Naruto: Kung Fu Guardian
Chapter 5: Truth of the Uchiha Massacre!
Revised – Final Version
Disclaimer: You wish I own Naruto, dontcha? Well, I don't. I borrowed Narutoverse from Kishimoto and two techniques from Jin Yong. Everything else, including the explanation of how those techniques work, though, is mine.
…o.0.O.0.o…
As the Sarutobis exited the doors of the clan compound, Naruto spotted his guardian ANBU leaning against a tree, reading a book with an orange cover.
'Wow, someone who has the same passion for orange as I do. I wonder if it has any good bedtime stories. Maybe I can get Asuma to read it to me as my first bedtime story,' thought the naïve blond, showing one of his rare genuine smiles. He called out, "Doggy-san! What are you reading? Any good stories in that little orange book?"
A huge sweat drop appeared next to the Copy Nin's face mask. 'Yeah … but you're too young.'
As the female members of the Sarutobi clan began advancing on the re-installed ANBU captain, cracking their knuckles, promising the dog-masked nin pain for publically displaying adult literature, the Sandaime saved Kakashi from further embarrassment by telling the women, "Hurry and follow me. We don't have time."
Then, with an amused grin, eyes glancing at Kakashi, the Sandaime added, "You too, Doggy-san."
Seeing how his old friend's embarrassment deepened, Asuma let out the laughter he could no longer restrain.
"Good to see you too, Chimney-san," greeted Kakashi, using a nickname he coined for a smoker of an old friend.
"Chimney-san sounds too formal. Dad, would it be alright if I call you Chimchim-san instead?" suggested Naruto a little too innocently. Konohamaru, who was walking next to the orange-clad boy, snickered.
"Naruto, don't you dare!"
The Copy Nin turned to Asuma, arching his eyebrows behind his ANBU mask, and asked, "Dad?"
…o.0.O.0.o…
In an undisclosed location, an orange-masked traveler and his short follower entered an underground cave lit by torches protruding from rocky wall orifices. A stoic man with spiky hair and large randomly-scattered piercings and his beautiful but otherwise emotionless female companion greeted them.
"So, Madara, I gather the mission was a success," said the waiting male as the two approached him.
"Yes, Pein, and I've brought along a new member, Uchiha Itachi," replied Madara.
"Did you find those two manuscripts?" asked the female stranger.
"No, Konan," was the older Uchiha's only reply. Their exchange caught the attention of the younger Uchiha.
Meanwhile Itachi examined the two strangers with his activated Sharingan.
From Konan's attire, postures, and choice of weapon, or the lack thereof, the jet-black-haired teen concluded that the kunoichi was not there to contribute to the secret organization's combat prowess. Her specialties were either in tracking or surveillance.
While it was difficult to detect her true skills based solely on first impression, the former captain of the Leaf ANBU was confident of his assessment of her.
Itachi's opinion of the spiky-haired blond, however, was very different. He could sense Pein's strong chakra signature and concluded that he was definitely a combatant powerhouse. His body piercings could be related to his jutsu specialties or his combat skills.
As the teen prodigy continued his silent assessment of the male's seemingly random piercings, his spinning-tomoed eyes eventually locked gazes with the commanding blond's swirl-blazing eyes.
…o.0.O.0.o…
Preparations for the meeting took longer than Sarutobi had anticipated. Rampant rumors speculating what happened to the Uchihas the previous night only complicated matters.
It took a lot of convincing from the Hokage and his two personal advisors to reassure several prominent clans that proper security measures would be taken and that their safety was guaranteed.
Their demands to increase village security were reasonable as many were afraid that the Uchihas had been wiped out by enemies from the last Great Ninja War. The Naras made logical arguments that the ones responsible for the Uchiha Massacre could take advantage of a town gathering and attack when Konoha was at her most vulnerable.
Even if Sarutobi was doing in what he thought was for appearance sake, he understood the importance of allaying fears and reviving village morale.
As the Sandaime issued orders from behind his desk, Asuma and Naruto sat in his office while the rest of the clan members waited for the announcement in the village courtyard, along with rest of the village.
The aged Kage wanted Asuma there to get him re-acclimated to ninja business after his two year departure. Naruto was there to get a preview of what it would be like to be Hokage, should he still want the job when he reached the required age and skill level.
The tag-along duo sat silently in the Hokage's office, each occupied in his own thoughts. Naruto's view of the Commander-in-Chief, whom he affectionately dubbed, "Old Man," went up a couple of notches that evening. The impressionable child watched how the Sandaime interacted with his subordinates, issued commands to the ninjas filling the room what their assignments were and how they were to respond to suspicious activities, and reassured clan-heads and other villagers that no harm would befall them when they attended this village-wide meeting. Each and every one of the villagers respected their Kage and entrusted their present safety and future outlook to him.
Naruto, for the first time since he started announcing he wanted to be Hokage, truly could think of doing nothing better than becoming the Kage of Konoha. Reflecting on his own shortcomings, his mixed feelings for the village that was both his home and hell, and how the villagers viewed him, he realized what an arduous journey he had ahead of him.
Asuma's feelings toward his father were more complex. He recalled his mixed reaction as a child when he found out his father was appointed as the Hokage. A part of him was proud of his father for achieving what few could. For a while, Asuma basked in glory of his father's name on the streets and among his friends; even his senseis gave him preferential treatment as the son of the Hokage.
Soon however, these courtesies became stale and alienated his friends from him. The then-lonely teenager wanted and needed his father, but had to share him with frequent and important meetings and the daily demands of running a hidden village.
Just when relief came in the form of the Yondaime, it was quickly stolen away by the Kyuubi attack.
As he reflected on how immature he had been, the twenty-three-year-old now looked sadly at his aged father and carefully examined him and remembered his every detail: every facial line, every strand of gray hair, every expression, and every gesture.
Who was to say how much longer his father would live on? Who knew when he too would have to sacrifice his life to protect the village?
A life of a ninja, especially a Kage, could be a sacrificially tragic one.
…o.0.O.0.o…
The courtyard before the Hokage tower was the most crowded as it had ever been. Every citizen of the Hidden Village of the Leaf was told to gather here for an important announcement from the Hokage. Normally, most families, civilian and ninja alike, would send representatives to attend the typical village-wide meetings on their behalf. However, this afternoon was different.
By now everyone had heard the rumors about the Uchiha clan.
Mystery, fear, and uncertainty saturated the atmosphere as they pondered what was to happen to Konoha now that one of the most powerful clans was wiped out, save one survivor.
Sarutobi stood on the balcony of the Hokage tower, overlooking Konoha and her people gathered together in the great courtyard below. Borrowing a line from a great orator, the wizened Hokage stretched out his arms and began his speech.
"Friends, Konohans, and countrymen, lend me your ears…."
Asuma, Naruto, and several close associates of the Hokage remained there while the rest of Konoha listened attentively as their leader and protector explained to them the tragedy that was the Uchiha Massacre.
"Sometime last night, Uchiha Itachi killed every single ninja and civilian of the Uchiha clan, save one, his younger brother, an eight-year-old boy named Uchiha Sasuke. As unfortunate as it is to learn of the death of your parents and relatives, Sasuke also found the slain bodies of family and relatives. He is currently recovering from psychiatric trauma at the hospital."
After a brief pausing for some sympathetic mutters from the crowd, the Sandaime continued.
"As of now, Uchiha Itachi is listed as an S-rank missing-nin; however, with the Uchihas killed, our ninja force was greatly reduced; and we cannot send any hunter-nins after him.
"Even though we do not know conclusively why he did what he did, we found several disturbing mental degradations starting last year when he entered ANBU service at a tender age of twelve. We believe that those mental volatilities resulted from too much exposure to the harsh reality of ninja and ANBU at too young an age. To prevent this from happening again, we'll be revising the ninja academy and institute minimum age requirements for each rank advancement.
"Effective immediately, the Konoha Police force, formerly manned by the Uchiha clan, will be permanently dissolved. The daily safety of the village will now be part of the combined efforts of ANBU and Jounins. We will also be expending ANBU reserves to meet these new demands, while relocating normally ANBU missions to Jounin and Chuunin teams.
"I can assure you that under my leadership as the Hokage of our Hidden Village of the Leaf, the safety of our village will not be compromised, our prosperity…."
…o.0.O.0.o…
Sarutobi Hizuren was sitting in a council meeting with the heads of the major clans in Konoha. The Town Hall meeting had gone better than anticipated. The Sandaime's public announcement went a long way toward restoring the villagers' confidence and morale. Konoha would live on.
Hizuren had dismissed Naruto and Asuma shortly afterward in anticipation of the Clan Heads exercising their right to call a council meeting. He would have to talk to the newly adopted father and son tomorrow.
The guilty feeling of neglecting Asuma in lieu of fulfilling Kage duties returned from its two year absence to weigh heavily on his heart.
"Hokage-sama and the honorable council advisors, thank you for taking time from your busy day to meet with us, the Clan Heads of Konoha," repeated Hyuuga Hiashi the standard meeting opener by rote.
"Yes, Hiashi-san. It is our pleasure and duty to meet with you and work together to insure the continued safety and prosperity of the Sovereignty of our Hidden Village," returned Sarutobi the mandatory formalities.
Two items were on the docket that night: Uchiha Sasuke and the reallocation of duties from the extinct Konoha Police to the ANBUs and Jounins.
What to do with the Uchiha survivor was difficult to decide. The difficulty laid not in a lack of viable solutions, but rather in how to choose the best solution that everyone could agree with from a plethora of suggestions.
Hiashi argued that the Uchiha clan came from a branch of the Hyuugas to begin with, and as the only remaining clan with a dojutsu, his clan was the ideal choice to adopt the surviving Uchiha.
"How can anyone verify your claim of Uchihas' origin?" argued Danzou. "According to the now deceased Uchiha Clan Head, their historical scrolls made no statement to such origin."
Smiling at how other clan heads agreed with his reasoning, he moved in for what he thought would be best for Konoha. "Hiashi-san, why don't you make public the Hyuuga's historical scrolls? If you are so bold as to claim the Uchihas as an offshoot of Hyuuga Branch Members, surely the rest of the village would want to see proof."
"Hmph!" was Hiashi's grunted response.
Then the war hawk proposed his own sound suggestion. "Why don't we place the Uchiha in my ROOT program. His Sharingan is too valuable a tool for Konoha not to develop it to its full potential. My training program will make him Konoha's ultimate weapon without the downfall of the emotional volatility."
The Hokage quickly answered, "No. Doing so would only produce another Itachi."
"But Hokage-sama, that's not even …" true was what Danzou wanted to finish the statement with.
"NO! And that's final!" shouted Sarutobi before Danzou could let that slip out of his mouth.
The Nara clan head quirked his right eyebrow at the Hokage's uncharacteristic outburst, but made no comment.
Then the Sandaime calmly volunteered his reason. "His mind is too fragile right now. I'm afraid he'll grow up bent on being an avenger. Giving him power at such a young age when he hasn't come to terms with his hatred would only lead to his downfall."
"Hokage-sama, if you are worried about Sasuke's fragile psyche and his dark mental outlook, my clan would be the best choice for him," offered the Inuzuka Clan Head. "Our clan's affiliation with dogs as lifelong companions and teammates fosters the perfect environment to insure a healthy mental outlook for the already mentally fragmented eight-year-old. Also, my son Kiba, who's Sasuke's age, would be perfect as a friend and playmate."
Hizuren nodded. "Tsume-san, I think we can all agree that it would be the best interest of the boy to be adopted into a stable and structured family life. Historical lineage aside, I don't think that putting him as a Branch Member to the Hyuuga clan would be in his best interest. I think the council's acceptance of your generous offer would prove to be in the best interest of mending the surviving Uchiha's mental volatility while providing him a structured family life and the core value of friendship and teamwork."
"That sounds all noble and good," grumbled Hiashi, "but who's to say that Tsume or any of the potential foster family wasn't doing this so they can breed the Sharingan or use it to enhance their own bloodline limit?"
"How dare you to imply wrong motives in my kind gesture!" shouted Tsume.
Concealing his eyes behind shades, Aburame Shibi concurred, "Hiashi's fears are grounded on the logical analysis of how greed can taint even the purest of intentions. I move that whichever clan ends up adopting the Uchiha child cannot arrange a marriage between the child and anyone in the adoptive clan."
After agreeing to Aburame's stipulations, the voting went around the room. Danzou and Tsume were the only two willing to take Sasuke into their care.
Sighing, Nara Shikaku declared, "This discussion is pointless. It doesn't matter how we all think would be in the best interest of the boy; shouldn't he have a say? I mean, we're not talking about an infant without preconceived notions of likes and dislikes. This is an eight-year old, and one already with a shattered psyche. Forcing him into a decision he ends up not liking could do more harm than good."
Danzou pounced on another opportunity to recruit the last Uchiha into his ROOT and said, "I think Nara-san makes a valid point. We should give Sasuke choices."
Sighing at not being able to do much more than that for Itachi's little brother, Hizuren finally approved the council's decision and facilitated the meeting to the next item on the docket.
…o.0.O.0.o…
To Danzou's chagrin, the Sandaime had proven once again that he was worth his weight in gold. A charismatic leader, a motivating orator, a seasoned politician, and a capable meeting facilitator. Despite how the crippled war hawk frequently disagreed with Sarutobi's policies of peace over war, the ROOT Leader knew his old rival was the better choice as the Hokage … for now. After the Council Meeting ended, Danzou remained in the meeting room with Sarutobi and his other two personal advisors.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were former Genin teammates of the Sandaime under their Jounin sensei, the late Nidaime Hokage. Their years of working closely with Hizuren made them the Hokage's most trusted advisors. Often, like earlier today when they received Kakashi in the Hokage's office, they had the Sandaime's authorization as acting Kage in his absence or in the event of his becoming unavailable to serve. Many times during meetings, the Sandaime would sit back and observe while his two former teammates acted as his mouthpieces. Koharu often made no secret of her emotions, while Homura's legal mind was pensive and collected.
As Hizuren waved goodbye to the last departing clan heads, he reflected on the overall success of the meeting.
True, the Uchiha adoption issue did not go exactly how he would have wanted, but it was as good a conclusion as he was going to get from the council. Because of fearing a repeat of creating another Itachi, the council gave the Sandaime unanimous support for implementing the needed changes to the Ninja Academy. The last item Hizuren sprung on the council was his announcing Asuma's adoption of Naruto. Danzou's was the sole objection, citing Naruto as another viable candidate for his ROOT training. By then, everyone was tired from a long day of dealing with issues first within their own clans and then with the already long-into-the-night meeting. Wanting to conclude the meeting, clan heads overrode Danzou's protest and acknowledged Asuma's adoption without incident.
As the Hokage finished his musing on the previous meeting, he returned his attention to his three advisors.
After the Hokage opened the Advisor Meeting with his perfunctory remarks, he directed his attention toward Danzou, "Tell us about Itachi's mission last night."
"Itachi killed those responsible for the treasonous crimes of planning and attempting to execute a coup against Konoha," summarized Danzou. "The Uchihas' plan to kill the clan heads and take over the council was thwarted. The village safety was maintained, and chaos avoided. Overall, Itachi's mission was a success."
"But why did Itachi have to kill the civilians too?" complained Homura. "We thought you said that the innocent would be spared."
"The only ones that we could definitively classify as innocent were those children not yet old enough to graduate from the Ninja Academy," explained Danzou. "Unfortunately, Uchiha Sasuke was the only person to fit that category. All others, ninja or civilians alike, were likely to have heard of the coup or were guilty of these treasonous acts. We just couldn't take any chances of leaving someone alive to plant the same treasonous thoughts into the impressionable mind of our sole surviving and innocent Uchiha."
"But again, that wasn't what we four had agreed upon," retorted Koharu, letting her emotion erupt into her remark.
Finally breaking his silence, Sarutobi quietly said, "But it didn't have to be this way. Inoichi, though unaware of our reasons, was willing to perform mind erasing jutsus. Tell us, who gave you the idea that it would have been better to kill the civilians?"
Maintaining his composure without compromising his inward nervousness to the three, Danzou uttered, "About a month ago when we assigned Itachi this mission, I sent out six of my best ROOT agents to look for a missing-nin known as the Masked Shadow."
"Are you telling us that you went behind our backs and hired a missing-nin to assist Itachi?" asked Homura.
"At the time I had my doubts about whether Itachi was the best choice for this mission; whether he, though a very accomplished thirteen-year-old prodigy, was willing to choose village over family and kill his parents and relatives," explained Danzou. "This was too important to the welfare of our village to leave things to chance."
"So you ended up hiring him!?" exclaimed Koharu. "How were you able to find him? I've heard he can't be found if he doesn't want to be."
"That rumor proved true," explained Danzou. "I didn't, or rather, my ROOT agents didn't find him; he found them."
"How did they verify this was the Masked Shadow?" inquired Homura.
"That was the question posed by the squad leader," replied the war hawk. "The Masked Shadow's answer was a demonstration where he swiftly killed the other five ROOT nins and then told the squad leader to give me a message to meet with him here on the red bridge overlooking the river, where Genin teams meet for the morning."
"WHAT?! That S-ranked missing-nin was in Konoha?" shouted Koharu. Unlike her male counterparts, she had long since lost her composure in this meeting.
"Tell us about meeting with the Masked Shadow," commanded the Sandaime.
Danzou recounted …
- Flashback –
The day before their appointed meeting time, the crippled veteran stationed several of his ROOT agents in strategic positions around the red bridge and up and down the river bed. No, Danzou was not afraid of his own safety. Having received his crippling wound at a very young age when he fought in the Second Great Ninja War, the experienced warrior was willing to put his life on the line for his village.
His precautions were to prevent this S-ranked missing-nin from endangering any Konoha citizen while he was temporarily allowed in the village.
At the appointed hour Danzou arrived at the red bridge to find the S-ranked Masked Shadow already waiting for him. Without turning to face the crippled war hawk, the mercenary-for-hire spoke through his orange mask, "You must be Danzou." It was not as much a question as it was a statement.
"Since I don't sense my subordinates nearby, you must have already taken care of them," reasoned the old veteran. "No doubt you've already found out what mission we are willing to hire you for and its compensation."
"I'll do the mission, but you'll not need to pay me," volunteered the masked nin. "I'll find my compensation in the Uchiha compound. But I have two stipulations … I get to kill all the Uchihas and take Itachi with me when we're done. He'll be labeled as a missin- nin anyway. At least with me, we can watch each other's backs."
"Why must you kill the children and the civilians?" asked Danzou. "Itachi agreed to this mission because the young and civilians would be spared. Besides, I don't have the authority to sanction an Uchiha genocide. And as for your second request, Itachi will have to decide that himself."
"Hahahaha!" was the orange-masked assassin's sinister reply. "You are a cleaver one, aren't you? Let's stop the games. We both know that a total genocide is the only sure way of eradicating these treasonous thoughts. But to appease your superior and peers, tell them that only those innocent of treason should be spared. Unfortunately, in this accursed clan, only one merits such classification due to him being the youngest and not yet a ninja. I believe this one is also Itachi's little brother, so it is he I'll spare."
"Very well, please leave the village upon mission completion. I hope you'll never set foot into this village again," replied Danzou.
"I hope so too," replied the slightly depressed Masked Shadow. His departing visage soon blurred into the shadows.
- End Flashback –
The Hokage and his former teammates were shocked to learn that Danzou had compromised village security by allowing an S-ranked assassin to enter the village.
"Danzou, for going behind our backs, your actions are treasonous. Furthermore, you've endangered the safety of our village by contacting and allowing entrance of a very dangerous missing-nin," spoke Homura, sounding aloud the thoughts of his former teammates.
"But I'm not the traitor here," defended Danzou, "the Uchihas were. Remember they planned a coup de taut. Not only would they have killed the Hyuugas but every council member, including all of us in this room. I did what I felt was necessary to increase the success of Itachi's mission. Don't you see? My actions support my loyalty to our village."
"Even if your motives were in the best interest of our village, you still acted presumptuously, circumventing our authorities," reasoned Hizuren calmly. "We are not saying your motive was treasonous, but your surreptitious actions were."
"And as for your defense in upholding the safety of our village, that too is fallacious. What guarantee were you given that this missing-nin wasn't going to do exactly what the Uchihas had conspired to do, killing every council member and several major clans?" interjected Koharu with blatant displeasure.
At this Danzou was silent. He hung his head in defeat.
The Sandaime looked at his advisor and sighed resignedly. Then in a quiet voice he said, "Danzou-san, please wait outside while we deliberate your punishment."
"Hai."
After a brief deliberation, Danzou was called back in.
As the meeting chairman, Sarutobi declared, "Ultimately, the end does not justify the means. Our decisions are final. For your many years of loyal dedicated service to Konoha and under the circumstances behind the reasons for your actions, we have decided not to pass the usual judgment befitting treason. However, we hereby remove you from your position as a council advisor and further demand that you disband your Root ANBU. You may still remain in the council, serving as a member, but no longer as an advisor. Do you accept our decisions? We strongly advise that you do."
With a stoic face showing no outward emotions, he said, "I accept."
…o.0.O.0.o…
The first words Kyuubi heard as she awakened from her slumber were the Sandaime's greetings to the citizens of Konoha. Realizing this was important she listened to how the events played out for her surprise visitor, Uchiha Itachi, and learned of the Uchiha Massacre.
"Why did he leave his brother alive?" she mumbled.
Then, she heard Sarutobi's excuse of why they would not be going after Itachi, she remarked, "Humans actually believe this nonsense of an excuse? They've become more gullible than they were when I roamed freely."
Thinking about her freedom, or the lack thereof, quickly dampened her spirits. She looked up again when she heard Sarutobi's fabricated theory of how Itachi supposedly became psychologically unstable.
"So that's how you choose to handle this mess, huh, you old prune? Nice save, Sarutobi."
Looking around her cage caused her depression to deepen. "It's lonely here all by myself," she admitted to herself with a sigh. "I wondered what happened to Naruto after my exhaustion claimed me."
Silently she searched through his memory and watched the past twelve hours of her jailor's life.
After spending a mindscape equivalence of two months with Naruto, she realized how lonely her past eight years had been. Those years had her consumed with rage as she replayed over and over her own imprudent mistake that resulted in her imprisonment.
She had let her emotions get the best of her when she met Madara, and he easily manipulated her into a vulnerable position and cast a genjutsu on her. Though she had harbored no ill-will toward Konoha when she attacked, she felt no remorse in her heart for the death of the many that night. She might, had they not attacked her first.
From her point of view, the damages she inflected on Konoha were a little excessive, but justified. Had there been bystanders in her cage, they would most likely have been quite confused by the strange expressions that played across her face as she pondered these things.
From Naruto's memories, the gargantuan bijuu found the one-sided sparring match amusing. Even though Kyuubi knew all that mental training would have done little to none in strengthening Naruto physically, she was still disappointed how much was there remained to be done to prepare him to be her avenger. The Nine-Tails cared not whether Naruto became Hokage as a byproduct of her own purposes for him.
Then she heard in Naruto's memory, "Why don't you train me Asuma, like Kyuubi-sensei did?"
The Kitsune remarked, "Good, so he did realize he needed Asuma to train him. Wait, did he call me Kyuubi-sensei?"
As she continued to go shuffle through her jailor's memory, she came across the words her vessel said in her defense, "It's not her fault … she was tricked."
At that moment, she felt something she had never experienced personally before. This feeling was not completely alien to her because she observed it in how other animals took care of their young.
"Has my motherly instinct finally awakened, or is this something different?" asked Kyuubi to no one in particular.
While she pondered over what an awakened motherly instinct meant for her as a bijuu, her thoughts drifted toward how unnatural her experience was with Qi when she suppressed her demonic chakra.
She was puzzled as to why she was relatively kind in her speech and action toward her vessel, even though Kyuubi no Kitsune had meant her jailor no harm. As a fierce tailed demon, she did have an image to maintain after all. Concluding that there was more to Qi than she had first thought, she transformed her body back to the regal beauty, picked up the Nine Yangs manuscript, and began reading with a renewed purpose.
Kyuubi remained demon herself in this humanoid form, rather than reverting to the kind sensei Naruto had met. She could only assume this was because she wasn't suppressing her chakra or channeling Qi.
…o.0.O.0.o…
The sole Uchiha heir had chosen not to be near the village courtyard during the Town Hall meeting. Right now, Sasuke could be seen crouching with his arms around his knees and leaning against a wooden post in the private training ground of the Uchiha compound.
Unlike what the Hokage had announced during the Town Hall meeting, Sasuke was not resting in the hospital, from where he had soon discharged himself.
Last night, in a world created by an advanced form of the Sharingan, Sasuke saw his brother murdered his parents, his older cousins, his relatives, and civilians. When Sasuke asked his brother why, Itachi said that he did it to measure his power. Then, Itachi told Sasuke to live in hatred and for revenge. The final parting words to Sasuke had been to kill his best friend so he too could obtain the ultimate Sharingan – the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Fortunately for massacre survivor, the Mangekyou user did not want to put the boy into coma. Otherwise, he would have been unconscious in the hospital for at least one month.
Reflecting back on that vision, the confused boy still could not fathom the actions of his once doting brother, who had been not only someone who watched over him, but someone whom he worshiped.
As tears rolled down his face, Sasuke whispered, "Brother … why?"
Emerging from the wood area, a masked person clothed in a black cloak with red clouds walked towards him. The sudden appearance and the gradual advancement of this stranger startled Sasuke. As the figure closed the distance, the massacre survivor noticed that the man reminded him of someone he had possibly seen disappearing with his brother last night.
'So that wasn't merely my imagination after all.'
Once Sasuke rose to his feet, the mysterious person darted into a nearby ally. The eight-year-old gave way to chase, but found the ally empty.
Once outside the Uchiha compound, the mysterious figure dropped his henge.
'This is the best I can do to warn him not to believe in the manipulated truth he was fed last night. Now I need to find the Kyuubi jinchuuriki.'
…o.0.O.0.o…
Asuma had dropped Naruto off at his old apartment to pack for his move to the Sarutobi compound. The bearded Sarutobi told his recently adopted son that he was going to pick up some ramen from Ichiraku's and meet him back at the compound.
The new father's kind gesture elicited the expected excited jumps and shouts of jubilation from the blond. This exchange did much to brighten the mood for twosome after a grueling day.
Coincidentally Ichiraku's Ramen Bar was not just the right choice; it was the only choice since every eatery in the village closed that night. They had to set up many extra tables to accommodate the huge turnout. The waiting time was long, as many had also decided to order out.
Having already placed his orders, Asuma seated himself and went into deep thoughts about Naruto and the private conversation he had with his father when the adoption papers were finalized.
- Flashback –
"Dad, who were Naruto's parents?" asked Asuma.
"You know better than to ask a question you can't have the answer to," responded one irritated Hokage. "As I told Naruto, his heritage will be made known when he becomes Chuunin. You and the rest of the world will find out then."
"You know that he seems to resemble the late Yondaime-sama," Asuma pondered aloud. "Take away Naruto's whisker marks and give him fifteen years of growing – he would probably end up looking like the Yondaime's twin."
"Asuma…."
"Dad, why did you nudge me to adopt Naruto?" asked the puzzled Jounin, quite irate himself. "I may act laid back or slow, but I'm smarter than I look. If Naruto has such a great heritage, why should I adopt him, love him as my own, and later to lose him to his better and rightful heritage?"
"I'm not confirming or denying your speculations, but I do understand where you are coming from," reassured the father his son. "I can't make any guarantees on the future and neither can you; however, I can tell you that even if what you fear comes true, it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Besides, how do you know the boy won't recognize your part in his life after learning his true parentage? He already knows to expect its revelation, yet he was still very happy to learn you want to adopt him. I don't think you are giving the boy enough credit. Naruto won't grow up to be that kind of a person, not if you or I have anything to do with it."
- End Flashback –
Those thoughts were broken by the laughter of two angels about whom he frequently dreamt – the curvy genjutsu specialist Kurenai and the exotic snake mistress Anko. Images of their heavenly bodies flooded his mind. Slightly parting his lips, Asuma's lit cigarette dropped to wherever gravity pulled it.
The angelic duo sat couple of tables to his right and were already finished eating their meal. As Kurenai got up to leave, she turned her head toward her left; her wavy luscious hair whipped playfully to the other side.
Upon recognizing his signature beard, she walked towards her old teammate and called out, "Asuma? You're back?"
Her melodious voice awakened Asuma from his stupor as the burning sensation near his privates registered in his brain. Quickly he stood and brushed off the offending object nervously like an awkward teenager picking up his crush for their first date.
While the recently homebound Jounin continued to embarrass himself in front of his former teammate, the skimpily-clad Anko slithered sultrily to Kurenai's left and announced her presence with her own seductive laughter.
While looking down and trying to cover up a cigarette-burnt hole with his left hand, Asuma absent-mindedly extended his right hand to greet Kurenai with a handshake. His former teammate, however, was already moving in for a hug. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when Asuma's right hand squeezed her left breast. Instantly memories of what happened that night in the hot spring two years ago washed over her.
Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard his faint whispers of how her breast was as soft as he remembered.
Angry and embarrassed, Kurenai slapped her former teammate's face and yelled, "It was you in the hot spring?" Sensing no denial from Asuma, she continued, "So that's why you left?" Without waiting for a response, she stormed away from him.
Once her best friend had gone far away enough, Anko made her move. Even though she knew there was a possibility that the two former teammates had developed feelings for each other, Anko wanted to stake her claim on a person who ranked high on her 'To Bed' List.
She closed in on the distance between them and reached her hand out, using her skilled fingers to tease Asuma's beard up and down his jaw line. "So," she began, "you were one of the perverts that dared to pull that on us that day…umm … judging by how excited you were, you must have liked what you saw."
Just when Asuma's head started to tilt backward, readying to be blown back by a massive nosebleed, Anko snaked her left arm around his neck and pulled his head to her eye-level.
With a satisfied look in her eyes, she said, "I don't like men not keeping eye contact when I'm talking to them. I'm going to make sure Kurenai is okay first." Taking in a whiff of his minty tobacco scent, she winked playfully and continued, "When I get back, I'll give you a punishment you'll never forget."
Asuma mumbled incoherently while sweating profusely and trying to stay conscious.
"This rugged look is fitting on you," complemented Anko as she looked him up and down one last time before leaving. Then her gaze remained on his crotch. She asked, "Are you making a fashion statement with that cigarette-burnt hole? You know I don't like people dressing more provocatively than I do." As she walked away, she swayed her hips subtly and continued to laugh sensuously at his expense.
…o.0.O.0.o…
Since the adoption papers for Naruto had been finalized, Kakashi was no longer assigned to watch over the little boy. At this moment, however, Kakashi's thoughts were far from Naruto.
'Why did you do it, Itachi? Could it really have been too much stress, especially after Shisui's death, or is there something else? Why didn't you seek my help?'
During the Copy-nin's internal musing, he walked aimlessly with his face buried in his little orange book. As he came to the corner of the block, he collided with a fuming Kurenai heading away from the direction of the Konoha's popular ramen stand.
"Ugh! Another pervert!" exclaimed Kurenai pointing to Kakashi and his book.
The notorious pervert basher was already frustrated after discovering her former teammate's involvement in the hot spring incident. Unleashing her newly intensified fury against the smut reader, she cast a genjutsu on him and continued her journey to a tavern.
A few steps later, Kurenai donned on a satisfying smirk as she heard Kakashi's screams.
"What is this? Is that you Gai? Why are there so many of you? URGH! Why are you all in SPEEDOs? No! Stay back. Don't come any closer! Kai! KAI!"
…o.0.O.0.o…
As the Sandaime headed toward his family compound, he reflected on all the activities of this most unusual day, beginning with Naruto and his tenant. Hizuren was not surprised that Kyuubi would try to contact her jailor; he was surprised that she succeeded.
'When Minato designed that seal, he intended it to prevent the Nine-Tails from harming his son. So it must be true that the demon wasn't trying to harm the boy last night. I think it'll be best to keep Naruto's "training" with Kyuubi a secret. I'll talk to Asuma about that.'
With a calculated look, Hizuren continued his musings.
'Maybe the Nine-Tails really was tricked into attacking Konoha and was equally a victim in that tragedy, fated to be sealed inside the Yondaime's legacy.'
He felt very uneasy at the thought of Madara being alive.
'I need to dig into his background and his issues with the Shodaime and Konoha.'
When the exhausted village leader entered the compound, he thought back to Danzou and the Pandora's Box he'd opened.
'Even though we've been lenient with Danzou's punishment, I have a feeling he will hold a grudge against me. And that Masked Shadow … there are just too many questions … why … what did he want from the Uchiha compound … was it merely the money he took from there, or was there something else … and does he have other hidden agendas?'
With a deep sigh, he muttered to himself, "I'm getting too old for this. I better go check on my grandsons."
Continuing his footsteps with renewed energy toward the sleeping quarters, Sarutobi mused with a smile, 'Grandsons … I like the sound of that.'
His first stop was his newly adopted grandson's room, only to be disappointed by an empty bed.
"Naruto? Where are you?"
…o.0.O.0.o…
-- Three Hours Earlier --
After the Town Hall Meeting, Asuma dropped Naruto off at his old apartment to pack his personal belongings. The bearded Sarutobi wanted to stay and help, but the boy insisted on doing this himself. The adoptive father figured that Naruto just wanted some alone time to reflect on the day's activities, as he found himself needing to do the same.
Naruto's apartment was not comfortable or decent by any living standard, but it had been home to him for the past three years of his life. The apartment did not always look run down, but some overzealous villagers put the 'decorating' touches on it for him. Despite living in what many his age would consider a dump, Naruto still appreciated the kindness the Third had shown him in procuring him the living quarters and paying the monthly rent.
It was now time to say goodbye to his old lonely home and move in with his adoptive family. The former orphan looked around the sparse room with mixed emotions.
As Naruto robotically packed away his belongings, his mind wandered back to the events of this most unexpected day. His thoughts landed first on the Uchiha massacre.
'Why were all those people killed? Could this have anything to do with Weasel-san's departure? And why were the killers so cruel as to have an innocent boy witness the carnage only to be traumatized, possibly, for life? Uchiha Sasuke … I bet he's a lot like me.'
Next, the jinchuuriki reflected on his tenant.
'Looks like the fox was right … the amount of time I spent in the mindscape did little to improve the outcome in an actual fight … I need to get stronger so my arms and legs can keep up with my mind. I wonder what other technique the fox-lady had in mind to teach me. It's probably from another manuscript with a cool story behind it. Will I get to see her chibi self again? Don't worry Kyuubi, I'll right the wrong done to you and me and this entire village. I'll become the new guardian of those manuscripts and kill Madara.'
Finally, packing his last items, the former orphan's thoughts went back to his new family.
'I almost lost it back there when Jiji admitted he knew my parents … I guess it's best to wait until I'm emotionally mature enough to handle knowing my heritage. It looks like I don't have to be alone anymore … I now have a dad, a grandpa, and a kid brother! There will probably be people hating the Sarutobis for doing this, but then the old man is the Hokage. People have to respect him. I'm going to work doubly hard and take that job from Jiji. People will have to respect me then.'
On the way to the Sarutobi compound, Naruto walked with his eyes on the road; his mind still buried in his thoughts. Absent-mindedly, the boy bumped into a standing body mass. Lifting his head to apologize, Naruto made eye contact with the person and suddenly found himself back in his mindscape.
…o.0.O.0.o…
A/N: The Danzou in this chapter appears slightly different than how he is in manga. Remember, everything in this chapter happens in an earlier timeline than when Danzou appears in manga.
I tried my best to make the Council Meeting as believable as possible without making the chapter boring. I hope the results were worth my efforts.
Spoiler Alert: To those who seen manga chapter 409, what the sage toad did with and said about the sage techniques was how I intended to have Qi merged with chakra in later chapters. Since technically Kishimoto put it on paper first, I can't actually claim he copied me. Then again, any WuXia reader familiar with Qi would know that what the sage toad described as the 'energy naturally around us' was Qi and that Kishimoto stole the concept and altered it so he didn't have to acknowledge its proper name or origin. Don't worry, my version of Naruto's Qi training will be better than the copycat's.
Should Sasuke get adopted? Who was the elusive stranger? What did he want with Naruto?
Let your voices be heard. Review below. I reply to ALL reviews.
Next … Chapter 6: Nine Stances vs. Sharingan!