finally finished this chapter. took me awhile to do it. haven't had much time at the moment but that shouldn't happen again anytime soon. this chapter as several short scenes so if it feels a little lopsided or quickened I apologize. well enjoy it and plz R&R.
so desu - I see, wakatta - understood, gomen - sorry, aishiteru - i love you
Chapter 9: A New Ally
Naruto hurled a single kunai at a stationary Itachi causing him to burst into crows. Naruto quickly formed a handful of Kage Bunshins and charged towards the position Itachi had been. Two of them swung to the left and another two swung to the right and one stood in the middle. They all whipped around to see Itachi standing in front of them. The four Kage Bunshins quickly launched kunais at Itachi. They all dug into Itachi's body causing him to take a few steps back. The Naruto in the middle stood stationary with his eyes closed focusing intently. Then instantly Itachi vanished into nothingness. Naruto quickly opened his eyes and suddenly swung around wielding a kunai. As he swung, Naruto slashed across the air hitting Itachi across the face. The Kage Bunshins dissappeared and Naruto took a few steps back from Itachi.
"You're the real one," boasted Naruto.
A cut slowly showed across Itachi's face and a dabble of blood slid down his cheek. Naruto had seen through the genjutsu and finally landed a real hit on Itachi.
"It's been a month since we started training so I excepted you to be able to discern every illusion by now," Itachi coolly said.
"Well now that I'm able to read the genjutsu and cancel it better are we going to do anything different now or are we still going to be doing this?" Naruto sounded a little bored.
"Yes and no," he flatly answered.
"Care to be more specific?" asked Naruto being somewhat commanding.
"Yes I will keep on constantly using genjutsu like this on you and no because I am going to teach you something new."
"Wait you mean a new jutsu?!!!" Naruto said now excited, "What is it? Is it some kickass ninjutsu to use against sharingan users or a taijutsu move that sasuke won't be able to keep up with."
"Neither of them," Itachi answered in a monotone voice.
"Then what else could it be?" Naruto thought for a second and then realized, "Your not going to teach me some genjutsu??"
Itachi nodded his head in agreement. Naruto's excited demeanor quickly changed to a calmer more confused one.
"Would it even be worth the time? I mean I'm not much of a genjutsu user and it would be useless for me to learn some if I'm not even be able to do well or even at all."
"I know that genjutsu is not your style but I will teach you one jutsu that I'm sure you can do. It is a simple genjutsu that you can use in tight spots."
"Okay then what is it?" Naruto asked.
"Kari no genkaku," Itachi blankly answered.
"Huh?! What exactly is that suppose to do?" asked a perplexed Naruto.
"It is a genjutsu that creates a brief illusion of yourself. It is the move I have been using to make you think I'm in a spot and after you attack my body vanishes as if it was never there."
"OH, that move. So I'll learn how to do that…um how though I don't see you doing any special trick for it or anything?" Naruto became more confused.
"It is a jutsu that does not require hand seals but you must become very proficient doing it if you want it to be effective. It needs someone who has good control over their chakra and your control is decent enough."
"What exactly does it do?"
"It leaves an imprint of your chakra in a certain area for a limited time creating the illusion of you and allowing you to escape tight spots. A residual form of you that leads the opponent to believe you are there when you are already easily somewhere else," explained Itachi.
"So desu, but wouldn't that prove meaningless against a sharingan user. Sasuke would be able to see through that."
"That is why I said you would use it in tight spots to get out of a situation. At first Sasuke might not see it since it is you using genjutsu but you will not be able to pull it off on him everytime."
"Then let's begin…" Naruto began saying.
"Tomorrow," Itachi cut in.
"Ugh fine whatever. Tomorrow then." Without warning Itachi vanished and was gone, "Hmm, he always does that."
He slowly sighed and began making his way out of the district. Naruto felt like he was really getting the hang of seeing all this genjutsu stuff. But actually learning a genjutsu move seemed more challenging on top of continuing to do other training. However, he was up to the challenge and become a little anxious to begin.
On the walk home Naruto thought about how busy he has been over the past month. All day he would work, in the afternoon he would spend his time with Hinata or train with her, and during the night he would train with Itachi. He had not been able to see his other friends except when he would send them on missions. At that moment Naruto felt slightly detached from almost everyone else, but he was certain that they all understood. It was a tough job to be Hokage especially with a war getting closer and closer by the day.
On top of it all things seemed real stacked against Konoha. Sasuke already had two of the five great shinobi countries allied with him and information had been coming in of him picking up missing-nin to bounty hunters and even freelance assassins. He was really pulling out all he could to go up against Naruto and the village. Every once in a while Naruto would have his doubts if they could beat Sasuke but he quickly wiped that thought away. This village has many skilled ninja that would do anything for the village.
Naruto tiptoed his way through the mansion and into his room. He slipped into his light blue pajamas and laid down on his bed. Looking up at the ceiling Naruto thought more about what was going to happen. Only time would tell but right now Naruto would enjoy everything he could before everything changed. This war will be a very sorrowful one filled with death and destruction. Laying there Naruto made a solemn vow that if it came down to it he would give up everything to save the village. Even if it was his life.
It was early morning and a thick mist shrouded Kirigakure. The Mizukage sat in his office up earlier than he usually was. Not much work had come in so far and it looked like not much more would arrive. He sat staring at the wall still pondering what his former friend had told him. It had been a month and some days since Kisame had showed up but Harou still could not shake it off. While he thought about it, Harou's attention was diverted by a shinobi who was standing wait in front of his desk.
"What is it?" asked Harou not looking at him.
"Sorry to disturb you Mizukage-sama but our anbu forces have gathered the information on Sasuke that you wanted."
"And?" Harou looked up at him.
"It has been confirmed that Kaminari no Kuni has joined Sasuke as well as a wide array of other people."
"Hmm, so he was right," he said to himself.
"Excuse me sir?" asked the confused shinobi.
"Nothing…I'm going to need a message delivered to Konoha immediately."
"What is the message Mizukage-sama?"
Naruto slowly strolled through the halls of the mansion. He was taking a short break from his work because he did not want to fall asleep. The only problem was that he drifted back and forth from sleep while walking. The late night training was worth it but Naruto was losing his sleeping time because of it. It was no concern however only a small sacrifice.
As Naruto made his way back to his office, a frantic Shizune came rushing up behind him. A look of urgency was on her face and in her hand held tightly was a folded piece of paper.
"Naruto-sama this message was just delivered by a carrier-bird from Kirigakure," she said quickly.
"Ugh…alright let me see it," Shizune handed him the paper and Naruto dully opened it. Suddenly the sleepy look on Naruto's faced changed to a more serious one, "Shizune send for Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan as soon as possible. Have them wait in my office while I go see Homura and Koharu."
Naruto quickly rushed off down the hall and Shizune followed suit. She wondered what the message had said that instantly changed Naruto's demeanor but would have to wait to figure it out later.
Like a speed demon Naruto leapt from rooftop to rooftop. The wind blasted through his hair and jacket as he hurried to Homura and Koharu's house. He abrutly stopped in front of the humble abode of the two council members. Naruto began softly tapping on the door which turned to a louder one as if he was trying to bang it down. The door finally was opened up Koharu. She motioned for Naruto to come inside and have a seat on the couch. Naruto sat down while Koharu called for Homura to come into the room.
"What's wrong Naruto-sama?" asked Homura as he sat down in front of Naruto.
"We've just received a message from Kirigakure and I've come here to tell you what it's about," he quickly answered.
"So what does it pertain to?" asked Homura.
"Simply put they are offering an alliance with Konoha."
For a few minutes everyone was quiet. The two elders took a few seconds to soak in the information. It may have not been much to soak in but it was very important nonetheless.
"Well what are we going to do? I've already asked Shizune to call in Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan," commented Naruto.
Homura and Koharu looked at each other and both nodded their heads in agreement, "I can already see you have made a decision so proceed with it. Koharu and I both will grant the terms of an alliance with Kirigakure."
"So Naruto-sama you can send Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura to go see the Mizukage," Koharu added in.
"Then I'll get right on it."
Shizune, Kakashi, and Sakura stood waiting outside Naruto's office. Shizune still had a look of confusion which only caused the other two to worry about what was going on. Not much time went by for them to see Naruto scurry up to the office and invite them in. The two of them stood in front of the desk while Naruto sat down and Shizune moved over to stand beside his chair. Naruto was silent for a moment while he wrote something down on two scrolls and handed them to Shizune. Then he reached into his pocket and handed Kakashi the note. He slowly opened the folded paper and intently read its contents.
"What does it say Kakashi-sensei," asked Sakura.
"It's a message about requesting an alliance from Kirigakure," answered Kakashi.
Shizune then handed Sakura the scrolls that Naruto had filling out just moments ago, "And what are these for?"
"I want you two to go see the Mizukage. Those scrolls that your holding need to be delivered to the Mizukage himself. They must be delivered and signed by him. Only one of them needs to be brought back. Those scrolls are the treaties for an alliance."
"Well you can count on us Naruto-kun," smiled Sakura.
"Be very cautious and guard those like your life depended on it. This is only going to be a simple B-rank mission but will be bumped up to an A-rank if you two have a run in with anybody."
"Wakatta. Then we should get going," spoke Kakashi.
"Be careful you two," Shizune calmly added.
"Hai," both of them responded.
Both of them slightly bowed and made their exit. Naruto leaned back in his seat and let out a soft sigh. He was very positive they would not encounter any enemies but no one could be sure. Naruto was slightly worried but knew they would be able to overcome anyone they ran into. He just hoped that it wouldn't come down to that.
The pink-haired kunoichi waited patiently at the gate for Kakashi. She was wearing a reddish-pink mini-skirt and sleeveless shirt that covered her now filled out chest. Her exposed midriff was covered by fishnet stockings. Flowing elegantly under her skirt was a white cloth covering her left leg and partly her right. It went down slightly past her knees to the top of her black shin-high shoewear. Her shoulder length hair blew gently in the wind as she kicked some dirt around while waiting and a white circle on the back of her shirt glowed vibrantly through the small clouds of dust she created.
"Already here," said an arriving Kakashi.
"What do you mean 'already here'? I've been waiting for almost an hour for you to come. It doesn't take that long to pack," she scolded him.
"Gomen, I lost track of time while enjoying the road of life," lied Kakashi.
"Whatever you're here now so let's get going."
Sakura walked over to a black bag and flung it on her back. Then both her and Kakashi set off down the dirt road. When they finally came a good distance down the road they quickly took of into the forest towards the direction of Mizu no Kuni. Both of the leaf shinobi rapidly jumped from tree branch to tree branch.
"Kakashi-sensei can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Is it wrong of me to not completely hate Sasuke-kun after everything he has done?" she asked sadly.
"It simply is what it is. There is no wrong or right about how you feel. Once upon a time he was your teammate, friend, and former crush. It is hard to let go of those things no matter how much grief he has caused. He also abandoned his bonds and the village as well as killed Tsunade-sama. Those things can't just be easily forgiven or even deserve to be forgiven. Either way you cannot just erase the good memories because of bad ones that he has created," Kakashi verbosely spoke, "And to be quite honest Sakura-san there are times where I don't truly feel hate for him. I only feel that I could have done something more."
"Arigato Kakashi-sensei," she sincerely said.
"You don't have to thank me. In times like these we have to stick together. We must do the right thing despite feelings of regret or guilt…" Kakashi paused, "Hey let's say we let the past go and fight to keep a future not only for us but for the next generation to come."
"Hai," spoke Sakura as a soft smile crept across her face, "…for the next generation."
In front of a small lovely lake and under the shiny stars rested a sleepy Hokage and his girlfriend. Naruto rested his head on Hinata's lap while she gently caressed his spikey hair. Small sounds of snoring echoed from a slumbering half-asleep Naruto. Lovingly Hinata stared down at his peaceful face. There was no signs of worry, no signs of despair, or signs of confusion. Just a smiling face of a hard-working Hokage. In this simple moment there was complete serenity.
Still even though she enjoyed this feeling, the looming war still clung in the back of her mind like the morning dew to the grass. A small fear had been settling deep in Hinata's thoughts. This war was going to bring much sorrow but the thing she feared most was that she could lose her precious love. The more she thought the more the fear began to spread. It was like an infection that one could not get rid of.
As the feeling built up inside her, a few saddened tears trailed down her cheeks. They splashed softly onto Naruto's face making him twitch open his closed eyes. He looked up to see a quiet sobing Hinata. Lifting up his hand to her face, Naruto gently wiped the tears from her cheeks and under her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked with concern.
"I-I'm scared Naruto…" she sobed.
Naruto sat straight up and held Hinata's supple hands in his, "please tell me."
"This war that is going to happen. I'm just so scared that I will lose. I fear that you could die if things get so bad," as more tears started rolling down her face.
Naruto embraced her and held her in his comforting arms. Hinata soaked Naruto's shoulder in tears as she let loose her built up emotions. It hurt Naruto to see Hinata like this. In his own mind he feared the same thing. If he were to lose her there was no telling what he would do, but in his heart he swore that he would protect her no matter what. After a few minutes Hinata stopped crying and moved a little back to be face to face with Naruto.
"Aishiteru Hinata, and I swear that I will always be here. I know that things will be hard soon but nothing bad will happen to me I promise. In fact it is a promise of a lifetime," he grinned.
"Arigato Naruto," she softly kissed him on the forehead, "I believe you."
Sakura and Kakashi patiently waited outside the council office of the Mizukage. It had already been almost a week since they left Konoha and it would probably take just as long to get back. Sakura paced back and forth in front of the door while Kakashi read his usual literature. Time passed and finally a man opened the door letting out six elder shinobi. The simple man then motioned for Sakura and Kakashi to come in. He then closed the door behind him as he left the two leaf-nin in the room.
Sitting on the other side of the rectangular table directly in front of the two was the Mizukage. His blue locks laid roughly across his face and on the back of his head. His robes nested deep in the chair and his scar radiated as openly as ever.
"I must be forward and say it is an honor to meet the famous Copy Ninja," he rose up and bowed to Kakashi, "as likewise for Tsunade-hime's apprentice, the new Sannin Haruno Sakura."
"Oh there's no need for that," the slightly embarrassed Kakashi waved off, "I would have to say it is more of a privilege to meet someone as widely known as you. But that aside we have come to take care of the formalities for our alliance."
"Indeed we do have business. Have brought the scrolls with you?" as he sat back down
Kakashi and Sakura each pulled a scroll out of their pack and placed them in front of the Mizukage. He then proceed to untie the string around the scrolls and read over one of them. After a few minutes of studying it over, Harou reached into a drawer that was under the countertop and pulled out a pen. Afterwards he went on to sign both of the scrolls and handed one back to Kakashi.
"Arigato Mizukage-sama. We will give this to Naruto-kun," spoke Sakura.
"Before you leave I would like to ask you two something if you don't mind. I'm just a little curious," Harou smoothly said.
"We don't mind at all please ask away," answered Kakashi.
"This Uzumaki Naruto I've heard so much about recently is he really that special? You don't have a problem with such a young leader?"
"He really is something. Naruto may be inexperienced right now but he makes up for that with his big heart and strong determination. He has a very special power that affects many people. I for one am very grateful to have him as our leader," commented Kakashi.
"And what about you Sakura-hime?" asked Harou.
For a few seconds Sakura was quiet but then softly spoke, "I could…I could imagine no one else but Naruto-kun being our Hokage. He is my teammate and friend but most of all he is family. He is like a brother to me and I would do anything to keep him safe. In my heart I know that Naruto-kun will be the greatest Hokage our village has ever had. Even if someone only spoke with him for a few minutes they would feel the warmth that flows from him and could probably agree with what I say. In fact, it is one of my dreams to help Naruto truly fufill all of his own. I want to be a person he could always depend whenever he needed to."
"So desu," Harou smirked, "I would like to meet this special kid one day."
More action should start surfacing and the plot development might take a great increase in speed. I'm basically writing all of this off the top of my head as it comes. The only things I have set in stone are a few key plot points. Anyways hope it was enjoyable. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.
kari no genkaku - Temporary Illusion