Nenshou Kyoukan
by: Mask of Smiles
Can you believe it? I ACTUALLY UPDATED!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been lazy all damn summer. Lazing around and doing absolutely nothing. I think I gained a lot of weight. Damn...
Well, I'm going to be a little slower updating (which means one update a year...kidding) because school is starting up and it's senior year. I can't believe I'm already a senior!!! It feels like it was just yesterday that I was arguing with my second grade teacher, Sister Dorothy, about whether or not God was a spy sent by Martians to rule over the planet...
Yeah, I was a weird child back then.
Well, here ya go! Enjoy!
There were stares of shock all aimed for the blond boy sitting on top of Sasuke's back. It was hard to believe this boy was Naruto, he just looked too different! His once spiky hair was now flat and seemingly longer, barely brushing his shoulders. Those blue eyes, always known for their sparkle of joy and mischievousness with the barest hint of a masked pain behind them were cold, betraying nothing of what was going through his heart and his mind. How could this boy, the dobe of their year and most of the villager's most hated citizen, be strong enough to push the Uchiha Sasuke to the ground with minimal effort? Not to mention the tiny fact that he was the most well-known and revered assassin in all of hidden countries!
"Off of him, Naruto." Itachi said. With all of their masks off, it seems they were referring to each other by their given names once again. With a sneer and a snort of disdain, Naruto got off the youngest Uchiha. He walked to the wall and simply leaned on it with his arms crossed.
Tsunade felt her stomach twist at the sight of her little brother. She wanted nothing more than to embrace the boy before them, but she didn't. This Naruto…was too different. There was something about him, other than his fame, that told her he didn't want anything to do with the village, even if it meant shunning those he knew still cared. The first one to truly recover from the shock was Sakura, who glared at the blond.
"What the hell are you doing here, demon?" She snarled. That snapped the others out of shock and more glares were aimed at her, including from those who weren't in too much shock from the beginning. Naruto, however, merely smirked and looked at her with amusement written all over his face.
"Well, it looks like your common sense is working as well as ever, Haruno." He said, contempt dripping from his voice. "You seem to be under the false impression that I want to be here. The very thought is ridiculous!" With that said, he began to laugh, but this was not like his laughter in the past, loud and sometimes annoying. This laugh had a malicious air to it, one that sent chills down their spines.
"Now, now, Naruto-kun. It won't do for you to terrify the people we're supposed to protect." Haku said. The blond stopped and shrugged, looking out the widow to the distance.
"Whatever. So, are we done here? We have…guests to entertain." He snickered and Gaara rolled his eyes.
"Just go. We all know you need to vent." The redhead smirked. "Besides, this is probably the only anger management course which you're allowed to kill everyone."
"GAARA FOR THE FINAL DAMN TIME THAT ONLY HAPPENED ONCE!" Naruto fumed. He was really tired of him always bringing that up. "Go ahead and settle in without me, I'll track you down later." He gave a two-fingered salute before jumping out the window. They could hear the gasps of surprise before loud cries of outrage filled the village.
With a heavy sigh, Haku turned to Tsunade and smiled. "May we be taken to our lodgings now?" He asked politely.
"Oh…yes, of course. Ino." The younger blond nodded and motioned for the three to follow her.
"Gaara!" Gaara turned to Temari, the one who spoke up. "It was great seeing you again. Kankuro is going to be here in a few days. When this is over, maybe the three of us could catch up before you leave again." The Kazekage wasn't going to lie to herself. She knew he wasn't going to come back to Suna, but she still wanted them to be together as a family before he left, as broken as their family was.
The redhead pondered that thought for a moment before smirking. "You make it sound like Konoha is going to get through this intact."
"I know it will. With you four here, there's no way Sound will win."
"Unless those two piss Naruto off." He pointed out, jerking a thumb at Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke was glowering at his elder brother, wanting nothing more than to finish his attack, but he was already in hot water for betraying the village. The ANBU and the council put together wouldn't be able to keep Tsunade from killing him if he drove off their last chance for survival.
Ino knew this was probably the worst time to speak up, but she couldn't help it. "We're doomed." She sighed. There was no way those two, especially Sakura, could get through this without doing something to piss someone off. And, seeing as Naruto is now new bait, that girl was going to take it.
There were some surprised stares sent her way before Haku laughed lightly. "You know, I think I just found someone I could grow to like in this village.
"Careful, you're going to make Gaara jealous." Seafoam eyes glared at the eldest Uchiha. Although he was not known to talk a lot, being with the most talkative ninja on the planet made all of them open up a little more.
"Careful or you're going to make Naruto jealous." He smirked. Itachi merely sighed as they made their way out of the office.
"Yes, that would be bad. He'll kill us both and I rather like my life now."
They walked out, Ino telling them about the inn they would be staying in for the time being and Tsunade sighed as she watched them leave. Temari looked at her sympathetically. The elder woman has been through a lot since taking up position as Hokage. Add that with the reappearance of a completely changed Naruto, she was probably feeling her old age beginning to catch up with her.
"Uchiha, Haruno, out." Tsunade ordered simply. Sakura looked at her Hokage and felt that she had to say something. She stood up and looked at the woman defiantly.
"Hokage-sama, I must object! What are you thinking trusting our village in the hands of monsters? Uchiha Itachi is a missing-nin! He should be executed on the spot!" She said. The girl suddenly recoiled at the sight of angry amber eyes directed at her.
"Haruno. Shut. Up. Itachi-san is part of an organization of mercenaries and we are under contract. If you're so compelled to bring missing-nins to justice, maybe we should talk about a certain S-class missing nin that should have died, but thanks to the effort of a certain blond that you and the rest of this pathetic village drove away, he's alive." Tsunade was really pissed off now.
Why was she still Hokage, she wondered. She was right from the beginning, dieing to protect this village is a fool's bet. This village, this village that turned a hero into a monster, that turned a child's effort to be noticed into an effort just to survive. It didn't deserve protection. It deserved to rot, and if it wasn't for the fact that letting this village burn would make Orochimaru more powerful in the shinobi world, she would have resigned ages ago and left it to rot. She already made herself a promise. The moment she sees that snake's head severed from his shoulders, she was going to resign her position as Hokage. The only one that gave her a reason to be Hokage was gone, and, even though he was physically here, he would never be a part of this village again. To hell with the council. To hell with the prosperity of her grandfather's village. He would be ashamed if he saw how it turned out. He, her brother, Dan…they all died for the protection of a wonderful village. A wonderful village that no longer exists in her eyes.
"Don't insult me! It was that demon's fault Sasuke-kun almost died!" Sakura was also pissed. She was not going to stand by and listen to this woman, who made the mistake of trusting a demon, bad-talk her Sasuke and glorify said demon!
"Oh, no, Sakura. Do you know exactly how close that Uchiha was to being executed? The ANBU had already prepared the execution area. It was only because of Naruto that I signed the issue for his execution too late. The council managed to collect the votes to let him live, but if it wasn't for Naruto's damn whining and complaining that the Uchiha was under the control of the Curse Seal, your precious 'Sasuke-kun' would be knocking on Hell's door before anyone could have issued a single vote. So if you have anyone to thank for him living, thank Naruto, you ungrateful witch! Now, GET OUT!" Sakura's rage diminished because of the fear she felt. Tsunade was sending out killer intent that was making her knees weak. She knew she would die if she stayed.
"Sasuke-kun, please, let's go! Come on!" She pleaded turning to where Sasuke was sitting, only to see that he was already gone.
"GO!" With a yelp, the pink haired girl took off. Finally Tsunade began to settle down and she laid back in her seat with a heavy sigh. Temari was still there, not being affected by the rage the woman displayed. After all, she did agree with everything she said. In her opinion, Naruto was heaven-sent. But even an angel had its limits, and this village pushed him far past it before he finally snapped.
"…There are very few people in this village that I continue to respect." She finally said as the Hokage poured herself another glass of sake'. "Once you resign, I will withdraw Suna's alliance with Konoha and we will remain neutral with any issues concerning this village, unless they decide to direct their issues at us."
Temari was well aware of Tsunade's intent to resign as Hokage. It would have surprised her beyond belief if the woman decided to stay. The only reason Tsunade became Hokage in the first place was because of Naruto. Now that Naruto wasn't here, what reason does she have to stay?
Tsunade nodded and poured her a glass of sake'. The two Kages sat there and drank, both happy that their little brothers were safe and content with who they were.
"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!" Inside of Ino's flower shop, one of the only places where those who considered Naruto a friend could talk without villagers glaring holes through their head, everyone was looking at the Yamanaka with wide eyes as she looked at them with a wide smile at the information she just relayed to them.
She had already brought the three remaining mercenaries to the inn, ignoring the shocked looks sent her way because Itachi was there. She had asked a lot about Naruto, and Haku seemed pleased to find someone who was interested in the blonde's welfare. He didn't say much, but he basically told her that he was a lot happier, though also pretty cocky and still headstrong.
He didn't say how Naruto became one of the most revered assassins in the countries. He just said that it was Naruto's story and that he should be the one to tell it. She didn't mind. Knowing that he was happy and well was good enough to satisfy her and the rest of the group for quite a while.
"Yes, I am serious! He's back, but it turns out he's with a gang of mercenaries, the same one that Tsunade-sama hired!" She said. Everyone in the shop digested this information, but then Hinata spoke up.
"If…If he's part of the mercenary team, does that mean he's going to leave once the job is done?" She asked, looking nearly devastated at the thought. It was very long since she had given up her crush over him, but she still loved him. It may not be in a romantic sense, but she loved him all the same and didn't want him to leave.
"It may be for the best, Hinata-sama." Neji told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If what Yamanaka-san says is true, then the only thing keeping him safe from the villagers' wrath is that contract."
The noticeable crowd in front of the Hokage tower made that statement true. Ino mentioned that, in about a few moments, Tsunade would announce the terms of the contract and would probably mention that she would inflict the worst punishment possible if anyone dares to try and break it.
"Tch, this is too troublesome." Shikamaru muttered, annoyed by the noises that could be heard from there.
"Will you lighten up? Naruto's back! Who gives a damn about those villagers? They're miserable, shouldn't that be a good thing?" Kiba declared.
"Kiba-kun is right! We must keep our Flames of Youth burning bright for Naruto-kun! He may believe that he is alone in this village, but he must know that we still consider him a dear friend!" Lee shouted, standing up and doing a few strange poses. That earned a giggle from Hinata, amused smirks from both Neji and Shikamaru, and wide grins from Kiba and Ino.
"Well, first things first. We need to tell Kurenai-sensei, Gai-sensei, and Iruka-sensei. They're definitely going to want to know, especially Iruka-sensei." Ino said.
"Right! Let's go!"
They left the flower shop, not noticing the pair of onyx eyes watching them leave.
"I can't believe it, that damn demon is back."
"Did you hear the guards? He acted like their betters and ordered them to leave their post. The nerve."
"Hokage-sama is doing nothing to help the situation. Actually ordering for any commands from that beast to be followed."
"Not just him, Suna's demon is here too!"
"And the older Uchiha."
"Nah, wouldn't mind her pardoning him. We need more Uchihas to replenish the bloodline. So what if he's the reason they're dead. An Uchiha is an Uchiha."
Sasuke growled low in his throat as he sat on the top of a roof in the village. He wanted nothing more than to go to Naruto and speak to him, but all the shinobi were ordered to stay within the village and to stay away from the front gates. There was a battle taking place there, but they could do nothing but listen to the clashing of metal and the screams of the battle, and of terror. From the lack of shinobi passing through the front walls, one could only assume that Naruto was winning. The villagers were caught between being relieved, or being disappointed that the most hated person in the village wasn't being killed.
His eyes turned to the gates again, where the final screams of life leaving a body were heard. The villagers became silent, wanting to see who will pass through those large doors. But no one did. Instead, one lone figure jumped right over the walls, and the sight made Sasuke cringe.
He's known Naruto for so long, and one thing he had found out about him is that he hated killing. In his eyes, it was ridiculous for a ninja to want to avoid death as much as possible, but it was something that made Naruto, Naruto.
However, with blood splattered all over him and soaking his arms, Sasuke could see that the Naruto he once knew no longer existed. The blond walked down the street, ignoring the glares and the look of disgust on their faces and continuing on with a blank face. He continued walking until there was a black blur and a shadow covered him. Sasuke snarled at the sight of Itachi, and there were collective gasps on the street, but Naruto simply smiled softly.
"Heya…" He murmured softly. Although Itachi didn't return that smile, the fact that his face softened considerable was a shock to the youngest Uchiha. What shocked him further was when Naruto swayed on his feet and then fell.
"I was wondering when the emotional stress would exhaust him." Haku had stepped out of the shadows, Gaara following right behind him, as Itachi caught Naruto in his arms and scooped him up. He held the blond carefully as if he would break if handled too roughly.
"Getting involved in this war was a mistake. I don't care how much money we're getting." Gaara muttered sourly as he crossed his arms and glared at the villagers. His eyes traveled from them to Sasuke on top of one of the shops, where they hardened.
"We can't do anything about that now. He already agreed to come and the contract was signed." Itachi's pale fingers moved some strands of blond hair from Naruto's face. "Let's just get this over with sooner so we can leave."
The three left using their own techniques (Itachi left in a swirl of leaves, Gaara in sand, and Haku used his mirrors), leaving a bunch of villagers in a horrible mood. Sasuke scoffed and jumped away, heading for his home in the Uchiha Estate. He didn't like the way Itachi had looked at Naruto. He didn't like it at all.
Can you give a guess who was watching everyone at Ino's flower shop?
I love reviews, constructive crit., and, most especially, flames. They make me laugh. Some ideas would help a lot as well.
BAZANEE!!!