Hiruzen paced back and forth in his office, angrily. If there was one thing the Sandaime Hokage had an extreme dislike for, it was lying. And that was exactly what Tazuna the Bridge Builder had done to him. Reports had been brought to the Hokage's attention that the Land Of Waves had recently been takne over by Gato Enterprises and shoved into poverty. So the Sandaime had sent two fresh Genin squads out on a mission under the premise of a C-Rank when it was easily a B-Rank.
The dangers that it entailed were perilous. Gato was an ambitious man, and ambitious men did everything they could to keep power in their grasps. Hiruzen knew. He had dealt with Danzo for far too many years not to. So now he was faced with a dilemma. The probablity of the genin squadrons being attacked by high ranked mercenaries were five to six. Those were odds that the Sandaime could afford to gamble with. So he needed to send a third squadron to retireve them, or at the very least participate untl the completion of the mission.
But that was where Hiruzen ran into a snag. He couldn't send out a higher squadron, no matter the circumstances. Kumogakure were notorious for sending genin out on A-Rank and higher mission, and it would severely cripple Konoha if word got out to clients that a squadron of Jonin had been sent out to complete a C-Rank mission, no matter the circumstances. The Hokage was a kind hearted man, yes, but he was also a military ruler and could not allow his village to become extinct.
That only left him with one choice. To dispatch yet another group of genin. He didn't like the thought of sending more sheep to slaughter, but he had no choice. Compared to Kumo, for every shinobi they had put out in their Academy graduation, Konoha had produced four more. There were plent genin running around the village. It was harsh to face the truth that they were nothing but pawns doing the kings bidding, but that was reality. And reality dictated that they would either come together and complete the mission as Sarutobi hoped they could, or they would die for the betterment of their village.
His old eyes glanced out over his village. The sun shined brightly over Konohagakure No Sato. Children ran to and fro, giggling and laughing loudly as they played 'Ninja Tag'. Civilians ran through the market place trying to grab all of the ingredients for their nightly suppers. Shinobi launched themselves from rooftop to rooftop in an attempt to reach their destinations quicker. The aging man's eyes closed tiredly as he sagged down in his chair. "I only hope that I'm not too late..."
Kakashi's chest heaved painfully as he sat suspended in the air ine a sphere of liquid. Zabuza Momochi stood next to him, his arm plunged through the liquids, as he laughed sadistically. Before them, one clone held Maito Gai's head in the hole in Kubikiribocho's blade whilst another advanced on their Genin and their client.
The mission had been rather uneventful the first day. But then they had crossed a puddle of water. Odd, considering that that specific area had been in a draught for months. And when they had reached the puddle, two of Kirigakure's missing ninja had appeared and shredded Kakashi to pieces. Well, would have if he hadn't had the instincts to swap places with a log. He had planned on testing his genin, but Gai just couldn't let one of his plans go off without a hitch. No, he and his little clone had rushed the brothers and defeated them, with alittle help from Sai.
It was sad to say that Sakura had immediately frozen up upon seeing her sensei ripped to pieces. But, that incident had immediately set bells off in Kakashi's head. He had questioned Tazuna relentlessly until he spilled his guts out to them, giving them a typical sob story of what had happened to his village. Naturally, Kakashi had wanted to leave and return home. This wasn't, after all, what they had been paid to do. The appearances of the Demon Brothers had bumped the mission priority up to B-Rank by itself.
But the silver haired Jonin had allowed a vote to be spread to determine if they continued or if they returned. He and Sakura had been the only two to vote to return back to Konoha. As such,Kakashi had simply allowed the mission to progress as planned. Until Kubikiribocho almost decapitated them all as Zabuza sent it sailing at them from trees. They had ducked, and a battle had immediately ensued between Gai and Kakashi versus Zabuza. It was said to say that the Demon of the Bloody Mist had completely decimated the two Jonin.
And now one of his clones beared down on their genin. Sakura, Tenten and Lee all stumbled back, frightened. Tears threatened to spill from the pink haired girl's eyes as Sasuke, Neji and Sai stood with their shoulders touching each other in front of their client. But as the clone approached more quickly with his own Kubikiribocho, the killing intent placed upon them became harsher and harsher. Harder to bear with every passing second.
Kakashi knew. He had been in that situation before, many times. Especially during the Third Great Shinobi War. "Sasuke, Sakura, Sai!" The silver haired man's genin stared at him, fear evident in two of their eyes. "Run! I don't blame you for it! I demand it! He's too strong for any of you!" Neither Sai nor Sasuke backed down as Neji dropped into a low crouch, veins bulging violently around his eyes.
"The same for you three! Lee, take the Genin and run! His clone can only followw you so far before it deginerates! It can only go a certain distance before the flow of chakra to it is cut off!" The words of the boy's sensei seemed to pass straight through Lee's ears as he watched Zabuza's clone approach, mortified.
"Sasuke! Sai! Do you remember when I said as your sensei I knew your limits!? I do! And this is too ffar beyond your limits! Take the rest of the Genin and get back to Konoha! Get reinforcements! Now! That's an order!" Sasuke finally allowed himself to stumble back, though he fell onto the ground, as the clone was finally standing in front of the three brave boys. The bandages around his face stretched indicating that a smile had overtaken his features.
"That's right little brats... Run away. Run away so I can kill you client and Senseis in peace. I'll be after you in about five minutes." Tenten released a choked sob as she fell to her knees. She knew much about the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. She knew that the squadrons that had been dispatched for this mission were not enough for the man standing before them. She knew that they were going to die.
The clone's Kubikiribocho raised high into the air as a sadistic pleasure entered both of his eyes. "Let the slaughtering... Commence!" The blade descended in and arch through the air, prepped to cleave the terrified bridge builder in two. The weapon never met its mark. A new figure appeared, the very end of a hook sword traveling through the clone's Kubikiri before it was yanked violently. The sudden intrusion sent the unprepared clone stumbling. As it did so, A second figure rushed from the treeline, a kunai slamming into the clone's face.
It quickly desintegrated into water. Zabuza's real eyes widened angrily as the wielder of the hook sword stood to his full height, rolling his neck with loud cracking noises. Then his eyes fell on Zabuza, a shocking electric blue. Zabuza's remaining clone was not one that liked being tempered with. With a harsh pull, Maito Gai slammed into a tree, knocking all oxygen from his body before the Zabuza clone rushed forwards to engage in combat.
The new sword wielding arrival met him head on. While the figure evidently had two Hook swords, he only used one in this particular battle. Kubikiri arched over his head as he ducked down. He sturck out with his right leg, though the clone jumped away in an attempt to keep himself in a tangible form. His opponent launched himself from the ground, using his momentum to spin in the air and aim a kick at the clone's head.
The Zabuza clone clocked his head to the right, avoiding what would have been a lethal blow to it, before it pulled its Kubikiri through the air. With the new arrival still airborn, it was a sure fire for him to be cleaved in two. Or would have been. With practiced ease, Zabuza's clone's opponent grabbed ahold of the sharp side of the Kubikiribocho and launched himself off of the blade. The weight distribution sent the clone stumbling forwards with an enrage snarl. With a noticeable grunt, his sword swung sideways through the air in yet another attempt to cleave his opponent in half.
It failied again as his opponent launched himself back into the air, spinning over the blade, before he came back to his footing on Earth. Then, his hook sword struck out and grabbed the inside of Kubikir's hole, yanking the blade forwards. As the clone stumbled once again, his opponent seized the opportunity as unsheated what appeared to be a Dao Sword. Then he allowed it to behead Zabuza's clone. The head sloshed to the ground, followed quickly by the body and sword as the new arrival twirled his dao and hook sword expertly before returning them to their predetermined destinations.
His apparent partner came to stand next to him with a confident smirk as they glared heatedly towards the rogue Kirigakure swordsman. "We can't allow you to do that, Zabuza." A tingle went up the Demon of the Bloody Mist's spine. This was it. He had been certain when he laid his eyes on Kakashi and Gai that they had been the ones that he had been anticapting battle with. No, it was the platinum/blond haired boy that now stood before him after having dispatched two of Zabuza's clones.
"And just who the hell do you runts think you are to tell me who I can and can't kill, hm?" The platinum/blond haired shinobi chuckled as Kakashi took in the newest arrival's figures. They were from Kumogakure. That definately wasn't the greatest reinforcements that could have arrived at their current moment. Kumo and Konoha were on very shaky grounds. Especially considering that, more often than not, Kumo Shinobi hated Konoha shinobi's guts.
"Who are we? What does it matter who we are, Zabuza? We're not here to make aquaintences. We're not here to make friends. We're here to do one simple mission. Assassinate your employer and make sure that the man you just tried to kill lives long enough to complete his bridge so that the Land of Waves can escape poverty." Kakashi's eyes zoned in on the boy's whisker marks.
He vaguely recalled his sensei's son wielding whisker marks on his cheeks when he had been allowed to lay eyes on him as an infant. It took a jab at his heart. He didn't believe that the person in front of him was his sensei's son. No, the kaku clan in Kumo were well known for having whisker marks passed down inheritedly. It was only a fool who would go chasing straws that small. And Kakashi wasn't quite a fool. not any longer. He had wisened up long ago about things such as that. But still, it stung his heart to see a boy before him that appeared to be of the same age that his 'brother' would have been.
"Big words coming from a small maggot." Zabuza called back to the young man. Secretly, a bead of sweat dribbled down the side of his face. This hadn't been expected. There had been no sighting of any Kumogakure shinobi any recent months anywhere near the Land of Waves. It was completely ludicrous for them to have come out of nowhere and ruin all of the careful planing that he had worked so hard to get right. The platinum/blond haired shinobi chuckled once again as he shook his head at Zabuza.
"And that's a lot of shit coming out of your mouth." The Kumogakure shinobi returned as he stepped forwards, the genin behind him watching pertified as his partner continued to smirk. "I'm not as ignorant as these Konoha dogs behind me, Zabuza." Those that were indeed behind him glared hatefully at being referred to as dogs. "I know the dimensions of the jutsu that you're using. I had it used on me personally a long time ago.
"See, it's simple really, You're holding Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Dog of Konoha, in that prison. But only under the circumstance that you have your arm in place. If you have to jump or duck, that's fine. But your arm has to be in place. If you remove your arm from the prism, then the prism disappears you see? So, I could throw a few kunai at you like the genin planned to do, and watched you duck and jump like the monkey you are. Or I could simply throw one of my swords at you arm.
"From there, you would have one of two options. A, allow your arm to be amputated from your body thus releasing Kakashi Hatake from that prism. Or B, remove your arm from the prism, avoiding my sword, but also releasing Kakashi Hatake from his prison. Which one shall it be, Zabuza?" The Demon of the Bloody Mist chuckled sadistically. He had to admit, the boy knew how to play this game rather well, considering how young he was. But Zabuza knew far more than the boy ever would.
"Is that so? You've analyzed me and just like that you have me beaten? Allow me to have a crack at you then, Kumo Shinobi. You have two hook swords. Effective if you're fighting a Shaoling Monk. Sure, it may have worked on my clone, but it was just that... A clone. No where near to the real thing. Those little things wouldn't hold a candle to my Kubikiribocho. And you only have one Dao on your back. Are you really going to chance throwing that at me?
"Let's face it, once you throw that Dao at me, I'm going to be coming straight for you. And those hook swords aren't going to hold me off. There's the off chance you'll throw one of those hook swords at me instead. but that won't do anything. In fact, that won't even break a bone in my arm. I'll simply stay here in the same place. So, did I hit the nail on the head ther, hot shot?" Zabuza questioned with a sadistic smirk placed on his bandaged features. The platinum/blond gave off his own smirk.
"No, Zabuza. You weren't even really that close at all. I think you've let yourself slip, Demon of the Bloody Mist." Without further words, the Kumogakure shinobi reunsheathed his Dao before twirling it expertly. Then it split down the middle before one Dao sword was sailing towards Zabuza's arm, it twin held firmly in the boy's grasp. Zabuza's eyes widened considerably as the sword sailed at him.
He hadn't comtemplated the fact that the Dao sword was actually Dual Dao Swords. Especially considering that the boy had wielded it moments before as if it were a single sword. Lurching to the side, Zabuza's arm delocated from the spherical prism. Kakashi dropped down with a gasp of breath as he stood firmly on the water. The blonde hiared kumogakure girl appeared beside Kakashi, grasping ahold of the airborn Dao sword, before she was back at her partner's side. The platinum/blond reached out, taking the weapon from her grasp.
As Zabuza snarled angrily, the two Kumogakure shinobi rushed forwards to stand on the water beside Kakashi, glaring heatedly towards Zabuza. "You! Konoha Dog!" Naruto called to the silver haired Jonin as Maito Gai finally came around to stumbling to his feet. "I despise your village and hate the very thought of your people. But I freed you so that the odds of incapacitating Zabuza Momochi would be that much better. So do your part and fight!" Kakashi sighed as he lifted his headband, brandishing his implanted sharingan proudly.
"It's nice to meet you too." Kakashi responded as Zabuza began slipping through a multitude of hand seals. Kakashi immediately began copying them as they both unleashed water dragons that clashed together violently. The platinum/blond haired shinobi glared towards the Kirigakure Shinobi menacingly as he flipped through his own series of hand signals. "Discharge: LIghtning Calamity Jutsu!" Black Lightning shot along Kakashi's water Dragon, traveling along the length of Zabuza's own, before slamming into the rogue Kirigakure shinobi.
The man screamed violently as an explosion erupted, sending him flying through the air. As he skidded along the ground, Maito Gai appeared high in the sky. "Dynamic Entry!" His foot slammed into Zabuza's chest, slamming him into the Earth. The man rebounded high into the air before the blonde haired girl appeared over him, bringing her right leg down on the man's chest once again, returning his form to the Earth. He released another scream as he felt for certain that multiple ribs were cracked.
The blonde haired kunoichi bounded away from her target to stand next to her partner, allowing Zabuza to bound to his feet. A smirk stretched out over the platinum/blond haired shinobi's face as he rushed forwards. His right Dao sword was held in a regular grip while his left was held in a reverse grip. Anticipation entered the Kumogakure shinobi's eyes as he prepared to run Zabuza through. The two senbon needles flew from the tree line, impacting into Zabuza's neck.
The Kumogakure shinobi halted in his steps as Zabuza stiffened violently before falling to the ground. The boy that had prepared to run the rogue shinobi through allowed his nostrils to flare as zabuza toppled over to the ground, visually dead. A masked arrival appeared near his body, bowing lowly. "I'm sorry to have stolen your kill, Kumogakure-San, but I've been hunting this man for months. I had to take the opportunity while I still could." The white masked person leaned down and grasped ahold of Zabuza's body, hefting it onto his shoulder while he grasped ahold of Kubikiribocho tightly.
"Did you?" The Kumogakure shinobi questioned angrily as his partner came to stand next to him, the masked appearance looking at him questioningly through their eye slits. "Did you really steal my kill? I'm a sensor shinobi, you know?" The newest arrival's eyes widened in fear as the platinum/blond's nose curled in disgust. "Not only can I still feel his presence, your chakra fluctuated in a rather natural way. The natural way that it does when someone is lying. You didn't kill Zabuza, henceforth, you didn't steal my kill... You're trying to make off with him.
"Which leaves one impression. You're an accomplice. Someone he's invested much time into to get these exact results from. I have to lend it to you, you were almost able to completely wipe his chakra signature out. But as long as he's actually alive, his chakra will remain. And you were almost able to completely stop the fluctuation of your chakra when you lied. Almost. But I've honed my skills continuously. There's no possible way to completely eradicate tell tale's from sensor shinobi. You should've learned that. It cost you your life today!"
The Kumogakure shinobi lurched forwards, but a wall of ice appeared between he and the two enemies. His blue eyes shot to the side as yet another figure launched an ice spear directly at his skull. The boy's eyes narrowed dangerously as he preformed a backbend. as he did so, Zabuza and the accomplice holding him disappeared in a plume of smoke. The third fell away into pieces of ice as the Kumogakure shinobi snarled angrily. "Damn it!"
"It's okay, Naruto. We'll get him next time." The platinum/blond, now identified as 'Naruto' nodded as Kakashi's eyes widened to considerable proportions. It was impossible for his sensei's son to have found his way into Kumo. And Kakashi had passed both the whisker marks, and the tell tale scars of being struck by lightning off as coincidence. But him bieng named Naruto was no coincidence. There was no other possible reason than the one that was currently running through his mind.
Kakashi's Sensei's son, his adoptive brother, was standing in front of him for the first time in fourteen years.
Jiraiya sighed drearily as he downed his beverage in one large gulp. A woman, modest by no mean, sat next to him, clinging from his arm. After his near encounter with his godson, he had departed from Kumogakure and traveled to a nearby civilian village. It had been the best course of action for the time being. A deep grimace set into his features as he thought back to that specific moment in time.
'I should have called out to him...' Jiriya had constantly thought this to himself since the near encounter. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he laid his head down on the bar counter in front of him, the woman next to him rubbing his back comfortably as she cooed at him. 'Minato's son, my godson was standing right in front of me... and I did nothing. I could have at least called out to him.
'I mean... Just because he was with a girl doesn't mean that they were close. They could have just been good comrades eating after a mission. But then, someone did call out to him from inside that Dango Shop. I could have interrupted something rather important to him. And then he would have even less reason to listen to me and my plight. Who am I kidding? I'm making up excuses again.
'Naruto was standing in front of me. The Son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, Jinchuriki to the Kyubi No Kitsune, was standing in front of me. And I did nothing whatsoever to initiate contact with him. All I did was raise my hand and stand there like a stalker. Man... If Kakashi knew, he'd probably kill me. No, scratch that, he would definately kill me. I just know it. All of the repressions that Inoichi has had to do voer the years.
'All of the therapy that has made him even slightly better, all of the kind words from firends and comrades... All of it would have been for nothing. He'd come unglued. He'd try to go on another war path. I don't think that he can take the knowledge that his little adoptive brother is alive, but loyal to another village. Then again, I may be wrong.
'Kakashi swore up and down he had a connection with the kid before all the repressions. Nobody wanted to believe him... But what if it had been true? What if all we had to do to stop his rage was reassure him that Naruto was alive? That he would definately meet him again sometime in the future? What if he doesn't give a damn what village Naruto is part of? What if he just wants the kid to be... happy?'
Jiraiya shook his head wearily as it raised up off of the bar counter. His right hand came up to massage his temple as he finally pushed his newest alcoholic beverage away from his personal being. Then he turned to the scantily clad woman that had been rubbing his back as he thought so heavily. A smile broke out over the white haired Sanin's features as he gave her a once over. 'I think I'm done thinking about all this. All it's doing is making me feel like shit. I had a bad day, may as well have a great night.'
Jiraiya stood to his feet, smile still in place, offering his left hand to the woman in front of him. She returned the smile as she took it. And then, the two left the bar together, leaving behind the wreaking smell of alcohol, blood and smoke that threatened to suffocate anyone inside of the room.
The Raikage frowned deeply as he stared at the reports in front of him. This wasn't what he had expected. He had held no fear in the results that stood before him. Because those thoughts had never even crossed his mind. Simply because the thoughts were impossible. There should have been no possible way that a mission could have an outcome such as the one that sat in front of him, glaring into his face mockingly.
His desk slammed through his window, shattering both in an instant as he released an enraged scream that echoed out over his village. Shinobi shivered at the malovent chakra that washed over them from their highly respected Kage. "Damn it! Damn it all to hell! How does this happen!? B! B, get your ass to my office right now!" A few miles away, deep in Kumo's forest, Killer B shivered violently.
He didn't quite know what the Raikage was so pissed about, it wasn't going to be good for either his mental, nor physical, health. His right hand came up to stroke his jaw softly as he thought back to the most recent months of his life. He hadn't quite done anything from off the top of his head that could warrant such anger from A. Nothing except breaking a few doors down here and there. Well, that wasn't entirely true. There had been a little incident around four months ago that B and Naruto had completed in duo.
If he remembered correctly, all payment and paperwork for said mission had to be delayed because there had been a follow up mistake. I. E, some raiders had tried to overtake the village. But B had been pretty sure that those papers had reached A already. He had been pretty pissed off about two months ago for no specific reason. B was quite positive that that reason had been the in depth mission report from the client.
Blue and white lightning crashed down into Kumogakure violently as A released another violent scream which seemed to reach the heavens above. The Lightning surged and expanded before moving forwards, more than likely with every step that the Raikage took. Sweat instantly began to bead down the younger brother's face as he scratched his face tenderly. As he stumbled backwards, the lightning gave another violent surge indicating that A had become far more enraged.
Perhaps the mission report hadn't reached A quite at the time B had suspected it had. Perhaps A had just recieved the report from four months ago. Perhaps he was coming to murder B and completely eradicate his body from the face of the Earth. "Perhaps B needs to get his ass out of here yo, before A rips him in a half like a little piece of flower dough!" B turned around and bolted into the high overhanging tree branches, trying to escape the fury that was the Raikage.
From inside the village, A raged onwards. His features were set in the pure vision of rage as lightning crackled angrily around his body. With each stepp he took, more shinobi and civilians sped to their homes trying to avoid the wrath of A. "B! I said get your ass to my tower! I need to talk to you over this damn report I got! Killer B!"
"Fat chance of that, B is making a break for it like a rat!" B called over his shoulders, but quitely enough that he was certain that his brother wouldn't hear him. If he didn't know what direction the Hachibi was going in, then that gave B more time to make his grand escape. As he turned his vision back to the path in front of him, he slammed into something that had no give to it whatsoever. B's form fell to the ground below as that something jumped down to stand next to him.
B's eyes widened with pure fear as A stood over him, lightning lashing out from his body violently. "Now, B, I think it's time you and I talk over this report..."
Kakashi sat and watched Naruto intently as Maito Gai released a carrier Hawk from his hand, requesting even more backup from teh Sandaime Hokage in the highest ranked form that he could possibly send. Naruto paid the silver haired man no mind as he chatted back and forth with his partner over the recent events that had transpired. Then, as if he could feel the gaze, Naruto turned and glared directly at Kakashi's single visible eye. "Is there somethingyou find interesting, Copy Dog?" It was a jab to Kakashi's heart to hear the words come out of the boy's mouth after he had been identified as Kakashi's long lost adoptive brother.
"I... thought you were dead." Kakashi responded, drawing the attention of all of those gathered around them. Was it possible that Kakashi actually knew the person who had saved them from Zabuza and labeled the Konoha Dogs? Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion as his heated gaze stayed focused on Kakashi.
"Then you thought wrong, Konoha Dog. I don't remember meeting you, but if you've tried to kill me in the past, you'll have to try a lot harder than that. Because it apparently didn't take. I'll warn you though, if you step to me, I plan to leave you lying where you stand." He had grown up to become a true shinobi, that much was certain to the silver haired Jonin. He wasn't afraid of death, nor was he hard pressed to deliver it.
"You were a baby when I last saw you. A few hours old at most. You'd just lost your parents and everything was just so chaotic... And then you were gone." The platinum/blond's brow furrowed even deeper as Kakashi spoke. Naruto was no fool. He had known long before the Raikage had revealed to him that he hadn't been born in Kumogakure. As a matter of fact, all things considered, it pointed to the fact that he had been birthed in Konohagakure, the village he hated most of all. Though the Raikage could neither confirm, nor deny, this due to classified information.
Naruto himself had even narrowed down the known people in the village that could have been his parents. Had chosen the most likely scenario that he was the son of the Yondaime Hokage and his wife, whoever that was, and thus was the reason that the Kyubi had been sealed inside of him. It didn't change his views on either village. He belonged in Kumo. He had been raised and nurtured there. Taken care of and was a highly respected member of their community. He didn't belong in Konoha. They were ignorant biggots. And Naruto wanted nothing to do with them.
"Then I assume you know everything about my origins. My parents, my birth village, everything. It doesn't change a thing. I am Kumogakure's Shinobi. I am Naruto Hakkinkaku of Kumogakure. Nothing you say changes that. You could change my entire outlook on life. Yoou could alter my hate from Konoha to Kumo and my love from Kumo to Konoha and nothing would change. I would still be their loyal shinobi. That village contains all of my friends, my comrades, all of my living relatives." Kakashi took a step towards Naruto. Pain pulsed through his chest as he grunted.
"I didn't say that I wanted to change your views on Konoha. That's the farthest thing from my mind. I just want to change your views on me. I don't want you to know me as 'Konoha's Copy Dog'. I want to be on your favorable side, not the side that you plan to slaughter on the battlefield." The genin around Kakashi stared at the scene in shock, more specifically his own squadron. They had never quite seen this side of Kakashi. Had never anticipated that he would try to forego a mission to form a bond with an enemy shinobi.
"Yosh! Look at my youthful rival create bridges between Kumo and Konoha!" Gai released a violent shriek that seemed to pierce the heavens. "So hip! Lee, we must now do four hundred upside down pushups! If we fail to-" The blonde Kumogakure girl and Tenten appeared behind the two, knocking Gai and Lee to the ground respectively.
"I swear, these people are more annoying than B!" The girl spoke to Naruto whom continued to glare at Kakashi. Their conversation had halted at Gai's interruption, but it appeared that it was going to heat back up just as quickly.
"Who says that I want to change my views of you? You're a Konoha Dog, that's all I need to know to form my opinion. You want to change it? Go jump off a bridge. I have no desire to get to know you, your team or anyone in your village for that matter. In fact, I'd think it be a nice sentiment if Konoha was wiped completely off of the map. If you can complete such a task, then we'll talk." Naruto turned away from the silver haired Jonin, who moved forwards to grab his shoulder.
"Naruto-" Pain exploded throughout Kakashi's body before it collapsed to the ground. His genin team rushed forwards as Gai was immediately on his feet, protecting his comrades unconscious form.
"Don't take things so seriously Green Dog of Konoha." Naruto spoke to Gai as he kicked Kakashi's form from his position on his stomach, to his back. "He's having chakra failure. Used too much of it up from the looks of it. Probably that Sharingan eye he has implanted. Typical of Konoha shinobi. You don't even know your own limits." The platinum/blond sighed as he cracked his back explosively. "Yugito, let's go. We have priorities to take care of." The blond, Yugito, nodded in response as they began to leave the small battlefield.
"Wait!" Tazuna cried out as he staggered on his feet. "I can... Um... I mean... Yeah, you should stay at my house! I'd be more than... more than happy to accom... accomaaa... coma... let you stay there." Naruto frowned as Yugito glanced meaningfully to him.
"No, I simply refuse to share a house with Konoha Dogs. You send them away like the strays that they are and maybe, just maybe. Until then, I'll be finding an Inn for me and my partner to stay in." As they continued their pace, Tazuna shook his head as he staggered after them.
"Ain't no... Inns left! Gato closed them all... down." Tazuna stopped to burp before continuing. "Best you're gonna... Do around here is paying for a... um... A futon! Yeah, A futon on the ground!" Naruto halted in his tracks and snarled viciously over his shoulder.
"I'd rather take my chances with the futon!" Yugito brought her right hand up to rest on his left shoulder, shaking her head.
"We can't take that chance, Naruto. It's simply too dangerous. Even if we were sleeping in shifts. We should at least give his housing a try. Who knows? Maybe this specific bunch of Konoha Shinobi aren't as bad as you seem to think that they are." Naruto's nostrils flared at Yugito's words. She always seemed to have to be the voice of reason in situations such as the one they were in.
"No bunch of Konoha Shinobi is good. Out of their gigantic village, there may be one, one, man or woman that is tolerable. But I don't see that at all. Fine, Tazuna!" The drunken man straightened up at the sound of his own name. "We'll accept your offer to stay at your house. But make no mistake. I'm in no way on friendly terms with Konoha shinobi. One wrong move, and I'll put them through your wall."
"I'm not sure my... my dau... My daught... Tsuna- You know what? I"m okay with that..." Naruto nodded as he moved past Kakashi fallen form, follwed quickly by Yugito. Both Kumogakure shinobi ignored the group of Konoha shinobi as they lifted his up to carry him. Tazuna came to stand beside Naruto where he, admittedly, felt more secure and safe. "You know... The guy that wants to get to... to know you? You should... um... give him a chance. He s-saved... saved the world from ext.. exa... extra... Alines, ya know?" Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion as his gaze met Yugito's own.
"Excuse me?"
Naruto's eyes surveyed the damage around himself as blood trickled from his skull. The crimson red liquid leaked into his eyes, blurring his vision considerably. Yugtio screamed out in pain next to him as she skidded along the ground. A fist slammed into his jaw, shattering it as he staggered to the side. He wasn't quite sure how this had happened. He had only been following orders. He had only been completing his mission. He didn't understand why all of this was happening. A giant man with his face wrapped came to stand in front of Naruto's blurred vision. A monstrous sword sat, resting on his shoulder.
Naruto's own swords were scattered over the battlefield. There had simply been too many swordsmen that had outclassed him. The man above him chuckled sadistically as his shoulders shook. "You know kid, you've caused me a lot of trouble these last couple of days. You almost cost me everything.
"Everything that I've been planning so carefully to my benefit. And you, some wackjob Kumo genin almost ruined it all for me. But, I guess that's just how life proceeds, doesn't it? A wonder you even survived this long in the shinobi world." The man's foot crached into Naruto's gut, sending him to his knees as Yugito was again thrown across their small battlefield. "But I guess it's time for me to rectify that, huh? I'll see you in hell kid." The man's arm pulled back and prepared to ram his sword through Naruto's skull.
Before it ever could, a new figure, drenched in his own blood, jumped in the way. This action caused the sword to slam through their abdomen, stopping it inches away from its intended target. The man holstering the sword released a surprised grunt as he wrenched the sword out of the figure's gut. Immediately they fell to the ground. As they did so, time seemed to slow for Naruto. As the figure, a male's, silver hair floated through the air, his redish eyes staring into Naruto's blue as he slammed into the ground.
Naruto bolted awake in his futon. "Kagari!" Sweat dribbled all over his body as he panted heavily, looking to and fro in the dark room that he lay in. It wasn't actually a room, but a small storage closet that he and his futon barely fit inside of. Upon his arrival to Tazuna's house, his guardians had met his daughter, Tsunami, who had stated that the men would have to share one room while the women another.
This had instantly started an argument as Naruto fought for his right to be seperated from the Konoha Dogs. She had smiled sweetly and said that the only other available room was a closet that would undoubtedly leave his joint stiff and his body possible sick. He had, of course, chosen the closet. Yugito had just opted to share the room with the two Konohagakure Kunoichi. It didn't exactly surprise Naruto. Yugito didn't hold Konoha in as much disdain as the majority of Kumo did. Naruto stood to his feet, rubbing his head tenderly as it slammed against the ceiling of the closet.
Quickly, Naruto opened the door and stepped out of the room, covering his eyes as the sunlight bathed his figure in light, blinding him. He stumbled slightly, releasing a low growling noise from deep in his chest as he tried to regain his bearing. The stoarge closet had no windows whatsoever inside, and the sudden change from dark to light irritated Naruto's eyes greatly in the morning. With a dreary sigh, Naruto removed his hand from his eyes and stalked forwards, down the flight of stairs that lead to the kitchen below.
Eyes immediately fell on his sudden appearance as the Konoha squadrons, and Yugito, ate breakfast peacefully in the kitchen. Naruto's nose crinckled slightly as he noticed that Kakashi had awoken from his comatose like state. Upon meeting the platinum/blond's gaze, Kakashi's visible eye crinckled into a u, indicating that he was smiling. The kumogakure shinobi grimaced deeply in response. "Good morning, Naruto." The silver haired man spoke.
"Don't speak like you presume to know me, dog." Naruto returned spitefully as he marched past the kitchen table full of shinobi.
"Ano, Kumo-San?" Tsunami called from her place by the stove in her kitchen. "Don't you want any breakfast?" Naruto never stopped in his pace as he replied over her shoulder.
"I'll find breakfast for myself in your village. I refuse to share the same table as that scum. I'm not as open minded as my partner there. If worst case scenario rears its ugly little head, I'll go hunting for my own food. I am not as helpless as those genin you're feeding." The screen front door of the birdge builder's house slammed shut behind the platinum/blond haired boy. Kakashi winced harshly at the loud noise.
A opened the drawer to his desk slowly with a long drawn out breath. Now, this desk wasn't his Raikage's desk. No, far from it. It was the desk he kept in the study of his home's library. Inside the drawer, it seemed just about completely bare. Except for one tiny detail. The mask that shone brightly under the rooms bright lights. The dark hollowed eyeholes glared menacingly at the Raikage, drawing a shiver down his spine without any eyes even being behind it.
The white porcelain mask seemed to bear a strong resemblance to that of an Anbu members mask. But it wasn't. It was the mask of a far more elite group of shinobi that had operated as the Raikage's personal unit. Contractor Anbu. They were a secret organization of Anbu, much like Konoha's Root Anbu were supposed to be. But they operated in a different way. First, a shinobi or kunoichi had to qualify to become a Contractor Anbu. Second, they had to be affiliated with a specific clan inside of Kumogakure.
The Hei clan's origins were rather mysterious. no one quite knew where they came from or how they aquired their abilities. Some rumored that they had 'contracted' themselves to demons and gods, or even the stars, to gain the hereditary powers that they passed down. And there was a specific reason that the rumor had been started. When their powers were used, a member of the Hei clan had to pay a price, so to speak.
The price differed from clan member to clan member and power to power. No two people were exactly the same inside of the clan. Some members had even paid their price and could use their powers freely. Yes, they were a highly sought out clan that had stationed themselves in Kumo many years ago. They were the single clan that the Sandaime Hokage had founded the Contractor Anbu around.
So there were never that many of them to begin with. As a matter of fact, it was a rather small group of shinobi that knew of the existence of the Contractor Anbu. And they had slowly dwindled down. The powers of the Hei clan had slowly driven them crazy it seemed as they began to turn on each other. They imploded from the inside with their own Civil Clan War that the Raikage had been helpless to stop. They had murdered each other. The Contractor Anbu had even turned on each other.
Some of the Hei shinobi went rogue to save their own lives. There were very few of them left in the world of shinobi, and no one knew their exact whereabouts. If they were still alive, they didn't want to be found. The number of Contractor Anbu dropped lower still. To one. There was one member of the Hei clan that remained in Kumogakure, alive. He too had been a member of the Contractor Anbu division, albeit short as a time as it was. A had retired the Contractor Anbu division.
The last member of the Hei clan had been reluctant to allow such to happen. He had demanded that the Contractor Division be allowed to carry on. He had promised that he would retrieve the members of the Hei clan that had become rogue and turn them back to a better cause. But it had been a risk the A just couldn't accept at that specific time. He had retired the Contractor Anbu back to regular shinobi work and taken his mask. The same mask that stared up at him from his desk's drawer.
The mask was white, as previously stated. Porcelain as it were. A purple lightning bolt speared through the right eye hole. Lower on the mask, a thin red smile had been painted over the area where the Contractor Anbu's mouth would have been. The Raikage knew from experience that if you tilted the mask just right, it would seem like the mouth was changing form. Almost as if it were changing emotion. The Raikage's hand entered his drawer and removed the mask, holding it gently.
"Perhaps..." A spoke with a dreary sigh. "Perhaps... It's time to bring back one, just one Contractor Anbu... Just for the time being." The drawer to the desk slammed shut, empty. The mask was still held, now firmly, in A's hand. His mind had been set. He was ready to reinstate Kumogakure's final Hei clan member as a Contractor Anbu. Marching forwards, the Yondaime Raikage made his way towards his office.
Naruto marched through the trees in the Land of Waves, his eyes blaring hatefully. It was late afternoon now. He had been unable to secure breakfast due to the poor state that the village was in. The perfect picture of poverty. So he hadhad to hunt his own breakfast, like h said he would. Now he was searching for the two squadrons of Konoha shinobi, angrily. He found them, one set of Genin running up trees while the other sat using a chakra leaf exercise. Naruto snorted spitefully as Gai and Kakashi's attention came to him.
"Yosh! Kumo-San! Have you finally decided to accept the youthfullness that flows to and fro inside you and train with us!? Your teammates did so before she requested to train on her own!" Naruto's nose crinckled in disgust as he felt rage boil in him.
"Hell no I'm not here to train with you, you biggot!" That was the Raikage's rage being channeled through Naruto it seemed. The platinum/blond haired boy wouldn't have been surprised if the man was on a rampage at that very moment. "I've come to relay a message to you bunch. Another group of Konoha dogs arrived a few minutes ago. your backup. They were lead by a dark headed woman with red eyes and claimed to be Team Eight of Konoha." Kakashi's eye crinckled into his usual smile.
"Yes, that'd be Kurenai Yuhi and her team. Thank you for relaying that to us, Naruto." The platinum/blond snorted in disdain as he turned away.
"You realize that it is required for Kumogakure shinobi to be able to do both the exercises that your genin are preforming right now before the graduate the academy, yes?" Kakashi simply nodded in response. Kumogakure was a much harsher military village. They still vlaued their shinobi just as much as Konoha, but where Konoha seemed to produce numbers, Kumo seemed to produce quality.
With a sigh, Kakashi's eyes fell on Gai's estatic form as Naruto began to depart from their rather small group. "Gai, I'm feeling a little weary. Can you watch over both groups of genin for a little while?" Gai nodded happily as he began to exclaim to the heavens his approval of being left alone with the genin, who paled at the implications. Kakashi's eye crinckled as he walked away with the smallest of limps, following after the platinum/blond Kumogakure shinobi.
Once they were a rather decent distance away from the group, kakashi called out to him. "Naruto!" The Kumo SHinobi didn't halt in his pace as Kakashi trailed him. "Naruto!"
"What!? You've been following me ever since I tried to get away from your little group of dogs! What the hell do you want!?" Naruto exclaimed in exasperation as he finally came to a halt.
"I just want to talk to you."
"Well I don't want to talk to you. Understand this, it doesn't matter if I was born in Kumo or fell from the stars, Kumo is my home and I hate yours."
"I'm not trying to change your home." Kakashi spoke earnestly. Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. There was no fluctuation of chakra that identified that he was lying. "I don't want to change our views on Konoha. Or Kumo. Like I said the other day: I only want to change your views on me. Please, just... Just at least twenty minutes. Allow me twenty mintues to at least talk to you and get to know you?" Naruto glared harshly at Kakashi.
As every mini second passed, the tension between the two seemed to grow thicker. Kakashi's visible eye pleaded as he stared into Naruto's steely electric blue eyes. Then Naruto finally spoke. "Okay. You have my attention. You're not lying to me, and you're obviously not going to quit pissing me off until I've allowed you at least that. But make no mistake... If you can't change my opinion of you in twenty minutes, not twenty minutes and one second, twenty minutes on the dot, I'll have nothing to do with you whtsoever. Do you understand me?"
Kakashi's eye crinckled. "Absolutely. Follow me, I passed a spot this morning that I'm sure nobody will find us at. I'd rather not have my twenty minutes interrupted."
Yugito's eyes narrowed as she found herself surrounded by a new group of Konoha genin. "Halt! State your name and purpose!" One of her rather perfect eyebrow's raised as she looked at the boy who had spoke. He wore black glasses that for very specific reasons reminded her of Killer B. That in of itself was enough to piss her off. The boy himself was no doubt an Aburame from Konoha. His teammates consisted of an Inuzuka and another Hyuga, who stood much farther away from Yugito.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll back off." Yugito responded as she dropped down into a rather low crouch, her nose crinckling in disgust as she stared at the Inuzuka. She had a rather bad dislike of mutts. Their sensei stood in front of the Hyuga, glaring at her with her eyes burning full of rage.
"That's enough!" A new voice spoke as Tsunami poked her head from the doorway of the front door. "You must be the newest arrivals from Konoha. Well, welcome, but please do not assault Yugito. She is a friendly Kumo shinobi who's also protecting my father and my family. I would be ever so grateful at the two group of shinobi guarding my father refraining from killing each other." She smiled brightly and then disappeared back into the house.
Yugito released her crouch as Kiba smiled. "So... we're on the same team?" Kiba questioned his sensei who nodded slowly. The Hokage hadn't mentioned any Kumogakure shinobi being on their job sight. Kiba took a long stride forwards, placing his arm around Yugito's shoulders. "So... You come here often?"
Yugito's elbow planted firmly in Kiba's gut causing him to double over in pain. This, Kurenai allowed. She didn't allow her students to act like perverts, and Kiba was no exception. "Keep your hands off me mutt. I've already got my eyes on someone, so I'm as good as taken." The Kumo kunoichi released a huff of breath as she raised her nose at Kiba before stomping away. Kurenai walked forwards.
"You don't learn... Do you?"
"Alright, here we are." Kakashi spoke as he gestured to the scenery surounding them. Naruto had to admit, it was rather to his liking. It was a clearing, surrounded by a plethora of trees. A giant pond sat in the middle where a watefall continously poured water into it. Naruto held his hand out, allowing the water to run over it. It was cool, refreshing for the Kumogakure shinobi.
"Then your twenty minutes begins... Now." Kakashi nodded thoughtfully as he raised his right hand to his chin.
"Right... Where do I begin? I guess with myself. I know that sounds conceited, but bear with me. I'm the legitimate son of Konoha's deceased White Fang. He committed suicide as I'm sure you well know. I was devasted. And then I met Minato Namikaze. He was my sensei, along with my two teammates, Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha. He became my father in every sense of the word. I loved him. But it wasn't until much later that I showed it.
"I was cold. I didn't want to end up like my real father. So during the Third Great Shinobi War, when Rin was kidnapped, I was going to leave her. I know, I can tell from your look you don't approve. I don't either... Not anymore. Obito scolded me and left me to find her. I followed and kept him from being murdered. It cost me my left eye. We rescued Rin, but the cave that we were in collapsed. Obito saved me, but was crushed under a boulder. He gave me his left eye. That's where I got my sharingan.
"Later, Rin was kidnapped and made a Jinchuriki like you. They were going to let us take her back to the village and then unleash the Biju on us. But she died. By my hand. She interrupted one of my jutsu and I killed her. I've never forgotten, nor will I ever forget. If I had been a better shinobi then, maybe she'd be here talking with me to you now. It was after all of this that I began to show my emotions to Minato.
"And the woman he came to love, Kushina, she became like my mother. She was beautiful, but she was frightful when you made her angry. They treated me like their son and I loved them like they were my birth parents. And then Kushina got pregnant. I was estatic. I spent nine months helping them get everything ready for you. And then when the day came, something terrible happened.
"I still don't quite know what it was, but something cause Kushina-Sama's seal to break. She was the Nidaime Kyubi Jinchuriki. It unleashed the Kyubi and he devastated our village, as you know. Minato-Sensei fought back with his forces and he and Kushina-Sama died sealing the Kyubi into their newborn son. Then he was struck by lightning. The alter had been left behind so I presume that it was attracted to the metallic surface.
"I got into an argument with the Sandaime over the child. Proclaimed him my little brother. Said that I should be the one to raise him. Hiruzen wouldn't allow it and sent him away. Later that night, he was kidnapped, my little brother, gone. That infant was you, Naruto." Naruto sat cross legged by the pond, his left hand running through the water gently, just enough to actually disturb the liquid substance.
"And did you not look for me then, brother?" Kakashi's eye showed sorrow as he came to sit next to Naruto.
"Look for you? I went on a war path! The Sandaime had Inoichi Yamanaka repress my emotions for the longest time and gave me a multitude of mental and physical treatments. And even though I eventually stopped my war path, I never forgot you. I've always remembered you, always looked for you." Naruto gave a noise from his throat as he lifted his hand from the water, shaking the liquid from it.
"I suppose it's my turn to spill my guts to you then?"
"That depends. Have I changed your opinion of me yet?"
"You've bought yourself more time to do so." Kakashi's eye showed a smile at the response as he stood back to his feet, offering his hand to Naruto.
"In that case, your turn can wait. I have the chance to be your brother for however long you're giving me and I'm not going to waste it. Get up, I want to teach you something."
Hiruzen chuckled to himself as he placed the papers in his hands down onto his desk. He should've given Tazuna follow up questions. Should have went more in depth with his interview. But he didn't, and now he was paying for that. He had sent team eight out as backup for Kakashi and Gai's units. Another genin squad. And then he had recieved the backup request from Maito Gai.
Not only had the two units run into Zabuza Momochi, an S-Ranked Rogue Shinobi from Kirigakure No Sato, but also two Kumogakure shinobi. Two Kumogakure shinobi who had easily been able to do what Kakashi and Gai hadn't been able to with the weight of their Genin bearing down on them. He couldn't send anymore backup out. It was just out of his hands at this point. He couldn't allow clients to believe that Konoha was weaker than it actually was.
And he couldn't recall the group. That would have the same effect as sending another unit, or more Jonin. Konoha would be viewed as weak and one of the other villages would surge forwards and sieze power from that. No, neither were possible. It left the old man in an impossible decision. Withdraw his troops and appear weak, or allow them to continue and hope that they were strong enough to fight back against one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
The papers found themselves in the trashcan. His genin would have to grit their teeth and bear through it. Hopefully the arrival of the Kumogakure shinobi, no matter how bad of terms that they were on, would help greatly. Besides, back in the Warring States Era, things such as the situation unfolding now was an every day occurence. Hiruzen had lived through many similar scenarios. This one was no different. His military would pull through. Just like it had since day one.
So that's that chapter. I'm pretty sure that I still like the way that this story is going. So here's the deal, and this is VERY IMPORTANT if you're wanting to read this story. I'm not going to be sending Naruto on every mission that Konoha sends Genin on. Instead, I'm gonna borrow some plots from other Animes. Such as Darker Than Black, as I inserted into this chapter. I'm also contemplating on thinking of putting Sekirei into this.
Now, I'm not sure, but if I do this is the premise it'll be on. Instead of being 'aliens' like they are in the show, they'll simply be a clan that isn't really a clan but descendants of one spread throughout the world. They're still 'Wingable' and Sekirei and Ashikabi, but there's no game like in the show. ya know... Cause Minaka doesn't exist in this universe. But they still fight each other because Sekirei have the urge to strike down Ashikabi to eleminate other Sekirei.
I don't know if it'll work out, but it'll make the story interesting... For me... Anyways, adding Darker Than Black in, where Naruto is going to be BK-201, it got me thinking about Darker Than The Void. That story's not gone. Don't get that idea. That's the reason I made this account, to write that story.
But I lost a little interest in it. I'm not entirely sure where I want it to go. SO, if you want to see Dark Than The Void continued, send me some ideas. If I like 'em enough, I may be typing the next chapter of it sooner rather than later. Oh, and don't expect Naruto to accept Konoha. He is strictly accepting only Kakashi as it is right now, that much is for certain. He'll be his brother from another village so to speak. Anyways, that's it for this chapter. I don't know if there will be anymore when I post this, so we'll see when it's posted, won't we?