OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Naruto lay in his room, studying the medical book that Kabuto had given him and thinking. Learning all the tenketsu would be a an important part of his plan to show up the idiot elders and clan leaders of Konoha. He would have to learn fast, though, there were so many parts to his plan, but it would be so satisfying in the end, to see the looks on their faces, when they see that they one they treated as trash could best their elders in battle. Then he'd go join Akatsuki, after he rescued his father. He had heard of the edo tensei and knew that the user could control the revived. There had to be a way to break that control, and if it was anywhere, it would be in Orochimaru's library. He just had to find a way to sneak in without getting caught. Kyuubi was helping hold back the curse seal, but it, combined with the amount of information he was trying to take in to his underused brain was giving him a giant headache. He paused, holding his head before Kyuubi started dealing with that too, then went back to the book.
His head snapped up and he tensed, spinning around on the bed with a kunai in hand. Something had just flown in the window. A bug? It didn't seem to be attacking. He quickly went and shut the window. His door was already shut. He wanted to study it, find out why it was here, if someone could have sent it.
It hit against the window, trying to get back outside. He studied it when it rested for a moment. It was one of the kikaichu bugs used by the Aburame clan. Why would it be here? He scowled as he came to a conclusion. Konoha must have sent an assassination team after him and sent an Aburame to scout his location. He considered his options. If he killed it, that would only help them find it, the same if he let it go. Still, he was curious who they sent after him. He made a quick kage bushin and henge and opened the window to let two bugs escape.
At the cave the Konoha nins camped out at...
Kakashi asked "Any luck, Shino?"
Shino said "Almost all of my bugs have returned with negative reports. Only a couple sent to the far ends of the complex have yet to return."
Kakashi asked "Are those two them?"
Shino watched and his bugs surged up. He stopped them from attacking the second one and said "Reveal yourself." The bug flew farther into the dark part of the cave and they all heard a poof as a henge was dropped. They all tensed, but were shocked to see who walked into the area where the shadows and light met. Naruto.
Hinata cried "Naruto!"
Naruto stayed in a tense position, scowling "Why are you here? There's too many of you for an assassination squad." He wondered at the looks they had on their faces after that. What was that? Regret, sadness? That didn't make any sense. He frowned "I'd think that they'd at least send a group of jonin or ANBU to kill me, but then again, they are idiots. You should leave, I'd rather not kill all of you, it would be too much work and I've got a lot of work to do."
Sasuke cried, looking like he was in pain, "You dobe! We're not here to kill you!"
Naruto was surprised, but hid it. He said "I don't know why you're here then. No other reason makes sense. You can't be here to bring me back, well, I suppose you could, but the only reason then would be so that I could be executed there. Why not just kill me here? Unless you're lying."
Shikamaru said "We're here under the authority of the sandaime. We were assigned different missions. This mission is unofficial."
Naruto scowled "So hokage-sama went against the council for once. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way if he had done it when I was little and getting beat up daily in the streets. I have no reason to return to Konoha. Everyone there hates me and I'm tired of it. I don't need anyone, Konoha can go to hell, and I might just help bring it there."
The Konoha nin were horrified. This Naruto was so different from the one they all knew. He was darker. There seemed to be no trace of the happy go lucky boy that they had all known.
Neji said "What happened to you? What happened to the guy who said he could change his own fate, that would take everything with a smile and just fight harder to prove himself right, to follow his dream."
Naruto said "That guy died."
Hinata cried "I don't believe you! I don't!" Naruto was shocked when he saw she was crying. It confused him greatly. He asked "Why would any of you care, anyway? It was just the mission hokage-sama gave you, although I still don't understand why."
Sakura cried "We weren't even assigned to the mission and all of us volunteered. We want to help you Naruto."
"Why should I believe you?"
Sasuke growled "Because we care about you!"
Naruto snarled "You had a fine way of showing it all those years when I was the butt of everyone's jokes and alone. When no one lifted a finger to help me or befriend me." Naruto groaned as a sharp pain ran across his neck. His legs felt weak and he folded a little. Crap, another one like that and he'd dispell. He was letting his emotions get the better of him. He saw they had nothing to say now. He said "Leave."
Lee said "We are not leaving without you!"
Naruto chuckled tiredly, "That would be kind of hard, considering that I'm not really here."
"What do you mean?" Ino asked.
Naruto suddenly took out a kunai and stabbed his leg, shocking everyone, then dissapeared "Kage bushin?!"
Back in the complex...
Naruto's eyes shut at the rush of memories from the clone. His headache was back, fullforce and throbbing. He was exhaused after the interchange with the other genin and much more confused than he had been when he had started planning all of this out. It didn't make any sense. Why were all of them here? Why? Could they be telling the truth? No...it wasn' possible, but...if it was...did it change anything? If he believed them, would he have to alter his plans? Did he care what they thought? He struggled with this question. No, he didn't care, not anymore. He didn't need recognition, he didn't need precious people to be strong...he didn't, not anymore. His thoughts as he fell back into an exhausted sleep were how much people could change.
At the cave...
The shinobi from Konoha had a lot to talk about after that meaning. Kakashi sighed. "He's gone over the edge, he's finally snapped."
Hinata cried "No! He hasn't! He's still there. Didn't you see it? The way he was confused for a minute? He's still there! We can still save him."
Shikamaru sighed "He's right though. Even if we could get him to come back to Konoha, what then?"
Sasuke said "I can think of a solution."
Asuma said "You can't kill the council."
Sasuke asked "Why not? I don't see what they're good for."
Kakashi said "You would be sentenced to death for killing a Konoha citizen. Do you want to die?"
Sasuke said "If it came to that, I could become a missing-nin."
Kurenai said "There has to be a better solution."
Shikamaru said "We need more information."
Sakura said "We didn't have enough time to talk to him."
Shikamaru asked "Shino, could you send your bugs after him again?"
Shino said "Hai, but I don't think it would be wise to do it again soon. It may be seen as suspicious."
Kurenai said "Send them again tomorrow night."
They sat there, thinking to themselves after that. Ino asked "When do we have to report back?"
Asuma said "Soon."
"How will we send a message out while behind enemy lines?" Sakura asked.
Kakashi said "I can send pakkun."
Shino said "No, a dog would be too noticeable. I'll send one of my bugs."
Kurenai asked "Can it last the whole journey?"
Shino said "Yes, if fed a large amount of chakra beforehand."
Ino asked "How is a bug going to communicate to anyone? It's not like we can tie a message to its leg like we could a bird."
Shikamaru said "No, but a letter could be written and a small seal attached to the bug with the letter sealed inside it."
Sakura said "I've got paper and a pen."
Shikamaru said "Now all we need is someone good with seals." They all looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed. He said "Fine, let's get started on the report. It's going to take a while."
Sakura took out her paper and pen.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I apologize that this chapter isn't very long. I know you've been waiting for it for a long time, but considering the problem with writer's block that I've had with this story I thought it would be better to send it out as quickly as possible, now rather than making you wait even longer for me to add to it.