Numero 3! Wow, over 60 faves and alerts in just 2 chapters, that's amazing, for me at least! Glad to see you like this little story of mine. I hope you like this chapter as much as the previous ones. I know I said I won't release a chapter for a while but I somehow found some time for writing so here you go. Expect the next one in 2 weeks or so. College, college, college…. I hate it!
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Tension could be felt in Konoha. Why? The Rookies were gathering which could only mean something is about to go down. Since the war Konoha Rookies made a name for themselves and established themselves as one of the strongest Ninjas to have ever come out of Konoha. What was their motivation, some of you might ask? It was their missing friend and hero. They trained and trained so that one day they could stand side by side with their best friend, Naruto Uzumaki. They never, not for a second believed that he was dead. Uzumaki Naruto is not someone that dies easily. He is the toughest bastard in the world and there is no way some traitor could ever kill him. Not a chance!
The Rookies, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Lee, Ten Ten, Neji, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Sai, Sakura were standing in Hokage's office looking at a very serious Tsunade. Alongside the Rookies were their teachers, Kakashi and Gai. There was one more person in the room, Temari of the Sand who was acting as a liaison between Konoha and Sand. Shizune was as always by her Masters side.
Sakura interrupted the silence, " Tsunade-sama, what's happening? Why are we all here?"
Tsunade rested her head on her hands, a Kage look on her face. Whatever it was it must be something humongous.
The truth was out, "Naruto has resurfaced."
The Rookies, Temari and Gai, all stiffened and shook in surprise. Their eyes were wide but full of happiness and hope. This is what they were waiting for 3 years. Their friend, the hope of Konoha was finally back. They missed him so much.
It was Sakura again who spoke, excitement evident in her voice, " Where? Where is he? How is he? Is he injured? When is he coming back?" assaulted Sakura with questions towards her Master.
The Rookies were all focusing on Tsunade and on her next words, "Sit down, everyone. It will take some time to explain."
The Rookies complied and made haste to sit down so that their Hokage could continue. Even Shikamaru was moving faster than usual indicating that he was also happy and excited but something was troubling him. If he did resurface why doesn't he come back?
Tsunade eyed everyone in the room and a small smile formed on her lips. She was glad to see so many cared for her lost son. It makes her heart warm seeing such devotion.
She continued,"Before I tell you anything about Naruto, I need to tell you the story leading up to that. As you all know Kurenai and an escort ANBU were sent on a mission in Grass Country. It was supposed to be a routine mission, get in-get the package and get out. It went horribly wrong. The client was a double agent and they set up a trap for Kurenai and her partner. More than 20 ninjas, all ranging from Chunnin to Jounin, ambushed them. They were cornered but they were rescued by someone."
Ino interrupted, " Was it Naruto?" hope leaking from her voice. The blonde missed her blonde twin dearly. Most people don't know this but they are really good friends and are very close. It started when her Sensei died and she was grieving. Naruto saw her once crying when he was walking home from training and comforted her. He stayed with her through the night just talking with her. He went out of his way to make her happy and help her with her pain. She was grateful to him and that was the start of their bizarre friendship. It deepened when Naruto's own Master died. It was much worse for him. Lord Jiraiya was a father in Naruto's eyes and the pain of losing him was unbearable. She sought him out that night. She saw him talking with Iruka-sensei on a bench near a 24/7 store. She waited for them to finish up their conversation. After that she returned the favor by shouldering his pain like he did with her. It was the least she could do for her good friend.
Tsunade nodded, "We believe it was. I received a letter this morning, a letter which you probably read, right Ino?"
Ino nodded. Others were wondering what letter, except for Shikamaru who was also there in Kurenai's house when the letter was delivered.
"The letter was from the man who saved Kurenai and the ANBU. It stated that they were safe and were currently recovering from their injuries. He told us what happened the day before and that they will return back to Konoha as soon as they are able." She paused to see that the information got to the occupants of the room.
Satisfied, she continued, " The letter somehow got into my office undetected which raised my suspicion. Kakashi summoned Pakkun and made him sniff the letter which confirmed one thing for us. The letter was sent by none other than Naruto. The scent no doubt belongs to him. He is somewhere in Grass Country. And that is where you come in!"
She was interrupted this time by Shikamaru, " If the letter is from Naruto then why doesn't he return to Konoha?"
Tsunade sighed, she was afraid of that question and the answer. The truth is, she doesn't know the answer. She was wondering the same thing. It's obvious he was travelling around but why won't he come back to his friends and family, the people that love him?
Kakashi saved her, "That is irrelevant right now. We can ask him that after we find him. It seems he is trying to keep his identity concealed which means Kurenai probably doesn't know that Naruto saved her. We have to find him before he disappears again."
Tsunade nodded in agreement, "Kakashi is right. I gathered you here to form a search party. You are to go to the Grass Country and find Uzumaki Naruto. Use whatever means necessary to bring him back!"
The Rookies all nodded. Only one thought was racing through their minds. FIND NARUTO!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""GRASS COUNTRY""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Kurenai was currently enjoying the peaceful afternoon. She was lying down on the grass next to the water and looking up to the bright blue sky. She was thinking about some things. At first her thoughts went to her late lover, Asuma and all the good times they spend together, all the laughs, all the adventures, the hiding from their students. She moved on to another memory intent on staying away from the memory of his death and all that pain.
She thought about her friends, Anko, Yugao and Ino. These were the closest to her. Ino somehow wormed her way into her life after the war and she is intent on staying, not that Kurenai objects or anything. She likes the blonde. She sees a bit of herself in her. Always cheerful and positive but also calm and meticulous when she wants to be. Anko and Yugao were her oldest and best friends. They stuck with her through tough and tin and she couldn't ask for better friends. Kurenai no longer has any family so she considers her closest friends her family.
Next on her mind was her baby boy, Asuma Jr. He is a spitting image of his father except for the eyes. Those he gets from his beautiful mother. He'll be quite the charmer when he grows up, no doubt about that. He is a very energetic young boy, always doing something, always active. He already has a dream. He wants to be Hokage, can you believe that? Kurenai showed him his father grave a while back and told him what kind of man he was. That day he declared that he will become the best of the best and make his father proud. Kurenai was so happy that day and proud of her son. He really is his father's son. She only wishes that Asuma could be here to see that.
The thought of Hokage and her son's proclamation of wanting to become Hokage lead her to another memory. That of Naruto Uzumaki. It's been 3 years since Konoha last heard of the Hero of the Nations. Her mind often wandered and stuck itself on the memory of the blonde ball of sunshine. She doesn't know why but Konoha wasn't itself without him. Whenever she walked the streets of her home she felt like Konoha was different, changed. It lacked something or someone. The energy that usually radiated off Naruto is no longer surrounding Konoha and she misses that. Things are different without him. Everyone misses him even the other Nations.
They all respect him and acknowledge him. Naruto made friends out of every Kage which is unbelievable but not if you know Naruto, really know him. He always had a way with words. The Kages all pooled together their resources in order to find Naruto. That speaks volume of their respect for him. The people of the Elemental Nations all miss him. When they heard of his exploits and how he climbed from the dead-last to the greatest Ninja to have ever lived, they all revered him as an idol, a hero. He was a hero in their eyes. He represented hope, chance. If he, an outcast could become the best so could they. They all hoped that he will return one day.
Kurenai smiled at the memory of the blue-eyed God of Hope. He always had a knack to do the impossible, ever since he was born. He survived the hatred and the pain. He survived the beatings, the glares, the insults. He survived the Village. He succeeded in where everyone else would surely fail. He became a Gennin, saved his sensei, beat a genius, saved 2 countries, fought against Orochimaru and survived. And that was before he became thirteen. Naruto was the epiphany of determination and bravery. Perhaps that is why Lord Jiraiya noticed him or it could be something else. Everyone wondered why he chose him but he would never tell them. But Kurenai saw something in Jiraiya's eyes. It was… happiness… a bond of sorts. She saw how those two acted around each other. It was like watching a father and son bickering. They were family. And she was happy for Naruto. He deserved it.
She was rustled out of her thoughts when she heard someone coming out of the forest. She turned towards the direction where she heard the noise coming from and saw the masked man walking towards her.
She waved at him. He nodded at her and sat down next to her. He formed a clone and told him to go check on the patient in the house. He turned towards her, "Everything alright?"
She nodded, "No problems at all except for the boredom. How do you do it? Don't you get lonely here?"
He chuckled, "You get used to it. But it's not like I stay here the whole day. There's a village not too far away from here. I go there from time to time."
"Thank God. I thought you liked being a loner." Grinned teasingly Kurenai.
"Look who's talking, Ice Queen." Retorted back Naruto, gaining the upper hand in this light scuffle.
She scowled, "Hey, it's not like I enjoy having that nickname. Blame that on the perverts I shot down during my lifetime."
He laughed and she joined him after a while. It was kinda funny. When she thinks back on it, it was funny seeing the reactions of the guys she ignored. They were liked kids that were denied candy, except that in this case candy was Kurenai.
"I can imagine the faces. I saw it plenty of times on my Master's face. It was priceless and the running away from women was too." Laughed Naruto.
Kurenai grinned, "I know what you mean. I mean, what do perverts expect? That we will welcome them with open arms? Idiots!"
"Well they have their selves to blame for thinking with their lower regions instead of their brain." Chuckled Naruto.
"Or with their heart. If you want to impress a woman speak from your heart." Smiled Kurenai, thinking back when Asuma first started flirting with her. He was such a klutz but he was genuine in his compliments, that's why she didn't turn him down.
Naruto nodded and chuckled. He smiled, "Whoever won your heart must be one lucky man." Said Naruto, remembering Asuma. He was a great man in his eyes, one of the greatest.
Kurenai's face grew solemn at the memory of her late lover, "That he was… That he was…"
Naruto sighed internally, forgetting about the fact that the wound is still present in her heart. And he can't blame her. The wound from the death of Ero-sennin and his parents and 'him' is still fresh in his heart. It seems it will be there for as long as he lives.
"I'm sorry. Who was he?" said Naruto sadly. He hated himself for lying like this, for lying to her.
Her lips formed a smile of sorts, remembering the man that won her heart so many years ago, "His name was Asuma Sarutobi and he was my first love. He was a wonderful man and he would have been a great father." A tear cascaded down her cheeks.
"I know who he was. He was a great man. It's a shame he succumbed to this cursed world we live in." said Naruto in support and comfort to the woman next to her. He wanted to do more for her but he couldn't. He was risking enough as it is.
Kurenai nodded and wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes. It's been 4 years now since he died but the pain was still there. She was grateful to this masked man for trying to help her and comfort her. It did help, if only by a little. It's up to her to move on.
She shifted the attention onto him, "How about you? Anyone special in your life?"
He looked away from her, "A lot of people. My parents, my master and my friends to list a few."
"I meant romantic wise." Chided Kurenai playfully. He chuckled at her, "You just don't give up, huh. But no, there is no one like that."
She continued, "You are missing out on things. Perhaps it's time you quit being a traveler and settle down."
He smiled, "Perhaps. Who knows, I might do that someday but not now."
She nodded, "Good, glad you understand." Grinned Kurenai.
Naruto chuckled yet again, "You know you are very bossy when you want to be, even to a stranger. You don't feel uncomfortable at all ordering me around. You know, I could be a very evil man that wants to rule the world."
She grinned back slightly, "Please, you could never be evil; you are too kind for that. Besides, why should I be uncomfortable? If you aren't why should I be? Besides, you are actually good company, better than most male company."
He laughed boisterously, "You know, you are a very interesting woman. I'm actually glad for stumbling upon you and saving you. My life just got more interesting."
He stood up and said, "The day is still young. I'm going to the village I mentioned before. You want to come or do you want to stay here?" asked Naruto kindly.
Was that a question? Come on, that's too easy for Kurenai. She propelled herself upwards, clearly wanting to escape the boredom that is present when the man is not around. Sure, the clearing is beautiful but there isn' t much to do when you are injured like Kurenai. She could train here but she is still recovering.
"Lead the way!" smiled Kurenai. Naruto smirked and did as she asked.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""HALF AN HOUR LATER""""""""""""""""
They took it slowly since Kurenai was still suffering from chakra exhaustion and wasn't fit to run at higher speeds. Half an hour later they arrived at a small village that seemed to be full of life. The vendors were out and selling their products, kids were running around and playing. The women were gossiping, the older population sat on their porches and just enjoyed the new day. It was a beautiful picture, serene. It looked so peaceful, so wonderful.
Naruto smiled at the village that he adored so much. For the past six months or so since he found the clearing he was staying, he often came to this village. It calmed him down and filled him with joy. The people were kind and always cheerful. They welcomed him with open arms.
"It's beautiful." Commented Kurenai. Naruto nodded and smiled in agreement.
"I know. Far from any civilization, this place is untouched by the Ninja world. Come on, let's go."
Kurenai nodded and followed 'Minaze' into the village.
As soon as they were in sight of the village, there was a loud yell coming from the village. Kurenai looked on and saw a stampede of kids running towards them. Kurenai had a bewildered look on her face. What was just happening?
The kids were running at top speed towards their destination. When they were near the duo, they jumped and tackled Naruto to the ground, either hugging him or smiling at him. Kurenai was stunned but also very pleasantly surprised. It seems the kids loved him. A smile came onto her face at the scene.
Naruto laughed without a care, with the kids still on top of him. These kids always make him smile. They are so pure, so genuine to him that he can't help but smile at them.
He stood up with the kids still holding on to him like glue.
One spoke for everyone, "Ni-san you came back. We missed you. Can we play ninja again?" asked kid with the infamous Puppy Eyes Jutsu.
Naruto ruffled the boy's hair, "I missed you guys too. Of course we can play ninja. That's why I'm here. Come on, let's go. Last one to the village is a rotten egg." The boys and girls all started running as fast as they could back towards their village, not wanting to be the rotten egg.
They all huffed and panted when they arrived back but smiled nonetheless when Naruto started forming Ninja teams. They loved it when their Big Brother came to visit them. He always plays with them and tells them stories about his adventures.
Kurenai meanwhile leisurely strolled towards the village, still smiling at the man playing with the kids. It's like he has an aura that just attracts the kids to him. There was one other man who had that kind of spirit, their hero. A memory of Konohamaru and co. playing with Naruto came to her mind and she smiled wider. Konohamaru is perhaps the last link to Asuma for her. He is a part of her family now.
She focused her attention on the nice lady who was currently walking towards her. She smiled and bowed respectfully towards Kurenai, "Hello, my name is Akira. You must have come here with Minaze, right?"
Kurenai smiled back at the kind lady who was quite the looker herself, " Hello, my name is Kurenai Yuhi. I'm just tagging along with Minaze over there."
Akira nodded, "A friend of Minaze's is a friend of ours. Would you like some lemonade? It's pretty hot today."
Kurenai nodded gratefully and went with her towards the lemonade vendor down the street.
Kurenai conversed with Akira and the other Moms of the Kids that Naruto was currently playing. They were all looking at the scene with Naruto being pummeled to the ground by a horde of eight-year olds.
Akira turned to Kurenai, "How did you two meet? This is the first time he brought someone with him."
Kurenai told her the story of how he saved her and her partner. She left out the gruesome details about death, blood and other stuff.
"And here I am." Finished Kurenai.
Akira smiled, "Yeah, that sounds like Minaze. Always helping someone, always playing the hero. You know, he saved us from a band of bandits that were plaguing this area. He was just a traveler to us back then but as soon as he saw that we were in trouble he jumped in and saved us all. He risked his life to help us. A stranger risked his life for someone he doesn't know. He is a wonderful man."
Kurenai smiled with her at the story. The short while she knew Minaze, she knew that he was something special and this story just proved it. To risk your life for a total stranger, that is the quality of a good man, a hero. Just like their own hero from Konoha.
Kurenai asked, "Have you ever seen his face?"
Akira smiled at Kurenai's interest in the man. Akira shook her head, "No. He's very secretive about that. But we don't care about that. We don't need to see his face to know what kind of man he is. But…"
Kurenai's gaze was plastered on Akira's, "But…"
Akira smiled again, "I know he has blue eyes. The most wonderful shade of blue I have ever seen. "
Kurenai felt giddy inside. She learned something new about him. To sum up what she knows so far: he has blue eyes, blonde hair, is a ninja from somewhere in Fire Country, knows Kakashi, has been to Konoha before, a pervert for a master… She frowned in thought. It was still not enough. These are just minor details about his life, nothing substantial. He could be anything for all she knows. She needs something… more relevant to him, something personal.
She turned back towards Akira, "What can you tell me about him? He is very secretive with me. He doesn't like to talk about himself."
Akira nodded in her assessment of the man, "Yeah, that sounds like him. I don't really know that much about him. We don't talk about his past or his identity. He comes here often to play with the kids or help however he can, either with constructing, grocery shopping for the old or something like that."
Kurena frowned again in annoyance. This man was bugging the hell out of her, repeatedly.
She turned back towards the playing 'Minaze' or whatever his name was. She had a half of mind to just marching over there and tear that mask off. But she refrained herself from doing that, for now at least.
She saw him walking towards her while telling the kids that he'll be right back.
He stopped, "Kurenai, would you like to join us? We are one short."
Kurenai raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised, "Uhm, I don't know. I really shouldn't."
Naruto will have none of it, "Come on, it will be fun. Let's go." He took hold of her hand and she could feel his strong grip, his power. She didn't resist, it's like she didn't want to resist. She shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on the screaming kids in front of her.
Naruto calmed them down a bit, "Settle down, kids. This is Kurenai and she will be joining us. Say hi."
The kids all greeted in unison, "Hi, Miss Kurenai."
Kurenai smiled at the adorable kids, "Hello there. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not good at playing your games. I've never done this before."
Naruto reassured her, "Mah, don't worry about it. Just go with the flow. The kids will take care of everything else."
She nodded albeit not so sure about this. But she had no time to object as she was bombarded with questions from the kids, one of them particular surprised her and made her blush, "Ne, ne Ni-chan is she your girlfriend?"
Kurenai blushed but hid it well, years of experience I guess. Naruto's reaction couldn't be seen but his voice indicated he wasn't thrown off by the question or he was really good at hiding it.
He chuckled warmly, "No, she is my friend. Now, who will be the Commander?" 10 hands shot up into the air, all of the kids volunteering for the position.
A couple of hours passed and Kurenai was absolutely exhausted. Who knew that playing Ninja with kids could be so tiring? Definitely not her. But she'll have to get used to this, since Asuma Jr. will surely also want to play Ninja one day.
Despite the fatigue she was content. She had a good time. She can't remember the last time she felt so relaxed and happy. Her belief that Minaze is a good company just strengthened. Being around him for the past 2 days was never boring.
Naruto and Kurenai were walking back towards the house, conversing with each other, telling some jokes, having a few good laughs at each other's embarrassing accounts from their past.
They entered the house and saw a peculiar sight. The unconscious ANBU was now conscious and sitting on his bed, rubbing his head.
"Oh, I see you are awake. Much faster than I expected." Said Naruto.
The ANBU, obviously surprised by the intrusion of this new, unknown voice, shot out of his bed, getting into his ANBU stance. He regretted doing that as he immediately felt dizzy and fell backwards. He was caught by Naruto who gently laid him back down on the bed. Kurenai decided to calm the ANBU, "It's okay. He's a friend. He saved us after you lost consciousness."
The ANBU looked towards the voice and saw it was Kurenai. ANBU sighed in relief, happy to see that she was okay. It seems he needs to thank this man.
ANBU turned towards his savior and spoke, "It seems I owe you a thank you and an apology. Sorry for reacting the way I did. It was uncalled for."
Naruto chuckled at the man's clumsy apology which wasn't needed, "Please, don't apologize. You are a ninja and a good one judging from the way you reacted. Now lay down so that I can inspect your wounds."
ANBU complied and Naruto did some basic analysis. He finished after a few minutes.
Naruto moved away from the bed and the ANBU moved to a sitting position.
Naruto spoke, "It looks like you are healing nicely. Your head will feel like lead for a day or so. You suffered a concussion so that's normal. You do have severe chakra exhaustion which will take a while for you to recover. Your ribs are healing nicely. I say in a week's time you will be good to go."
ANBU nodded thankfully for the man's help. Kurenai addressed the ANBU, "Thank you for taking that hit for me. I owe you my life."
ANBU chuckled in amusement, "No need to thank me, Kure-chan." Kurenai went wide eyed. Only two people call her that, Anko and Y…
The ANBU started removing the mask. When the mask came off, it's like some sort of visage that was around this ANBU disappeared. It revealed a gorgeous looking woman with long purple hair that went down to her waist. Her face had that exotic feeling, a hidden feralness just waiting to be unleashed.
Kurenai was gasping for air, "Yugi-chan? What? How? Why?"
Yugao laughed loudly at Kurenai's shocked expression. The pain coming from broken ribs hurt her a bit she paid it no mind right now. It seems her second mission was a success.
"Haha, you should see your face right now. It looks like our experiment worked." Grinned Yugao, happy to have pulled one over Kurenai.
"What experiment?" demanded Kurenai who was annoyed and still shocked.
Yugao turned towards Naruto, "Uh, could you leave us for a moment? This is a Konoha secret."
Naruto nodded even though he really wanted to find out how she tricked him. Yugao turned back towards Kurenai.
She grinned in amusement. She told of her second mission which was actually an experiment. The biggest problem with ANBU masks was that they only hid their face but not much else. The hair, the body, everything else is still out in the open. And ever since Orochimaru got his hands on the ANBU Folder which has the identity of every single ANBU on the job, Tsunade had a branch of the ANBU working on a new 'mask', one that would hide everything. And this mask of Yugao's was the prototype.
It was imbued with a complex sealing formula and a simple Genjutsu that hid the true body from sight and replaced it with a body made of Illusion. You might ask yourself, but if it is just a Genjutsu then if you get hit, the Genjutsu breaks, right? Wrong!
That's where the Sealing formula comes in. It makes the Illusion tangible. It is similar to Tsunade's Henge no Jutsu but since that is something only she knows how to do, they had to come up with something similar. Fuinjutsu is truly a remarkable thing. The Sealing Formula also hides the usage of chakra which is needed for the Illusion to stay on.
Kurenai was stunned. She was fooled all along. She had no idea that her best friend was behind her mask. She was furious at her but at the same time happy to see her and happy to see that she is okay. She wouldn't forgive herself if she died because she was weak.
Kurenai hugged her dear friend, happy to see her indeed. Yugao returned the sentiment.
Naruto meanwhile returned to the room and smiled at the scene. He is also happy to see Cat-chan. He remembers her from when he was younger. She was in the ANBU squad assigned to keep watch over him. She would see her from time to time watching him from the rooftops. He also had a sinking feeling in his gut that she was the one that would occasionally buy him food and clothes. Too bad he can't ask her right now.
Kurenai let go of her friend and introduced Minaze to her, "Yugao, this is Minaze. He saved us."
Yugao bowed and thanked him, "Pleased to meet you, Minaze. My name is Yugao."
Naruto bowed back, "Uhm, isn't it forbidden to tell your name if you are an ANBU?" asked Naruto shyly.
Yugao gave him a stern look, "True, but you won't tell anyone, right? I can always ask Kurenai to send you into a Yaoi Genjutsu. Would you like that Minaze?" grinned evilly Yugao.
Naruto shook his head and waved his hands in front of his face frantically, "No, no, no. I can keep a secret. I promise."
She smiled and Naruto let out a sigh of relief, happy to have escaped that torture. Yuago teased, "I knew it. Kurenai already has you whipped. Sucker!"
Naruto grumbled something and turned away from the two laughing females. Kurenai high-fived Yugao for the victory. Naruto turned back towards them discreetly and smiled at them. He missed them. He misses them all. But it's not the time yet to return.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""KONOHA"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Kakashi stood in front of his squad. The Rookies was there plus Gai and Temari.
Kakashi spoke, "You all know what the mission is. Our friend is waiting for us out there. Let's not keep him waiting, shall we?"
They all nodded seriously and with determination. They would find him and they will bring him back if it's the last thing they do.
The end! I hope you like it. Review please :)))