Pairing: eventual Kakanaru; some SasuNaru, some KakaTenzou
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters depicted in sexual situations in this post/fanfiction/fanart (including material in the comments) are fictional and are intended to be and considered to be by the author of said material of the legal age of consent in the United States state of California, regardless of what age these characters may be in the material they are derived from. Also, song is "Dead Man's Road" by Cinderella.
Notes: I did make the Whirlpool Village have the Kansai dialect; but it won't play much of a part, but I thought I would mention that it is a true dialect. Un-betaed.
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When I was young
Old man sat me on his knee
He told me if I had a dream
I could be what I wanna be
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His blond hair was whipped by the wind, sapphire eyes shining as he entered through the gates of Konoha. Finally he was home; he turned his head, looking back at the others nearby: he had been walking ahead with The Lion. No one else really understood the newly formed bond between The Lion and Naruto, but they seemed familiar with each other and in some way respected one another. Naruto showed this by not being quite so loud and talkative, while The Lion merely showed his respect by walking closer to the boy than before. Not only did they seem to have a new friendship forming, but none of the others knew when this development had occurred. The thoughts were cast aside as the Monkey and the Cat spoke quietly and returned to the rest of the group.
"We will all proceed to Hokage-sama's office immediately." The Cat's voice was a husky, deep one. Naruto's eyes darted over to The Lion, then back to the Cat. The Lion didn't know the identity of this ANBU operative in that case. The Lion must only be temporary in this group, not a long term station. Not that this surprised Naruto, it was quite usual. Funerals were nearly weekly occurrences, he knew because he always got notices: however he never attended anymore. As they started to drag their tired bodies towards the Hokage offices, The Lion spoke once more.
"Uchiha, Haruno, and Uzumaki could give a separate report, couldn't they? They must be extremely tired, and their ailments are not serious. They need rest, not a mission report. Allow them to return to their apartments."
Kakashi, looking between The Lion and Cat, was concerned for his students yet chose not to speak. It wasn't his place after all. After a moment of silence the Cat nodded curtly, not displaying much affection or respect towards The Lion. Naruto watched the interaction with interest. Immediately The Lion turned back and spoke to the three Genins.
"I will escort you three to your homes. Follow me." He moved off in the direction of Sakura and Sasuke's homes first. Naruto hung back, bringing up the rear of the four. He was tired, it was true, but he had stayed awake for far longer in much more strenuous situations. His attention instead was on the events of the previous days. The more he thought the more he realized how odd it was that he hadn't even noticed someone take Sakura. This troubled him greatly. Sasuke and Sakura were both wiped out he would wait until after he had spoken with the Sandaime in order to talk to them about their experience.
It wasn't long until they had dropped off Sakura, then Sasuke, and finally he was standing at the doorway of the apartment complex he lived in. With a grateful look over at The Lion, he knew they would see each other shortly, he walked into the building. Now it was time to play the role of Hontokage and report.
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Now life goes on
A voice echoes in the wind
Its telling me to carry on
Now I know that its him
He said
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Moving into his room he peeled the rags from his body and folded them, kneeling down and taking the clothes from the empty space beneath the floorboards of his closet. Carefully yet quickly, he dressed and wrapped his hair, blond chunks flowing out of his hasty job. Placing his mask over his features he turned, picking up the clothes and teleported to the normal room he went to in the Hokage tower. Izumo was leaning back in a chair, reaching for a folder when he appeared, yet in a split second of reaction time Izumo had jumped and yelped, crashing back down into the chair and sending everything around him into disarray. Then, after a moment of struggling noises, Keiko popped his head over the desk and looked at Izumo as he was stuffing papers back into folders and picking up office supplies that had fallen to the floor.
"Sorry about that. Need help, Izumo?" The dark haired man turned his face up to observe the Hontokage's mask in disbelief. For the speechless moment Keiko just grinned underneath his mask.
"You're in a good mood today, Sir." Feet pounded up the stairs and both pairs of eyes focused on the door. Keiko lost his smile. So he had beat The ANBU Squad here after all? How odd. Izumo spoke.
"Sir, the closet?" Keiko jerked his head, indicating he would stay out in the open. Izumo looked at him in curiosity, then widened his eyes and snatched the dirty clothing out of the Kage's hand just as the door was beginning to open. He shoved the clothing underneath the desk and blinked at the Squad entering. Keiko just moved to sit on the desk, amused by Izumo's actions. He could have thought of a reason to have them. He had been doing so for years, and yet those who knew of his identity did everything they could to prevent anyone else from finding out. The Lion's eyes, behind his mask, widened whereas Keiko just raised a gloved hand and saluted the Squad. Kakashi seemed slightly stunned towards the right side of the group, but wasn't letting on.
"Mind if I join you?" The Cat, who he assumed was new to Captaincy and obviously hadn't seen him before answered firmly, his expression must have been snide underneath the mask.
"I think it best you were not in the way, rookie." Izumo, in his nervousness at the retort, laughed. Everyone else held a strained silence. Keiko only smiled. It was at this juncture that the Sandaime opened the door and poked his head around the frame.
"Ah, Keiko-sama! I thought I heard your voice! Come on in. The rest of you as well."
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He said
Whoa, watch out boy
Dont go messin with your life cause it aint no toy
Lord help ya to carry lifes load
It could all pass you by down on dead mans road
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Whether the cat was embarrassed or not was none of his concern. He hopped down from the desk and held his hand out to Izumo without looking, satisfied when the rags were pushed into his grasp. He paid the ANBU Squad no mind as he slipped past the Hokage, plopping the clothes on the desk and standing at ease. He wasn't troubled by the Cat's assumption; he was in a good mood and with good reason. As the others filed in he stayed silent and still. The Hokage trailed behind the group then skirted it to sit at his desk. He twined his fingers in front of his face and peered over them at the group.
"The mission was a success, Hokage-sama." This was the Cat, once more. Maybe the old captain died. It wouldn't be unusual. But this acting captain really didn't know what he was doing. The lengthy pause after this was said was enough to show that. Keiko took it upon himself to fill the silence.
"Sir: I request permission to take this mission." The Sandaime's eyes darted to his small, dusty orange clad form. He stared unblinkingly back.
"Permission granted. How will you proceed?" Keiko, having thought about this in depth realized that losing time was losing ground. More shinobi could be taken, along with scared civilians. This had to be stopped now.
"I should assign Ibiki to getting detailed reports from Genins Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto at once. Also I will dispatch a two man squad: myself and one who is chosen, to depart immediately for Iwagakure." The other Kage seemed to consider this before nodding.
"Do what you feel is best. I trust your judgment. Who will you be taking with you?" He had to consider this carefully. He couldn't take Kotetsu; he was on leave due to illness. Haru went on the last one. That left Izumo, or possibly The Lion if he felt comfortable enough with him. Izumo seemed much too stressed to deal with a mission of this level at the moment.
"The Lion." The team beside him remained quiet. The Hokage eyed him briefly before nodding.
"I wish to speak to the two of you alone. Kakashi and the Cat, I expect detailed mission reports to be handed in after you have gotten some rest. Ah, also: could you tell Izumo to appoint Ibiki to getting information from Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto?" A chorus of 'Yes Sir's rang out before puffs of smoke from teleportation filled the room. The Cat turned, opposed to teleporting, and walked out while The Lion stepped forward until he was even with Keiko. Neither looked at the other, their attention was only on the Sandaime Hokage.
"I hope this is not off of a whim, Keiko." He sounded like a condescending parent: which he nearly was since Keiko had grown up with him around. He shook his head abruptly. The old man gave him a reproachful look. The Lion spoke in his stead.
"I know of the alter ego, Hokage-sama. I am a friend." They glanced among one another then the Sandaime's voice broke the tense silence.
"If this is true, then so be it. Just don't get yourselves killed." They nodded and teleported away.
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But I gotta keep a runnin
Cause theyre catchin up to me
I think I hear that voice again
This time it says to me
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They reached the gate, taking only the weapons they had on with them. They showed their identification cards, and then leapt into the trees. It was a long way to Iwagakure, but Keiko planned to make it over two days, the makings of a camp he hoped were lying in some cave. They didn't speak; the voyage was silent besides the soft rustling of clothing as they sped through the wilderness. Keiko did look over at The Lion, studying his profile almost as if he was looking to find something that was hidden deep down. Whatever it was he was trying to figure out, he soon lost interest and instead focused ahead. He thought about his time in the pens with Sakura: about not knowing when someone would come for them—if someone would. He hadn't been afraid; he could have found a way out. He had, however, been worried about Sakura and Sasuke. They had become important to him, somehow, and had also become his responsibility. It was hard for him to think of not leading a double life the way he was currently—and then this mission.
This mission was a challenge, or at least he hoped it would be. He sincerely hoped he got to do more than just tell the Tsuchikage that this illegal business was happening. At least then there would be some excitement in his life. However, the business with Sunagakure really was a matter pressing on his conscience. Perhaps, now that he thought about it, Orochimaru was the one behind the underhanded businesses. It was possible, though not all that likely. This didn't seem like something Orochimaru would do: especially immediately after he had become a missing-nin. He would find out after this whole mess was sorted out.