Once again, I ask you to check my poll. It's important for me that you vote, as it will help me choose the way I'll write this story. Thanks to the people who voted already and to the people who reviewed the last chapter.
Chapter 010 - Fear of Loss, Need to Protect, Wish to Avenge
Something felt wrong. Something was wrong. Anko had been searching for Kabuto for weeks now. Since Sai left her to return to the village, she started to feel him close but couldn't find him. Was it still her that was hunting him? Or had they changed roles? Besides that, she could feel someone else near.
"Hmm, so there are others interested in Kabuto..." Anko thought as she sat down behind a tree. She opened her bag and took out a bottle of sake and some of her favourite dango. "Well, even I need a rest..."
"Too bad for you." Tera, one of the Root ANBU that had been following Anko, drew a kunai from his pocket and threw it directly at her throat. As the blade stabbed the snake user, her eyes opened wide and her head hanged down. Tera came down of his tree and approached the woman's lifeless body, to check if she was really dead. His partner, Dajimu, stepped in front of him and held his arm, stopping him from advancing.
"Wait. Something is definetely wrong here..." Dajimu told him. He carefully took the kunai from her throat, causing the body to transform into mud. "A Earth Clone..."
"A clone? When did she...?"
"Watch out!" Dajimu shouted as he pushed his partner out of the way, saving him from the snake that was coming from above. As both Root members looked up, they saw Anko seated in the tree's branch, the snake coming from the sleeve of her jacket.
"My, oh my! I was actually expecting more from the Root..." Anko revealed with a sad sigh, before her body and the snake's started to melt into more mud. The real Anko appeared behind them in such a silent way, that they only noticed when it was too late. The Tokubetsu Jounin pressed her palms into the soil, causing two large snakes to erupt from the ground, each one wrapping one ANBU.
"H-How?" Terai asked, trying to breathe.
"Oh, it wasn't too much. Hiding behind a tree, creating two clones, jumping to the tree's branch and transforming into a smaller one is something even a Genin should be able to do...At least, I suppose." Anko couldn't avoid to chuckle. "I'm so disappointed...Oh well, bye bye big guys! Hidden Shadow Snakes: Snake Implosion"
The large snakes summoned by Anko started to swell with chakra and when the chakra reached their mouths, the creatures exploded, killing Terai and Dajimu immediately. Anko let out a bored sigh and picked her bag, before resuming her hunt.
"Hm, now I'm even more curious to know who's following me." Kabuto spoke to himself, as he stared to the far away clearing he had been before. He felt that somewhat familiar chakra again, something not that different from his current chakra and Orochimaru's original one. "Unfortunately, I can't lose any more time." He fixed his glasses and put a scroll back in his bag. "It's a shame that I can't use any of these...They're not the age I need."
Kabuto turned to leave after taking one last stare to the dead bodies of the Root ANBUs that had been following him. Behind a tree, the leader of that Root squad remained hidden until the medic-nin disappeared from sight.
"Darn it...This was a complete failure." Terai angrily punched the tree. "I must report back to Danzo-sama..."
"Who are you?" Kakashi asked carefully as he uncovered his Sharingan eye. "He seems to be my age but I've never seen him before...Wait! What an incredible amount of chakra! This amount can even rival Naruto's!"
"That doesn't matter." Nawirama answered, after understanding that Kakashi already knew the amount of chakra he possessed. "The Sharingan can see a person's flow of chakra. It must be the reason why he looks so shocked."
"He told us to call him Nawirama." Sakura revealed to her sensei.
"You said Nawirama?" Yamato asked thoughtfuly.
"Do you know him Tenzo?" Kakashi quickly asked.
"Not really. Some months ago I was doing some research on the shinobi files and found one Nawirama. No last name, no family ties, nothing. The only thing besides his name was that he became a Chunin at 13 and Jounin at 14 but that was all. I tried to look for more information but there's nothing about this guy."
"Could he be a missing-nin, Yamato-taichÅ?" Sakura asked.
"He's not in the bingo book." Yamato shook his head. "And if he was one, that would appear in the files."
"But that's strange..." Everyone's eyes fell on Naruto. "I mean, he looks to be about your age...and if he's from Konoha and became a Chunin and Jounin at that age...well, you should've seen him taking the exams, right?"
"It could've been in a different village." Sakura suggested.
"You should know this better than me...Think! Let's suppose he's 30 like Kakashi is...Well, what was going on 17 years ago?" Naruto asked and realization came to three.
"The Third War...At that time, the Chunin Exams were held inside each village, because no outsider could enter." Sakura finished the explanation for her partner. "I didn't knew you had such a knowledge!"
"Iruka-sensei made me read an entire book about the Third War as punishment once..." Naruto revealed, seeming quite upset about those memories.
"There were some exceptions of course, like some closer allies being allowed to participate, but it doesn't matter..." Yamato pointed to Nawirama's headband. "If we follow the suggested timeline, he became a Chunin at the same Chunin Exams I did."
"If I remember correctly, in that year, the ones to become Chunin were your team along with Asuma, Kurenai, Shizune, Shikaku and..." Kakashi's eyes opened wide once again as he turned back to the restrained shinobi.
Flashback
"How can a 13 year old kid give me so much to do? Troublesome boy..." A scarless and younger Shikaku sighed as he threw a kunai to his opponent. The final match of the Chunin Exams had been under away for half an hour.
"Hey, Shikaku! Over here! Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu" A blond boy with brown eyes shouted from above. He was using chakra on his feet to stay on the wall of the stadium. Shikaku dodged the fireball and started to climb the wall after his opponent. He used a tanto to slash some hairs from the much younger boy. The kid continued to dodge all of Shikaku's slashes, keeping his shadow away from his opponent's. That worked until the heir of the Nara clan decided to stab the kid's shadow with the sword. As Shikaku completed his jutsu, the young Genin couldn't move anymore.
"Shadow Bind Jutsu is a success." His grin disappeared when the body dissolved into smoke. "Shadow Clone? What a drag..."
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu" The kid reappeared and started a new attack.
End of Flashback
"You're the kid who fought Shikaku in the final..." Kakashi concluded. "At the time, I thought he was from Amegakure, the only other village participating with us. Since he didn't have an headband..."
"And who defeated me in the semi-finals." Yamato added. "For some reason, he must have used an advanced transformation jutsu back then. His hair and eyes are different, even though his facial features remain pretty much the same, now that I remember..."
"Are you finished?" Nawirama asked with an annoyed look on his face. "Then I guess I should do the same."
"My Wood Style..." Yamato mumbled as he felt the wood binding Nawirama shaking, before it was blown away by a burst of yellow energy that came from Nawirama's body. "With ease...How can he?"
"You don't know anything about me! You don't know what I was put through! All for Konoha! If there was an invasion, if the village was destroyed, if there's a Sixth Hokage...then, my mother is dead for sure! All because of Konoha!" Nawirama angrily shouted.
"If there's a Sixth Hokage?" Kakashi thought, with one of his eyebrows twitching.
"The way you speak...Don't you care about your village? Don't you care about the Will of Fire?" Naruto asked.
"The Will of Fire? I never had the chance to show my Will of Fire!" Nawirama closed his right hand in a shaking fist. "I was forced out of the village the moment I was born, only allowed to enter those stupid exams...I never had the chance to be on a mission. I never had the chance to be on a team. All I had was my mother and my brother and sister. Niisan died long ago, neesan left and now my mother...Don't you see? I was kept hidden all my life! I had no more people to bond with because of Konoha! Now, I don't have anyone else! I'll get my revenge on Konoha and I'll start with the four of you!"
Nawirama performed the cross seal and created three clones that surrounded the Konoha shinobi. The four Nawiramas started to run in a circular motion, spittting multiple fireballs towards the center of the circle, from where the four Konoha-nin couldn't escape. "Fire Style: Phoenix Sacred Vortex"
"Tenzo, we need water!" Kakashi hurried his partner who was already going through a set of seals.
"Tora, Mi, Ne, Mi, Tora...Water Style: Water Wall" Both of them shouted. Kakashi created a water pillar around the four of them and Yamato created another one around Kakashi's. The fireballs clashed against the reinforced Water Wall and disappeared.
"Cha!" Sakura punched the ground, releasing a huge amount of chakra into it. The ground started to break away and huge rocks were sent flying through the water barrier, hitting and destroying the clones that were too close to avoid them. When the Water Wall came down, Naruto charged towards Nawirama and hit him with a powerful left hook that sent him flying, before Naruto pinned him to the ground.
"What's wrong with you? We didn't kill your mother! We don't even know her!"
"Liar! Of course you know her! She's Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage!" Nawirama's words were filled with anger and sorrow. Naruto and the others were in shock. Nobody knew that Tsunade had a son and for some reason he thought she was dead. Nawirama took this opening to hit Naruto with a headbutt, creating a long enough opening for him to get up and distance himself with some backflips.
"So that means he is..." For some reason, Kakashi was the most shocked of them all.
"She never wanted to be Hokage! She was happy with her life as it was! Then, she assumes that stupid position of Hokage and dies protecting Konoha, the village that never listened to her protests and the village that forced her son away!" Nawirama closed his eyes and put both of his hands in front of his face, his palms turned towards his opponents. "You should be honored, this is something I've never shown in a battle..."
"Nawirama..." Sakura carefully started. "...your mother...she's still alive!"
"Don't play me for a fool!" Nawirama angrily opened his eyes, releasing a huge amount of killing intent instead of the technique he was preparing. "Answer me this, then! By any chance, is Danzo the Sixth Hokage?"
"Well, yes but..."
"Then, there you have it!" Nawirama quickly interrupted Sakura. "The only way there's a new Hokage is if the previous one dies, with the council and daimyo choosing a new one or with the previous one steps down and appoints a new Hokage himself. My mother would never appoint that dirty old rat as Hokage!"
"She's in pretty bad shape but she's alive!" Sakura insisted. "If you're her son, then you must know Shizune! She's taking care of Tsunade-sama!"
"Zune-chan?" All of Nawirama's anger suddenly disappeared as the look on his face was replaced by one of absolute shock. "Zune-chan...How can I have revenge on Konoha if she's there? And what if..."
"That's it, right? You know, Shizune-senpai, don't you?" Sakura continued her approach.
"Stop messing with me. Don't put Shizune in this. I..." Nawirama was distracted long enough for Naruto to hit him again. As he was about to advance towards Sakura, another left hook connected with his jaw.
"I don't know who told you those things but they're all wrong! Tsunade-baachan is still alive! Many people were saved thanks to her and that's something I know she's proud of!" Naruto shouted in the fallen Nawirama's face. "She'll recover and will proudly continue to be Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village!"
"You don't understand what is like to be Hokage! It's a fool's job! Who do you think you are to say such things?"
"I'm someone that one day will become Hokage! The name's Naruto Uzumaki!"
"Naruto!" Nawirama suddenly shouted, his eyes widening as much as they could. "I've been fighting Naruto? H-How could I?" Nawirama stared in shock to the Genin for a long moment before his body relaxed. The shock on his face was replaced by frustration, before he looked away from the Jinchuriki. "I'm calling it quits...Naruto, you can release me now. I won't attack you if you do so."
"It's safe, Naruto. He isn't preparing any attack. You can release him." Kakashi assured, with a hand resting on his student's shoulder. Seeing Kakashi's Sharingan fixed on Nawirama, Naruto nodded and stood.
"I'm so sorry. I should have known that rat could only be lying..." Nawirama rubbed his jaw as he sat up.
"Rat?" Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "You don't mean..."
"Danzo? Yeah...I met him in Shukuba Town, along with the Kiri Swordsman that is taking him back to Konoha. It was him who told me about some invasion and Konoha's destruction and...about him being the Sixth." Nawirama rubbed the back of his head, much because of the shame he was suddenly feeling. "By the way, what happened? I stopped receiving news from the village some time ago."
"Never mind that. You believed Danzo? Danzo, of all people?" Naruto was shaking a bit, unsure of how someone who was Tsunade's son could so easily believe Danzo and even attempt to extract revenge on his own village.
"Guess he was the last person I should've believed... but anger took over me." Nawirama finally stared back to the blond Genin, in an apologetic way. "Like I told you before, my bonds have been quite limited. I lost my...one of the dearest people to me because I wasn't there to help him, and now my mother...I couldn't forgive myself if my mother died and I wasn't there to help her too. Please, forgive me..." Everybody was still trying to recover from the surprise. Sakura understood how bad he was feeling but she never thought that her master had a son and was still trying to process that. Kakashi and Yamato looked at eachother, relieved that a possible menace was stopped.
"For some reason, he was fighting like someone who's a bit rusty. With the amount of chakra he possesses, if he fought at 100%, I don't know how things would have been." Kakashi thought and sighed heavily. "Now, there's his status to resolve. I'm sure this will send waves throughout the council and clan leaders. Especially considering who I suppose he is..."
"All because of a bond, huh?" Naruto grinned and extended his hand to the Jounin, so he could help him get up, something that Nawirama gladly accepted, with a smile finally appearing on his face. "I guess I understand you then. I've done a lot of things without thinking, all because I wanted to protect my bonds."
"I believe you would." Nawirama answered with a grin that could rival Naruto's. "Perhaps, with time, a new one can be formed..."
"He does that a lot, even if there aren't bonds involved..." Sakura waved off.
"Hey, Sakura-chan! You're mean, you know that?" Naruto shouted with blank eyes, but stopped as soon as Sakura showed him her fist, with a sweatdrop appearing on the back of Naruto's head.
"I'll have to ask you to come back to the village with us, Nawirama. We'll need to confirm everything you told us. I'm sure you understand." Kakashi told to his fellow Konoha-nin.
"Yeah, because I could be lying and you would lose trace of a possible menace. Sure, I'll go, but..." Nawirama's mood soon became a lot darker. "I want you to confirm me something."
"Sure." Kakashi simply answered.
"Orochimaru's status...Is he really dead?" Nawirama asked and Kakashi evaluated him for a second.
"Was he the cause you were forced to leave?" Kakashi carefully asked and Nawirama shrugged before nodding. "We still have to report what one Akatsuki member told us regarding Itachi, but I guess I can tell you...he told us that Itachi sealed Orochimaru inside a Sharingan summoning called Susanoo before dying."
"I know what Susanoo is, but...Itachi dead? And Orochimaru sealed instead of dead? How much has Jiraiya-sama missed to tell me?" Nawirama noticed the surprised look on Kakashi's face when he said Jiraiya's name and looked carefully towards the younger nins direction. Yamato was trying to pull Sakura away from Naruto, in an attempt to stop her from hurting him even more. "Jiraiya was my contact with the village. He used to tell me everything of importance regarding it, like what has been done against Akatsuki and such. For him to stop sending me messages...he's dead, isn't he?"
"Yes...the former Akatsuki leader killed him." Kakashi revealed.
"Former? Not Pain anymore?" The surprised Nawirama asked.
"You really were well informed." Kakashi remarked. "Since Jiraiya's death, many things have happened. I'll tell you the rest, if you come with us. For now, we need to catch up with Ao and Chojuro so we can deliver Danzo back to the village."
"They still must be waiting for you in Shukuba Town. I really delayed the schedule, didn't I?" Nawirama rubbed the back of his head as he tried to decided what to do. "Well, the least I can do is help you in delivering Danzo. I guess I'll go with you. Besides, I'm being kinda forced, right?"
"Officially...But won't it bring problems to you?" Kakashi asked more naturally, as he could easily believe Nawirama now.
"I could have returned the moment Orochimaru was considered dead. I just didn't feel like it. Now, I'm forced to come back."
"I told you just now, only officially. I won't force you to do anything." Kakashi reinforced his confidence in Nawirama.
"Not you...but I have to see how my mother's doing. I more than owe her that. And I haven't seen Shizune-neechan in a long time so...let's do it!" Nawirama put both hands behind his head and let out a large grin, which scarily reminded Kakashi of Naruto.
"Alright kids, time to go." Kakashi called his students, before he and Nawirama jumped to the next tree. Sakura, who was holding Naruto's right ear, which was by now bigger than the rest of his head, pulled it down so she could slam her partner's face into the branch they were standing in.
"Hai!" Sakura answered before following the first two. Yamato slapped his forehead in dismay, before following as well.
"Wasn't she proposing a relationship minutes ago?" Naruto mumbled as he tried to stand.
"There's still a lot I have to ask you, Nawirama." Kakashi told to Tsunade's son.
"From you, it's more than expected..." Nawirama smirked and looked behind, seeing Naruto finally reaching them. "...but let us wait until we're back in Konoha. There's too much to be told during a trip and in front of them."
-Wikia
1. Jutsu:
1.1 - Fire Style: Phoenix Sacred Vortex - The user and a number of clones will surround an opponent and run in a circular motion. Then, Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu is used by the user and his clones, giving the visual effect of a fire vortex forming around the opponent. The technique is virtually impossible to dodge due to the multiple angles covered, but it can be blocked by a strong enough technique that covers all angles.
2. Characters:
2.1 - Nawirama - Now that Tsunade was revealed as his mother, I'll reveal the origin of his name. Nawi comes from Nawaki, Tsunade's younger deceased brother. Rama comes from her antecessors (Hashirama, Tobirama...) Another thing that will help in future appearances of the character, is a better description of the position of his hands when he was about to activate his final technique. Just think of DBZ's Tien and his Solar Flare technique. The position of the hands is the same but with the palms turned to the opponent.
Next Chapter: Decisions
-nawirama13