Disclaimer: I do not profit from this work of fiction, I am just a fan who enjoys wondering about the plot-holes left by the original author.
And remember kids, reviews are always welcomed.
Author's Note: Crap! I though posted chapters five through seven the last time I was on this site. Oh, well, my bad.
Dishonor: Five
Sitting in the sea-side classroom, Naruto listened to the other children in his peer group discuss the annual Summer Festival. He would be attending of course, a few of the girls in the class had shyly asked what colour his yakata would be, and asked if he would meet with them under a bridge or near a particular tree.
He would smile and they would blush before running back to their friends to giggle that "Namikaze-sama" had actually smiled at them.
Naruto turned out the rest of the chatter and returned his attention to the book Jiraya had given him to read. For a perverted old fool, Jiraya was surprisingly very literate. He could rattle off old poems from memory, he would argue philosophy, and would recite ancient tales with a whimsical mastery on the late nights when the house would gather around the fireplace and watch the stars.
Naruto loved those moments best.
Nothing could replace learning a new jutsu, but when it came to his life, discovering who he was as a person, and Naruto could honestly say that he liked the person he was becoming now.
Suddenly the schoolhouse bell rang bringing Naruto out of his reveries and all the children in the classroom stood up and bowed their teacher, before they were dismissed for the day.
Once he was outside, Naruto, wanting to stretch his muscles, ran towards the closest tree and with a bit of chakra added to his feet, he propelled his body into the nearest tree much to the disappoint of his admirers who wanted him to walk home with them.
When he reached his home, Naruto was not surprised to find his grandfather and Jiraya in the middle of a heated conversation. Naruto could never call it an argument since neither man chose to raise his voice more than normal conversation levels, but it was hard to miss the tension. Naruto announced his presence before hurrying off to his room to finish reading his letter from Iruka before he started on his studies.
Once he was caught up on the doings of Konoha and completed his schoolwork Naruto went to the training grounds before going in for supper. The atmosphere around that the table was tense that evening. Naruto picked at his fish and rice while he tried to ignore the glare his grandfather was shooting in Jiraya's direction. Jiraya for his part was sipping at his tea, his meal having been finished and he had declined a second portion. He did not seem perturbed by Noriku's frigid stare yet by the time the dessert dishes had been cleared Naruto had finally had enough.
"Grandfather, what is going on?" Naruto demanded, "Why are you upset with Jiraya-sensei?" He turned to his master with questioning eyes.
"Nothing is going on, squirt," Jiraya told him. "Lady Hokage has given me a brief mission."
This caused Naruto to perk up immediately, "A mission? When do you leave?"
"Two days," was the reply.
Noriku glare intensified, "That is not all your Lady asked," the old man spat. He looked at Naruto and his gaze softened with worry. "Lady Tsunade wants you to join Jiraya-san on this mission."
Naruto understood his grandfather's fear and to his own surprise, he realized that he felt the same way. It had been over three years since Naruto had been in the field. Sure he trained every day, but training against a straw-dummy or fighting against Jiraya did not count in a real combat situation.
Both men could see that the boy was uneasy with this turn of events and their minds were of two different worlds. For Jiraya this was the opportunity he had long been waiting for, the chance to the get the Nine-Tails host in the field and see how far Naruto had progressed. Yet for Noriku, Naruto's reticence proved his grandson no longer belonged in the world that had killed the boy's parents.
Naruto had a new life in Wave, he had new friends, a family that loved him, and people who respected and cared for him, this place was where he could live in peace. There was no need for Naruto to return to the violent and dangerous life of a shinobi.
"Naruto, son, you have the right to refuse," his grandfather told him, half pleading with the boy to do just that.
Gratitude, pure, and warm flowed from Naruto's gaze as he met his grandfather's fearful eyes. Naruto was not afraid for himself, he was not worried if he would come home or not—it was his welfare that mattered to his grandfather—his family—Naruto was not ready to give him another reason to suffer when he could prevent it.
Besides, what loyalty did he really owe to Konoha?
Jiraya would throw Naruto's parents at him, reminding him of their sacrifice and then Naruto's own dreams of service of how the boy had wanted to be the Hokage and his dreams of leading the village and earning their respect and being their hero.
Those were the dreams of a desperately lonely child who was seeking affection and who wanted the things that had been denied to him all of his life. It was everything he had now, but only for the generosity of the current Hokage who promised to hold this position for him.
Konoha did not deserve neither Naruto's life nor his loyalty. He was the terrible thing that they had shunned and abused through the denying him his heritage and by keeping him from his family. His mother's name had been scrubbed from Konoha's shinobi records, were it not for the bingo books of Iwa and Kumo and the records kept by the Uzumaki clan, Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze would not exist.
For Naruto, it had come down to his parents. He could feel the Nine-Tails react to the sudden spike of anger that raced through Naruto, but he ignored the fox's purr of malevolent contentment, this had nothing to do with the fox, this was about how he, Naruto, felt about those pathetic scheming council members who sought to destroy him just to make him into a weapon.
Konoha did not deserve his life or his loyalty.
Calmly, Naruto put down his teacup before turning to Jiraya and he bowed his head. "I am sorry, sensei, but I have exams beginning next week and I promise Lady Hanako that I would attend the festival in place of my grandfather. I am sure the Lady Hokage will understand if I cannot ignore either obligation since she herself gave me the freedom."
Dishonor
Itachi did not like Kakashi.
It that was obvious to anyone if they were in the same space as the two Jounin. And it was blatantly obvious that Kakashi really didn't give a damn either way. His nonchalance in the face of the Uchiha's wraith could only be matched by Kakashi's distain for Gai Maito and that odd Rock Lee boy.
Iruka absently picked at the bit of deep fried pork on Itachi's plate while watching the man verbally tear into Kakashi over the man's seemingly lack of regard for his subordinates' welfare. If looks could kill, then both Itachi and Kakashi would have been dead at least ten times over.
Kakashi would accept all sort personal insults and let roll them off his back without a care, but one could never accuse him of leaving a man behind or willfully putting another's life in danger. That was a cardinal sin in his book, one Kakashi would not let stand.
Iruka sipped at Itachi's beer, his eyes glued on the drama unfolding before him. Absently he wondered where did that Akimichi kid get his katsusand (Tonkatsu sandwich), they were great.
Itachi had been put over the Special Ops because the Hokage was just that vicious. Special Ops were being pushed and there was a lot of division within the ranks because of clan loyalties and the lot. Itachi's main directive as the chief was to root out those who were opposed the Hokage and to quietly take them out.
Kakashi was at the top of Itachi's list for so many reasons, but the top one was Kakashi's relationship with the Saratobi clan.
Itachi snatched the other half of his sandwich away from Iruka's grubby paws but surrendered his beer, he was unwilling to drink after others unless he had no other option. Kakashi's uncovered eye quirked in mild disgust as he watched the supposed Academy teacher devour his purloined half of sandwich and beer with gusto, and he wondered for the countless time since this meeting began why was Umino even in the room. The Academy was in session, so why hell was Umino hanging about in Uchiha's office?
Unbeknownst to Kakashi, Itachi was thinking the same.
Itachi looked over at his self-proclaimed best friend as the menace was polishing off Itachi's beer (the purloined sandwich half was long gone) and asked, "Shouldn't you be at the Academy ruining the next group of shinobi?"
"Ha ha, your sense of humor is finally improving, Itachi-chan!" Iruka said sarcastically as he reached over to pinch Itachi's cheek.
Itachi swatted the offending hand away from his face, the glare on his face promised a painful death should the idiot attempt to touch him again.
"I'm serious, Iruka, get the hell out." He growled.
Iruka glanced at the clock on the wall behind Kakashi's head and groaned, "I might as well get back. The little demons should be back from their lunch and recess by now." He muttered as he stood up. "Thanks for the lunch, Captain." Because he knew he could freak out Itachi and traumatize Kakashi at the same time, Iruka leaned tried to kiss Itachi's brow.
Itachi did freak and Iruka just barely managed to avoid having his throat slit as younger man jumped out of his chair and chased him out of the door, leaving Kakashi to wonder what the hell was going on.
Dishonor
Sasuke thought he was above punching a woman in the face, but never before had wanted to that and gut two wenches more than he wanted disembowel the Yamanaka heiress and Haruno. Those two wenches had cock-blocked him while he was on a date with his latest conquest, a pretty little brunet with blue eyes Sasuke had been pursuing for almost two weeks. He finally managed ask the boy out a few days before and they agreed to meet for lunch.
It was right after Sasuke had the little twink hot and ready to drop his pants the twin leeches appeared and ruined everything.
Stumping into his family home, the frustrated teenager ignored the people in the main room. The Hokage did not know what to make of the black look on the boy's face, Itachi who had become used to Sasuke's ominous moods and overall teenage angst knew what was going on and chose to ignore the randy brat.
"This is what rearing a teenager is like?" Tsunade asked in utter bewilderment.
From deep within the house, a door was slammed. Itachi snorted as he reached for his tea, "If he is not eating or training, Sasuke is usually having sex. Since he is home earlier than I expected, I am assuming that his plans for his latest conquest fell through."
"Thankfully his tastes are for his own sex," Tsunade muttered, "I hate to think what kind of terror that boy would be if he was into females."
"He'd be a father several times over I'm sure." Itachi grimaced, "At fifteen, I was never like that."
"At fifteen you were trying to keep yourself alive," Tsunade reminded him, "But do not worry, once his hormones have had a chance to cool, young Sasuke will be a level-headed, glare throwing Uchiha just like his big brother."
Itachi gave her a flat look, "Why do I get feeling you are enjoying this?"
"It is because I am," she said smartly. "I believe this mission to Wave will be beneficial for you and your randy brother. It will get Sasuke out of village and he might be able to cool his libido if he is away from village."
"Let us not forget that Hatake and Haruno will be joining us." Itachi reminded her.
"Of course, this is about reminding Naruto of what he once longed for as a young child. Unlike Jiraya, I had anticipated that Naruto would refuse the mission. His letters to Iruka are no longer about being seen as hero or winning favor with the people of Konoha. He talks often on his studies and life in Wave and his plans for the future. A future that could very well include Naruto not returning to Konoha."
"You want to ensure his loyalty, then?"
"I want to ensure that I still have my chosen successor." She told him. "Jiraya is going to push Naruto further away if he continues to press the boy about mission and honoring his parents' legacy. I need you to get in there and do damage control as well as bring me an analysis of the boy's skill levels."
"Your motives are not altruistic, Sensei."
"I never pretended that they were," Tsunade smile was as cool as ice as she raised her tea cup to her lips. "I want you to assess the boy's strength and his control over the Nine-Tails. The Eight-Tails and Four-Tails both have symbiotic relationships with their hosts and I believe Naruto could achieve the same."
"You want Naruto to meet the Host of the Eight-Tails?" Itachi was thunder stuck. "Kumo is our enemy."
"No more than Iwa, and I fear that old man more than the Raikage."
"What will you have me do then?"
Tsunade reached into the sleeve of her haori and removed a bound scroll. "This is your mission. You are to asset Naruto's skills. Kakashi will see how the little urchin has adapted in society and he will be talking with his teacher and tutors. Sasuke and Sakura are to report to you on how Naruto actually behaves amongst his peers and others in society. I also want Sasuke to train with Naruto. Sasuke is an adaptable shinobi; He can hold his own in any situation and will never lose in a fight. He will make Naruto work for hard for his victories."
"And you are saying that I will not?" Itachi countered.
"Itachi, you my dear boy are in a class all on your own." She told him, "Naruto would not stand a chance against you even if you were down to one leg and dying. No, Sasuke is the better choice in this situation given that he has studied under both you and Kakashi and whomever else you managed to force him under as punishment. By the way, has the brat forgiven you for making him train with Gai and his students last month?"
"Why do you think Sasuke is so hard up? He swears that Gai and the Rock Lee kid are eunuchs and the Hyuga boy kept staring at him like he was diseased while the young weapons master, Ten-Ten was trying to seduce him. He said that they, Gai included, wanted to "cure him" of his homosexuality."
Tsunade burst out laughing then, Itachi's lips quirked a bit, "As a coincidence, I am happy to report that Sasuke has finally mastered his Chidori Naginata as well as his lighting sword technique."
"I approve of your methods," she told him laughing at thought of a panicked Sasuke forcing lighting out of his body to keep an amorous Ten-Ten at bay. The pair quieted down after a few moments before settling down to finish the pot of tea. Their conversation fell to trivial things.
When Sasuke finally came out of his room, Itachi was in the kitchen preparing their dinner. Without a word, Sasuke began to set the table.
Dinner was quiet affair. The fish wasn't charred or under-cooked, the rice was a little soggy, and there was just a bit too much miso paste in the vegetables, but at least it was edible. Itachi had come a long way since his first year of cooking.
Sasuke knew enough of the basics to get by, but Itachi had been practically helpless in the kitchen and the brothers had spent many a night at the local restaurants before Itachi finally broke down and asked Shizune for some basic cooking lessons. The last time his and Sasuke's meal was interrupted while they were out a group of overzealous women stormed their table and then a fight broke out in the middle of the restaurant.
Iruka, the dick, like to say that could have been the reason Sasuke went gay.
"This mission Lady Hokage is sending us on is going to be a bit different." Itachi said when they were both settled into their meal.
Sasuke looked up from his meal, a piece of fish was half way towards his mouth. He popped it in his mouth and chewed quickly before speaking. "When do we head out?"
"Two weeks," Itachi told him. He nodded at the scroll Sasuke had been looking earlier. "It's going to be a Team Kakashi reunion. That means you are going to have to put with that Haruno girl."
Sasuke made a dismissive gesture, "I will handle Haruno, but this is our first mission together, and it's a long one. I can't say that I am not excited."
"You, however, may be terribly bored." Itachi warned, "We are to spend two years in Wave and you do know who is there, do you not, little brother?"
Sasuke did not even try to hide his lust or his anticipation. A shudder of pure carnal delight rushed through his body as he thought of seeing Naruto again. Anyone with eyes knew who held Sasuke's fascination, all of his lovers so far had only been pale imitations of the one he desired.
"We are not there for you to pursue your fantasy or to indulge in your lust." Itachi said sharply. "We are going there to protect Namikaze from the Akatsuki and get you away from Orochimaru."
"I am not afraid of Orochimaru," Sasuke retorted hotly. "I can defend myself."
"This is not about you being afraid or if you can't defend yourself," Itachi said wearily. "Orochimaru wants revenge on our clan and this village for what happened to Mother and he is not going to stop until he achieves that or is dead."
"You make him sound unbeatable."
"He fought my sensei and Jiraya-sama with no arms and managed hold them at bay. Imagine if he had use of his arms or even one. Remember, Foolish, our mother's father is tactical genius with unsurpassed fighting and ninjutsu skills. The man is disciplined, smart, and deadly. It would be a mistake to ever underestimate him. Many done so to their own determent"
"Then we have to be more disciplined, smarter, and dangerous." Sasuke countered, "No matter who or what Orochimaru was in the past, he is now a sick old man barely clinging to life. We can stop him."
Itachi said nothing, he studied the hard, determined face of his little brother. Sasuke was such an arrogant little fool, but Itachi would be hard pressed to ever call his little brother an idiot. Sasuke had the determination to survive on his side and Itachi understood that.
"Fine," he surrendered, "But you can't be stupid about this, Foolish. The old bastard is wily and cunning and sharp as fuck. If you want take him down, I will right beside you, yeah."
The grin on Sasuke's face was infectious. "Thanks, big brother. I couldn't imagine anyone else I would rather have on my side?"
"Not even Naruto?" Itachi teased.
That happy grin slowly transformed into a debauched smirk, "Not even him. His place in my life is more private and personal."