Authors Note: Well every time I would see stories where the writer said they were inspired by the reviews they got I just didn't get it, but after getting my first reviews I think I finally get it, and so I am writing this the very next day. So special thanks this chapter to Darth Xion and Tricelex my first two reviewers and as a reward for this I am giving you two a gift, you both may ask one question each about this story, if I think it's too spoilery I will ask you to ask another question, but otherwise you can ask anything just be careful what you ask as this will be the only question you get this story. I may do this kind of reward system randomly in the story to people I think have earned it. Also thanks to hardj053, CruxisRemnants for favoriting and alerting respectively.
Review answers:
Tricelex: well to answer your questions yes Kushina and the Yondaime are Naruto's (Menma's) parents and no Hiruzen is not the leader of ROOT instead it is a legitimate branch of the ANBU, still under Danzo.
Darth Xion: Yes Naruto is 15 as well, and there is an equal force on the other side I don't think I mentioned that, it comprises of Suna, Mizu, and the less known Yugakure, Ishigakure, and Tanigakure. So the Triple Alliance has the most powerful members, but the other group has a more strategic position, having places to invade any of the three while Mizu and Suna build up. On Orochimaru, I'm afraid I can't say anything but Hiruzen took Danzo's place as the advisor to the Hokage, but he did still train the Sannin. As for the Akatsuki and what they want, it is honestly not what you would think.
So with that done let's go onto the story
Key:
'Hmm': thinking
"Hmm": Speaking
"Hmm": Demon speaking
'Hmm': Demon thinking
Konoha 7:25 A.M.
Naruto made his way to the eastern gates to begin his first long-term mission, and one to a foreign land at that. 'It will truly be thought provoking to have a conversation with myself' he mused as he made his approach. As he got to the gate he noticed everyone was there, but his new sensei. His new teammates, seeing him, came over and Sasuke being the more sociable of the two began "So, since we don't really know that much about each other, me and Sakura-chan," here he indicated the girl next to him, who looked as though she would much rather be anywhere else, "thought we could do a little activity to get to know one another better. I'll start, my name is Sasuke Uchiha, my favorite food is Natto and chocolate, I hate people who are disrespectful and who think they are better than others, my dream for the future is to settle down with a nice girl and have a family." toward the end he got a blissful smile on his face. Sakura then began speaking in a monotone "My name is Sakura Haruno, I like to get stronger, I hate those who are weak, my goal is to become the captain of ROOT." after that Sasuke looked at her as if expecting her to say more, her she didn't he turned to Naruto. "Well," he began with a smile on his face, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze," here Sasuke interrupted "Wait if your dad is the Yondaime then why isn't your hair blonde?" Naruto simply sighed before responding, "I get my hair color from my Uzumaki side, now as I was saying, and my likes are making new comrades, my dislikes are perverts, and those who would stand in the way of my dream." here Sakura looked intrigued, "What is your dream?" she asked with a slight change in her tone. Naruto simply smiled and said "A peaceful world of course.".
Before anyone could respond their new sensei came up and called them over to the other team, Yamato looked them all over and said, "Alright now the plan is to get to the merchants boat as well paying customers, he leaves in three days so we have to cross the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind, two of the most dangerous areas for Leaf shinobi. The plan is to split in two, meeting up in the port town before leaving, we will use stealth for the Land of Rivers but when we reach the Land of Wind, Naruto-kun will use a wide scale Genjutsu to make people believe there is a sandstorm around us. If one team is not at the rendezvous point they will be assumed MIA and the mission will proceed without them. Any questions?". No one spoke up and instead they split up and began their journey to the port.
Suna Desert two days later
Sasuke looked over at Naruto with an expression of disbelief and a hint of fear, even Sakura had a look in her eyes that practically screamed discomfort. Naruto was grinning like a loon, his back to his team, standing over a trio of fresh carcasses that used to be a Suna Genin team, two lying with kunai's in their chests, the last one only had the hole, the kunai in Naruto's hand. Sasuke finally snapped out of his trance and managed to say "N-Naruto was, was that really necessary they wouldn't even have seen us, we could have just let them go!". Naruto meanwhile just gave him a blank stare and said "They would have reported a sandstorm in the area, since Suna high command keeps track of ALL sandstorms, they would have known something was wrong and closed down all borders, preventing us from completing our mission.". Yamato stepped up and said "Enough, it has been done and they will not notice for at least a couple of days, so we must move quickly." he said as they began to move to the coast. 'Still,' Sasuke thought as he moved in the bottom right point in the triangle the squad made, 'putting a genjutu on them to kill each other, then taking the final kill for himself, it's just cold.' he thought suppressing a shiver down his spine from the sheer brutality of his new teammate.
Aboard the SMS Wayfinder 1 day later
The portly merchant looked at his passengers with a greedy glint in his eyes, 'Heheheh, each one of these suckers is paying me a fortune just to take them with me to the new world. And if they don't pay my 'friend' will make them, after all not many can stand up to a former Suna Chunin, heheheh.' .but as his eyes passed over the passengers he paused at one. A young man with empty blue eyes and his skin covered entirely by bandages with only a tuft of red hair to distinguish its color, he turned to the brown haired man who called himself Ukei-ya (Yamato) and said "Hey, what's the deal with the mummy over there." jerking his thumb to indicate who. Ukei-ya merely turned and stared with a look that would make the devil scream, after a few moments of this the other adult, called Kosshi (Kimimaru) if he remembered, came to his rescue saying "Oh that's just how Menma-kun is, his house was burned down in a border attack by Iwa, he was the only survivor though he did not come out unscathed.". The merchant merely nodded hoping to appear sympathetic, one other also caught his eye, the young girl who had approached him in the first place, Ringo-chan (Sakura) if he remembered, and he licked his lips thinking about what would really happen when they docked. He also decided he would sell this Menma to the slavers as well, after all some people have weird tastes.
He then went down to his quarters where a big burly man, named Kuria, stood waiting leaning against a beam. "Well," the merchant began, "I have decided the two I'll be taking for this trip, we'll be selling the mummy boy, but if this goes off without a hitch you can have a turn at pinky after I'm done with her." He just nodded dumbly, as if he wasn't paying attention, so the merchant came up and started shaking him, trying to get some reaction out of him, when all of a sudden Kuria grabbed him by the waist and spun him around. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BUFFOON! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!", from the shadows he just heard a chuckle and a dry, raspy voice said "Sorry but Kuria-kun is under my employment now, your offer just wasn't good enough." Now the merchant began to panic and pleaded with this mysterious voice "Please take whatever you want, my cargo, my ship, even the passengers, you could get a good price for them in Yugakure to an owner of an iron mine!" The man just chuckled some more and said "Anything I want eh? Then how… about… YOU!" Before the merchant could even think to react, his consciousness slipped the last thing he saw was a pair of crimson eyes staring at him.
Two weeks later town of Subarashi Minato
The two teams got off the boat and waved goodbye to the friendly boat master, and his kind assistant, "It was weird," Senshi (Sasuke) said "the first day I was getting a weird vibe from him, but the next day he was completely different." Menma (Naruto) nodded a frown on his lips, his hand under his chin in a thinking position, "Yes, it was as if his personality did a complete one-eighty, and why wait till the second day to introduce the assistant? It all seems very fishy to me." The group decided to leave it at that since the odds of seeing that boatman again were slim. If they had stayed longer they would have seen the event that the dock workers would relate to their families that night, after clearing the harbor the boat spontaneously exploded, strangely neither passenger attempted to flee the burning wreck of the ship, almost as if this was retribution for something. "So," began Senshi, "what do we do now? Head straight to Konoha? And what is our cover anyways? 'Hey this might sound crazy but we're opposite versions of your own people from a land across a supposedly uncross able stretch of sea'? Not exactly the sanest statement ever." Ukei-ya merely shook his head "No, they would have us thrown in an asylum within minutes, instead we shall use these," here he took out and passed around hitai-ate's with a blank piece of metal instead of an inscribed one, "With these we shall pass ourselves off as amateur shinobi mercenaries, and we shall convince Konoha to hire us. Now let us be off." With that each person tying theirs in specific ways, Senshi had his as a belt, Ringo wore hers traditionally, Menma had his around his left bicep, Han (Sakon) had his around his right thigh while Bun (Ukon) had his around his left thigh, Kumo (Kidomaru) had his around his neck loosely, Ke (Jirobo) and Kosshi had theirs the same as Senshi, finally Ukei-ya had his in a happuri style protector, and took off.
Konoha 8 P.M.
Even though it was well into the evening the Hokage tower was abuzz with activity when the group came to it, not seeing anyone to stop them they entered the Hokage's office. When they walked in many pairs of eyes came upon them, mainly Jonin but also one scarred Chunin, before the ANBU dropped down swords drawn. "Who are you and why are you here" said the Hokage, his identity a great surprise to the group, Hiruzen Sarutobi not able to get rid of the worry in his eyes before he spoke. Kosshi elected himself to speak "Hello Hokage-sama, we are but humble mercenaries hoping to gain food and lodging in exchange for some long-term service.", the Hokage merely stared at them and asked "And how are we supposed to trust you, whom we know nothing about." Kosshi merely responded "It seems you are in the middle of an emergency perhaps one of my students could assist you, Menma-kun perhaps?" he said as he indicated the young mummified shinobi. Hiruzen thought it over for a while before Danzo came over and whispered in his ear, Hiruzen then stated "Taking into account advisor Shimura's advice I will allow this but he will be escorted by one of my Chunin, Iruka-kun. The mission is simple but one moment of treachery and it will be your last the mission is…
To retrieve the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing from Naruto Uzumaki."
Authors Note: Well that's this chapter done, next time we get to see how Menma deals with the Mizuki situation, and perhaps get started on my take on the Wave arc.
Also the ports name means, literally Great Port (roughly), and the names of the others is as follows
Kosshi-Bone
Ukei-ya-Gardener
Han- one part of the word half
Bun- the other half of half
Ke- Hair (hey it would be insulting to make his name Fat)
Kumo-Spider (Go figure)
So as always, Stay classy Internet.