Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or gain or will gain any profit from using the franchise's chars, they belong to Kishimoto.
Italics - Thoughts
Italics underline – second personalities talking/thinking
Bold Italics - Demons/monsters talking
Bold Italics underline – demon/monsters thinking
Bold - Demon influenced/curse-sealed person talking
Glossary for Japanese terms:
Jinchuuriki "Power of human sacrifice": It is a manner in which the containers of the tailed beasts have been called by the ninja world.
Baka - Idiot/Fool
Kitsune - A Japanese fox spirit that could possess people and/or cast illusions and assume a human form. Kitsune are often harbingers of mischief and peril in Japanese folklore.
Nuke-nin Missing ninja
Taijutsu Martial arts style/hand to hand style
Ninjutsu – name for the offensive ninja techniques
Genjutsu – name for illusionary ninja techniques
Kirigakure - Hidden Mist
Kekkai Gekkai – Bloodline Limit
(The following Morning)
The young Uzumaki bounced slightly on the balls of his feet with step he took. He was looking forward for his first one-on-one training session with his sensei. They were supposed to start yesterday the silver haired jounin had been sent on an urgent B-class mission so he continued studying in the academy for another five hours before Iruka kicked him out so he could lock up.
It was early in the morning, the sun lazily rolling behind the mountain tops to the east, bathing the village in pinkish orange light. Most of the denizens were still asleep but not Naruto, his blue eyes were burning with vigor that contrasted with the sluggish hour of the day. The Jinchuuriki rushed towards through the hidden leaf's maze of varying rooftops, electric polls, fences and power lines as he made his way towards training field eleven.
His lips were spread into the widest grin his muscles allowed, his eyes slightly narrowed against the whiplash created every time he propelled himself with chakra enhanced leaps. Several days ago he would've been wasting time and aggravating other citizens of Konoha by racing through the busy streets but now things were different. He was different and while he wanted attention; he decided being loud and obnoxious was most likely the worst way to get that.
Now that he had a goal and help, he found that reading and learning from the ninja codex actually made a lot of sense and was pretty fun if went about in the right way. So against the odds, Uzumaki actually implemented something he learned from a book. "A ninja should always go high, the higher you are the better you see, the easier it is to plan and ambush, hehehe, I gotta thank Kakashi-sensei for teaching me the tree walking technique one of these days..."
Naruto still remembered Iruka's look of astonishment when he handed him his painstakingly written, summarized notes. At first the chuunin instructor had been suspicious of Naruto's quite thorough efforts and the amount of subjects he had already broached in only five hours.
The scarred ninja eyed him suspiciously and questioned the Jinchuuriki on who had helped him much to the blonde's chagrin. Naruto had explained his methodology that was based on Iruka's own advice from his childhood and soon after and he seemed to accept the blonde's actions and even congratulate the Jinchuuriki for thinking outside the box.
The blonde's learning system wasn't very complex as it was meticulous. The method consisted of text summarization and associative memory techniques. Its main downfall was that it was taxing on chakra and exhausting both physically and mentally. While it was true that by utilizing his shadow clones he managed to absorb larger amounts of data but just because the blonde read more information didn't mean he could actually fully understand it and remember it long-term.
Therefore Naruto upgraded his studies by having every clone read a book or scroll while summarizing it into comprehensible segments after using the thesaurus and dictionary to simplify the more difficult parts of said texts.
The next step was dispersing the original clones before creating new clones to exchange them. He then delegated the task of rereading over the earlier notes and questions their predecessors wrote down while using the original material, thesaurus and dictionary as reference.
The doppelgangers then worked on further understanding and analyzing the material in a more comprehensive and detailed manner and translating this new knowledge into new, simpler notes that he would later give a third set of clones to re-read over and over before dispelling them as well.
This process took its fair time, but with enough clones he managed to read, understand and compile a quite respectable amount of content from the tomes and scrolls in just five hours that would've taken him days had he tried studying it by himself.
More importantly than saving Naruto time and managing to uphold his dedication to his studies was the fact that all the things he learned gave him a whole new outlook and understanding of how the machinations of the ninja world were and the reasons behind his sensei's training methods.
Naruto had tested his limits in utilizing these new studying capabilities and discovered that the system only worked as long as worked with up to five clones at once if he wanted to accurately remember all information his clones processed. Any number he used that was higher than five but lower than a total of ten clones assured only partial integration of the information due to the overwhelming pressure on the brain.
He shuddered at the phantom pain that revisited him as he remembered his attempt of lifting the numbers of clones above ten. What he experienced in those moments could only be described as undulated torture. Blood had poured down his nose and ears and insane force seemed to clench his brain from within and outside his skull.
From what little knowledge of anatomy the blonde knew he guessed he was over stressing his brain and knew that such actions were extremely dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.
The world seemed different than it was before, Naruto now far less naïve and slightly more grounded than he was before. There were hidden layers of Shinobi life he was oblivious to before, colors of ugliness and brutality that could no longer be ignored.
His faith in his goals and way of the ninja had taken a hit but the more he read the more he grew to realize that his village of Konoha was one of the better ninja organizations. In terms of morals, mutual loyalty and unity he could've had a much worse life had it been another village that embraced his sordid secret and turned him into a living weapon of blood and death.
As he reading about the ancient days before the age of the Shodaime, where no order existed and every clan scavenged for resources and power on its own depicted a grim, dark existence where all children were molded into weapons from their first breathe and the only commodity that mattered was power.
When Naruto compared the current ninja world to the loathsome, godless age he couldn't help but idolize the likes of Senju Harashima and his younger brother. Their trials and tribulations made him feel obligated (considering his goals) to protect his home from such an existence – more than ever before.
Those two were the catalysts of change, the men that banded the clans together by coin and steel even to the point of allying themselves with their sworn rivals, clan Uchiha in order to stop the endless war. They braved the storm of death and despair, overcame harsh resistance across the continent and laid the foundation of what later became the age of the great five.
Such visionaries in a time of no hope inspired him, he wanted to be someone, and he wanted to do something profound like that. All his life Naruto had been an insignificant, forsaken boy in a sea of ignorance; a boy predicted to never achieve anything except killing or being killed.
But he would show them all, he would become someone of power and prestige and prove them wrong by not only surviving, but leaving his mark the world by becoming the opposite of what they expected – protector instead of destroyer, mentor instead of dead last and leader instead of fodder.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, a survivor that won't give up until my dying breath; just like the First, just like the Second and especially like my idol, the Fourth. All of you watch me…I'll make you all proud," He pleaded to the heavens, calling out to the heroes of old to guide him on the right path.
He had been so swept in his thoughts that he barely noticed reaching his destination. The blonde landed on the grassy field, eyeing the sea of green around him curiously. The Uzumaki was standing in the clearing of a large woods area; the grass was dancing in the wind and the leaves shuffled at nature's sweet caress, everything seemed calm and serene, a dangerous illusion in a world of assassins and cutthroats like the shinobi world.
He shut his eyes and concentrated as he reminisced over the information he had read in the book "Chakra manipulation: uses in detection and concealment techniques". Many clans utilized methods of chakra enhancing techniques to activate genetically enhanced sensory organs.
Sure there were ninjas that had learned to truly master the art due to sheer skill, guts and training in chakra control. But the real prodigies in the term of sensory abilities where those ninja that were gifted by inherited their abilities through their blood; their unnatural genes giving them the condition called a "Kekkai Gekkai".
"Umm…how did it go, channel chakra through your senses to upgrade them…?" The trick was obviously learning how to channel the proper amount of life-force or else it would all be for nothing or even counterproductive by tricking or damaging the senses. "I wonder…I hold that bastard-fox so what if I…"
He decided to test a theory by channeling his chakra through his eyes and nose, trying to unnaturally enhance their range. He didn't see anything different but his nostrils flared and he grimaced and sneezed harshly as his nose was bombarded with sharp and violent odors.
His eyes became teary and wiped his nose, gagging slightly while trying to slowly lower the chakra output, his face visibly tensing in concentration and effort. He grinned several seconds later as he managed to find a spot that made the odors bearable and he caught the very light whiff of a dog's fur, sweat and weapon's oil.
He guessed who it was from the passage in the book of legendary Konoha ninjas he read yesterday on Hatake Sakumo. The White Fang piqued Naruto's interest after Kakashi's brief words over his father's demise. It was only logical the son would inherit his father's contract so he hazarded the guess to his stalker's identity. "Ne, Kakashi-sensei, I thought you said you'd be here on time, not early…" Naruto called out.
He realized the true reason his little experiment actually worked was the fact his body was probably genetically predisposition towards enhanced senses due to his prisoner's vulpine nature, otherwise his efforts would most likely have failed royally.
His test derived from a theory he had thought over as he had read over the passage of past Jinchuuriki of various countries and their abilities. The subject was of obvious interest to the container of the strongest of the nine.
He had taken extra care to carefully read over that particular tome. He found out the most Jinchuuriki inherited both physical and spiritual abilities from their tailed beast and those with more docile Bijuu like the two-tailed demon-cat and the eight-tailed demon-ox were even able to subdue their monster into a partner and companion instead of tormentor.
"Awesome…" Naruto thought about his discovery before his mind strayed and imagined what it would be like to wield the full fury and power of the Kyuubi. If he took reign of such power he would be unstoppable.
The thought enticed him for only a brief moment before he thought on the subject more thoroughly and realized the proud and nearly omnipotent Bijuu would never yield before a lower life-form such as a human. Thus any attempt at controlling or enforcing his will upon the demon-fox seemed as likely as anyone bottling a lightning storm.
The blonde Jinchuuriki let go of such improbable thoughts as his sensei landed beside him, his trademark Icha-Icha book in his right hand. He noted his success and decided he could explore such experiments later when he felt his ninja abilities were good enough.
The copy ninja closed the book and pocketed it as he eyed his student curiously "If you don't mind me asking Naruto…how exactly did you detect me…?" he questioned in a tone that was honestly curious. He had been suppressing his chakra signature to observe his student silently so him being detected was quite unlikely considering Naruto's current skill.
The Uzumaki grinned foxily and crossed his arms as he explained what he read yesterday and his theory and experiment to his sensei. The silver haired ninja quirked his brow in surprise, impressed by his apprentice's creativity, even if he had a slightly blunt and rugged way of expressing his accomplishments.
Then he volunteered an explanation on how he had learned to use his shadow clones and the limitations he discovered. Kakashi's eyebrow flew upwards and his eye widened visibly before crinkling happily as his eye danced with mirth and pride as he clicked his tongue chidingly. "My, I'm impressed Naruto…you figured out the most useful ability of the shadow clone technique all on your own…"
Naruto seemed shocked at the revelation of his sensei's pride and Kakashi chuckled softly, deciding to enlighten his student a bit more on his prized forbidden technique. "The shadow clone technique was originally brought to Konoha by First Hokage when he bought it from a small nomadic tribe originating from what was formally known as the Whirlpool country," Kakashi revealed.
He lifted his finger in a lecturing manner. "The clan originally used it as a reconnaissance tool as but apparently it was also their most secretive of training methods as well. Everything the clone learns and experiences is passed on to the summoner. So theoretically one can accelerate their training by a hundredfold..." Kakashi lectured knowingly.
The blonde's eyes remained inquiring as he pondered his tutor's earlier words, "What kind of clan invented such a technique?"
Kakashi wagged his finger and shook his head "I'm afraid that is S-class ranked information and it wouldn't really matter at the current time even if it wasn't." Kakashi brushed off his question neutrally and started rummaging through his pocket. The blonde's eyes narrowed briefly, he couldn't read his sensei at all, as his face mask and tone were completely blank.
The silver haired Jounin kept on drilling into his head that he always had to 'look underneath the underneath' so he guessed there was some riddle or piece of information hidden in his words, especially the 'current time' part. Naruto decided he would have to ponder over the subject later because his sensei took out a slip of paper which Naruto recognized immediately.
"Chakra detecting paper? I thought learning elemental manipulation was Jounin level technique…" he called out excitedly and his grin turned slightly devious.
Kakashi looked thoughtful before answering quietly "That policy is something that was implemented Konoha after the third ninja war. Until that war and up to this day in the other four great villages, one of the Jounin sensei's sole responsibilities is to discover and train the genins' elemental chakra affinities. However, the Third worried for the sanity of the young genin warriors and wanted to prevent their accelerated ascension through the ranks so they could savor their childhood and sanity as long as they could…"
Naruto frowned slightly but seemed to understand the logic behind the old man's decisions even if seemed pretty foolish in light of their enemies' practices. "So why are you teaching it to me?" the Jinchuuriki asked the legitimate question.
His sensei shut his eye briefly before he elaborated on the grim truth. "Your situation is unique; being a container of one of the tailed beasts makes you a prime target for a variety of ninjas. There are those that would use the forbidden power to their own benefit and there are those that seek to weaken Konoha as a whole will seek to kill you."
"Also, since you're perceived as a weapon, like all the containers have been in the past many idiots in our own village see you as a threat, you of all people should know that;" the copy-ninja explained.
Naruto's shoulders slackened and his head bowed painfully, the bitter truth that he was forever condemned to be seen as a reflection of the demon by various people was quite depressing.
"However, there is another reason I chose to use this regime. I have full faith in you and your abilities. I trust that you won't abuse these abilities and use them against Konona and your peers. Also, since you have Jounin level chakra reserves and know the shadow clone technique this type of training is ideal for you as you won't be directly endangering yourself;" the Jounin explained his decision.
His eye flickered with resolve as his charge's blue eyes revitalized at his words and the genin's fists tightened with determination. "So why don't you channel your chakra through that piece of paper so we can begin" He instructed and Naruto obliged most willingly.
It took only a moment for the piece of paper to flicker in blue before being sliced in two, revealing the blonde's primary affinity towards wind-based chakra. Kakashi watched the proceedings with an almost knowing smile beneath his mask. He had expected such an occurrence might happen. It was true that the wind chakra affinity was extremely rare in Konoha, but it was very common in his mother's homeland, the Whirlpool Country – alongside the water and lightning chakra affinities.
Whether or not the other two affinities would manifest was yet to be seen; for now he had to fulfill Kushina's, the woman that had at one time been his mother figure, last wish. He reached for his flak jacket and unbuttoned one of his pouches removing an old looking scroll and tossing it to Naruto. The blonde caught the old looking scroll and eyed it curiously.
"The Third Hokage instructed me to give you this scroll; Jiraiya-sama came about it during his travels and it's supposedly an heirloom that once belonged to the Uzumaki clan. It's sealed with a blood seal so only you can open it…" Kakashi lied through his teeth regarding Jiraiya's part.
The scroll had been left to him by Kushina prior to her death to pass on to the heir of the Uzumaki should something happen to her. His words were uttered in a small, soft manner, something the blonde didn't catch as the shock of the first words suffocated him.
The Jinchuuruki's cerulean eyes widened considerably as he hugged the scroll to his body and all other words screened out as his heart thumped in his chest and his vision tunneled completely; focusing on the priceless piece of animal skin in his hands "Something that belongs to me, a piece of my family, my past. After all this time…"
Naruto's eyes flickered with remorse, happiness and pain all in one and he repressed all his etiquette and manners, one question rumbled through every cell in his body, choking all other facets of his existence "W-why did he wait all this time?" Naruto whispered miserably, shaken and confused, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "All these years he said he didn't…that he didn't know…how could they keep this from me?"
Kakashi averted his gaze from his emotional pupil, unable to lock eyes with his tearful, accusing pools of blue as he looked upwards. "Naruto, Sarutobi-sama wasn't even sure whether to give you the scroll now or when you became chuunin. I think what tipped the scale is that there is more than likely you won't be able to advance a rank until next year…"
Kakashi lifted his hand to cut Naruto's insistent questioning and sighed heavily "Naruto, up until now Sarutobi-sama wasn't sure if you were mentally ready for the responsibility of holding such a priceless heirloom. If someone stole it or you shared its gifts freely you would not only lose your past but also something that can benefit both you and the village. You've grown a lot since you became genin and the fact you are now under my direct and sole protection also gave him enough confidence to finally give you the scroll…"
The last Uzumaki looked conflicted, he could understand the old man's reasoning on one hand but the stubborn knot of pain and loneliness he had shouldered for so long was not so easy to push aside. He thought of one of the ninja know-alls "The best way to trick your enemy is tricking your friends as well. The greater the lie the greater the surprise and advantage. It makes sense…keeping my past from me to kept those that threatened my life back, but it hurts so much…"
"I…I understand…but I don't have to like it…" Naruto murmured in a small, pained whisper and his sensei watched as his solemn expression smoothed out to a calm; yet somewhat sad facade.
Kakashi explained the gospel truth of being a leader. "Naruto, I know it's hard to swallow but think of it this way. It is the Hokage that carries the greatest burden of them all for the weight of all the secrets of the hidden village rests on his shoulders; along with the guilt and grief of an entire village."
He nodded as he spoke knowingly and Naruto momentarily wondered if he wished to carry such a burden on himself before dismissing the thought, better him than someone else, someone irresponsible that would only damage the village.
"Naruto, could you please open the scroll and tell me if it has anything called the: White Wind Tiger style written in it?" Kakashi asked him seriously and the blonde ninja looked suspiciously at the copy ninja.
"How does he know…did he take a peak?" The silver haired Jounin sighed at Naruto's suspicious expression.
"It's protected by a blood seal, I couldn't open it even if I wanted to," he answered his unspoken question in slight exasperation.
The blonde nodded and bit his thumb lightly through a wince. He smeared some blood on the seal in the center of the piece of parchment. The scroll pulsed once in dark red light before unraveling in Naruto hands. The blonde quickly skimmed over it, eyes flicking over the titles in the scroll, not wanting to spoil the experience of reading the scroll in the privacy of his own home later.
He found the title Kakashi referred to and nodded quickly before rolling the scroll shut and to his surprise the blood seal flashed once and all traces of crimson vanished, the parchment locked once more. "Cool…my family was so freaking awesome!" he cooed inwardly and caressed the scroll reverently before carefully pocketing it into a pouch in his vest.
"That specific taijutsu style was one of the trademarks of the Uzumaki clan in times long since forgotten. They also integrated a special sword wielding style in its higher tiers so it's one of the most important parts of your heritage. The reason the Uzumaki were famous for this style was that they combined their mastery over the wind elemental chakra with their hand to hand style. It is an extremely powerful style that I'm certain will suit you well. Though don't forget it, like any style has its disadvantages. If you're wondering why nobody knows it in Konoha, bear in mind that wind chakra is extremely rare and that clans are most protective of its secrets."
The copy ninja smirked at how excited Naruto seemed and his eye turned thoughtful as his seemed to look into the distance, into the past. "Kushina, I'll keep my promise and pass on your style and jutsu to your last of kin…" the copy-ninja vowed.
He had copied the taijutsu style's katas and stances at the red haired whirlpool ninja's insistence as well as some of her more powerful A and B rank ninjutsu. The woman had claimed the reason at the time was that she had a bad feeling that dark tidings were approaching Konoha and that she would die the last of her kind.
She wanted her style to pass on to a proper heir should she die childless. Was it premonition or foreknowledge on the woman's part? Kakashi would never know though it occasionally haunted his thoughts when he reminisced over those days.
He shook out of his memories and pointed at Naruto "I want you to continue using the number of shadow clones you use for your studies in our training sessions. We will gradually lift the number as you grow stronger. As for your other training and mission performance, use them only sparingly when your chakra is at high to middle level and never more than three to four at a time unless you and your teammates are in danger, even then I ask that you exercise caution…"
The blonde shook out of his earlier gloom and looked confused by the instruction. "But why? I could get super strong so much faster if I used lotsa clones!"
The copy ninja's eye speared him with a serious look. "That may be true but nobody but my sensei, Yondaime-sama truly understands how your seal works. Jiraiya-sama theorizes through his examination of it that if as long as your chakra levels are balanced it should hold. But if your chakra levels grow through usage of Kage Bushin and your physical abilities don't the imbalance may weaken it," Kakashi intoned quietly and pointed at Naruto's stomach.
The blonde nodded in understanding and his face set in a reserved and understanding expression "There really are no shortcuts to greatness, are there?" He asked quietly and looked expectantly at the silver haired Jounin that replied with an eye-smiled and nodded his acquiesce to his remark.
The Jounin smirked and eyed his pupil with a slightly evil grin under his mask, "Oh, payback for all his remarks and jokes" he thought and inwardly rubbed his hands together. His pupil was in for a world of hardship, sweat, tears and blood.
(Meanwhile, Elsewhere in Konoha)
It was dark in the underground tunnels beneath Konoha, but to the emotionless tools Danzou employed traversing the network of passageways was as common as breathing. One of these ninjas however had defected two years ago. The ANBU was known in Roots as "32" or 'Bear' to fit his ivory mask's namesake.
Bear's story of defection had begun when he was captured during a long-term undercover mission in the bordering Rice Field country. He was sent into the hornet's nest by his master to try and discern the location of the leaf's most infamous traitor - Orochimaru of the sannin.
Intelligence reports reported mass disappearances amongst the civilian population and the local Fuuma clan - something that had occurred in Konoha close to the date of the legendary ninja's defection years earlier.
It was during this mission that he was forced to emulate human emotions in order to build his cover as a traveling merchant. However, an unexpected side-effect of experiencing all those 'insignificant emotions that Danzou usually forbade was a weakening of his indoctrinated loyalty.
He, like all his peers barely remembered anything from their former life before Roots. He only knew bits of pieces he had discovered over the years: mainly, that he was one of the many war orphans of the Fire country and that he had experienced a great trauma that wiped his memory clean before Danzou took him in as a child.
It was during this upheaval in his belief in Danzou's path that he was captured by agents employed by the snake sannin and had been spirited to an underground complex somewhere deep in the womb of the earth.
The yellow eyed genius had personally seen to his torture and had dealt him an insurmountable never-ending session abundant with steel, flame and chemical. It was supposed to be impossible to shatter Root operatives; Danzou had said as much during their indoctrination stages as genin.
His master had claimed that he had made them immune to weakness and pain but he was wrong. Even one of the members of Danzou's identity-depraved ANBU was still a human at core. Flesh and bone could be cut and broken, blood spilled and nerve endings transmitted pain that any human mind could only take for so long before something snapped.
And snap his mind did; the torture had erased all traces of humanity and all he knew, all he craved was for the legendary ninja to stop, holding back nothing as he spilled every sliver of information he knew; selling out his master and creator to appease his tormentor.
Now, in the wake of the inhumane amount of torment the snake summoner had fed him he barely remembered his own identity and bonds to Danzou, his mind shaky and fragile. As soon as he talked the torture had ceased immediately and while he was drugged, confused and lost he was treated like a king by the snake-sannin and had developed what psychologists called the 'Stockholm Syndrome' and fallen under the snake ninja's charm and charisma.
With little to no concrete memory and even less so of an identity it was easy task for the mercurial ninja to remold Bear into one of his own. He reprogrammed him into his own subordinate with the code name 'Takashi Shikio'.
After a grueling series of psychological therapy sessions and injecting him with an abundance of bio-chemical enzymes and catalysts Orochimaru had managed to heal enough of Bear's psyche in order to recreate some of the ninja he once was.
Bear was then brought back into physical health and reminded of his ninja skills and released back to Konoha with falsified intelligence documentation to hand over to Danzou.
His new mission, now the only mission he had ever known, was to report any information Danzou gleaned about Orochimaru's activities as well as information on the coveted Sharingan. Shikio cared little for whatever motives he served as long as his benefactor fulfilled his part of the deal that bought the former Bear's full cooperation – giving him back his full memory; something only a researcher like the snake sannin or a medic like the slug sannin Tsunade may be able to achieve.
For Bear, now Shikio, a ninja educated to become a tool with no identity or emotion, exchanging masters was never an issue as there were no bonds of loyalty or fear to bind him into servitude. All you needed was a more persuasive offer or influence to redirect the blade to another target.
Currently he was making his way to the ante-chamber of Roots sub-terrain maze-fortress; his pale blue eyes reflecting the dim touch light as her rushed forth at a sprinting, nearly soundless pace. The double agent had been summoned by Danzou to report his initial findings for his newest reconnaissance mission: gleaning information on the training methods employed by Uzumaki Naruto's sensei – Hatake Kakashi.
Bear had failed miserably to approach the training ground; the copy-nin seemed prepared after 'Tiger' failed miserably in concealing herself from Kakashi. Failure was not something the ANBU was used to and ever since the snake had taught him to reconnect with his emotions he was dealing with an entirely new and bothersome emotion – frustration.
The copy ninja lived up to his reputation and ensnared Shikio in a variety of traps, genjutsu barriers and clone decoys that threw him off course. An S-class ninja would have most likely easily overcome all obstacles and even manage to keep themselves concealed from the copy ninja himself, turning his own traps against him but Takashi Shikio was barely B-ranked in power and skill; no match for the likes of the genius Kakashi.
In the past he never relented, never knowing despair or the meaning of failure. Every delay was a setback, every obstacle was no more than temporary until he either succeeded or died, but things were entirely different now. Shikio knew his time was coming and there was no failure in Roots, only victory or death.
The traitor-ninja had made a decision at the moment he entered the Roots compound; he knew his death would arrive soon so he would embrace another new emotion he had read over, revenge. He planned to act in accordance to the path of retribution and take the battle to the war adviser; taking him down with him as penance for turning him into an emotionless sub-human creature that knew nothing but blood, steel and blind devotion.
He had been summoned to meet up with his spy master, Orochimaru's senior agent in Konoha to receive further instructions. He knew said agent was male and young by his build and muscle tone but Shikio had never seen his face and the only concrete physical detail he knew about his operator was that he had silvery hair.
When they met earlier, a small wooden case was standing at the silver haired man's feet and he was pulling on a pair of white rubber gloves. He had commanded the double agent to calm down and drink some tea before fulfill his final mission, assassinating Danzou himself. Shikio obliged obediently and moments after the warm liquid slid down his throat he got disoriented and drowsy before losing consciousness.
When he woke up the spy master was gone but a vest of explosive notes was left for Shikio to use. Bear suppressed the burning pain and wave of weakness that pulsed through his body. He had no idea what happened to him, but his stomach kept on hurting at inhumane levels ever since he woke up.
Soon enough the ANBU cleared his mind upon arriving at his destination as the long tunnel coming to an end and he spread his senses outward. He waited for the ambush to begin and was about to summon his chakra when his body entire body locked down as pulsing waves of fiery agony erupted through his body. His skin was melting, his lungs were burning and no amount of air could satisfy his lungs as he collapsed in a heap on the ground, coughing blood and squirming on the ground.
"Did you honestly believe I did not have a contingency plan in case one of my agents went rogue…?" the voice of his former master slipped through the shadows chidingly as the partially disabled man stepped into the light, his single hand held in a seal position.
The ANBU felt the pulse of chakra invading his body originate from his spine's C1 vertebra that connected his neck and his spine, spreading the lethal lightning chakra through his system and finally realized what the real purpose of their 'ornamental' tattoo they were each branded with upon fulfilling their training stages - insurance.
Bear remained silent as Danzou approached him, patiently waiting for the former ANBU to get into the range of his exploding seals. "This is the end…Danzou" Shikio thought and made a single hand seal, activated the sealing construct on his vest. He waited for an explosion but all he felt was the pressure of Danzou's technique grow exponentially and his eyes widened with realization as the snake sannin's deception and betrayal before all he ever knew was white and the bliss of oblivion.
Danzou frowned as Bear stopped moving abruptly and he slowly knelt beside the now dead ninja and used his cane to push his upper robes aside; revealing the suicide vest he wore and his eyes narrowed. "His operator was resourceful…to go to such lengths and supply a fail-safe suicide seal to prevent his capture and interrogation, why he didn't use an explosion vest is beyond me…unless…" the one armed elder pondered briefly before realization struck him.
The sound of shifting flesh caught Danzou's attention and his visible eye widened in shock as suddenly the sound of shifting turned into the sickening sound of tearing. Danzou stumbled backwards as the blood stained face of a small black scaled snake with yellow diamonds on its back burst from the man's chest.
Danzou knew he could not escape as the serpent blurred forth and wrapped around the war hawk's neck tightly, its powerful body constricting around the delicate area. The summoned snake's yellow eyes locked with the former ANBU's brown eye as its tongue flicked outwards and tickled its prey's wrinkled skin on the uncovered part of his face.
"Museiryoushi…" Danzou hissed in a choked tone, recognizing Orochimaru's personal and most deadly of assassination snakes. Any movement would be his end and perhaps his ANBU's as well as the snake was immensely venomous and lethally fast.
He lifted his hand in a warning gesture as ANBU in the nearby vicinity attempted to move in his defense. The viper shifted threateningly as one of the ANBU stepped forward a bit too closely for comfort and before the ANBU could blink the snake shifted and feigned moving to bite Danzou before pulling back at the last possible second as the ANBU stepped back.
"My master sends his regards, Danzou-san…" The snake summon hissed and slithered around the Root leader's neck leaning toward his ear. "Orochimaru-sama knows your plans, Danzou-san. That fodder you killed was only one of many he employs in Konoha," the summoned revealed in a tone he could hear.
"You live by his grace alone; your tendency to make things interesting and keeping the winds of war moving is your only redeeming quality. However, bear in mind that the next assassin you send after the master may cause his mercy to expire…" the assassin snake promised and nuzzled the nape of the war hawk's neck; every one of the letters x, s, and z hissed out in a prolonged manner.
The elder ninja's eye narrowed dangerously, his face flushed in asphyxiation and shame at how easily the snake-sannin had infiltrated his fortress, placed a phantom blade to his neck in form of the snake summon. The serpent bowed its head "Remember…" and vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Danzou rubbed his neck and his killer intent lashed across the room as he slowly grabbed his cane and stood up with as much dignity as he could redeem under the circumstances. He was left solemn, thoughtful and inwardly furious – this insult would not go unpunished, he would make sure of that – and he knew just how to get that accursed traitor back for this.
Orochimaru would rue humiliating him like this.
(Several hours later)
Ino was sitting down against a tree trunk thoughtfully as she waited for the rest of team ten. Yesterday evening when she got home after helping Sakura she had concluded that something was seriously wrong with Sakura.
Her gut instinct was that something was broken inside her formally pink haired friend and the Yamanaka wasn't sure it could ever be repaired, but for the life of her the blonde was going to try. Though she hadn't the foggiest idea how so she tentatively asked her father, a master in psychology and their family techniques, for some advice.
Her father was her hero and she was the first to admit she was a daddy's girl but who wouldn't be with her war decorated and kind hearted father. But yesterday he had surprised her with the cold gleam in his blue-green eyes. "You're wasting your time, Haruno Sakura is beyond help…" he had warned her.
Ino had asked him why he would say something like that after he had personally been the one to encourage her to branch out and befriend the kind, well-spirited girl in the first place. Inoichi had been the one that explained the difficulties of being a clan-less, civilian in a ninja clan ruled society and changed her previously arrogant and dismissive outlook on her pink haired friend.
The blonde man's eyes lost any semblance of warmth when he warned his child once more, refusing to elaborate on the matter beside one statement that he spat out through grit teeth, slamming his fist on the table "You can't trust those who betray their comrades...remember that, Ino;" before he closed the subject by tearing himself out the room at a brisk pace with his shoulders tense and fists clenched.
The Yamanaka heir refused to believe it, she knew her father and he was hiding something. Things most likely went deeper than that since her father that had simply adored Sakura only days ago now regarded her as lower than excrement.
Sakura's nature was indeed volatile and her violent streak was at times somewhat unnerving and dangerous but she was kind at heart and loyal to a fault to those she cared about and was the worst stickler for the rules Ino had ever seen. It was simply implausible for the pink, now-red haired kunoichi to attract the ire of Konoha's finest for no reason.
"Hey…are you alright, Ino-san?" The voice of another blonde's voice and Sakura's 'monster' murmured in confusion. The foxy genin tried implementing his new etiquettes lessons as much as he could under the circumstances and avoided touching or shouting at Ino, satisfied with waving his hand in front of her face and speaking softly.
His blue eyes reflected confusion as the violet wearing teen started in surprise and shifted, instinctively sending her fist flying upwards. Naruto reacted accordingly and caught her fist firmly "Damnit Ino, I was just checking on you since you were so distracted, what is it with you loud girls and beating up boys? There are much better ways of flirting with a guy you know…" the cerulean eyed teen taunted in a slightly amused tone.
He teased his previously preoccupied fellow blonde as his lips twisting into a wide, slightly mischievous grin. He pulled back, giving the girl some space as her voice exploded from her throat
"As if! Keep dreaming, N-Na-ru!" Ino hissed impatiently at first, lifting her now blazing pale blue eyes to spear her antagonist; ready to educate him on the finer points of treating girls with respect when he voice choked in her throat and turned to a flustered stammer.
Her eyes widened and turned a bit glossy as she took in the blonde's new look, her cheeks flushing faintly; checking him out shamelessly "Well what do you know? Naruto's actually pretty cute when he's cleans up."
The Jinchuuriki was clad in a pair of loose, dark blue hakama pants with two weapon pouches strapped to his legs, one on each side. His supply pack was strapped to his right hip and he was wearing full upper body mesh armor; the chrome colored steel material reaching his wrists.
He was more muscular than she had initially thought considering his abysmal taijutsu abilities from the small glimpses of skin peeking through the reinforced material. Those that were seldom visible under a tight, short sleeved, navy blue leather jacket; the half zipped garment was thick, yet flexible and shifted with his every motion.
His upper and lower clothing were bound together by a tight dark orange belt with black sealing symbols sewn into the material. The bandage-clad genin noticed his attire wasn't just fashionable but also practical for it contained various sized pouches and nearly no specks of orange.
The only orange visible on his person was the belt and a pair of rough, leather like arm guards that were all covered with small, black seals. There were many small seals strewn across his forearms and a single large and unique looking seal on the back of each of his hands. The ensemble was sealed by a black sock like material that concealed his bright hair, his forehead protector tied over his covered forehead. Ino concluded that his entire new outfit was both impressive and camouflage friendly.
"Are you sure about that, Ino? One can't help but reach an opposite conclusion by the way you're ogling Naruto," Shikamaru commented in a doubtful manner; his tone flat and wry as a smirk spread over his lips.
Chouji walked up to Shikamaru's right in his heavy manner, their joint arrival completely escaping the kunoichi's attention until the pineapple haired genin's remark sunk in – too entrapped with how the blonde transformed from eye-sore to eye-candy.
The sound of munching and snickering ticked the kunoichi off as Chouji added his two cents "Shikamaru's right, Ino. You've only ever paid this much attention to…" he started to tease before the words died in his throat as an awkward silence exchanged the playful mood, team 10 eying Naruto carefully; ready for the blonde to explode into some heated outburst over his comrade's demise.
Naruto's face transformed into a solemn expression and he looked up towards the sky, surprising them all. His blue eyes reflected his contemplative mood. "It's alright, guys" he said dismissively. "Sasuke was a prick, a stuck up bastard and arrogant asshole for the most part. But when it counted he understood me and cared in his own strange way…" he reflected and shifted his eyes over each member of team ten, eying Ino carefully as he spoke so coarsely on her precious Sasuke-kun.
Ino seemed upset but conflicted, not wanting to say something offensive, biting her lower lip and Naruto was thankful for her consideration despite her legendary devotion to Sasuke. "He saved my life and I'll always respect him for standing up for me. Even when it all looked lost, he never gave up – he was a true ninja through and through."
He chuckled faintly, finding it ironic that he was full of praise to the boy he had both hated and admired so recently. "I've been thinking for the last couple of days and I don't want everyone to treat his name as a taboo around me." The genin revealed and smiled in a gentle manner that seemed foreign to his usually bubbly and energetic disposition.
"The best way to honor the bastard is take his example and stay loyal, stay strong and fight with all we've got!" he explained with a wide grin. "It's better to respect him, than live in his shadow…he wouldn't have wanted that, I'm too much of a loser to be anywhere near his shadow after all," Naruto jested and his grin softened some into a small smile as he laughed lightly to himself. His words seemed to burst the tension amongst team ten. "Isn't that right, Sasuke?"
Ino blinked, this was the monster Sakura had warned her about. He was different as Sakura said he had become, but not remotely in bad way. Quite the opposite, he was kind of cool in his new getup and with a slight more mature attitude and now that he stopped whining and screaming obnoxiously.
Her teammates seemed to share her assessment as Chouji smiled brightly through his chip munching and Shikamaru's lips twitched slightly. "How troublesome…if you keep on talking like that and you just might make Hokage one day, Naruto" the Nara heir mused with a begrudging smile.
Naruto smiled sheepishly, flushing faintly as a small laugh escaped him "You really think so, Shikamaru? Heh, I don't know…I still have a long way ahead of me, but I won't give up!" Naruto promised in a cheerful and energetic manner that seemed to be contagious as the rest of team ten smiled unconsciously.
"A bold statement, but I like your style, kid. Heh, well then, if Hokage-sama is willing why don't we all go get on with our D-rank mission for the day" A gruff, amused tone rose behind the teens; the smoking form of Sarutobi Asuma leaning against a nearby tree.
Billowing rings of gaseous nicotine escaped Asuma's lips as his sharp eyes narrowed at the scene before him. "That kid... to keep his humanity after all this village put him through is nothing less than a miracle. To think he can inspire my team so easily kind of makes me jealous. But I guess for all that he's been through the squirt deserves a break;" the estranged son of the Sandaime pondered as he watched Naruto flush faintly through a small scowl elicited mainly by Ino's giggles and Chouji coughing snort.
The Sarutobi heir led his team and additional genin through the streets, his posture the mask of indifference, only his eyes were alert and sharp as they kept on darting stealthily in all directions. He scanned the reactions by the citizens to Naruto's new attire. Even though the blonde was happily chatting with Chouji on the finer points of the various cuisines Konoha was famous for the villagers all eyed him with wariness, veiled distaste and a select few with open hatred as his new attire blurred and weakened his previous harmless look.
"Hey, Shikamaru, I never thought I'd see the day Naruto cuts back on ramen! You're the cloud gazer amongst us, is the sky falling?" Ino commented shrewdly when Naruto explained his new diet and poked her fellow blonde's ribs teasingly. The poor Kitsune-ninja blushed and scowled at her, crossing his arms and blowing her a raspberry before he loudly dared her to insult the divine gift of the gods one more time.
Shikamaru smirked and gave Chouji a look while rolling his eyes "So loud" he mouthed to the portly Genin that only shrugged and shoved another mouthful of chips into his mouth as Ino threw a remark about how she'd never be caught dead eating ramen since it's so greasy and unhealthy.
Asuma's eyes widened slightly at the chummy interaction between the two blondes, "Interesting…"
Naruto blinked in confusion and eyed Ino silently for a moment "Hey, Ino…I don't mean to be rude, but you're a bit too skinny for a girl…" Naruto whispered in her ear and nearly paled as her killer intent spiked murderously "H-Hey! Let me finish…you still look great and all but I think you'd look so much hotter if you had some more meat on you" he said conversationally and rationally, shrugging impassively and unaware of the rudeness of his remark.
Shikamaru coughed into his hand and Chouji coughed on his chips, hitting his chest several times as Ino's fist exploded forth and slammed forcefully into Naruto's cheek, her face turning five shades of red before she hmphed in dismissal and looked away from him. She walked ahead briskly and matched Asuma's pace. She was so flustered and embarrassed by his remark that she couldn't think straight "How rude…who does he think he is?!"
Shikamaru bit down a laugh as Naruto rubbed his cheek, silently whispering to Chouji, trying to discern what he did wrong with Ino. The Akimichi looked half amused and half shocked by Naruto's ignorance regarding the fairer sex before he remembered Naruto had always been an orphan with no parents or family to teach him about these things and carefully explained it to the blue clad Jinchuuruki.
The Nara's ears filtered his teammate's attempts at explaining why complimenting a girl so blatantly and breaching any of the two taboos of age and weight was not only wrong, but borderline suicide and the young blonde seemed attentive as he listened on; that was definitely a new – an attentive Naruto.
Asuma led them through the city quietly; Naruto seemed remorseful for insulting and upsetting the brooding young blonde ahead of him and kept his trap shut for the remainder of their way towards the construction site that had hired them. Asuma had explained that one of the older buildings in the outskirts of the village was being repaired and they were several workers short.
"Someone gets sick and lo and behold! Genin were hired to make up for shortage." It was all so troublesome, the Nara thought as he watched Asuma talk to the foreman whom eyed Naruto darkly. Said burly 6'5 mammoth of a man started arguing with the Jounin heatedly in hushed tones, pointing at the black-clad blonde and waving his hands wildly, his whole face going red.
The genius shadow weaver was learning a whole manner of new things about the blonde today. His earlier speech reflected a weariness of life and maturity nobody his age should carry and Shikamaru hazarded that something inside the naïve loudmouth had broken when the Uchiha had died. But apparently, unlike Sakura that shattered violently and seemed on the borders of insanity, Naruto had braved the trauma and walked away a better, more whole person and ninja.
It was all very curious but the Nara wasn't one to complain, he was happy for the pariah whom had suffered so greatly for so long. He had always seen how some of the parents, adults and other children abused the boy but could do nothing about it beside offer his silent support in the boy. The gross majority simply ignored the boy in such a cold and insulting manner it was hard to watch and Shikamaru couldn't take it for long.
That's how he had started slipping him notes and explained some basic material to Naruto whenever the blonde randomly asked him something during their academy days. He even went as far as spiriting ramen packs into his backpack while Chouji distracted him several times when they saw the boy looked especially hungry and troubled.
It had become a routine amongst the two boys, their parents while not openly hostile against the blonde didn't support him either and preferred to not associate with the young boy in order to prevent what the pineapple haired genin assumed could only be political backlash. Sure they weren't saints and could've done more, but you couldn't change the past now.
It was a sad ordeal that angered and confused the genin greatly but he was a patient and collected individual, he would crack the puzzle one day "You've got a good heart and you're loyal to a fault…so what did you do to deserve all of this, Naruto?"
Said blonde was awkwardly helping a tight-lipped Ino with carrying some heavy bags of cement across the clearing. He had summoned four doppelgangers upon reaching the site. One he delegated the mission of assisting Shikamaru with the cement mixing and any other tasks he'd require. The second he sent to assist Chouji in pulling the ropes that lifted the wood and other supplies to the higher floors.
He originally wanted to delegate a third clone to help Ino, but on second thought he decided it would be better to get in her good graces once more by helping her himself and sent the other clones to ask if more work was required. His cerulean eyes dimmed some with pain and exasperation at how the workers avoided him like the plague and refused to acknowledge his presence; dismissing his inquiries and questions unashamedly.
He eyed Asuma helplessly and the cigarette smoking Jounin shrugged and walked over the blonde. "Tch, since those idiots don't want any additional help, it's their loss. Why don't I teach you something in the meantime, Naruto?" The laid-back Jounin offered and the blonde brightened up in the prospect of learning something new.
Before Asuma could suggest teaching him a simple chakra control exercise the blonde had immediately whispered a request for a tip. "He's studying elemental chakra manipulation already? This kid really is full of surprises and so are you Kakashi; teaching him such a dangerous art so early. But if anyone can handle it, it's this kid; he's a tough one. I guess I could give him some pointers..." Asuma thought and plucked some leaves from a nearby tree and explained the basic machinations of wind chakra to the blonde.
"The wind element is called the battle element for a reason, Naruto. It is the most offensive of the five elements and is primarily a mid to close range element. Its destructive power is nearly unrivaled." Asuma lectured and watched the excitement swirling in the genin's eyes with a small grin; the kid's enthusiasm was contagious.
The bearded ninja took a whiff from his cigarette and held a leaf in his hand, showing the blonde how the leaf was cut in half in an instant when the wind in his palm distorted and swirled violently. "To successfully manipulate the wind element you have to envision and control your chakra in the following manner: Split it into two segments then grind them together so they sharpen one another into fine pieces, the thinner the better. Oh, and remember…the sharpest blade is not the largest, but rather the thinnest…"
Asuma said and flicked his cigarette on the floor, ruffling the blonde's hair; confident the blonde understood the exercise since he had already plucked two leaves from the same tree. The other of the two blondes grinned at him "Don't worry, Asuma-sensei! I'll get it down in no time!" Naruto promised determinedly.
He whistled to the other free clone to join him, explaining the methodology as they each grabbed a leaf and started channeling their chakra. "Two halves sliding against one another repeatedly until they create thin and fine little segments, eh? I suppose it's kinda like sand paper, you grind the wood until it's thin and sharp…"
The Jounin turned around as he heard a rope snap and his eyes widened. He burst into action, cursing as he knew he'd never reach his charges in time. A massive pile of logs was plummeting towards Ino and Naruto at alarming speed. He could use a jutsu to blast the woods but he would most likely harm the unaware Ino or Naruto severely if he chose that tactic "Damn it!"
Ino was distractedly pondering Naruto's overly honest comment from before and didn't notice the danger until it was too late; she then looked upwards in fear and shock. Naruto reacted instinctively the moment the rope snapped, his mind raced to find a solution and found none save shoving his teammate out of the way.
"Look Out!" Naruto shouted grabbing Ino roughly by the arms before he pushed all the chakra that he could through his muscles as he shifted his weight and body to the side. He tossed the blonde genin with all his might, sending her quite a ways.
The green-eyed teen cried in shock and surprise and winced in pain; she shut her eyes as massive as her airborne body spiraling out of control. Luckily Shikamaru caught up quickly and caught the flying kunoichi's shadow, stopping her before Chouji caught the gist of things as well and contributed his part by sending his enlarged hand forward.
Asuma didn't have time for such finesse or efficiency as he heard the rope snap and gambled by throwing his palm forward. His chakra flared wildly, there was no telling what his father or Kakashi would do if Naruto died under his care like this and so he hoped that knocking him out the way would be sufficient. The wind around his arm rippled angrily before exploding forth as a massive gust of raw inertia.
Ino meanwhile turned and cried out Naruto's name as a massive crashing sound deafened her, followed by another sickening thud. However Naruto was propelled by the blast of wind, avoiding the death by log on one hand but being sent straight towards fatal injury by concrete wall instead.
Team ten all called out his name in shock and sorrow as he slammed into the wall with impossible force. The blonde genin exploded into smoke before the sound of shattering wood and raining splinters showered the ground; signaling his successful replacement jutsu.
The Jounin's eyes narrowed with icy fury as he watched two workers on the higher floor share 'hidden' congratulations. Blood would spill for this; that was a certainty the bearded Jounin knew. He quickly lit another cigarette to calm his nerves as relief filled him as he watched Naruto dizzily collapse on his knees, coughing harshly after reappearing several feet beside his own genin.
The blonde was somewhat was dazed, his ears ringing and head pounding as the impact of the raw wind chakra carried quite the punch. He lost his balance and fell backwards, landing with a soft swishing sound against the grass, heaving for air desperately. He vaguely heard rushing footsteps as the genin of team ten swarmed towards him, checking to see if he was ok.
Asuma smiled softly "Tch, what a guy, sacrificing his body to save Ino like that he's got guts! You saved my student, Naruto. I owe you one…" he thought before his face smoothed out into a cold and serious expression as he marked down the faces of the two 'innocent' workers in his memory.
He then proceeded to summon the foreman over, he would get their names out of the man, or he would bring in the entire crew to ANBU headquarters for questioning – he didn't care, he had no mercy or remorse towards those that turned on their own; especially those that put their lives on the line daily to protect them.
"Why the hell did you do that, Naruto?!" Ino asked him harshly, her tone loud and angry, but it was only a mask to hide her fear, guilt and worry as her light blue eyes were moist and her tone trembled a bit. "He saved my life, he risked his body to throw me out of the way…after I punched him, insulted him he still…but he doesn't even like me…so why?"
Naruto slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the irony of the situation, he had said those exact words to the Uchiha only several days ago, when the boy had taken what they thought had been fatal blows for Naruto. The blonde wasn't sure if he would make the replacement in time so he determined any injury that didn't kill him would do. After all supposedly every injury, even the most painful and destructive could be healed by the fox's damnable chakra.
"We're teammates now, I'd give my life for any one of you…" he said softly, tired, shutting his eyes again before smiling faintly "Consider it…an apology for my stupidity from earlier, Ino..." he murmured weakly when the girl was too tongue-tied to reply.
Ino's face blushed faintly and shut her eyes, tears threatening to fall, "He really is a brave and kind-guy, isn't he? So this is what Hinata saw in him all those years ago. I guess those 'all-seeing' eyes are the real deal… she had the right idea all along..." Ino thought smiled softly.
She determined to not let her fellow blonde's efforts be in vain, she would be kinder and more patient with him; he deserved that at the very least. "You really are something else. You keep on living up to your reputation as the #1 surprising ninja of the leaf. Don't you, Naruto?"
Chouji felt his respect for the blonde grow even more. It fit Naruto's character to put himself in front of a comrade without any regards to his personal misgivings with her, no questions asked. But none the less it was commendable – no, inspiring and Chouji would never forget it him putting his head on the chopping block for Ino. He would have Naruto's back from now on, both in the shadows as before and in public too and consequences be damned.
Shikamaru shut his eyes and smiled widely "Becoming Hokage was it? Che, I don't know if that's possible, but you've got my vote and my back against yours whenever you need it, Naruto" The Shadow weaver vowed inwardly as he and Chouji helped the wobbly Naruto to his feet, thanking him quietly for what he did.
Ino seemed still shell-shocked at the turn of events and watched as Naruto humbly down played his role, saying all he did was get himself knocked into a wall and Asuma was the real hero, blushing faintly. Unbeknownst to her she had a slightly awed and glazed look as she smiled unconsciously and giggled at Naruto's exaggerated antics and choice of words.
Shikamaru shook his head at Naruto's antics, but his sharp eyes caught the foreman's squirming form on the ground. The man was coughing blood and turning from side and side, clutching his stomach and sides in agony as Asuma picked him up by his collar and shook him violently.
Shikamaru's eyes darkened slightly "Those people were aiming at Naruto, not Ino. Asuma must've beaten information on who cut the rope out of the foreman, but why? Why would anyone want to kill Naruto?" Shikamaru wondered, knowing with certainty some secret surrounded Uzumaki Naruto, and it was deadly enough to claim lives.