A/N: This is my first try as an author so bear with me. English isn't my first language so don't hesitate to pm me with any fault you find, I am always eager to learn.
Great reviews again for last chapter, the youki converter/storage seal and the chakra draining trap have been really well received by the readers.
I have already answered to the people who asked via pm but I guess I'll write it here too, Naruto will use several type of Dragon, they are not really classified by the eastern/western concept, more like I will separate them by their functional use. The class shall be Boss, Elder, Elemental, Scout, Transport... . Each class will have a definite build to fit their use.
Welcome to the next chapter of Kaze No Kami.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 14: Respect and Fear
Konoha Stadium – Arena
Naruto was waiting for his next match to start. The break allowed him to replenish some of the chakra he used during his fight against Gaara but it was still nowhere near his full potential.
Thinking about the other jinchuruki made him remember the words they shared after the red head finally woke up.
Flashback : Stadium entrance - Twenty minutes ago
After coming back from the break, Naruto had met the Hokage on his way to the contestant's waiting area.
"There you are Naruto-kun, that was a great performance earlier." Said Sarutobi to his surrogate grandson.
"Thanks Jiji, it's all thanks to the training I went through last month. Ero-sennin may seem lazy sometimes but during training he's a real slave driver." Replied Naruto.
The Sandaime chuckled at the nickname Naruto gave to his old student. After all, if even HE, the Shinobi no Kami, could not get the boy to call him by a respectful name, there was no way he would accept that Naruto calls Jiraya by a formal name.
"Well it's all good but I came here to tell you personally that in order to continue the tournament, I want you to check in at the infirmary to see if everything is alright first. You had an incredibly hard fight just an hour ago." Announced the old man.
"But I'm perfectly fine Jiji!" Replied Naruto, due to his traumatic childhood experiences, he never liked hospitals, doctors or nurses.
"It's alright Naruto, I selected the staff myself, they all moved in Konoha recently and hold no grudge against you for your 'burden'." Said Sarutobi.
"Fine I'll go, but I tell you I'm fine ..." Replied Naruto as he made his way to the infirmary.
As he went inside, he was surprised to see Gaara in one of the bed. The jinchuriki was alone with the medical staff. His eyes were opened and he just seemed lost in his thoughts.
"I see you woke up, how do you feel?" Asked Naruto.
"It's been a long time since I last had a moment of sleep, what happened?" Replied the red head.
Naruto told him how the fight went after he had lost consciousness. Gaara was surprised someone the same age as him was able to subdue the beast, he wanted to know more about this mysterious blond boy.
"Why did you not finish me when you had the chance, I threatened you on several occasions and had it been me in your shoes I would have not spared you." He said with no emotion.
"Because I too experienced the pain, I too felt the loneliness. I am also hated by most of the villagers for something I had no control about, we share the same 'burden'." Replied Naruto as Gaara's eyes widened at the revelation.
"Then why are you not … like me?" Asked Gaara, still feeling the murderous aura of the Ichibi inside him as they spoke.
"It all changed when I met her, I realized I wasn't alone anymore. Even me, the pariah, the demon, the monster as they all called me, had some people I could honestly call my family even if we don't share the same blood." Naruto said.
"So that's why you are strong, I wish I had people like yours, or that we met earlier." Said the Suna genin.
"Well I don't know about your village, but at least your brother and sister seemed concerned about you after our fight was over, or during your fight with Lee. Moreover, I think there's something wrong with your seal. I'm a beginner but one of my teacher is a master in the art. He could take a look at it one day, to see if we can get you to have some control over your burden and maybe catch a good night of sleep." Replied Naruto with a smile.
"I would like that." Said Gaara with the first smile he ever showed to anyone. The smile disappeared almost immediately and he spoke again.
"I think there's something you and your leader needs to know, it's about some ex ninja of yours trying to destroy the Leaf with the help of Suna ..." Started Gaara.
End of flashback
Naruto ran off to the old man right after his meeting with Gaara. He told him everything, how Orochimaru had allied himself with Suna and had planned the destruction of the Leaf. Where all the enemy forces were hiding and their strategy.
Naruto also told Sarutobi that even if Konoha was a primary target of his old student, Sasuke was the secondary target. The snake planned to have him kidnapped during the confusion.
Sarutobi was shocked first, his peaceful and trusting character could not believe that Orochimaru would sink so low and that Suna was also working with the traitor.
That second thought made him frown, he knew the Kazekage for a long time and this course of action did not look like what the man would do. Adding to the fact that the man's chakra signature sitting right next to him during the finals felt highly familiar, the old man understood everything.
He mobilized his Anbu immediately and called for a meeting with Baki, the second highest ranking officer in the Suna delegation. Said man already had his doubts and noticed a few strange events around the current Kazekage but could not prove anything. What definitely convinced him was Naruto coming into the meeting with all the three Suna siblings, all attesting that their father had been effectively acting strangely in the past weeks.
A plan was devised very quickly with the help of Shikaku Nara, Konoha's most brilliant strategist and the participation of Baki and all those he could reach and convince from their troops that their leader was not the man they thought.
Uchiha Sasuke had also been pulled off the grid and placed in a secured place by a patrol of Anbu.
Back in the Arena
Naruto was pulled out of his musing as he saw the Sandaime back in the Kage box, the old man gave him a discrete nod.
Kage Box
As the Sandaime was taking his seat, Orochimaru was seething that his plan was foiled by the intervention of Jiraya and the Kyuubi brat.
The snake couldn't even leave since he supposedly still had a ninja fighting in the exams, that would be highly suspicious. Moreover his spies reported that they lost the trail of Uchiha Sasuke as the boy was making his way to the stadium. Everything seemed to go wrong on this day and calling off the invasion was most likely the best thing he did today.
Sarutobi then decided to play a little game and definitely verify the man's identity, "That was a great performance earlier, a shame your shinobi lost."
"Indeed, I was sure my son would have won his fight and then faced the last Uchiha in the following fight, speaking of that I don't see the Uchiha." replied the veiled Kage.
"No doubt about it now, the Kazekage I remember never calls Gaara his son." confirmed Sarutobi as he gave Jiraya a nod.
The Kazekage felt a strange sensation and immediately recognized the effect of what seemed to be a large scale genjutsu cast all over the stadium. He knew he had given the signal to abort the operation so it couldn't be his subordinate's jutsu. Then his eyes widened, he understood Konoha had discovered his plan and tried to use it against him.
All of a sudden, a smoke bomb was thrown in the room. Both Sarutobi and Jiraya leaped back from the fake Kazekage and his bodyguards in surprise.
They were about to try to arrest them but were not fast enough as Orochimaru and his men managed to fall back and then escaped to the rooftop of the stadium.
Rooftop
What they saw as they reached the top made them frown, all over the village and even inside the stadium, Oto shinobi were being slaughtered by both Konoha and Suna nins. Orochimaru realized the situation just went from bad to worse. He was joined by Kabuto after a few seconds.
"Our forces are targeted and destroyed all around the village Orochimaru-sama." reported his right hand man.
"How about the troops outside the village?"
"It's the same as inside, Suna has turned against us and they can't get into the village." Replied Kabuto.
"Go ahead and order them to fall back to Otogakure." Announced Orochimaru.
"How about the troops inside the village my lord?" Asked Kabuto.
"You have your orders." Said the snake sennin.
"Very well Orochimaru-sama." Answered Kabuto as he shunshined away.
Orochimaru then turned to his elite guard, "Have you done what I asked of you?".
"Hai Orochimaru-sama !" Replied the four shinobi kneeling before him.
"Good, now leave I will join you soon." He ordered and they all left without a word.
Just then, Sarutobi, Jiraya and a team of Anbu arrived on the roof.
"This is the end Orochimaru, I will finish what I started years ago but this time I won't let you escape." Declared Sarutobi.
"The end? Your old age must be getting to you sensei. You may have won today but I promise you Konoha will burn. I will come back another day for your head you old fool." Replied the snake.
"Do you honestly think I will let you get away after all this?" Said Jiraya.
"I see you are still the loyal dog of Konoha you always were Jiraya." Replied Orochimaru.
As they were about to charge at him, Orochimaru did a single hand sign and suddenly detonations could be heard all over the village. This is what he ordered his men to do, they planted exploding tags that could be activated with his chakra all over Konoha.
The traitorous snake then used this distraction to shunshin away from there.
"Leave him be, we don't have the time to run after him. At this rate a full scale fight with him inside the village would cost us a lot in terms of human lives and repairs to be done after that." Said the Sandaime. He then turned to the Anbu commander, "After dispatching the enemies inside the village do not pursue them outside and just help stabilize the situation inside."
The Anbu immediately departed from the roof to relay the new orders.
"He will come back you know, sensei." Said Jiraya in a serious tone.
"Yes I know, that is why I wish to give you a new mission after everything is over here." Replied an equally serious Sarutobi.
Inside the Stadium
Almost every disguised Oto nin had been neutralized by the combined forces of Konoha and Suna.
The large scale genjutsu used earlier was in fact the work of Kurenai, it was a simple sleeping genjutsu. Everyone under the rank of chunin had been put to sleep for their own safety, including the civilians and the nobles guests.
A small number of genin did manage to resist the jutsu, Shino, Shikamaru and the Sand siblings.
Naruto had been awaken by Kurenai after she finished her jutsu. All of them assisted in dispatching the enemy shinobi forces.
Timeskip – Council Chamber, One week later
One week had passed since the day of the failed invasion of Konoha by Orochimaru. Sarutobi was currently debriefing his council about the aftermath of the battles.
"We lost 31 civilians, 57 shinobi and we have over 200 wounded. Suna lost 48 shinobi and it has been confirmed by Jiraya-sama himself that the Kazekage has been murdered weeks before the day of the finals." Reported the Anbu Commander to the council.
"We estimate that Orochimaru lost more than 300 shinobi and we captured 117 of his men." Announced Ibiki.
"The damage to the structures all around Konoha were extensive, I estimate that the repairs will be complete in approximately three months." Added Shikaku.
Sarutobi took a moment to think then addressed the council.
"Very well, we have confirmation that Suna has been played by Orochimaru and was not voluntary in this invasion. For the duration of the repairs, all genin will be confined inside the village to help and their jonin will be re-affected to higher missions outside the village to maintain our position of the strongest ninja village." Announced the Hokage.
"Furthermore, it has come to my attention that within the lives we lost in our shinobi forces, most were chunin ranks. Therefore, I will now announce the nominations for chunin promotions from the current exams." Added the Sandaime.
"The contestants nominated are Aburame Shino, Hyuga Neji, Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Naruto." Said Sarutobi.
Every council member was nodding until they heard the last name which caused an uproar from the civilian side.
"What!" "Why him?" "We cannot let that thing advance in the ranks!" Were the things shouted from the civilian side.
Sarutobi then flared his chakra in the room, silencing them.
"Did you fools not see his skills at the exams? If I only had one spot for the chunin promotion, it would go to him automatically. He managed to subdue by himself an enemy jinchuriki who went berserk."
"And do I need to remind to you that promotions of MY shinobi only concerns the ninja side of the council, I do NOT require your permission."
"Moreover, Naruto was the one who saved all your lives again as he is the one who warned me about the invasion after he talked to the Suna jinchuriki after their fight."
"Finally, not only you fools were looking at him in the finals. Foreign shinobi were also in the stadium as we open our gates to everyone during those times. Who do you think they will all report to their leaders about first when they come back to their village?"
No one could find any argument to counter the Kami no Shinobi and he then dismissed them all.
Timeskip – Hokage office, One week later
True to his words Sarutobi had to sigh again as he opened the last edition of the bingo book when he saw that Naruto's profile had been updated. It read :
Name: Uzumaki Naruto
Nickname : Konoha's Kaze No Kami
Age : 13
Rank : A+
Status : Chunin
Main attribute: Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu and Fuinjutsu
Affinities : Wind
Bloodline : Unknown
Description : Has a very high affinity to the Wind element
Holder of the mythical Dragon summoning contract
Defeated Momochi Zabuza the Kirigakure No Kijin in Wave Country
Defeated Sabaku no Gaara the Suna's Ichibi Jinchuriki
Action : Engage with caution
Bounty : 30,000,000 Ryo Dead or Alive in Iwa
Apparently, news of Naruto's progress traveled fast. Iwa had the habit to target any promising shinobi from Konoha so that wasn't really a shock either.
Just then he was interrupted from his reading by the appearance of Naruto and Jiraya in his office.
"Good to see you both here, I have an important mission for you two."
A/N: Okay no real fight scenes in this chapter but you can't have them in all chapter either :)
I saw no point in having Sasuke getting his ass kicked again and in front of all Konoha so I bailed him out.
Naruto gets his first bounty on his head, not sure about currencies so I went with something I could relate to from One Piece universe which was something close to Luffy's first one I think.
As usual Read and Review please.