Here we are once again! Happy as can be and still enjoying Winter Break!
8 reviews last chapter out of 375 people! Let's make that 100 this chapter! Don't let me down, after all I spend so much time editing for your pleasure and I don't get paid so... Ha, review at your own leisure, I'm kidding!
On with the show!
One day later Hiruzen sat undisturbed in office. Plenty of light, as if blushed by kisses from kami herself touched and gently lit the room, stacks of paper sieging upon his desk. For once the old man smiled warmly before he rested his old body. He admired the day while looking through the window but sighed at the incessant smell of paper and ink.
Naruto, Haku, and Tenten had been admitted to final training in interrogation. Their progress were marked by the teachers who taught them. Now they were off, away from village and home, driving blade to flesh and slitting mind from sanity. The day's teacher was Anko and no doubt she would challenge them for the first part of three to becoming full-interrogators.
Despite all that was happening, regardless of the problems, he had learned through life to appreciate small moments like this: bright cheery days.
He breathed. In and out.
… In and out…
... In and out…
With one final breath he turned and addressed a disturbance with clairvoyance. Before a knock he knew what was to come, Hiruzen awoke his bones from deep rest and called gently; he was feeling especially humorous that day, so he added something… a little uncharacteristic, " Come in, come in, I do not bite."
A croaking voice belonging to a man of middle age answered back in retort, "I know but you, old man, sure need to get a bite on your jaw if you are wantin' to stay in that chair!" Jiraiya laughed gruffly.
The Toad Sage, Jiraiya, strolled through Hiruzen's door. Brazen such as he the old Sage glared lecherously at Hiruzen's secretary one moment before the door shut in finality, with a soft click of course. Jiraiya's hair was like bristles, white and sharp like quills that drooped behind him and somehow ordered into a ponytail. Tear-line tattoos distinct as hot iron on either cheek.
A history lesson may have said that Hiruzen taught three brats to become the worlds most powerful shinobi and to have survived an encounter with Hanzo the Salamander. Three with whom became the Toad Sage, the Snake Sage, and the Slug Sage.
Greetings were in need and Hiruzen had yet to fail at their quips, "Perhaps, yet even after all these years I still am here."
"Anyday yer gonna pass that hat on to someone stupid enough to take it. I pity the fool."
"Not everyone is as carefree as you, Jiraiya-kun. Why a lot more Jonin and even some ANBU," his eyes traced across his ceiling into palpable black and oak brown, "would want my position."
"Moron," skyward as an arrow launching from it's bow he pointed to one Anbu and then another, "Moron. Moron. Moron."
"Finished?"
"Not yet," he asked the receptionist if she would take 'the hat' and when the sound of flesh met flesh in a spectacular show of bruising slaps Jiraiya stepped back in.
"Quite finished?"
On his cheek was a welt nearly as crimson as his tattoo.
He coughed and looked away, "Yeah."
After pleasantries were exchanged Jiraiya's 'wisened' face fell serious and his stature business-like in ritual of his meaning; He came to report, with meeting-insults only custom in greeting.
Business began per usual: a report, "Kushina and Tsunade are still traveling through the countries. You've already received the list of countries they've traveled so I will skip that…" Jiraiya sighed like a bear. "My informants tell me they're at a small village a good few miles from Konoha, a somewhat well-known place by the name of Suzuka, known for it's festivals and special occasion goods. Kushi-"
"Special occasion goods?" A humorous grin sketched on the Hokage's face. Almost akin to a full-blown smile and yet held from by Hiruzen's studious nature.
Flushes of pink dye somehow colored Jiraiya's cheeks before he retorted, "I don't remember what they're called," he coughed into his hand undeniably flustered, "But, despite Tsunade's and Shizune's best efforts her depression is worsening. Reports from our spies says interactions between herself and anonymous citizen's are on the rise with increasingly negative results."
Creaks from his chair decried their silence when while an impossible numbers of gears wound inside Hiruzen's head.
"How far have the rumor's spread?"
"Faster than predicted. Frankly it's a miracle we kept Konan's appearance under wraps but don't expect much more. Speaking of rumours… Naruto's mask has leaked again. Some Shinobi in the tracking squads went snooping around and followed Naruto and his gang 'til he saw him remove the mask."
"Have they spread the news?" dead in voice the Hokage asked.
Blunt, Jiraiya replied, "No."
The body was either on it's way to feign death in KIA or simply burned to scalding ash. Their mask's identity was on the level of Naruto's jinchuuriki status.
"Good."
The Old Man breathed deeply, content stale air filling his lungs like a drug. Hand over face the palm of his hand shuddered over his eyes.
"You know… I've been to Suzuka once or twice. The last I was there was for a handmade mask for my son's birthday party some odd years ago," Hiruzen veered gently away.
He needed some level of comfort being surrounded by his most trusted student's air. Not only that but he didn't have an outstanding number of reasons to reminisce so he would take them where they were offered.
Jiraiya hummed, both childish eyes ascending to the ceiling as he listened to his Hokage's rambling with a passing interest. Somber eyes ragged overtop Hiruzen's shadow-covered head. An ensuing silence summoned from. Dust lost grip on the ceiling. A board creaked small, like a mouse. After a minute of drilling silence and high-pitched ringing Hiruzen began to think of Jiraiya's intentions, beginning at his eyes to his shoulders shifting, and was about to send the ANBU away when Jiraiya clicked his tongue in vexing frustration.
He croaked, "Damnit I'm forgetting something!"
Turning his forehead to the wall, thumps of metal against wood grabbed at the Hokage's attention in an annoying way. Jiraiya was hitting his forehead, hands pressed to the wall on either side, against his doorway with the forehead protector and insignia, 'Oil', drumming for help in it's own hollow beat as the headband's dead corpse thumped against wood.
Suddenly, after a minute straight Jiraiya stopped, placing a hand again softly against the doorframe in apology. Looking to the ceiling with two fingers he shushed the ANBU, making them quiet while ritually promising them in the hopes they not spill the beans, so the saying goes. Hiruzen chuckled when each of his ANBU nodded and gestured back as if to promise their quiet.
He shook his head. In a practical sense, ANBU were to stay 'shushed' about their Hokage's meetings anyhow, so it was not likely they would tell anyone regardless.
Jiraiya's arm crossed, locked through and tied, he rested against the door frame. "Kushina had several exchanges with florists while in Suzuka. From what we could gather she was searching for two species: Lilies for purity and majesty, and Carnations for..."
"What sort were they?" Hiruzen asked innocently enough, like a student inquiring his teacher, "White or red?"
"I was getting to that." His finger tapped the definition on his note. "White carnations symbolizing pure love and remembrance. Mm, also, not red... pink. Kushina bought white and pink Carnations"
The implications were saddening to an utmost degree. "Is it that time of year already?"
"'Fraid so. Probably be wise to expect Konan-san to do the same for Minato-kun. Don't you agree?"
"Yes," Hiruzen sighed. "A strong possibility."
Hiruzen twisted in his seat. He needed to veer them away from this topic-neither he nor Jiraiya liked speaking about the annual memorial. "You know Jiraiya, you could certainly stay here for a few days. Do some research." Hiruzen said the last part with as much a straight face as he could muster.
Nude women were research and a brothel was on it's back in wait.
"I might." Jiraiya admitted, raising Hiruzen's hopes before they were sorely dashed as Jiraiya dragged them back to business. "Orochimaru has finished his operations and we can expect movement soon, the best plan would be to assume that he's ready for assault."
Hiruzen sighed and nodded while the red tear-line tattoos that hung on Jiraiya's face cringed.
"Confirmation is needed. Come back with confirmed or denied preparedness on Orochimaru's situation later."
A folder in Jiraiya's hand plunged onto his desk.
"Akihiro-san and his team have come up with some interesting idea's about Zabuza's claim."
Grim faced, Hiruzen flipped through the folder to peek at it's innards. When his autopsy finished he looked to Jiraiya. "Which one do you think best?"
"There was one theory about an old Succubus named Sage that was passed around. Legend stated her seduction of men to fill her belly brought about satisfaction and power to her ceaseless ends."
Jiraiya's body sensed his sensei's deadpan glare and he coughed.
"I'll cut it short, she succumbed to herself for no man could satisfy her and in the end starved with not but a single soul but her own left. I'm not sure how that pertains to Akatsuki's goals but that one I do like."
"Why do you write smut when you have always loved tragedy?"
"Been there done that… doesn't sell well. No where near the market to make big money off of."
Hiruzen nodded carelessly and ignored his comment. True or not, and he knew it was. His ears had a filter that needed to be switched on when too much shit came in; that shit specifically money-driven greed-useful for dealing with money-lusting merchants.
A minute later and Hiruzen ushered Jiraiya on who chuckled to himself in his own perverse manner.
"Right, well I believe out of the five the fourth one is the most interesting…"
Hiruzen paused, the bulk of his eye stuck quite willingly to what their scholar had discovered while in one of their oldest temples.
What was there left him speechless.
The journals and texts we've dredged here are remarkable, indeed. There are several that have peaked our interest but I will keep the banter brief and have narrowed our conclusions to seven- to note, when this message reaches you that number may be decreased furthermore. Anyway, the monks have provided us with history on several sages that have come into negative notoriety in the past. We suspect the sage Zabuza mentioned to be of a malevolent nature and thus far we have found two that fit this role particularly well: Asa of the Vice and The Sage of White Fire. Asa was a Succubus with an extensive knowledge of sin…
The text thronged in disapproval as Hiruzen hurriedly skimmed along those next lines with much haste before beginning the next article. He read for the sake of humoring the scholar, mind you.
The Sage of White Fire, from these texts, guarded the origin of chakra. His knowledge of chakra so vast that he granted his children the means to create jutsu. But through his brother, The Sage of Six Paths, the birth of Kekkei Genkai and the Biju. In essence, The Sage of White Fire's chakra was the purest chakra in the world. Scrolls marked artistry of the Sage, all with aura's of white. We suspect this to be derivative of his name.
His calm withdrew whence his hand stopped after the seventh page. His finger lingering over the hypothesis. "Resurrection is impossible."
"Yeah, you'd think it was... ya know this takes the cake for the creepiest thing I've ever seen.."
"Indeed. Could that mean the way to revive The Sage is through the Biju?"
"I would say… maybe. Look the best way to deal with this is to just squeeze what info we can get out of Naruto's Okaa-san. If she cares about Naruto-kun than she will give us what we need."
Hiruzen glared darkly at Jiraiya. "I think you are forgetting your place, Jiraiya-kun." With quiet ease the Hokage rolled out the contract. "Preparing to torture our ally wouldn't be wise anyhow. She is on our side."
Jiraiya eyed the contract warily.
"Hm?" he grunted, intrigued.
Naruto's visage fell as he ran. Together with him Haku and Tenten strode through large blackened trees as swiftly as birds-silent like the wind. Ahead, their teacher sprinted without reprieve before he stopped squarely on a large smoke blackened branch from the Forest of Death's yearly purge.
"We've let these men breach village lines... Under normal circumstances they would have been killed on the spot but for us Hokage-sama has given us permission to deal with them ourselves and then also to extract what information they harbor. I already have the hard part done-tracking them, if you want to know, which was extremely tiresome-now, all you need to do is stop them."
Their teacher was a lower ranked interrogator, specializing in field interrogation which part one of their exam's demanded. Smart looking with an acute face Sugena liked to refer to himself when he spoke to stroke his own ego, or that's what Naruto thought.
Physically, nothing stood out about Sugena other than his burly leather coat that looked like it had been tanned too long and a long steel pocket watch he would coerce for time. The chain attached to his watch at times flapped when Sugena ran because of how the damned thing drooped from his chest pocket, endlessly annoying Naruto.
Again, Naruto nodded with both his eyes sunken to the ground. Either Tenten and Haku stopped a few feet beside him. Every few moments the two would give him concerned glances before nodding to their sensei. Shame birthed upon him at that.
"Hai, Sugena-sensei," Haku muttered quietly..
Their masks were on, which didn't help their voices carry yet the silence of the forest made her voice sound like a horribly loud whisper muffled by her mask.
The forest was dead silent. Fire lit the forest in an anguished inferno leaving nothing but ash and the long-standing trees. Ash still hung in the air, cinder hungered and fed on air if then to glow like a lantern in palpable dark. Some smell of burning slug pinched with dead leaves left aloft were whisked to flutter their cheeks and scour their noses.
Blades of glass all across the forest floor still looked to be like dancing Firefly's set on a bed of coal.
"Hai, Sugena-sensei," Tenten recited quietly.
Naruto furrowed his brows. The trial didn't matter to him at the moment. What concerned him was Tenten and Haku. He grit his teeth. His trouble was rising… What had he done to only just start questioning himself now?
"Hey, Shithead, what is rule number one?"
What was he thinking?
"Hai… Sugena-sensei"
He'd kissed them with so much passion he felt his heart burst. Why was he even questioning himself?
Sugena nodded to them blandly once he responded.
With a single leap Naruto sped forward. Down from high above he spiraled and flipped before finally his feet collided against one of the men dressed in black shinobi slacks. Snaps and cracks resounded like twigs as his heel dug deep in the man's back. If Naruto felt a thing he didn't show it. Glazed like glass the sheen over his eyes shut out reality. But, even so, deciding to quickly end things so he could think Naruto shot off the man while Haku and Tenten subdued their targets with ease and swift grace.
Quickly, and with no thought Naruto blinked.
Night.
Without thinking he had sunk into his own world. He had disappeared, almost vanished from himself, or better yet, from existence. He was on autopilot because before him bound tight was his target with metal wire cutting into his throat, arms and legs tied. The beginnings of blood trickling over the wire and down to dampen his clothes. Naruto idly noticed his head was thrown back while his eyes were still watering and cascading down his cheeks like little veins of liquid silver, the veins on his neck bulged and his shoulders were taut. Naruto faintly felt trenches burn in his hand.
Over the man's eyes was a rag to insight fear from dark and unknowing. Both his arms were restrained to a tree with senbon stuck in his elbow's.
Furrowing his brows, he wondered what he'd done.
"You passed. Well done. Choking him was an interesting tactic, a little much perhaps unlike me and how I would do things, but given how we were no where near water I would say you were resourceful," Sugena complimented. "I personally would've flogged him if that were the case and maybe tied his fingers," he added, shrugging.
"Thanks."
Information in hand Naruto handed his notes to Sugena. He had no idea what he wrote but given his performance with the man he assumed he had written enough. Choosing to stay near for a while let him process as he slowly walked over the ash covered muck to one of the forest's large trees. Back to charred bark Naruto somberly stared at Haku and Tenten while they received pleasant news as well about their results.
He shut his eyes.
He was being creepy…
"Naruto-kun? Are you alright?" Tenten asked suddenly. She somehow materialized in front of him. In response he utterly failed at keeping the flush from his cheeks; he felt his face heat up like an oven.
"Fine," he stuttered.
Without warning he left with Haku meeting Tenten's worried gaze.
"Has Naruto-kun said anything to you?"
She shook her head. "No." She gave Tenten a troubled look. "I'm going to talk to Anko-nee-chan. Maybe she knows what's going on."
Clasping on to the other's hand they bid farewell to Sugena and vanished in shunshin as twisting and twirling leaves took their place.
An hour later Haku and Tenten were with Anko. Birds from above spotted them in the crowded section where the residential area and market area connected, crowds of people stalked and prowled their meal from the hunt with shopping bags and an occasional cart. Careful to avoid this vicious cycle the three girls stayed contentedly on the side, under the shade from the day's sun with dango in hand. Leaning back to the wall the three ate gently in silence.
They had talked for a while, caught up on what the others were doing, before Tenten brought up Naruto and they talked long about their relationship once more. It felt almost as if they were singing to the choir.
"...You two do realize he's only acting this way because none of you have told each other you love each other, right?" Anko stated matter of factly.
In haste Haku replied softly, "But we have!"
"So you three are dating?" Anko shrugged and gave them a sidelong glance, "And for how long has this been? Because I haven't heard jack shit about you two sealing the deal and going steady."
Anko bit some dango off her stick. "Listen…" she swallowed. "Konan-san and I have talked about your guys's relationship before."
"What did she say?" Haku asked, trying to ignore the slew of wandering people.
Anko scratched her head with her free hand before tossing her dango stick over the fence behind them. "Despite how she usually is, she was strangely optimistic. Our conversation basically came up to whether you would be alright after so long and… well, she and I thought you would be just fine, but now…" Arms around the girls she looked to the sky above. Haku and Tenten waited anxiously, uncertainty decrying their calm facades.
"The Yondaime was the same, apparently. He had doubts about him and Naruto-kun's Kaa-san."
She stood slowly unraveling herself from them and without thinking she uttered something she never thought she'd say, "You two need to move fast, because if you two don't..." her voice shuttered to a small whisper while her finger thoughtfully touched her lip, " I might..."
Lips tight, she gave them both a small charming grin. "Good luck."
Then Anko was lost to the crowd leaving Haku and Tenten alone, an vixenish glimmer in Anko's eye. She had Konan's permission.
Less than a block away Zabuza and Kimimaro worked the streets delivering packages to and fro.
Their job had them laboring with manual work and their jobs would be finishing after the next month. For now however Kimimaro and Zabuza swiftly traversed the streets as swiftly as the running wind behind them and the glimmering sun.
"She's right… we do need to hurry, c'mon!"
Kimimaro reared his head to to a girl with twin bun's in her hair and his eye's widened if only slightly... The brown haired girl was grabbing nothing with clear plumes of dust rising from where another person supposedly ran... putting two and two together did not require much energy. Certainty saddled his confidence into who that invisible person was, yet he did not stop he kept running as Zabuza had a glare attached to him.
Finding purchase in his usual apathetic look he did not dare look back.
His time would come, later.
I'm glad to see you've made it! Next is the review responses below!
HAPPY NEW YEARS!
Review Responses:
SithLordNilis: I see but a well written chapter still deserves its praise just like this one you rock
Me: Thank you very much! I wish that was the case with everyone! But then again not everyone will like my story enough to really leave a review, some think this story is just a little filler for one of the bigger stories out there! Granted, no one's said that to me yet but that's how some of the stories I've read have been to me as sad that might be.
BrownEyedHoneybager: SUP NERD
Me: WASSUP! Pound it, brah!
EndlessChains: A well done chapter. The beginning of the chapter was really adorable with how Hanabi and Konohomaru came to Naruto to ask for advice. It is shown that Naruto is modest and humble as he knows he doesn't know a lot but will try his best. I am glad to see that the conversation at hand made him think about the relationship that Naruto and his two girls are like. Hopefully he will come to some sort of understanding, but we will just have to wait and see. The interrogation of Zabuza was well done. The description of the torture done to the other person was quite something and it sort of scared him but not a lot. It would seem that he still cares for Haku in some form, but I am not sure why or how if he was the one to abandon her all those years ago. I wonder what it is that Zabuza and Kimimaro will do now that they are on probation in Konoha. Kimimaro looks like he will be the one to do something about their confinement and Haku. The Chunin Exams are coming up and but Naruto and his two girls will be learning different techniques in the art of interrogation. It will be interesting to see what they will be learning as the month passes by. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Me: Again such a long review! I love these types of reviews! Especially since I don't get them often! Also please let me know what you think about their new situation!
Guest: When are the Lemons coming?
Me: They are actually going to be coming soon, believe it or not
Bakaneko-chan11: *glares at Tenten* Isn't that kinda what I said, but just a little more poetic sounding and with violently threatening under/overtones? And fun fact, I totally could've taken that straight into the gutter with minimal effort... *crickets* Ahem... Anyways, good chapter as usual, keep up the good work! And I wonder, was the Haku from the torture scene a shadow clone under henge, or what? It peaked my curiosity. Not even entirely sure why I fixated on that aspect of it, but I did! Also, randomly playfull mini rant, I'm still mad at Tenten... Poking my eye out and stuff... Jeez... Well! I think that's all for now, so I hope to read more soon! *looks pointedly at Tenten again* Which means I kinda need to stay alive. And keep at least one eye. Put away the shiny pointy things!
Me: Tenten tilted her head before she grinned a small bit. "Alright"
Leaning closer to Bakaneko-chan11 Tenten tilted her chin to look her straight in the eye. Tenten's sharp pointy things poofed and were gone while before Tenten even knew it she hugged the girl. "I'll be your friend if you want... sorry 'bout the eye," she whispered, muffled from the crook of Bakaneko-chan11's neck.
Mundanebeast: Interesting sessions with the pair, wonder how far reaching the consequences will be.
Me: This is only the tip of the iceberg.
LordTicky: It's good to see you update ArkAngel! A great chapter as always! Though, as last time, I have a question. Why is Zabuza forbidden from seeing Haku? I can understand Kimimaro being forbidden from seeing Haku, he was apparently obsessed with/stalking her. But to the best of my memory Zabuza's done nothing wrong in regards to her in this story.
Me: I know for a fact we already had this talk but there are things he did that haven't been said yet. That's your hint!
DragonPony022: Well that is interesting. i wasn't thinking those two would end up getting a blind seal placed on them to protect Haku. But I guess the 3rd would do all he can to keep her around in order to keep Naruto happy and that rare bloodline in the village. I am happy to see that someone brought up his relationship with the girls to Naruto to get him at least thinking about it and maybe wanting to explore it some more.
Me: Perceptive, perceptive Dragon, I'm impressed. Keep thinking that way and you will find this story to be very interesting!
Here are some stories that are either being written or have already been completed - which isn't many, mind you.
Left in Silence-Naruto/Kurotsuchi-Romance/Adventure (Will only be a few chapters)
Breaking the Cycle-OC/Azula-Romance/Adventure (This one... I don't know how long this will be. We'll see.)
Saving Venom-Naruto/Anko-Romance/Adventure (I don't want to exceed 20-25 chapters, but I will if I have to.)
Dying in Love-Naruto/Tenten-Romance/Tragedy (Completed)
Eve-OC/Little Sister-Romance/Tragedy (Will only be a few chapters long.)
All these stories will be completed at some point, but it's up to you to leave reviews to let me know just how well I am doing as a writer.
See ya.