Chapter 11: Growing Rifts
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Note: Prepare for deviations because most of this is written from memory! I also realize that I made a mistake a while ago. I forgot that Kakashi knows the rasengan as well, making him the third user of the jutsu while Naruko is the fourth. I'll fix it later. This chapter and the next will have Sakura bashers unite and ask me to tear the pinkette apart, but I won't.
Naruko had chosen not to go to the hospital because she didn't really like them all that much. She also wanted to avoid people she knew for a while. The changes Naruko underwent during the mission made her feel uncomfortable. She never imagined that her body would be so...lithe. Even with the new heavier weights, Naruko felt fairly light. She decided to leave Sakura and Sasuke alone for a little while, maybe give the girl time alone with the boy she loved.
Thinking that made it feel like her heart was wrapped in razor wire. Rather than go to Ramen Ichiraku to drown her sorrows in ramen, she made her way to a barbeque place for some meat. She wasn't even in there for two minutes when she heard.
"Wow. Hard to believe such a lazy guy could look so cool with a chūnin flak jacket. Then again, the clothes do make the man."
"Seeing you in that is hilarious. Let's get him in a tux next time."
"...Shut up..."
"Enough making fun of him. Let's eat to his promotion!"
Naruko quickly hid herself behind the short wall the separated the eating area from the entry area. That was Team 10. While Shikamaru and Choji were her friends, Naruko and Ino didn't have a great past and the kitsune did not want to see if changing into a girl would soften the beating. That was when she noticed a few other people she knew placing orders.
'Damn. I was hoping to get some food and get out before anyone who knew me walked over. Maybe I'll just walk around a little, avoid the crowds and all that,' Naruko thought as she trudged out of the shop, then took to the rooftops.
Sadly, people she knew normally frequented the roofs of Konoha.
"Naruko?"
She turned to see her academy sensei, Iruka. He saw how much she had changed and he smiled sympathetically. "C'mon. Ayame and Teuchi would never turn you away," he said as he gestured in the general direction of the shop.
After getting her there and proving that she wouldn't be rejected, Iruka ordered her four bowls and waited for her to speak. It took all four to loosen her lips. "Iruka-sensei...I heard that Shikamaru got promoted. Anyone else?"
Iruka shook his head. "Nope, just Shikamaru." He waited a few moments. "Did you hope to pass?"
Naruko shook her head. "I'd be surprised if I did. I just thought that Sasuke might have been promoted..."
Iruka raised an eye brow. "Sasuke was disqualified, so he wouldn't be considered at all. Why would you think he became a chūnin?"
"Because he went after Gaara right away while I stood there without lifting a finger," Naruko said.
Iruka sighed. "That was just him jumping in without a care. If I recall correctly, Sasuke was no match for Gaara and you were the one who defeated Gaara, saving both Sakura and him." He ruffled the girl's hair. "Have more confidence in yourself. Everyone's going on missions now to make up for our losses, even you, so get that usual determination of yours and do some good for Konoha."
Naruko shook her head a bit and then jumped up onto her stool. "You're right! I got my new jutsu, so I should go out there and rack up the missions so I can become a chūnin next time!"
"That's the Naruko I know, but please sit down and eat a few more bowls of ramen so you don't go falling on your face again," Iruka said with a wide grin.
"Sensei! I haven't done that in three years!" Naruko shouted. Iruka chuckled at her outburst.
[Ten minutes later, Sasuke's room]
Sasuke's mind was a boiling mix of anger and memories. Why did Itachi suddenly lose interest in his little brother and switch to Naruko. Why was Itachi after her? Why was it that Naruko was taking his place as the strongest, most reliable genin in team. It made no sense. He started off stronger, but now she was growing faster than he could imagine. Given enough time and Sasuke's slow growth, Naruko would quickly leave him behind.
"Sasuke-kun! I sliced these apples for you!" Sakura cheerfully announced as she held the tray in front of him.
Bang! Clatter!
Sasuke had slapped the food away and he glared at a wall with all the rage he could muster.
He. Hated. Weakness.
And now he felt weak...
Naruko chose this moment to slip into the room. She honestly hoped she could just peek in to see how Sasuke and Sakura were, but the Uchiha's eyes snapped to her and she felt nothing but rage and darkness from him.
"Sasuke?" Naruko muttered. Was this really her best friend?
Sakura turned and was shocked at the attractive redhead at the door. Her unique features told the pinkette that it was Naruko, but she had changed enough that one would double take to make sure it was her.
"What's with that..." Naruko didn't know what to say. How could she ask him about his 'darkness?' It didn't even make sense to her.
"Naruko, fight me. Now!" Sasuke demanded as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
"Wha-! But you're still not recove-" Naruko started.
"Stop making excuses and fight!" the Uchiha shouted as his sharingan spun at the girl. "I wasn't helped by you or that woman. I don't need some loser dragging me down. I'll prove to you once and for all that I'm the better ninja."
"No!" Naruko shouted, "I'm not going to fight you."
"See Sasuke-kun, she doesn't want to fight right now," Sakura tried.
"Shut up! I'm not talking to you!" Sasuke snapped.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Naruko shouted as she stepped between Sasuke and Sakura.
Sasuke smirked. "Oh? Grew a backbone hiding behind two Sannin? If you got the guts to step up, then fight me."
"I said no," Naruko growled.
"You don't have a choice!" Sasuke shouted as he took a swipe at the girl.
Naruko dodged and ran out of the room. To her shock, Sasuke started herding her towards an unseen goal.
"Sasuke-kun! Stop it!" Sakura shouted as she followed her much faster teammates.
After a few minutes, they were on the rooftop. Naruko might have been able to hop over the fence and down the wall, but Sasuke had his sharingan locked on her and she doubted she'd get near the fence without him blocking her.
Sakura made it to the roof and stared at her teammates. She was truly worried that something bad was about to happen.
"Sasuke, I don't want to fight you," Naruko stated.
"I want to fight you, that's all that matters. Or are you afraid of me?" Sasuke taunted.
Naruko grit her teeth. "I don't want to hurt you."
Sasuke laughed at her. "You? Hurt me? Hah! Never in a million years Dobette!"
"I'm serious Sasuke, I'm stronger and I've...changed," Naruko admitted. Even now, the curse seal dully throbbed on her neck. Jiraiya had warned her not to do any fighting until he had a chance to seal it away, just in case.
"It doesn't matter how strong you become or how much you change. You will always be weaker than me," Sasuke said.
Naruko sighed and turned her back on Sasuke. "I'm not fighting you. I'm going to find Ero-sennin, then I'm going to get a mission." Naruko heard the rushing steps from behind her and turned just in time to see a fist in her face.
Whack!
Naruko was turned again, facing away from Sasuke as she stared at the ground wide eyed. 'That was a full strength punch... He really wants to hurt me!'
Naruko swung an easy to dodge kick at Sasuke's face, forcing him to jump back. Since she didn't want to fight, she decided to create a distraction so she could escape. "Kage Bunshin no ju- Guh!" Right when she went to create the clones, the seal started to burn her. She knew it wasn't bleeding, but she also knew that it wouldn't allow her to use any jutsu that would be useful.
Sasuke closed the gap again and kicked Naruko in the stomach, the drove another kick to her jaw, this one being the starting blow for Shishi Rendan. Naruko had leaned back at the right moment, making her fly too close to the ground for him to use the taijutsu maneuver. He watched as the girl crashed into the fence, then fell to the ground.
"What's the matter? Where's that strength you used on Gaara?" Sasuke demanded. When he got no answer, he went through the seals. "Gōkakyū no jutsu!" he shouted as he spat up the flames.
Naruko saw the katon coming and vanished in a blur of black and red. She appeared out of the flame's reach, but fell to her knee as the pain from the seal spread across most of her body. She knew by now that she was using some kind of jutsu to move like that, but she didn't know how. Whatever the jutsu was, the curse seal did not like it and she was paying for it.
Sasuke was surprised when Naruko appeared in a safe zone, but he covered it when he saw her fall down. She was weak, just like he always thought. He figured that putting her in more danger would trigger that power of hers and he'd have a real fight on his hands. He went through the seals, knowing that this jutsu would either start a great fight or end a pathetic one. "Chidori!" Sasuke yelled as lightning crackled off his hand, then rushed the girl.
"NO!" Sakura shouted as she ran in front of Naruko, using herself as a shield.
Naruko saw Sakura and realized that the girl she cared so much about was going to be hit by that deadly blade.
'Sakura! Oh no, I can't stop myself!' Sasuke thought in a panic.
The blade tore flesh and blood splattered onto the floor.
Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight of Naruko standing before Sakura, holding his arm back even as the lightning blade tore the top of her shoulder. It wasn't to lessen the damage she had already suffered, it was to prevent the blade from reaching Sakura.
Naruko growled, then tossed Sasuke back a small distance away. "Don't you dare do that again!" Naruko ordered with all her might. It was then that Sasuke saw her eyes, slitted and filled with anger. Even as he watched, bloody red chakra leaked from the quickly closing wound on the girl's shoulder.
"Make her leave and then fight me," Sasuke demanded.
Naruko turned away from Sasuke. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"
Sakura dumbly nodded, not even realizing that Naruko's blood had splashed onto her, even in her hair and face. She didn't know why, but she felt safe with Naruko protecting her. She knew that Naruko would never let anything by her as long as it meant Sakura was safe, but how did she know? Even though the top of Naruko's left shoulder was torn flesh, burnt muscle and a tiny bit of visible bone, Sakura knew it wouldn't stop her.
"I won't be ignored!" Sasuke shouted as he came at Naruko with another chidori in hand. Naruko focused chakra into her hand, then wondered what the hell she was doing. This wasn't a rasengan, so what was it? It almost felt like she was meant to throw it.
Kakashi appeared and threw the two away before they could clash. "Chill out!" he ordered as Sasuke slammed into the water tank, puncturing a large hole in it to unleash a strong spray of water.
Sasuke's smirk of victory faded the moment Naruko struck the other tank, tearing several long gashes in the metal as water soaked the area. The moment he saw that, he couldn't contain his anger if he tried.
"What's the matter with you?" Kakashi demanded from atop the tank Sasuke had damaged, "the chidori isn't meant to be used on allies. Using it against Naruko, were you trying to kill her?"
Sasuke grunted and hopped over the fence to leave. When he landed, he glared up at the tank, seeing that the gashes went straight through and even sliced the fence behind it. Just how strong could Naruko be?
Sakura was crying and Naruko decided to leave, thinking it was her fault. Had she not shown up, would Sasuke have just sat there and done nothing at all? Maybe he would have left Sakura behind to find Naruko. Either way, it looked like her fault...
Kakashi merely sighed as he watched the team go their separate ways. "Jiraiya-sama, where did Naruko learn such a technique? Did you teach it to her?"
"Are you kidding? All I taught her was summoning and the rasengan. I don't even know what she tried to use there," Jiraiya stated.
"The rasengan? If she had used that, she might have killed Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted, alarmed.
"Oh? And what would have happened if Sasuke, rather than scraping her shoulder, had pierced her heart? Are you saying he would be free of blame? Is it alright for Sasuke to kill a demon like Naruko?" Jiraiya demanded.
"Yes. I mean no. I..." Kakashi hung his head in shame.
Jiraiya huffed. "I'm sick and tired of people putting her down like that. If it wasn't for Sarutobi-sensei telling me that you were hand chosen by him to protect Naruko, I'd permanently take her away from you and Team 7."
Kakashi looked away. "I'm sorry. It's just that she's stronger now and she can only grow more and more powerful. I was worried that she might...think of using her power against humans."
Jiraiya kept himself in check. "So you're saying she's dangerous? If anyone's dangerous, it's that kid who tried to kill her just now. Twice!"
"No, I didn't mean that! I was talking about the curse seal!" Kakashi said in a rush, "I have full faith in Naruko. I don't think hurting anyone in Konoha has ever crossed her mind. It's that curse seal on her neck that I don't trust."
Jiraiya sighed. "I don't blame you. That thing and what it could do to her gives me nightmares every night I'm unfortunate enough to see it."
"Have you tried to seal it?" Kakashi asked.
"Not yet, but that's because it wasn't active until recently. I was thinking of the seal that Sasuke has," Jiraiya said.
Kakashi shook his head. "I think Sasuke is wearing down the seal a little bit each day. Naruko... No, the seal is perfect for her. She'd never want to use the curse seal, so it would last forever. Might even make the seal atrophy like Anko's did."
Jiraiya smiled. "That's what I like to see. The girl's self confidence is shot to hell and back already, the changes she underwent recently seemed to have pushed her to a limit of sorts." He then thought of how Sasuke had gone at Naruko. "What's the deal with those two?"
"Same thing you and Orochimaru had when you were genin," Kakashi stated.
"Bah. There wasn't anything between me and Orochimaru...Other than Tsunade..." Jiraiya grumbled.
Kakashi remembered when he had first seen them at a distance, Sakura between the two of them as Sasuke bore down on the girl. Would Team 7 wind up like the Sannin in the end? No, he'd make sure they didn't. "Jiraiya-sama... I want to try to fix this."
Jiraiya thought a bit. "Hmm. I'd go talk to Naruko, but I think she needs someone from Konoha that she hasn't had much contact with since her recent changes. If you go talk to her, maybe it will help get rid of some of her fear of rejection."
Kakashi raised his visible eye brow. "How do you see that happening?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "Naruko told me all about your team's training. Poor gaki didn't even realize that you were trying to help her while making it look like you were focusing on Sasuke. Maybe it's time that you tell her that you want to truly be her sensei."
Kakashi looked away, a very slight blush visible under his mask. "Was it that obvious?"
Jiraiya hopped onto the top of the fence. "To everyone except Naruko. I'll go find the Uchiha and try and talk some sense into him. It's obvious that he ain't listening to you all that much if the seal is coming apart."
Kakashi nodded. "Please do. I'll go talk to Naruko. I have a mission soon, so I hope I have enough time."
The two men left the roof with twin bursts of smoke.
[Training ground 3]
Naruko was still trying to master using the rasengan one handed, like Jiraiya. She could do it, but the jutsu was slower than when she used a clone and it put more strain on her too. She didn't bother hitting anything with it, just tried to speed up the chakra manipulation while trying to find a way to reduce the strain.
Results so far: zilch and an aching arm.
Naruko dispelled the ball and sat down. "What am I doing wrong?"
"Hmm, I never thought I'd see someone so young using Minato-sensei's jutsu."
Naruko, from a sitting position, shot three feet into the air and collapsed in a panicked heap. "Ka-Kakashi-sensei!" the girl cried out as she tried to untangled herself.
Kakashi couldn't help but laugh as the kitsune struggled to hide herself, escape and straighten herself out all at once. "Let me help," he offered as he took hold of one leg and one arm and, with a gentle motion, got the girl back into a sitting position. "Better?"
Naruko nodded as she looked away.
Kakashi looked the girl over and saw that she had noticeably changed. She looked like she had aged an entire year or so since he last saw her. He noticed the still discolored mark on her shoulder where Sasuke's chidori had struck. It was a first for him, seeing a healing wound from the chidori. Normally one didn't heal after getting hit by his first original jutsu.
While he wanted to be a reliable sensei, he had to get her to loosen up a bit first. Time to take a page from Jiraiya-sama's book. His eye locked onto her chest and hips as he stated the truth. "Hmm, you really did grow up a bit."
Naruko stared at her sensei with a flat expression as she hugged herself. "Pervert."
Kakashi smiled. "Thank you. Now that you know I'll still be a chronically late pervert all the time, even if you've changed a bit, think we could talk a bit?"
Naruko drew her knees up to her chin and hugged them, something she hadn't done since she was six. She had lots of questions, but she was afraid to ask most of them. "Sensei... Do you think I can stay in Konoha?"
Kakashi wasn't surprised. He figured it would be somewhere along these lines. "Of course. Why would you think you weren't?"
"Because I'm changing, growing too fast. If this keeps happening, I'll look older than you in no time," Naruko said.
Kakashi, for some odd reason, felt like he should be sitting in a rocking chair, resting with his favorite book in hand. Was that how it felt to be old? "I'm not all that old you know. But I do know how you feel."
Naruko lifted her head and looked at Kakashi. "Really?"
Kakashi nodded as he sat down next to the girl. "My father failed a mission so he could protect his teammates and it led to him being scorned and, eventually, committing suicide. My mother died long before that, so I had to take care of myself and train on my own until I became a genin."
Naruko was shocked. It sounded eerily similar to her own life. "But you had friends, right?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Not at first, because I lived the rules of the shinobi. My teammates eventually were my very best friends. Did you know Yondaime-sama was my team's sensei?"
Naruko was stunned. "You were trained by the Yondaime?"
Kakashi nodded. "I don't say it to often because, out of all his students, I was the one who took his words to heart the slowest in spite of being a genius."
"What do you mean?" Naruko asked.
Kakashi got up and walked over the monument. "Come over here Naruko." The girl came over and Kakashi had her sit down facing the marker while he sat next to it. "See these names here? Uchiha Obito. And over here, Rin. They were my teammates in Minato-sensei's genin team. During the Second War, Rin was captured by Iwa-nin and I, as the team leader, decided to leave her to the enemy so we could complete out mission."
"Why would you abandon her?" Naruko asked.
Kakashi sighed. "It wasn't one of my best moments. Luckily, Obito refused and I had to follow him to keep him safe. He awoke his sharingan and we managed to get Rin back, but I suffered the loss of my left eye and we got caught in a cave-in while we were hiding from them. Obito had half of his body crushed. Seeing that he was as good as dead and his left sharingan was intact while my left eye was gone, Obito had Rin transplant the sharingan in place of my missing eye. Because of that, I was finally able to use the chidori."
Now Naruko was confused. "Wait, why couldn't you use the chidori before having a sharingan?"
"Because of the speed. No normal human eye can see well enough to aim at the speed the chidori requires. It requires a sharingan, which can pick up perfect detail no matter how fast the user is going. With it, I was no longer tripping over my own feet while using my first original technique. It cost me my best friend, but he isn't really gone as long as I have this eye," Kakashi explained.
Naruko looked at the marker and asked, "what happened to Rin?"
"MIA. She disappeared roughly sixteen years ago while on a mission. Many believe that she just didn't want to be a ninja anymore and dropped her forehead protector and became a civilian," Kakashi said.
"What do you think?" Naruko asked.
Kakashi looked at the marker, remembering the girl who once loved him. "I don't know what to think. If she's alive, I hope she is happy. If she's dead, I hope she's at peace with Sensei and Obito." He then chuckled. "You know, Sakura looks a lot like Rin did at her age."
Naruko was shocked. Someone could look like Sakura? That shouldn't be possible. "Really?"
Kakashi reached into his flak jacket and pulled out a simple chain with a small picture holder on it. On the side she could see a smiling black haired boy with goggles on. Kakashi turned it and an attractive brown haired girl with blue marks on her cheeks was shown. "Crazy, isn't it?"
Naruko was thinking just that. The girl did look like Sakura and the boy she had seen looked sort of like her before the henge was released.
Kakashi smiled and held it out to Naruko. "Take it."
Naruko took the chain, then looked at her sensei, confused. "Why give this to me?"
"Because I trust you. Besides, I think you need their help more than I do now," Kakashi said, "that and you are a lot like both of them. You care for your comrades, even if they sometimes treat you like a bother, just like Rin. You also fight with all your power to protect them, just like Obito. It took me losing both of them to gain both those traits. From the first moment I met Team 7, you already possessed the very traits I wanted to teach." He eye smiled. "That's probably why I accidentally focused on the others. You were so far ahead of them where it matters."
Naruko looked at the necklace once more, then put it on. The moment it touched her, she felt a strange warmth spread throughout her body, actually lessening the pain from the curse seal. After a moment, she put it under her dress.
"Well, I got a mission to do. I'll be back soon," Kakashi said as he got up, "when I get back, I'll help you with the rasengan and maybe teach you a few normal katon, if possible."
"Okay... Wait! You know about the rasengan!" Naruko shouted.
Kakashi nodded. "My sensei was the Yondaime, so yeah. I also had trouble stabilizing it at first, so maybe I can help a bit with a tip or two. If you get that down and a katon or two, maybe I'll teach you another one of his jutsu."
Naruko's eyes were practically glowing at the prospect of learning another of Namikaze Minato's jutsu. "Alright! I'll keep practicing! For all you know, I'll have figured something out before you get back!"
Kakashi smiled. "If anyone could figure it out on their own, it will be you." He left in a swirl of leaves.
Naruko stretched. Maybe she'd practice fighting a bit, get her mind off the rasengan for a while. Focusing on something else just might make her figure out how to work it properly, sort of like when she learned the jutsu.
[Near the hospital]
Sasuke stayed seated on the branch where the Sannin had left him. Jiraiya had revealed that he spent a good bit of his life trying to, for lack of a better term, get revenge on Orochimaru for all the atrocities he had committed. While Jiraiya was strong, he had nothing to really show for it. He had temporary lovers on occasion, but he had nobody he could call family, nobody he could come home and hug. In a sense, he was moving because of the past and had lost the chance to have something to look forward to: the present and a future.
Sasuke actually sat down and thought on what the man had said. While he would destroy Itachi, would it mean anything if he had no way to complete his other goal to revive the Uchiha? Would his revenge consume him and blind him from everything else? Could having allies truly allow Sasuke to defeat Itachi sooner? He had always pictured himself and Itachi fighting the final battle, but could Sakura, Kakashi and Naruko being with him make that battle come sooner?
He didn't know what to think anymore...
It was at this time that four ninja, all bearing the colors and insignia of Orochimaru's Sound Village, landed on the branches around him.
[A few hours later]
Sakura was scared when she saw Sasuke, outfitted for travel, walk up to the gate. She had hoped that she would waste an entire night waiting here and see nothing of her teammate.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked.
"I figured that if you were leaving, you'd go this way," Sakura said.
Sasuke started walking again. "This doesn't concern you, go back home and sleep."
"Why can't you just talk to me?" Sakura pleaded, "I'm always waiting, but you never-"
"I told you that it doesn't concern you," Sasuke said with a bit more force.
Sakura looked at the ground. "Remember when we were alone after becoming genin. You got angry at me because of all the things I said about Naruko."
"I don't care," Sasuke grunted, "those memories mean nothing to me."
Sakura hid her pain with a smile. "But they mean a lot to me. Team 7, all of us came together. We went on lots of mission, some fun, some scary. Even when I got hurt, even when I thought we might not make it, I enjoyed all of us being together." She decided to try getting through to him. "I know all about the Massacre, and your brother. Even if you did kill him, nobody will be any better, any happier for it."
"Do I look like I care about that?" Sasuke asked. "I'm not going to ever be like you two. We can't keep this foolish little act up anymore. I have to kill Itachi and that is the only reason I was allowed to live. Everyone has different paths in life, this is where everyone in Team 7 goes their separate ways."
"Sasuke! I've loved you ever since I knew what love was! I don't want you to go, so please, just stay here with me! If you do, we can get to Itachi and kill him, then revive your clan! I'll try my best to make staying here worth it. Please...just don't go..." Sakura cried.
"Naruko is growing stronger and stronger with a Sannin. I can't be like Jiraiya or learn how to heal like Tsunade, so I'll learn how to kill like Orochimaru does. All I need is power and he wants to give it to me," Sasuke stated as he took another step.
Sakura realized that Naruko was one of the main reasons Sasuke was leaving, or that's what she figured anyway. "If it's about Naruko, you don't have to compete with her. She will always be very strong, but you don't need to worry about her because she's different."
Sasuke stopped. "What do you mean by that?"
Sakura swallowed hard. Hopefully, nobody would hate her for this.
[Early next morning]
Early morning, nagging mother, mission, blonde female Hokage. Yep, Shikamaru's morning was just peachy.
Troublesome. Shouldn't have accepted the jacket, or tried so hard against that fan carrying blonde. Damn redhead forcing him to fight when he just wanted to forfeit. Women would be the death of him.
"Last night, Uchiha Sasuke abandoned Konoha for the Sound Village," Tsunade stated, getting straight to the point.
That woke Shikamaru up. "Why?"
Tsunade decided to stick with the truth. "Orochimaru convinced him to leave."
"Wait, why would he decide to listen to such a dangerous guy?" Shikamaru asked.
"There's a reason it is always a snake that tricks man. Orochimaru also did have a way of making people do what he wanted," Tsunade explained, "we don't have any time. I'm giving you a mission to complete, chūnin."
"So me and my team are to retrieve Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked.
Tsunade nodded. "Not only do we have limited time, but Orochimaru is sure to send some of his best ninja to assist Sasuke in reaching the border."
Shikamaru remembered the Oto genin team, a group of very powerful pawns Orochimaru sent out as a mere speed bump for Sasuke. If some of his best were coming... "I request a full team of jōnin and chūnin to accompany me on this mission."
"That is beyond my ability right now," Tsunade admitted.
"What are you saying? This is a dangerous mission! Why can't I have a unit fit for the task at hand?" Shikamaru demanded.
"Every jōnin and chūnin, besides you, is out of the village on missions. While there are some jōnin and ANBU around, they can't be taken from their duties for various reasons," Tsunade explained, "gather as many strong genin as you can within thirty minutes. I know there are many who are of the chūnin level."
"Che. Now I'm going to get a taste of what running a team of genin is like," Shikamaru muttered, "whatever. Even if it's a troublesome mission, I'm not turning my back on a fellow ninja. I'll see what I can do." He went to leave, knowing of a few he could ask already.
"Wait a moment," Tsunade called after the boy.
Shikamaru turned with a sigh. "What is it?"
"Uzumaki Naruko is not to go on this mission," Tsunade stated.
"What?" Shikamaru gasped. She was close to the top of his list, right after Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shino... Okay, she was on the list.
Tsunade started to lie, a skill she honed from years of bad gambling. "She received an injury from Orochimaru's right hand man while trying to get me to become Hokage. Despite my skill, I have yet to fully heal it. She needs time to recover."
Shikamaru shook his head. "She's annoying, but strong. Her being there would make the mission a whole lot less troublesome..." He left, figuring he'd grab Choji then track down Kiba so he could send the Inuzuka to search for the others. At least the team would be quieter...
[Two hours later, training ground 3]
Naruko had been training, trying to get a one handed rasengan down. As expected, she still needed a clone to use the jutsu without strain. She could form it a bit faster with and without a clone, but the strain hadn't changed all that much.
"Guess I'll go into town for a walk. Maybe I'll see a cat or something that will give me another idea," Naruko muttered. Four minutes later, she was walking the streets, wondering why she felt so down. It was almost like the entire village was on edge.
"Did you hear?" a man asked.
"What?" A woman's voice.
Naruko, being a shinobi, quickly hid herself behind some crates within hearing range of the conversation. She knew that there were numerous people who had their finger on Konoha's pulse and one of them, the man, sounded like one of the more popular shopkeepers who often heard rumors and such that made him a reliable source. The guy who ran the bar would be better, but he had a condition that kept him in all day long. Something about the sun making him get a really bad rash and sores.
"I heard that one of our ninja abandoned the village last night," the shopkeeper whispered.
"No way!" the woman gasped.
"Quiet down!" the man hissed, "we aren't supposed to know unless it gets really bad. Normally, it's just a confused or scared ninja, so it gets resolved quickly."
After a few moments, the woman asked, "who was it?"
"I don't know," Naruko could swear the man shrugged or shook his head, "all I know is that it was a genin who knocked out one of his female teammates so he could run."
Naruko's eyes widened. Out of all the genin teams she knew of, only one had two girls and a single boy. She quickly made it to the roof and went towards the Hokage Tower at top speed.
Tsunade had been enjoying her paperwork duties (massive sarcasm there) when a window literally exploded and a ball of colors flew in.
"Dammit Anko! I told you to use open the windows!" Tsunade shouted.
BAM! "Why didn't you call me when Sasuke ran away!" Naruko shouted as her hands slammed into Tsunade's desk hard, "I want to be on the retrieval team!"
"The team was already chosen and left," Tsunade stated.
Naruko closed her hands into fists, her nails digging shallow trenches in the desk. "Why not let me go?"
Tsunade reached out and placed a hand on the curse seal. "This is why. It needs to be sealed or it could threaten your life. The only two who can seal it are Kakashi and Jiraiya, both being out on missions right now."
Naruko growled. "I won't use it and I won't let it stop me."
"It stopped you from summoning and, if Sakura was telling the truth, stopped you from using shadow clones. What could you do without your signature jutsu and summoning? While it's true that you might be able to use a rasengan, you can't use it properly without a shadow clone," Tsunade explained.
Naruko turned away from the woman and went over to an open window. "I'm stronger than this stupid curse seal. I'll prove it by bringing Sasuke back."
"Naruko!" Tsunade shouted, but the girl had already jumped out the window, "damn. Now I need to pull someone to find and restrain Naruko." She quickly pulled out the roster and started looking through a list of jōnin. To make matters worse, she had to go talk to Lee soon. Hopefully Naruko wouldn't get any leads to go chasing Sasuke.
[Training Grounds]
Naruko heard that Neji was one of the ninja on the retrieval team, so that meant that Tenten or Lee might have an idea of where the team was headed. Since Lee was in the hospital, that left Tenten.
Just as she found the girl, a kunai hit the tree above her head. "I come in peace!" Naruko shouted as her arms shot up.
Tenten sheathed the other kunai she had readied. "You're...Uzumaki Naruko-san?"
"Just Naruko. I was wondering if you knew which way the retrieval team went?" Naruko asked.
Tenten looked confused. "Why do you need to know that?"
"Me and a few genin are going with a team of medics, just in case anything went wrong. I know the retrieval team headed towards Oto, I just don't know the route," Naruko lied.
Tenten told her of how the team was headed directly towards the Valley of the End, the very valley that Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara's powers created during their legendary battle. "Hey listen, take care of yourself and make sure Neji is alright," Tenten said.
"I will!" Naruko cheered, then bolted in the direction of the gates. They had been left open because of the ninja coming and going so frequently.
"Naruko, stop!"
The kitsune obeyed the order, actually stopping so suddenly that she fell flat on her face.
Footsteps rushed over and Naruko felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. "Naruko! Are you okay?"
Naruko levered herself up, recognizing the voice. "I'm fine, Sakura-chan."
Sakura had this sad look on her face as she stared at her teammate. "Naruko... It's Sasuke-kun. He left the village..."
Naruko looked down a bit. "I know and I'm going to bring him back."
"But a team already went out for him. Please, just don't go out there," Sakura pleaded.
"Sakura-chan, what's the matter?" Naruko asked.
Sakura looked nervous. "I-I don't know. It just feels like I'll lose everything if you leave the village now."
As much as Naruko loved hearing that, she knew that 'everything' was Sasuke. Did everyone think she'd go crazy because of the curse seal? "Sakura-chan, I promise you that I'll get Sasuke back for you. Just wait and see, you won't lose anything today," Naruko said, "I will bring him back, even if it takes all my life to do it."
Sakura was stunned. Naruko had just sworn herself into a form of servitude. It wasn't a promise that she just made, she gave up her entire life with one breath. "Naruko, please don-"
"I'll be back before you know it!" Naruko announced, then rushed out the gates.
For Sakura, her sense of relief battled with her sense of dread. Every step Naruko took felt like the world was coming apart a piece at a time.
[Forest]
Naruko had found Shizune's squad a while back and, learning of the four shinobi Orochimaru sent, Naruko forced herself to create a number of shadow clones, one of which ran back to the village to have teams of medics sent out. Even now, a while later, the curse seal still throbbed.
"I'm stronger than this stupid mark," Naruko growled to herself. She had been saying this every once in a while and it seemed to work too. She had come across a few people she knew, leaving clones behind to cover them, make sure nobody attacked them or move the injured if things started going bad. Sadly, she was now out of clones and there was still Shikamaru and Kiba left over. She doubted she'd be able to make another clone without passing out.
All of a sudden, a breeze brought the most wonderful scents to Naruko's nose. It wasn't ramen, which made her salivate, but it was something that got her blood rushing. She knew what one of the smells was, but the others eluded her. She increased her speed, drawn by the scent of blood and battle.
For the first time, the Empress was on the hunt.
Temari swung her fan, intending to blow away the sound of Tayuya's genjutsu and slice the flute.
She did all that and smack a flying demonic redhead into the demonic looking one.
"WHY!" Naruko wailed as she got picked up and chucked into Tayuya. Her head hit Tayuya's stomach, knocking the older girl off her branch. The kitsune picked herself up and glared at her attacker. "What was that for!"
"S-sorry?" Temari half said, half asked. It was just so random that the girl had appeared at that exact moment.
"It's okay, but where did that girl go?" Naruko asked as she started scanning around.
Temari turned to Shikamaru. "Give me a brief analysis of that girl's fighting style and the current situation."
Naruko ignored Shikamaru the moment he opened his mouth because he started going on and on about genjutsu, explaining the concept of that class of shinobi arts like Temari was a fresh academy student. Naruko could see the mild annoyance on the girl's face, but finding that-
"What's that smell?" Naruko suddenly asked. She sniffed a few more times, hating the nasty scent that seemed to bite into her nose. It sort of smelled like Orochimaru, but it was a little different too. The problem with smelling it was that she could smell a bit on Shikamaru and that kept interfering with her tracking the main source of the smell.
"What's up with her?" Temari asked as she bit her thumb, figuring a good clear cutting of the nearby area would be best.
"She's Naruko," Shikamaru said, thinking that would explain everything.
It hit Naruko like no tomorrow. A sonic roar! If she used that, not only would it block any of the sound genjutsu crap the enemy used, it would also blow her away. Naruko took another sniff of the air and, as luck would have it, the wind picked up from the south and the scent intensified.
"Over there!" Naruko shouted excitedly as she turned to the south and took a deep breath. She didn't know if this would go where she wanted or just blast all over the place, but she figured it was two birds with one stone.
'Alright. I think I can get them with my genjutsu now,' Tayuya thought as she brought her slightly damaged flute to her lips. Just as she went to play a few notes, something powerful and loud slammed into her, tossing her through another tree and depositing her unconscious body on the forest floor, after making it skip for a few yards.
Temari whined in pain as her ears rung from the sound. Shikamaru was wincing as he held his right ear, swearing it was about to bleed. They looked down at Naruko, whose...shriek had torn the branch apart and dropped her to the ground.
"What the hell was that?" Temari shouted, though is sounded muffled to her and Shikamaru.
The lazy genius wanted to shrug or something, but he figured that would hurt too much. "I know as much as you do!"
"What are you two shouting for!" Naruko boomed.
The other two ninja winced as their heads and ears throbbed. "Sasuke was taken by some freaky guy! He went that way!" Shikamaru shouted as he pointed towards the Valley of the End.
"Thanks! Are you guys okay?" Naruko asked, still as loud as ever.
"We'll be better if you and that loud voice go away!" Temari practically screamed.
Naruko huffed and took off. She had to get to Sasuke and bring him back to Konoha, for Sakura and their team.
The wind kunoichi and shadow user waited for their hearing to return to normal before they went to the ground. They had to check to see if they had a prisoner or a corpse. A prisoner would be almost as useful as a corpse, since the medics could determine where the girl had eaten by studying her remains. Shikamaru stopped as Temari continued on to the Oto kunoichi.
The blonde kicked the redhead, getting a weak gasp of pain. "She's alive!" Temari called back, "redhead did a number on her though. I think just waking her up would be torture enough." It was true. By the looks of it, very few bones in the musician ninja were free of breaks and those bones were probably fractured instead.
"We got bigger problems," Shikamaru said from his spot.
Temari came over and saw some blood. "Where did that come from?"
Shikamaru looked the girl in the eye. "This is where Naruko landed after using that power. She's bleeding from somewhere."
"Oh, so that wasn't a tattoo," Temari mused aloud.
"What did you think was a tattoo?" Shikamaru asked.
Temari pointed to her neck, near the spine on her left side. "There was a lot of red, well I now know it was blood. What happened to her, some sort of injury?"
Shikamaru remained silent, remembering Tsunade's explanation as to why Naruko couldn't participate in the mission. Could that bleeding have something to do with it? "This is too troublesome. Let's bind this girl and go back to find my teammates. I'm worried."
Temari smiled. "Don't worry so much, my brothers are also here."
"Now I'm really worried," Shikamaru said with a mental smirk.
"Hey! They aren't that... They aren't as weird as Naruko or that mask wearing perv she calls a sensei!" Temari shouted.
Shikamaru pouted slightly. "I'll give you that."
"Of course you have to give it to me, since I'm right," Temari said as she puffed out her chest a bit in pride.
Shikamaru sighed. 'Damn, dad's not the only Nara man who is whipped to next Sunday. Memo to self: avoid this troublesome blonde in the future.'
[Near the Valley]
Naruko was minding her own business when she, quite literally, ran into something almost as hard as her head. "What the hell!" she whined as she looked at the strange tree before her. It wasn't a tree, it was a gigantic bone. "Why does this always happen to me?" she growled as she made her way through this bone forest, completely oblivious to the battle that was ending nearby.
After she made it through the field of bones, Naruko ran at the nearest tree to move faster.
After fifteen minutes of travel, she finally reached a valley with a waterfall, a river and statues of two ancient shinobi: Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, the men who forged this battle using her ancestor, Kurama.
That was when Naruko noticed the figure on the Madara statue's head. Naruko jumped onto the shoulder of the Hashirama statue.
"Sasuke!" Naruko shouted, "why are you going to Orochimaru?"
Sasuke turned around, the curse seal altering roughly half his face. "Finally caught up to me, Kyūbi?"
Naruko's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't told Sasuke what she was, so how did he know?
A/N~
Sorry for the extended absence (and not being dead, I know the haters were hoping for that) but my computer caught a wicked virus and, after successfully removing it, my computer wouldn't connect to the internet. I fixed it and I'm now back. Nothing like a good old system file transplant from my other computer.
Another reason for the delay is me feeling guilty over blowing up last chapter when it came to Arina's review. I always feel some guilt after doing stuff like that. It's funny since I'm fairly cold blooded, even tempered and mildly sadistic. (I find it enjoyable to see people get flustered)
Finally, this chapter was difficult for me for only one reason: I didn't read the reviews until I finished the chapter. I normally read them as I write, adding the responses to the end or, on rare occasions, adding something from a review, like I did last chapter with Naruko's chakra coloring.
Omakes~
Evolution of a dream.
Naruto, age 8: "Ninja! Hokage!"
Naruto, age 11: "First genin, then Hokage!"
Naruko, age 13 (Post Wave): "I'm going to be the first female Hokage!"
Naruko, age 13 (After finding Tsunade): 'Okay, the first female Hokage is going to be that old hag. But I'll be the first demon to become Hokage.'
Naruko, age 13 (after getting beat by Tsunade): "Kami! She's no human, she's more of a demon than I am! Still, I'll be the first redheaded Hokage."
Gender won't change me!
Naruko peeked over at Jiraiya. They had been looking for Jiraiya's interview girl for two days now and Naruko, knowing that the man was a master of perversion and women, had a question to ask.
Just to make his tongue looser, Naruko opted for being respectable. "Jiraiya, I have a question..."
The man turned to her, a stunned expression on his face. "What did you say? Er, what's the question?" He had read enough about girls like Naruko to know she'd try and pass off what she said as something else. That's why Jiraiya threw in the second question.
Naruko blushed and looked to the side. "Um, how do girls..." She stopped as the blush intensified, trying to rival her hair color.
Jiraiya knew what she meant, or at least he thought he did. "Well Naruko, even I don't fully understand the mind of a woman. I can tell you..." he went into a long winded speech about how he, through observation, thought a woman's mind and heart worked.
Naruko sweat dropped as the man droned on and on. 'I just wanted to know how girls kiss each other and do... that. I need to know what to do to make Sakura-chan happy, so I figured this old perv would know. Damn! Why couldn't I just ask how girls showed each other love.'
Jiraiya, who was trying to educate a young woman far more mysterious than the women he knew, kept going on about things she didn't give a damn about.
Here's an idea-
This is a first from me. I recently had an idea while reading one of the many NaruHarem stories (Icha Icha Engagements) and I'd like to see if anyone else would like to use it as well.
In every harem story for Naruto, he is either all for it, kind of shrugs his shoulders and rolls with it or is more or less oblivious to the girls trying to get him until enough pile up. I decided to make a story where Naruto does NOT want the harem, even going so far as outright rejecting any girl offering to marry him. Since it's brand new, I only have a bare bones idea of where it might go. All I really got is a list of girls I'm putting into the harem, Naruto not wanting to have anything to do with the harem and the first bit written up, where Naruto is told that he is to have children, even if he has to take multiple wives.
Here's what I'd like to see in the fic, if you decide to use this idea. You don't have to follow all of them, I'd just love to see these in the fic.
-Post Fourth Shinobi World War
-Sasuke's still on the loose and pure evil (you can redeem him if you want)
-Naruto killed both Madara and Tobi
-Naruto doesn't want the harem
-Naruto wants to bring Sasuke back to Konoha
-NaruSakuIno (any other girls are okay, just don't overload him with too many girls)
-Sasuke gets nobody (if he lives or appears)
-No CRA (or at least explain it so it doesn't sound like total BS. Make it an old law or something)
-No tailed beasts as lovers
-No putting Tsunade or Kurenai in the harem (Anko and Yūgao are okay since they are young, single and have no kids)
-You can bring characters back to life or have it so they never died (Tayuya, Konan, Yugito. They are fan favorites)
-Anime/movies only characters are okay (Shizuka, Isaribi, Hokuto, Guren, Shion, etc)
-NO YAOI! (For the love of all that is holy and all that is unholy, no yaoi!)
For those who are wondering, the girls that I've decided on for the harem so far are: Sakura, Ino, Isaribi and Shizuka. I might add one or two more, probably Anko, Ayame or Yūgao. Naruto needs at least one older woman. I'm leaning towards Yūgao because she needs some attention and the purple haired beauty needs a rebound.
I don't know about adding Hinata since so many writers have ruined readers when it comes to her 'taking over the harem.' Personally, I think she's too meek to do that. Not to be sexist or anything, but she strikes me as the 'shy, blushing wife type.' The perfect betrayals of Hinata in a harem I've seen so far are in Icha Icha Engagements and True Love Fixes All Broken Hearts. That's the type of Hinata I'd put into a harem, you know she's there but she's too shy to step up too much.
Enjoy it if you do decide to use it.
Responses-
SonicFan12: Actually, she didn't fully master the rasengan. Full mastery of the rasengan is to mix the jutsu with your elemental nature. Naruko hasn't done that yet, so the jutsu is half mastered. Of course, Naruko thinks that she puked and passed out, so I guess she hasn't mastered either one yet.
DarkKiller9: Thanks for the praise. Most people complain about my sticking to canon despite changing some things around a bit. Most of part I was necessary (the NarutoXSasuke kiss wasn't needed and was just plain wrong) so I keep it mostly to the core. Part II is where I like to play and have fun. So much can change there because the story expands tremendously.
And her growth was actually due to a high grade release of her powers (Tailed Beast Ball) and not the curse seal. Right now, it isn't helping her anymore. As Orochimaru theorized, the seal is reactivating and returning to what it is supposed to do, but Naruko's Kyūbi powers are fighting it and hurting her now. That's why the seal bleeds.
gaara king of sand: Thanks.
Sky Zephyrus: I remember reading that Naruto's four tailed Bijūdama was able to severely damage Orochimaru's Triple Rashōmon, I figured and full powered Kyūbi (with both halves of her chakra and no tails) would be able to almost completely demolish one of them. And I only gave that nightmare to Sasuke because I like screwing with his mind. (Goes to give him more)
DarkLordK: You know, I completely forgot that mini joke I threw in about Jiraiya. Thanks for reminding me of it. I also like to poke fun at the 'Great Super Pervert Jiraiya-sama!'
Irish Shift: Hehehehe. I just got an evil idea for later. Oh Itachi! I need to speak with you for a while!
ShadowCub: More perverted Naruko? I do believe that her practically eye raping women, Shizune included, counts as being pretty damn perverted. Jiraiya even praised her! When that man praises your perversion, you're an official pervert.
SuperNeos2: Sorry for ruining a few more years of your life, but I just wanted to pick on the teme a little more. I still haven't lost the image, mainly because I keep referring to it for my fics. I'm anti-yaoi, so I'm safe.
ororo12: I've always wondered why people don't put a capital at the beginning of their..whatever you want to call it since I know many aren't writers and made an account to keep track of their fav fics. Anyway, the idea originally came from another author's idea, though Naruto absorbed the Kyūbi and all her power, making Naruto turn into his Oiroke(Sexy) form permanently. The whole absorbing a demon thing is a little far fetched to me, so I don't use that idea. You know the rest since you're reading this fic.
Raw666: That's one of the pains of writing... quite a few fics at once. To make it simple, Orochimaru doesn't think Naruko is the Kyūbi because she is far too weak to be a bijū. Nobody would believe that a little girl who can barely defeat Gaara and Kabuto could be the mighty Kyūbi, strongest of all bijū. There just wasn't any evidence to support it. And Kabuto was never told about the Bijūdama because Orochimaru didn't think he'd run into a jinchūriki who could use it, since Sasuke was his target and all past Kyūbi jinchūriki never reached that level of mastery over the fox.
EvilTenten: An evil Tenten? Why does that sound so hot? I've got a sort of evil Tenten in one of my stories, so why am I shocked? According to Arina and two other people, who I've forgotten, this fic isn't that good. I'll keep going since, according to popular opinion, this fic is good. I honestly don't see it. This fic has its moments, but isn't up to what I consider 'a great fic' level yet.
Analyn Rockwand & god of all: Thanks for the praise, sort of. Like I said, this fic is just... yeah, I don't know how to describe it. It isn't up to par yet, probably might not get there either. I'll try my best, but I have very high expectations and this fic ain't meeting them.
AsterBlake333: Thanks and...wait for you? Huh? That's strange...
xXxwhitewolf14xXx: Why do I feel like a bunch of guys are just waiting for blonde to meet rust red? They want to see Ino lez all over Naruko. Heh. I can't wait either. Must restrain myself!
ArinaSugarBaby: Funny how you make it seem like I didn't expect a few reviews like yours. Truth be told, I expected a lot more flames. I actually expected a few people, who are extremely homophobic or major league bash masters that will not be named (SasukeRulesYouAll and Basher) to come here and troll me on every chapter, and I'm quite shocked that the reviews aren't a blazing inferno yet. I know I'm an amateur and view my work as being amateur no matter what anyone says, though you wouldn't since you obviously haven't read my profile. Let me repeat myself one more time: I expected far more hate than what I've gotten so far.
Now, what I said was that Tsunade's personality would be different. Tsunade viewed Naruto as the container of the Kyūbi in cannon. In this fic, she saw Naruko as a monster unworthy of anything, let alone recognition. And I do seem to recall Naruto being knocked back onto his back, not through a wooden structure or hit hard enough that he bled badly enough to require medical attention. Check it and see if I'm wrong.
Haa, I go on about saying how scratching back makes me feel bad and then I do it anyway. I really need to ditch this ugly streak in my personality. Of course, that's as easy as finding a fic I really liked.