Hello everyone, this is KW here. Just wanted to let you know I'll try to update faster. Right now I'm still keeping the poll open, but it'll probably end in one to three chapters after this one. Again the poll is: Should Sakura die on the mission I have planned? You can vote by review or poll on my page. If Sakura should die, I'd like a reader to send me an OC to replace her. Please include age, appearance, weapon of choice, and personal info. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Kingswriter does not own Naruto… or Kingdom Hearts or Bleach or One Piece or… (You get the idea)
Friends from the past return
All commotion stopped at what was said. Naruto looked wide-eyed at the chunin and then to the door of the room. Jiraiya noticed this and subtly stepped in front of him. This did not go un-noticed by Naruto.
"What are you doing Jiraiya? Naruto asked of him, forgoing his usual mockery of his name.
"Making sure my student doesn't do anything rash and stupid." was the sage's reply.
"But Sasuke's is right outside our gate! I can get him now!" Naruto yelled angrily at his mentor.
"And how would you take on him and the other scouts with him? After all, you did lose to him once. And you almost paid with your life" Jiraiya stated seriously at Naruto.
"But I'm so much stronger now! I can beat him!" Naruto yelled at the sage.
"And what do you think Sasuke has been doing? Picking flowers?! No! He has been training with another Sannin. Though we are a group no more, Orochimaru's power has surly not decreased. If you get yourself killed, how can you keep your promises, or become Hokage for that matter?"
Naruto looked at the floor. "But…I…"
Jiraiya looked at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand how you feel. I felt the same way when Orochimaru left. Just listen to Tsunade and wait for her orders."
Naruto sighed and nodded. "Alright…" he muttered sullenly. Jiraiya nodded back at him and they both looked to where Tsunade was talking to the chunin. Tsunade looked up to address her ninja.
"Sakura, Shikamaru, Kiba, Kakashi, and Kiba! Come to the Hokage tower immediately." She then leaned over to Sakura and whispered something in her ear. Sakura nodded back and walked off.
The called ninja started to leave, with Naruto following them. Tsunade noticed him following and looked at him.
"I assume you're going to insist coming with them?" Naruto nodded to her in response. "Forget it Naruto. I didn't have you come back to get killed on such a mission." Naruto started to protest, but Shikamaru stepped in.
"Um, Hokage-sama, Naruto might be the only person to really convince Sasuke to come back. Plus we might need the extra fire-power." He stated as way of explanation for bringing Naruto along.
Tsunade looked at him with an exasperated face, and slouched her shoulders slightly.
"What's the point of being Hokage if nobody listens to your orders?" she said in a dramatic voice. "Fine, you can go Naruto, just don't come to me if you get hurt."
Naruto looked at her seriously. "Don't worry baa-chan. I won't."
After the called ninja, and to Naruto's surprise, Hinata showed up at the Hokage tower, Tsunade got ready to brief them on their mission.
"Alright. You all probably know why you are here. You're to go after Sasuke Uchiha. Kakashi is team leader. Any questions?"
Naruto raised a hand. "Why is Hinata here?" he asked, looking at said ninja. Hinata blushed a bit under his stare.
"Because I asked Sakura to go get her." 'It's no surprise that he didn't know. After all, she was supposed to be the last person he met at the party. And then Kakashi would hit the music, and then they'd have to dance. But Uchiha showed up, so that idea went down the crapper…' (I've always wanted a Naruto character to say that phrase…)
"Oh… ok baa-chan!"
"Now that that's settled, any more questions?"
The gathered force shook their heads.
"Good. Now go!"
The group jumped out of the window. After a second out to, Tsunade started to speak.
"I want you to make sure they don't get hurt."
Another blur passed her by and out of the window for her answer.
They had just camped out. The red-haired man was polishing his war hammer. He sighed and looked at it as he remembered where and how he got it…
(Flashback… I hate them too, but sometimes they are needed)
An eight-year-old child was wandering the streets of The Sand Village. He looked around for shelter, but found no open doors to protect him from the current sandstorm. Every door he knocked on gave him the same reply: " Go away", before slamming a door in his face. He sighed as he remembered his parents. They had been killed on a mission when he was three.... or that was the official story at least. Oh how he had cried when he found out what had really happened. But he cried no more. He hadn't cried since. Now he knew pain and suffering, as he was often on the receiving end of the villages scorn. The beat him… they hated him… all because of the accident.
(Flashback inside of a flashback… yes I'm that evil!)
He was three years old. He was watching his father work on a building, for being a construction worker was his job. His dad was at the top of the building while he was at the bottom, near the supports holding the skeleton of a building up. All of the sudden, he felt a tingle like feeling. It started in his chest, but slowly made its way to the rest of his body. It scared him, so he tried to push it out of his body. But it amazed him when fire shot out of his fingertips. Then, just as soon as it started, it went away. He frowned and tried to see the pretty light again. He pushed harder, but he didn't notice the consequences of that action. The fire burst out of his hand in a steam like motion, setting the support beams on fire. The weakened beams collapsed, sending the construction workers plummeting to their deaths. As the child saw his father fall to his doom, he locked eyes with him one last time. It seemed an eternity as his father's eyes questioned "Why?". Innocent civilians watching the building go up were also caught in the wooden beams descent, killing them as well. The child saw the wooden beams coming at him, with the intent to kill him. He put his hands in front of his face, bracing him for impact… an impact that never came. Fire shot out of his sweat glands in his arms, burning the beams and protecting him. The surviving villagers looked back once the dust cleared to see one crying child surrounded by a circle of ash, in the middle of the destruction. They knew from that moment on, he was responsible. And they hated him. His mother soon died from grief. The Kazekage set a cover-up that it was a mission accedent. The child was sent to a hospital, and when he woke up, he didn't remember a thing. Two years later, he would find out the truth... right in the middle of a beating he was going to recieve.
(Flashback inside of flashback end)
He wandered the streets, looking for a place to stay. Some hated the cold of the desert night, but he never felt it. He was eternally warm. And he hated it. He knew it was the reason he had no family, and he knew it was the reason everyone hated him. He kicked a rock as he thought 'It wasn't my fault…'. As he turned a corner to an alley, he was met by a shadowy figure. The figure was wearing a hooded overcoat. Then he stepped in the child's way.
"Who are you?" he asked of the enigma.
"I am someone who wanted to help you. I know why the villagers despise you, and I know I isn't your fault." The figure replied. The voice was defiantly male, but a medium to high-pitched male.
'He knows? I guess he hates me as well… maybe he'll put me out of my misery.' the child thought dismally.
"If you know that, I'm sure you hate me as well." The child said with a note of sadness in his voice.
"Not in the slightest," the figure replied, "in fact, I think you're brilliant for discovering this so early in age… and by accident too."
'So he doesn't hate me… that's good. But what did he mean by discovered?' the child thought, pondering the man's words.
"What do you mean by discover?" the child asked.
"Ku-ku-ku…" the man seemed to laugh, "You've discovered something some adults rarely do. You've discovered natural chakra." The man stated.
"Isn't chakra the thing shinobi use?" the child questioned, and got a nod yes in reply. "But if shinobi use it, why do people hate me?!" the child questioned to nobody in general, with tears in his eyes.
"They hate you because they don't see you using this at an early age as natural. They see you as something from hell itself." The man explained.
"So they will never accept me…" the child muttered sullenly to the ground.
"No," the man replied, "but I will."
The child looked up at him.
"I know you're an exceptional person. Others don't understand your brilliance, but I do. I will take you away from all of this hated and fear. Come with me. You will find peace and happiness." The man said while resting a hand on the child's shoulder.
'Should I believe him?' the child questioned of himself. Then he remembered all of the beatings he got, the judgmental looks from people on the streets, and how everyone hated him. Then he knew what he should do.
"Alright… I'll go with you." The child said in agreement.
"Good, good…" the figure said. "What is your name child?"
"Axel. My name is Axel." The child replied. "May I ask what your name is sir?"
The figure pushed back the hood to reveal a very pale, snake-like man. "I am Orochimaru."
(End of Flashback)
Axel looked at the fire with disinterest. He remembered others joining Orochimaru in secret, such as Kabuto and Kimimaru. He also remembered Orochimaru giving him the hammer while they trained in Konoha. He then remembered that Orochimaru had trained him in secret until they left suddenly, to form a village of sound. He remembered when Orochimaru had his black with red cloud cloak until he burned it. He remembered the invasion of the leaf, and how he had killed those shinobi. He then remembered the years of training he, Kabuto, and Orochimaru put into Sasuke. He sighed as he remembered that he was assigned to protect Sasuke, no matter the cost. He followed Sasuke here, where Sasuke was ordered by Orochimaru to spy on the leaf village, as part of his stealth training. Axel had thought it would be a bad idea, but Orochimaru didn't listen to him.
Axel went and laid down on his sleeping bag to get some rest. He looked resentfully at Sasuke one last time before falling asleep. 'I didn't sign up with Orochimaru to deal with a brat like him…' Little did he know that it would be a while before he saw Sasuke, or Orochimaru again.
KW: So my OC Axel made his first appearance…
Axel: Yayz!
KW: (Rolls eyes) So anyway, I thought I'd open this part for review responses and questions. Please review a question, or even a good comment, and I'll respond the following chapter. Also, sorry for the lack of NaruHina-ness in this chapter… just felt the need to devote a chapter to the introduction of Axel. And before you ask, yes Axel is based off Axel from Kingdom Hearts, which I do not own. And also my poll of: "Should Sakura die on the mission I have planned?" is still open. And if Sakura should die, I'd like a reader to send me an OC to replace her. Please include age, appearance, weapon of choice, and personal info. Thanks for reading, and the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update!
Thanks to a good review from oceanmoon, I've added an option on my poll. The option is Let Sakura die, but let it be later and by Hinata's hands. If you'd like to change a vote, please message me, and I will change the vote count acordingly. Thank you!