Author's Note:
By the way, let us pretend that Kushina's eyes are red just like Karin's; I don't know what colour they actually are - green I think - and don't care to find out, so yeah. It makes my explanation for Karin easier if they are just accepted for being red.
Chapter 17: Parting ways
Anko couldn't remember a time she had ever been this happy before. Almost like Kami was smiling down on her herself (Kami was female of course!), she had allowed for the mission to Sea Country to be given to her. Normally, such an act wouldn't really be considered an act of Kami, no, but it was what happened on said mission that put the small smile that now permanently graced her features as she headed to the Hokage's office – she had had her lunch interrupted by an ANBU who had told her that the Hokage wished to see her immediately.
During the mission to investigate the 'Kaima' monster in Sea Country that she had recently just completed, two things that completely changed her outlook on life. One of those things was, much to her surprise, the permanent removal of Orochimaru's influence on her completely. Unfortunately, the mark from the 'Ten no Juin' itself was still there, but no longer was she plagued with horrific visions brought on by the seal unexpectedly, pain attacks when she was randomly angry at something or with the constant whispers that she had long ago pegged as her 'evil conscious', no, now she felt free. Mitarashi Anko felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders and she, after several long years of imprisonment, was finally free to live her life.
Then there was the regaining of her memories while in Sea Country. After the Namikaze brat and his merry little group had left with their prize, she had gone on a small fact finding mission to quell another heavy burden that weighed down her conscious, one that she just had to free herself of despite the answers she would find.
Despite her quite famous resentment for her former sensei, the legendary shinobi had been the first person to treat her as if she were important, and for a war orphan such as herself without any parental figures to show her affection, that was something she would forever be thankful for. The early time in her apprenticeship under her ex-sensei provided her with some of the best memories in her life, a time where a famous yet extremely young genius shinobi chose her out of all the other academy applicants and imparted on her his knowledge of the shinobi world. He played the role as mentor well, sating her lust for knowledge and shinobi techniques whenever he could and taking her on missions where the harsh realities of the shinobi world were shown to her bit by bit.
At first, Orochimaru was a little cold towards her and Anko figured the Sandaime at the time had forced him to take on an apprentice or Genin team, but eventually, he had taken quite well to teaching her. She often remembered how he would gloat at Jiraiya about his 'prized' pupil's success while Jiraiya would gloat right back about his own. In retrospect, it was quite humbling knowing that one was being compared against the great Namikaze Minato, but that freakazoid was probably a bad choice for anybody to choose as a rival.
Eventually, without her noticing, Orochimaru had become slowly yet increasingly ruthless, performing experiments on people he swore to her were missing-nin and traitors, but in retrospect, Anko knew they weren't. They were mostly villagers of Konoha they he had captured to experiment on to find the secret to immortality.
As time passed, Anko began to realize that the affection that the two seemingly shared for each other was a farce, at least on Orochimaru's part, as the snake of a man merely considered her a tool. It wasn't until they both travelled to Sea Country while Anko was still a child that she realized this, and it was the events that occurred here that Anko never seemed to remember.
At first, she had believed that Orochimaru had abandoned her, thinking her useless to him and throwing her away like a broken toy.
The fact of the matter was, that after surviving the implementation of the first curse seal herself - the only survivor of ten test subjects - the Snake Sannin showed his true colours to her, telling her that he could give her power should she crave it enough. He could become a useful tool to him should she submit to the seal's will and become fully devoted to him.
In the end, her curse seal had become ineffective and dormant because she didn't have the lust for power or revenge that her sensei seemingly had, she was nothing like her esteemed sensei in that regard, and being that the Ten no Juin focused on the user's lust for power and vengeance, it virtually had no real effect on her rather then being a huge pain in the ass and a way to inflict pain on her.
So, in truth, in the end, she had turned the man down, not the other way around. Her, Mitarashi Anko, the one who was glared at and distrusted by the majority of Konoha's population for her position as that man's student had been the one to discard him, allowing the man to erase her memory of that whole encounter.
That fact alone paired with the virtual removal of any lasting effects the curse seal ever had on her virtually severed any ties she had with the Snake Sannin, well, there was the snake summons, but she liked those.
Snakes were so cute after all.
It was with a smile on her face that Anko was admitted into the Hokage's office where, to her surprise, she was met with not only the Hokage, but with the Sandaime's old team mates, Ino, Sakura and Shino. Suddenly, her good mood flew out the window only to be replaced with a cold sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.
"Please have a seat Mitarashi-san" Tsunade motioned to the one empty seat in the room before the Hokage's desk as Homura and Koharu stood on either side of the esteemed female Hokage. Her three ex-subordinates on their last mission sat in three of the four provided seats, their heads turned and looking at her.
"I'd rather stand, if you don't mind, Hokage-sama" she said, casting a dark look at the two girls who were grinning haughtily at her.
"Whatever" Tsunade replied, quelling any argument Koharu was about to put forth "you're here today to discuss with us any relations you have with the 'S-classed' criminal Namikaze Naruto – we have reports from…somewhat reliable sources" she cast a glance at the two girls and Anko suddenly felt a surge of hate towards the two wannabe shinobi, in the back of her mind, the part that was still happy, she noticed that where once her curse seal would have pulsed angrily, there was now nothing "that you have been in collusion and possibly involved in a sexual relationship with said shinobi – you are aware that such actions are to be considered as treason, are you not?"
"Sexual relationship?!" she all but shrieked "what do you take me for?! The gaki is sixteen years old!" this piece of information shocked the three Chunin sitting in the room with the four elder shinobi, the so called criminal they had tried to confront was someone who not only could have killed them with ease, but was someone their own age.
"So you do not deny being in collusion with him?" Homura asked, peering at her intently through his frames.
"The council has heard of two occurrences in which the shinobi in question had made contact with me, I was not aware we were here to restate facts" she replied stiffly, only to be interrupted when Tsunade banged her fist against the desk.
"This isn't some kind of joke Anko!" she shouted "have you, or have you not had more then a professional relationship with Namikaze Naruto and have you ever given him information that may be considered detrimental to our security?!"
"It is hard not to have something more then a professional relationship with someone who has not only saved my life on more then one occasion, but has also effectively neutralized the curse seal on my person" she replied coldly, amidst the gasps of shock coming from the three elder shinobi in the room and the confused glances of the younger ones. Anko had also become aware of the ANBU that had entered the room behind her and remained silent "as to giving him information that could be detrimental to the village's security? How the hell would you expect that of me when I am trusted with vital information around here as much as any criminal outside of Konoha's walls is" she replied coldly, yet with one hundred percent truth.
"It has also been reported that you allowed the Namikaze to get away with your last mission's objective without opposition, and that you allowed the torture of two of your comrades" Koharu offered, glaring at her in an accusatory kind of way.
"You're out of your mind you old bat!" Anko yelled right back, shocking all those present "I'd like to see you try and stop three 'S-classed' criminals from doing anything they want to do, one of them was even able to summon a dragon that completely dwarfed my most powerful snake summon in power!" she countered "Even if I wanted to try and 'stop him', there's no way I could succeed!" she paused to catch her breath, aware that Koharu was glaring heatedly at her "and in regards to these two wannabe pathetic kunoichi? They not only disregarded a direct order to not engage Namikaze should we encounter them, but they proceeded to threaten him into revealing information he possessed about the location of a certain traitorous Uchiha…"
"He's NOT a traitor!" came the simultaneous yells of the two girls in the room which was promptly ignored and silenced with a glare from Tsunade.
"…and when Namikaze's companion, the one known as Haku, trapped them in some watery prison that allowed them to breathe but not escape, I had to save their sorry asses from being killed! They should be thankful I was there to get Naruto to not kill them for I'm sure had anyone else asked, he wouldn't have given a shit!"
"That's a lie!"
"You're not going to believe her are you?!"
The girl's shouts were once again silenced with a glare "You willonly speak when spoken to!" the Hokage barked "Shino, is what Mitarashi-san says true?"
Shino nodded "Hai, Hokage-sama, she did warn us against engaging Namikaze-san and his comrades at all should we encounter them and she did say something to Namikaze-san that caused him to release the two and leave with their prize."
"Be that as it may" Homura piped up "she still admitted to be in collusion with Namikaze Naruto, a dangerous 'S-ranked' criminal who is a threat to Konoha, we cannot be sure if what she tells us about any interactions with the brat are truthful, but we can be sure of her interactions existing based on her confessions" he said, glaring down at her.
"It is the will of the council that Mitarashi Anko, in accordance to the laws of Konoha, be sentenced to execution in a month's time for treasonous actions towards Konoha and her occupants, ANBU, take her away" Koharu finished, amidst the shocked silence that immediately followed her proclamation, even the ANBU seemed shocked by the order, especially the purple haired one, she seemed the most reluctant.
"Wait…we didn't think she'd be executed…" Ino mumbled softly.
"She might deserve a punishment, but isn't this a bit much…?" Sakura too, put her two cents in.
Tsunade rubbed her temples in annoyance before glaring at the two girls "Being a shinobi is not some awesome job that brings glory and fame by protecting damsels in distress from groups of bandits – being a shinobi is being a tool for the Hokage, the sooner you realize this, the sooner you will become real shinobi. Anko-san committed an act of treason, whether you believe it or not, she confessed to it even. Such actions are always punishable by death!"
Tsunade nodded at the ANBU behind Anko who now had a dead look in her eyes and set her face into a mask of neutrality "If that is your wish Hokage-sama" she said in a voice devoid of emotion as she placed her hands behind her back so the ANBU could cuff her.
Before she left, Anko cast one last look at the occupants of the room, from the three stoic and serious elder shinobi, to the shocked kunoichi and finally to the remorseful Shino who she nodded at, relaying the information that she didn't blame him for anything.
"I'm sorry Anko…" the purple haired Anko whispered behind her, but Anko ignored it and allowed herself to be lead to the prison where she would await execution. Fucking Kami did hate her; she just wanted her to have a taste of the good life before bitch slapping her real good.
A shinobi garbed in all black leapt away from the Hokage tower and eventually landed before a one armed bandaged man who was treating a Bonsai tree in his garden before kneeling down and awaiting to be addressed.
A few minutes passed as the man patiently dealt with the dwarfed tree before he turned to his company and motioned for him to follow.
The two were lead into a sealed room within the elderly cripple's house when they finally spoke.
"What news do you have for me?" Danzo asked in a gruff tone.
"Your plan succeeded without a fault Danzo-sama, Mitarashi-san is scheduled for execution in a month's time."
Danzo smirked triumphantly, he may have lost the brat's mother, but he already had the bait this time, there was no way he wouldn't bite, and when he did, he was going to be right there waiting for him.
"Good work, begin preparations, Namikaze Naruto will be in Konoha in a month's time and I will not accept failure, he will be captured!"
"Hai!" the kneeling shinobi barked before leaping away to inform his comrades leaving a happy Danzo behind, things were going according to plan.
Haku watched his latest patient playing with all sorts of young children from the village with a smile that showed so much happiness it warmed his heart. When the group of three first arrived to wave country, Isaribi had been quite pessimistic in regards to Haku's research on Amachi's work on the possible outcomes it would have on the young girl's body.
To the shock of said girl, however, not three days after their arrival, Haku had performed an operation on her and several techniques listed in the research material and instead of a beautiful young woman with scaly patches covering her body, there stood a beautiful young woman with completely unblemished skin. The fact that she was still able to transform into the 'Kaima' beast and swim around in the ocean all day was a plus too.
Ever since being cured, or 'completed' as Haku liked to refer to it as, she had spent the majority of her time with young Inari and his friends playing tag and hide-and-seek with them.
As soon as they had arrived in wave country, they had gone to see Tazuna and his daughter Tsunami like Naruto had suggested, only to receive a cold reception – it seemed that they didn't trust shinobi all that well. That only lasted, however, as long as it took to prove that they were comrades of Naruto's. As soon as they proved this, mainly by identifying the cloak he had left Tsunami and his Pocky obsession, they were greeted into their home with open arms.
Kimimaro, while thankful for their hospitality, chose to sleep outside the village where he had set up camp so he could more easily scout the surroundings for enemy shinobi or bandits and act accordingly.
Speaking of the bone user, it seemed that with Naruto temporarily gone, he had been brooding a lot more often, what about Haku wasn't sure, but it did seem to intensify whenever Isaribi would do or say something nice to him or treat him like any young girl would treat someone of Kimimaro's looks and mystique would treat him – that is try to get his attention and get embarrassed when he looks in her direction. It was quite humorous to see the usually stoic and powerful warrior's reaction to Isaribi's behaviour, he was quite literally clueless.
His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a small tap on his shoulder coming from Tsunami. The woman had recovered well from her ordeal, of which Naruto had not spoken of but Haku had guessed anyway, however she never left her house anymore alone or without some form of protection – he could understand her paranoia completely. It was just a miracle she hadn't been impregnated during her attack.
"Um, Haku-san, a weird shinobi wearing a green hat and big black glasses gave me a letter…I'm not sure it's for me though…" she said with a frown, one that was mirrored by Haku. The shinobi mentioned sounded like a courier-nin, but who would send him a letter via such a public agency?
Taking the letter offered by Tsunami, Haku read the front of the letter and sure enough, it was indeed addressed to Tsunami. Seeing that it was already opened though, he figured she read it and decided it wasn't hers.
Dearest Haku-chan,
Our last date was the happiest time of my life and I just can't get your curvaceous body, firm and supple behind, and pert breasts out of my mind.
I hope I'm not being too forward, but I was wondering if we could meet up again some time and get to know each other a little better – maybe on a date?
If you agree, I swear on my blood that I will be a perfect gentleman and show you a good time – that is, if you want a perfect gentleman, I can be a beast too, if that's what you like. I have it on good authority that you like to be dominated.
Faithfully yours and awaiting a favourable response,
Inuzuka Kiba
Haku's eyebrow hadn't stopped twitching from the moment he began to read the letter. Recognizing it for what it was, especially with the out of place mentioning of blood that didn't fit what so ever, and made practically no sense where it was placed, Haku nicked his thumb with a kunai and smeared blood across the letter before applying chakra to it.
The letter's contents immediately began to change to match Naruto's familiar handwriting and style.
Haku-chan,
I'm sorry if you got excited at the prospect of my letter, it was wrong of me and I understand if you wish to seek retribution – not that I'll let you have it, I merely understand. Love is not something one should joke about, ever, so perhaps I will concede the fact that I may have gone too far.
For that, I am sorry.
Worry not though, I'm sure there are plenty of young, strapping men that will enjoy the company of a cross-dressing homosexual such as yourself, I mean, were I gay, and into that kind of thing, and had a fetish of feminine looking men, and had no one else on the planet to turn to, you'd definitely be on the top of my 'to bang' list.
Don't get your hopes up though.
If you're reading this, you've obviously realized that it was a coded message, congratulations, I would give you a box of Pocky as a reward, but I'm currently eating them and refuse to give any up to a non-believer.
I am, at the moment, at the hidden location we discussed near the place one of my brothers lives at. I will wait here for you but you should know we will be having company, I think you already know who it is, if not, you will soon enough.
Know this though, should you decide to bring your latest pet project along, she will not be allowed to leave the premises until I am certain she can defend herself and the location's secret. Should you decide to bring her anyway, you should know that she will have company and not be alone. You may have reservations about doing such a thing, but I assure you that the location is more then capable of housing two occupants for over a decade should the need arise, I did, after all, build these hideouts as a means to escape for long periods of time if necessary without the chance of being traced.
Bring her or not, I don't care, but you should come here as soon as possible for I have news I will not divulge over a letter.
Give Tsunami-san and her family my best regards
With 'non-gay' Love,
Pocky Master
Haku sweat dropped at the way he signed off the letter, but it was obvious who it was from. He was a little miffed though that even in his letters; he still finds a way to piss him off.
"This letter was indeed addressed to me Tsunami-san and it was sent by Naruto" he said with a pleasant smile which showed none of the thoughts racing through his mind in regards to what Naruto could want to tell them and who exactly Naruto has in his custody.
"Oh, that's nice, did he say anything important?"
Haku smiled "Nothing but his current location and that he gives you his best regards. I thank you for your hospitality Tsunami-san, but I'm afraid my comrades and I will be leaving today."
"Oh" Tsunami said, sounding disappointed "oh well, I guess it can't be helped, but do visit again sometime, Inari loved playing with your friend and you're good company to have around!"
Haku nodded and left with Isaribi to go and find Kimimaro.
"When are you going to teach me another jutsu?" called the impatient voice from the shadows, his crimson eyes shining malevolently with three black tomoe marks in each iris.
The serpentine man sitting on his throne scowled at the brat's insolence. He had been letting the fool of a boy get away with too much while around here, and while he was more important then the rest of his pawns, he was not so important that he can outright demand anything from him and remain unscathed.
Though, he supposed Sasuke did remind him a lot of himself when he was a child – a, good times…
"Have you given much thought to your goals Sasuke-kun" Orochimaru countered, angering the ebony haired youth.
"Every single day since he killed my family, now stop wasting my time and train me!" Orochimaru answered the youth with a backhand to the face that arrived quicker then Sasuke could see.
"Do not get smart with me boy, I will teach you when I wish to teach you, no sooner nor later" he said menacingly, killing intent oozing from him. Sasuke managed a shaky nod.
"I didn't mean that goal, I was referring to the goal of resurrecting your clan" he clarified, as Sasuke's eyes widened in realization.
"I'll think about it after I kill Itachi" he said gruffly, as he picked himself up off the floor and dusted himself off.
"And what if Itachi should kill you? Will you just let your clan die out?" he asked in a disgustingly sweet voice.
Sasuke paused as Orochimaru made his point. He didn't like to admit it, but his brother was one of, if not the most powerful shinobi he knew, it was completely possibly that he could indeed get killed should he go up against him. Then what? Will he be the one known forever as the person who let the Uchiha clan simply die because he didn't have the foresight to plan ahead?
"It seems I will be having a need for a woman then, won't I?" Sasuke asked with a smirk that was mirrored by Orochimaru.
Haku and Isaribi arrived in a clearing that was just recently drenched in blood; various sized and shaped bones were scattered all over the place and impaled into trees. Kimimaro was standing in the middle of the clearing with his loose top now hanging down from his waist, towards the floor, leaving his pale chest bare to the world.
Isaribi, at the sight, flushed in embarrassment and looked away immediately while quietly stealing glances at the older boy while Haku sighed.
"Another gang of bandits looking to profit off of the town then?" ha asked, his comrades prowess in battle astounding him. Each death blow on the dead bandits' bodies were perfectly aimed and placed, and all within an extremely short time of each other, he had killed these fifty or so bandits in the span of a few seconds with merely Kenjutsu…
"They were planning a raid, yes" Kimimaro answered "why are you here?"
"Naruto called for us" he answered "he has someone with him he is interrogating and he also said he has something he needs to tell us, something of import" he said, with a slight twitch of his brow as he recalled the letter's words exactly.
"Then let us go meet Naruto-sama" Kimimaro said instantly "where are we headed?"
"Naruto, with the copious amounts of money he has obtained through missions, bounties and…other ventures, purchased several houses that he himself built in various different locations. These houses are, according to him, quite large and well hidden. Their purpose is to serve as a hiding location should the need ever arise for one, the problem is, should you go to one, the secret of its location is sealed within your mind…" Haku trailed off, looking at Isaribi "Isaribi-chan, he says that if you choose to accompany us there, you won't be able to leave until he is certain there is no threat of you revealing the information to others willing or unwillingly, so you will be, in effect, a prisoner – though I assure you, you will be treated well and have company, you just won't be able to leave…"
Isaribi looked down with a frown on her face "What other choice do I have?" she said in a quiet voice "I have no family, you're the closest thing to one I've ever had, which is pathetic really…since I've only known you for a little over a week" she paused then let out a shuddering breath "you said I won't be treated bad right? And I'll have company? Then I'll come, it's not like I have anywhere else to go, right?"
Haku nodded sadly and motioned for her to get on his back "We're headed to wind country, it will take us a few days so hold on tight, let's go Kimimaro."
"Hai" he answered before the two of them vanished in a burst of speed.
Thousand of thoughts were seemingly going through her mind at once at the sight of the Pocky eating boy before her, though some of the more notable ones stood out amongst the rest:
'Is he going to kill me?'
'I wouldn't really blame him…'
'What am I doing here?'
'How could I be so careless as to get caught like that?'
'Why did he capture me instead of just kill me?'
'Is he going to torture me?'
'Wafer, fruit and chocolate should never go together…'
'He's grown up to be handsome…just like his father…'
'Would he be ashamed with me?'
'No, I did the right thing!'
'Those eyes, so apathetic yet it's like they're peering into my very soul…'
"Why aren't I bound?" she hadn't realized she voiced her last thought until her dry and raspy voice assaulted her senses.
Naruto, without getting up, reached down beside him and tossed her the bottle of water he had picked up from the cooler beside him.
"Do you want to be bound?" he countered "I'm not very well versed on kinks these days but I'm certain that fantasizing about bondage sessions with your long lost son is pretty far out there…" he trailed off, waiting for her reaction.
'Great, he's a smartass; well he probably gets that from me…'
'As if he could have gotten anything from me, I abandoned him!'
Gratefully gulping down the water, wondering why she was so hot and where exactly she was to warrant such a high temperature, she looked back to Naruto, who was still gazing at her unflinchingly.
"Where are we?" she asked, after organizing her thoughts somewhat. Red eyes met red as the silence stretched throughout the whole room, Kushina was amazed at how unsettling just being in her son's presence could be.
"Wind Country" he answered, as Kushina now wondered just how long she had been knocked out for.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice still raspy but not as much as before.
"Information" he answered, being as vague as ever. He was either ignorant to the feelings whirling within Kushina or he just didn't care it seemed.
"What kind of information?" she asked with trepidation, did he think she was going to give up Konoha's secrets so easily.
"I don't need any information about Konoha" he said, reading her like a book "nor do I need you to get it for me should I find a need to get some" he finished, peering at her as he munched on his Pocky "and stop looking at my Pocky like that, it did nothing to you."
This was what Jiraiya warned her about? He may have been able to surprise her but he was just some snot nosed punk with an attitude. Did he think that he intimidated her enough for her not to try and escape? Especially when she wasn't bound?
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" he cautioned, earning a dumfounded look on his mother's face "try to escape that is; not only could I kill you before you leave the property, I could also let you go, and trust me, that would be a fate far worse then what I could ever do to you if such a thing happens."
Kushina pondered on her son's…no, this man's harsh words "What are you talking about?"
"You are in the unfortunate position of being related to me" he elaborated "I have many enemies who are misinformed that by capturing you or doing harm to you, I will come running to save you – whether its true or not doesn't matter, they believe it and will act as if it were true."
"Who's they?" she asked with a frown, she had the protection of two Sannin and she wasn't exactly a pushover herself, she doubted she was in any kind of danger.
"This should give you an answer" Naruto pulled a bloodied bag from behind the chair he was sitting on and tossed it to her feet. Reaching out to the bag with a shaking hand, she swiftly opened it and peered inside only to look away quickly at the sight of the four heads within, four Konoha shinobi heads.
"You killed Konoha shinobi?" she asked with a pale face "What point has this proven other then showing me you're a monster?!" she yelled, getting angry.
Naruto tilted his head to the side "A very efficient monster" he corrected "and those aren't just regular shinobi, they belong to Danzo's ROOT division, a group of shinobi that have a very similar function to ANBU but only answer to Danzo…"
"I know who ROOT are!" she snapped, still glaring at him "that doesn't answer why you had to kill them!"
"Oh?" Naruto countered "let's forget the fact that they attacked first and focus on where I found these four" he said, kicking the bag "they encountered me the second I left your not-so-well hidden property – do you understand what that means?" he asked in a very slow and clear voice, as if he were talking to a child.
Kushina glared at her supposed son with fury in her eyes "I'm not an idiot!" she countered, causing Naruto to smirk, this woman was truly amusing.
"I never said you were, you came to that conclusion by yourself" he shook his head "do you have any more questions before I begin?"
Kushina's anger quickly faded only to be replaced by curiosity "Begin with what?"
Naruto got up from his chair and removed his cloak all together before sitting back down, leaning forward somewhat "Why my own interrogation of course, you got to have one, its only fair I do too."
"I'm not telling you anything about Konoha and I'm not answering any of your questions!" she hissed.
Naruto sighed and shook his head "You're not listening" he chided "I don't need you, of all people, to tell me anything about Konoha – if I wanted, I could find out the colour of Tsunade's panties any day of the year and she'd never be the wiser" he said with a sigh "it's black today, by the way, she always wears black on Tuesdays" Kushina, being a woman, was about to go into 'anti-pervert' mode before her curiosity got the better of her.
"Then what could I possibly tell you if it has nothing to do with Konoha?"
"You will tell me everything you know about my sister of course" he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Why? So you can kidnap her like you did me? I don't think so!" she hollered back as Naruto cleaned out his ears with his pinkie finger.
"You don't really have a choice in the matter" he answered "and I hardly think you're in a position to judge what I am to do to her, seeing as you're the one that lost her in the first place – how's finding her going by the way?"
Kushina grit her teeth in anger, trying to ignore the last barb at her "What do you mean I don't have a choice in the matter?" she questioned through clenched teeth.
Naruto's laid back demeanour disappeared instantly and his face turned hard "Do not test me" he warned "don't make the assumption that you are more valuable to me then she is, I will find out what you know of her whereabouts one way or the other – you're a shinobi, I think you understand what I'm saying" he said.
Kushina suddenly paled as the killing intent leaking off of him was like nothing she'd ever felt, and she'd been around plenty of strong shinobi fighting side by side with Minato.
"Y-you'd torture your own mother for information? When Jiraiya said you were dangerous, I always took it with a grain of salt, I mean, no son of Minato's and mine could ever be evil…" she began to ramble until she was interrupted by an incredibly hard slap to the face.
"Focus" Naruto said, his voice and slap snapping her out of her rambling "We may be related by blood, but you're not my mother."
Kushina suddenly lunged at him, intent on disabling him so she could escape only to be met with two crimson eyes that flashed once before her body froze.
"Don't do that again" he warned "now tell me what you know of my sister."
"Why are you doing this?" she said, silent tears leaking from her eyes "I didn't mean to hurt you when I left you, BUT I HAD NO CHOICE!" she hollered through her paralysis "Your father may have an abundance of faith in his precious village, BUT I DIDN'T!" more tears were streaking down her face "I knew they would treat you like shit! And by proxy,
Karin-chan and I as well; whether we stayed or not, the one factor that would never change is the fact that you would have been treated like the Kyuubi reincarnate! I couldn't allow Karin-chan to be raised in an environment like that!"
Naruto sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose "Yes, and you did a splendid job of raising Karin" Naruto retorted "care to show me the baby pictures?"
Kushina winced at the barb "You know you would have done the same thing…" she said, her voice naught but a whisper "why are you doing this to me? I've suffered enough…I've had to live with the decision I've made in regards to you all my life, then I had to live with losing Karin-chan for only a little less time…regardless of what you may think…I do love you, even though I don't know you…how could a mother not?"
Naruto sighed again, this was annoying "Spare me the dramatics, you seem to be operating under the illusion that I wish Karin harm, where that couldn't be further from the truth" he said, finally getting annoyed with the hysterical woman – she was right, he didn't want to torture her, but that was because she was an innocent that was in the wrong place at the wrong time, not because she was his 'mother'.
"W-what are you talking about? I've seen the bingo books, you're become a criminal!"
"For a supposed ex-ANBU captain, you're not very smart" Naruto drawled, raising Kushina's ire towards him "You seem to have pegged the village's reaction towards me to a tee when you were deciding to take Karin away, yet you think that after years of being away that their feelings towards me would have changed" he said in a dry voice "My only crime is existing" he clarified "well, that and killing several of their hunter-nin, but in my defence, they attacked me first" he said with a smirk.
"Then what do you want with Karin?" she whispered, her head lowered after she fell back in her chair when the paralysis wore off, her bangs were covering her face leaving it in the dark.
"To find her of course" he said with a shrug "she's my twin sister, do I need a reason to want to meet her, or rescue her if need be should the circumstances warrant such a thing?"
"How do I know you're not lying…foxes are known to be cunning…" she bit out, causing Naruto to snort in amusement.
"You don't" he said simply "but as I said, I can get the information out of you willingly or unwillingly" he said with a shrug "I can implant a seal in your brain that when activated, will cause you to do my bidding, you will completely be my puppet, I figured I'd give you a chance to do so willingly though."
Wincing at the obviously gruesome procedure that would involve, Kushina took a few deep breath before speaking "When I left Konoha, I travelled for a bit before I eventually settled down in one place…on my way through Rice Country though, I was attacked by a kid, he had silver hair and seeing glasses" she sighed "I underestimated him and he used that to his advantage, he was able to paralyse me with some medical technique before making away with Karin-chan… Jiraiya has been looking into this for years and has come up with nothing, what makes you think you can?"
Instead of answering her, Naruto was looking out the window in the small room with a look of pure, unbridled fury on his face. Kushina would have taken several stumbling steps back had she not already been sitting. This was why her son was labelled as an 'S-rank' criminal - just seeing him angry was a terrifying thing.
"He's outlived his usefulness…" she heard him mumble, as his eyes narrowed. The hate clearly visible on his features, surprisingly, looked foreign to Kushina, like it didn't belong.
"You've given me more then enough information, I suggest you try not to leave the property less you want to be tracked down and killed like a fox in Konoha" he paused and locked gazes wit her "Danzo isn't the only one after you, but the other person has no interests in 'capturing' you, he will kill you the second he finds you, Karin too, so unless you want to die, you'd do best to stay here, no one will find you."
Before he was able to stalk out of the room, Kushina called out to him.
"Wait!" he paused at the door frame "for what it's worth…I'm sorry…I want to get to know you…you know?" she offered a small smile.
Naruto's expression didn't change "You are nothing to me, I don't know you, I don't want to know you, I don't need to know you – the only reason you're still alive is because I'm not sure if Karin feels the same way" he paused "I suppose I should be thankful that you did abandon me in that pitiful village though, for had you not, I would have never met Sasori-sensei and would have ended up a random guineapig for Orochimaru or some weak Konoha shinobi" and with those words, he left Kushina alone in the room.
Those words, if Kushina was honest with herself, had hurt her more then a kunai to the heard would. She knew that this would happen one day should she ever meet him again, but she did the right thing damn it!
It didn't make the pain in her chest lessen though.
Haku, Kimimaro and Isaribi stood at a peculiar rocky cliff-face that stood out like a sore-thumb amidst the sandy dunes surrounding it; this was the way to one of Naruto's houses, the one he was supposedly at.
Walking around the cliff face, Haku kept tapping on the hard rock until he found what he was looking for. Looking around and reaching out with his senses to make sure they weren't followed, Haku began a long string of hand seals before stopping on the ram seal. Isaribi and Kimimaro watched as a section of the wall phased out, allowing them to enter the rocky cliff-face.
"This way" Haku said quietly, motioning them into the cave before reapplying the technique hiding the entrance.
The cave was lit with several dozen torches all following the rocky stairs leading straight up. After what Isaribi would swear was at least a million steps, they reached an opening in the cave that was bathed in light; when they exited the cave, they couldn't contain their gasps.
Beautiful, was the only word to describe the mansion that stood before them. Traditional Japanese style with grass, trees, water features and flowers everywhere! How the hell did he manage that in the middle of wind country?! Virtually a desert country!
"There just so happens to be an underground spring beneath this mountain, it was just a matter of rerouting the water to here" came a voice from behind them, causing Isaribi to shriek in surprise while Haku and Kimimaro merely turned to him and nodded.
"Welcome to my home" he said with a smirk as he led the group of three into the house.
After they entered the beautiful furnished home, the four took seats on the couches provided.
"Aren't you going to offer us tea?" Haku asked with a frown.
"No?" Naruto answered "you have hands, kitchen's that way" he said, pointing to a door which no doubt led to the kitchen.
"Naruto-sama, we have information that we happened upon on our way here that may interest you…" Kimimaro interjected before a bickering contest broke out, one that Naruto would no doubt win.
"Oh? What's that?" he said, as he removed a Green Tea flavoured Pocky stick.
"Anko-san has been sentenced to be executed in three weeks time for treason" he said bluntly, causing Naruto's pocky to halt half-way to his mouth before he resumed eating.
"Well, that's interesting" he conceded "no doubt Danzo is using her as the bait seeing as using my mother didn't work" he said "speaking of which, she's around, delightful woman when she's not being annoying" he motioned randomly around in indication, while he seemed to be deep in thought. His eyes then landed on Isaribi, who seemed to be looking at him with a little fear.
"She knows she can't leave right?" he said to Haku, who nodded curtly "It's not as bad as it sounds" he shrugged "I even have a natural hot spring in the back, just make sure you keep it clean when I'm not around" he said with a shrug "there's also enough scrolls storing food in the kitchen to last a decade, the red haired woman who also lives here can show you how to use them" he explained before standing up.
"What about Anko-san?" Haku asked, wondering about his thoughts regarding the purple haired woman.
"We're going to rescue her of course, I did not spend all those hours learning how to fix her cursed seal for her only to have her kick the bucket immediately after doing so" he commented with a frown.
Haku smiled coyly at him "Sure, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you like her."
Naruto nodded "I'm glad you understand."
Naruto decided to show them around the house before he turned in for bed; he had two weeks to plan before he set out for Konoha.
Two weeks had passed as the trio of shinobi either trained or relaxed before their trip to Konoha, they had their plan set out – foolproof of course, with their skill levels – and ready to go. Isaribi had settled down in the 'wind manor' well enough, as the occupants of the house began to call it.
Kushina, upon first seeing the guests had mixed reactions. First, she was glad to have company, as living alone in the house with a son that wants nothing to do with her was starting to get awkward, but then there was her hesitance when she realized that the older two were partners of Naruto's.
That all flew out the window when she actually talked with them. Kimimaro seemed especially cold towards her, but it was obvious to see the devotion he has towards her son, for what reason, she wasn't sure but it was there. Then there was Haku, the boy who couldn't help but be nice to everyone, Kushina enjoyed spending time with the water manipulator, it let her know that at least Naruto kept some nice friends around.
In Isaribi though, she found something to dote on as if she were her own daughter. She, at first, felt guilty for doing so seeing as she had a daughter, but the way in which Isaribi had led her life, without family and only having known scorn, forced her to put such thoughts to the back of her mind – Isaribi needed her, and she needed Isaribi. It also helped that they were going to be spending a lot of their spare time together…
"I don't care what you two do" Naruto began as he, Kimimaro and Haku were about to leave "so long as you don't leave or damage anything you can't fix, you can do what you want" and without so much as another backwards glance, he disappeared in a burst of speed using Shunshin. Kimimaro nodded towards the two before following and Haku bid them a hearty farewell before following behind Kimimaro.
Kushina watched the position her son had just been occupying with glassy eyes.
Tsunade watched with a stony face as Anko was led out in shackled to the village square surrounded by two ANBU units. Children were kept home on this day for no one needed them to see a public execution. It was the will of the council to execute her in such a way to discourage any treasonous acts in the future and while she admitted such a thing was barbaric, it would definitely be effective in quelling any insubordination in the future.
As Anko was forced to kneel before the Hokage, she held her head high, not willing to let the village get the last laugh and let them think they had broken her. If she was going to die, goddamnit, she would do so with her head held high. It would be a shame she would never be able to 'reward' the Namikaze brat like she had planned though, the gaki was growing into a hunk of a man.
Many of the spectators looked on in confusion as a light blush adorned Anko's cheeks.
"Mitarashi Anko, you have been found guilty of treasonous actions against Konoha, and by proxy, the Land of Fire. Your punishment is to be executed by means of beheading, as is the will of the shinobi elder council and the Hokage – do you have any last words?"
Anko looked up towards the sky after Tsunade finished her little bullshit speech. Several thoughts were running through Anko's head, such a perfect opportunity to go out with a bang, say something worthy of the reputation she had built up for herself. She looked to the crowd to see, to her surprise, Kurenai crying beside Sarutobi Asuma and Kakashi, who by some freak occurrence, did not have his nose buried in his book.
When she was just about to make her witty last statement – in her opinion anyway – she noticed something. The soft rain that was drizzling down on them had turned harder and was continuing to do so, almost at an unnatural pace.
"It's raining pretty hard…"
Shaking her head, Tsunade motioned towards the ANBU with his katana to finish it. As the blade sliced though the air, many were shocked to see it stop, literally, on Anko's neck. None were more shocked however then Anko herself who could feel the cold blade caressing her skin.
"Do it!" barked Tsunade, only to be met with a struggling ANBU.
"I can't Hokage-sama, I can't move!" the ANBU replied with worry in his voice.
Upon closer inspection, Tsunade saw that the ANBU's lower body was frozen solid, same with his arms; if he continued to struggle…
"STOP!" Tsunade yelled to the ANBU, but it was too late; with an extra violent jerk, the ANBU's legs snapped at the shins, causing him to fall flat on his face with his arms out stiff. There was no scream as the ANBU's body was already frozen over.
"None of you should try moving less you suffer a similar fate" came a voice from the roof of one of the buildings. Amidst the freezing rain, Tsunade looked up to see none other then Haku who had his hands in a seal.
"Demonic Ice Mirrors" all the villagers and shinobi heard the boy say before literally hundreds of ice mirrors materialized out of the water on the ground, surrounding the shocked Anko in a dome of ice as they combined to form one big dome.
Konoha wouldn't just let a high profile prisoner go that easily though; four extra and completely dry ANBU units arrived and surrounded Haku who merely melted into the mirror and appeared on the other side, disappearing from view.
The ice cold rain's effects had finally ended with Haku's departure so Tsunade aimed a super strength punch at the dome's surface while the ANBU who knew Katon techniques launched as many as they could. Tsunade was shocked when the dome didn't break on contact but merely cracked in a few places.
Their efforts were for naught though as the dome completely shattered from the top releasing an elephant sized blue drake that flew into the skies at high speeds with Anko in its claws. The remaining ANBU units who could still fight pursued on foot, launching kunai and shuriken where they could while the dragon dodged nimbly through the rain of weapons and batted some away with its club like tail.
The pursuing ANBU however had to come to an abrupt halt when a huge bone drill came out of behind a tree and pierced one of their comrades in the leg.
The pierced shinobi fell to the ground with a yell only to reveal itself as a piece of wood – he had escaped in the last second with a Kawarimi.
Kimimaro, however, looked unconcerned as he strode out from his hiding place looking like, to the shock of the shinobi present, an avatar of death as his right arm was manipulated by him to work as a spear.
"Sawarabi no Mai" before the ANBU could react, bones seemed to grow from Kimimaro's legs into the ground, only to resurface all around the clearing in huge white columns of bone, creating the effect of some sort of bone forest.
"Turn back now or you will die" he said in his monotonous voice. When the ANBU responded to his warning by withdrawing their weapons and getting into a defensive position, he merely sighed and disappeared into one of the 'bone trees'.
The ANBU were systematically torn apart as Kimimaro randomly appeared from different locations only to skewer and shred them with his bone weapons, unable to be hit as he'd only disappear once again into one of his bone constructs and move on. It didn't take long for them all to be killed, allowing Kimimaro to dispel the technique and leave, his part in the plan to distract or remove the ANBU tail completed.
Haku was flying away from Konoha at breakneck speeds on his summoned dragon mount with at least a dozen battalions of ANBU still hot on his trail, chasing him on the ground – the fact that they were able to keep up is a testament to their skill and stamina.
What they didn't realize though is that it hardly mattered; Naruto's plan had already worked.
Suddenly coming to a stop, Haku and his summon wheeled around to face their pursuers.
"Androgonos… show them the meaning of word cold" he commanded as the dragon's eyes flashed an otherworldly blue, signalling the beginning of its attack.
The ANBU approaching suddenly felt a chill in the air – a chill of the likes they had never felt living in the Land of Fire. It became clear where the source of this cold was coming from when they reached their now stationary target, a target that was now facing them with his mount charging up an attack.
The dragon held its large clawed hands in a hare seal before puffing up its chest and exhaling in a large display of force. The harsh winds that had already picked up as the dragon built up its attack tripled in intensity. A large blizzard suddenly appeared from the dragon's mouth as he continued to blow with all its might in the direction of Konoha and their pursuers.
"Hold it for a little while longer Androgonos! I have a plan!" the dragon nodded its head ever so slightly as it struggled to hold the attack that was keeping the ANBU at bay by forcing them to take cover. Haku began a ridiculously long string of hand seals, going at a speed where his hands were nothing but a blur. After what had to be the one hundred and fiftieth hand seal, he stopped and raised one hand in the air while using the other to support it by grabbing his wrist and keeping it steady.
Suddenly, a light blue energy gathered in the palm of Haku's hand in the shape of a ball – no bigger then a baseball. Haku continued to hold his wrist in an effort to keep his arm steady as the ball in his hand expanded in size until it stopped when it was the size of an overly large beach ball.
"Hyouton: Diamond Dust!" Haku yelled with effort before hurling the large ice blue ball of energy at the ground in front of the squadrons of ANBU. At first the ANBU thanked their lucky stars thinking the boy had missed, but that only lasted as long as it took for the attack to make contact with the ground, for immediately after it did, in an instant, everything in front of the point of impact for over one hundred meters and expanding in a cone shape was covered in ice. Those ANBU who weren't smart enough to avoid the attack were instantly encased in a forest of rock hard ice.
Haku exhaled, calming down after such a powerful attack and exertion of energy before raising his hand and holding is out before him, palm up with his fingers ready to click.
"I'm sorry" was all he said before clicking his fingers with his middle finger and thumb. Instantly, the ice that had encased a good portion of the forest before Haku exploded in a beautiful yet deadly display of diamond like Ice particles, destroying any shinobi, plant, or animal who had been unlucky enough to be frozen by the initial attack.
The remaining ANBU who were looking murderously to Haku were shocked to see that the unconscious Anko in Androgonos's talons disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"It was a diversion!" yelled the head ANBU in disbelief and dawning horror, they were way too far away from the village to get back in time!
Haku and Androgonos flew higher into the sky and made their way back to their designated meeting location; his part of the plan was done.
Immediately after Haku erected the dome of ice mirrors around Anko, Naruto burst out from the ground underneath her, created a Kage Bunshin and had it henge into Anko before taking the original back underground with her. With the destruction caused by Haku and his ice mirrors, no one would notice a small hole in the ground that was almost entirely covered up when he resubmerged himself.
Using a barrier of chakra around both Anko's body and his own to be able to move freely through the dirt, Naruto sped off in the opposite direction Haku travelled, putting as much distance between Konoha and him as possible. To make sure this all went smoothly, he had made sure to knock Anko out with a well placed Genjutsu so she wouldn't complain or give their position away with a flare of her chakra.
After travelling underground for ten minutes, Naruto felt it safe to come back to the surface. When he did so, he estimated he was roughly fifty miles west of Konoha while Haku escaped in the south-eastern direction. Hefting Anko on his back, Naruto sped off towards wind country, determined to get as far as possible before he had to take a rest – Haku and Kimimaro will be waiting for him there when he arrived.
Danzo sat in his office waiting for the report of their successful capture of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki when a knock was heard on his door.
"Enter"
The door opened and three of his ROOT agents rushed in and knelt down before their leader "We have returned, Danzo-sama" they intoned simultaneously.
"I can see that; what is the status of the Jinchuuriki?" he asked, his impatience getting the better of him.
The three ROOT agents exchanged glances with each other, from their masks it was impossible to tell but Danzo had a sneaking suspicion that they were nervous.
"We pursued the shinobi who escaped with Mitarashi-san, thinking we would find Namikaze-san wherever she was taken to" began the first one only to be cut off by the middle shinobi.
"We were lead into an ambush, the first squadron was completely annihilated by someone who uses bones as weapons and the second was almost completely annihilated also by the one who controls ice and has the dragon contract. After
cutting our forces down to forty percent, Mitarashi-san disappeared in a puff of smoke from the dragon's talons; it is our estimation that we were following a shadow clone the entire time…"
"Namikaze-san used his two comrades to lure the majority of Konoha's forces away from the village in the opposite direction he would have escaped from with the prisoner, we have sent our people to pursue, but we doubt they'll be able to catch them by now if he is as good as you say he is, Danzo-sama."
Several people in Konoha all looked towards the heart Konoha were a loud, guttural, scream of fury erupted from.
Inuzuka Kiba looked in that direction, his hearing better then others, as he winced.
"Someone must be pissed…"
Naruto arrived in his home to find Haku and Kimimaro waiting for him.
"Did everything go according to plan?" Naruto asked as he deposited Anko on the couch. Hearing that they had guests, Kushina and Isaribi came into the main room to see Anko unconscious on the couch with Naruto, Kimimaro and Haku conversing quietly. Isaribi used what little first-aid knowledge Haku had taught her to begin treating Anko to make her more comfortable. She didn't have any visible wounds other then a few small cuts, so she quickly cleaned them up and applied some band-aids over the wounds while applying a wet cloth to her forehead.
"Before our little prison break in Konoha, you said you had something to tell us?" Haku said in a quiet voice, knowing that there were others in the room. Naruto, seeing this also motioned towards the back where Haku and Kimimaro followed.
"I wanted to tell you two that I've called in a favour and that we'll be splitting up for some time" this news shocked Haku and Kimimaro but they remained silent so Naruto could talk "Kimimaro and I will continue to search for Orochimaru's base on our own while you, Haku, will be training in Suna should that old bat accept…"
"What old bad?" Haku asked with confusion, Kimimaro seemed pleased with the arrangement though as he too wished to find Orochimaru's new base.
"Her name is Chiyo; she is an elder in Sunagakure and a very renowned medic-nin. Kimimaro and I will mostly be doing information gathering, quick assassination and espionage mission until we find Orochimaru, and those are three areas in which you do not excel in. Instead, I figured I could call in a favour from Chiyo-san and get her to train you in the more advanced medical arts…"
"I learned mostly from the scrolls you have on Tsunade's medical techniques, I thought she was the best medic in the world?" he asked, suddenly confused.
"She is" he agreed "but that doesn't mean she's the only good one – make no mistake, the scrolls I gave you are just the tip of the iceberg in regards to her true medicinal skills, what any skilled medic should do is get a basis for all kinds of medicine and then specialize in a field of expertise – Tsunade's is poison and antidote creation while Chiyo's is cell regeneration" he explained "Sasori-sensei was her grandson, I plan on delivering what little possessions of his I still have and information on him to her in exchange for her training you – she should accept."
Haku nodded, if a little hesitantly "How long will you two be gone on your mission then?" he asked as Naruto and Kimimaro shared a look.
"Two and a half years, maybe, but no more then three" Naruto answered "This isn't as simple as finding my mother, Orochimaru continuously changes bases every sixth months and whenever he feels there is a threat to his security. If it were that simple, Akatsuki would have killed him already, and believe me, they haven't stopped trying…"
"How are you going to find him then?" Haku asked with confusion as Naruto shrugged.
"We'll travel until we find several Oto shinobi" he began "we'll abduct them without killing them and I'll place seal markers somewhere on their person, I'm not sure how yet, but it will have to be in some way that Orochimaru will not find it and it will have to be placed on more then a dozen shinobi to maximize the accuracy of the findings – it's easier said then done, of course…"
Haku nodded as he looked towards the house. Kimimaro was the first to break the silence though "What of them?" he asked, motioning towards the three in the house.
"I'll leave Anko here with Isaribi and my mother, she'll be pissed, no doubt, but alive" he said with a shrug "get some rest, we leave tomorrow, Kimimaro, make sure to pack for an extended mission."
"Hai Naruto-sama" he disappeared to do just that leaving Haku and Naruto alone.
"You know, this will be the first time in a while we'll be separated for so long since we met" Haku said in a quiet voice, but he was surprised when Naruto sighed in annoyance.
"Haku, make sure you hear me now, I am not repeating myself, I will not now, nor ever, want to sleep with you, I think its best you set your sights on someone more attainable" he finished, reminding Haku just how annoying he could be.
"I was trying to be serious!" Haku barked, as Naruto smirked at him. Haku didn't like that smirk.
"Look at it this way, you'll be able to see that incredibly butch and manly girlfriend of yours more often" he almost laughed outright when Haku flushed in embarrassment, almost.
"Wait, SHE'S NOT BUTCH OR MANLY!" Haku hollered as Naruto ignored him.
"Hmm, you say something?"
Naruto, Haku and Kimimaro left before Anko woke up the next morning, informing the house's current occupants that they wouldn't be back for some time. Kushina had looked like she wanted to say something, but Naruto merely ignored her and left before she could, she would have plenty of time to talk when he found Karin.
They now stood outside Sunagakure, approaching the gate guards. Naruto had warned Haku about changing his usual shinobi attire if he was to be living in Suna. His usual clothing that was designed to endure cold weather could make things extremely uncomfortable should he choose to keep them. Instead, he had opted to wear thin and tight brown pants instead of his heavy, woollen shorts and instead of his turtle neck shirt under his Gi, he opted to wear a black, ninja mesh shirt. Naruto had forbidden him from continuing to wear his hair in a bun or pain his toe and fingernails, saying that 'there was girly and then there was gay' better to want to look like the former then the latter if you wanted him to stop giving you shit. He also had Kushina trim his fringe so he could wear his hair in a long ponytail rather then the way he used to have it. His mask was left in storage unless he would be needed to fight some times soon, it was much too easy to identify him should he continue to wear it or carry it around in public.
"Halt, what is your purpose in Sunagakure?" the guards at the gate stopped them before the great sand village. From their position, they could see that the entire village was either made of sand or hard stone, not like there was much else to use in this country.
Naruto lifted the rim of his hat and made eye contact with the two guards. Suddenly, both found themselves sunder the effects of a rather weak yet effective Genjutsu causing them to slump to the ground, asleep.
"You know that wasn't necessary, we have the papers needed to get in you know" Haku said, annoyed with how weird he felt with his new look and with the situation in general.
"It wastes time" was all Naruto would say in response as he led his two companions to where he knew Chiyo and her brother to live.
On their way, Naruto was amused to see more then a few shops selling puppet materials and designs, some of which he recognized as his own, which wasn't too hard because all of his designs, puppets and gadgets were marked with the customary blue spiral signifying it as his work – his non-human works anyway…
Eventually the three shinobi arrived at a modest tower atop a hill overlooking the village with two large doors barring their entrance. Naruto gave the heavy wooden doors, probably built to whether sandstorms, three powerful knocks as they waited for the doors to open.
Eventually, the door opened on its own accord allowing them entrance. They had only taken several steps when the door closed behind them. Instantly, Kimimaro was on guard but Naruto calmed him down with a hand gesture.
"You must be Chiyo-san" Naruto called to the ceiling where a short, elderly woman stood perched on a wooden beam staring down at them.
"Do not think because we live in a village in the middle of the desert that we don't know what goes on around us Namikaze Naruto" she hissed "what does the bastard son of one of our enemies want here?"
Naruto ignored the barb about his father "I am no enemy of yours, in fact, my only sensei was a man I'm sure you knew very well at one point in time, Akasuna no Sasori…"
Chiyo's demeanour instantly changed from angry to hopeful "You know of Sasori-chan? Where is he? Is he alright?"
Naruto shook his head "He is very much dead, killed by Orochimaru if you must know" Naruto swiped some blood on a seal he had on his chest to remove a small scroll, much to the shock of those present "I'm not sure if you're aware of your grandson's nature, but not long after fleeing Sunagakure, he decided to transfer his heart and soul over to that of a puppet's body, effectively turning himself into a puppet."
Chiyo looked shocked at the information as Naruto unrolled the small scroll and unsealed its contents "I always told him he was too ambitious for his own good…" she mumbled under his breath.
Naruto then, to her shock, unsealed the body of what looked like a fourteen year old Sasori garbed in only black shinobi pants with a hole in the chest. It was clear, however, that the body was a puppet and not the real thing. She also saw him unseal Hiruko, Sasori's very first human puppet and the armour that later became his shell as he controlled his puppets. The last thing he unsealed was a small container whose contents she could only guess.
"As you may or may not have guessed, these two were Sasori's puppet body and his favourite puppet, Hiruko. This container, however, contains the very last thing that made Sasori human – his heart" he explained "all three were in stasis while sealed so are very much intact, even if they're dead. I figured you would want them as a memento to a boy you once loved" he spoke clearly to the emotional women who looked at the only remains of her grandson. Haku had to commend his friend on his manipulation skills; they were as good as always.
"No one does something like this for nothing" Chiyo said, as she cradled the three precious artefacts that were all that remained of a boy she taught everything she knew of Kugutsu to "name your price" she said with bitterness in her voice.
"It is not as steep as you may think" Naruto said in a calming voice, yet it was still as dry as ever "my friend here" he motioned to Haku "is an aspiring medic-nin - and a very good one too. All that I ask is that you teach him your arts, something I'm sure you'd like to do before you pass on, as a payment. I will leave him here with you to learn if you agree."
"Why would I teach my arts to someone who could one day use it against us and this village?" she said, bitterness in her voice. Naruto thought she had experienced one too many betrayals in her life to cause her to act like this.
"You know of my reputation and my deeds" Naruto said, it was no question "you also know that I was the one who stabilized the ridiculously weak seal you placed on your village's strongest shinobi merely because he asked me to" he motioned to Haku again "the way I see it, you owe me more then you could possibly pay – be at ease though, I have no intentions of calling on you to repay me in any way other then teaching Haku what you know and should you do it, I will consider all your debts to me cleared. You also have my word that I, or my comrades, will never commence any unwarranted hostile action towards Suna in the future."
Chiyo had already made up her mind when she saw the remains of her grandson, but hearing the boy say what he said helped ease her mind.
"This will not be easy and I will accept not slacking" Chiyo barked at Haku who nodded and bowed "Hai, Chiyo-sensei."
Naruto nodded "We're leaving Haku, good luck" Naruto and Kimimaro made their way to the exit but before completely leaving, he turned around to Haku "I hope the next time we see each other you don't ask me to be the godfather for some butch yet overly feminine child…" before Haku could retort the two were gone, leaving an annoyed ice user and a confused sensei.
Karin sat in her office, working diligently on her research regarding the curse seal – her mind was on other issues though.
She knew what that faggot Orochimaru's plans were regarding her; she knew he planned to have her breed Uchihas even before he told her. She wouldn't let that Uchiha bitch touch her though, no, she had plans set in motion that not only made sure she wouldn't be touched, but that she would never suffer a fate like her friend's…
Author's Note:
Goddamnit, I wrote this all in one night and I'm tired as fuck…
I'm sorry to those angst-loving, wrist cutting, emo teens out there who wanted to see Naruto cut out his mother's spleen and torture her for what she did to him – that will never happen so don't get your hopes up. Naruto merely sees Kushina as someone he happens to share a blood relation with, he cares no more or no less for her then he would a stranger.
If you're mature and look at it objectively, what Kushina did with her children, given what the Sandaime would have told her at the time, was completely the right choice, no matter how hard it would have been to make. Had she remained, Naruto's situation would not have changed any other then the fact that he had a mother and sister – while such a thing would have been welcome in some regards, how welcome would it be if they were the ones who were attacks, and all because of who he has sealed within? I know if I were in the same situation, I probably would have made some more precautions to ensure Naruto's safety but I would have done the same thing – why should Karin suffer if she doesn't have to?
Next chapter will be roughly two and a half to three years in the future. Naruto will be nineteen and Haku and Kimimaro will be twenty one. Haku's new dress style may confuse you, but just think of him as looking more Uchiha-ish with brown hair instead of black. If Haku wasn't all smiles and what not, he could pass for one just as easily…
While we're on the issue of his new look, what is the name of the piece of clothing Jiraiya wears under his red vest thing, or Haku wears over his turtle neck, or Tsunade uses to cover her jubblies? Is it a Gi? It's what I've been calling it…
By the way, all original tecniques and a majority of the non-original ones are going to be done in english from now on, I just cbf using Japanese anymore...
Leave Reviews, I probably won't update this for a little while…I need to plan out what to do from here…
Adios.
