Chapter 3: Targeted
"Huh!?" "Naruto-nii?!" Konohamaru shouted
Naruto lay on the floor grinning wide.
"hahah… that boy… no worries… he's just asleep. Not sleeping for three days straight and being under constant mental stress… the strain took over that's all." Tsunade stated as the teenagers gathered around Naruto.
Tsunade and Jiraya as well as the jounin's (except Neji) was laughing at the boy. The others just stared at him, still shocked at what they had heard just moments ago. 'He has the Kyuubi sealed inside of him'… Hinata thought as she stared at her crush 'that's the reason for his suffering' she felt tears well up, she didn't hold them back and turned to sob in Neji's arms. Neji stood dumbstruck. 'Was this his secret, the symbol he could never rid himself of, that's too cruel.'
Sakura was sobbing as well kneeling beside Naruto. She stroked his hair. 'I'm sorry Naruto if I never was there for you, it must have been really hard.' She smiled at his blond teammate sleeping soundly as if it was the most comfortable and fitting place to sleep in the world.
Kakashi smiled brightly at him as he lifted his sleeping student and placed him at the couch not too far from the group, still in their eyesight. 'I told you so, they would never betray you' he whispered in his student's ear.
"so"… "do you have anything you like to ask about this?" Tsunade asked
The young shinobi's stared at Their Hokage. Annoyed over the silence she wanted to make sure about their feelings. "I want you to understand that this was nothing he choose and-"
"of course we know that, Naruto-kun is a hero. This is what it means to have the will of power!" Lee shouted out being the only one enough at ease to even open his mouth. The others seemed to concur in silent.
"indeed he is" Jiraya agreed smiling glad over how Narutos friends still seemed to accept him and even more understand him. Tsunade smiled as bright as her former teammate happy over their reactions.
"it must have been hard growing up whit no friends and being hated for something that wasn't even his fault" Chuoji mumbled glancing over at the sleeping form of him friend.
Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "so Godaime, why tell us this now of all times, there must be something going on?"
"Cleaver as ever Shikamaru… I will allow Jiraya to explain the situation to you as he know the most about it"
"yes, Tsunade-Hime" Jiraya said and looked at them whit a serious face.
"Naruto is targeted by a extremely dangerous organization consisted of 9 S-Rank criminals named Akatsuki"
They were yet again stunned.
"Wha-, Why!?" Shikamaru said louder than he intended. Everybody waited tensed for the sannins answer.
"the Kyuubi of course, they wish to extract it from his body and use it for their own gain…"
"those bastards…" Kiba growled
"…but if that were to be done the host would-
"you don't mean he?!" Sakura shouted
"yes, if the biju is extracted from it's host, the host would inevitably die…"
The room fell in silence
"no way…" Konohamaru whispered to himself
Hinata and Sakura were crying fearsome
Kiba's anger grew. "what the hell do they think he is?!, he isn't something they can harness for their own gains… bastards!!!"
"And so during the chuunin exams would be the perfect time for them to strike, when he is totally unguarded" Jiraya finished
"That's why we are informing you" Tsunade stated
"fair enough, but why let him participate in the chuunin exams if the risks are so big?"
"The Akatsuki is a strong organization, when or were they strike has no difference, and naruto is not the dumb little boy he was 2 ½ years ago, he knows the sincerity of the situation and won't be reckless if he were to face the akatsuki. There is no reason why I wouldn't let him participate and he is safer here in the village than out on a mission."
"I really hope so… "Shikamaru mumbled to himself. He spoke up so the Hokage could here. "This certainly turned out to be a troublesome chuunin exam… Well since I'm going to be examiner in these years' chuunin exams I suppose I can keep a watchful eye on him."
"I hope you will" Tsunade answered gladly.
"…"
"As for the identity of his pursuers..."
They all stiffend again.
"One of them is a missing-nin from the hidden mist, one of the seven shinobi sword men. Hosikage Kisame. And the other it a missing-nin originally from Konoha…"
The group let out a loud gasp
"Uchihia Itachi"
"The one who wiped out his entire clan?!" Lee asked horrified
"…the one and only" Kakashi standing beside Lee answered.
"Sauske's brother" Sakura hissed at the name "I'll make him pay for what he has done to dose two…"
Another silence lingered in the room, but that awkward silence from before but a tensed angry silence. They all stared at Naruto. They couldn't believe what burden he had been shouldering for all these years without them knowing. Without his friends support. And still he smiled that brilliant smile as if he was the most fortuneted person in the world.
"When you meet Naruto again outside this room, as his friends, you know what to do. He wouldn't want you to act any differently than you have before. He doesn't want the Kyuubi to come between you and him in any way even if it were for Narutos change; I assure you he wouldn't want it." Jiraya said whit a pleading voice. "Just give him time and he will be back to his old self in no time"
everybody agreed whit the sannin.
"That was all. you are dismissed… ". Tsunade ordered
They all took one last glimpse at Naruto before they left.
'… you really are strong… naruto… . Neji thought smiling sad and gladly at the same time as he left the room.
Konohamaru was the last one out and he said loud and clear whit a proud voice; "I expect nothing less from my rival!" he left the room whit a grin much similar to the one Naruto always bore.
Naruto whom had started too come to smiled broad at those words before he went into unconsciousness again.
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-Authors Notes: A REALLY short chapter this time but I didn't want to put in these next happenings in this chapter, it would look weird. But I did recently update like yesterday? It was if I remember so… it really doesn't matter it is so short I suppose (:
Disclaimer: The series Naruto does Not belong to me (obviously)
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R&R
Should involve the kazekage and co in the chuunin exams? (;