'His son….My womb…' Over and over these words repeated themselves in Naruto's mind as he stared at Yuffie in stunned shock from his position on the floor with his back to the sink. When he first heard those words he had been in the process of standing up, and had fallen backward as his legs gave out. "A son…I have a son!" He said in a whisper that the women were able to hear only because of the dead silence that had ensued from Yuffie's statement.
Yuffie broke her staring contest to glance at Naruto when she heard the whisper, and her face became softer seeing the expression on his face. Slowly she knelt next to him looking him in the eyes as she spoke softly. "Yes, Naruto, I carried our son inside me." She gently placed her hands on his cheek as unshed tears started to show in her eyes. "I failed you. I…lost him. I wasn't strong enough. I was so selfish when you disappeared that…" Yuffie had to swallow hard at the emotion she felt as the memories flashed in front of her eyes, and hung her head in shame. "I miscarried. Less than a month after you left I…he died because of me."
Tenten and Anko felt their hearts break at the scene before them. They both had thought about carrying Naruto's children, and it showed by both of them standing there with looks of anguish while holding a hand protectively over their stomachs. After a moment they shared a look before walking over to the pair and holding both of them. This action seemed to be a signal for when they did Naruto wrapped his arms around the 3 women, and let out a cry of loss and pain freely shedding tears as he felt part of the dream of having a family seemed to die within him. They stayed like this for a long time each one sharing, and crying for the pain they felt, until over an hour had passed. After the crying had stopped with Yuffie and Naruto clutching each other Anko tapped Tenten's arm, and signaled for her to follow. Tenten nodded, and carefully disengaged herself so as not to bother the two, and followed Anko out of the kitchen.
"What is it, Anko?" She said in a whisper as she glanced back at the pair with worry.
Anko took a deep breath sharing the younger woman's concern for their fiancée and his first love. "I don't want to leave them alone, but they should talk without us there, and we really need to get cleaned up."
Tenten for the first time since hearing the shout took a good look at Anko then herself, and blushed deep enough to rival Hinata before she fainted. "I hadn't even noticed." She said suddenly aware of the soreness, and other reminders of last night. "We should take our time, and I think we need to discuss this ourselves."
Anko took a moment to look at Naruto and Yuffie before sighing and nodding her head. "Yeah, and I'll bet a month's worth of dango that our vacation isn't going to go anything like what either of us had wanted. I don't want to leave them alone too long however. Why don't you join me in the bath? That way we can talk more, and get back here sooner."
Tenten turned to look at them before nodding her head. "Ok…" She said gesturing for Anko to lead the way.
45 minutes later after being freshly washed and dressed the two women reentered the kitchen to see Yuffie sitting at the table sipping tea. They all were silent until Anko finally broke the silence.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves since we didn't get a chance to earlier? I am Mitarashi Anko Tokubetsu jonin of Konoha, and fiancée of Strife Naruto."
"I am Hisagia Tenten genin of Konoha, and fiancée of Strife Naruto."
Yuffie looked at them for a long moment remembering the state they were in when she first saw them. "I am Kisaragi Yuffie. I am what you would call a jonin of Wutai, and it appears there is a lot we need to talk about."
Yuffie looked hard at the two women across from her assessing them for several moments while sipping her tea. Finally she began talking about how she met Naruto, the time he spent on Gaia, their relationship, and finally about what he had told her about his childhood and the Kyuubi. When she got the part about how he had been treated by the village she was surprised at their reaction, but she hid it and continued talking while watching them more closely. Their expressions had started shocked, but it was quickly joined with a growing anger, pain at what Naruto had been through, and hurt that he didn't trust them enough with this. When she finished her story she poured some more tea, and sat quietly waiting for what they had to say.
Surprisingly Tenten was the first to say something, and she was not happy in the least. "I'll kill them. How dare they treat a child like that just because a demon was sealed in him?" She had her fists clenched and was shaking in fury at what her love had gone through as a child and the fact he felt he had to hide it from those he loves.
Anko was taken aback by the ferocity she heard in the words, and smiled sadly that it took all of this just to finally get someone to treat him as a human. "They are scared fools who were so blinded by the loss of their families, and anger at the Kyuubi they couldn't see the forest for the trees." Anko had to hold her hands up defensively as she felt rising KI coming from the others. "Don't get me wrong here. I am not defending them. Think about it though. Put yourselves in their shoes. The Kyuubi ate or simply obliterated the ninja that fought against it, and some parts of Konoha. There were almost no bodies to bury, they couldn't really get any closure and let their loss hold sway over their lives."
Anko paused to take a deep breath before continuing knowing that she could get in trouble with the Hokage for what she was about to say. "What I am about to say is supposed to be kept secret, and if the Hokage finds out I could get into some serious trouble. Before I joined the I&T division of ANBU I was one of the ANBU assigned to protect Uzumaki before he joined the academy. I stopped many from getting their hands on him, and often times wished I could have taken care of him myself, but the council wouldn't let anyone do that. Some wanted to keep him weak; others wanted him dead, some wanted to turn him into a living weapon, while the rest were simply indifferent. All in all there were only a few that treated him like he was a normal child. Even with all that he went through he would always bounce back with a smile. The Hokage…" Anko fell silent with a thoughtful look as an idea suddenly occurred to her.
"The Hokage must know that Strife is Uzumaki. Why else would he have supported him so much since he came back?"
Tenten looked at Anko curiously hearing this. "What do you mean, Anko?"
"The Hokage looks at Naru-kun like a grandson, and if you think about the story that he's been using it makes sense. He's been using the cover story since he got out of the hospital, and the Hokage spent as much time as he could there after Naru-kun woke up. I bet the cover story was his idea."
The women fell silent thinking about this until Tenten broke the silence. "Since it seems like the Hokage knows more about our man than we do I think we need to have a talk with him."
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While the girls had been getting clean Naruto had been jerked out of his emotional reunion by an alarm he had set earlier. He slowly stood up, and moved to where the alarm was on the counter to shut it off. With his mind a mess from the situation he still had duties to perform as a ninja even if he was considered a newly minted genin. "I'm sorry, Yuffie, but I have to get ready and leave. I have a team meeting at 8. I should be back around mid-afternoon." He turned and started heading upstairs for get dressed, but stopped for a moment at the kitchen door. "I will understand if you choose not to stay."
He dressed quickly and was out the door within 15 minutes, and took to the rooftops since he was already running late. A few minutes later he land in the clearing his team used to meet at, and saw that Kurenai was the only one to have arrived so far. Walking over to her he tried to hide his emotional state by greeting her with a smile. "Ohayo, Kurenai-chan."
Kurenai turned with a smile taking the discoloration around his eyes as being kept awake all night by Anko instead of the emotional trial he faced earlier. "Ohayo, Naruto-kun. I'm surprised to see you this morning. I thought that Anko wouldn't let you out until tomorrow."
"She probably wouldn't have if her and Tenten weren't otherwise occupied." He said in a distracted tone wondering if it was a good idea to leave the three alone.
Kurenai raised an eyebrow at this and seeing he was distracted already made a decision. "It seems you won't be in the right frame of mind for team training today so we'll just get a mission when the others arrive, and call it a day after lunch." She said somewhat disappointed she would have to cut the time she spent with him short, and mentally slapped herself for it.
"Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked feeling reluctant to get back to the house until he had time to think.
"Yes I am, Naruto-kun. I can tell you are tired and distracted. It's not really surprising since I would have done the same in Anko's place." She said with a slight blush as the image of having Naruto on top of her flashed through her mind. Catching the look he was giving her she tried to think of what to say, and thanked Kami when she saw Shino, and Hinata approaching.
"Ohayo, Shino and Hinata." She said waving to them.
Shino nodded to her then Naruto still as stoic as ever. Hinata in contrast smiled, and waved back.
"Ohayo, Kurenai-sensei, Naruto-san."
"Since Naruto-kun is tired from clan business, and has a lot more to handle we will be having a short day today. We'll skip training this morning so we can get a mission done before lunch. This will also give you more free time to either train in your clan's jutsu or just relax." With that said she gestured for them to follow her as she turned heading to the mission hall which was on the first floor of the Hokage tower.
A short time later they arrived at the mission hall, and were surprised to see the Hokage handing out missions along with Iruka. Walking up to the desk in a diamond formation with Naruto at the rear, Hinata to the left, and Shino to the right Kurenai greeted Sarutobi.
"Ohayo, Hokage-sama. I am surprised to see you handing out missions so early." She said bowing to the old man.
He chuckled lightly as he leaned back taking a long drag off of his pipe, and looked over her team. "I thought I'd take personal interest this morning to see how our new genin are holding up. I have to say that your team looks good, Kurenai. I have to admit I was a little worried with you being a rookie jonin."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama, but these genin are greatly above average for this graduating class. With their brains, and talent my job is very easy." She said bowing deeply to hide the slight blush at the praise. 'What the hell? I seem to be blushing at the drop of a hat recently.' She thought to herself.
Iruka who had been watching the scene silently had to dart his eyes to the side when he started to feel a nosebleed cause by Kurenai showing off her cleavage when she bowed. Forcing a cough to cover wiping his nose he spoke in a cheerful tone.
"I take it your team is here for a mission, Kurenai-san? We have a lot to choose from since most genin teams haven't shown up yet." He said gesturing to the 2 ft stack on the desk.
"Actually I have a specific mission in mind for this team, Iruka." Sarutobi said having gotten a careful look at Naruto's face. "It's one that I know is well within their capabilities if Kurenai will accept it. What do you…"
Suddenly the doors slammed open as a rough looking group walked in. Well Kiba and Sasuke were rough looking while Sakura looked slightly ashamed, and Kakashi just had his face in his orange book as usual.
"Next time you insult Akamaru I will rip off your teme balls, Uke-chan!" Kiba growled out obviously pissed off at the last of the Uchiha.
"Hn. Like you could, dobe. You'd probably be too busy licking them if I let you." The dirty, and scratched up Uchiha Sasuke said in a derisive tone.
Iruka whose face had grown grimmer with each word finally had enough, and used the infamous "Big Head Jutsu". "ENOUGH. Shut up and behave yourselves!" Glaring at them he straightened his jacket before sitting down. "You are in the presence of the Hokage, and you should act like it." Though it didn't show he was proud that it still worked even though they were no longer academy students.
"Thank you, Iruka, you are quite right." Said Sarutobi before taking another drag off his pipe merely looking at Team 7. "Now as I was saying… Do you think your team is ready for a C rank escort mission, Kurenai?"
Kurenai's eyes widened in surprise at this since her team had only done 6 D ranks, and usually 30-40 were required to do a C rank. "I believe they are, but I honestly can't say. Are you sure about this, Sir? I know Naruto is powerful, but my team is meant for tracking, and information gathering." She said slightly worried about screwing this up with having a clan head and two clan heirs on her team.
"WHAT?! Why do they get a C rank already when we're stuck with D ranks?" Yelled Kiba still pissed off.
Sasuke for once agreed with Kiba. "I demand a C rank mission. If they are ready for one then as the last Uchiha I certainly am as well." He said with an arrogance filled sneer that would have made Napoleon proud.
"Yeah no one is better than Sasuke-kun!" The pink haired fangirl named Sakura screeched.
Iruka opened his mouth to berate the unruly genin only to be forestalled by Sarutobi raising a hand.
"Team 7 has not earned the right to do C rank missions yet, while Team 8 has." To emphasize his point he picked up a scroll, and held it out to Kurenai. "The details of the mission are on the scroll. You will meet the client in 1 hour at the east gate. His name is Tazuna, a bridge builder."
While Kurenai bowed and took the scroll Sasuke had stormed out of the mission hall quickly followed by Sakura. Kurenai thanked the Hokage before turning to her team.
"You heard Hokage-sama. Get your gear, and meet up at the east gate in 1 hour. Do not let the faith he has shown in us go to waste." She said all business then used shunshin to get her own gear.
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Two hours later Sarutobi was about to take a break for lunch when his advisors walked in, and stood in front of his desk. Not really in the mood to deal with them he took his time finishing the paperwork he was working on before putting it in the out box.
"Can this wait? I was about to get something to eat." He said letting only a little of his irritation show.
Homura pushed up his glasses before speaking. "It has come to our attention that you gave a C rank escort mission to a team of rookie genin, and refused to give Uchiha-san's team one as well. We want to know why since it is obvious that out of the teams that graduated this year Team 7 is the best having both Uchiha-san as well as Kakashi."
Following right behind him Koharu put in her 2 cents. "It makes no sense especially considering that Kakashi is an elite jonin, and Uchiha-san graduated as Rookie of the Year. I also fail to understand why a recon team was given this mission instead of a direct assault team. Surely Team 7 is much more qualified for it then Team 8."
Saratobi sighed 'Why do I have to deal with this shit?' He asked himself looking at his former teammates. "I chose Team 8 over Team 7 because Team 8 would be able to sense attackers, and prepare for it. Team 7 would be far less prepared, and could possibly lose the client in the first attack. Also Team 8 works far better as a group then Team 7."
Koharu and Homura exchanged a look hearing this. They knew he was right, but they were also staunch Uchiha supporters. "That may be true, but having our strongest rookie team perform this mission would send a message to the other villages that even with the Massacre were are still strong enough to send out the last loyal Uchiha on a mission outside the country. To do otherwise would show our enemies that we are afraid of losing the sharingan."
Saratobi pinched his nose as he thought about this. 'I'm hungry and have to deal with all this paperwork let alone all the crap from the council as it is without having to deal with Uchiha fanatics on top of it.' Sighing deeply he made a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret, but really wasn't in the mood to miss lunch arguing about "The Uchiha".
"Fine, whatever." Sarutobi gave a signal for one of the ANBU to show himself. "Tell Kakashi to get his team ready. They are to act as backup for Team 8 on their escort mission to Nami no Kuni." After the ANBU had bowed and disappeared he looked at the elderly advisors. "Now if there isn't anything else I'm going to get something to eat."
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Hinata, who had been turning her Byakugan on and off in intervals to keep an eye on the surrounding area, had noticed Naruto's mood, and was growing increasingly curious and worried as it had only gotten worse since they left yesterday morning. She slowed her pace to drop back to Naruto's position since he was taking rear guard. As she did she took note of Shino's bugs spreading out more to cover the area she had left, which did not go unnoticed by Kurenai who was walking alongside Tazuna. Unsure how to broach the subject she made a thorough scan of the area using the time to think. After a few minutes she finally spoke.
"A…ano, Naruto-san, is…is something wrong?" Hinata asked with some of her younger self's hesitancy emerging.
Naruto looked at her for a moment keeping pace with the group before sighing as he uncrossed his arms. "To be honest I'm not sure if this mission could've have come at a worse time or if it is gift from Kami-sama."
Hinata was confused at this seeing as how a fresh genin team never gets a C rank mission, and they were the first to do so. "What do you mean, Naruto-san?"
He ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the rest of his team seeming to judge each of them in turn. With his gaze falling to Hinata last he noticed her shoulders hunch as she felt herself being placed on a scale, and after a long moment spoke in hushed tones.
"When I was making breakfast for Ten-chan and Anko-chan this morning there was a…an unexpected surprise I guess you could say." His gaze returned to her once more after sweeping across the area as if expecting an ambush. "You know of our engagement correct?"
"Hai. As heiress father always discusses council meetings with me as part of my political education, and he told me about it after dinner that night." She said wondering if he was having problems with one of them.
Hearing this Naruto nodded having expected something like that from one of Konoha's most influential clans. "What you probably don't know is that before I returned to Konoha I was involved with a woman that I had every intention of marrying one day." He took note of her eyes widening at hearing this as he took a breath before continuing. "Her name is Kisaragi Yuffie. We met several years ago, and she became a sensei of mine, along with a few others. Eventually we fell in love. When we found out I would have to return here at a certain point we took every chance we had to spend time together. As the time of my departure neared we only grew closer together, and I realized that if I could I would spend the rest of my life with her."
Naruto suddenly became silent as several emotions flashed across his face. Hinata saw the love, pain, hope, despair, anger, and some others she couldn't quite identify in his expression, and felt her heart go out to him realizing that something bad had happened to separate them. Hinata chose to remain silent, and scanned the area once again to give him time to gather himself together wondering what Yuffie had to do with his mood.
"When the time for me to return came it was unexpected. I was returning from guarding a merchant to a nearby town, and did not have a chance to do anything about it, and awoke in Konoha. I do not know what happened between now and when I was forced to return. Not knowing if she was alive or dead hated me for leaving, or even if I would ever be able to see her again this side of the afterlife. This morning I found out that not only was she alive, but that she was in Konoha as well. I also found out she was pregnant when I left." The last sentence was said in a pain filled voice barely above a whisper as he looked up at the sky.
Even though it was said so softly Hinata heard it clearly and truly felt sympathy for the man she thought was the brother of her beloved Uzumaki. As her mind processed the information she could understand his emotional confusion. While her heart was sympathizing with him her mind went to the repercussions this would have on him starting a clan as her training as heiress kicked in. Her train of thought was broken when she noticed a tear or two on his face, and quickly grew concerned for him, which was only increased by his next words.
"She showed up while I was making breakfast tackling me in a hug, and the noise brought Ten-chan and Anko-chan downstairs. I can only guess that they were worried about an intruder, because they were both still in the same condition as when we fell asleep after making love."
Hinata blushed at this as her eyes widened realizing what he had left unsaid causing her to gasp loudly. Hearing the gasp Kurenai looked back to see their faces, and rose an eyebrow wondering about it. When she saw them continue to talk in quite tones so as not to be overheard she decided it could wait until after they made camp, and hoped it was something that wouldn't interfere with the mission. Even though she knew the mission came first she wanted to hold him and ask what was wrong, and felt a tinge of jealousy, that was quickly squashed, at the fact she wasn't the one he was confiding in. Sighing she turned back to her duty as Jonin-sensei, and mission leader seriously wondering if her earlier decisions were good ones. While Kurenai was having her emotional battle Naruto had begun speaking again with a distant look in his eyes.
"It was after they arrived that I found out she had been carrying my son." Despite his best efforts the pain he felt saying that showed clear in his voice confusing Hinata until she heard his next words. "After I left she nearly had a breakdown, and because of the stress that put on her body she…she miscarried."
Even though Hinata had grown tremendously after she had made that vow when it was announced her beloved blonde had died she was still a gentle and kind girl at heart, and brought a hand to her mouth with tears in her eyes as she heard the agony in his words. "Oh, Naruto-san." She breathed not able to make her voice even reach whisper loud.
Naruto closed his eyes tightly taking a deep breath so as not to cry. After a moment he turned to look at Hinata his eyes wet with unshed tears making it look like his eyes were bleeding as the light from the setting sun reflected in them. "Because of me our son is dead." He said in a tone filled with so much sorrow, and self-loathing Hinata couldn't meet his gaze, and openly cried for the loss of his son. Hearing this Kurenai was very curious and more than a little concerned about what they had been talking about. After checking the sun's position she looked at the map, and made the decision to make camp a little early.
"We'll make camp here tonight." She said loud enough to be heard. "We will reach the boat early tomorrow, and we should be rested in case something happens. Shino, you and Tazuna will set up camp. Naruto, I want you to get some firewood, and if you find a source of water get enough for tonight, and tomorrow. Hinata, come with me." Kurenai said making a "follow me" gesture as she walked toward the trees away from where camp was being set up. After they had gone far enough Kurenai turned to Hinata her face full of worry. "What happened, Hinata?" She asked gently trying to get the girl to confide in her.
Hinata glanced back the way they had come from before sighing and sitting with her back against a tree. "I'm not sure if I should tell you, Kurenai-sensei. I don't want my teammates to think they can't trust me."
Kurenai knelt in front of Hinata, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel, Hinata, but as your Jonin-sensei I need to know what is going on with my team especially if it could compromise our mission."
Hinata looked at Kurenai conflicted for a moment, and glanced back towards camp once more before answering her voice pitched so it wouldn't carry. "Naruto-san has been in acting uncomfortable since we left Konoha, and it only has gotten worse so I asked him about it." She took a deep breath steeling herself.
"Do you know about his past?" She asked getting a slight nod in return.
"I know a little. He isn't exactly forthcoming about it. I do know he was trained outside the elemental countries, and was seeing someone before he came to Konoha." She said wondering what the girl had heard that she hadn't.
Hinata nodded at this, and activated her Byakugan briefly to make sure no one could overhear them. "Apparently she arrived in Konoha, and showed up at Naruto-san's house the morning we left." Hinata saw Kurenai's eyes widen at the implication of what that could mean.
'Oh shit! No wonder Naruto is upset…Wait if she showed up before the team meeting then wha…OH FUCK! That can't be good in any way if Anko did what she told me she was planning to!' Kurenai thought with only a widening of her eyes to give any indication of what was going on in her head.
"That's not all. He told me that she found out she was pregnant after he came to Konoha." Hinata saw Kurenai lean back expelling a large breath at hearing this. "From what he says she was very distraught about it, and miscarried their son." Hinata solemnly nodded seeing her sensei jerk her head up in surprise. "He blames himself for it too. I think you should talk with him, Kurenai-sensei. I'm worried about him."
Kurenai saw the concern for her teammate, and was honestly worried about him as well, but Hinata seemed to be showing a greater level of concern then for just a teammate. "Do you like him, Hinata?"
The girl started in shock at the words. "NO! He is a teammate, and his brother." She said emphasizing the word quite forcefully.
"His?" Kurenai said in curiosity.
Hinata blushed slightly remembering the blonde she had fallen in love with years ago. "Uzumaki Naruto. Strife-san is his twin brother."
Kurenai had heard this, and was not surprised, but decided to play dumb to see what Hinata would say. Dismissing that thought for later she stood up, and brushed her knees off. "I think it's time we got back to camp. I will talk to Naruto later." Kurenai paused for a second wondering why they had the same first name.
Even though Kurenai didn't know she had given voice to the thought Hinata had heard her. "I asked Naruto-san about it after our first team meeting. He told me that he chose to take his brother's name after finding out about his life and subsequent death."
Kurenai couldn't help but wonder about where he got the information from considering it was an S class village secret, and became determined to find out just how much he knew. As she started walking back to camp she gestured for Hinata to follow as their discussion was over. The whole way back Kurenai's thoughts were chaotic despite her discipline as a jonin. Her thoughts ranged from how Naruto's emotional state would effect the mission to fantasizing about carrying his child in a flash much to her frustration. As they reentered camp Kurenai decided to put off talking to Naruto until she could get her head straight, and berated herself for letting her emotions get the better of her. 'I'm a jonin for Kami's sake!' She yelled in her head.
The next morning found the group breaking camp after a short breakfast when Shino's bugs alerted him to people approaching the camp. "There are four people incoming, Kurenai-sensei." He said stoically as he turned to face the direction the newcomers would arrive from. When he said this Hinata and Kurenai quickly moved to cover Tazuna while Naruto drew his zanbato ready to attack should the need arise. After getting into position Hinata activated her Byakugan scanning for them. After a few moments she relaxed, and called to her teammates.
"It's ok, Kurenai-sensei. It's Sasuke, Kiba, and Sakura with their sensei." She said as she moved from her juken stance, and the others did the same.
A few short minutes later sure enough Team 7 dropped from the trees and walked into camp. Kurenai walked towards Kakashi before stopping 10 feet in front of him crossing her arms as she did so.
"What's the deal, Kakashi? I doubt there was another mission in this area, and even if there was I highly doubt Hokage-sama would let your team take it." She said in a bad mood since she had not slept well due to her thoughts brought on by last night, and her growing attraction to Naruto.
The white haired jonin held up his hands defensively as he eye smiled. "Calm down, Kurenai, we are here under orders from the Hokage to act as your backup."
Kurenai most definitely did not like hearing this as it meant that there was trouble or the upper echelons did not have faith in her and her team. Now as any man knows a pissed off woman is never a good thing, and this was no exception as she glared at Kakashi then cut her eyes at Tazuna. Seeing his reaction to Team 7's appearance she raised an eyebrow at his nervous behavior. "Is there something you want to tell us, Tazuna-san?" She asked in harsh tone as she approached the bridge builder.
Tazuna's eyes darted around instinctively looking for an escape even though he knew it was impossible as he sweated profusely. "Wh…why would you think that? Heh heh" He said obviously distressed reaching for his jug of sake.
Everyone was suspicious by this point, and made this fact known by surrounding the old man. Akamaru went so far to growl from on top of Kiba's head, and Sasuke fingered a kunai. Tazuna taking notice of this glanced around the others until his eyes met Naruto's. As their eyes met the sweat seemed to freeze on Tazuna's face as he noticed the younger man's eyes seemed to glow an eerie green, and made the drunk feel like a rabbit looking at a wolf. Unconsciously he stepped back until he was met with a tree breaking him from the seemingly hypnotic gaze. Swallowing hard he decided it would be in his best interests to come clean with the ninja.
"No need to get aggressive ok?" He said holding his hands up trying to placate the deadly group around him. "I had no other choice. Please let me explain."
Kurenai glanced at Kakashi who just shrugged and eye smiled being of no help before looking at her team. Sighing she sat down on a log crossing her arms and legs. "This had better be good. Depending on what you say we may have to deem your contract null and void." She said glaring at Tazuna as she thought to herself. 'Great just great. First I can't get my best friend's fiancée out of my fantasies, and now this!'
It took half an hour for Tazuna to explain about Gato, Kaiza, the hardships that Wave has been going through, as well as his hopes about the bridge he was building. After hearing his story Kurenai looked over to Kakashi wanting his opinion about voiding the contract.
"What do you think Kakashi? This is definitely not a C rank mission more like a B or an A especially if Gato has hired any shinobi." She said worried about her genin.
Kakashi looked over the 6 newly graduated ninja assessing each one before answering. "This would be a good chance for our teams to get some "wet work" experience. Not to mention this is the exact kind of mission that would let us know if any of them aren't cut out for this line of work. On the other hand they are fresh from the academy. We have 2 jonin and 6 genin. We know that as high ranking clan members they are already near chunin level in combat, but we do have a couple wild cards. I know Sasuke and Kiba could handle themselves, but what about your team?"
"Hinata and Shino are as you'd expect being heirs Naruto … Well let's just say that I don't know if I could defeat him in combat." She said reluctantly trying not to let on how strong Naruto was as ordered by Sarutobi.
Kakashi was taken aback by what she said and looked at Naruto sizing him up carefully. He quickly noticed the relaxed yet ready stance he was in as well as the way his eyes scanned the area. Kakashi was surprised at this considering those were behaviors only experience brought out, and wondered about this mysterious teen. "We shouldn't have any issues with this mission, but why don't we see what our genin have to say about it?" He said curious about what the zanbato wielding boy would say.
Kurenai thought about this for a moment as she looked at her team. "I don't like this, but I agree that this would be a good experience for them." Standing up she called attention to herself, and addressed the teens. "Kakashi and I have discussed this, and would like your opinions before we make our official decision. What do you want to do about this?" She said turning to Shino.
The insect user adjusted his glasses before speaking. "We would be well justified to void our contract via the false pretences clause, and head back to Konoha right now. However if we do not handle the situation now Gato may grow into a much larger issue which would do no good for Konoha as it would become public knowledge we ended the contract prematurely."
"I agree, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata said as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "We cannot leave the people of Wave to Gato's nonexistent mercy. I vote to continue the mission, and eliminate Gato."
Kiba always ready for a fight put his two cents in. "Yeah let's kick his ass!" He said loudly followed by a bark from his K9 companion.
Sasuke ever the brooding emo simply said his usual. "Hn."
Sakura responded quickly in her typical fashion as president of the Sasuke Uchiha fan club. "What do we have to worry about? Sasuke-kun is the best ninja in the world!" She said turning to said duck-butt headed boy.
Kurenai turned to the one person who hadn't said anything so far, and saw him looking at Tazuna hard enough to make the old man sweat. "What do you think, Naruto-kun?" She said causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow at the way she said his name, and Naruto to face her.
"As much as I want to cut our losses since he chose to endanger our lives by lieing instead of approaching the Hokage with his plea I have to agree with everyone else. I say we go on with the mission as long as it is amended to taking out Gato as well. We can't let people like him have their way, and like Shino said this could be a good political opportunity."
Kurenai glanced at Tazuna before turning to Kakashi with an eyebrow raised. "It seems to be unanimous. Since your team was sent as backup that puts me in charge. As a more experienced jonin I would like your input, but for any decisions about anything besides your own team you will have to get my approval first."
Kakashi eye smiled at Kurenai acknowledging the chain of command. "No problem, Kurenai. This is your mission after all."
"Good this mission is unbalanced as it is." Turning to the rest of the group she raised her voice with authority. "We will continue the mission, and eliminate Gato. Kiba and Naruto you have point. Hinata, you guard Tazuna with Sakura. Sasuke, you take the left side. Shino, you take the right side with your bugs spread out. Kakashi and I will take the rear. These are your assigned positions until we get to Tazuna's house. Hinata, I want your Byakugan active every 30 seconds until we are on the boat and active as much as possible after we land. Shino, I want your bugs to scout the area ahead. Kiba, keep your nose and ears sharp. Remember our main priority right now is to get Tazuna safely to his home. Assume formation!"
All had gone well for them as they reached the water, and traveled by boat courtesy of one of Tazuna's friends. Unfortunately this was not to last for shortly after landing in Wave they finally saw some of the men Gato had at his disposal. They had been traveling down a path away from the village to Tazuna's home when they were confronted by 20 armed mercenaries, bandits, wannabe samurai, and hired thugs blocking their path. The leader of the group stepped forward with a smirk and addressed the ninja.
"Give up the old man, and we might let you live after we have our fun with the girls." He said with the kind of arrogance that only those that pick on people weaker than them have as he leered at Kurenai.
Kakashi stepped forward representing the group. "Sorry, but we can't do that. It would be bad for our reputation."
The arrogant man sneered at the ninja as he raised a fist over his head. "Kill them all, but bring the red eyed woman to me." With that said he dropped his hand sending his forces to attack.
While this had been going on the Konoha ninja had not been idle. Kurenai had been giving hand signals to give orders, and they were obeyed as each of them got ready. Sakura and Hinata edged closer to Tazuna, Shino spread his bugs out, Kiba readied a pill to perform his family's beast clone jutsu, Sasuke got ready to cast a fire jutsu, and Naruto drew his sword one handed and gathered the required chakra for what he had planned. As soon as they enemy started to move Naruto released the chakra as he yelled out. "QUAKERA" With the yell the ground in the center of the enemy exploded in a 10 yard radius sending spikes of earth and stone spearing through them. Kiba following Naruto's lead opened up with his Clan's infamous Getsuuga taking out 2 people with Kakashi running in right behind dealing damage with a kunai. Sasuke not to be out done quickly ran through hand signs before shouting out. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" The fireball sped quickly and exploded to the left of Naruto's attack taking out several of the mercs. All told the initial attacks took out 12 of the enemy leaving 8 plus the leader.
Quickly following the attacks Naruto, Kiba, and Kakashi rushed the enemy leaving the rest of the group in the ordered diamond formation. Unfortunately Sasuke rushed them as well leaving the left side unguarded. With everyone focused on the enemy before them there was a group of 5 mercs hiding on the side of the road, and attacked the flank Sasuke had so kindly left open. Hinata did not notice them until they began the attack since she had not activated her Byakugan, but Kurenai had and moved to intercept them.
"Sakura!" She yelled gaining the girl's attention too late, and used Shunshin to get between her and the attackers.
Trying to block the attack Kurenai succeeded but at the price of a gash along her side from a sword. She winced in pain, but she was a jonin for a reason and quickly dispatched the man. Hinata who had frozen momentarily quickly moved on the offensive using juken taking out another of the hired thugs with a 8 hit combo that started on the man's arm and ended with a fully powered strike to the heart ending his life. Shino who was on the opposite side sent his bugs in a swarm at the remaining 3 attackers as he moved closer to Tazuna keeping a careful watch on the surrounding area in case of another ambush.
Sakura meanwhile stood shaking with a sweaty grip on her kunai unable to believe the slaughter happening before her. She had been trained at the academy like everyone else, and had heard stories about some of the missions, but what she was seeing was the reality. It wasn't some fairy tale battle of honor and glory. It was murder, bloody horrifying murder. She watched Kiba, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto rip into the enemy unable to take her eyes away in much the same way someone who saw a gruesome car accident would. She was so enmeshed in the scene she didn't even react to Kurenai's shout or the enemy to the side.
The rushing assault from trained ninja was more than the mercs could handle, and the 9 remaining quickly turned into 3 by the time Kurenai's shout was heard. Naruto, who had just split a man from hip to shoulder looked back in time to see Kurenai get sliced open, and ran back leaving the others to finish the job. Silently he cast Haste on himself doubling his speed, and slammed into the remaining 3 ambushers sending one head flying in the process. Thrown off balance by his sudden arrival the attackers as well as Kurenai and Hinata paused, and before they knew it the last 2 were cleaved in two just below their ribs. Taking a quick glance he saw Kakashi, Kiba, and Sasuke walking back looking bloody but otherwise fine. With their being no more need to fight he placed his sword on his back before quickly moving to Kurenai.
"Lay down, Kurenai-chan, and I'll check your wound." He said helping her to the ground. Carefully he examined the wound as light green chakra began to coat his hands. "It's not too bad so I'll have this healed in a moment." He said reassuringly as he placed his hands over the wound casting Regen to help with the blood loss then Cure to complete the healing procedure. After only a couple minutes the wound was completely healed with only a very faint pale line to give any indication it had existed.
"Kurenai-chan, please try to be more careful. If I didn't bring you back in one piece Anko would skin me alive." Naruto said with only a little humor in his voice since he cared for her greatly as a friend.
The red eyed woman in question marveled at how soft his touch was as he healed her wound, and couldn't help but wonder how gentle he was in other areas before quickly shoving the thought away in shame. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I'm glad you haven't lost your gentle touch after spending so much time with Anko." She said before blushing a few seconds later realizing the innuendo in her words.
Kakashi who was by this point close enough to have heard this raised an eyebrow filing this away since he knew this was not the time to talk with her about this. "Are you ok to move, Kurenai?" He asked as his eyes inspected the others who were either uninjured or only had minor wounds.
Kurenai slowly stood up stretching a little to test her new flesh, and nodded. "Hai I'm just a little tired. We can move out as soon as everyone is ready." She turned to Sasuke as her eyes hardened glaringly. "Uchiha Sasuke, front and center!" She yelled gruffly gaining the boy's attention.
Sasuke sauntered over expecting to be praised for the 4 mercs he had taken out, and smirked as he gave a mock salute. "Hai, Kurenai-sensei."
Kurenai's temper only got worse seeing such a blatant display of arrogance, and let it enter her voice. "You have disobeyed a direct order, abandoned your post, and endangered the lives of you teammates, fellow Konoha ninja, and a contracted client. This will go on report, and if you try something like this again I will not only have your shinobi license revoked, but have you up on charges!"
Sasuke was at first surprised but quickly grew angry at being scolded. "I am an Uchiha! You don't have the right to do any such thing! You should be kneeling before me like the rest of the useless whores calling themselves konoichi!" He retorted with arrogant anger.
When Naruto heard the "Golden Boy" he quickly moved from his position just a few feet from Kurenai, and hit him in the jaw with a backfist sending him to the ground before placing his boot on Sasuke's throat. "You are a pathetic fool! Under the shinobi code of conduct laws I could kill you right now, and probably get a commendation for it. In case you have forgotten, if you even read the rules, insubordination in the field can be punished by death if the ranking member of the team chooses to." Naruto practically growled out adding pressure to his foot causing Sasuke to choke slightly, and grab his leg in an attempt to relieve the pressure. "The only thing stopping me is that Kurenai-chan has yet to give the order, but I will tell you this. If you ever speak to her like that again or disobey her orders on a whim I will kill you on the spot no questions asked. Do I make myself clear you piece of shit?" He leaned down causing the tread of his boots to dig into the flesh just above Sasuke's collarbone.
Sasuke tried to push the boot off his throat to no avail as he struggled to breath. After a few moments he stopped and glared at Naruto croaking out an affirmative response.
"Good. Now get your shit together, and be ready to move out." The pissed off blonde said as he backed off grudgingly reigning in his KI.
Kakashi had watched the scene wanting to interfere, but knew Sasuke had earned this by his own actions. As he watched he couldn't help but notice the look Kurenai was giving Naruto behind his back. His eyes widened slightly seeing not just approval, but if he was right…love. He decided that as soon as the opportunity presented itself he would have a long talk with his fellow jonin about fraternizing with subordinates. Sighing inwardly at this complication he signaled the rest of his team to get back into formation, and they were quickly joined by the rest of the genin except Naruto, who stayed near Kurenai on the chance she needed more medical aid.
In short order everyone was ready, and the jonin took note of who would need to be talked with about the killing they had done. Out of those that had fought only 3 seemed to be affected by the deaths, and each was a genin. Kiba kept rubbing his nose before staring at his hands, Sasuke was clenching and unclenching his hands, and Hinata despite her resolve and training was shaky, and her eyes kept darting everywhere like a rabbit sensing a hawk. Glancing at each other the jonin decided to talk at Tazuna's with each of them, and Kurenai gave the order to move out with Tazuna now being carried by Kakashi as they moved at ninja speed toward their destination.
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Having gotten word his men had failed a short balding man with a cane yelled at his subordinates for being incompetent. It took him well over an hour to calm down, but when he did his greedy little mind came up with an idea that would not only get the job done, it would cost him nothing.
Several days later the little man met with a tall well built man with bandages over his face, and a large sword on his back, and a smaller person that was dressed as a hunter nin complete with mask. The man with the cane leaned back in his chair and addressed the large ninja.
"You have heard the offer, Zabuza. Do you accept?"
Zabuza looked him over as well as the contract on the desk before nodding his head. "Yeah I accept. 10 million for the head of the bridge builder plus any expenses while in your service. You have a deal, Gato."