TITLE:
GENRE: Dimension-Travel Action/Adventure/Romance
SUMMARY: After a final attempt to turn the tides of war against an Orochimaru, Naruto suddenly woke up in a Konoha where the villagers saw him as a hero but all his precious people only saw him as a spoiled brat and a nuisance. But the biggest surprised of all is that a mother he had never knew was alive, and that he also has a younger sister with a terminal illness. Can he cope with this new world before him? Can he regain the trust of his precious people once again? And would he be able to defeat the Orochimaru of this world?
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CHAPTER 4
Nara Shikamaru walks solemnly inside the hospital with his father. Having walked through the same hallways for the past week, he knew exactly where to go, but it's still an unpleasant feeling knowing his destination.
When both Nara arrived at the ICU Section of the hospital, the first thing they saw was Yamanaka Inoichi watching through a glass observation window of the said room.
"How is she?" Nara Shikato asked as he put his hand on a haggard looking Yamanaka Inoichi's shoulder. Both men were looking through the looking glass of the ICU room where Yamanaka Ino was being tended by several medic nins and an elder Yamanaka, whom all specializes in mind jutsus.
"Still in a coma. The Kyuubi's chakra is still preventing us from entering her mind."
Shikamaru, looking through the same glass window, couldn't help but notice how different Ino looks at the moment. It was so strange to see the usually loud and bossy girl so quiet.
It has been a week since the Kyuubi's chakra wave. There were quite a lot of Konoha citizens that had been admitted to the hospital due to stress, strokes, and plain nervous breakdowns. But Ino is a special case.
-----flashback (1 hour before the chakra wave)-----
"Are you sure you're ready for this, Pumpkin?" Yamanaka Inochi asked as she leads his daughter towards the Yamanaka House's ceremonial chamber.
"I'm ready, Daddy!" Ino said with a determined look in her eyes.
Inoichi was proud that his daughter wanted to start on the family legacy a year earlier than expected, but he was also a bit disappointed at her reason for doing so.
The Yamanaka's Rite of Passage is a ceremony that every Yamanaka goes through in order to activate their Bloodline Limit. The process includes a senior Yamanaka member to jumpstart the younger one's brain so they could gain access to the Mind Arts, which is essential in learning Yamanaka Bloodline Limit jutsu.
Yes, Inoichi was proud of his little girl. He just wishes she wasn't doing this for the sole purpose of impressing her school crush. But still, he was grateful for giving her the initiative to learn more about her family's arts.
A few minutes later, father and daughter entered a small windowless chamber underneath the house. There was noting else in the chamber except for a rectangular mat in the middle of the floor, several lanterns by the walls, and lots of ofuda (designed to block chakra from entering the room) all over the walls and ceiling.
After closing the door behind them, Inoichi went through several hand seals to activate the ofudas, isolating the room from any outside chakra influences.
Since her father had already briefed her about the entire ceremony, Ino immediately sat Indian style on the mat in the middle of the room and started meditating to open up her mind. According to her father, this was the longest part of the ceremony, since opening one's mind could take hours.
Sitting in front of his daughter, Inoichi watched as his daughter scrunched up her face in concentration. Using a mind scanning jutsu, he saw that her daughter's mind is already starting to open up, but it would still take time for her mind to open up fully.
Almost an hour had passed before Ino's mind was ready. Going through several hand seals, the senior Yamanaka was preparing to send chakra to his daughter's mind when he felt the chakra wave before it hit, burning out all the ofudas around the room keeping foreign chakra out.
"INO!" Her father shouted in panic when the red chakra wav hit his daughter, slamming her against the far wall. A moment later, the chakra wave receded but the damage has been done. Checking his daughter, Inoichi saw that there wasn't much external damage done except for a slight concussion. But the real damage is done to her mind. Quickly going through several hand seals, Inoichi tried to enter his daughter's mind to repair any damage done to her, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get passed the red chakra surrounding her mindscape.
Having nothing else he could do, Inoichi picked up his daughter and ran towards the hospital.
-----End flashback-----
Shikamaru knows who's responsible, heck the entire village knew. Kazama Naruto, or the Kyuubi Brat as most Leaf shinobi calls him, just had to tamper with the seal. Although he heard the rumors that the brat had a recent attitude adjustment, it was still quite irresponsible for him not to alert anyone of what he was planning, even if it was to cure his own sister of her chakra disease.
Eavesdropping on the adults' conversations, Shikamaru found out that the Yamanaka Clan's Rite of Passage, the trainee's mind is at his/her most vulnerable state and is quite prone to foreign chakra influence, and such influence as the Kyuubi no Kitsune's yokai could have devastating effects on such a mind. And now, several specialists on mind jutsus are gathered here to determine whether or not she could be saved or not.
Shikamaru wasn't a fool. Having an IQ of 200, he was aware of the fear that now resides in the village of Konoha concerning the Demon Fox. If Ino turns out to be influenced by the fox, then she could turn into a target of the Council's ire. If that happens, the best case scenario would be a swift death, otherwise she would be turned into some kind of lab experiment.
He wished he could do something, but what can he do. He's not even a genin yet and since the chakra wave a week ago, Kazama Naruto had been under 24 hour surveillance under the ANBU. He desperately wants to have a talk with the brat so he could at least find out if the said brat could really control the Kyuubi's chakra, the same chakra that are preventing the medics from helping his childhood friend.
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-----Inside Ino's Mindscape-----
"Help me! Somebody, please! Please, help me!" Yamanaka Ino had stopped running since she found herself trapped in this world of darkness and red. Everywhere she goes, there was nothing but darkness, that and the malevolent red chakra that had been slowly eating up everything. Very soon, everything would be consumed, including her.
Crying for her own helplessness, she sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. The red chakra was barely a few feet away from her now and there was no escape. With the last of her hope, she pleaded quietly into the void, "Please, someone, anyone, help me."
As if an answer to her plea, a giant orb of blue chakra suddenly emerged from the red. The orb put itself between her and the red around her, protecting her from the malevolent influence.
With renewed hope, Ino immediately latched onto the orb and let herself be absorbed into its blue depth, never realizing how it would change her life forever.
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BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"What the hell?" The Bear ANBU, who's guarding the door to the Kazamas' room, asked in alarm as several explosions rocked the entire hospital just before he and his partner was hit by a shower of kunais.
As soon as the two guards hit the floor dead, four ninjas bearing the symbol of Iwakagure rushed inside the room, where another four Iwa shinobi awaits along with the corpse of two other Konoha ANBU.
"Phase one and two complete. Secure your packages and rendezvous at Root HQ." The leader ordered. In less than half a minute, both Kazama children are held and secured in specially designed body sacks. With a wave of the leader's hand, two 3-man groups jumped out the window and rushed away two different directions with their two unconscious hostages.
The leader, along with another shinobi, proceeded with phase four of the plan, destroying the entire hospital to serve as a distraction to give the two groups enough time to escape.
Both shinobi were about to move when the door suddenly burst open and a young blue eyed, blond haired girl, wearing a hospital gown, walked slowly inside.
The leader tensed at the vacant look on the girls face. She wasn't even looking at him. She was looking at the broken window where group two, who have Kazama Naruto with them, had jumped through.
When the girl turned her blue eyes at him, the leader acted immediately and threw several kunais at her, only to be intercepted by the other shinobi's body.
The leader blanched at the unexpected action of his own subordinate, that is until he noticed the blond girl's outline on his subordinate. "Fuck! She's a Yamanaka! She possessed my subordinate to save herself." he thought. Although, he never dreamed a girl her age was capable of such an advance technique.
The leader was already drawing another set of kunais before the other guy hit the floor dead. He was about to throw it when his entire body stiffened. Trying to find the source of his immobility, he saw a young boy with a pineapple like hairstyle, out the doorway on his knees with his hands forming a hand seal. "I don't really know what's going on but it would be quite troublesome if I let you hurt her."
Ino didn't even seem to notice her childhood friend saving her from death. She walked towards the immobilized leader and pointed a finger towards his face, particularly his forehead.
"P-package one through route 24-A, and package two through route 33-C. . . Root HQ Sector twelve at Konoha-Iwa boarder. . . Lighting Country . . . Kyuubi Vessel Experimentations. . . kidnapping to be blamed towards Iwagakure . . . Danzo-sama . . ."
Suddenly, the enemy shinobi started convulsing. Feeling his own body involuntarily convulse, Shikamaru called back his shadow technique just in time for the enemy shinobi to suddenly stop his convulsion and drop down the floor like a sack of potatoes with Ino following him in unconsciousness a second later. Luckily for her, Shikamaru was there to catch her before she fell.
Just then, the Hokage, along with several ANBU squad leaders, as well as Inoishi and Shikato, arrived at the scene.
"What the hell happened here? Ino! Is she alright?" Inoichi asked as he immediately went towards his daughter.
"Nara Shikamaru, can you tell me what has happened here?" The Hokage asked mildly. But there was no mistaking for the steel in his voice.
Gulping in nervousness for a moment, he started to say, "I was at the ICU room downstairs visiting Ino here when an explosion sounded all over the hospital. My dad went to investigate with Ino's father. A few minutes later, Ino suddenly woke up from her coma and started walking towards here. I followed her and saw the two bodies outside the door and an enemy shinobi taking the hits for her. I used the Kagemune no Jutsu to immobilize the ninja there. While I was holding him, Ino pointed her finger at the guy's forehead before he started convulsing. He mumbled phrases like 'package one through route 24-A, and package two through route 33-C. . . Root HQ Sector twelve at Konoha-Iwa boarder. . . Lightning country . . .Kyuubi Vessel Experimentations. . . kidnapping to be blamed towards Iwagakure . . . Danzo-sama . . .'. And then he fell unconscious. Then, you guys came."
One of the ANBU unmasked the two incapacitated shinobis. After going through several identification jutsus, he said, "Identity of Himena Shito, jounin of the ROOT Division, confirmed. Initial diagnosis shows extreme mind stress."
The Hokage nodded his head in confirmation before turning his eyes to the still unconscious Ino. If he guesses correct, then the young Yamanaka had used some kind of mind jutsu on the enemy. But considering her age and, at the moment, her non-existing knowledge on her family techniques, it was impossible for her to perform those said techniques, unless she was highly influenced by her father.
Putting those thoughts away for a moment, the Sandaime concentrated on the current crisis and said, "ANBU Team 1 through five, proceed with retrieval of both Kazama Naruto and Naomi. Start with Route 24-A and 33-C. Yamanaka Inoichi, take Ino-san back to ICU and get her report on the scene as soon as she is able. Nara Shikato, bring Himena Shito to Ibiki and tell him to get everything he knows. Assist him if necessary. ANBU Team 6 through 9, head to ROOT ANBU headquarters and arrest Danzo for possible treason. Dog," A dog-masked female ANBU stepped forward. "notify Kazama Akane of what happened and make sure she understand that I am ordering her to head straight to me for further orders." Then he added mentally with a shiver, remembering the said woman's Tsunade-like strength when pissed, "May Kami have mercy on their souls once she gets her claws on those people responsible for kidnapping her children."
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE? AND WHERE ARE MY KIDS?" came the intense voice of a woman behind them.
The Hokage Sandaime gulped silently upon seeing the irritated, yet, worried face of one Kazama Akane standing by the door. Thinking of the best way to handle the situation, the Sandaime decided to use his diplomatic voice and said, "Akane-san, please calm down and,"
But the Kazama matriarch cut him off and shouted furiously, "WHERE ARE MY CHILDREN?"
Everyone in the room took an involuntary step back from the enrage woman who's giving off enough killer intent to drown the entire hospital.
The Sandaime really hated doing this to someone he almost considers his own daughter but the situation seems to call for it. Standing his full height and giving off a burst of his own charka, he faced the enraged woman and said in his official-Hokage voice, "Kazama-san, your children had been abducted by renegade ninjas."
Akane gasped upon hearing that bit of news, concern for her children safety evident in her eyes. She was about to demand where they were taken but the Hokage cut her off and said in a menacing voice, "As leader of this village and everyone residing within it, I am ordering you under house arrest until this situation is resolved. I will not have an enrage mother make this already delicate situation worse than it already is. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
Akane gasped upon seeing the old man she almost consider a father shout at her like that. Her already stressed mind, combined with the Sandaime's order preventing her from going after her children, just decided to snapped right there and then.
"I am needed."
"NO! I won't let you out! I sealed you away for a reason!"
"Can you risk the safety of your children to others?"
Akane stayed silent, having no answer to that.
"Remember, those children are as much mine as they are yours. I WILL assure their safety."
With the last of her protests crumbling, she let herself fall back.
The Sandaime Hokage, already expecting what is to come, braced himself accordingly. He had already put up a hand telling all the ANBU in the room to stand down before they had a chance to react to the sudden pressure of chakra emitted by the now silent woman.
Every ANBU tensed when Akane's brown hair suddenly started turning bright red. When she turned her now cold and calculating cerulean eyes once more to the Sandaime, she asked in a frozen cold voice, "Hokage-sama."
The Sandaime merely held his hand in the air telling his ANBU to stand down before turning towards the red head and saying, "Uzumaki Kushina-san, it's been a while."
Whispers emitted among the older ANBU members while the younger members were asking themselves where they heard the name before.
"I-is that really Uzumaki Kushina?"
"I thought Kushina-sama died in the Kyuubi attack?"
"Can she really be the famous Whirlpool's Empress of Storm?"
"E-Empress of Storm, you mean the same Empress of Storm that is said to have a confirm kill count second only to Yondaime-sama during the Leaf-Stone War?"
"Who would have thought the Empress of Storm would be Yondaime-sama's wife?"
"No wonder Yondaime-sama chose her as his wife."
Those who knew of the Empress of Storm exploits during the war were in awe at seeing the legendary ninja back to life, while most of the younger ANBU were skeptical about the short woman being capable of the things the veteran ninjas say about her. I mean, who would believe that the short, red-headed woman had single-handedly managed to stall five Iwa ANBU battalion from crossing through Fire Country's boarders for two whole days, having a confirm kill of seventy two Iwa jounins, before reinforcements arrived to finish the rest of them two days later?
Ignoring the whispers around them, as he was sure Kushina was doing, turned to the red-head's cold, calculating eyes. The Sandaime gave an internal sigh of relief when his gamble paid off in forcing Uzumaki Kushina back to the surface from where Akane had originally sealed her off inside her subconscious after the war. He just hopes he won't regret this decision in the future.
Everyone tensed when Kushina moved once more. She took one step towards the Hokage before kneeling down in front of him with her head bowed down and asking in that same cold voice, "What are my orders?"
The Sandaime eyed her for a moment before saying, "Retrieval of abducted citizens of the Leaf. Intelligence says that one is headed for the Iwa-Konoha boarder, route A-24. I will have someone else do the retrieval for the one heading for the Lightning country."
The Sandaime could feel her body tense involuntarily upon hearing that she could only go after one of her two children for the time being. Even if she managed to create a Kage Bushin strong enough to travel all the way to Cloud, the clone won't be able go against several Root ANBU without getting poof out of existence with a single lucky shot.
Contemplating the same conclusion, Kushina's brain went a hundred miles an hour thinking of the best possible way to ensure her other child's safety. Finally thinking of one, she raised her head and look directly at the old man's eyes before saying, "Dolphin"
Whispers broke out from the ANBU in the room once more. The Konoha ANBU code name 'Dolphin' was another legend through out the ninja underworld. A newly instated ANBU who was thought to have been killed during an information gathering mission into Lightning country six years ago, only to re-emerged two years later near the end of Lightning country's bloody civil war. Rumors say that he was the one who fought and killed the corrupt and powerful Godaime Raikage in a battle that ended the said civil war. Nobody was sure what happened to him afterwards but rumor has it that he either retired as a civilian after he got back to Konoha or had migrated at the Hidden Village in the Cloud as one of the Rukodime Raikage's top adviser.
The Sandaime eyed her for a moment before saying, "You know perfectly well that Dolphin is retired and would likely refuse to carry out any mission given to him, even by me."
"Tell him, that Kazama Akane had lied two years ago, and the answer to his question is yes." She said in the same cold voice.
The Sandaime, as well as the rest of the people inside the room, gave her a questioning glanced, but Kushina didn't elaborate more on it.
Giving her a nod, he said, "Very well. Perpetrators are ROOT ANBU disguised as Iwa nins. Proceed with your mission as you see fit. Use extreme prejudice if necessary. Squad one would serve as your back up until you reach the boarder. When you decide to pursue through Iwa territory, you will be on your own. Now go."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Then, with in a blink of an eye, she was gone, vowing to succeed in this mission no matter what the cost. ANBU squad one followed her example a second later.
When she was gone, one of the younger ANBU squad leaders stepped forward and asked, "Sir, is it wise to let her go alone once she crosses the boarder? With this much head start, the perpetrators would reach the boarder in under a day."
The Sandaime sighed before saying, "I know. But knowing her, not even the threat of starting a new war with Iwa could stop her from pursuing her children's kidnappers when, not if, when they cross the boarder." Then he turned towards the rest of the people in the room and said in his official Hokage voice, "Squad two through eight, proceed to Root HQ and arrest everyone there for questioning, especially Danzo. Squad nine, proceed to route C-33. If the perpetrators manage to cross over the boarder, do not engage. You are to remain there until further orders."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Once they were gone, the Sandaime turned to the only other person in the room and said, "Dog, get me the fastest messenger bird to Kumo we have and report to my office immediately."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." And she disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
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