Disclaimer: Naruto and every character of the Naruto universe belongs to Kishimoto Masashi and companies, I don't know.
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Original upload date: 24th of February
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Chance for a Prophecy
Chapter 27. – Fox in the Rain
"Naruto." A vicious growl bubbled out from Naruto's sore throat as the only answer. "Naruto,listen."
"Shut up," he spat into his empty room. He had finally retreated after Kakashi's outburst on the street, but he couldn't get rid of the booming voice inside his mind as Kurama continued to call for him. Eventually, he gave up, and when he next opened his azure pools, he was face to face with the beast itself. His crimson eyes warily observed the tensed boy in front of him who refused to meet with his gaze.
"Naruto, listen to me." An odd sound rushed out from Naruto's throat in response. It was something between a snort, a pained sob and a sarcastic laugh. He still locked his gaze on the soft grass in front of him, but soon, he slowly raised his head, and the ancient old bijuu couldn't restrain a flinch. His jailor's every emotion was unmercifully shoved at him at once when their piercing pools met. They were there, bare and naked. The sorrow. The disappointment. The betrayal. And finally, the doubt and distrust.
"The last time I listened to you, an innocent girl died because of my decision." Naruto spat out the words like they were the acid that had been burning his throat until then.
"What?" Kurama's eyes suddenly widened as he comprehended Naruto's words. "You think Rin died because of you?"
"No." Naruto's expression suddenly hardened to ice cold steal. His disdainful and accusing glare pierced through the fox's heart but he didn't raise his voice. But it would have been better if Naruto started shouting because his cold tone sent a shiver down Kurama's spine. "I think Rin died because of you. You were the one who told me to confess. She went to that place because I told her that Obito was still alive! She wouldn't even be there if you hadn't forced me to tell her everything! She died because of you!"
"This is nonsense!" Kurama raised his head as he boomed, his voice viciously echoing in the slowly darkening mindscape. "You really want to blame someone? Blame Uchiha Madara! It was he who ignited the flames of war, he who made the great shinobi villages dance to his tune!"
"Blaming you or Madara… it doesn't matter. Can't you see that everything is happening again? Kakashi was right! Everybody keeps on dying around me! First Rin, the next will be my parents, then Jiji, Neji, Bee, Tsunade-baachan, Gaara, and everyone else! I let my guard down, and look what happened!"
"You can't save everybody!"
"I have to! I promised that I'd break the circle of hatred! Look what it's done to Rin! She died because of some pointless vengeance! I have to do something to end this madness! They believed in me! All of them! Jiraiya, my father and Nagato. They entrusted it to me—"
"You're not a God! You can't shoulder everything on your own!"
"I couldn't save Rin! All of this was for nothing! Obito will turn into Tobi! How could I prevent all those things if I wasn't even able to save Rin? I've failed..." Naruto's voice suddenly became weak, and his anger was gone in a heartbeat.
"Look at what you've already achieved! You saved Gaara's mother and his sanity! You helped to integrate the Uchiha! You got rid of Orochimaru, saved Tenzo, and Danzou is out of town! The fates of the five great nations are now intertwined. The bond is thin and fragile, but it's still there. You still think we've done nothing? That's bullshit."
No answer came from Naruto; his eyes fixed on the green grass at Kurama's paws. A chuckle echoed in the silence, and the demon fox immediately tensed his muscles as a new presence stepped into the light.
An identical blond teen leisurely walked closer and closer to his counterpart, his hands casually clasped behind his back. His silhouette was sharp, and his until now foggy picture looked as solid as Naruto's. Only his black sclera and red irises indicated that this being wasn't a simple clone. The newcomer slowly hovered around the blond until it finally settled down next to Naruto and leaned onto his shoulder with his elbow.
His face came closer until it could directly whisper into Naruto's ears. "Yes. You've failed them. You made Rin march to her own death. You failed Jiraiya. You failed your father and Nagato. Look what you have done. Nothing. Nothing has changed." Naruto flinched, and his face turned into a pained grimace.
"You haven't failed them, Naruto!" Kurama pushed.
"Look at the fox," he purred into Naruto's ears once again, and the blond obediently looked up to Kurama. "You listened to his advice, and what happened? She died. You don't need him. We don't need him. We can solve this alone."
Kurama dangerously narrowed his eyes. However, they weren't locked on his blond jailor but on the dark aura next to him. "It's not true..."
"We can make it through without him. Until now, he has played with your head, with your emotions. He was the one who was pulling the strings in the background. Hasn't he been manipulating you for the past few months? He stole your memories and your opportunity to tell your parents who you really are. Do you still think that after all those lies they will trust you? He ruined everything." Naruto's eyes narrowed, and they sparked with a strange glint as they looked over his friend.
Kurama's voice was suddenly shaky and desperate as he hurriedly blurted out, "Do you remember what happened at the Waterfall of Truth? He is here again, manipulating you and—"
"Shut up! Just shut up and leave me alone! I don't want to hear any more! I need time to think and— "
A faint knock interrupted Naruto's line of thoughts as it echoed inside his mindscape. The blond shot one more accusing glare at the bijuu before his form slowly faded away.
Kurama's gaze was frozen on the place the blond had previously stood until the dark projection let out a vicious chuckle. "The first steps have already been made."
"You bastard! I won't let you influence him!"
"And how are you planning to stop me?" he asked with a mocking smirk on his face.
"I'll find a way to stop you. You can count on it." Kurama sent a determined glare toward the entity, one that even Naruto would acknowledge, but it only smugly smiled back. It was challenging, and Kurama was more than eager to pick up the gloves for Naruto's sake.
Kushina gradually peeked through the vibrant orange door as soon she heard the blond's muffled permission to enter. Her eyes danced across Naruto's slumped form and finally landed on the dark shadows under his always archly pools. The dark contour only enhanced his stabbing electric blue eyes and the sadness inside them. An invisible power squeezed her chest one last time before she stepped inside to slowly sit down next to Naruto. The blond gradually leaned against her side, seeking comfort or some soothing warmth in the unusually cold night.
She silently supported the time traveller for what felt like an eternity, not wanting to disturb him. Her hand traveled up on his spine gently to wrap it over his slumped shoulder, and Naruto bedded himself in the offered comfort almost immediately.
"It hurts," Naruto whispered.
She gently removed the blond's hitai-ate, letting his golden locks shroud his tightly shut eyes and shadow his misery. It was useless anyway. Her fingers tenderly brushed and stroked his hair away from his sight and placed a soft kiss on the blond's forehead. "I know," Kushina murmured.
The small, warm contact burned Naruto's cold skin, but he didn't move. Kushina's gentle hands felt too good for his exhausted and troubled soul. It gave him the small relief he craved for.
Naruto's body equilibrated on the thin verge of reality and redeeming sleep as his troubled mind finally settled down. In a minute, he passed the delicate line to sink into a dreamless slumber: an escape from his haunting demons.
Warm arms wrapped around Minato from behind, and he immediately sank into the sweet and soft embrace. He didn't open his eyes to peer over his shoulder; Kushina's sweet, vanilla scent was unmistakable. A crimson tuft fell onto his shoulder, tickling his naked skin as it slipped down slowly on his bare arm, drawing goosebumps on its way. But strangely, it still felt pleasant. Minato welcomed this mirthful sensation in the dark and cold night.
It was the middle of August. The night was everything but chilly after the daytime's heat-wave. Even so, the blond had still been freezing under the bedsheet. It came from his inside, and Kushina's presence finally offered him the warmth he yearned for so much.
"How is Toroku?" he whispered softly.
"Asleep." She placed a soft kiss on the back of his neck and edged as close to him as close she could from her round tummy. "But this was only because of his rampage at the training ground. I think some genin teams will curse his mother's name. It will take ages and a lot of D-ranked missions to shake it back to it's previous form," Kushina tried to joke, but Minato's lips formed only a mocking shadow of a real smile. It was so forced that the redhead could feel it, even if she wasn't able to actually see it.
"I had to put Kakashi under a genjutsu to finally calm him down," Minato muttered into his pillow, and Kushina's gentle arms squeezed him reassuringly.
"I'm so sorry, Minato." Kushina exhaled softly and edged even closer to her husband. But she received no answer. Her brows furrowed when Minato's muscles tensed in his back against her chest. "Look at me, Minato," she asked softly.
The Hokage defiantly shook his head, not caring about the nudging feeling at the back of his head where Kushina's eyes were locked on his golden crown; he stubbornly refused to face his wife.
But with time, his stubbornness broke. He needed her. The fearless Hokage gradually shifted in the soft bed to face with her, revealing his silent tears as they were traveling down on his cheeks. The wet lines vividly glittered in the faint light.
"I'm sorry, Minato," Kushina murmured, and her arms immediately wrapped around him, and Konoha's Yellow Flash snuggled inside the offered embrace like a child seeking comfort from his mother. Kushina gently stroked his shaking back, desperately trying to give some redemption to her husband.
After a while, Minato finally gathered himself. He couldn't stand the silence anymore. He opened his mouth, his voice cracking as his throat was still sore and dry. "The missing nin wasn't alone. The team found his partner. We know what happened only because of him. They both went after Rin, but that guy fell into a leftover trap from the war. The other left him there to die alone." Minato's brow furrowed. "The other, who had killed Rin… He was butchered. Someone or something had torn him into shreds."
Kushina let out a shaky breath. "He deserved it."
An oppressive silence loomed for a moment before Minato shifted in her embrace.
"I'm leaving after the funeral. The team reported something strange, and I want to see it with my own eyes. I won't be back for a week. I have to know what happened there."
A deep frown appeared on Kushina's fine features. But she didn't make any comment, nor question her husband. If she had the right to know, he would tell her with time. So she inched closer to her man and wrapped her body around Minato to offer him as much comfort as she could. And also to receive her own from her loved one as this time, it was Kushina's turn to finally mourn for her lost friend.
It was a better day for a wedding than a funeral. The summer's hot wave was unmerciful and ignorant about the sad event. The hot beams happily danced on the people's black dress who gathered to say their final farewell.
The ceremony was short and moderate like every shinobi's. There was no need for a big ado. Her picture gently smiled from the black frame at the people who came to remember her. There were no big piles of flowers, nor fancy bouquets. The people were silent as they paid their tribute to their fallen comrade.
When the ceremony finally ended, the rest of the closest friends gathered inside the Hokage mansion. Soon, they also dropped out. Only Kushina, Minato and the remaining members of her previous team were left behind. They silently sipped their drinks around the dining table, occasionally one of them disturbing the stillness with one or two stories about the girl whose name was Rin Nohara. The promising medic, the reliable teammate, the talented kunoichi and the kind person she was. Jiraiya was the first to leave the small group, and gradually, both Minato and Kushina retreated to clean up the remains of the burial-feast.
Naruto had been clinging to the same cup of lukewarm sake the toad sage had shoved into his hands during the first toast. Two exhausted eyes drifted toward his withdrawn future sensei. Kakashi hadn't said a single word since his outburst. From what he had heard from Minato, Kushina dragged him from his apartment and shoved him into one of the guestrooms. No one should have been alone in a time like this. Never.
The young teen, no older than fourteen, looked at least a decade older to Naruto. And he seemed definitely broken. Dark rings settled below his only visible eye, and his gaze was foggy as it emotionlessly stared at his own cup of tea that he had been holding since Naruto got his cup of sake.
Before Naruto could dive further into his mind, Kakashi's raspy and shaky voice interrupted his line of thought. "I'm going to join ANBU."
Naruto didn't reply. He didn't know what he could say to the broken boy. But Kakashi, thankfully, didn't want any answer from him. He just wanted to tell it to someone and get rid of the small burden. Naruto already knew this would happen. Kakashi… no… his Kakashi had told him that he was in ANBU for years. It was his desperate escape from reality after Rin's death. He buried his emotions and his thoughts under those years in ANBU.
Kakashi interrupted Naruto's thoughts once again. "You're the first one I've told. The commander approached me after Obito's death, but I had declined it back then. I had to protect Rin." An ironic, empty chuckle bubbled out under Kakashi's mask. It was so hollow that Naruto almost flinched when it echoed back once. "But I guess you nor Minato nor Jiraiya are indigent for my protection. You're way above my league."
The silver haired boy seized the blond for a long second. His emotions suddenly overran his ink black orbs. "You are way stronger than me. I am not able to protect Minato or Kushina, but you are."
Naruto locked his gaze with his future sensei. The inky eyes desperately pleaded to him, and he was more than eager to remove some of the weight from Kakashi's shoulders. He could bear it. He could endure this for his sake. The blond made a determined nod. "I won't let my friends die. I promise. And I don't go back on my word."
Kakashi observed the teen for a moment before he nodded and let out a relieved sigh, averting his gaze to stare out the window. The tension in his muscles visibly lessened, and they stayed in silence for long minutes. Kushina's faint voice slipped into the room as she chatted with Minato. The soft tinkling of the cutlery and the running water dimly reached Naruto's sensitive ears.
"The night Rin had died..." Kakashi softly murmured, "... I saw something when I was asleep. I first thought it was a dream, but it felt so real. The pain—" Kakashi's hands clenched onto his black shirt above his heart, his voice faltering, and his eye was shining with the first wave of fresh tears.
Naruto's muscles tensed as Kakashi's hands released his clothes to travel toward his forehead protector to rub the cold surface of the silver insignia.
"Did something happen to your sharingan?" Naruto asked in a hushed tone, and Kakashi immediately stiffened. The Hatake slowly turned toward the blond and shot him a suspicious, demanding gaze.
However, Naruto didn't care about the teen's demanding eyes, slowly raising his right hand toward Kakashi's face. The teen's muscles tensed until the breaking point as the fingers inched closer and closer to him while the blond's expression stayed strangely hollow. Kakashi's eye widened when the blond slipped a cold finger under the soft fabric of his hitai ate. He immediately grabbed the arm to restrain him from any further movement. An ink black, wide and confused eye stared into emotionless, cerulean blue ones. They held their gaze for unending seconds, maybe minutes. But it could have been easily more as the time seemed to pause around them.
Goosebumps rose under Kakashi's attire as his always covered eye suddenly connected with the fresh air that slipped under the fabric through the tiny gap made by Naruto's finger.
"Let me take a look," Naruto exhaled in a dull, but still demanding tone.
Kakashi eyed the boy in front of him suspiciously, but his grip loosened on his wrist with time until he finally released it and let his arms drop into his lap. The blond paused for a second like he wasn't really sure himself if he wanted to see what was under it. But his gaze hardened, and he gradually pushed the forehead protector up to reveal a closed eye. The scar was still pink despite the medical treatment and the long time it had to heal. It would still take months until the scar would whiten and years more for it to not stand out viciously from his skin. But it would never fade perfectly. Kakashi had to face with the ever present reminder of Obito's death every time he looked into a mirror without his forehead protector.
A cold shiver crawled up on Kakashi's spine as the summer's hot air suddenly felt chilly against his exposed skin. "Open it," Naruto said with a low, commanding voice.
This time, Kakashi obeyed without hesitation. His eyelids slowly parted, revealing an all too familiar pattern.
A lonely tear ran down from Kakashi's revealed eye. Maybe it was because of his previous thoughts, or maybe it was only because the air irritated it. A vicious crimson iris greeted Naruto as he traced back the thin, wet line on Kakashi's face. Three stretched, ink black triangles stood out from the ruby background, and Naruto couldn't shake off the feeling that, despite the fact that they were motionless, his eyes slowly whirled like a pinwheel in a child's innocent hands.
A memory flashed inside his mind: that last stabbing glare Obito had given him before he died. That look had haunted him for months. It was filled with hatred, but deep down, it was also desperate. The black haired man had realized something important in the last moment. It was regret.
"It started," Naruto muttered with a dark and hollow voice. It was so emotionless and unusual from the blond that Kakashi couldn't ignore the sudden need to have some space between him and the blond. He inched backward, immediately covering his eye.
"What started?" Kakashi asked with a demanding voice. However, Naruto either didn't hear him or didn't care about his question. The blond rose from his seat and turned to leave the room, but he stopped at the opened window.
"You should deactivate it. It constantly drains your chakra that way. Go to Fugaku and ask for his advice. He will help."
"What started?" Kakashi stubbornly repeated his question, but Naruto just gave him one empty look over his shoulder before he jumped out of the window to disappear in the long shadows.
"Yes. It's started," purred an identical voice to Naruto's in his mindscape. However, instead of the blond's sunny voice, it was dark. A copy of the blond emerged from the treeline to lean against a hollow osier tree. His footsteps creaked on the withered grass and the dead leaves that had fallen from the once sound and majestic plant. It still struggled for it's life, but it was on the verge of dying.
A threatening snarl stabbed through the flora where Kurama paced up and down like a real fox would do behind the bars of a cage.
But it didn't concern Naruto's dark copy. He flung his head backward and let out a booming laugh.
Jiraiya peered into Minato's narrowed blue eyes. His gaze was glued on the blond's troubled expression who slowly parted his mouth to lick his suddenly dry lips before he talked. "Repeat it once more."
If Jiraiya wasn't equally troubled, he would feel annoyed. But he was also just as confused as his student. "I planted a spy in Rain just as you wished. It was hard for her to sneak inside, and it took her a damn lot of time to infiltrate the village and blend into the community. She ran a small hotel in the capitol."Jiraiya shut his mouth, and the muscles in his jaw tightened before he continued. "She reported that Danzou has fled to Ame, and the people whisper that he is negotiating with Hanzou."
Jiraiya closed his eyes and let out a breath to calm himself down, his expression slowly relaxing as the gathered pressure lessened inside his coils. "I had also received a message through her from Uchiha Shisui. That boy is very smart for a midget. Danzou and the group slept there a week ago, and that ANBU somehow recognized her. He slipped this message into her pouch."
The toad sage raised his hand, a small scroll trapped inside. "With the anticipation of your consent, I decoded it myself. Danzou has sided with Hanzou the Salamander, and they will meet with a slowly growing organization next Friday at eleven near Amegakure no sato. Shisui didn't know the exact location, only the time. He will send us further information after the meeting is done. A bunch of kids have stood up against Hanzou, but they're slowly becoming a pain for the salamander, so he decided to get rid of them. They call themselves Akatsuki. And Danzou seems to think he will gain an ally for his plans. He's planning to come back to Konoha and get your seat by force with a coup."
A shadow twitched under Minato's window, carefully hidden from the unwanted eyes. A deep frown was plastered on its features as the being concentrated on the discussion above with every nerve. When Jiraiya started to talk about another matter, the shadow flickered a finger on a seal carved under one of the tower's uncountable tiles. In the next moment, their conversation muffled as the small opening on the privacy seal closed.
With a blur of his golden hair, Uzumaki Naruto raced toward his room to grab his backpack and head toward the village hidden in the rain.
However, it was a very bad choice, since Jiraiya wasn't finished. He just paused, letting his eyes observe his student a little more before he braced himself and cleared his throat. "There's something more. My spy in Kusa spotted an Uchiha."
Minato stiffened, and his eyes narrowed instantly. "There shouldn't be anyone there from the clan."
"Yeah, I know," Jiraiya whispered into the room. "I have to leave the village for a few weeks to contact my people. We need more information."
The Hokage slowly nodded, and the white haired man disappeared from the office after one last glance at the motionless leader. Minato locked his gaze on the horizon, his azure eyes glued on the people of Konoha. Minato inched closer to the edge and leaned his forehead on the window, resting it on the cold surface in the hope that it would calm his burning thoughts. No one heard his whisper as it left a thin sheet of fog on the window. "Toroku's Uchiha wasn't Orochimaru."
Dozens of shinobi stood in a straight line at the top of a long cliff, peering down at two desperate men. A small group was dressed in Konoha's ANBU gear while the rest were wearing the attire of a different village. A hitai-ate shined in the dim cloudlight with four engraved lines, the stylized symbol of the never-ending rain of the area. An eternally cold rain poured on their already soaked clothes, flowing between the layers until it finally reached their bones.
Each of them tensed their muscles, ready to attack while the rain flowed immortally from the thick, gray clouds which shrouded the azure blue sky. Nothing could be heard in the landscape, only the dripping rain, the accelerating heartbeats and the raspy breathing from the bottom of the canyon.
A blue haired woman sucked in a breath as a man violently tossed her, and a kunai closed the distance between him and her neck. It threateningly drew a thin red line as it nicked her soft skin.
A deep voice boomed into the silence, and it clearly echoed inside the canyon, not muffled by the thing he wore; his lower face was mostly obscured by a helmet-like respirator. "Yahiko, as the leader of this gang, you will die here today. If you don't, this girl will get it."
With a quick nod, a kunai flew toward the two men inside the canyon to pierce the soft mud in front of a thin man. "You with the red hair. Use this to kill him! If you do, I'll let this girl free." Hanzou shook Konan once more to give weight to his previous words, not caring that the kunai was still close to the girl's throat.
"DON'T, NAGATO! Don't worry about me! You two get out of here!" The kunoichi desperately shot out from the iron grip. Her eyes pleaded to every Kami on and above earth in the hope that he would obey. But deep down, she had already knew that no such help would come to her.
Muscles tensed until the breaking point in the shadows of a cliff. With will above a normal human, Uzumaki Naruto forced himself to wait until he could strike and flee without using anything that would reveal his real identity. If he was forced to use any of his special moves, he would be doomed. Danzou and the others would recognize the source, and that would be…'Troublesome'. A small smile appeared on his face, and he glanced back to his motionless clone who had been meditating and gathering as much energy from nature as he could manage during their minimal time. He traveled for a week with insane speed with minimal rest, but he still arrived late. He was supposed to prevent the whole meeting and not let himself to be seen by Danzou or Hanzo nor by their troops.
His brows furrowed as he spied the one eyed leader of Root. When Nagato had told him this story, the warhawk hadn't been present. But it seemed that Danzou was desperate enough to personally attend. His azure eyes drifted to the aging man's right where a short boy with a crow mask warily observed the blue-haired girl.
Naruto's teeth squeezed together when Nagato hesitantly leaned for the kunai to shakily grab the soaked barrel.
Nagato couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything. His senses dulled, the noise of his own raspy breathing not reaching his brain, uncannily similar to the oddly loud sound of his drumming heart not reaching his ears. The only thing he could feel was the ice cold surface of the kunai in his hand.
His purple eyes just stared into the nothingness for a long second, but they immediately flung toward the side when he saw an orange blur at the edge of his vision. A soft, warm and familiar hand grabbed his own wrist, forcing it to move to a direction he didn't want it to. Time suddenly stopped as the ice cold blade met with its target, and the kunai moved further and further into the flesh. The blade suddenly became warmer, and in the farthest part of his weary brain, Nagato could feel as hot liquid flowed onto his own shaking hands, soaking and warming up his fingers around the barrel of the weapon.
The echo of a painful hiss could be heard inside the canyon, but it was almost immediately replaced with irritated swearing, kicking Nagato out from his temporary stasis. He slowly turned his head and desperately tried to focus his eyes to meet with the wide and surprised blue eyes of Yahiko, staring at the other side of him. The red-haired man slowly turned his head to the side, tracing his friend's sight where a grimacing browned-haired boy stood.
"Could you release the kunai? It hurts like hell," he muttered with an annoyed tone.
Nagato blinked in his surprise and gradually glanced down at his own hands where a second ago, he would have sworn it tore into Yahiko's flesh. Instead of finding a bloody stomach, the stranger's scarlet stained hand gripped the blade of the kunai, restraining it while his other hand was holding Yahiko farther from the knife.
The redhead flinched a step backward and immediately released the weapon. It reached the soaked surface of the ground with a loud splash, the remains of the crimson liquid already coloring a small puddle reddish under their feet where it dripped.
Yahiko and Nagato stared at the stranger with wide eyes and disbelief written all over their faces while the young man in front of them only shook his bloody hand, continuously mumbling something incoherent. He seemingly wasn't in pain despite the weapon having cut his palm wide open. He looked just annoyed and irritated. The redhead narrowed his eyes on the chocolate brown , they were fixed on the strangely shaped pupils. They were horizontal like a amphibian's. He could feel a thin layer of warm chakra all over the face of the stranger, the obvious trace of a henge.
A distant and painful moan shook them out from their small word, and the three men immediately flung their heads toward the source. Hanzou was obviously angry as well as the one eyed warhawk.
"You ruined my plans, stranger. You made a big mistake. I don't like when someone encroaches into my game." The named stranger only folded his arms in front of his chest, painting his clothes crimson where his hands connected with the fabric. His eyes traveled along the long line of shinobi standing above them, pausing for a second on the smallest one with the crow mask next to Danzou. They were ready to attack at the smallest sign.
The stranger then just shrugged in the end before, faster than anyone could see, slamming his hands onto the ground. Almost immediately, an electrical sparkle could be heard all over the field, and dozens of elite fighters struggled under the lightning chakra coming out from the wet ground on both sides of the two leaders. However, to one shinobi's surprise, behind Danzou, the jutsu carefully avoided him. The attack didn't last long, only for a brief second, but it was enough to knock out most of the shinobi while the others obviously struggled to stay conscious or on their feet.
The stranger straightened himself, carefully observing the remaining opponents for a long, tensed second. Hanzo harshened his grip on the stunned kunoichi in his arms and readied his muscles to slice her throat open with the kunai still in his hands if the boy even twitched.
Nagato immediately stiffened together with Yahiko, but the stranger did nothing. The boy tilted his head to the side and observed the scene silently for another long second until a wide and satisfied grin spread across his face.
Then, the ground simply exploded under Hanzou's feet when a copy of the stranger jumped out from the soft soil and grabbed the kunoichi out from his hands. They gracefully landed beside the two comrades, Yahiko immediately taking care of the kunoichi and sending a thankful glance toward the stranger. A harsh voice echoed around the small team as Shimura Danzou spoke for the first time after he surveyed his remaining troops.
"Who are you?"
The stranger tilted his head to the side again, eyeing the man for a neverending moment before a large grin appeared on his face, his golden eyes sparkling with a cheeky glow. "The Hero. Who else?"
Danzo took a step forward, hostility practically seeping through his skin. "You are a powerful shinobi. We can be useful to each other."
A strange noise left the stranger's lips, close to a chuckle as if Danzou had just made a joke. "I don't think we would get along, jerk."
Danzou dangerously narrowed his eyes, observing every movement on the stranger's face, every twitch of his muscles. The way he carried himself, the way he stayed stoic even in this desperate situation in front of them. The confidence and power he was radiating.
The two leaders made a quick glance at each other, and a silent unity formed in that mere second. Most of their troops were down, and that man over there was too powerful. "We're leaving," Danzou stated with an emotionless voice. However, if looks could kill, the boy would've been dead by then.
"I'll be watching you," the boy warned them and narrowed his eyes. His pools drifted toward Shisui for a second and slowly lowered his head. A small nod. A simple movement, what everyone else would just toss to the side. But for the kid, it told everything that he needed. An ally from Konoha.
With this, the remains of the two groups slowly melted away, withdrawing into the shadows where they came from without any further words.
A relieved sigh left the stranger, and his composure relaxed as he turned around with a wide grin on his face. "So guys, have you got a warm and dry place where we can talk?"
The still stunned Yahiko only nodded, his mouth slightly open, before he turned around and took the lead.
Questions burned the insides of Nagato. He was confused. Curious. But the four of them walked silently toward their hideout. The redhead fixed his gaze on the stranger's back while he casually and cheerfully marched behind Yahiko. Konan slowly opened her mouth to finally break the silence, but without turning around, the stranger simply raised his hand and shook his head. "A little bit later, Konan."
The kunoichi's mouth fell open, and she shared a confused glance with Nagato. The small team walked for another half hour in complete silence, each of them buried inside their own thoughts while the stranger just crooned something cheerfully until they finally reached their hideout carved into the hard stone of a canyon.
Suspicious glances followed them as the group passed several curious shinobi and finally settled down into a bigger chamber. The blond stranger had taken a look around and took out a small paper tag from his pouch. When he channeled a small amount of chakra into the piece of paper, all of them felt like they were submerged underwater. The noises behind the wooden door became numb, and the air ruffled oddly around them.
The stranger settled down on one of the chairs. Then, his eyes turned toward Yahiko. An odd curiosity sparkled in his eyes while his golden orbs observed him carefully from head to toe. "You can ask now."
It was the orange haired leader who asked the question that had been hovering around everyone's mind. "Who are you?"
The stranger made a wandering face before it moved to several other expressions, ranging from annoyed, impassive, sullen, and ending on surrender. It was like he was having a silent conversation, or most likely a vehement argument, with someone. And he had lost it. In the end, he just shrugged.
"I had to help you to prevent a chain of events which should never be happening…and my name is Naruto."
Nagato narrowed his eyes, observing the boy in front of him with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. It was the same odd name from Jiraiya's book. It was strange how he said it. It wasn't just a simple introduction. It sounded like he was offering much more wit revealing his name than that. An offering of trust.
"What events?" Konan took a step forward, her eyes mirroring only curiosity. Nagato glanced around. It was strange. Neither Konan's nor Yahiko's eyes showed suspicion. But still... using a name from Jiraiya's book was more than suspicious for him. It was manipulative.
The boy didn't answer immediately, his eyes locked on the empty table in front of them before it moved to pierce Nagato's purple irises. "The rinnegan could be a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands."
The redhead eyed him for a long moment, his brows furrowed. "We don't know you. The meeting was kept secret between only the three of us. How did you know about it?"
Naruto made a face like he was looking for words. "Let's just say, we've got a mutual friend who had told me about it."
"Who?" Nagato pushed further.
"You wouldn't believe me, and it doesn't matter anyway." Naruto shrugged again.
"Try us. Maybe we will believe it."
Yahiko took a step forward to weight his previous words, but the stranger's eyes were still locked on Nagato. Up until now, Naruto's attention was glued on the rinnegan wielder, despite the fact that Yahiko was the leader of the gang. "Let's say it was my sensei, but it would still not be entirely true."
A frown appeared on the leader's face. "Don't misunderstand me, I'm grateful for your help. You saved both Konan and I. But why should we trust you? You just appeared from nowhere with a false name, with a false appearance, and you ask us to trust in you? "
"Yes." His voice was calm, which stroked their inners like a mother's hand while Naruto slowly straightened himself. Then, suddenly, a sulking expression appeared on his face. "And Naruto is my real name."
The stranger's muscles tensed, his previous expression hardening. The mood twisted around him, as this time, his eyes were serious. "I came here to warn you."
Yahiko narrowed his eyes and stepped in front of Naruto "Warn about what?"
The boy closed his eyes, his muscles tensing even more, and the henge slowly dispersed. Yahiko flinched a step back when the golden eyes switched with piercing azure blue orbs. The chestnut hair disappeared, and golden, spiky locks took its place. The flawless skin on his face was replaced with three whisker marks on each of his cheeks.
Ame had been isolated for years since the Second Shinobi war, but rumors still reached them, rumors about a fighter with that same golden, spiky hair and piercing cerulean eyes, rumors that told them to run for their lives if they met with a man from Konoha.
"You are the Yellow Flash."
Naruto tilted his head to the side with a strange expression, then flung his head backwards. His loud and childish laughter filled the room in a blink of a second, and it stayed there for a pregnant minute. When it finally died down and the stranger collected himself, the blond shook his head and waved a hand to the puzzled leader.
"Close, but not true." The blond gathered his expression, his previously childish face moving into a serious look once again. "Konan, Nagato and Yahiko, leader of the Akatsuki. If a man in a mask appears with a man who looks like an aloe vera, do not listen to him."
Yahiko narrowed his eyes and held out a hand to stop Konan, who already opened her mouth to talk. "Why?"
"Because they— Because that bastard will—" The shinobi closed his eyes for a second, a rollercoaster of feelings falling from his face. A second later, he shook off his swaying emotions and braced himself. His words echoed confidently. "Because you're all seeking real peace. But the peace he will offer is false. Nothing else, just the deceit of reality. If you stand in with him, you will bring destruction to the shinobi world."
Oppressive silence fell onto the room by the heavy words. Tension gathered around them, thick and sticky with the promise that if someone tried, the pressure could be palpated with their bare hands.
"You were talking about Uchiha Madara," Yahiko stated calmly, his voice knifing through the previous silence.
Naruto immediately froze, and the blood ran out of his face. In the next second, anger rose inside his chest, bubbling and eating away his mind like acid. Azure blue eyes suddenly glowed in a brilliant crimson color while chakra flames started to flicker on his trembling shoulders, flipping from gold to orange from time to time. His voice boomed inside the room, leaving an odd aura where it connected with the walls to echo back a millisecond later. "He is here?" He pressed the words out through gritted teeth.
Yahiko tilted his head to the side, observing the boy in front of them. He could feel distantly as Konan's body started to tremble with the rhythm of the flipping chakra flames, but she still inched closer to him to position herself between him and the unknown force. Nagato also tensed, ready to attack and defend them if he had to. The leader narrowed his eyes and forced his voice to sound as calm as possible in the strain around them. "He was, but he left."
Naruto growled, and the golden flames slowly started to fade away from his frame. A heavy breath left his mouth.
Yahiko narrowed his eyes until they were only slits. That sheer power which appeared just then was unbelievable. It was warm like a sunny day during summer that he had experienced only once in his life when he was just a boy, heartwarming like the sunbeams he had yearned to experience once again in his homeland. But he was also sure in one thing now: if he had wanted them dead, they already would've been.
The leader made his decision. "He was here a week ago, talked to us about joining our forces, but I refused."
"Did he say anything about when he'd be coming back?" Naruto's voice was strained.
Yahiko didn't answer, just watched their new companion for a silent moment before he shook his head. "No." The stranger's shoulders slumped.
"He told me that—" Three heads flung in Nagato's direction, causing the man to flinch back in surprise before he resumed. "He told me he'd be waiting for me every day at the same time in the same place. He was really there every day for the next four days. But three days ago, he told me that he'd be back at the end of October."
Naruto closed his eyes while covering them with his trembling hand, his anxiety almost seeping from his pores. He desperately shook his head, muttering something under his breath. Then, his head snapped to the side as his harsh voice broke the silence. "I know, Kurama! Don't lecture me! I know he's preparing for my birth!" The blond boy suddenly stiffened and spread his fingers to sneak a peek at his companions. He offered an embarrassed smile while scratching his cheek childishly "I said that out-loud, didn't I?"
Nagato take a step closer. "What did you mean by that?"
"Eh, nothing. It's a long story. Maybe one day I'll tell you everything. Really." Naruto let out a sigh and ran his hand through his golden locks. He was obviously tired and troubled. "I'm sorry. I have to go now."
"Who are you?" Nagato took another step toward Naruto, his purple eyes narrowed and demanding.
"I already told you, my name is Naruto," he repeated.
The redhead only shook his head. "No. Who are you really? What is your true purpose here?"
The blond teen tilted his head to the side with a wondering look which then turned into a sad smile. It slowly morphed into something else. His gaze hardened, and his electric blue eyes pinned Nagato to the ground.
"I am the one who will bring peace. I am the one who'll break the circle of hatred. I am the saviour."
How arrogant... Yahiko mused silently, his brow furrowing in disapproval. The gang-leader's eyes traveled toward the pools of icy blue, and he suddenly recognized the emotion.
It wasn't arrogance as he first thought. It was determination with the strength to move mountains.
And Yahiko, leader of the Akatsuki, bowed to his determination.
The bar was crowded with civilians. People joked, sang, and shouted at each other while the smell of tobacco, cheap sake, and junk food filled the air. Two figures sat next to the counter, one of them slowly slurping his ramen while the other ran his eyes through the crowd, scrutinizing every single man and woman for a short period. A grimace appeared behind the dark mask which had managed to shroud most of his face while leaving only his obsidian eyes and short brown locks visible. After a moment, he also turned back to the counter to lean against his palm.
"We should have headed back straight to the village, Boss." The second man with chestnut hair and similarly colored eyes shrugged and took another slurp from his soup. If there were any shinobi around, he would recognize the thin layer of chakra on their features, the sign of a simple henge to hide their real identities. One of Uzumaki Naruto enjoying his meal and a clone for diversion.
"I was hungry. Don't complain." The clone with the mask let out a snort, then suddenly stiffened for a moment. If anyone had made a second glance on the man, they would have noticed that the obsidian black eyes morphed into brilliant red while six thick, black whisker marks appeared on his cheeks.
"We should hurry back before they find out that you just left a clone. And the only thing you could think of was your stomach. Again."
The browned haired man simply shrugged once more and ordered a second bowl. "Minato won't notice the difference. Even with a byakugan, they wouldn't be able to realize the difference between me and the clone I left behind Konoha. I pumped enough chakra to last for three weeks." A scowl appeared on his face suddenly. "What do you want? I told you I didn't want to talk for a while."
The masked man indifferently shrugged, but his red eyes suddenly widened and flickered to the side for a second. The pools slowly and sneakily wandered to the other end of the pub, locking on the bamboo wall for a second with a puzzled sparkle. Gears turned inside his skull, and finally, an odd, sly grin appeared behind the mask.
But his companion wasn't aware as all of his attention was glued on his steaming bowl. "Nothing serious. Thinking of trying out some sake. At least we're again in touch with Akatsuki after after so long."The brown haired man rolled his eyes and continued slurping his soup indifferently. "We're running out of time."
The brown haired man finally stopped. It took a long time until he replied in a low tone. "I know." The brown haired man let out a long sigh and put down his chopsticks to stare at the half-eaten ramen in his bowl.
"The Moon's Eye plan won't succeed without all of the bijuu. You need to get closer to Kushina during the childbirth. Use Minato's trust and strike during the labor. I'm sure he will allow you to be there. You can act as a guard, then strike. That is the only time when we have a chance, and he will be occupied with the childbirth." Red eyes locked on the man in front of him, observing him for a long silent minute until he finally glanced up and opened his mouth to reply.
"I know. I'll do what needs to be done."
"Don't let your emotions influence you. This has to be done. Don't try to reason, don't do anything other thanstrike.Your only chance is before he can touch the seal."
"I know. But Minato, Kushina…" He wanted to continue, but he failed. The browned haired man clenched his hands into fists, his joints becoming white by the restrain. "I already screwed up when I had the chance. I'll do it this time. I'll kill him." His voice died down, but not enough to call it a whisper. It was more of a rasp than anything else.
Naruto quickly dismissed the clone next to him and dropped the henge as soon he spotted the familiar wooden door of Konoha in the distance. He was glad that he knew the village like the back of his hand. The crack on the wall, his secret passage from his childhood, was still hidden behind a large bush. He hopped down next to the counter at Ichiraku without anyone noticing his arrival after he switched with and dismissed the clone that had been impersonating him for the last week. His peace wasn't long-lasting though. Within minutes, Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder, and the familiar chakra signature of his sensei filled his senses almost immediately.
"Can I join you, Toroku?"
A wide grin appeared on his fine features while he motioned toward the empty seat next to him. The stress and the burden of the upcoming events faded away a little by his company and by his wide smile.
"What's up, Jiraiya?"
"It's still Jiraiya-sensei for you, brat."
"Okay, okay. Jiraiya-sensei. So, how's your research pet project going?"
A grin appeared on the sannin's face while he settled down next to the teen. "Good. I already found a publisher who is interested in my new book."
"What will be the title?"
"It's Icha Icha Paradise."
Naruto only gave a wide grin in response while Teuchi put down a bowl of the steaming, fine food in front of him. "How was your last mission?"
Jiraiya grimaced. "Went well, despite a… rat."
Naruto made a slide glance while he sucked in a big pile of noodles, sending some droplets all over the counter. After one huge gulp, he raised a curious eyebrow while he dug deep into his bowl to fish out his next portion. "What rat?"
"It's a long story. When we get some time, I'll tell you about it."
Another loud slurp and the roll of noodles was gone. "I've got time." Naruto happily dug his chopstick into the steaming liquid to fish out a whirling fishcake and another, proper amount soft noodles.
The toad sannin inched closer. He eyed the teen for a long moment as he lost himself in his own small word. Just him and his ramen. Jiraiya leaned onto his palm casually. "How was the weather in Ame?"
"Don't even ask. The cold managed to seep into my bones. Windy, foggy and rainy." Naruto grimaced, but his mouth left open as he artlessly chewed his food.
"That was… very Narutoish. Congratulations." The fox's voice echoed within his mind, but strangely it didn't seem as satisfied or as smug as when he usually insulted the blond.
Then, Naruto's veins flooded with ice.
The chopstick froze in midair while a proper amount of noodles slipped back into the bowl, sending steaming droplets of hot soup everywhere. Another chakra signature appeared from nowhere behind his back. There were a familiar buzzing feeling in his father's seal just milliseconds before. But he didn't dare to even twitch his fingers when a familiar hand grabbed his shoulder. His father's hand, which always tapped him gently, which squeezed his shoulders with care and concern. It was now holding him firmly, the fingers painfully and threateningly digging into his flesh.
Naruto eyes slowly drifted toward his sensei whose warm expression had melted away from his face. The look in Jiraiya's eyes sent a freezing chill down Naruto's spine. What he found there in those eyes made his own azure blue orbs to slip to the side. His once sensei's gaze painfully stabbed the middle of his heart, shook him to the very core. Not even five seconds ago, they were warm and caring, but now… now, they were looking back at him with a glacial rage.
He heard a soft ruffle as his father leaned closed and blond locks brushed against blond locks. A second later, he could feel the man's breath on his earlobe before his hissing voice spoke accusingly.
"The game is over, boy. If you resist, I will kill you with my own hands. Understood?" The hair on his neck immediately started to stretch toward the sky as a shiver crawled up his spine.
A small, almost unnoticeable nod left Naruto's body while his mind struggled behind two instincts which had been carved deep into every human's core. His mind struggled between the instincts to attack or flee, but in his state, he couldn't decide. In the end, time gave him the answer.
He felt a sharp pain where his neck connected with his skull, and he embraced the rush of darkness like an old friend to flee from the situation.
"We are running out of time."
A shadow twitched in a corner, shrouded by a thick bamboo wall. A man in the middle of his forties flung his wide and horrified gaze toward his shoulder where a tiny green toad was hiding beneath his long white locks. His muscles tensed to the point it hurt, and his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles whitened from the strain. Inhuman anger rose from his core. The last shreds of his self-control were just barely restraining him from the bloody rampage he so desperately wanted. Disappointment rose above his rage, disappointment in himself, about his own judgment, about his own observation skills.
The small green toad had opened its mouth one more time, human voices coming from it. A voice which he had known for almost a year, the voice of a man who he trusted so much he handed over his own life into his hands.
There was a long hesitant pause before Jiraiya heard the almost inaudible reply. "I know."
Jiraiya's blood froze.
"The Moon's Eye plan won't succeed without all of the bijuu. You need to get closer to Kushina during the childbirth. Use Minato's trust and strike during the labor. I'm sure he will allow you to be there. You can act as a guard, then strike. That is the only time when we have a chance, and he will be occupied with the childbirth."
Another pause. "I know. I'll do what needs to be done."
"Don't let your emotions influence you. This has to be done. Don't try to reason, don't do anything other than strike.Your only chance is before he can touch the seal."
"I know. Minato, Kushina…" There was a choking sound, "I already screwed up when I had the chance. I'll do it this time.. I'll kill him." The voice died down until it was just the ghost of a whisper.
Jiraiya's teeth clenched together with such force that they threatened to crack. How could he have been so naive? So blind? How could he have misjudged this boy so direly? He would bring a new chance for a prophecy. Yeah. A new chance that the prophecy would never be fulfilled with the death of Minato.
The toad sage's muscles started to tremble, worry successfully masking his still rising fury that filled his chest. He slowly moved his head to the side and snuck a peak between the lines of the bamboo fence toward the two men at the counter who he bumped into half-an-hour ago accidentally.
He almost missed them. He was occupied with a black haired brunette behind the curtains of a small bar when a name caught his ears, and a familiar voice forced its way into the bar between the curtains. It was Toroku's voice for sure. The same tone, the same reactions, the same words he was so familiar with.
First, he was curious. Why was the blond boy here? Jiraiya had thought he was assigned on a mission by Minato. But when he spotted the boy wearing an almost perfectly masked henge while walking together with a stranger, he started to have doubts. Stealth and spying were his specialty, so he followed them into the bar and sent a small toad to hide in the shadows of the counter so that he could eavesdrop from a safe distance.
What he had heard squeezed his chest painfully. Toroku sought the deaths of Minato and Kushina. After a year since he had shown up. Why? Why he didn't show his real intentions during that period? Why didn't he strike then? He had gotten countless opportunities to kill them over the years, but he didn't. None of it made any sense! Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. They talked about Akatsuki, the same organization he had just received information about from his spy in Ame. They were a growing group, or most likely a gang, who were fighting against Hanzou. They wanted peace, an end to their nation's suffering. Jiraiya shut his eyes and squeezed his hands into fists while his mind raced through the overheard conversation once more.
"The Moon's Eye plan won't succeed without all of the bijuu."
Then the answer revealed itself so ruthlessly that he couldn't help but flinch. The birth…the seal…'Oh my God!' They want the kyuubi!'
With this one last thought, the toad sage disappeared from the small pub to head back to his village with speed enough to rival the Yellow Flash.
When Naruto woke, he found himself once again in the empty room with the two-sided mirror. He was secured to the same chair with the same leather shackles, and he could spot several paralysis seals on various— not to mention important— parts of his body.
He tried to move, but he couldn't feel his limbs. It was like… it was like they weren't even there. Even his innards were numbing as the suppression-seals burned around his torso. He could barely feel his once bottomless power, but the small amount he could still sense restlessly whirled inside him like it couldn't find its proper place in his coils.
In his desperation, he considered reaching out for Senjutsu or for Kurama's chakra, but he dismissed the idea in an instant. He didn't intend to do so. At least, not in the near future. He didn't put any effort to pay attention to his surroundings, nor to the room on the other side of the mirror. They would come soon anyway. He could sense his father's and Jiraiya's faint chakra signatures, while Minato's dim scent also lingered in the air around him.
Naruto stayed motionless for the next minutes in total silence. However, it could have easily been hours for all he knew. His sense of time was dulled by the numerous seals on his body. His head flung freely onto his chest, his mind surprisingly empty. He was waiting for something to happen or for somebody to show up and start to question him.
Finally, he slowly raised his head a little and sneaked a peak between his blond locks. He spotted a smaller, metal rolling shelf in the corner, similar to one that people would use to serve food. But Naruto doubted there were snacks under the brown sackcloth. He spotted several, ominous dark brown spots at the corner of the fabric, and a cold shiver ran up on his spine to raise the hair on his arms and the back of his neck. He let his head fall back onto his chest and forced down the sudden lump in his throat.
He didn't feel weary. He simply felt dead and betrayed. He had counted on the fact that that this would happen with time of course, but he thought Minato would first try to speak with him before he made a drastic step like this. And not to mention that he was so curious as to how on earth they know he was in Ame. He wasn't even angry at himself. It was still so shocking to him. It was a silly slip. Something only he would do. How could he have answered that question so casually? He didn't even notice the suspicious question. It was so natural. Chatting with Jiraiya and eating ramen made him lower his guard, and the Toad Sage had played him for a fool. So the words slipped between his lips by instinct.
Finally, the door's squealing sound kicked him out from his musings. He slowly lifted his head, only to have enough space between his bangs to catch a glint of the betrayed look on Inoichi's features as the man slowly walked closer to his slumped form. His golden locks hung freely onto his forehead without his Hitai-ate, which had probably been removed at the moment they knocked him out. Konoha would never willingly allow a traitor wear their insignia. He glanced up between his locks once more and lowered his head down again when Inoichi reached the chair next to him.
"I'm sorry," Naruto mumbled, but Inoichi either didn't hear or simply ignored him.
Without a warning or even a word, the interrogator placed his warm palm on his forehead. It would have felt soothing in the suddenly cold room, if Naruto hadn't known what was going to happen next.
There was a sudden and painful stab at the back of his head as Inoichi forcefully slammed against the defensive barriers of his mind.
Author's Note:
This chapter was dedicated to Esama's story Fox in the Rain. A shame it's not on the internet anymore. A luck that I got it on my hdd. :) So, if anyone needs it either google it, or shoot me a pm with your email address like this: something at gmail dot com (fanfiction likes to mess up e-mail addresses or links)
My answer is, yes. The time has come. :) :)
I had wrote most of this and the next chapters at the very beginning after publishing this story 1.5 years ago. When I decided to make it, I would have never ever thought that it would be this popular. So thank you for sticking with me for this period, and I hope you'll stay with me until the end because it's near now. I'll reach the end of this story in 100K words, I would assume in half a year. :) So thank you once again for every single comment, click, favs and follows. And thank you for every single pm poking and pushing me about when I'll update. :)
I love you guys!