Chapter 25: Vallen's New Plan!
"Who was he?" demanded Vallen.
"He was Naruto Namikaze, Master."
"That's not good enough, Otokage. Where did he get his power?"
"No one really knows. It's all a legend."
"A legend?"
"Yes. They say that he is the son of the Fourth Hokage. We are sure of that much."
"Why do I care?"
"The Fourth Hokage was considered a genius, sir. He mastered jutsu that most men could only dream about. He also created a sealing jutsu. It was the first fully successful seal in the Leaf Village since the First Hokage."
"What happened to him?"
"He died protecting the village from the Nine-Tailed Fox. It's now widely known that he sealed the fox into Naruto Namikaze. The boy was a jinchuriki."
"Was?"
"Yes, sir. He created a jutsu that allowed him to be rid of the beast, but keep a contract with it. We assume that that's where he got the power he used against you."
"No. There was something else. It was as if nature itself sided with the boy. I know he was trained by Jiraiya, but that doesn't account for it. He was on a completely different level. Had I fought that boy instead of Jiraiya back then, I would never have lasted as long as I did. Jiraiya was different. He was…incomplete. That boy seems to have completed the thing that Jiraiya could not. He truly is a threat. I need to know his history. Now!"
The Otokage told Vallen everything they knew about Naruto. It was nearly midnight before Vallen said anything, even though it was finished by nine. Finally, Vallen came to a decision.
"Bring me Ken. I'll also need your eyes, Otokage."
"My eyes! But Sir!"
The man got no farther as a knife slammed into his chest. Vallen rose and pulled the eyes out of the Carnivore's head. He would no longer need them. Vallen smiled as he examined the two eyes.
"Well, Naruto Namikaze. If some girl from your genin years does that much damage, then let's see what this will do!"
The next evening…
"What do you mean?" screamed Vallen.
"I mean, I can't make it permanent," replied Ken nervously.
"You fool! Show me the jutsu. I'll figure it out!"
"Sir, you can't learn it by just watching. You can only learn it from one who already knows the jutsu."
"Show me!"
"Yes, sir."
Vallen smiled as Ken formed the hand signs and released the jutsu. This would indeed be quite interesting, but he would have to tweak it a little. The fact that the jutsu was not permanent made things quite difficult. Then, Vallen had to deal with the lack of real emotions. The jutsu would not work now, but after a couple of days in Vallen's hands, it would be perfect. Naruto Namikaze would die by the hand of one who he would never forget.
In the Stone Village…
Naruto was tired. He hadn't gotten much rest since his fight with Vallen. Most of his time had been spent trying to convince Onoki to agree to return to the Leaf with an army and retake the village. Onoki had refused. His village was in danger, and Naruto couldn't really blame him. He would do the same if it were his own village.
Meanwhile, Tai and the others were still recovering. Zane and Kakashi had brought Tai back with them, and he had been in critical condition for most of their stay.
Time passed slowly as Naruto regained his strength. He had been working on a different type of jutsu that had required a lot of Shadow Clones, and he was glad for the time to finish it. It had been two months since the Leaf was attacked, and now the Stone was prepared for war. Many ninja from other villages had come to help defend the Stone. Naruto and his men gathered a large force and began to prepare them. One day, however, their preparation was cut short. A giant explosion rocked the Stone. Vallen had finally arrived.