Sasuke was not at all pleased with his second loss in as many days. Granted his pride had been salvaged somewhat this time by the fact that Naruto had managed to escape four jonin with about as much apparent effort as he'd used against Sasuke. Still, he never enjoyed being made a fool of. He should have simply attacked without warning. Things might have turned out differently with the benefit of surprise, and seeing as he was working with Orochimaru, he would have deserved it.
His problem had been drawing too much of a correlation between Naruko's situation and his own with Itachi. For starters, with Naruko as a sibling he could hardly blame Naruto if he didn't care what happened to her. But in all seriousness, Sasuke suspected that Naruto had been working for the snake from the start. He knew a little of Naruko's history of being brought to Konoha by the Yondaime.
She'd probably escaped from under Orochimaru's wing at that time even if she didn't realize it herself. So Naruto had been sent to try to convince her to return, but she'd turned him down and revealed his true motives at the same time. Sasuke just wished he'd been there to see his face when Naruto discovered that. It might have made up a little for being unable to stop his escape.
Now, as if reflecting on his humiliation wasn't bad enough, Asuma had shown up at his home and started lecturing him in front of his mother. As mortifying as that had been at times, at least there was some amusement in watching Asuma struggle to give him a tongue lashing while simultaneously refraining from letting any sensitive information slip out. He'd been going at it for a while now, and didn't show any signs of slowing yet, so amusement and embarrassment were both fading away into boredom.
"Are you even listening to me?" he asked angrily, having caught on to the fact that Sasuke had been zoning him out. "After what you did that takes a lot of nerve."
"As I understand it, he did it all for the sake of that Naruko girl," his mother interjected. "It all sound very sweet to me."
Whatever embarrassment he'd thought he'd inured himself to had just come back with a vengeance as Sasuke squirmed in reaction. Not that he ever appreciated it, but now was a particularly bad time for his mother's teasing. Still, it did serve the purpose of finally breaking Asuma's scowl as he chuckled a little instead. Then again that may have been worse considering it was Sasuke he was laughing at.
"Be that as it may," Asuma continued, trying to regain his former sternness with only some degree of success, "his actions aren't something that can just be dismissed. He may have ruined an important operation, and there will be consequences for that."
"Thank you Asuma, but I'll take it from here," Sarutobi-sensei declared, having somehow snuck in without anyone noticing.
"Fine," Asuma agreed. "Just don't be too soft on him."
"He's my student and I handle him however I want," the Sandaime snapped, before quickly calming himself again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out at you like that."
"Are you all right old man?" Asuma asked with concern, apparently finding his outburst as out of character as Sasuke did.
"I'll be okay, but thank you Asuma," Sarutobi told him. "Now walk with me, Sasuke."
Sasuke complied readily. If he was going to get another lecture, he'd prefer it be somewhere more private. They walked for a while in silence before they came to a stop in a small park that was currently empty.
"I'm sure you've already heard more than enough from Asuma about the importance of following orders," his sensei finally spoke. "Of course you'll have your pay docked and this will be added to your record, but that matter is the smaller issue as far as I'm concerned. I'm more worried about the motivation behind your actions."
"I wanted to hurt Orochimaru in any way possible," Sasuke admitted without reservation. "That should be reason enough for anyone."
"You don't think we planned to just ignore him, do you?" he asked Sasuke. "We had access to more information than you did and were doing what was best for the village. Would you have behaved the same if you knew it would lead to the deaths of innocent villagers?"
"Orochimaru causes death and despair on a massive level just as a course of living," Sasuke fired back, more than a little angry at the implication. "I find it hard to believe anything that hurts him isn't better for the village in the long run."
"You know that Orochimaru is a former student of mine," Sarutobi replied, "but what you may not realize is that he wasn't born a villain. When I began training him, he was no worse than you or I. In my years I've seen more than just him fall to depravity. I've long thought on it, and I've found one common aspect all of them shared, do you know what it was?"
"Enlighten me," Sasuke replied, curious despite himself.
"Their ties to the village were too shallow," he answered. "They walked many different paths. Some turned to anger and hate, others to apathy. Yet all of them began to care more for their own goals than the good of those around them."
"Even if you won't admit it, you know my brother cared deeply for the village, and he's a wanted man as well," Sasuke argued, taking no small pleasure in poking holes in his sensei's theory.
"We both know it wasn't his ties to the village that made him a missing-nin," he answered without missing a beat. "Besides, even if we end up enemies, I can't truly think anyone a villain whose actions are for the sake of another."
Sasuke didn't want to admit it, but he had a point. It was because Itachi cared too much for his clan that he pretended to be a traitor. Those at fault were the people he was trying to protect, and of course, Orochimaru. The one man Sasuke could never forgive.
"I know you think I'm starting down some dark path, and you're hoping this corny speech will make me see the light," Sasuke declared, deciding to cut to the point. "If it will get this over with, I'll admit that I wasn't thinking terribly of anyone else, or the consequences of my actions. That may have been a mistake, but all I really want is justice. You can worry all you want that my goal will somehow mystically turn me into the same kind of monster he is, but I will see that Orochimaru receives it."
"That might be difficult, considering he's already dead," Sarutobi replied, his voice and expression so conflicted that Sasuke couldn't bring himself to doubt them.
"What?" Sasuke asked floundering for a more eloquent response. "How? When?"
"He was killed earlier today by the very man you tried to stop from meeting with him," he answered. "Just imagine; if you had succeeded Orochimaru would still be alive. I figure that fact will make you think harder on the consequences of disobeying those who better understand the situation than any lecture Asuma can come up with."
Sasuke didn't know how to feel about that. He should be thrilled that justice was meted out, just as he'd wanted, but he couldn't help but feel cheated that it just happened without him being involved at all. It also brought up plenty of questions. Had he been wrong about Naruto working with Orochimaru, or had the two of them simply come into conflict over some point?
"Why did he kill him?" Sasuke queried. "Was that the plan all along? Was this just a big act?"
"You don't have the clearance to hear the full story," the old man replied. "But hopefully you've learned your lesson from your earlier actions and will keep what you think you know on the matter to yourself. There are plans within plans within plans that you don't know a thing about."
"And how am I supposed to know the right decision to make if you won't tell me what's really going on?" Sasuke growled, annoyed by the non-answer.
"You could just not worry about it so much," he told Sasuke. "You have plenty of time to concern yourself with such things in the future. You're young, with most of your life still ahead of you. Learn to live it a little. Find a hobby, make friends, fall in love. You have endless options available to you. Don't focus so completely on just one aspect of your life. You'll be happier if you do, and it's the best way to ensure you don't walk the same path Orochimaru did. Now, I won't make you suffer through my 'corny' speeches any further, so good luck with life."
What stupid advice. Sasuke was just glad his mother hadn't heard that lecture. He was certain she'd take his advice to heart and pester Sasuke endlessly about it. Still, Sasuke was a ninja. He didn't have time for friends or hobbies. He may have only lost to Naruko because he had been overconfident, but he had to admit that she was good. If he wasted time on useless matters, he might actually fall behind her. There was no way he wanted a loss to her that wasn't just a fluke. No, their next match would have a very different ending.
Ino and Sakura had finally managed to locate Naruko, having found her just wandering around town. Nor had locating their friend been the only result of their search, as they'd learned about Naruto's amazing escape from four jonin including Ino's own father. Their search had become somewhat more frantic at the point as they'd feared Naruto might target his sister as revenge for ratting him out, so they were greatly relieved to see her unharmed.
In fact, she looked much better than she had the last time Ino had seen her, although Ino couldn't be certain she wasn't just bottling her emotions up and hiding them now. Regardless, Ino had no shortage of questions she was dying to ask about everything that was going on.
"So, who exactly is Naruto anyway?" Ino asked the other girl, barely even waiting to exchange greetings. "I don't care whose son he is, no one gets good enough to do what he did living as a priest or monk or whatever he was."
"To be fair, I think he really did spend a lot of his life living in a temple," Naruko answered defensively. "There were just other parts of his life he kept to himself."
"What parts were those?" Ino pressed her. "Who trained him?"
"It's not like he told me all his secrets," Naruko answered about as meekly as she'd ever heard her speak.
"Well, start talking," Ino insisted, not at all pleased with the verbal runaround she was getting. "What exactly do you know? And why did you go to Shikamaru of all people instead of coming to talk with us?"
"Stop with the twenty questions already," Sakura cut in harshly. "Naruko doesn't need this after everything she's been through today."
Guiltily Ino realized that Sakura was right. She was still bothered by the fact that Naruko hadn't come to them. The only reason she could think of was that there was something she didn't want her friends to know, and it ticked her off that she would still wall herself off from them like that. Even so, that paled in comparison to rough times Naruko must have had these past few hours, so Ino could probably stand to give her a pass this time. Of course that didn't mean she'd given up on getting some answers, just that she'd be a bit less confrontational about getting them.
"Hey, Naruko!" Kiba called out loudly as he came running up with Akamaru right beside him. Turning around he called out back to where Hinata was following him. "I told you I'd find her. This nose can track anyone."
Ino was annoyed to be interrupted. Hinata being here was fine, but it was unlikely she'd get anything out of Naruko if she didn't chase Kiba off.
"So, did you hear the news about Naruto?" Kiba asked cheerfully, earning him a quick blow to the head from Sakura that sent him sprawling.
"Show a little consideration," Sakura told him angrily. "This is a sensitive topic."
Kiba muttered angrily to himself as he got back to his feet. It was quiet enough that Ino couldn't quite make out the words, but with what little she did catch, she had no doubt he would have earned himself a second blow if he'd spoken a little louder.
"Um, I don't know the details of what's going on," Hinata informed them, "but I don't think Kiba had any idea he was saying anything wrong."
"So, what is your news then?" Naruko asked clearly interested in what he might have heard.
"Well, I was just hanging around town when I noticed a couple of ANBU looking very agitated," Kiba began, eagerly spinning his tale now that he had an audience. "Interested, I casually made my way past them. They were whispering to themselves, but they must have been more worked up than I'd thought, because they should know better than to underestimate an Inuzuka's ear."
"Yeah, yeah, you were eavesdropping on people you shouldn't have been, get to the point already," Ino demanded impatiently.
"Okay, but don't be surprised if this blows you away," Kiba said, not deflated in the least as he continued to build up to his reveal. "Orochimaru is dead, and it was none other than Naruto who was behind it, with the help of that tokubetsu jonin chick from the Chunin Exams."
"Orochimaru is dead?" Naruko cried out in surprise, while Ino was still too shocked to speak.
Escaping a few jonin was one thing, but actually killing a man like Orochimaru, even if he did have some help from Anko? Just who exactly was Naruto?
"Maybe the whole thing was just a trap for Orochimaru?" Sakura suggested hopefully. "You know, fool his friends and make a scene so the whole thing is believable. If that's true, then he'll probably be back in the village in no time."
"I need to find out more details," Naruko told them starting to run off but not escaping before Ino grabbed her sleeve.
"You're not running off on your own again," Ino insisted, not about to allow any argument on the subject.
"Fine," Naruko said with a nod, "but let's get going."
Releasing Naruko, she followed after the other blonde as she hurried off. She'd expected at least a token protest. Maybe there was hope for their friend yet.
Minato was finally satisfied he'd done all he could to prepare against possible retaliation for Orochimaru's death. At least for now it appeared as if Kabuto were keeping his word. Those Minato had watching the Oto forces reported having spotted him in the camp, yet the foreign ninja had continued on their current path and would soon leave the Land of Fire completely. Now that he had a moment to catch his breath, it was time to meet with those responsible for this recent flurry of activity. At his command, Naruto and Anko were lead into his office.
"About time you spoke to us directly," Anko told him without the slightest hint of concern for her present situation. Not that expected otherwise from her. "I was getting tired of telling the same story over and over again. You'd think your men didn't believe me."
"They shouldn't," Minato replied. "I certainly don't. I'm supposed to accept that all of this was your idea? You didn't even know about his meeting with Orochimaru and Naruto had no reason to tell you. Sure you probably encouraged this once you got wind of it in the chaos, but that was after Naruto had already agreed to go over to Orochimaru. Don't think killing him makes all of that okay. You have no idea the problems you may have caused Konoha with that one action."
"Hey now!" Anko interrupted angrily. "You can call me a liar for everything else I said, but killing Orochimaru was all me. It was my idea and it was my hand that did it. I'm not about to let you take that away from me. And don't pretend for a minute this isn't the best thing that's happened for Konoha in years."
As much as he didn't appreciate the interruption, Minato couldn't exactly disagree with her assessment. Given they were all safely out of the village and being watched, Minato doubted even the worst possible reaction by the remaining Oto-nin could match whatever Orochimaru had been plotting. Sure there was potential diplomatic fallout as well.
Killing the leader of an 'allied' power wasn't looked brightly upon even in the ninja world. Still, Naruto wasn't actually affiliated with Konoha, and Anko was the man's former pupil with a known grudge against him. Even with the natural suspicion the other nations would have to any claims they made, it was quite likely they would believe they'd acted independently, especially if Oto didn't contest the claim. If all went well, they could have done Konoha a huge favor.
"Even if that's true, does that mean I'm supposed to trust him?" he asked Anko. "He's shown no real love for Konoha. He may not mean us any harm now, but will that last any longer than it takes the next psychopath to show up and offer him something he wants?"
"Look, I know you don't like me, and I'm a bit tired of this back and forth between us," Naruto told him, finally speaking up himself. "So if you want me gone, just say the word and I'll leave. I just came here hoping to learn a thing or two, but I doubt there's much hope of that anymore, so what's the point of even sticking around?"
"I'd like to discuss that very matter with you further," Minato replied to him, "but I'd like to do so alone. I have more to say to you as well Anko, but we'll continue that discussion later."
Anko visibly bristled at the dismissal, but for once didn't talk back, as she left the two men alone and closed the door behind her. Waiting until he was satisfied she'd actually left rather than try to eavesdrop he gathered his thoughts on the matter he wanted to discuss next. Namely Naruko. Minato knew his wife trusted the girl completely and without any reservation. That nature of hers was one of the things he loved about her. Minato, by contrast, couldn't eliminate that sliver of doubt, even if he'd kept that fact from Naruko.
If he analyzed the situation, it was highly unlikely she was anything but as loyal as she claimed to be. She was an amazing actor if she'd managed to fool him, and her actions in turning on her own creator strongly supported her loyalty. There was also the fact that Naruto didn't seem the overly malicious type to begin with, difficult as he was to wrap his mind around.
Here was a man who looked younger than him yet was centuries old. He was a legendary figure that was always portrayed as a pacifist thanks to his writings being completely devoid of violent techniques. Despite that, he had defeated a man as dangerous as Orochimaru in combat.
Naruto was still an enigma. He couldn't help but carry over some small portion of distrust for the man to Naruko. Perhaps this whole thing had been a plot just to make him trust girl, as unlikely as that seemed. There were any number of other disturbing possibilities that flitted through his mind, each more implausible then the last, but leaving their impact nonetheless.
All that said, there was one thing it didn't change in the least. He cared for the young girl who'd become a part of Konoha and later his team. Even if she did end up betraying the village, he doubted that would ever change completely, a theory supported by the Sandaime's own reaction to Orochimaru's death. Which brought him to the main issue he wanted to address.
"What are your intentions toward Naruko given that she informed us of your plan?" Minato asked him sharply.
"That was her?" Naruto replied, sounding genuinely surprised. "I mean I suppose there wasn't anyone else who could have. I just kept toying with the idea you'd spied on our conversation somehow because I couldn't fully believe she was capable of it."
"Because you created her to be your tool?" Minato asked more than a little bitterly. "You may not have realized it, but she's grown to be her own person."
"Yeah, she must have," Naruto agreed. "But even now it's hard to see how that happened. Just how much did she tell you?"
"I know you're far older than you appear to be," Minato answered, "and that it really was you, rather than your father that I chased out of town more than once. Now answer the question. What are your intentions?"
"I won't promise you there won't be harsh words exchanged," Naruto told him. "I admit I'm not very happy about having my trust betrayed and my secrets revealed. On the other hand, if you're worried I'm going to kill her or something, don't be. That's not my style."
"If so, then you can stay," Minato informed him.
"What?" Naruto asked. "You've been looking for any excuse to get rid of me, and now that you have the perfect one you're letting me stay?"
"That was when I feared you might be working with Orochimaru," Minato clarified. "I have a better understanding of your motivations now. I may worry that you'll be manipulated into helping our enemies, but that's all the more likely if you're away from Konoha where it's easier for them to meet with you. I could throw you into a cell and let you rot for a while, but I'm showing some consideration for the fact that even when attacked you've never seriously attempted to harm anyone. Besides, as old as you are, even a couple of decades in prison might not mean much to you, but I doubt it would endear you to Konoha."
"I appreciate the hospitality," Naruto answered, "but as I said before I'm not even sure I want to stick around."
"I won't shed any tears if you do leave," Minato assured him, voice turning cold, "but stay or go, if you so much as try to harm Naruko, or anyone else in the village as an act of vengeance, I will hunt you down myself and see that you don't live to regret it."
"I already told you, that won't be a concern," Naruto replied dismissively. "Now is there anything else you need from me?"
"No," Minato answered. "You can go."
Minato didn't like having to be as harsh as he'd just been with Naruto, but he just didn't know how else to deal with the man at the moment. He didn't hate Naruto or anything; the man was just a powerful unknown factor who'd taken an interest in Konoha. Still, he'd meant every word in his final threat. He may give him the benefit of the doubt, but that would be gone the instant he tried to harm anyone Minato cared about.
After they'd confirmed the truth of Kiba's claim and discovered Naruto was back in the village, it had taken everything Naruko had to convince the other genin to let her meet with Naruto alone. Now she'd located him, but hadn't yet worked up the courage to actually address him as he walked back toward his home.
She knew she needed his help if she were to survive, but considering how they'd last parted and what she'd done since then, Naruko wasn't looking forward to the conversation at all. Maybe it would be better to wait a few days and let everything blow over. On the other hand, she was also dying to know what had happened regarding the jutsu Naruto had hoped to learn from Orochimaru.
While she was still trying to decide what to with Naruto, someone else made their presence known to him. Someone who was wearing the standard Akatsuki uniform. Naruko stayed hidden, deciding to watch how this unfolded. If Naruto threw his lot in with another criminal organization the minute he'd cleared up the Orochimaru thing, she didn't know what she'd do to him, but it wouldn't be pretty.
For the third time since Naruto arrived in Konoha he found his way blocked by Uchiha Itachi. The man certainly didn't seem to have any trouble finding him when he wanted to, much to Naruto's dismay. This was about the last thing he needed right now.
"You can just leave me alone," Naruto called out without waiting to hear from him. "I just got burned trying to make a deal with Orochimaru. I'm not in the mood for trying my luck again today."
"I suggest you at least hear us out before you make a decision," Itachi replied. "You must be curious how we know so much about you. Follow me and you'll have the answer to that and many other questions."
Itachi started to depart without even waiting for Naruto's answer, a fact that annoyed him considerably. Still, he had to admit that he had more than a passing curiosity as to what Akatsuki wanted with him. Nor were they likely to give up just because he didn't go along with them today. Growling a bit to himself took off after Itachi. He sensed Naruko still following behind him continuing the sort of hiding sort of not hiding thing she'd been doing for a while now. He considered chasing her off, but it might actually be best to let her follow him. He didn't plan to agree with anything Akatsuki offered him, and it might turn out worthwhile to have a witness to that effect that the Yondaime actually trusted.
Even just following the man, Naruto had to say he was impressed. Naruto still took pride in his ability to completely erase his presence, but when it came to avoiding detection when moving through a town, he could learn a lot from Itachi. He'd come across a busy intersection and in a burst of speed be across to the other side before anyone spotted him. And as they passed people, he just never seemed to be there when anyone looked his way. Somehow, he even managed to make the whole thing look natural.
He was never ducking behind anything. It was always as if he just happened to be standing behind that pole the blocked him from sight of that woman who was carrying her groceries home. Naruto did wonder why he didn't simply disguise himself with a henge, but this was more interesting to watch at the very least.
Somewhat to his surprise, the man didn't lead him out of the village but instead to one of Konoha's training grounds. It looked to be currently unoccupied, save for a single figure standing in the middle of it. This resolved itself to be a woman with grey hair that was done up in a tight bun similar to how Koharu had kept her hair.
Though she looked to be at least a decade more youthful than the woman whose style she shared. Naruto would probably peg her age at around fifty. At first he thought she was just a random villager, especially as she wore a simple brown dress rather than Akatsuki's signature cloak. That notion was quickly dispelled when Itachi lead him right to woman who was now openly staring at him.
"I thought Itachi was mistaken or lying to me, but it really is you," she declared excitedly.
"I'm sorry, but should I know you?" Naruto asked, somehow getting the impression he should, but not being able to figure out from where.
"I almost forgot, some of us don't age as well as you do," she said cheerfully before reaching up to the back of her head and undoing the bun. "Maybe this will help."
Naruto didn't see how it would until one particular section of her hair in the back left, released from its hold, sprung up to form a very noticeable spike in complete defiance of the subdued nature of the rest of her hair. Immediately Naruto's jaw dropped as he began staring at her as intently as she'd been at him.
"It can't be," he said weakly. "How would that even be possible?"
"You're one to talk," she answered with a smirk. "But I suppose you probably remember me looking more like this."
She formed a hand seal and in a flash there was now standing a black-haired woman looking to be around twenty who was far more familiar than the figure he'd first been greeted with.
"Harumi," he said, practically in shock. "It really is you."
"Grandfather," she replied joyfully, running up and almost tackling him as she wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. Naruto quickly returned it warmly before he began to grow edgy as the initial surprise started to wear off and the guilt started to sink in.
"What's wrong?" she asked him, noticing the change in his demeanor.
"I'm thrilled to see you of course," Naruto assured her. "It's just that the last time we were together was when I abandoned you despite you begging me not to. I guess I feel like I deserve a much colder greeting than the one you gave me."
"Don't think I wasn't angry at you for a while when you left," Harumi told him as she released her grip on him. "But I got over it much quicker than you'd think. I wouldn't even be alive if you hadn't given up your chance to be with Grandmother to save Nanami and me. Then for twenty years you put off your vengeance on those who killed her to raise me. I couldn't stay angry at you for finally deciding to do something a little selfish after all you'd sacrificed."
Her words meant a great deal to Naruto. His leaving Harumi was one of the biggest regrets of his life, and it was a great comfort that she hadn't come to hate him for it. He did notice that she still refused to refer to Nanami as her mother, but maybe he could offer the healing on that front for her.
"I did see your mother again before she died," Naruto told her. "She made me promise to tell you that she was sorry for how she'd treated you. She knew what she'd done was wrong and regretted having ever done it. I'd long since given up on ever keeping that promise, but I'm glad I had the chance."
"That ... actually does mean a lot to me," Harumi admitted slightly stunned by his words. "But forgive me if I'm not as quick to forgive her as I was you. Giving birth to me is about the only I can really be thankful to her for."
"That's your decision," Naruto agreed, not going to push her knowing full well what his daughter had put Harumi through. "Now tell me, how are you even still alive?"
"That's a bit of a story," she answered, "but one I'd be happy to tell. First off you should know that my name is now Uchiha Harumi."
"Uchiha?" Naruto queried. "You married an Uchiha?"
"That's right," she said with a sad smile. "I actually possess the very first sharingan. As best as I can tell, some combination of your genes and the energy you used to heal Nanami before my birth caused my byakugan to transform. Even the energy it gave off felt very much like the feeling I got from being around you. Now I went through some fairly harsh times after you left. So … well … this is a little embarrassing, but I used to wrap myself in that energy a lot back then as a sort of comfort because of how much it reminded me of you."
"I'm sorry," Naruto interrupted, saddened once again to hear this tale. "It all comes back to my leaving you."
"Stop that," Harumi said sternly. "I already told you I forgive you. Besides, it was the result of my own poor decisions, and I could have made them just as easily with you around as with you gone. Now to continue, I eventually noticed that I was aging slower than I should have been. It didn't take me too long to realize it was a side effect of using the sharingan's power as a sort of a chakra comfort blanket. Eventually I mastered it enough to keep the effect up even when I sleep, and I haven't aged since."
This news was just far too amazing. Living as long as he did as everyone else grew old and died was a lonely ordeal, but if Harumi was around he suspected it wouldn't be nearly as trying. Even if achieving his goal took centuries more, that no longer seemed quite as terrible a prospect.
"So tell me," Naruto asked. "What have you been up to all these centuries?"
"I spent a lot of it looking for you," Harumi said wryly. "I found places you'd already been on more than one occasion, but I really wish you'd have stayed in one place a little longer."
"I'll have you know that I spent a century living in a cave and not going anywhere," Naruto quipped. "How much longer did you want me to stay put? Anyway, there must be more to tell than that. You said you got married. I want to hear the details."
"That ties in to the bad choices I told you I made," Harumi said with a sigh. "It didn't turn out nearly as well as your own marriage. I fell in love with a man only a couple of years after you'd left. I thought he loved me as well, but it turned out he was more interested in using my eyes to make the Uchiha into a powerful clan. I only had a few short years before I realized the truth about him, and during that time I had two sons. It all began to fall apart when the older of the two wasn't quite three. I wanted to look for you, but my husband didn't want me wasting time when I should be trying to awaken the sharingan in our sons. We had several arguments and eventually one morning I awoke to find the three of them were gone."
"That's terrible!" Naruto exclaimed, suddenly feeling a strong hate for the man, despite Naruto never having met him or the fact that he was long dead.
"I won't argue with that," she said with a nod. "I spent many years searching for my husband, my children, and you. I finally did find my sons, but they were already grown and married with children of their own. Their father had passed away from some illness years ago, so I never did have the opportunity to square things away with him. As for them, our reunion was more than a little awkward. They had their own families and had been raised to care about strengthening their clan almost as much as their father had. I visited them frequently, but was never truly able to connect with them again."
"So the entire Uchiha Clan is made of your descendants?" Naruto asked, hoping to change the subject to something that wouldn't depress her so much to talk about.
"Yes, and they're your descendants as well," Harumi reminded him. "I kept in close contact with the clan and even worked directly with a number of them over the years. At least until the Madara incident."
"Speaking of Madara, what's your connection with Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. "Itachi had claimed he was arranging a meeting with Akatsuki's leader who I'd been led to believe was Madara."
"My connection started way back when you were still hunting them down," she answered. "I got myself a cloak and pretended to be a member hoping you would seek me out. Unfortunately, it didn't work out, and eventually it became clear the real members were gone. Still, I did a lot of thinking, and as radical as the original group was, I did agree with them on one point. The Biju do not belong in this world. So I reformed the organization. I certainly wasn't going to try to kill you like the old version did, so I focused our efforts on finding a way to deal with the Biju directly."
An approach Naruto had certainly considered on his own at times. Although if what the Kyubi told him was correct, it was one that had little chance of solving his problem. Forcing them back into their own realm would just drag him along as well.
"The membership changed dramatically over the years," she continued. "I kept the organization small, but given how long it's been, I worked with over one hundred people in pursuit of that goal. Out of all of them, Uchiha Madara was the most promising by far. I taught him almost everything I knew, and he soaked it up like a sponge. However, it turned out he'd been hiding his own agenda all along. Rather than ridding ourselves of the Biju, he wanted to bend them to his own will. We had a rather violent falling out, and I immediately disbanded the organization. After a betrayal like that, I lost my taste for company and decided to continue my work alone."
"And Madara decided to keep it going in your stead?" Naruto asked.
"No, he reformed it himself rather recently," Harumi replied. "I'm not affiliated with it at all any longer. The only reason there's any confusion is because this brat here managed to find me and insists on acting as if I'm still running Akatsuki with him as its newest member. I keep telling him I work alone now, but he just doesn't listen."
"I'd almost forgotten about you, Itachi, with how quiet you've been," Naruto told the younger Uchiha.
"I didn't wish to interrupt," he answered calmly.
"While we're on the topic of our audience, who's been trying to hide behind that target all this time?" she asked him, pointing at wood board shaped like a human and nailed to a big a post.
"Oh, that's just Naruko," he answered casually before calling out in the direction of said target. "Why don't you come out and say hello?"
Naruko complied with his request looking quite embarrassed at being caught. Her behavior still had him confused to no end, but Harumi spoke up before he could inquire about it.
"So, is this your daughter?" she asked, having obviously noticed the resemblance.
"Of course not," Naruto sputtered out quickly. "I would never betray Hanabi like that."
"Most people do consider it acceptable to remarry after the death of a loved one," Harumi informed him. "You may find this a bit scandalous, but I even know a few who waited less than a century."
"Well I never have. What about you?" Naruto asked trying to deflect away the attention.
"With how poorly my first marriage went, I wasn't eager to try again," Harumi answered. "Besides, even if a henge makes me look like this, my body isn't exactly young anymore. You're still in your prime though. You should go out and enjoy yourself a bit more."
"Anyway, Naruko is my own creation, a special kind of clone," Naruto answered, deciding to change the subject completely. "And she should be able to hide herself far better than she was doing."
"Well excuse me if I'm not as good as I used to be," Naruko snapped at him. "It's all because your stupid construct is falling apart."
"Falling apart?" Naruto asked curiously. "There's no way it should be falling apart to any noticeable degree so soon."
"Yeah, well, you didn't make it very sturdy," she explained. "One shock from some crazy seal in one of Orochimaru's old labs and the whole thing starts to fall apart."
"Let me have a look at it," Naruto said, placing a hand on her shoulder without even waiting for a reply. He was having trouble believing her explanation and so he was going to dig down with his senses and have a look. What he saw, however, almost made him doubt for a moment that it really was Naruko. He probably would have if the shattered remains of his construct weren't still there to be found.
"Well, you were right," Naruto admitted. "The whole thing is completely destroyed."
"Wait, it can't be completely destroyed," Naruko responded in confusion. "I wouldn't be alive if it were."
"You're still alive because you're the proud owner of your very own soul," Naruto informed her. "I just haven't the slightest idea how that happened. I mean it's possible the construct or even the body itself might have some sort of attractive force on a soul, but even if it did pull one in they'd reject each other and kill the person."
"What if the soul came from a fetus?" Naruko asked.
"Hmm ... a blank slate if you will," Naruto said thoughtfully, considering the possibility. "I would have bet heavily against it working even if I were trying to make it happen. That all of this just happened on its own seems highly implausible. Yet here we are. I can give out theories all day, but if reality says otherwise, who am I to argue?"
"So ... I'm going to live?" Naruko asked hopefully.
"Well, this is all uncharted territory, so I can't say anything with complete certainty," he replied. "Still, nothing I saw looked at all unstable, and if any rejection were going to occur, I'd assume it would have happened immediately. I must admit this does explain the dramatic personality shift you went through recently."
Naruko, however, didn't seem to be paying much attention to him anymore, being lost in thought if her dazed yet somehow cheerful expression were any indication.
"That's great news, Aunt Naruko," Harumi said, snapping Naruko out of it with her playful teasing.
"Naruto already told you, he's not my father," Naruko answered brusquely.
"Well, it seems you're a living being now, complete with a soul, and Naruto was the one responsible for that," Harumi argued. "What else can that make him but your father, Aunt Naruko?"
"You're not going to let that go are you?" Naruko asked with a sigh.
"I don't see any reason to," she answered. "Now, I'm sure the purpose behind Naruko's existence makes for an interesting narrative, and I've already been giving you my life story. Why don't you tell me a little bit about what you've been up to?"
"I'd love to, but why don't we move to some place a bit more comfortable?" Naruto suggested. "I have a place in town that should be much better for a long night of swapping tales than this training ground."
"That sounds lovely," Harumi answered. "Will you be joining us Aunt Naruko?"
"I'll let you two catch up with each other," she answered. "I need to go let my friends know how this went pretty quickly or they're liable to hunt me down again."
"I have other things to do as well," Itachi told them.
"Well then, it looks like it's just the two of us," Naruto said to Harumi.
"Lead on," she told him. "I'm eager to hear all about your life since last we met."
And Naruto was just as eager to tell her. He had several lifetimes' worth of stories he'd never thought he'd have the chance to tell, so he wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. He may have started this day hoping to see his wife again, but he found he couldn't complain about being reunited with his granddaughter instead.
Anko was glad to be free again. Another minute of listening to lectures and she might have tried to fight her way out. If the Yondaime weren't bad enough, the Sandaime had shown up and started saying his piece as well. Then they had the gall to say they were letting her off with only a reprimand this time. In what world was listening to the two of the rattle on about responsibility and the chain of command not considered a punishment?
Anyway, she wasn't going to let them ruin her day. Anko knew she had done the right thing and she was in the mood to celebrate. Kurenai was out on a mission, and considering her social life, that didn't leave her a lot of choices unless she wanted to party alone. Come to think of it, barring the occasional fling, Kurenai was the only person she'd ever taken out for a night on the town. Ah well, she'd just drag Naruto along, even if he did start whining about his dead wife. Drinking alone just wasn't much of a celebration and if he couldn't handle a little socializing without feeling he was betraying her memory, then she was only doing him a favor by helping him get past that.
So she quickly made her way Naruto's place, letting herself in and being greeted with a sight that made her see red. Naruto wasn't alone in the room, instead being joined by a black-haired woman maybe a couple years younger than she was. She also noticed that his companion was rather attractive. Not as hot as Anko herself, but more than enough to catch men's eyes. And she'd done just that with Naruto if the way she was leaning against him as the two of them shared of laugh over something was any indication.
Anko may not have moved beyond simple flirting, but if Naruto had brushed her off with a lie like that while he was secretly seeing someone, he'd pay the price in the flesh she'd carve from his body. Not about to just stand there gaping, Anko announced her presence, watching Naruto pull his hand back to avoid her greeting and let the kunai pin itself to the table the two of them sat at.
"Still miss your wife too much to think of doing anything with another woman, huh?" Anko asked threateningly.
"Don't get the wrong idea, we're family," Naruto told her calmly, cooling Anko's temper a bit.
"I suppose that's technically true," the girl said as she sat up straight, not looking at all concerned with the way Anko had introduced herself. "Still, I believe you'd have to go back over five hundred years to find a common ancestor of ours."
"Family huh?" Anko said, anger flaring back up to even higher levels than before. To think she'd actually been happy to hear that the Yondaime was letting him stay in Konoha.
"In fact, I was just trying to convince him to run away with me," she added.
"Maybe he should take you up on that offer," Anko suggested, "because it's not going to safe for him around here anymore."
"What are you trying to do to me, Harumi?" Naruto asked, having the decency to at least seem worried for his safety even if he wasn't at the 'wetting himself in terror' level she would have preferred.
"I'm sorry," Harumi replied, laughing a bit as she did. "I was just having a little fun. There's not actually anything going on between us."
Anko looked between the two of them trying to judge the veracity of that claim by their reaction.
"Although I really am trying to get Naruto to run away with me," Harumi declared, latching onto his arm.
Naruto quickly pulled it away, protesting her behavior. Based on the little she'd just seen, Anko decided they probably weren't in a relationship. Although it's possible Harumi wanted one. Or maybe she was just toying with Anko for her own private amusement. Either way, the fact that she was playing her little games almost made Anko want to snatching Naruto away just to spite her.
Of course that would be difficult to do when she hardly knew anything about what was going on. Who was Harumi to Naruto? They most likely had known each other for some time given how comfortable Naruto had been around her when Anko had first walked in. Anko just didn't know, and as such it was best not to stick around. It would be too easy for Harumi to continue making a fool of her considering she held all the cards. It was time for a strategic retreat.
"Well, I just came by to thank you again for all your help. We make a great team," Anko declared, starting to walk out before looking back over her shoulder to add one final remark. "Oh, and if you do want to take her up on her offer, you may want to avoid kissing her. You're lousy at it and she might change her mind."
With that she walked out the door and took off. Even in retreat Anko wasn't the type to leave without getting in a few blows of her own. Although now she was alone for the rest of the night. Still, she wasn't going to let that ruin her mood. She'd go out, drink herself into a stupor, make a big scene and start a fight or two. She'd have a grand old time.
Naruto awoke with a start when the seals he had warding his home warned him of an intruder. Being awoken when it was still dark did not do much for Naruto's mood considering how late he and Harumi had stayed up talking. For a second he considered if it was just Harumi going for a walk, since he had set her up to spend the night in his spare room. However, his senses quickly discovered it was someone new rapidly making their way up to his room. Someone who seemed to be a jinchuriki for the Nibi based on what he was picking up.
Naruto didn't have long to wonder if the person was hostile as a blonde-haired woman charged into his room while the Nibi's chakra flared to extreme heights. Naruto threw himself out of his bed, dodging to the side as it was sliced to pieces by long thin claws that were growing from her fingernails.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Naruto demanded of his assailant. He was glad he'd slept in his clothes tonight. It would have been a lot harder to sound threatening if he were standing there half naked.
"I want you dead," she answered, ignoring his first question. "If you're killed, the Biju leave and there's no more need for jinchuriki."
"There is still time," a voice he hadn't heard in a long time added. "Fulfill your promise and take part in the ritual."
It took Naruto a moment to realize that it was the Nibi, speaking directly to his mind.
"As I've told the Kyubi more times than I care to remember, I'm not playing along," Naruto answered aloud. "I'm working on a way to send you back without getting taken along for the ride myself. If you're so eager to return, help me."
"We've waited long enough," the Nibi replied. "The Kyubi may be willing to wait until the end of time for you to come around, but others of us cannot withstand this realm as well as he can. We intend to return even if it means helping Yugito kill you."
It was interesting to learn that there was dissension in the ranks of the Biju, but there was little time to find out more as Harumi rushed into the room already making hand seals. The woman Naruto assumed was Yugito saw her as well and moved to confront this new threat. Naruto went to aid his granddaughter, who had dropped the henge at some point since they'd last seen each other, but he needn't have worried.
Harumi ducked under the first slash of claws as her hand dashed out, jamming her fingertips into Yugito's stomach. The symbols of the seal glowed orange briefly as they burned small holes in her shirt before solidifying on the skin beneath. The result of the seal was obvious as the Nibi's chakra was cut down to almost nothing and the claws coming from Yugito's hands returned to being ordinary fingernails.
"You're working with her?" the Nibi raged in his head, the seal apparently unable to stop their communication. "And to think I was willing to be merciful. I should rip you to shreds as painfully as possible!"
"The Nibi doesn't seem to like you," Naruto told Harumi, knowing she probably hadn't heard that.
"I can't imagine it would," Harumi replied casually. "I am the one who first developed a way to seal them, and I've been working on a way to destroy them completely. Not an easy task I might add. I've tried a few times with the Ichibi, but no matter how thorough you think you are in the destruction, it just reforms itself eventually. The only permanent effect I've noticed is that it seemed to speed its descent into madness."
Naruto hadn't been aware that she'd gone that far in pursuit of her own goals. They'd certainly taken very different approaches to the problem of the Biju, and Naruto wasn't certain he was entirely comfortable with Harumi's approach. Their complete destruction had never been something he'd truly wanted, even if he had considered it at times when he was particularly frustrated. Even assuming you didn't ever want the Biju around again, Naruto would prefer to trap them in their own realm rather than wipe them out.
"I don't need the Nibi's power to kill you," Yugito shouted out, not having been calmed by the loss of power.
Naruto didn't know what she planned to try, as she'd not so much as taken her first step when Itachi hit her with a blow from behind, knocking her to the floor. While she was still stunned, he pulled out some metallic wire and bound her hands behind her back. Coming to her senses, Yugito tested her bonds, but when they didn't give she must have finally realized that the fight was over. Judging by the way she was looking around, she hadn't yet given up the thought of escape, but the three of them had her surrounded, and she was biding her time for now.
"You got here pretty fast," Naruto noted of Itachi. He'd given Harumi a room for the night, but Itachi had been staying elsewhere.
"I was nearby and this commotion was difficult to miss," he answered.
"I'll say," a new voice added, which caught Naruto completely by surprise as his seals hadn't warned him of anyone entering after Itachi. Yet two figures now stood there, both wearing Akatsuki cloaks. One of them he recognized as Kisame, but he had no idea who the one who'd spoken was. Not that he had much to go on with that weird orange mask he was wearing. Harumi, on the other hand, tensed up at the sight of him.
"Madara," she snarled out angrily. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just following your friend there," he answered pointing at Yugito. "When I found out she was headed for Konoha, I was worried she would end up getting herself killed, which wouldn't have fit well with my plan. Still, I never expected her to lead me to you again. And do my eyes deceive me, or did you actually find the old man?"
"I don't know what's going on here," Kisame interjected, "but are we grabbing the girl or not?"
"You're not taking anyone," Harumi insisted.
"I'd like to see you stop us," Kisame responded maliciously.
"I understand I'm not exactly in a position to demand much, but I'd appreciate it if you'd stop arguing over me like I'm not even here," Yugito exclaimed in frustration.
"Calm down Kisame," Madara told him, ignoring the jinchuriki's outburst. "We're retreating for now."
"What, why?" the blue-skinned man asked in confusion.
"For one, we're not even ready for the Nibi yet," Madara answered, then casually walked right up to Itachi, ignoring the threatening glares Harumi was sending him. "Also, you do realize that this is Uchiha Itachi, right?"
"That does make this more interesting," Kisame said with a smile. "But if you handle him, I can take the other two."
"Is that so?" Madara asked. "Because out of the three of them, he's the one I'm least concerned with."
"Really?" Kisame asked, getting into a defensive stance and eying them warily. "Just who are they?"
"I'll explain later," he answered. "Half the ninja in Konoha must have sensed the Nibi. If we don't get out of here we'll find ourselves with more than just them to deal with. Still, leaving the Nibi in their hands isn't a pleasant idea."
As he said this, he reached down and grabbed Yugito's arm. Harumi and Itachi were both in motion almost as soon as he was, each trying to stab him with kunai. However, both of them passed through nothing but air as the Madara and Yugito vanished, reappearing a moment later next to Kisame. Madara snagged the man with his other hand and then all three disappeared. It had looked a lot like the Yondaime's hiraishin. That explained how he got in without Naruto's seals picking it up.
"Did you teach him that?" Naruto asked Harumi.
"No, that one is new," Harumi answered with a grimace.
This time his wards did go off warning Naruto of two more intruders. He sensed them quickly climb the stairs and was momentarily greeted by the faces of the Sandaime and the Yondaime. For once, his entrance didn't terribly concern Naruto. Harumi had easily been able to convince him the previous night to leave Konoha with her.
Not only had she been learning ninjutsu for centuries, she'd focused her studies around the Biju. Naruto doubted there was a better source to learn from on the planet, and she would happily teach him everything she knew. So it hardly mattered at all how the Yondaime reacted, and it was nice to be relieved from that burden for once. However, it wasn't Naruto the two of them focused their attention on, but the younger Uchiha.
"What are you doing here, Itachi?" Minato asked.
"There was a brief altercation," he answered, "but our opponents have already escaped."
"I'd like to hear the details, but thank you for dealing with it," Minato told him. "I just wish you were still working for Konoha. You're the most loyal Uchiha we have and an amazing ninja. I'd much rather have you than every last one of the clan members your stunt saved. Still, I understand why you did it and I respect your decision."
"Thank you sir," Itachi answered with a nod.
Naruto was a bit out of the loop on this particular discussion, but kept his silence. He wondered if learning the Uchiha were his descendants should make him care more for what happened to them. On the other hand, other than Harumi, all of them were so far removed from him that they could barely even be considered related. Either way, Naruto couldn't work up much interest in the clan's politics.
"Still, what's with your outfit?" Minato asked him. "You can't expect me to believe you're actually working for Akatsuki now."
"Not the one you're thinking of," Harumi answered for Itachi. "We just chased them off. Truth be told, the Akatsuki he's trying to be a part of doesn't even exist anymore."
"Madara's organization may be the largest threat Konoha has ever faced," Itachi added. "And I believe these two to be the best hope we have of stopping them. I intend to offer them whatever aid I can."
"Now I really need to hear the whole story," Minato said with a sigh. "But you'll have to tell me later. Orders or not, my men won't wait outside forever, and I'd hate to have to act out you being a wanted criminal as you're so determined everyone consider you. But I would appreciate it if you could stop by my office before you leave."
"I assume all of you will be leaving the village together then?" the Sandaime asked.
"That's the plan," Naruto confirmed.
"Then I hope you'll consider allowing us to send someone to aid you," the Sandaime declared. "I believe Anko would be perfect for the job."
"Really, Anko?" Minato asked the older man dubiously.
"It's more for her benefit than ours," he admitted. "Her life's goal was killing Orochimaru. It's not uncommon for ninja to focus so heavily on vengeance. What's much rarer is for those who achieve it to settle back into a normal life. Adjusting isn't a simple matter, and it might be especially hard for Anko given that her life in Konoha has never been particularly easy."
"So you're hoping to distract her with an extended mission and get her out of Konoha at the same time?" Minato asked, comprehension appearing on his face.
"Yes," he replied with a nod. "Also, I've noticed she's grown quite fond of Naruto here, so this mission seems a good fit."
"I'll admit it would be quieter without the half-dozen incident reports or so a week she always seems to be responsible for," Minato quipped. "All right. She can go."
"I still haven't agreed to anything," Naruto pointed out firmly, not exactly eager to have the somewhat erratic young woman around.
"Don't be silly," Harumi cut in. "We'd be delighted to have her along."
"Great," the Sandaime said cheerfully while Naruto shot Harumi a glare, even if it didn't have any real heat behind it. "I'll explain the situation to her and send her along in the morning. Please do look out for her as much as you can. She deserves better than she's had to put up with. Now I suppose we should be going."
Naruto felt he deserved better than what he would have to put up with, but kept that thought to himself. He supposed that if she was too much trouble he could always just send her away.
After everything that had happened the previous day, Naruko was surprised she'd managed any sleep at all. Still, she'd barely had a chance crawl out of bed when she received a message that Minato wanted to see her. Quickly getting ready, she set out for his office, wondering what it could be about. She was a little nervous that maybe he'd changed his mind about being so accepting of her, but given how well yesterday went, she couldn't help but be optimistic about it. She hadn't gotten far from her apartment when Naruto and Harumi appeared in her path. Idly she noticed the woman had dropped her henge.
Just meeting Harumi again had made an impact on her that was hard to understate. And not because of how much seeing her had meant to Naruko but because of how little it had. It had only taken a glance at Naruto to see that it had shocked him to his very core, but for Naruko she was just some name she remembered with little details to go with it. It was like meeting someone for the first time that she'd only heard of in the passing. Even without the memories, she'd still tended to think as if she was just a variant of Naruto, a Naruto B as it were. This really drilled home just how extreme the divergence had become. They really weren't the same person at all anymore, even if a number of similarities remained.
"There you are, Aunt Naruko," Harumi declared, causing Naruko to look around in worry.
"Please be careful where you say that," she hissed out.
"Don't worry, there's no one around," Harumi replied dismissively. "Anyway we came to tell you that we're leaving."
"Leaving?" Naruko asked. "Where, and for how long?"
"Nowhere in particular and possibly forever," Naruto answered. "So if there's anything you need I suggest you tell us now."
"Don't listen to him. We'll definitely visit when we can," Harumi told her. "But it's true that we may be busy for a while."
"As long as you're sure I'll be fine, I can't think of anything else I need," Naruko told them, after giving it a little thought. "Now forgive me if I cut our farewell short, but I've been summoned by the Hokage."
"All right. Take care," Harumi told her as she started heading off.
Naruto didn't say anything further, but then, neither did she. They probably had one of the oddest relationships of any two people in the world. Naruko just couldn't find herself thinking she would miss him. It's not that she didn't care what happened to him. She just felt that ... well she didn't really understand what she felt or why, she wasn't upset at all by the thought she might not see him for a while. Naruto was quite likely just as confused about the whole situation as she was.
Rather than try to figure it out, she turned her mind back to the reason for her summons. She was working her way through one theory after another, but when she arrived and saw Sasuke, the Sandaime, and Kushina already in the office with Minato, she had to throw all them out. She just didn't know how they would factor in.
"Ah, you're here," Minato said with a nod. "Now I'll cut right to the point. After you performance in the exams you're both being promoted to chunin."
"Congratulations," Kushina said enthusiastically. "But you'd better not slack off now. I expect to see both as jonin within the year."
Mentally Naruko slapped herself. Of course she should have considered that possibility. She couldn't believe that so much had happened the last two days that she'd completely forgotten about the exams.
"That won't be a problem for me," Sasuke boasted, "but it might be asking a bit much for Naruko. She's already all but burned herself out just coming this far."
"Sarutobi should be filling out the appropriate paperwork right now," Minato informed them, cutting in before Naruko could fire a barb back. "So consider this effective immediately."
The Sandaime grumbled something unintelligible in response to this.
"I hope you're not starting with that already," Minato told him. "You still have three months to go."
"I'll never let you talk me into using paperwork as the stakes in a bet again," the Sandaime declared.
Naruko only half paid attention to the speech that Minato gave them concerning their new duties and privileges as she let her mind wander instead. She was now a chunin of Konoha. And today that really meant something to her. This was truly her home now, and she would do her best to live up to her responsibilities and protect that home. Naruto may still be looking for his place in life, but she'd found hers.
Anko made her way to Naruto's place in no particular hurry. She'd been almost tempted to refuse this mission. The Yondaime may have given it to her, but it had the Sandaime written all over it. She supposed she should be grateful that the old man had never treated her poorly for being Orochimaru's student. Still, it was as if he was always trying to apologize to her for the man instead, and his constant attempts at charity were almost as bad in her book. She could take care of herself just fine.
That said, a secret mission to hunt down some of the most dangerous criminals in existence wasn't the sort of opportunity you got every day. Pride or no, it was just too good to pass up. Of course there was the problem of her companions to consider. Itachi she didn't care about one way or the other; it was Naruto and Harumi she was worried about. If it had just been Naruto she'd be fine with it, but Harumi had rubbed her the wrong way almost the moment they'd met. And if the two of them did get together, Harumi could make it a very unpleasant mission.
She still didn't know much of anything about her. The Yondaime had waved off her questions and told Anko to ask them herself. Anko was even beginning to suspect he didn't know much himself and was simply hiding that fact. Still, she knew now that Harumi was a ninja, which was more than she'd had yesterday. And if she was good enough to come on this mission, it shouldn't be too hard to find out more details. Skilled ninja tended to make a name for themselves. Then again, she hadn't been able to find any history on Naruto and look how good he was. Given their connection, she might turn out the same way.
Ah well, Anko wasn't one to worry overmuch about the future. If something bothered her, she preferred doing something about it to fretting over it. So she cleared it from her mind for now and finished her journey, entering the building to see Naruto and Itachi together with an older woman she didn't recognize.
"Who's the old hag?" she asked, getting a disappointing lack of response from woman in question.
"You remember Harumi, don't you?" Naruto asked in reply. "She's not using a henge today."
"Really?" she asked rhetorically as she processed that piece of information. On the one hand it meant that there was little risk of the two of them hooking up. On the other hand, it meant Harumi had almost certainly just been toying with her, which didn't do much for her opinion of the woman. Actually, another unpleasant thought struck her.
"You aren't using a henge to make yourself look young too, are you?" she asked, already pulling out a kunai and running her finger along the edge. She would not react well to learning of a deception like that. Not after she'd gone so far as to make out with him.
"No, what you see is what he really looks like," Harumi answered.
"Although that does bring up an important question," Naruto cut in. "How much do you know about what we're doing? I want to make sure you know what you're getting in to."
"I know we're going to be hunting down Akatsuki," Anko answered. "Other than that, much less than I'd like. The Yondaime told me next to nothing."
"So you know it will be dangerous?" Naruto asked.
"The best missions are," she answered confidently.
"I have to warn you that we may also face attack from angry jinchuriki," he declared.
"Even better," she told him, suspecting now that he was trying to talk her out of coming. If so, he was taking completely the wrong approach.
"There's one last thing I should tell you, even if it isn't exactly critical to the mission," Naruto continued. "There's no henge involved, but I'm actually much older than I look."
"How old are we talking?" Anko asked. She wanted to think this was some type of prank, but no one, not even Itachi lurking around in the background so much as batted an eyelash at the claim.
"I've kind of lost track," he admitted. "What year is it again?"
"You're five hundred and fifty-two, Grandfather," Harumi answered for him.
"Five hundred and fifty-two? Grandfather?" Anko parroted, completely dumbfounded.
"That's right," he confirmed. "So even if Harumi seems determined to play matchmaker, I'm a bit out of anyone's age range."
"Yeah, what woman could possibly be interested in a man who would stay young and healthy indefinitely?" Harumi quipped. "Grandmother has been gone for over five hundred years. So you'll have to forgive me if I thought it might do you some good to see someone else."
Harumi had been trying to set her up with Naruto? So that whole routine had been an attempt to make her jealous so she'd be more interested. An old trick, if one usually done by the potential match themself. Still, Anko had to admit it might not have been entirely ineffective. Of course that was before she found out he made the Sandaime look like a toddler by comparison. On the other hand, there was something to what Harumi had said about him always looking like he was twenty. And he was loyal to a fault if he was still pining over his first wife after five centuries.
Meh, she was overthinking things again. He was a good looking guy who was pleasant enough to be around. She'd engage in a little mostly harmless flirting and play it by ear. For now, there were other things to concern herself with.
"Can you teach me the trick to staying so young?" Anko asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid it's a bloodline trick," Harumi told her. "So no."
"Looks like it's one you never quite got the hang of," Anko quipped, disappointed at the reply but not so much as to pass up the barb. Whatever Harumi's intentions, Anko still felt she owed her a couple.
"I'll remind you that you said that when you look older than I do," Harumi fired back playfully.
"I think it's time to head out," Naruto declared quickly, in an obvious attempt to keep the peace. "We may not be back to Konoha for quite some time, so if you have anything left to do, I suggest you get it done."
The preparations Anko had to make were few enough. She'd left a message for Kurenai telling her she was leaving on an extended mission, but it's not like there was anyone else who would even miss her. No, Konoha was her home, and she liked the place well enough, but she wasn't going to get weepy over leaving. If anything she was eager to start this trip.
Not only did she have a mission that all but promised to be dangerous and bloody, but just look at who she would be working with. Uchiha Itachi for starters, and she was certain her other two companions who just filled to the brim with secret techniques and other hidden gems. There was a good chance she could convince them to teach her some of their jutsu, which sure beat the self-training she'd done almost exclusively since Orochimaru's treachery.
Yes, this trip could be the second best thing that ever happened to her, after killing Orochimaru of course.
Author's Notes:
I'm not going to go into detail in case some of you aren't very current on the manga, but for those who are, it will be obvious that some characters' backstories won't quite match canon. Especially considering this a major AU to begin with, I'm simply not about to change my plans because it doesn't fit the plot twists going on in the manga.
Now, I noticed from a couple of the reviews I got that some of you remembered one of the prime rules of fiction. If you don't see someone die, they probably didn't. In my very early plans for this story, I'd actually intended to get Harumi involved much earlier as a sort of unknown player getting involved in things. Looking it over though, I became convinced it would be far too obvious just who she was, which would spoil much of the effect.
I believe it worked out much better just having Itachi taking much of the role I'd originally planned for Harumi. An unknown motive, that certain reviewers proved could be guessed, but wasn't glaringly obvious.
I'll try to get the next chapter out without too long of a wait, but as usual no promises. On that topic, I actually have to apologize slightly for this one even. I've been sitting on a completed draft of this chapter for days now. It's just that the combined draw of Mass Effect 3, my Game of Thrones season 1 blu-ray, and a new season of Doctor Who on Netflix kept me so occupied I only just got around to cleaning it up and posting it.
That said, we're pulling into the final act, so I'm hoping that will give me the motivation to keep up a good pace on my writing.