Edo Tensei: My Resurrection chap 3

LONGEST CHAPTER YET! Sorry for the wait everyone. I hope you all enjoy Connor's outfit. Anyone who wishes to make artwork of it, I will most definitely put it as this story's cover and be extremely honored.

Disclaimer: As I am not Kishimoto, I do not own Naruto. Get it?

The Pond is Disturbed

Chapter 3

My reactions had gotten so good that the accursed clock only had to ring once for my hand to lash out and silence it.

After a moment to let my mind wake up, I jumped out of bed and donned my new clothes with more delight than clothes had ever caused me to feel before. Once everything was on, I created a clone and had it look over me before dispelling.

"Damn! I look good!" I smiled as the memories came to me.

I wore something that came straight out of a Kingdom Hearts game. The Oragnization XIII coat. It had minor modifications made to it, such as the pockets being slanted instead of horizontal and pushed more to the sides as opposed to towards the front.

The black was also changed to a dark gray color. I liked how it was normally black, but the change to gray just called to me. There was no chain forming a semi-circle hanging in the middle and the hood's silver bead strings were simple strings that could be tucked out of the way, but it was still amazing. The zipper was still silver, but was treated to be non-reflective so it wouldn't give away my position.

The most amazing thing was that it was still made of leather, but he made it in such a way that air was allowed to flow freely. No burning alive in the sun for this guy!

I tried walking around in it, to get the feel of how it moved. I couldn't be sure with just walking, but I felt as though it wouldn't hinder my movement too much. Seeing as the Nobodies had done acrobatic movements galore, I didn't think it would be an issue.

I pulled the hood over my head and looked into a mirror. My grin would be unseen from any other angle than straight on as the hood perfectly covered my features. I wondered how I would look if I began wearing a mask like Kakashi's, but threw the idea away. That would become suffocating after awhile. And anyways, to anyone who didn't know me, I would be an ominous figure even without the addition of the mask.

I studied my glasses and considered getting prescription shades. I had always liked Shino Aburame's glasses, though mine were more rectangular shaped than circular.

I finished getting ready and left at the ripe time of 7:00. What can I say, I liked being punctual. I would probably get along with Sasori of the Akatsuki in that regard. That is, if he didn't turn me into a puppet first. Could I be a puppet if I couldn't die?

I made it to the Hokage tower and presented my papers to Hiruzen. His reaction to when I first entered his office was one I burned into my memory for when I needed a good laugh.

"Connor-kun. What are you wearing?"

"This is something from my world. These great warriors known as Nobodies wore these coats and I have always admired them. So, I decided to have some made with minor modifications." Of course, they came from a fictional world, but he didn't need to know that.

Hiruzen blinked like he was storing the information for later.

"At some point, I want to ask a few questions about your world. Perhaps over some tea?"

So he was looking at an informal meeting. No T&I or expected 'Yes, Hokage-sama'.

"I look forward to it and will do my best to answer all your questions. Will I receive my first mission now?"

He stopped examining my clothing and searched through some scrolls that were set out on his desk.

"Here's one that all new Genin get. Your mission is to capture and return to this office the high value target known as..." his pause added dramatic flair that I wanted to hit him for. Just spit it out damn it!

"Tora, the fire Daiymo's wife's cat."

I blinked and scowled even as I caught the mission scroll.

"Was there really a need for the dramatic pause?"

"Absolutely. This is an unofficial right of passage for Genin. We're all eager to see how you do. The mission specifications are in the scroll. Good luck."

I bowed and could have sworn I heard one of the hidden Anbu in Hiruzen's office bet him I would come back with my new clothes ruined. Jerk.

I was glad that Hiruzen accepted the bet, but grumbled quietly when he said I would come back with only minor scratches. I would show them! I had come up with an ingenious plan that was the fruit of hours of planning and deliberation. I had planned to let some other poor Genin use the trick, but when my pride was on the line, appropriate measures had to be taken.

I arrived at the location I visited before and met a blond haired woman at the counter. "Hello, welcome to the Yamanaka Flower shop. How may I help you?"

"Do you sell catnip?"

"Of course. How many stalks of it would you like?"

"Three, please."

"Pleasure doing business with you. Please come again."

I exited the business and smiled.

"Tora the Cat, you have met your match!" I ignored the uncomfortable stares from villagers who stared at the odd hooded figure muttering to himself and instead created three Kage Bunshin. I just shoved more chakra into the technique to get the extra one.

"Dispel the moment you see Tora if you cannot subdue. Remember the pink bow on the head."

They all saluted me and we separated. I ran atop the roofs and kept an eye to the ground. Half an hour into the search, the memories from one of my Kage Bunshin came to me.

I flinched when I remembered that Tora had scratched one of the eyes of my Kage Bunshin. Vicious feline.

I ran as fast as I could to the location my Kage Bunshin had dispelled and saw the cat hissing at me at the back of the alley I dropped into.

I confirmed the pink bow on the cat's head and said to myself, "Target confirmed. Intercepting." The two Kage Bunshin hiding nearby waited at the mouth of the alley.

My hand pulled out the catnip I had purchased and I waved it around to spread the scent. After a moment, it began to take affect. Tora's posture became less hostile and she came purring into my arms. I saw that this Tora wasn't like the one in the show. It made sense. It was doubtful that the Tora that Team 7 would capture would turn out to be the same Tora I held. The Fire Daiymo's wife probably just named all the cats she owned Tora.

And all of them ran away from her. Go figures.

"Mission complete, Hokage-sama." I held the still calm feline in my arms, petting her softly as I waited for Hiruzen to pick his jaw back up.

"How did you manage it?"

I smiled and said, "It wasn't hard. She's actually pretty tame."

"She's nearly put out the eyes of three separate Shinobi and has caused eight other Shinobi to have to visit the hospital to take care of vicious clawing. She is not tame."

I shrugged lightly and turned to the client, who entered the room, and handed the cat to her. I felt sorry for the cat when she came down from her catnip high. You know what they say. Nip's a helluva drug. Thankfully, the fire Daiymo's wife didn't seem to notice that her cat was somewhat high, and I received my pay without an issue.

"Any other feline retrieval missions, Hokage-sama?" I allowed myself just a tiny bit of a smug smile to show.

"No. Though there is a job for walking the Inuzuka dogs while another team cleans the pen?"

I shook my head vigorously and said, "I would rather another, if there is anything else. It wouldn't be wise for me to go around dogs, no matter how smart, smelling like a cat."

I had a feeling he knew this as he seemed disappointed when I denied the mission. Who knew he could be so sadistic? I felt no pity for him, as he betted against me. A poor mistake.

Eventually, I got a job weeding an older woman's garden. I created six Kage Bunshin and we had the garden finished in no time. I had found out that, thus far, my limit for the Kage Bunshin no jutsu was six at one time. If I waited for roughly half a minute for my infinite back up reserves to fill up my usable chakra, I could create six more. So while I would probably never be able to spam hundreds at once, like Naruto could, they still helped tremendously in learning and other tasks.

I knocked on the door of the elderly woman's house and waited until she opened it.

"I am finished. Is it satisfactory?" I made sure to be at my most professional, whenever possible, when talking to the clients.

She leaned out and looked at the three areas that held various plants and nodded with a smile.

"Well done. I've never had a whole Genin team get that done so quickly. Let alone a single Genin working alone."

I smiled and bowed. "Thank you. Is that all you need?"

"Yes, thank you. You can go now. I know how much youngsters are always in a hurry."

I scowled without any heat behind it and said, "Oh, never group me with the regular youngsters. I'm not that boring."

"I can tell." She looked pointedly at my clothes, probably wondering how I stood being in such dress in the warm weather. At least I kept the hood down as to not intimidate the clients.

I bid my goodbye to the woman and had my clones head to the library to read on new techniques I could work on. Though Kage Bunshin were basically free for me, it felt like such a waste to not let them do something more before dispelling. Making the most of their existence, I suppose.

I confirmed the mission's completion back at the Hokage tower and collected my pay. After storing the new cash back at my apartment, I went back to the training ground and spent most of the day training.

Honestly, five months go by in a blur when you get into a routine. I did an average of two to four D-ranked missions every day, except on Sundays. That was the one day I allowed myself to relax and take a, minor, break from training.

I had spent the months nearly constantly training. Many times, I trained with Guy. He taught me the Shunshin no jutsu (Body Flicker technique) and helped me with mastering the Kawarimi no Jutsu (replacement technique). (He did this by forcing me to get the heck out of the way of his attacks, or be smashed like the log I hopefully swapped with.) Needless to say, I became proficient with the Kawarimi very quickly.

It took me awhile to learn hand seals and even longer to force my hands to weave them together quickly enough to use in mock combat. It just felt so weird that making your fingers contort into unnatural shapes would allow you to breath fire or create copies of yourself in moments.

I had a small wardrobe of my Organization XIII coats made, as I found out quickly that clothes got worn and torn fast in the Shinobi life. I also decided to sow little pockets on the inside of my sleeves to conceal kunai along with my more visible kunai pouch attached to my hip.

The final addition I made to my coats ended up in me using up four months worth of D-ranked mission's pay. I bought a book on Fuinjutsu. Books on such a badly understood art were rare, and thus, expensive as all get out.

I used the knowledge in the book to create storage seals in my kunai pouch, on the inside of my coat, and in the pockets of my coat. With all the weaponry I stored in a single coat, I probably would make Tenten drool in envy. I also learned how to make minor explosive tags, but used those more sparingly. Ink, especially ink specially made to be chakra conductive, was expensive. I could use my blood, and did now and again. It was just a pain to constantly have to cut myself in order to drip into the inkwell.

One tactic I decided on using in the future involved the explosive tags. It was quite simple. It comprised of three simple steps.

Step one: Cover self in explosive tags after removing coat (because buying clothes every time I use the tactic would add up fast).

Step two: Hug opponent. Snarky comment optional, but suggested.

Step three: Boom. Then regenerate and repeat if necessary.

I hadn't had a chance to test it in-village yet, as the explosive force it would create might bring people running even if it was a training area.

It was in the fifth or sixth month that I received my first ever C-Ranked mission. The reason I hadn't asked for one before was because I wanted to gain some skill before leaving the village.

"Delivering a message to Suna?"

"Yes, Connor-kun. I will assign two Chunin as teammates on this assignment. You simply have to go to Suna, make sure the Kazekage gets the package, then return. Do you accept?"

It really wasn't a question. At my rank, you only got to really choose on D-Ranked missions. Anything higher would be an insult to attempt to change.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. When do we leave and who are my teammates?"

"You will meet at the west gate at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Your teammates include Hideaki Uchiha and Katsuo Haruno."

I made no visible reaction, but was surprised at how I recognized both their surnames. I just prayed that Katsuo didn't have pink hair. I wouldn't be able to hold back remarks about it if he did.

"Understood, Hokage-sama." I bowed and left the office. After that, I created six clones and had them go to the library. I created another group of six and had them go and practice the small arsenal of jutsu I currently possessed until they ran out of chakra.

I myself went back home and prepared for the mission. I had already prepared plenty of supplies in three separate scrolls. Each seal had whatever it contained written above it to avoid having to rummage through all the seals available.

I checked and re-checked my seals and supplies until I was satisfied. I then spent the rest of the day and a decent portion of the night reading the book on Fuinjutsu and writing more explosive tags.

I arrived at the west gate at exactly 7:15 and sat on a nearby bench to wait for my teammates. Seeing no black haired guy with a scowl on his face, or any pink haired people, I waited. It would have helped to know what they looked like.

"You are Connor?" And of course they would know me.

I looked to my right at the, thankfully brown haired, guy who was sitting next to me. He looked to be around seventeen or so.

"I am. Katsuo Haruno, I presume?"

"Yup. Nice to be working with you."

"Likewise. Do you know where our last teammate is?"

"If you had been on your guard, you might have noticed me sooner." A stoic voice spoke up from the left of me and I held back the obligatory eye roll. He looked to be around the same age as Katsuo.

"Hideaki Uchiha?"

"Yes. Connor and Katsuo Haruno?"

"Correct. Shall we proceed?"

He nodded and walked towards the gate with me and Katsuo following a little behind.

Hideaki took care of talking to the gate guards, and I did not miss how the guards were particularly crisp to the point of being almost hostile to the Uchiha. It hadn't been the first time that week I had seen someone being rude to an Uchiha. Tensions between the Uchiha and the village were slowly rising as the months passed. There had been several instances where I had been mistaken as an Uchiha due to my black hair. Each time had nit been very pleasant.

"Let's go," Katsuo said, nudging my arm when he saw that I didn't move at first. I really needed to stop getting lost in thought.

"Yeah." I took my first steps out of the village and felt... absolutely zilch. It wasn't that different from leaving a city in my past life.

By some unspoken signal, Hideaki began running and we followed behind at the same speed. He went at a decent pace, but seemed a bit slow to me.

"If you're worried about the Genin not being able to keep up, don't be. I'll tell you if you start going too fast for me to keep up."

Hideaki heard my words and noticeably sped up. I kept up with some effort, having to push chakra into my muscles more so than usual to do so.

"So why do you wear that coat? I've never seen one like that." Katsuo asked the question I had been waiting for and I noticed that Hideaki gave off an air of mild interest.

"This is the coat that powerful warriors wore, back where I come from. I liked the style, so I changed it a little and had some made for myself."

Hideaki's attention was officially captured at that.

"What kind of warrior would wear that?"

It was impossible to miss the contempt his voice barely attempted to conceal, but I didn't react to it.

"The kind who are able to sense the darkness people's hearts, conjure weaponry from nothingness, and travel between dimensions with very little effort. While I doubt I will be able to do the last one, the first two are just a matter of time."

Okay, so I embellished them a little bit. I wanted to paint a picture to shut Hideaki's know-it-all attitude down. In truth, I doubted I could ever learn any of the things I stated, but I wouldn't hesitate to at least try.

"Travel between dimensions? That sounds like an incredible technique. Where could they travel?"

Dear lord, Katsuo was buying this! At least, he seemed to be. Hideaki may or may not have believed my tales.

"Off the top of my head, they went to all different kinds of places. Halloweentown, Neverland, Agrabah, Monstro, Cave of Wonders, Pleasure Island, Atlantica, Castle Oblivion, Castle That Never Was, Hollow Bastion-" I kept listing the places for almost three minutes more as we ran. I was surprised at how well I remembered the locations of the game series I hadn't played in so long.

"How can a castle never 'be'?"

"That's where the Nobodies lived."

"So?"

"Duh, a place where people who shouldn't exist should not also 'Be'. Get it?"

Their silence, one confused and the other disgusted, gave me much pleasure. Ah, the joys of screwing around with people's heads. If only I could get some Genjutsu down. Then things would get really fun.

"Hold up." Hideaki said and slowed down until he stopped.

"What's the issue?"

"Seven men. Low level. Hiding ahead in underbrush. 100 meters."

I wondered how he knew about them until I looked at his eyes and noticing the activated Sharingan.

"Hostile?"

"We should presume."

"What's our options?" Katsuo asked while his hands twitched towards his kunai pouch.

Hideaki began to speak, but I interrupted him.

"I need the experience. If they are bandits or something, we should probably deal with them before they become a problem for some other team."

Hideaki saw my point and nodded.

"Very well. Proceed as you will."

I took a breath to clear my mind and put my hood over my head. Oddly enough, the hood helped my mind get into what I dubbed as my 'Battle Mode'.

I walked ahead for about fifty meters while Hideaki and Katsuo followed at a slower pace.

I stopped and shouted, "If you're bandits, then hurry up! I'm getting bored!"

I sidestepped the bolt that was sent my way with ease and began walking forward with kunai in each hand.

"Six men burst out from the bushes on both sides of the path and let out war cries as they ran at me.

Honestly, I pitied them a little. Guy is so much faster than those civilians-turned-bandits.

I summoned up four other Kage Bunshin and rushed forward alongside them. I chose my target; a burly man with a spiked club.

He swung at me and I ducked under the attack and jumped forward, arm extended to push the kunai into his throat. At the last second, I hesitated and buried the blade into the arm holding the club. He screamed and I knocked him out with the back of the kunai.

I felt a sharp pain come from my left shoulder blade and berated myself for forgetting the last guy in the heat of the fight.

I turned and deflected the next bolt as a Kage Bunshin came up from behind me and pulled the bolt out of my back. I barely noticed at the time.

The last man, who wielded a crossbow, shot a bolt off at the same time the shuriken left my hand. Only I hit what I aimed for and the last man gripped bis throat in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

Everything was silent aside from one man groaning and I barked out, "Report!"

One Kage Bunshin came up and said, "All enemies put down. Three dead, three unconscious, and one bleeding heavily and conscious."

I nodded and had them dispel. The memories of the two other killing blows and single possibly fatal blow rushed through my head and my mind automatically organized the thoughts.

"Are you hurt?" Katsuo and Hideaki had approached without me noticing, and Katsuo was the one looking worried. I turned to make sure they didn't notice the small hole and even smaller amount of blood that had time to dribble out of it. I was probably unsuccessful.

"No. What should be done with them?"

"We will inform the nearest town of their defeat and let them decide," Hideaki said dispassionately. It was beyond obvious that he could care less.

I nodded and helped tie up the last three living ones, the conscious man had died of blood loss.

We began walking and I was silently thankful that they were giving me some time to absorb my recent actions. It took a silent staring contest between the two Chunin before the Uchiha backed down.

In all honesty, I wasn't sure how to feel. On the surface, I didn't feel much at all. No guilt or pleasure. They had come at me with the intention to kill or maim, so I retaliated in self-perseverance. End of story.

But at the same time, shouldn't I be horrified at taking a person's life? Uneasy, at the very least? The only worry I truly felt was at how my morals didn't seem to be piping up at all.

The walking pace we were keeping suddenly felt like a gigantic waste of time.

"We can continue at our original pace, if you wish," I said to the two Chunin who stood a little ways to my right and left.

We sped up until we were back at our original speed before the encounter. For the rest of the day, we ran in silence. I created a Kage Bunshin to send to a small town we were passing next to in order to report the bandits so we were not forced to slow down.

We made camp a few miles from River Country. The plan was to pass through River Country in the morning and make camp close to the Sand/River boundary. The trip, in total, would take roughly 3 days if we pushed it a little.

I volunteered for first watch when the topic came up and Katsuo gave me a worried look.

"Relax. I've mostly come to terms with it. I'll wake you two up if anything gets close."

I created a total of eight Kage Bunshin (not all at once) and had them conceal themselves in various locations a little ways away the camp so they made a rough circular shape.

Katsuo bid me goodnight while Hideaki went to sleep without another word.

I sat myself a few yards from the two of them and tried to relax a little. Not to the point of being unaware, just so the hard ground under me wasn't too uncomfortable. We hadn't bothered with a fire with the weather comfortably warm, so I sat in near total darkness.

I watched as the moon rose and admired the stars that adorned the sky. When the moon was in roughly the correct spot, I went over to Katsuo and shook his shoulder gently. He woke up in an instant and I grabbed the fist before it could hit my chest.

He gave me a slightly embarrassed look and I waved my hand to tell him to not sweat it. I gestured at my sleeping bag and he nodded. I crawled into it and went to sleep as Katsuo took my position at watch.

The rest of the mission went as planned. We got up bright and early, had no trouble crossing the border of River Country, and stopped for the night at an inn in River. The next day, we reached Sunagakure and delivered the package to some man who served as a sort of secretary for the Kazekage. We spent the night in Suna and left the next day. Nothing of note happened in Suna, as we stayed in an inn that was prepared for us the whole time.

The journey back took two days, as we decided to run through the night when we were back in Fire Country.

The three of us stood before Hiruzen and Hideaki gave a summary of how the mission went.

Once Hideaki finished, Hiruzen nodded.

"Very good. Hideaki, Katsuo, you are dismissed."

They bowed to him and left the room.

"How are you feeling, Connor-kun?"

"I came to terms with my actions soon after performing them. I understand that being a Shinobi involves killing others."

Sarutobi's expression didn't change, but it felt as though he was analyzing me.

"Very well." I sensed a change in topic at that. "Anbu." The two Anbu members that were a constant in the Hokage's office, appeared. They exited the room and Hiruzen activated some sort of security seal. Once he did, his face seemed to age a bit and I could tell he was weary.

"Do you know if the tensions with the Uchiha will cool down?"

It was that time.

"May I sit?" I gestured to a spare chair that was nearby and he gave consent with a nod.

I sat and sighed. This was going to be an unpleasant conversation.

"No. The tensions will not cool. I do not know if they have begun, but in six or so years, the Uchiha will plan a coup against Konoha."

Hiruzen could have been made of stone with how he froze to my words.

"You are certain of this."

"Very."

"How do I prevent it?"

"In what I've seen, you have an Anbu monitor the Uchiha from the inside and report the clan's actions and plans. In this version, aside from two members, the clan is slaughtered."

Hiruzen paused and rubbed his head for a moment with a sigh.

"Do you know of any way to stop this from happening?"

I thought for a moment before committing myself.

"Danzo. He orders the massacre when the Uchiha seem beyond reasoning with. Do not let him be a pivotal member in counseling you in the matter and there is a slight chance it might be averted."

Hiruzen's mouth was in a grim line at my words, but he nodded.

"I will take this information into account. Is there anything else you have not told me that is important?"

I thought and said, "I am not sure when, but during some negotiations with Kumo, they will attempt to kidnap Hinata Hyuuga for her Byakugon. They will fail, but due to the ambassador being killed, Kumo demands reparations. The clan leader's brother will die in place of whoever the clan leader is at the time. While this is not a point that would save or destroy the village if changed, it would make life much easier if it was stopped."

"We are currently at odds with Kumo. Are you saying they will consider negotiating in the future?"

"I am. And if you somehow create a way where the ambassador doesn't get killed, you might make the negotiations bear fruit. This, however, is simply speculation. I can't be certain of the results." I just couldn't remember whether the treaty had worked out or not.

"You have given me much to think about. Please tell me there is nothing more?"

"Well, do you know the three students Jiraiya-sama taught long ago? The ones that died?"

He blinked in surprise at the seemingly abrupt change in subject.

"I know about them. Why?"

"Your student will be happy to know that they are still alive. Well, at least two of them are. One might be dead, but I can't be certain about that. I'm not sure of exactly when he dies. It's according to how the current political system is right now over there, but as I said, I can't be sure."

Hiruzen twitched and said, "I- I will inform Jiraiya-kun of this. Is-"

"Nothing I can think of right now. Your heart can get some rest, Hokage-sama."

"Very well." He disabled the security seal and waved for the door, seeming too tired to even give me a proper dismissal despite it still being morning.

I collected the C-Rank mission's pay and headed home. My mind was tired and I wanted to rest.

Despite it being completely unnecessary, I spent the rest of the day sleeping.

I began taking on more C-Ranked missions until my C-Ranks neared the same number as my D-Ranks. I even took one or two B-Ranks out of curiosity and found that I was pretty good at them. One of them was an assassination mission that messed me up for a few weeks. The guy had been a civilian. A part of the mafia, yes, but a civilian nonetheless. I literally plastered an explosive note to his back without him noticing and blew him up along with a warehouse full of illegal drugs.

It was horrifyingly easy. It hadn't even been a challenge. I tended to avoid B-Ranks unless the Hokage asked me asked/ordered me to do them specifically. Any missions he sent me on alone or with Jounin teammates always turned out to be suicide missions. More than one warehouse or building has gone up in a fiery explosion when a henged Kage Bunshin or the original me went in covered in explosive tags. Those were never pleasant.

It was about two months after I had told Sarutobi about the Uchiha, the Hyuuga, and Jiraiya's students. I was walking down the street, extremely bored. When I turned a corner, I felt something painfully solid, yet surprisingly squishy, slam into my chest and I was in a compact space that smelled incredibly bad a moment later.

A few minutes of a sensation that felt much like tree hopping later had me being upchucked by the amphibian I had been kidnapped by.

Wow... that sounds so bad... being kidnapped by a frog-er toad. Whatever.

I was on my hands and knees, trying to breath in as much fresh air as possible. I had taken a single breath before I forced myself to stop breathing and the incredibly bad smelling air was still in my lungs. Ugh. Could I visit a flower shop really fast?

The cold steel I felt on my neck gave a negative for that question.

"I expected us to meet in a different way, Jiraiya-sama. What do I owe the pleasure?" I had little issue keeping my voice calm. It's not like simple metal could really harm me for very long so the threat wasn't much of one.

"You are Connor."

"And you are the Legendary Super Pervert."

The blade didn't waver at the title, but I had the feeling of amusement coming from him.

"The information you told the Hokage, where did you get it?"

"Did Hokage-sama tell you of my 'condition'?"

"He did. What about it?"

Staring at the ground on all fours had become boring and somewhat uncomfortable, so I said, "You mind if I sit? I like to speak to a person's face instead of to the grass."

The blade retracted and I turned over so I was looking at the Toad Sage himself.

Yes, his outfit was as odd as it was in the show. I wondered how exactly he got his hitai-ate to have horns on it and why he had the kanji for oil instead of the Konoha leaf symbol. Those, however, were questions for later. He sat and waited for me to speak.

"If Hokage-sama hasn't told you of my ability, then I shouldn't talk about it. Once I gain permission from him, I will tell you whatever you want." I saw his face becoming hard, so I quickly said, "However, because he has told you about your students, I will tell you all about that. What I know, anyways."

His face returned to its almost blank state that included a frown to show minor displeasure.

"How do you know about my students, and what makes you think they are alive?"

The real question was how it had taken so long for him to get to Konoha? I had told Hiruzen the information months ago!

"I can't reveal my sources, but I know that at least two of them are alive. The one with a certain rare 'asset'," I tapped my finger on my closed eyelid to indicate the Rinnegan, "And the one who's jutsu rely on paper."

"Yahiko. You didn't mention him. What is wrong with him?"

"I might be wrong, but I do know that he gets killed by Hanzo of the Salamander. Hanzo is tricked by someone into thinking that the organization that the three of them make, or have made, is a threat to Hanzo."

Jiraiya's body stiffened before relaxing slightly and saying, "What is the name of their organization and where are they located?"

"Akatsuki. And I think somewhere in Ame. The one with the 'assets' kills Hanzo and takes Ame over as the main base for their organization. I'm not sure when this happens though."

Jiraiya stood and said, "If any of this is false, I do not care what the Hokage orders, I will seal you into the belly of a frog and have you be digested even as you heal for years before I finally seal you away where no one will ever discover your location."

Honestly, I felt scared of the Toad Sage. The killing intent he gave off combined with a very real threat truly made me fear for my existence.

"It is not false. I know it may not seem like much, coming from a stranger, but you have my word that everything I say is the truth as I have seen it. I have not given you any falsehoods, nor attempted to lead you down a dark path."

"For your sake, I hope so."

He turned away, and I said, "Next time, would you please just ask to speak with me? Toads are cool and everything, but their insides are not. No offense." I said that last comment to the giant toad who was about half the height of myself. He waved his hand and vanished in a puff of smoke.

"I might. We will speak again at a later time."

He walked away and I waited a minute before laying on the ground and staring up through the trees and into the sky. That had been an... interesting experience. I never anticipated meeting Jiraiya that way.

After laying there for a decent amount of time, I finally got up and went in the same direction I had seen Jiraiya walking. It turned out to be a little ways behind the Hokage monument. I admired the view while on the top of the fourth's head.

"I really wish you had managed to live. Maybe a great deal of the crap today wouldn't be an issue if you hadn't died. You could simply Hirashin your way to Ame, kick his ass, then lead the village into a bright new age. All in the same week!" I chuckled at my words and felt some sadness. I had never met the guy, but he had seemed so nice in the anime that I couldn't help but mourn his death just a little.

"I have heard of your passion for Konoha." A voice spoke from behind me and I turned to see an unwelcome, but expected, sight.

"I do not believe we have met."

"We have not. I am Danzo. I have a proposition for you."

I didn't speak for a moment, thinking of the best possible response. He couldn't know that I knew of Root, or he would have something done to me to put me out of the picture. He also couldn't know of the utter disdain I felt towards the bastard. I hated nearly everything about him, desire to protect Konoha be damned. He didn't have them yet, I thought, but the Uchiha eyes he had been implanted with had always revolted me.

"Seeing as you are meeting me where no one is watching, I assume you are making an offer that isn't for public ears."

"You are correct."

"Continue."

"I am the head of a group known as Root. Root is on par with Anbu and is much more secretive. I wish for you to be a part of this group and use your condition to perform acts that most other ninja would not be able to." How did that bastard find out!?

It was time to put this conversation to an end.

"I notice that you say that you are the head of a group even more secretive than Anbu. You did not say the Hokage controlled Root. I owe my allegiance to Hiruzen-sama and will not be a part of a force not under his control. Especially not one that was meant to be disbanded years ago."

"You will not become a member?"

"Sorry, but no. I will, however, not mention this meeting or offer to Hokage-sama if you do not try to approach me again."

He did not speak for a moment, and I felt as though the bandaged man was wishing he could kill me, despite not feeling any KI from him. His old body may have slowed down with age, but he would easily be able to dismember me if he truly wanted to. Or he could have the Root members that were no doubt watching do it for him.

"Very well. We will not meet again under these circumstances."

He turned his back and I hear the tapping of his cane as he walked away.

I let out a nearly inaudible sigh. That day had been full of surprises. With a Toad Sage currently threatening me and a very dangerous political figure being outright denied, I was on some shaky ground.

"Screw this. I need to relax." I jumped up and over the side of the Hokage monument. I didn't bother sticking to the wall on the way down and pumped chakra into my feet to make the breaks minor when I landed. Anybody else who tried that would probably have at least two bad breaks in their legs, if they were lucky. Me? I waited for a minute and continued onward, ignoring the small craters I had left upon impact.

I knew of this sweets shop that I had never bothered to visit, and suddenly had a craving for teeth rotting goodness. (Though my teeth remained the same shade of dull white even with weeks without brushing or extreme whitening sessions with a toothbrush.)

I entered the shop and was surprised at the crowd that was sitting around at tables and various booths. It seemed that the place was a popular hangout area for Shinobi and civilians alike.

I ordered a stick of dango and relaxed in an empty corner of the room. I had my hood up and was pretty slouched over as I ate the treat, so I knew I was the cause of more than a few odd looks.

The looks, however, were redirected when the room's ambient noise suddenly dropped. I looked up and saw a familiar looking Kunoichi strutting in with a smirk on her face.

I liked her instantly. No, not in a romantic sense, but in a kindred way. She obviously gave not a single shit about the sneers in her direction and had no problem telling anyone that.

She ordered an amount of dango that, quite frankly, an Akamichi would have trouble consuming when starved. After receiving the platter of treats, she sat down at a table that was suddenly empty. About half the people in the shop had left when she came in. How rude.

I ordered three more sticks of dango and decided to relax there for a good while. That dango was good!

"Hey whore!" I stopped the bite that was to finish my third stick, and closed my mouth.

Anko, for who else could eat so much dango and not be an Akamichi or Uzumaki, didn't react to the man's words.

"Nobody wants a traitor like you in a good place like this! Why don't you go somewhere else!"

The entire room fell silent, aside from the sound of Anko still eating her dango.

"You listenin', bitch!?"

I set the dango down and stood. The room looked at the only other person who dared move aside from the insulting man and Anko.

I walked around the tables in the room in silence and went to the man, who glared at me.

"Keep it down. This is a family environment."

The man's face turned red and he began spewing insults and held a fist to my face, well, my hood. The most he could see was my chin and possibly the bottom part of my head. I relied on his lower body's movements to see if he swung at me.

When his insults turned into profanity, I escorted him out. Meaning: I grabbed his shirt in my fist and dragged him out the door as he screeched various threats and other things. Good thing he was a civilian, as a ninja would have been slightly more difficult to handle.

I dropped him when he was a block away from the sweet shop, ignoring the stares coming from people at the sight of the man being dragged away by an oddly figure, and used Shunshin to arrive back at the shop.

I walked back in to a slight buzz of conversation and went to the shopkeeper.

"I apologize for that, Shopkeeper-san. I couldn't let someone be so blatantly rude in a public place."

The man said I was forgiven and offered a free stick of dango as a thanks. I accepted and nodded silently to Anko, who spared a look at the person who defended her, and left.

It was a few hours later, while I was training, when Anko appeared.

She said hello by having a snake the same size as the one that Orochimaru tied me up with all those years ago wrap around my upper body. It was even almost the same color!

"Is it sad that I can honestly say that this isn't the first time I've been in this situation?"

Anko appeared next to me with her trademark smirk and pushed my hood off. "Most men I show an interest in end up like this now and again. But I don't think I remember ever meeting you."

"You haven't. I would remember such a wonderful attitude towards fools who don't know when to hold their tongue. What were you thinking of doing to him?"

"Hanging him from the Academy in his boxers right before the kids got out of class."

I snorted. It was a funny image, but too tame.

"I would have expected something worse for such rude insults."

"The Hokage made me promise not to do such methods of revenge anymore. He called them, 'scarring' and 'irreversible damage to their psyche'. So I had to suffice for little things."

"Have you considered putting them in Genjutsu?"

"Tried that before. That's the 'Irreversable damage' nonsense."

"Ah."

"Yeah. Now why exactly did you do that? Haven't you heard about me yet?"

I blinked and said, "I know you apparently are well known by the populace. Or at least by the people in the sweet shop. Judging by the pile I saw you demolish, you go there often?"

She smiled and nodded. "My favorite food, dango is. Best food there is, ever." The dangerous glint in her eye told me that I better not say otherwise, and I didn't plan to.

"It is great, I can't deny."

"You never answered my question. You know I'm Anko, right? Snake bitch and student of the biggest traitor Konoha has ever known?"

My eyebrow rose. "And? Is this supposed to intimidate or impress me?"

I saw Anko's face get a surprised look for a moment before she frowned.

"Orochimaru. I was his student before he threw me away. All of Konoha knows this and doesn't exactly welcome a traitor's student walking free."

"Let me tell you a little secret," I leaned forward and stage-whispered, "I'm a product of the snake bastard as well. So I don't give a single crap what others think of you."

Anko lost all form of a mask and I saw the complete shock on her face.

"Now I do not have that horrible Curse Mark, but you can be assured, he left me with another mark that doesn't take the shape of a seal."

Her eyes narrowed and she said, "Explain."

So then I told her what I could. A part of me just trusted the dango-enthusiast, even with the Hokage's unspoken orders to keep quiet.

I didn't tell her everything. I avoided mentioning my visions of the future, as the Hokage had vocally ordered me to not do so, but I told her about the rest. Only touched on my soul not coming from this world, but she didn't question it.

The entire time, she watched me with a blank mask and did not speak.

She then stepped forward with a kunai and stabbed my hand. I winced as the metal slid in and out of my palm, quick as a snake striking.

"A cut would have sated your curiosity, you know," I mutter as the ash sealed the hole and I shook the blood off with the little mobility the snake restraint afforded me.

"I wanted to be sure. Now I know you are not lying. But why tell me?"

I shrugged and said, "I'm bored."

Her eye twitched and she started laughing. And not mean laughter, but actual amused laughter.

"I think I could stand being near you."

"Thanks."

"Don't be. It means people won't be so indifferent or pleasant to you."

"Sheep villagers are boring."

"I'm not going to be less of a bitch to you."

"Eh. You'll at least be honest."

She snorted and the snake around me relaxed and slithered back into her sleeve. Good riddance.

"You are probably the stupidest person in Konoha,-"

"Connor."

"Whatever. I've got crap to do, so I'll be seeing you."

She Shunshined away and I smiled.

"At least she's interesting." With this in mind, I continued the kunai practice I happened to be in the process of until the sun began to set.

When I heard that Kumo had requested negotiations with Konoha, the first place I found myself was knocking on the Hokage's office.

"Enter."

So I did to see none other than Hiashi Hyuuga, the clan leader of the Hyuuga, standing in front of Hiruzen. Hiashi didn't bother to turn to look at me when I came in. I didn't know if it was because he was rude to those he considered below him, or if he was using the Byakugon to see me.

"Hiruzen-sama. Have you implemented the precautions for the upcoming negotiations?" He couldn't miss tiny eye movement in Hiashi's direction. To anyone else, it would look like my eye had just glanced at him for a moment for no obvious reason.

"I was actually going to call you because of that. I have a B-Ranked mission for you."

I straightened up slightly at the words and listened.

"For the three days the Kumo representatives are in Konohagakure, you are to stay in the direct vicinity of Hinata Hyuuga-"

"Sarutobi-san!" Hiashi protested with obvious heat, despite his usual stoic tone. "We are already going to be on high alert after the warning you have given us. Why is this necessary?"

"It is another measure of security. It is but for three days. You do not have to provide any rooms for him as he will be awake for the full three days."

Hiruzen's made it obvious that there was no use arguing, so Hiashi bowed stiffly and with a, "Hokage-sama," he left the room.

Once he left I asked, "You really think I can make a difference to their defenses?"

"I know you can be with her at literally all times and that you can deal with the rudeness of others without complaint. The group from Kumo arrives in two days. Arrive at the Hyuuga compound the morning they arrive and protect Hinata Hyuuga for the three days and nights the Kumo group is in Konoha. Dismissed."

I bowed to Hiruzen and left his office with my shoulders feeling surprisingly heavy. I had just been given the protection of an important character's life. It wasn't some random noble that had never been mentioned in the anime or manga, but a member of the (legendary) Konoha twelve and Rookie nine.

For the next two days, I did literally nothing else except prepare for the Kumo group. I searched the Fuinjutsu book for any seals that might assist me, but found none that couldn't be defeated by someone with rudimentary skills in the art. And anyone with a sure hand and some ink can create or destroy a seal. So that left Fuinjutsu out except in directly hostile situations.

After extremely careful thought, I just decided that spamming clones over a long period of time would have to work. I would hide them all around the compound and they would report any problems if and when they came up.

I found myself at the Hyuuga compound's main gate and gave the mission scroll to one of the guards standing there. Oddly enough, the both of them had very obvious swords hanging from their hips. Anyone who knew even a little about the Hyuuga would know that they needed no weapons for their Gentle Fist style of fighting. A single touch would put most low-level enemies out of commission and hamper a great deal of stronger opponents.

"Follow her. She will bring you to Hiashi-sama."

I nodded and bowed to the two guards, whose expressions never wavered from their mildly threatening, yet still blank 'make a wrong move, and I'll leave you twitching on the ground' expressions.

The Hyuuga woman, a branch family member, led me in silence through the compound.

"Your home is beautiful." It really was, if you didn't mind the plain nature of their walls. The flowers and koi ponds made up for it.

"Thank you."

We went the rest of the way in silence. She left me in front of a door with a slight bow and I entered.

Hiashi was already sitting inside when I entered and I saw a cushion that had been set there for guests. How considerate.

The only reason I didn't call the room a throne room was because of the desk filled with scrolls and inkwells; hence calling the room his office. I sat in the respectful seiza position, despite wanting nothing more than a regular chair. I never liked seiza as it was hard with my Organization XIII coat. I managed it well enough.

"Good morning, Hiashi-sama. I am here to begin the mission given to me by Hokage-sama."

He tilted his head in what could barely be considered as a nod and said, "I do not see why your presence is needed, as I will already have someone with my daughter at all times. But I will respect the Hokage's wishes and you will be with my daughter for the next few days." His face suddenly acquired a piercing stare and he said, "If my daughter is hurt or any Hyuuga believes that you mean my clan harm, you will be brought down and taken to T&I."

I did not react to the killing intent he gave off, and bowed to the clan leader.

"Understood, Hyuuga-sama. When can I begin my mission?"

The KI cut off and I was sent on my way.

The Hyuuga branch member brought me to a room and left me with a bow. I entered and found a man and a little girl in matching poses that I recognized as the end of a kata.

The man looked at me and said, "Hinata, continue. I'll rejoin in a minute."

She nodded and only spared me a small look before returning to her movements.

"Good morning, Hyuuga-san. I am here for my protection mission." I bowed to the man and he gave a shallow bow as well.

"Very well. Please take a seat as we are currently in the middle of Hinata's morning routine."

I nodded and sat in a more relaxed cross legged position as they finished.

It shocked me at how children who were only around three or so years old were forced to learn the Shinobi arts at such an age. And that's nothing compared to Hinata's clan head training. She was taught so many rules and procedures that it made me glad I was not reborn into some prestigious clan. That crap would have made me go Itachi on their imperious asses.

Hinata rarely met my eyes without blushing and had only given me the necessary greetings and formalities when in the same room as me. Which was quite literally any time she was not using the bathroom or bathing.

I learned about Hinata's sister, Hanabi, on the second day. Apparently, Hinata's mother was currently pregnant with who would become Hanabi. I met her, Hinata's mother, for a brief minute between Hinata's training sessions.

It was the third night when Kumo made its move. A Kage Bunshin that had henged itself into a small tree dispelled and informed me that a non-Hyuuga man had just burrowed out of the ground and was headed for the compound. How he had evaded notice, I'm not sure.

I clenched my teeth and prepared myself. I heard the sounds of combat appear directly outside and created six Kage Bunshin even as Hinata began to wake up.

The paper door of Hinata's room tore apart and a man stepped in, only to have two Kage Bunshin grab his arms and the real me to slap a piece of paper with a seal directly on his forehead. The only reason I managed it was because of surprise. If he expected more than a little girl in the room, I might have been in trouble.

His body went limp after a moment of hesitation and my Kage Bunshin went to work tying the Head Ninja up.

"Hinata!" Hiashi stood in the demolished doorway with five other Hyuuga standing nearby in various battle stances.

One Kage Bunshin, who stood in front of Hinata as another protective barrier, stepped aside at the appearance of the clan leader and pocketed the kunai he had been wielding.

Hinata shook slightly, but straightened and bowed to her father, as she had been taught.

"I am okay, father. Connor-san kept me safe and I was not harmed." Her pronunciation was a bit slow and unsteady, but the three year old had a surprising grasp of the language.

Hiashi's stance relaxed slightly and he looked to the unconscious Head Ninja.

"I will have three Kage Bunshin escort him to Konoha T&I, with your permission, Hyuuga-sama?"

I could tell he wanted to send him somewhere much farther than T&I, somewhere with a bit more fire and brimstone, but nodded and had two Hyuuga go with my Kage Bunshin.

Hiashi found various excuses to spend the rest of the night near his daughter. Hiashi's brother, Hizashi, rushed into the office and Hiashi calmly explained what had happened. He had Hizashi go to Hinata's mother and explain what had happened.

A minute after Hizashi left, the memories of my Kage Bunshin came to me.

"He is with T&I, Hyuuga-sama. The other Hyuuga members and my remaining two Kage Bunshin are on their way to the Hokage to explain what has happened."

Hiashi accepted my report with a nod and continued with giving orders to tighten security even further than before.

I felt a tug on my coat and looked down to see Hinata standing there.

"T-thank you, C-c-Connor-san."

I smiled and said, "You are welcome, Hinata-chan."

Hinata blushed furiously and went back to her father, who looked at me with a blank expression before returning to his orders. Hinata probably wasn't used to getting the more affectionate -chan honorific. She's probably always getting the more honorary -san honorific, as she is training to be a clan head.

The next morning, the Kumo group left Konoha in a rather stiff manner. The Head Ninja had been released from T&I with a warning to never come back to Konoha without express permission from the Hyuuga themselves. This kind of put a damper on the peace treaty that had just been signed, but not very much.

I found myself in the Hokage's office next to Hiashi Hyuuga and Hinata, who hid slightly behind Hiashi's robes.

"I wish to take back my reservations from before. Thank you, Hokage-sama, for assigning Connor to protect my child."

Hiruzen accepted the thanks with a nod while my insides were doing backflips. I-me-had just gotten a thanks-a sideways thanks, but a thanks nonetheless-from the head of one of the biggest and snootiest clans in Konoha! I wished I could record that moment for all eternity.

On the outside, I showed nothing of my inner fist pumping attitude. Hiashi left after some more small talk about unrelated politics and I was left with Hiruzen, who dismissed his Anbu.

"I will admit, I still had my doubts. This is the first time any of your predictions has come true and if it had not, I'm not sure what would have been done. I thank you for telling me of it."

"I thank you for allowing me to prevent it. Has Jiraiya-sama been to see his students yet?"

"No. He has some business to attend to in Konoha before leaving."

"Checking Naruto's seal?"

Hiruzen frowned and I shrugged.

"Or is he peeking in the female side of the bathhouses? I can never be certain with him."

His mouth twitched in a small smile and he said, "You know of Naruto then?"

"He plays a major role in the future. Of course I know of him and his furry little buddy."

Hiruzen's eye twitched at my description of the Kyuubi. The strongest of all tailed beasts and killer of the fourth Hokage, being called a 'furry little buddy.' He was probably questioning my sanity. The nostalgic smile I gave probably didn't help my case.

"Then you also know of the law enacted that concerns him and the Kyuubi?"

At this, I scowled.

"I know of it, and I can't say that I, personally, approve. I know it is necessary, but he needs to be told before someone else tells him and tries to kill him while he is in shock."

Hiruzen's eyes widened and I said, "It will not happen for a long time, so do not worry about it right know. For now, can we discuss the fact that his godfather is never around and instead constantly pervs on women?"

Hiruzen rubbed his head and sighed.

"His spy network is one of the foundations that holds this village. He cannot be in the village taking care of a child-"

"He doesn't have to take care of him, simply tell him that he is his godfather and visit him when he comes to the village. Naruto is- will be, a simple kid. Just knowing he has family will help him tremendously. He will also hold his promises. Make him promise that he won't tell others about who his godfather is and no one will know unless you give permission."

Hiruzen thought for a moment and said, "I will speak to Jiraiya-kun. Dismissed."

Yup. Longest chapter thus far. There's going to be a decently sized time-skip in the next chapter that will skip to more interesting things. Tell me, how do you all like Connor's look? I admit, I wouldn't say no to an Organization XIII coat if it was available to me. Even in real life.

About Hinata's mom, to those who will undoubtedly complain about her. There is very little said about her and details are scarce. All that is said of her is that she is kind. So I couldn't really go in depth with her character very much.

Tell me what you think of this chapter. Good? Bad? Meh? Suggestions and advice are most welcome.