The Pathless Sage
A/R: Okay, no idea what happened. I just uploaded the chapter a couple of days ago, and already it has over forty reviews. Something must have been good about that chapter, or people were really excited to have the rants back, but a lot of reviews came in. It felt good to get that off my chest ... not really, I lied.
Zaraki poll is still up, go vote.
Now, onto the rant responses. A lot of you pointed out that Kakashi got his Mangekyo when he was forced to kill Rin, but that leaves me the question that why didn't he use his Mangekyo earlier? Even if he was saving it for a life and death situation, I am pretty sure fighting Itachi counts as a life and death moment. As for not knowing the existence of the Mangekyo, he just saw Itachi use it, so that ain't an excuse.
To people that said Shisui didn't have a Mangekyo, he actually did. His was similar to Itachi's, but it had four points instead of Itachi's three. His only known ability was the Kotoamatsukami, a really powerful Genjutsu.
On with the story!
"Bloodline? What bloodline limit are you speaking of?" Naruto said, ever playing the fool. He didn't believe it for a second though, he knew the Council had him by the balls right now. He needed to play this right, or losing the trust of the Hokage for the rest of his days wouldn't be out of the question. "I am an orphan without a clan, there is no way I can have a bloodline limit."
"Weird, I am pretty sure his eyes were from a Doujutsu when he fought me," Zabuza thought, confused. Something was going on, and Zabuza wanted to find out. "Oh well, if he doesn't want the Council to know, it's better if I keep my mouth shut for now."
"Now, now," the pot bellied man's voice was soft now, almost patronising and daring him to defy. "There is no need to deny it. We had a spy after you, and the reports say that you desplayed quite a powerful bloodline when fighting against Zabuza Momochi."
"Oh boy, not good." Then a thought of spies and rules about them came into mind. "That could work. Better go on the offensive."
"So you, a civilian, admit to having sent a spy after a ninja, a military official under the direct rule of the Hokage?" Naruto asked, keeping his voice neutral. While the Civilian Council were oblivious to his strategy, the Ninja Council saw the cunning in his words. The round spokesperson only nodded. "Then it would only be right that you be arrested for trying to find out state secrets from a military official." Naruto's face was stretched into a full blown grin now. He knew he was going to win this argument, at least.
"What are you talking about, a military official?" The unnamed man shouted, and a lot of the Civilian Council were nodding their heads in agreement. "You are barely a rookie Gennin. There is no way you could be considered a military official!"
"Actually, even Gennin are considered part of the military forces, no matter how young or green they are. We may not hold high ranks, but we are still different from civilians," Naruto's face formed a sneer of sorts, without losing his earlier grin. He was going to enjoy reversing their words onto them and watching them squirm. "Not only that, I also know Forbidden Jutsu of the state, even though I am a Gennin, so it could have been seen as an attempt to find out about those techniques and commit treason."
"What Forbidden Jutsu do you know?" Shikaku Nara asked, rather curious. He wasn't aware of the fact that rookie Gennin were allowed to access Forbidden techniques, let alone use them. And if someone like Shikaku wasn't aware that it was possible, it was rather likely that it wasn't possible.
"Ah, things like Shadow Clones and Exploding Shadow Clones," Naruto said, then added as an afterthought, considering his new knowledge: "Among other ones."
"Those are indeed Forbidden, even if they are low ranked in comparison to most Forbidden techniques," Shikaku said, with a confirming nod. He wasn't that surprised that the boy could use those techniques, considering his Chakra reserves, courtesy of his position as the Kyubi's Jinchuriki. However, a perspective man such as Shikaku didn't miss the addition of the last statement, and was rather curious of what other Jutsu the boy knew.
"Leave him be, there is no need to arrest a Council member over something so small," the Hokage said. He really wanted to arrest and execute the man, but the accompanying rise in paperwork wouldn't be worth it. He had more than enough work as it was, there was no need to quadruple the load. "But let me warn you, something like this happens again, you will be stripped of your rank and executed."
"So, is there anything else the Civilian Council would like to address, before they are dismissed?" Hiruzen asked, allowing some of his irritation to show on his face. These meetings were irritating at the best of times, but this was one of the worst ones he had in a while. It was starting to give him a migraine-like headache.
"Yes, whether we found out by illegal means or not, we still need to find out what will be done with the demon's bloodline-"
"Careful, Council member. Was I not so lenient, I would have killed you on the spot. Breaking that law is grounds for instant execution!" Naruto warned, though his voice lacked any venom. He knew that threatening the civilians would have no effect, they were all thick skulled morons anyway.
"Whatever, so what will be done about it?"
"What do you mean? He has a bloodline, so what?" The Sandaime ground out. Internally, he was wounded by the fact that Naruto wouldn't tell him about having a bloodline, but he couldn't show that in front of the Council. They would only gain more misguided confidence if he let his true feelings show. Of course, Danzo, being the observative man he was, didn't miss the slight tremor in his old friend's voice.
"He should be made to enact the CRA!" Haruno shouted. That in itself should have been a crime. It was a rather well known fact that glass never survived near a female member of the Haruno, what with their high voices and all. "It would serve to strengthen Konoha, if we were to have more ninja with bloodlines!"
"I refuse!" Naruto shouted. He really didn't want to have this discussion. Ever since he had activated his Rinnegan, he always had the fear of this discussion, and whether he could squirm out of having to violate several women that he might not even know. "I have every right to refuse."
"No you don't, it is a law that was made to strengthen the village!" Haruno shouted. It would seem that at the mention of the CRA, she had taken over the discussion from the earlier spokesman.
"Tell me then, why wasn't Sasuke Uchiha forced to breed the Sharingan?" Naruto asked. He was getting along with the guy better than before, so he didn't really feel comfortable about bringing up a subject which could potentially get the other boy screwed. However, this was a necessity for maintaining his own integrity.
"Because we mustn't alienate Uchiha-sama!" Haruno screamed. Several pieces of glass in the room and in the vicinity of it threatened to shatter from the decibels being emitted, but somehow held strong. They must have been really willful, to have survived that outburst.
"Why is that?" Naruto asked, rather amused. He knew he was going to win this argument, one way or another. The Council members were good at pushing paper, and that was it. When it came to a debate, they were dumber than a piece of meat. Speaking of which, he was rather hungry after the long day of travel.
"If we alienate Uchiha-sama, then he might leave the village. We can't risk losing the last of the Sharingan!" Some of the pieces of glass with weaker wills finally gave way, and succumbed to their fate. They shattered.
"I see," Naruto said, almost slipping into that sagely persona that he kept hidden. It threatened to come out sometimes, but he tried to keep it in check. "This is all hypothetical, of course, but what if I was to leave the village?"
"We will all be better for it, you brat!" The man that spoke first shouted, and the majority of the Civilian Council gave him agreeing nods. The Shinobi Council, however, were not as oblivious.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Danzo shouted. He surprised everyone with his outburst. He was always the calm one, the one that meticulously thought everything out during a time of conflict. To see that same Danzo lose his cool was a shock to everyone, including the Hokage. "Losing the last of the Sharingan wouldn't hurt us nearly as much as losing it. Having him in the village is a sign of power, no matter whether he is properly trained or not." By the end of his mini rant, Danzo had casually slipped back into his calm visage.
"What the hell? Just who is this Naruto kid? If they are willing to lose something like the Sharingan over him, then he must really be someone special. I will be asking him about that later," Zabuza thought. Being able to talk to Council members without flinching was one thing, but for the Council to value him over a Kekkei Genkai as powerful as the Sharingan? Something was fishy here.
"Ah," Naruto started, feigning ignorance. "There is no way some street-scum orphan like me would be more valuable than their precious Uchiha-sama, please excuse my impertinence." Despite his words, his voice was nothing short of dripping with sarcasm, and everyone picked up on it. The fact that he mentioned he was an orphan from the streets didn't escape him either.
"But still, we should force him into the CRA and strengthen Konoha with another Bloodline!" Haruno shrieked desperately. She really wanted to get a hold of that Bloodline so she could raise the status of her family from a large civilian family to a shinobi clan.
"Choose your words carefully, Haruno-sama," regardless of the honorific, his voice was venomous and disrespectful. "You would want neither my Bloodline nor my tenant as the enemy of the Leaf." And under his breath, added: "Not that you haven't given me enough reason to leave already."
"Again, out of curiousity, what is your Bloodline?" Shikaku asked. He knew from experience that being polite and not pushing someone too far was a wonderful way of getting information. Being friendly and buying them a few drinks worked wonders too, but he was opposed to inebriating a pre-teen, ninja or not.
Naruto turned from the Civilian Council to the Shinobi one. "There is no point in me telling you," Naruto said dismissively. He tried to keep a false image of bravado, not wanting to disclose any information about his Rinnegan. He knew that as soon as the words were out of his mouth, the Council would be upon him like a flock of vultures.
"And why would that be?"
"Because it's far too weak to even be considered a proper Bloodline," Naruto said smugly, thought mentally added: "Weak, my ass. Probably strong enough to make the strongest Uchiha look like an idiot."
Shikaku was a cunning man, despite his lazy disposition and his carefree attitude. He was the Jounin Commander for a reason, and that sole reason was that his intellect was leagues upon leagues higher than any human alive in the Hidden Leaf. Even his son, with his IQ of 200 wasn't anywhere close to his intelligence. And being a Shinobi for so long, his instincts weren't shabby either. Right now, both his gut instincts and brain were screaming at him to find out more about that Bloodline, to find out what was under that mask of deceit.
"It may be weak now, but I would like to know it's name regardless," Shikaku said, all the while faking disinterest. The Nara were rather good at that, seeing as they were naturally so lazy and disinterested. The laziness may have something to do with their innate intelligence, though no concrete evidence had been found yet. But underneath that facade of carelessness was a calculating, ruthless demon of a man.
"Shit, he has me trapped. I either spill the beans, and risk the Council descending on me like a pack of wolves, or lie to them. Lying would be a bad idea, Shikaku and Shibi would catch me in an instant. Not to mention Hiashi's Byakugan. Damn Clan Heads and their abilities to detect the slightest bit of deception. Of course, I could outright refuse, but that would just bring on more bloody suspicion," Naruto's face adopted a rueful smile. "I might have gotten smarter but damn. You really are a monster, Shikaku Nara."
It was a little known fact, but Ibiki Morino was not the best mental interrogator in Konoha. In fact, that title went to the Head of the Nara clan, Shikaku. He had left the Torture and Interrogation division a long time ago, but his skills stayed sharp. The man was a ninja designed for war, with a mind that literally missed no detail and a tongue that squeezed out any and all information out of his enemies. It was a scary combination.
Naruto deflated with a sigh. "You got me, you lazy prat," Naruto held up his hands in a placating manner, showing that he was only kidding. He had decided to go with the safest option, which was the one that made him lose the least amount of the Hokage's trust. "It's a Doujutsu known as the Rinnegan."
As expected, the entirety of the Civilian Council looked almost oblivious to the significance of the name. They were, however, almost salivating at the prospect of another Doujutsu, regardless of how weak it may have been. Not that Doujutsu were ever weak. They were famed for their strength, since normally, nothing but Chakra was required to use a Doujutsu. And since it was something in the eye and needed no extra effort to keep active, they also tended to be rather convenient.
The Shinobi Council's expressions were almost identical to that of the Civilian one. Most of them didn't know what the Rinnegan was, but the ones that did know had large, disbelieving looks on their faces. These ninja consisted of the Sandaime, Shikaku and surprisingly Hiashi Hyuga.
"You lie!" Hiashi shouted, almost rising from his seat. Usually, most wouldn't be able to discern the difference between the Head of the Hyuga clan and an ice sculpture, but that cold man was gone now, replaced with an incredulous one. "There is no way a street ruffian like you could develop something like the Rinnegan."
Naruto's only response was to stare impassively at the white eyed man. Seeing the Hyuga's apparent outrage, Tsume Inuzuka (Head of the Inuzuka clan) decided to speak up. "Just what is the Rinnegan?"
Hiashi went into something similar to the Sandaime's patented Professor Mode. "The Byakugan, the eyes gifted to the Hyuga, are said to be the Eyes of Angels. This is garnered from the white colour and to see all around us." He took a breath, before continuing in the same monotonous voice. His face was still strained, though. "The Sharingan, the eyes of the Uchiha, are said to the Eyes of the Devil, because of the Uchiha's deceptive nature and the blood red colour of their eyes. These two are naturally powerful set of eyes that have the potential to rule the world, if they were mastered fully."
"Yes, but what does that have to do with the Rinnegan?" Tsume asked, almost annoyed.
"First, I believe it would be best if the Civilian Council, Haku Yuki and Zabuza Momochi were to leave the room for a while," Hiashi said, making his subtle order known.
The Council knew what kind of man Hiashi was, so they left the room in a hurry, though they grumbled about not being told the full story behind the new pair of eyes that had graced the Hidden Leaf. The two former missing nin walked out with much less drama, but had no less confusion written across their faces.
"Well?" Tsume prompted, barely containing her impatience. She almost felt like leaping at the man and clawing him to bits for making her wait for so long.
"The Rinnegan, along with the Sharingan and the Byakugan, completes the Three Great Doujutsu. The purple, ring like eyes have a hypnotic quality to them. Their powers unknown, with only vague descriptions of what they could do, but there was one thing that was confirmed," the face of the Head of the Hyuga clan darkened considerably, and twisted into a grimace, as if he had swallowed something bitter. "The full power of neither the Eyes of Angels nor the Eyes of the Devil hold a candle to the power and authority known as the Kami no Me."
"The Eyes of God ..." Tsume said reverently. The Council would have reacted more violently, had they not been so dumbstruck. They were also interrupted by Hiashi forging on with his lecture.
"While the very epitome of the Sharingan or Byakugan's power may allow you enough power to rule the world, the Rinnegan's sole purpose in existence is to rule and govern the world through power and power alone. It was said that in a time of extreme conflict, a 'God of Creation' or a 'Demon of Destruction' would be gifted with the Rinnegan to shape the world as they pleased."
"As expected of the Head of the Hyuga clan, you really are knowledgeable about the other Doujutsu in the world," Naruto said. He was almost grinning, but his nervousness over their reactions didn't allow him to smirk. At that particular moment, worry struck him. What would they do to him now that they knew about his Rinnegan? He refused to violate women he might not even know, dammit!
"Don't worry so much," the voice of Samsara spoke into his mind. His voice was the same as he remembered from his mindscape, that dual layered, conflicted voice that somehow calmed his nerves. "Just tell them the truth. A perfect blend of Uchiha and Senju blood is required for the Rinnegan to activate, one that can only be produced by the dead Uzumaki clan. And even when they were alive, the Rinnegan was rare to the point of non existence."
"Well, what do we do about his Doujutsu then?" Tsume asked. She didn't have any of the lecherous grin that the Civilian Council had, but even a noble woman such as her couldn't refuse the potential an army of Rinnegan had. They could easily become the strongest of the hidden villages. "Naruto, we want you to seriously think about the CRA. It would be monumentally helpful to the village."
"Well Naruto, what is your answer?" The wisened Hokage asked, but seeing the young boy's expression, added: "You don't have to feel forced into this. It is entirely your choice."
"It's pointless," Naruto said, surprising the clan Heads present (the Sandaime was the head of the Sarutobi clan). "The Rinnegan can't be bred en masse."
"What do you mean, Naruto?" Hiruzen asked and for once, the Professor had a confused face on.
"The Rinnegan needs a perfect blend of Uchiha and Senju blood to activate. This perfect blend can only be achieved by the Uzumaki clan, but they are all dead except for me. But who knows, maybe the blood of the Hyuga would be able to replace the Sharingan? They are the two parts of the same Doujutsu after all."
"Again, what do you mean?" Hiashi sounded somewhat angry at that statement. He didn't want anything to do with the Uchiha clan.
"No offense, Hiashi, but the truth of the matter is the Byakugan is a bastardised version of the Rinnegan. It was formed when a Senju and an Uchiha fell in love and had to run away to avoid persecution. They took up the name Hyuga," how he was getting this information was beyond him, but he just chalked it up to the new influx of knowledge in his head. He was supposed to have accurate recounting of the world's history, after all. "So basically, the Byakugan is a much weaker version of the Rinnegan and has the same DNA make up as the Rinnegan. Who knows, maybe me ... mating with a Hyuga might give birth to another Rinnegan, but the chances are slim at the very best."
"So ... what do you suggest?" Hiashi looked perturbed. He didn't want anyone of his clan to be used as breeding stock, even if they were from the Branch Family.
"I do not suggest anything," Naruto said. Like the Hokage, he could almost feel the migraine that was coming on. "I am utterly against taking up the CRA. I think the damn rule should be abolished."
"Alright, this is what we will do," the Sandaime banished the confusion and the migraine, and took up his leadership voice. He was done being confused by things that were beyond even his understanding. "Everything, and I mean every single detail, of this discussion is branded an SS Rank secret, punishable by death of the person that caused the leak, and every single person that was told by that person. And remember, if a single person outside this room is told of this, I will know who to suspect. There is nobody bar us that knows of this secret."
Everyone got the message. Keep your mouth shut, or die.
At that moment, a knock was heard at the door. The nervous and edgy people in the room jumped a little at the sound, but kept their composure. They turned towards the door, waiting for the Hokage to call in the person at the door.
"Come in," came the commanding voice of the Hokage. Even in his old age, his voice rang with authority that came with being a Kage for so long. For the majority of the time that Konohagakure no Sato was in existence, it was led by the Sandaime. He had reigned for almost double the time that his mentors had reigned, combined!
A masked ANBU came stealthily into the room, closing an locking the door behind him. He stepped up to the table where the Council sat, and kneeled in front of it. He didn't seem scared, not by his posture anyway.
"Hokage-sama, the Civilian Council has asked for permission to resume their seats. They said that they still had matters to discuss." The ANBU's voice was monotonous, masking any sign of any nervousness he might have felt.
"Bring them in."
-TT-
Twenty minutes later found the Civilian Council arguing with the Shinobi faction and the Hokage, while Naruto Uzumaki, Zabuza Momochi and Haku Yuki stood in the background. They were trying to stifle their laughter, lest they be found and punished. Naruto had to admit, he never thought that Council meetings could get that comical. It was almost like watching a slapstick film in colour.
"We demand that Haku Yuki be put into the CRA to breed more ninja with the Hyoton Kekkei Genkai!" One deluded Council member shouted. Despite their earlier warnings, they had totally forgotten that they were speaking to their superiors and could be evicted from their seat without a moments notice. It seemed that the habit of ordering everyone around ran deep.
"Like I said, a person cannot be forced into the CRA," Hiruzen Sarutobi was massaging his temple unabashedly now. His migraine had gotten too bad to ignore. He didn't encounter this much resistance from the Civilian faction in a long, long time. Usually, they argued and gave him a headache, but allowed him to run things the way he wanted to in the end.
"You are the Hokage, you can do anything you want!" The same man shouted, oblivious to what he shouted. Apparently, he didn't consider killing the entirety of the Civilian Council on the spot a part of 'you can do anything you want'. Such stupid specimens they were.
"Haku has said no, and according to the laws in Konoha, her wishes are to be respected. That is final," it had been a while, but the God of Shinobi was back in business. It seemed that all it needed was a migraine, and he decided to put his foot down and stomp on the heads of the Civilian Council. "As for Zabuza Momochi, he will be assigned as a Jounin and he will be taking on a Gennin team comprised of Haku Yuki, a new Gennin. You are all dismissed."
-TT-
Naruto was walking the streets towards his little apartment that he shared with Kisame and Itachi, when he ran into the last person he wanted to see. He remembered the promise he made to let him see Itachi, but only now did he realise what he had promised. Itachi wouldn't be happy about him letting slip the secret about him being back in the village.
"Naruto, I have been waiting for you," Sasuke's voice was calm, but he could hear the underlying nervousness. He had spent years on the streets, where everyone tried to mask their fears, nervousness and secret intentions. He had become a master in sensing and identifying them. "You promised, now tell me, where is he?"
Naruto got what he meant. "You sure you don't want more time to prepare?" Seeing Sasuke's expression, he nodded. "Alright, I will take you to him, but remember: no violence."
A/R: I am sorry, I am sorry. Don't bite me. I promise, from the next chapter onwards, I will stop with the cliffies. It was funny to see some of the reactions, though.
That felt good, I was planning to write a longer chapter sometime soon. Next chapter should cover Itachi and Sasuke's reunion and some training before the Chunin exams start. Right now, they are eleven years old, bordering on twelve. When the Chunin exams start, they will be almost thirteen. So basically, the Chunin exams will be in the normal timeline, whereas they have been younger than cannon so far.
Anywho, no rant this time around, I still haven't decided what my next rant will be about.
Please review, it is the fuel that keeps me writing. It would be highly appreciated if you left a review saying even just Good Job, and anonymous reviews are appreciated too.