Hidan? Got some more of your pointless rituals to perform, yeah?" Deidara mocked from where he stood, safe in the knowlede that their actual bodies were miles apart.
"It's none of your damn business, art-freak!" Hidan shot back, wishing he could drive his scythe into the blonde's stomach at that moment.
"Shut up Hidan. Let's just go." Kakuzu called, and they were about to cancel their projection justu, when the Leader stopped them suddenly.
"Hold on. It must be something important if even your in a rush, Kakuzu." The man said in a sly tone, knowing instinctivly that the two of them were hiding something. Thinking it better to just tell the truth, rather then have his throat slit for lying, Kakuzu told revealed everything.
"We were at the moment tracking down a Jinchuuriki in Konoha when we were called back. So you can understand that we wish to hurry."
"That Jinchuuriki wouldn't happen to be Naruto, would it?" Itachi asked queitly from across the cave, but Kakuzu shook his head.
Everything went suddenly silent in the cavern, besides the disgusting sound of cracking bones and ripping flesh drifting up from below, but that was ignored.
"That is...impossible." The Leader breathed, suddenly very interested in things.
"And why is that?" Hidan asked, totally impatient and ready to get going.
"It's impossible because there is no other Jinchuuriki in the Fire Country besides the Kyuubi. Kisame is currently tracking the four-tailed in the Water Country, and Deidara has confirmed that your five-tail is in the Earth Country." Kakuzu became silent on the matter, but Hidan as usual was not.
"What the hell?! How can there be ten Jinchuuriki?!"
"Are you sure this person was Jinchuuriki? Did you sense the Bijuu's chakra inside of them?" The Leader asked, still not quite able to believe these turn of events. When Kakuzu nodded, with Hidan shouting in the background, the Leader immedietly came to a decision.
"Very well, we need to investigate this further. Deidara, I want you to go to the Land of Fire and help Hidan and Kakuzu obtain this Jinchuuriki.Your talents will come in handy, I believe. No doubt the Hokage there will do anything in her power to keep us from getting what we want. Sasori, remain where you are and complete the task of catching the five-tail. Dismissed." The form of the Leader shimmered, then vanished completely. Itachi, Kisame, and the other shrouded figure with blue hair all dissipated, while Zetsu sank into the floor. Sasori was next to go, while Deidara glared at Hidan before he too canceled the jutsu. Hidan spat some more curses at the parting Deidara, before he and his partner returned to their bodies.
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I awoke slowly, my eyelids rising sluggishly as I tried to figure out where I was. The first thing I realized was that I was on a hospital bed, and the second was that I wasn't alone. Sitting bolt upright, I grabbed the sheets covering me and pulled them tight against my body as I staired at the figure on the other side of the room.
"Woah, easy there. I don't bite." The man said in a friendly voice, and I managed to calm down a bit. This man had long white hair, and was dressed rather oddly indeed.
"The name's Jirayah. Would you mind telling me yours?"
"Akane Akemi." I don't know what possesed me to tell him my last name, but the instant I said it, an expression of suprise appeared on the strangers face.
"Of the Akemi Clan? I thought they were all wiped out years ago!"
"They were. I'm the last one." I admitted sadly, thoughts jumping back to past times. The Akemi Clan had originated in the Stone Village many years ago, but after the Clan leader had several disputes with the Kage, the whole clan up and left. They had moved to the eastern coast in the Fire Country, and there they stayed till I was born, and until tragety struck. That this man knew about my clan was amazing; either he was old, or he traveled alot. Ever since they had left the Earth Country, people never talked about my clan much, so it suprised me he knew anything about them.
"Tell me, have you inherited the renowed abilites of your Clan?" I had to stop to think about that; I had actually never once in my life tried to perform those abilities passed down through the generations of my Clan. When I said no, Jirayah frowned, shaking his head in dissapointment.
"Too bad. I would have really liked to see such a spectacle." My head suddenly snapped up as I remembered something, and my eyes searched the room frantically. There, on the table next to me, was a ragged looking scroll, small enough to fit in my pocket. Reaching for it, I grasped it in my hand and held it to my chest, thankful that it was still with me. That scroll was the only link to my past left to me, and after the destruction of my clan everything else but it had been destroyed. Jirayah watched me curiously, then got up from where he had been sitting.
"I have to get going now. Nice meeting an Akemi."
"Wait a second! What about the Akatsuki?" I asked him suddenly, just now remembering all that had happened to me.
"Oh, don't worry about them. They wouldn't dare try going after you now that your in Konoha. Besides, the Hokage has assigned trained ninja to guard you." With that the white-haired man disappered out the window, and I staired curiously after him.
Sitting there in the small white hospital room, I thought about what Jirayah had said. So now I was in Konoha, a place I had heard much about but never seen. Leaning to the side, I could peer out the window, but that didn't offer me the best of views. Bored, I got out of bed, and not suprisingly I felt as well as ever. All of my injuries had been healed completely, and I felt fine enough to leave this Hospital. My clothes had thankfully been cleaned and mended, and I found them in a bag by the bed. Changing from the hospital gown, I stashed my few belongings, including the scroll, into my pockets. Some how I knew they wouldn't just allow me to walk out of the hospital, so I decided to leave by different route. Gazing out the window that Jirayah had left through, I saw that I was pretty high up, with the nearest rooftop quite a distance away. I certintly wasn't any ninja who could do amazing things with chakra, but I wasn't any normal human either. Leaping onto the window ledge, I gauged the distance from here to the roof, then jumped. I went sailing, and for a moment it felt almost like I was flying, but only for a moment. I hit the roof hard, rolling to a stop some feet from where I had landed, and just lay there. Arms spread out to my sides, I looked up at the clear cloudless sky, taking the time to actually appreciate the fact that I was alive.
I never sensed them coming, too relaxed was I, that it wasn't until their shadows fell apone me that I realized I wasn't alone. Startled, I sat up quickly, finding myself surrounded by four ninja wearing white masks. Each mask was decorated with animal features, and the ninja standing directly infront of me had a mask with intricate cat designs. The same ninja reached out a hand for me, and I cautiously took it. Hauling me to my feet, the person reached up and plucked off the mask.
"Hey there. The name's Ryuu of the ANBU, and we're here to be your guards." Ryuu said, grinning at me, and I heard murmers of disapproval from the others. This ANBU member certintly couldn't be much older then me, was my first thought as I staired back at his boyish grin. His hair was earthy brown, and his eyes were emerald green; he wasn't even that much taller then me. Then my thoughts turned back to what Jirayah had said about 'trained ninja' being assigned to guard me. I wasn't quite sure what 'ANBU" was, but I had heared rumors here and there, so I didn't question their talents.
"Ryuu, you know your not supposed to take off your mask when on a mission!" A feminin voice protested, and I turned to look at the other three 'guards', each of which still wore their masks.
"Oh calm down. I can at least show my face to the person we're protecting." Ryuu said in an exasperated tone, replacing his mask, then turned to face me.
"The Hokage has assigned us to watch over you, just incase those Akatsuki guys try anything. We're under orders to not allow you to leave the village, though you can explore if you wish." I frowned, knowing this would be so, but still dishearted by it. Now I wouldn't be able to go back and live alone like I had been doing, I was going to be stuck in the presence of others for who knows how long.
"Very well, I promise not to try and run away." The four ANBU members departed then, satisfied I wouldn't be difficult, though I could sense that they were still near enough to keep an eye on me.
When I finally found a way off of the roof, I strolled through the busy streets of Konoha, drinking in all the new sights and sounds. When I came to a Ramen Shop, I found I was quite hungry, so I decided to get something to eat. Among my personal belongings on the table in the Hospital, I had been left a small pouch of money. This I used to purchase some food for myself, and I sat there eating it.
"Hey! Look who's here! How'd the misson go, Naruto?" The man behind the counter greeted a boy as he walked in; he was wearing orange with black shoulders, and a leaf headband tied to his forehead. Naruto certintly didn't look happy as he awnsered the man.
"It was boring. When is that Granny gonna assign me something better?" Naruto scowled as he greedily ate at the food placed before him. I was stairing at this boy curiously, for the chakra I was sensing from him was different then what I was used to. He certintly couldn't be a Jounin, so why was his chakra aura so odd? The boy suddenly noticed my look, and he seemed to get angry about something.
"Hey! What's your problem?!" He growled, and I was caught off guard with nothing to say.
"Erm, nothing. It's just, your chakra..." My voice trailed off as I realized there was no way to explain how I had the ability to sense the presence of people by their levels of chakra, and that his was just plain different. Despite that I had merely babled, the boy's expression changed to suprise.
"How come you can see the Kyuubi's chakra?" He asked, totally baffled. I froze when he uttered this, for I knew that name well, just as I knew the name of the creature inside of me.
"Your a Jinchuuriki?!" I breathed, shocked that I had met someone like me, in a place like this. Naruto frowned, and I saw a flicker of past misery in his eyes at the mention of that title. Without a word, he payed for his food, then left the shop quickly. Not wanting to loose such an oppurtinity to talk to someone who shared my pain, I dashed after him, quickly catching up with his leisurly stride. Naruto had his chin on his chest, hands in his pockets as he walked glumly down the street. When I came up beside him, he turned to look at me, sudden anger flaring up inside of him.
"What do you want?!" I flinched, stung by the venom in his voice, but I didn't back down.
"I just want to talk to you. I understand your pain." Naruto glared at me, unbelieving, and I knew I would have to tell him everything.
"I too am a Jinchuuriki." Naruto paused midstride, mouth falling open in suprise.
The two of us found a more secluded place to talk, and there he told me all about himself, whereafter I told him about myself and what had just happened.
"The Akatsuki!" Naruto said the name like it was a foul word, fists clenched in anger. I watched him, facinated by how easily he could get angry, and just by mentioning the organation too! Suddenly, he brightened up, all thoughts of the past gone.
"Hey! I bet you know lots of cool Jutsus! Think you could teach me some?" He asked suddenly, pushing his face inchs from mine. I blushed, not just from the fact that I was embarassed by not knowing any jutsus. Pushing him away, I shook my head.
"No, sorry. I don't know any ninjutsu, genjutu, or any of those ninja techniques." I admitted slowly, and Naruto frowned, but that didn't keep him down for long.
"Ooo! I know what! I could teach you some stuff!" Naruto grabbed my hand and practically dragged me down the street.
"Hey, wait! Where are we going!?" I asked, while trying to keep up with him without falling over.
"To this real neat place to train! It's right outside of the Village!" I almost stopped then, but only stumbled a little.
"Wait a second! I can't leave the village!" Naruto finally stopped running then, letting go of my hand as he scrutinized me.
"How come?" He asked, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back.
"Cause the Akatsuki is after me, ive been ordered to stay in the Village." I said a little unhappily. Naruto just shook his head, grabbing my hand and dragging me onward.
"Don't worry! It's right outside the walls!" I could only gasp in astonishment at his blatant disreguard for the Hokage's orders, but still I went with him.
Konoha's main gate was in sight now, and Naruto wasn't dragging me along anymore; he had thankfully allowed me to run with him after the first time I fell. We were almost to the gate when I felt the presence of four chakras, so familiar to me now, closing in on us at a rapid pace. Naruto was suddenly halted by several kunai's striking the ground infront of him, and we promptly came to a halt. My four ANBU guards appeared before us then, and I knew they were angry. Then they reconized Naruto, and I sensed their anger redircted at him.
"You know your not allowed to leave." Ryuu said from behind his mask, this time following protocol and keeping it on. I hung my head, not knowing why I was ashamed of not following orders when I didn't even belong in this village. Naruto scowled, obviosuly not happy at the presence of ANBU.
"Come on! We're just going to go train! It's not we were going to go that far anyway." Naruto said, frustrated. Ryuu ignored, stepping up to me and looking into my eyes through the slits in his mask.
"Is he telling the truth?" He asked, and I felt like a kid at that moment, but I shrugged that thought away.
"Yes." I awnsered forcivly, trying to make him believe me. Ryuu scruitinized me for a bit, before nodding and backing off.
"Alright, but we have to go with you." I omly nodded, happy that I wasn't a total prisoner in this Village. Naruto, still scowling, started walking towards the gate, with me and my four guards in tow.
The rest of the day was spent in the woods, with Naruto as my teacher, and the ANBU standing as guards. I have to say, for his first time teaching anything, Naruto didn't do a bad job. We started with a few of the basics everyone learns in the Academy, though extremly shortened, including chakra control and such, then Naruto had me try to walk up a tree. I failed at this the first twenty or so times, then finally managed to make it to the top without falling off. By that time it was pitch black out, and I was exhausted. Naruto left then, and the ANBU escorted me to a room assigned to me by the Hokage. I fell asleep quickly into a dreamless slumber, strangely happy that I was on my way to being a sort of ninja.
The next morning I met Naruto at the Ramen Shop, and we went back to the training grounds. My ANBU guards were already there, having checked the place out ahead of time for any traps or such. That day Naruto taught me some more basic stuff, at least the basics that he remembered, then tried to teach me to walk on water. It was quite hard, and took me twice as long to master it then it did tree climbing. With what time was left, he demonstrated some hand signs, showing me his Shadow Clone Jutsu. I was quite amazed by this, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn't perform the same jutsu. When it was time to go, the sun was just starting set; we had finished up much more quickly then yesterday. On the way home, I suddenly felt the presence of a strong chakra concentration, and it was oddly coming from above. Craning my neck back, I peered up at the darkening sky, but could only see the form of a bird. Curious as to how an animal could have such noticable chakra, I thought about it, but soon forgot and went to sleep.