Chapter 5: Bloody Leaf, Striking Shadow
Several weeks had passed since Naruto became officially accepted in Konoha's ranks. He knew little of his team, having shied away from bonding with them, they wouldn't understand him anyway. But, he respected them enough. A ninjutsu and a genjutsu specialist, very good at their field of choice. The jounin, Aoba, was also a very good teacher, helping all equally, even though teaching Naruto was hard. Which was exactly why he respected Aoba that much.
Naruto woke up early that morning, ready for another mission. He expertly put on his armor, made of light mithril to reduce encumberance, and secured his weapons. He had a feeling he'd be needing them and his instincts hadn't dissapointed him thus far. After checking over his weapons and giving them a quick maintenance, changing his bow's and crossbow's strings, sharpening his numerous shuriken and knives and finally rubbing some oil on his whip to keep if from hardening too much.
Once done, he went downstairs to the dining room, to get himself some breakfast. There, he found Mikoto, already up, taking some baked bread from the oven. It was one of her own recipes, sweetened bread, much like cinammon rolls. They contained honey and various other ingredients that Naruto never quite found out, but it not only tasted great and kept for long, but it also was a great source of energy. His team had never had to suffer through rations, one slice of that bread was very filling.
"Good morning Mikoto-chan. The bread smells wonderfull, may I have a loaf for my team meeting later on?"
The woman smiled at the boy, she was quite happy that morning. "Of course, you know I make more for them anyway."
Naruto enjoyed a healthy breakfast, feeling re-energized and ready to face today's troubles. He wrapped the bread in some long leaves, like those of a coconut tree really. It kept food fresh and cool regardless of situation, something that Naruto was very, very greatful for. Hearing Sasuke wake up, Naruto made for his alchemist's lab, to see how some of his projects were going. It was a large, cool, basement floor, with a large bookcase on the side, filled with books. All around the large room were beakers, burners and various other alchemical tools, while next to them was a storage room. He had also had a 'blast room' made for testing his creations as well as a stabilizing room, a room almost completely disconnected from the house, kept in very precice conditions to make sure nothing harmed the volatile or sensitive mixtures inside.
And it was in that room that Naruto went in, checking various barrels and beakers, nodding approvingly and checking his progress. It was all going well, for now at least. His greatest creation was still several years from being completed, but something that Naruto knew would make Sandaime a very, very happy person.
Once done with his inspection, Naruto left the basement, finding Sasuke having breakfast with his mother. A quick goodbye and he was gone, off to his team's training grounds.
An hour later, Naruto was standing in front of the Hokage, along with his team. A short dicussion later and he was leaving the office with a C-ranked mission, a small smile on his face. It was supposed to be a simple bandit elimination, relatively close to Konoha, just a few miles out of the patrol perimeters.
Naruto and his team left the village in full run, wanting to get to the bandits, beat them up and get back home before dinner. Naruto's tracking skills were to be especially useful in finding the main camp, while his alchemical creations would give them a bit of extra firepower without wasting chakra or explosive tags.
Once they reached the last known sighting area, the team swiftly dispersed to find the camp easier. Naruto of course spearheaded the search, having a significantly superior eye-sight than his team-mates and being better trained in tracking. Not an hour after their usual lunchtime, the group was standing outside the camp, Naruto having quietly dispatched the guards, using poisoned needles and a blowgun to put them to sleep, one they'd wake up from in prison.
As soon as Naruto got the go-ahead signal, his bow blazed into action as he began firing arrow after arrow. His aim was true and a pair of gambling bandits fell over before they even realized what was going on, an arrow lodged in their respective necks. He didn't stand though, instead using his mobility and leaping from branch to branch to get better angles and avoid detection.
In the other side of the camp, where the leaders would be, Aoba charged in, kunai in hand, ready to take out the strongest opponent and leaving the small fry to his gennin. To his left and right respectively was Kimaru, the team's ninjutsu specialist, and Hinamori, the team's kunoichi genjutsu user. The two of them charged, Kimaru unleashing jutsu after jutsu to confuse the enemy and Hinamori striking them down from behind cover.
In mere moments, Aoba was done with his target and so were Hinamori and Kimaru. Naruto was at the moment finishing up on his side, using a submission hold with his whip to send his last enemy to unconsciousness. The four ninja gathered in the middle of the center of the camp, looking around them. Hinamori and Kimaru were obviously pleased, they hadn't killed anyone and instead subdued their targets quickly. Aoba and Naruto on the other hand were much more worried, it had been too easy, way too easy compared to what they had expected. It was almost it had been a set up...
Suddenly, Aoba's eyes widened as he instinctively leapt away, quickly followed by Naruto. Kimaru and Hinamori weren't as lucky and got stabbed by a bunch of kunai that erupted from the ground, collapsing in a large puddle of blood.
Aoba cursed some more, seeing two of his gennin go down before the fight even started, four enemy ninja appearing behind the fallen gennin. The downed gennin groaned in pain and cursed their stupidity in getting caught by the trap.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A bunch of tree-huggers playing at ninja." Spoke the apparent leader of the group, a man wearing an Iwa headband, with a slash in the middle, a nuke-nin. Like most Iwa ninja, he was well-built and very muscular, a must for the doton his village specialized in.
The man was surrounded by a trio of other Iwan nuke-nin, each with his own scratched forehead protector. From their stances, Naruto deduced that they weren't much of a challenge if he got the drop on them, or if his squad was at good health. Unfortunately, neither of them was true, so with an imperceptible move to his sensei, Naruto's hands blurred into motion, interrupting the self-important speech of the Iwa leader, something that surprised him greatly too. A couple black shapes flew towards the gathered ninja, exploding into a large burstof smoke as soon as they hit the ground. The smoke was tainted wtih a powerful sleeping agent, though not a very stealthy one as it smelled quite heavily.
Of course, as soon as the smoke was emitted, the ninja vacated the area, allowing Aoba to move in with a quick shunshin and extract his students. In the time it took for the Stone squad to regroup and refocus on Naruto and the others, the Leaf ninja were gone, either by Shunshin or by a truly agile leap into the surrounding trees.
Running away from the Iwa squad, Aoba grunted with the weight of his students. The sleeping gas had hit them head-on, knocking them out almost instantly, turning them into dead weight in the process. However, he also knew that Naruto couldn't transport them since he couldn't use chakra to strengthen his muscles. A number of trees ahead, Naruto shot out of a tree-trunk and landed in front of the jounin. With quick hands, he began removing several trap implements, like small spools of ninja wire, a bit of thin rope, some spare kunai and what seemed to be a rolled-up ball of rope.
"Sensei, go ahead, I will deal with them. You need to take both Kimaru and Hinamori to the medics or they may not make it. Do not worry, I am an assassin after all."
Aoba tried to disagree, but he was promptly ignored by the blonde who began setting up a few basic traps, using nearby tree branches, leaves and his trusty wire. Knowing how stubborn the blonde could be, Aoba left quickly, planning to use whatever opening he could get so he would be able to reach the closest ANBU patrol and get some backup for the kid.
Once the traps were set, Naruto took out his trusty bow, stringed it, hid behind some leaves and sent a small prayer to Corellon Larethian, the elven god of war.
The first Iwa ninja didn't take too long to arrive, his demeanor obviously excited for getting to kill a Konoha shinobi so close to their own Hidden Village. He didn't calculate however, for an arrow shot through the trees, lodging itself into his calf, ripping through the bone and crippling him, maybe even killing him judging by the blood that came out.
The next Iwa ninja stopped right above his colleague, trying to help him. Exactly where Naruto had placed his first trap. It was quite simple really, a bent tree branch with one end holding a weight with a bit of ninja wire tied around it.. The other end of the wire was placed so it would loop around its target's head and strangle him if not out right decapitate him. A shuriken, thrown silently through the trees cut the thin rope that held down the tree branch. The Iwa nin barely had a second to wander 'Huh?' before the branch snapped back into place, throwing the weight next to his head, causing it to loop around his neck and knock him off the branch. The fall, while short, caused the loop to tighten and dig into the ninja's neck. Which was more than enough to sever the arteries of the neck and kill him via exsanguination.
The shinobi leader growled and cursed his stupid subordinates, how could they have been caught off guard like that? "Fuck. Toma, keep your eyes open, the fuckers are better than we thought."
Toma didn't reply immidiately, on account of an arrow lodging itself into his shoulder, ruining his arm. The man screamed in pain as he clutched his arm in pain, hiding behind his leader in the hope that he'd be protected. The ringleader quickly grabbed his two associates and vanished in a blur of wind and leaves, trying to get away from the entrapped area.
Naruto cursed as he strung his bow to his back and moved to reclaim the traps he had laid en route to him. However, the three surviving Iwa shinobi hadn't calculated for an elf's keen eyesight when they took refuge behind a large tree. Finding them easily, Naruto quickly relocated so he could have an easier time hitting them, thanking Firavel for teaching him how to use the longbow. It may be hard to carry around, but it had paid for its encumberance many times over by striking out of an enemy's 'danger sense' zone.
Naruto took out an arrow and removed the tip before searching into one of his pockets, retrieving a weird-looking arrow tip. It was longer and thicker than others and made of glass rather than metal. In the inside was trapped a dark red viscous liquid, one the young elf knew to be called Alchemist's fire. It was a compound that built on the idea of Greek Fire, a viscous, sticky liquid that ignited on contact with air and burned for some time. It would make the arrow front-heavy, cutting significantly into his accuracy and range, but the bow still had a range of more than 90 feet without significant reduction in the strength of the pull.
Naruto carefully notched the arrow and pulled back the string, behind his ear. His left eye closed while his right one narrowed to a slit. Naruto's breathing slowed as he focused. His ears almost twitched with the wind, feeling the gentle caress of the forest breeze on his skin and calculating for its presence. The archer took in a slow, deep breath and his hands stabilized before his fingers released the string.
The arrow sailed through the air swift and true, the feathers on its tail causing it to stay on target, moving with impressive force.
Fifty feet, fourty feet, thirty feet, twenty feet and the shinobi realized that the low whistling sound wasn't from the forest. The older ninja's eyes widened and he leapt away on instinct, dodging the arrow. However, Naruto had aimed so that even if he missed the ringleader, he would place the injured team-member into the course of the missile.
The Iwa-nin's eyes widened as he saw an arrow's shaft protrude less than five inches from his comrade's body, indicating the immense strength with which it was launched, before the man burst into flames from the inside out.
"W-what the fuck?" Asked the terrified man. This had to be some sort of ANBU killing off his team. After all, only an ANBU would have such accuracy with such an exotic weapon, not to mention being able to completely suppress his chakra. He glanced at his injured teammate and gulped. However, he thought, for their hunter to not have come out of hiding in so long, maybe it meant that he was scared of facing them directly.
With a quick motion, the leader of the team kicked his remaining teammate out of their cover and dashed to where he expected their hunter to have been. With any luck, their persecutor would strike the wounded idiot so that he could close in and kill the bastard.
As the jounin predicted, an arrow flew swiftly from the trees and landed between the eyes of his wounded teammate, taking him down with a gurgle and few spasms. His target's last known position firmly in his eyes, the jounin rushed to bring down his pursuer before he too died by a stray arrow.
Elrad cursed sharply. He barely had enough shadow essense to perform a shadow teleportation and refresh his disguise. He dropped his longbow, ignoring the sound of wood on wood, knowing that his enemy knew where he was. His hands flashed to his hips, withdrawing a pair of long two-pronged knives, which he had of course poisoned before hand. He knew he was no match for a jounin yet, but he would be damned if he fell so soon. He would be a legend beyond all others, he would not loose. He would win!
Naruto's muscles tensed as he entered his battle mode and leapt at the charging jounin, meeting him in the air.
Blades clashed and sparks flew. The man's face was quite surprised at the being he saw charge from the trees, but he quickly smirked as he defended against the boy. His smirk was quickly wiped out however, as the slit that ran in the middle of Elrad's blades caught his kunai like a pair of sai. Naruto used his enemy as a counterweight to kick at the nuke-nin's side, his boot's hidden blade coming out to greet the man.
"Argh!" Cried out the jounin, surprised. The blow had come way too close to his kidney for comfort, but he was quick to roll with the blow and avoid it. He landed on a tree branch, glaring at his enemy, his kunai taken away from him during the altecration by a swift twist of Naruto's hands. "Damn you brat! I'm gonna kill you!" He cried out in range.
Naruto settled in a defencive stance, right leg slightly extended forward, arms crossed and the blades held in reverse. His eyes narrowed as he saw the man ignore the poisoned wound he had received, he must have had poison resistance training.
The two clashed again, the jounin spinning quickly to give momentum to his quick stabs, just as Naruto spun around him, trying desperately to avoid getting hit. The blades clashed again and again, occasionally getting locked, both trying to push back their opponent. While Naruto was much stronger than his light frame would ever reveal, he wasn't up to his opponent's level. His muscles screamed in pain but he ignored them.
Leaping to the side, away from a viscious kick that would have hit him at the groin or stomach at least, he rolled to the side, around his enemy, his knives spinning on the top of his palms as if they were glued. With a viscious cross-cut, he slashed at his enemy's tendons right above the ankle, reducing the ninja's mobility.
"Argh! You fucking freak! I'm gonna destroy you!" The man roared as he called his chakra, flashing through several quick handsigns, invoking his jutsu. "Doton: Iwa no Yoroi (Earth Style: Stone Armor!" Stone seemed to flow upwards from his feet, covering him and protecting him from the dangerous blades. He quickly spun on his heel and gave a powerful, stone-covered punch to the sternum.
Naruto 'oof'ed, rolling back, his ribs bruised and hopefully not cracked. He quickly dropped his knives and growled almost ferally. He took out a fistfull of shuriken and launched them at his enemy, clicking his tongue in annoyance as he saw them bounce off his enemy, not leaving even a chink on the armor. Seeing no alternative, he removed his shortstaff from his back holster. Spinning it expertly, he fell on a basic opening stance, deceptively simple, holding it diagonally in front of his body.
The jounin blinked at the boy's weak stance and charged, failing to see the hint he gave to his opponent. However, his cut-up tendons didn't help much, slowing him down for Naruto to ready himself.
The nuke-nin's fist smashed on the staff, fully expecting it to snap under his strength. He was quickly taught the error of his way, as Naruto spun quickly with the force of the man's strike and used ther other end of his weapon to strike the man's underbelly, pushing him back. Elrad shifted legs, bring his weapon to bare and strike his enemy at the weak point he had created, right behind the knee. The jounin however was far too experienced to fall over just like that. He managed to stabilize himself, but was momentarily unable to defend himself. The staff-like weapon cut through the air and suddenly had a spear-like tips on each end. Elrad placed his foot behind the buckled knee, using it as leverage to literally climb on the man. He gripped the weapon surely and slashed him at the eye, the one place where stone hadn't covered.
The man screamed and thrashed wildly, throwing Naruto off of him as he rolled on the ground. Drops of blood fell from his ruined eye as he cursed. He clutched his eyehole and glared at the boy. He called on his chakra and slammed his fist on the ground, manipulating the earth to launch spikes from underneath the boy.
Elrad flipped backwards avoiding the spike and dodging them, leaping left and right. After the barrage had finally ended, the elven assassin closed in quickly with the man. He had managed to get up, reclaiming a bit of sanity through his rage. He didn't get a chance to fight properly however as the young elf decided to finish it as quickly as possible; giving time to the jounin to recover his thoughts and unleash a bunch of jutsu wouldn't really be good for his health. Also, at least one poisoned wound should have started acting up by now. With a twist, he separated the staff into two shorter sticks, bringing out the combat spikes that were hidden inside. The alchemically-hardened spikes were perfect for penetrating armor, thick skin and, hopefully, stone-covered skin.
He spun the two weapons on his hands, setting into a full-offence stance. He breathed out and closed his eyes in concentration. When they snapped open, the world fell into focus as Naruto's combat mode cancelled out all distractions.
Konoha's Warden charged, his blades spinning on his arms. He dodged to the side and spun himself clockwise, stabbing his enemy's calf. Taking advantage of his surprise, he moved behind his enemy and gave him a good slash at side of his neck with a jabbing motion of his left weapon. The man cursed as he turned around to hit Elrad, only for the young elf to lean back like a gymnastics specialist and kick up before grapping the man's face with his feet, then using it to throw himself under the jounin's legs, slashing upwards as he did.
The man cursed and charged his chakra to his arms, using one of his most powerful techniques, changing their shape and creating a huge, spiked ball on each arm. He swung heavily, his speed being surprisingly high for someone with so much weight on his hands. The elf swiftly dodged under and to the side before trying to find a way to properly hit his enemy.
Naruto sighed, he didn't like entering that state of mind, but in this fight of 'eat or be eaten', he knew he didn't have much choice in the matter. His eyes closed as his stance ended. The jounin, thinking the boy had given up charged, head first, to smite the boy that had struck him so much, blinded him and killed his pathetic subordinates. As the club-like apendage came down, the boy's eyes snapped open with unbelievable focus, piercing through the man.
Time slowed down for Naruto, his mind going several thousand rounds a second. He calculated attack vectors, motion, chance, counters, counters to counter attacks, dodges, angles and physics. The boy burst into motion, dodging by a hair, before moving inside the man's guard. His weapons spun and he stabbed with the spear-end twice, between the ribs, hitting him and pushing the man back. After that, he leapt up, his body spinning like a top, lashing out with a simultaneous strike to the man's temples. As his foe reeled back, Naruto took a step back before charging at his enemy, his hands shifting the hold on his spiked weapon, bringing the combat spikes to bear for a downward attack.
As the Iwa jounin tried to get his bearings back, he saw his small-sized foe leap at him. He raised his arm in defence, but that was expected as the ebon-skinned freak stepped on it and tumbled off it, turning upside down over his head. The man didn't immidiately feel the pain of a pair of combat spikes stabbing deep inside him and reaching his heart. He did however feel some sort of belated revenge, as his other arm caught the tumbling boy full on the chest, sending it rolling away from him.
Naruto rolled on the ground weakly. Even though the assassin's training regime taught him well and focused his aggressiveness beyond normal limits, that same offencive mind didn't let him focus on defence any more than he did outside combat. In other words, while he could strike an enemy as if he was unmoving and therefore weak, he couldn't defend himself any better than he normally could. Naruto gasped a bit as his blood flowed out.
The elf got himself upright and took out his healing salve. He had given most of it to his jounin sensei to help his team-mates, leaving him with a single dose. Quickly he applied it on his wound before tying it up, preventing it from aggravating itself. He walked to his enemy, the man's jutsu now over with his death, and took out a sealing stroll and a long blade, a longsword from Firavel's time. He used the blade to decapitate him and the rest of the deceased team before sealing them into special scrolls. Then, after re-combining his short staff, he began the long walk back home.
At the gates, Sarutobi was anxious. He was ready to send out a bunch of ANBU to recover his figurative grandson, having heard the news from Aoba. He was ready to give them the sign to disperse, when a lone, recognizable figure made its way out of the foliage. Naruto seemed to be bleeding from his chest, his staff being what kept him upwards. Seeing his state, the Hokage rushed to the barely conscious boy. He wrapped his cloak around the boy and performed a quick shunshin, taking him to his home.
Inside the Namikaze mansion, which now had been called Uchiha-Namikaze compound by the civilians, bringing a small blush at the Uchiha matriarch's face every time she heard it, Mikoto was cleaning the home, waiting for her son and landlord to come home from their respective duties. She was very surprised when she heard the doorbell ring throughout the house and ran to the door fearing the worse. A fear that came true as she saw Sandaime walk in, wounded Naruto in his arms. She quickly made way for the old man and led him to Naruto's room
It had been a bit after their night drinking together that Naruto had allowed the woman entrance to his sanctum. She had marveled at the exotic items that had filled it, like a tree that apparently grew on hard stone and had filled the room. Emblems, mementos of Firavel's travels, hang from the walls. The tome, with words that spoke of blades and shadow lied on a pedestal in plain view, almost glowing with power.
The kage set Naruto down on his bed, watching him wince as he moved. Other than some worry about poison however, he was quite calm about it, he knew that Naruto would never go down without a fight, even if he was in a different body. Mikoto however... the woman was frantic. She shot worried glances and ran her mind through a thousand complications. She almost dashed out the room to start getting new bandages and what not. Sandaime chuckled good naturedly a bit. She didn't even realize it yet, did she? Oh that was going to be so worth looking at when Anko came back!
Naruto opened his eyes to see the Sandaime looking at him. "H-hokage-sama... I... took them down. They are sealed in a scroll on my hip. Mission complete. How are my team-mates?"
The aged man laughed heartily. "Yes, well Naruto-kun. You did well, I will give you the bounties first thing in the morning. As for Kimaru and Hinamori however, they were wounded. They are not in danger, but they will be out of comission for a few months. The blow had struck part of their spines, so they will need time to heal naturally."
"I... see..." Replied the boy. "Forgive me Hokage-sama, but I must rest. My body cannot benefit from a second dose of healing salve at the moment so I must heal the rest naturally."
The old man was ready to nod wisely, when Uchiha Mikoto more or less barged into the room, her hands heaped with bandages and ointments of all kinds.
"Naruto-kun! Lay down now! I will treat you so you don't have to do anything alright?"
Hearing her tone, Sarutobi chuckled at Naruto's miserable look of 'help', before turning on his heel and leaving. 'Poor, poor Naruto-kun... I knew him well... At least it's going to be fun watching the fireworks!' So went the thoughts of the wizened leader as he went to his office to let a certain Interrogations specialist know about Naruto's wounded state.
A couple of hours later, Mitarashi Anko found herself in the in front of Naruto's home, banging on it relentlessly to be allowed inside. When Mikoto opened, she charged inside, before looking around, trying to find Naruto's home.
"Ano... excuse me? Who are you?" Asked Mikoto, surprised by the woman's attire, and antics.
"Mitarashi Anko and don't you forget it! But, where's Naru-kun? He's injured, where is he? Come on, tell me!"
Mikoto's visage hardened because Naruto-kun was injured and he needed his rest, or so she said to herself. "Naruto-kun is injured. You are not allowed to see him yet!"
"Now, listen here sis," Began the jounin. "I don't care if you're an Uchiha or you're living here. But Naru-kun is mine and I want to see him. Now!"
"You will stay away from Naruto-kun you... you... argh, there are no words to describe you even! Now get out! Naruto-kun is heavily injured and I must return to his side!" Came the explosive reaction.
"Ah-ha! So you admit it! You want him for yourself don't you! I won't let you have him! Naru-kun is mine!"
"H-how dare you! I would never do such a thing! Now get out of my house you skank!"
Anko's eye twitched as she almost drew a kunai at the insult, ready to run the woman through. Before he had a chance to however, a small flash of silver before her eyes drew her attention.
At the top of the stairs was Naruto, standing with his hand extended after throwing the shuriken. He looked positively incesed with the women's cries. "Would both of you ladies calm down, sit down and stop worrying yourselves so much? Your cries could wake up the dead themselves! Now, I hope you've calmed down a bit because I will not have you killing each other in my house!"
When Naruto turned on his heel and went back to his room thinking 'Why me?', Anko turned back at her rival, glaring. "Now look at what you did! He's angry!" She hissed.
Mikoto of course couldn't let it go like that. "Me? You were the one that barged in here!"
"Yeah, but you began shouting first!"
"No, you did!"
Soon after, the whole argument degenerated into a trade of insults that, thankfully for Naruto's peace of mind, was conducted in a relatively silent manner. The fight continued until Sasuke came back from the Academy. He blinked at his mother's angry face and decided to play it safe; he went to the kitchen and prepared a meal for four, hoping that whoever pissed off his mother wouldn't bring the house down.
About an hour of traded insults later, the meal was ready and Sasuke tip-toed around his mother to get to Naruto. He knocked on the door a couple of times and told his 'landlord' that food was on the table. He knew he would never be allowed inside the room, but he didn't really care; everyone was allowed to their secrets after all.
Moments later, Naruto came out of his room, wearing a pair of black pants and no shirt, having wrapped his chest with bandages. Seeing him, both women stopped arguing and instead chose to glue their eyes on his chest. Well, for a few seconds that is, because as soon as they realized what they were doing, they glared at each other, the lightning bolts between their eyes being almost visible. Poor, poor Sasuke didn't know why his mother was acting up like that.
Lunch was a quiet affair, as it always was in the home. Naruto valued silence and really hated too much arguing, especially over food. Not to mention it would hopefully give the two hormonal women some time to cool off and return to civilized conversational patterns. Though, to be honest, he really didn't have much hope of that...
After eating was over, Naruto wordlessly picked up the plates and began washing them, trying to find a way to get the two women to stop glaring daggers, katanas and even the occasional nodachi at each other. He sighed, why were women so... troublesome? Once he was done with that chore, he gave Sasuke permission to go train at the grounds behind the mansion. Picking up a tray with some tea, he motioned the two still arguing women to the sitting room.
"So, mind you two ladies telling me why you have been arguing so strongly in the past hour or two?" Asked a now calm Elrad.
"W-well... I..." Stammered both Anko and Mikoto, trying to find a way to tell the boy about their disagreements without revealing too much. Especially Mikoto. While it hadn't been too long, she had moved on from her husband's death and was looking to the future. However, every time she saw Sasuke or walked past the Uchiha compound, memories of her past would flash in front of her eyes reminding her of what she had lost in a single night, to her own son none-the-less. Fortunately for her, Naruto had been there to comfort her and keepher sanity intact. She cared for the youngling, she knew she did. She was also jealous of Anko and infuriated at the jounin's attempt to visit the shadow elf so early. She might claim that it was due to his injuries, but she knew better. It was because she didn't want that woman near her 'benefactor'.
Anko on the other hand had far simpler her, it wasn't about the Namikaze name, Elrad's skills or even the 'danger' and 'excitement' of dating him with all the mysteries included, nor was it about the boy being young, she might be a lot of things but not a pedophile. No, to her, Naruto was a symbol. He stood strong with so many things against him, the psychological warfare from an entire village, becoming not-human with all that meant. Being courageous enough to keep on even then. It was about the boy being perfect boyfriend material, regardless of age, due to his dedication and yet calmness. She knew Naruto wasn't 'sane' by the standards of most people. His 'insanity' was like a healing, cool balm on her troubled soul. He was fire and water, two opposites that mingled oh-so-seductively to the jounin. Unlike Mikoto, Anko had a very good grasp and understanding of her emotions and the power and weakness that came from such a fact. So, she knew she wanted to be with the boy. Since a relationship was the only way to do so, she would gladly enter it and sacrifice mind, body and soul to it.
Naruto looked at the two stuttering women in front of him and sight. "It doesn't matter any more anyway. You two have certain... disagreements and, dare I say, competitive reactions. I will not push either way. But remember; we are civilized. I will not tolerate such behaviour in my house, nor will I allow it to alter my relationship with either of you. Now, I apologize but I must go and continue my rest. Mikoto, take care of the house please, Anko, don't scar Sasuke, he carries enough on his back."
Naruto got up gracefully and left quickly, before either woman had time to convince him to stay, they'd be able to do it easily too. He cared for them both, but for different reasons. Anko called to his more feral side, the side that called for blood, combat and fire. Mikoto, on the other hand called to his more aristocratic side, the one thought, grace and cool.
Sasuke chuckled lightly as he practiced. His mother was acting like a love-struck girl lately. Though he'd never admit it, Naruto had been more of a father to him than Fugaku ever was. Fugaku never saw 'Sasuke', he only saw the 'Uchiha second heir'. That had hurt the boy more than he cared to admit. That wasn't to mean that he didn't love his father, quite the opposite. But he had changed idols. Now, Naruto was the person he looked up to the most. After all, who could claim to have seen the might of Kyubi no Yoko and not develop at least a minor phobia towards foxes? But Naruto had endured not only that but also the hate of the entire village and came out relatively unscathed. Not to mention he could kick his ass easily without chakra and the like.
So, Sasuke approved of Naruto and his mother becoming close. At least to some degree. He knew his mother wouldn't ever forget his father, he still heard her cry some nights, just as he heard Naruto provide both the Uchiha with comfort and support. After all, he still remembered that incident where he claimed that 'Naruto wasn't his father'. The boy chuckled again. It had been part of the most vicious beating he had ever received, as well as one of the greatest eye-openers.
Flashback ~ 6 montsh ago~
Sasuke stood against Naruto in the sparring room. The boy was panting hard in exhaustion while Naruto was simply breathing hard. Sasuke scowled. He had not landed one hit, not one decisive blow!
"D-damn it... Why can't I hit you?" he cried out.
"Foolish. You let your emotions blind your actions instead of guiding them. Until you let go of your hate and put a leash over it, you will never be a threat to me, or anyone for that matter." The chiding tone that came from the blonde was quite irritating to the Uchiha scion.
"Shut up! You know nothing! Don't patronize me!" The desperation was quite audible to Naruto's ears.
"Oh? I think I know enough. Besides, it is you who does not grasp the weight of the situation. Therefore, it is natural that I tell you what to do, since you apparently are incapable of doing so on your own."
Sasuke snapped at Naruto, in mad rage. "Shut up!" He screamed. "Don't order me around! You're not my father!"
Sasuke would have said more were it not for the absolutely freezing look on Naruto's eyes. The blonde had never seemed so... terrifying. Then Sasuke could barely think any more as his trainer blazed into action, ripping his defences like paper and landing devastating blows on the boy. Naruto was everywhere and nowhere, up, below, left, right,front or back, following his motions was impossible. He came from everywhere at the same time, strking and changing direction faster than Sasuke could ever think possible.
Then... it ended. Fists and kicks stopped battering the boy's figure as he lay on the floor, beaten and defeated.
"I never had any intention of becoming your father Sasuke. Nor do I especially like you. However, your mother was my own mother's best friend. I also happen to like her quite a lot. So, to protect your mother's happiness, I'll train and help have become so self-absorbed that you don't even notice your mother crying at nights, or don't care to do anything about it! Listen here kid, I'm not replacing your father, nor will I ever. Now concentrate. A true warrior would never loose control of their emotions nor let slip clues as to their thoughts. It is not so much my improved physical skills that I use as much as knowing you. I know where you will look so I am not there. I know where you will attack so I am not there. I know how you will defend, so I do not attack there. All that is possible by watching your enemy closely. Not merely looking at them, but through them. Let go of preconceptions for they only blind you. See not only the side that is portrayed to your eyes, but look at things in their entirety, and the hidden truths will reveal themselves to you, opening up a myriad of paths to travel."
Sasuke made to get up as Naruto handed him a jar of healing cream. "Today's lesson is over. We shall not have another lesson, nor will you be allowed inside this room until you understand the meaning of my words and embrace them. Until that time, there is nothing more I can teach you."
Flashback End
Sasuke had raged for weeks after that incident. But, in the end, he did as Naruto told him to. The Namikaze didn't want to be his father or his brother. He would not be substitute to anything or anyone. He was as he was and he was genuine. Be it praise or not, be it joy or sadness, Naruto was the one thing Sasuke could depend on always saying the truth. It might be in roundabout ways, but he did speak the truth. It was a couple of months later than that realization that Sasuke's abilities began to take off. Before, he was very good at Taijutsu, now he was untouchable. Before, he was excellent at Ninjutsu, now he was perfection. Before, his written tests were in the top five, now his written, psychological and even philosophical scores were off the Academy charts. And it was then that Sasuke began to let go of his anger. Not forgetting it mind you. But detaching himself from it. His and Itachi's confrontation would come in its own time. Until then, Sasuke would not chase after his brother, since that would limit him to Itachi's level. Instead, he would train, learn and live until he had surpassed his own limits.
The raven-haired boy was shaken out of his reverie when he saw Mikoto sit across Naruto in the main hall, one of the blonde's favourite relaxation places.
"Naruto-kun... I have something I wish to ask of you and I don't want you to be insulted..." Began the Uchiha matriarch, causing the disguised elf to raise an eyebrow in question.
"Unless it is something grave, I would not be insulted Mikoto-chan, fear not. Please, tell me so that I may aid you."
"W-well... you see... It's not that I don't appreciate you having us here or anything... but I want to open a business of my own. I... I don't know how to say it but..."
"You want some independence correct? I knew that day would probably come and I am not disappointed or angry, in fact I am proud of you. Very well, I have no objection to it, but, pray tell, please tell me what it is you had in mind?"
The woman looked rather embarassed by her next words. "W-well... I was always good at making pastries and such... so I thought I could open a small bakery..."
Naruto's smile reassured the woman that she did not do anything wrong. "That is an excellent idea! If you want a starting sum of money to begin, please, let me know. If it is to your agreement, I could also provide you with several of my alchemical mixtures that are edible. Think of me as less of a partner, but rather a very close business associate in that endeavour if you wish to be the sole owner. My desire is merely to assisst you, not take your labour's importance away."
"W-well... we... we'll see. It's still in the plans, I haven't even got a proper place for it yet..." Stutteed Mikoto. She hadn't expected Naruto to be so forthcoming of help to her. After all, when she had presented that idea to her husband, he had laughed at her and said that it was 'unbecoming' of an Uchiha noble such as herself. She mentally shook her head, Naruto-kun wasn't Fugaku. Both might have been as nobles, but there were so many differences between them.
It took little time for Mikoto to rent her shop. Between the Uchiha clan's funds and Naruto's... offencive negotiations, the shop was furnished and prepared in no time at all. Apart from her own baked goods, which included sweet bread, cinammon rolls and various other tasty treats, Naruto also gave her some of his own alchemical creations. From energy candies that almost shocked people into hyperactivity to alchemically treated breads that could substitute a whole meal with just a slice to even candy of almost any flavour. It even sold 'warrior's chew' a gum-like creation that numbed pain, helped focus and re-energized the imbiber. In less than two weeks, Mikoto's bakery had become famous across the entire village, it not only cattered to civilians but to shinobi as well. Some shinobi even claimed that eating a 'fire lizard', an extremely spicy cinammon roll like pastry actually helped with their Katon jutsu. The name of the shop? "Swirling Flames".
The colaboration between the Uchiha and Namikaze was cause for many an acid-tongued gossip girl's stories about the infidelity of the Uchiha matriarch and the seduction skills of the Namikaze heir. Those women were often paradoxically enough stopped by Anko herself; she would have known if the two had actually done anything and even the mere possibility of such an event drove her to an almost berserk state.
Naruto's recovery from the fight with the Iwa nuke-nin went by fast, his creams helping him along more than just about any doctor. His team-mates however took much longer to recover and reenter active duty. Enough that Naruto missed his first Chuunin Exams and, seeing as how most Konoha teams had become unbalanced, was forced into another team. They would still occasionally meet, but they left each other in peace; they might have been a good team and had teamwork, but none of them became attached to the others. To Naruto, that was a blessing, for it helped him keep his secret from them safe.
As for Konoha's Warden? His appearences were sporadic and unpredictable, never leaving any witnesses, but he was there. Occasionally, during midnight, you could see a shadowed figure standing over the Fourth's head, watching over the village. Those who somehow got to see more details spoke of dark eyes, dark hair and ebon-like skin, dressed in exotic finery. It was these appearences that slowly reduced the shock of hearing about the Warden, though they took away nothing of his mystery. Naruto would quietly chukle to himself when hearing little boys talking about Konoha's Warden as if he were a comic hero. He was anything but.
A/N: I apologize for the time of inactivity. My world changed rather abruptly and as a result I fell out of favour with my muse.
In the meantime, I have been introduced to Tome of Battle and its wonders. So, later on, it will be making an appearence along with several maneuvres of my own creation or discovery. I found the whole material to be great help to the Assassin Archetype I was trying to make so there will be some things from it. It may create several discrepancies in the flow of the story and, should that happen, I humbly ask for your help so that I may fix it.
By the way, a belated Merry Christmas and a very, very happy New Year to all of you.