Sanctuary Within
Arc One, Chapter Seven: Informant of the Water
Chapter Length: 3,238
Story Statistics
Story Length: 24,810\Reviews: 8\Favorited: 7\Alerted: 6
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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, which belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. This story is mine, however. Enjoy it! (Not a Request)
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"There you go, now you have the hang of it!"
"HA!"
"Ugh!"
"Hiatari!"
I skidded back a few feet and held my chest. I looked over to the right and saw Tsuki and Kakashi looking at me. I turned back to my opponent, breathing heavily.
There he was, standing there in his stance. He grinned.
"What's wrong, Hiatari? You're the Sharingan warrior, how could you be losing to me?" He taunted.
"Shut up, Airomaru!" I screamed at him. After gathering my next few thoughts I charged full speed at my teammate.
He chuckled to himself and charged at me. We headed for each other at full speed.
"Ha!" I screamed as I threw a punch his way. Airomaru ducked and thrust his forearm under my punch so as to make an opening to hurt me. His reactions, seeming slower to me, were obvious. I turned and thrust my other arm into his chest. He grabbed my fist head on with his free hand. I was in trouble.
I had been sparing with Airomaru for the past six days. On the first day I told him everything, and he was willing to aide me in whatever way he could offer. I asked him to spar with me. In the middle of that sparing match, Kakashi happened to see the fight and suggest that we practice together every day. In these six days, I truly got to know most of Airomaru's body movements. I knew that if we ever locked in what would appear to be a stalemate, it was game over for me. Airomaru had an unreasonable flexibility and strength I could never replicate.
Airomaru smirked and grabbed my high had with his other arm. Bearing down pressure on me, he lifted his entire body up and kicked me in the face. He let go as a skid back once more and he flipped in the air and landed on all fours.
The way Airomaru fought was incredible… It was like fighting an animal…
Coughing up blood and spitting it out fiercely, I got back into stance. He smiled and straitened up, soon entering his stance again.
"Enough, you two. That's good for today."
Airomaru sighed and relaxed, stretching his arms. I let out my sigh as well as I loosened up.
"Hiatari!" I heard the feminine squeal. Instinctively, I tried to run, but didn't manage to even step once before I was literally tackled by Tsuki onto the floor. "Hiatari! You were amazing!"
"Amazing? I got the crap kicked out of me!" I protested.
"By who," Airomaru said smugly, "by my Kick or by Tsuki's glomp?"
"Both?" I said.
"Now, now, you three…" Kakashi said, open book in his hand. He wore his familiar jonin outfit (minus his vest) and the Konoha forehead protector over his left eye.
"So… how was today, Kakashi-san?" Airomaru said. In these past six days, Airomaru has gotten really friendly with Kakashi, first calling him Hokage-sama, then just Kakashi-san.
Kakashi closed his book and pocketed it, "Well… Hiatari's hits on you were pretty damaging to you." he said, "but you did land many more hits on Hiatari…"
Airomaru bushed his cheek, "Heh, I guess that's true."
It was an understatement… I punched Airomaru fifteen times in the entirety of our thirty minute practice. Airomaru, on the other hand, punched me forty-seven times, kicked me eighty one times, and head butted me seven times.
"Stop being so modest, Airomaru" Tsuki said, giggling as she helping me off my feet.
"Heh, Well, I'm not one to brag…" Airomaru said, scratching his nose.
"Alright, you three, lets go back…" Kakashi said.
"Right!" We all chimed.
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"Hey, Hiatari, turn off the Sharingan…" Tsuki said to me.
"Huh?" I asked, "Oh, right…" I said as I closed my eyes and felt the strange feeling in them disperse.
"You got a handy tool there, Hiatari" Airomaru said to me.
In these past few days of sparing with him, I learned how to willingly draw out my Sharingan. It exhausted me tremendously, so I only used it towards the ends of our fights when I felt I was losing. It was my trump card.
A failure of a Trump Card…
"All he needs to do is train it… and remember that Hiatari is a Hyuuga, so I've got premonitions of a Shakugan happening…" Kakashi said, smiling in an idiotic way.
"Shakugan?" Airomaru and Tsuki chimed in.
"Oh, that's an inside joke between me and Kakashi-sama…" I insisted.
"Waaait…" Airomaru said, "You're a Hyuuga… but you can't use the Byakugan?"
"Its not that I can't… Its that…" I froze… I honestly had no comeback to that.
"Alright," Kakashi groaned as he sat in his Hokage Chair, "its no use taunting him about it now… We need to concentrate on the Sharingan…"
"Kakashi-san…" Airomaru said to him, suddenly serious.
Kakashi looked up, "Hmm?"
"You've been focusing on Hiatari this past week. In this week you have taken every opportunity to train his Sharingan constantly… You've even taken him out of class on three occasions." Airomaru said. Its true, Kakashi took me out of the Academy in the middle of the day for the past three days.
Kakashi seemed to glare at him, "What are you getting at, Airomaru?"
"You're preparing Hiatari for something… What is it…?" He responded.
I looked at Kakashi. It did seem as if he was trying to prepare me for something…
"I wont lie," Kakashi sighed, "Hiatari can only be kept under my protection for so long. Once Hiatari moves up to genin status, I can not overlook him anymore. Worse than that, if and when he reaches chuunin status, the Village elders who see Hiatari as nothing more than a mere weapon, will take him."
I froze. I felt Tsuki's grip on my arm tighten as she looked at Kakashi in a shocked state. "I'm preparing him so that he can become a survivor if need be… The elders will turn him into a lab experiment and a tool for war… If worse comes to worse… Hiatari might have to end up running away… He will be labeled as an A-Class nukenin who will have the explicit order to be returned alive… To train him now means to prepare him to live on his own and to hold his own…"
"So you want Hiatari to be hunted ruthlessly as soon as he becomes a chuunin?" Airomaru said.
I glanced at him while Kakashi continued, "No… I don't want him to run away… but If he wants to, at least he can survive… Its better to start learning how to fight ruthlessly now instead of then… but that's obvious isn't it…"
"I'm sorry, Kakashi-san, but I cannot agree with your methods…"
"Are you so sure… Is that why you fight Hiatari so vigorously and beastly…" Kakashi asked him. Airomaru stiffened. "If you didn't agree to my way of thinking, why is it that, if even for a moment, you fight Hiatari as if you want to kill him…"
Airomaru didn't respond. I looked at him. He… fought to kill me…?
"Airomaru, you're so young and you know the fundamentals of what it means to be a shinobi… even though your means are unconventional… even you know that its crucial to teach Hiatari this now rather than later…" Kakashi stated blankly at him.
Airomaru sighed and put his hands on the desk. "Fine… but its inhumane to have to ask this of an eight year old…"
"I know…" Kakashi said, frowning behind his mask.
Tsuki turned her head to me with a worried look. I could understand where that worry came from…
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"You've been avoiding me lately, haven't you?"
"Not at all, Naruto-neechan!"
"Yeah? So who's the girl"
Tsuki was standing behind me, scared of Naruto.
"Her name is Byouki Tsuki. She's my classmate and current temporary teammate"
"Temporary Teammate?" Naruto asked. He then lit up, "Oh yeah, I forgot the academy was running a 'team fundamentals' kind of thing for three years now… If you ask me, that's a good idea to put you on some temporary teams before making you full on ninjas… So… who's your other teammate?"
I sighed, "His name is Zetsumei Airomaru… He's not here right now…"
"Do you have an instructor?"
His questions started to get annoying. He's like a clingy father, I swear. "Our Instructor is Kokoka Genai…"
"Ooh, I've heard of him. Kakashi-sensei's really close to him… Genai became a chuunin less than a year after becoming a Genin at the age of ten, if you could believe that. Genai never took the Jonin test though… I wonder why…"
"Are we done here?" I asked him.
"See! That's you avoiding me! Why!?" he responded, turning very much like a child.
"I'm not avoiding you… geez, you sound like my wife…" I said without much thought.
"That girl is your wife?" Naruto asked, curious.
I looked up at him as if he had grown a second head. I felt Tsuki's grip on my arm tighten and her warmth increase, "Wh-where do you get something like that from!? We're too young!"
"So if you were old enough, you would marry her?"
Tsuki's grip on my arm tightened more as I could feel her face bury into the back of my shirt. I could feel the blush crawl to my face, despite trying to resign it, "Stop j-jumping to conclusions like th-that!"
I could tell he was getting his own little kick out of this.
"C'mon then, newlyweds… I'll treat you both to some ramen…" he said as he turned to lead us to his favorite ramen shop.
I opened my mouth to protest before I felt Tsuki's grip on me let go. She walked to my side with her hands together as she looked at her feet, "Um… Excuse me, Naruto-san…"
He turned around, "Hmm? What is it?"
She looked at him, red with embarrassment and said, "I hardly think that ramen would be a choice food to offer newlyweds."
Naruto looked at her in surprise, but not shock, and then smiled. "Heh… haha… hahahahaha" he began to laugh.
I felt this was going to be a loooooong day…
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"Yeah, but then I chased after him, which means I had to leave Sakura-chan and Chiyo-baa behi-"
Naruto was telling me another one of his stories while Tsuki kept nudging me. I finally turned to her and whispered, "What is it?"
"Does he know?" she asked me.
Naruto loudly slurped his, probably, eighth ramen bowl and turned to Tsuki, "Say, Tsuki, do you know that Hiatari isn't a full Uchiha?"
I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand.
Naruto looked at me and realized what he said, "I mean Hyuuga! Did you know that he's not a full Hyuuga?"
I sighed at his absence of mind. "You're lucky she already knows, or Kakashi-sama would have been mad at you…" I told him.
Naruto became filled with awe, "So she knows who your mom and dad are!?"
Tsuki answered him this time, "I don't know Hiatari's parents… but I do know his mom is of the Hyuuga Clan and his dad of the Uchiha Clan…"
"There you are, Naruto." I heard a familiar feminine voice say.
The three of us twisted back to see a woman with pink hair in a red kimono-like wardrobe with basic white lining. She walked into the ramen shop, not wearing her forehead protector. I could see the spiral tattoo on her bare shoulder.
"Wow, Sakura-chan! I haven seen you wear that in years!" Naruto exclaimed, getting up to greet her.
She sighed, "Yeah well… My other ones were dirty and I just got back from an assignment." She said with a tired voice. She sat down and looked over to me and smiled, "Hiatari-kun!"
"H-hello Sakura-san!" I said in slight surprise that she remembered me, "I'm surprised you remember me!"
"How could I forget such a cute face?" She said, reaching over to pinch my cheek like the last time I saw her.
"And who's your little girlfriend?" She asked me.
Tsuki grabbed my shoulders and hid behind me in her chair.
Okay… That's getting old…
"I-I'm Byouki" she spoke up, "Byouki Tsuki…"
"Tsuki-chan, huh?" she said with a smile, "How cute!"
"Ahem… Sakura-chan," Naruto said, "You wanted to see me?"
"Yeah, I just thought I should let you know I ran into…" she glanced over to us and back to Naruto, "them again…"
"Where!?" Naruto said.
"There were three of them leaving the village. I could only make out two of them. One was a Kiri-nin, He's the one I fought, and the other was also a Kiri-nin… you remember him… the shark guy…"
Naruto whispered something, as if he just said the name of the shinobi she described.
"Yeah, him… and you know who his partner is…"
"Yeah, I know… He didn't do anything to you?"
"No, I just fought the one Kiri-nin… I haven't identified him but I think I've seen him in the Bingo book. He had the strangest ability… He was able to become water itself. He fended me off as if not to try then told me specifically to tell you that I saw the three of them and then he just left…"
"What?"
"They're still after… You know where I'm going with this, Naruto…"
Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, "Yeah… I'm just glad you're okay, Sakura-chan…"
She smiled at him, "Hey, Its me you're talking to…"
He laughed, "Right, of course!"
"Well its kinda late… You don't think that Hinata is getting worried? Not to mention Tsuki-chan's parents?" Sakura said.
"Oh! Right! Thanks for the food old man, Sakura-chan will pay for me!" He said as he grabbed mine and Tsuki's hands and ran us out of the store.
"What!? NARUTO!!!" I heard the pink haired woman yell out.
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"Its been delivered…"
"Excellent, Ikari… We're one step closer…"
"Excuse me, but I thought It would be interesting to mention that the informant I ran into was the same woman who had a hand in killing the former 'jewel' member of Akatsuki, Sasori…" The man in black robes said.
"Ah, I know who you're talking about…" the other man in similar robes, with the addition of a hood, replied, "How far has she come since then?"
"I'm sorry, I wouldn't know…" Ikari responded.
The hooded masked man sighed, "Very well… You may leave."
"At your command…" Ikari said as he disappeared in a mist.
"Are you sure its wise to let him know that you're behind all this?" a woman said as she sleeked out of the shadows.
"Yes, it is of no relevance anyway… Any word on Pein?" the masked one asked her.
"I still haven't found him… Many of the Amegakure deserters are getting restless… they've found out we have the 'zero' ring to which they imply he might be dead… which very well may be true…" she responded.
He sighed again and raised his hand to his face as if her were rubbing his temple, "This is no good… His first defeat and he turns to run away like a coward… I would have thought he was better than that…"
"If Ikari can become the very moisture in the air, wouldn't it be logical for him to search for Pein?" she asked.
"No… Aside from the Uchiha and his partner, the rest of Akatsuki must remain thinking that he is the Leader… I think it was a good decision to give him the 'zero' ring…"
"Well then, shall I continue my search?"
"You may, after the ritual, Konan." The man said as her body seemed to scatter right on the spot.
He turned around and took off his orange mask and rubbed his temple. "Things are falling apart so quickly… ever since he beat Pein and found out the one way to stop us…"
The light glimmered ever so slightly, enough to show the man's enraged Sharingan Eye.
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"So, Itachi-san… any news on Orochimaru?" the blue skinned man asked his partner.
Itachi closed his eyes as if in thought, "It seems that he's alive at the moment…"
"And how's your brother…?"
Itachi twitched slightly to show his annoyance, "Sasuke is probably dead…for now…"
"Are you sure?" Kisame asked him.
Itachi opened his eyes and looked ahead, "Judging by their little 'schedule', then yes… Running into Sasuke right now shall prove of no consequence to us… unless those companions of his are still around.
"Ah, those guys… I still wanna repay that kid for cutting me like that…" Kisame said, tightening his grip on his prized sword, Samehada.
"What are you two talking about over there, quiet down, damnit!" a rude voice yelled out.
"Ah, they're just trying the pass the time, y'know… theres no need to explode at them…" a different, laid back voice responded.
"Enough talking, all of you." Ikari's voice rang out.
"'Tch… about time…" a feminine voice spoke out.
"Hold your tongue, Seiyaru. That's our leader you're talking about…" a different, reasoning voice called out.
"You're one to talk, Ryuuku-teme" the rude voice said.
"All your chattering is pointless." A warped voice called out to the people in the room.
"Its as Zetsu-san said, stop talking and lets just get this over with… I'm tired of holding this damn snake down!" a ninth voice, feminine, called out.
"Once Konan gets here, we can beg-" Ikari was cut off by papers fluttering together to form a blue-haired woman.
"There we go! Lets get this done!" the other feminine voice called out.
"Hyper as always, Akira…"
"I think its time for Leader to start, so please quiet down everyone." Itachi said, showing little annoyance in his voice.
"Thank you, Itachi…" Ikari said.
Ikari went through a few hand seals and palmed the floor as a large magnificent statue rose from the round. It had nine eyes, seven of which were open.
"Ahh, man this thing looks better now that its new…" the laid back voice said.
The strange stature had eccentric wings coming from its back and had a primary spike on the top of its head as well as having chained up arms out in front of it and its mouth was open to show a strange purple glow coming from within.
The ten people jumped onto each one of the fingers and held a seal together.
"Sure makes things much faster than before, doesn't it, Raito?" Kisame said.
"Yeah, whatever…" the rude voice called out.
"Bro, he didn't ask you, Shinryuu" Raito said.
"Whatever! Lets just seal up the Hachibi no Netami and lets get outta here!" Akira said.
The statue then shot out ten blue chakra dragons at the subdued and, rather large, eight tailed snake. The dragons encircled and entwined the snake as a mysterious eleventh figure, unnoticed by the other ten, jumped onto the primary spike atop of the head of the statue. The statue began to roar as an eleventh, purple, chakra dragon shot out and engulfed the snake as the snake's body began to disappear in a matter of minutes.
Once the snake disappeared, the statue's eighth eye began to open up. The eleventh person left the scene and the other ten jumped off the fingers of the statue as it returned to the ground below.
Ikari sighed and stood straight up, "The Eight-Tailed Snake has been sealed… Everyone, go to your assignments. We have but one more target left; The Kyuubi no Yoko…"
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A/N: Ooo... Lookie what I did! That means Naruto is last! But what happened to Pain (or Pein, however you wanna spell it)!? We'll I've already written the situation where is Rennegan fails him! But you'll have to wait for that one! Heehee. Oh, and I'm happy to say I've completed the entire first arc and will release it all by the end of this (october) month. After which, I will take a long break, steadily write the second arc, and then release that no sooner than New Years Day. For now, I'm going to work on Nightmare Requiem.