Birth of an Assassin: Heir to the Namikaze
Chapter 6
The First Assassination
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed or Naruto.
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
"Jutsu"
"Tailed Beast Speak"
Pairing: NaruxSaku
Assassin!Naruto
Alright, we come again with a new installment of Assassin. To sum up the mission so far, Team 7 was sent to Kusa to drop important documents off. Kakashi left the squad in Naruto's hands as he went off on his own and unfortunately they were ambushed where Naruto was thrown into a river and Sakura was captured. Sakura has a mental breakdown over being captured and Naruto is healed by Kyuubi, preparing to strike back against the bandit leader before his plans can come to fruition.
In this chapter we will detail the finishing up of the Kusa mission and the sudden start of another, very important quest that will lead both Naruto and Sakura to become even closer. We will also find out just what made Kakashi leave the three alone so suddenly.
Also, just as a warning to everyone, my hard drive was recently wiped of all my documents and pictures. I know, sucks right? That means that I lost all my notes and saved chapters for all my stories so from now on, its going to be off of memory. We will see how this will influence the story later on, even I don't know.
Alright let's get on with it.
000
The Creed
Stay your blade from innocents
See but be unseen
Never compromise the Assassins
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
000
Konohagakure
Hokage Office
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the leader of Konohagakure, was sitting at his desk. It had been about a day since he had sent a messenger hawk to Kakashi's squad for immediate redeployment to support Team 8 under Kurenai Yuuhi's request for reinforcements. Apparently it was a dire emergency and he knew that they still needed to push one particular member of Team 7's abilities to their limits to see just how strong he was; that was why he still selected Team 7 when another squad could reach Team 8 in Wave so much quicker.
A knock on his door made him look up and allow them entry.
"Come in." A message runner walked in and handed the Hokage a mission debrief scroll, something only used when a squad could not return to give the report in person.
'They are basically used to describe the process and outcome of the mission the squad undertook. I wonder how Team 7 did on the Kusa mission..'
Hiruzen quickly opened up the scroll to read, pouring over Kakashi's notes and slowly became more and more impressed as it went on.
'..as you ordered Hokage, I left the team in Naruto's hands and observed from afar to test his abilities. While powerful, Naruto's judgment was clouded upon capture of his female team-mate, Sakura Haruno. It seems that assassins really do work best alone and this proves that Naruto is already beginning to integrate into his new social setting rather than have a cold exterior. Whether this should be encouraged or discouraged is of course to your discretion.
After the battle between rebels and Naruto's squad finished, Sakura was taken to their camp where I set up to observe and rescue her if need be. It soon became apparent that would not be necessary however, as my other student, Sasuke Uchiha, deemed it fit to launch an attack on the encampment.
He was only lucky that Naruto soon arrived after to save his life..but the Naruto that attacked that camp was nothing like the one on the bridge. I saw it during our training exercise, this Naruto was a cold killer, without any emotion. Not even the sight of a captured Sakura seemed to faze him..this must be the Assassin mindset his father taught him.
I could only watch as he proceeded to destroy everything in his wake..'
000
Kusa Night
Bandit Camp
"Well well well..look what we got here." Sasuke was thrown to the ground by the leader's men after finally being captured.
The fight itself didn't take too long and the men were only momentarily taken by surprise by the Uchiha. The kid was too overconfident and made more of a distraction than any actual damage. For an elite warrior of Konoha, the boy didn't do much to strengthen his reputation in his performance. While the boy's eyes looked up at him in fierce determination, the man could see him quiver in fear.
"What a pitiful sight, are you afraid I will kill you boy?" Sasuke's eyes betrayed emotion for a moment before he growled and attempted to throw himself at the man only to be grabbed by the bandits behind.
"Violent, ain't ya kid?" Uroko appeared at the leader's side and smirked, it looked like he wouldn't have to go searching for him after all.
Sasuke felt vines creep up along his body as the bandit's hands left his shoulders to be replaced with tightening flora. He tried in vain to resist the jutsu but could do nothing as the Kusa jutsu covered him. Uroko looked at his boss for judgment and all he did was indicate up with his finger. The sadistic ninja nodded and made the vines take him into the treetops with the girl, now both were their hostages.
"Looks like tonight just got a lot better for us boys!" The bandits let out a cheer and Uroko couldn't help but think it was times like these letting a non-shinobi lead him around wasn't so bad.
As the camp got back underway with its merrymaking, a lone shinobi stood high in the tree branches watching over the camp. He let a hand wander over his headband that covered one eye as he eyed the bandit leader, there was more to the man than he let on. Observing from afar could only give Kakashi so much but from what he could tell, the bandit had shinobi training.
'He's captured Sasuke and Sakura and his goons will go out to find Naruto soon. My clone should get to him and recover him first if all goes according to plan. I'll wait until I know he's secure before I make a move on the camp..and I might just have to use my sharingan for this one.'
Kakashi took out a few kunai and began to set up traps around in the tree tops to give him an advantage for when he would attack. Upon the release of a lever, the kunai traps would launch onto the camp and add chaos to the sudden attack, giving Kakashi the edge he would need to destroy them quickly and efficiently. If it were his choice though, Team 7 wouldn't have gotten into this situation to begin with.
'But under the Hokage's direct orders, I was forced to leave Naruto and them to fend for themselves, just to observe his strength. It was murder having to watch them go against these bandits and not step in, I almost leaped off the crevice after Naruto when he fell..but I resisted. I doubt he would be very thankful if I saved him and I knew it would take more than that to kill him.'
Even if Naruto had lost or denied his memory of his former caretaker, Kakashi still had confidence and trusted his student's abilities. It would take a lot more than that to kill Naruto, but he feared that, at least until the end of the mission, the blonde's role was over.
To his surprise, he would find he couldn't be farther from the truth.
000
Kusa Border
Tenchi River Shore
"I'd advise resting a while longer boy. You know you aren't at 100% yet, and you know what I mean by 100%." Kyuubi attempted to talk the boy down as he almost reverently picked the swords up and proceeded to slide them into their leather holsters on his back.
'I have plenty of strength left to kill them, rescue Sakura, and track down Sasuke. My body will not collapse until I allow it.' Kyuubi sighed, the smoke exhaled from his snout meant his own fiery personality couldn't argue to get back into action.
"Very well..I anticipate the blood of this battle and wish to bathe in it. I suppose you will be entering that..trance?" Naruto nodded as he did final checks on his equipment to make sure nothing had come loose and was lost to the river.
Satisfied he was fully prepared, Naruto went to the river edge and slowly removed his hood to view his face. He allowed his spiky blonde hair to glisten in the moonlight for a moment before bringing both hands up to shake the water free. For a moment, the peace of the night almost lulled Naruto into a deep slumber; it was so tempting, to just let go of his body's aches and fall to the protective embrace of the rounded stone-ridden shore.
But then he reminded himself that his team-mate, someone he had unfortunately grown attached to, was in danger. It was even his fault and an assassin atoned for their mistakes, even if it meant death. But Naruto would not die tonight, there was only one that would fall that night and the image of the man's face swam in his mind, Naruto's body began to go limp in anticipation.
'Kyuubi..I am entering the trance..wake me up when he has fallen.' Kyuubi huffed in annoyance but gave the boy a mental nod of assent as Naruto's conscious left, allowing only one thing to remain; pure killer intent.
"I have to admit, this is one thing that boy's damned father did right. With this..no emotion will get in his way, not even love. If I'm lucky he might just kill the girl too."
Naruto's possessed body suddenly jumped into action and pounded across the rocky shore and into the forest, but so silently his footsteps barely left a mark. The assassin practically skipped along the forest floor until he felt the inkling to get to higher ground. He ran up a particularly tall tree's trunk and grabbed a hold of the man sized branches, swinging himself upright.
It was easy to pinpoint the location of the bandit's camp, what with all the light and noise. Hollers and fiery orange embers flooded the surrounding forest and in the dark of night acted like a flare. As he approached, Naruto's head looked up at an even higher altitude to observe another shinobi, one he immediately recognized by the scent as his teacher.
Paying him no further mind, Naruto leaped onto another tree's branch and tiptoed to its edge and balanced himself perfectly like a hawk on the edge. This gave him a perfect view of the camp, made up of a series of small tents around a large bonfire with a single hut making up the head of the camp where the bandit leader sat watching his men.
Target in sight, Naruto's assassin training kicked into high gear as he planned his initial attack, assassination, and escape from the camp. If one could watch his lifeless blue eyes, they could see them dart back and forth at unimaginable speeds observing every little factor the camp had to offer in his plan.
Naruto reached into his ninja pack attached to his waist and found what he wanted, a kunai with a small plastic ball attached to it by string. He then grabbed another, this one with an explosive tag, and wielded both in either hand. The two kunai were brought up to his face in preparation to throw before he launched them at speeds that prevented them from being seen let alone caught.
Both went off instantaneously and with the desired result.
The explosive kunai dug itself into the ground where the highest number of bandits sat, around five of the seven the camp held. Before anyone could even turn their heads to look at it, the other kunai's cargo exploded into a flash of light, blinding all within the camp.
Naruto jumped from his perch just as the explosive tag went off, filling the night with screams of agony and surprise. He fell in perfect form and took out one of his knives as he fell to the earth at alarming speeds where the final two bandits stood trying in vain to see. Before they could acknowledge what had happened, Naruto fell upon them and killed them instantly, both with blades to their necks.
Naruto took the bloody knife out and threw it straight through the bonfire to the other side where Uroko and the bandit leader attempted as well to get the light out of their eyes. The knife imbedded itself in the rogue ninja's shoulder who immediately grabbed a hold of it in painful shock.
"AHHH! MY AR-" Before he could even utter another syllable, the poison ran through his bloodstream and attacked his heart, shutting it down permanently.
A quick death, one the twisted shinobi did not deserve. But it was not an assassin's duty to get personally involved in a kill, especially that of which was not the main target. To let emotions get involved would cloud their judgment in whom to allow to live to balance the world, instead killing those who they wished to.
With Uroko dead, there lay only his target. Naruto made his way around the fire in a slow, methodical fashion as the panicking bandit brute wrestled with himself, attempting to escape the assassin he knew was there but could not see.
"Uroko! This isn't funny dammit, I can't se-" He quickly had the air knocked out of his lungs when Naruto's iron fist went straight into his abdomen, making his body react by closing up.
Without giving any further mercy, the blonde sent an uppercut right into his jaw which broke immediately upon impact. For all his upper body muscle, even the bandit could not hope to stave off an assassin fully versed in hand to hand combat while blind.
"Ugh!" With a bone crunching kick, Naruto sent him sliding backward into a tree and made a large crack as it fell in on itself.
The assassin walked slowly to his target, clinching his left fist to reveal his hidden wrist blade which seemed to be almost hungering for blood. With his sight slowly coming back but not yet full, the bandit painfully opened his eyes to see a figure coming toward him in the dead of the night. He realized they were far from the camp now as the red and orange of the fire was far off behind the man or beast coming toward him now.
"NO! Stay back you beast!" He reached for his broadsword and drew it from his tattered sheathe, holding it in front of him as if he was ready for a sword fight.
Naruto, if he was not in a trance would surely smirk and laugh at his pitiful attempt to defend himself. But this was not Naruto, not the full one, this was an assassin on autopilot with deadly efficiency. There would be no playing with the target, this time he would die in one stroke.
To get enough space for him to heft the blade above his head, the brute took a few steps forward and realized the figure was close enough to kill with a single sweep of his blade.
"Die monster!" The entirety of the blade was brought down right onto Naruto just as he had done at the bridge when he first revealed himself; that time he could afford to miss though, this time he knew he was in a corner and this one attack was his last chance of survival.
He felt it hit but was shocked when he felt pressure push the sword back up. As his vision finally cleared, he could see the assassin he thought for sure he had killed standing there, blocking his blade with his own dagger without even breaking so much as a sweat. Naruto had parried the attack with his hidden blade, using an untapped strength that his normal conscious could only use willingly through conditioning it had yet to go through.
Without even a hint of faltering under the larger man's power, Naruto batted away the sword's guard and launched himself at the defenseless man. Before he could even scream or shout in anger, Naruto's blade sunk itself deep into his neck and the man's body teetered before falling limp and dropping to the ground, all the while with Naruto riding it to the ground with his blade still deep inside his flesh.
"Your sins have been atoned by this vessel's blade, go onto the next life in peace."
Because of the nature of the wound, the bandit leader could not respond but allowed himself to stop struggling as Naruto closed his eyes for the last time.
As with Naruto's request, Kyuubi sent his chakra coursing through the boy's body for a moment to wake him from self-induced slumber. His conscious came flying back into control over his body and the stimulation was almost too great, forcing the boy to one knee. Naruto brought a hand up to his forehead to try and ease the pain from the withdrawal of his subconscious.
'I've killed him..' He thought absently as he saw the large man on the ground, dead.
Naruto reached into his robe and found what he wanted, a single white feather. He dabbed it in the wound of still free flowing blood and brought it to his face for inspection; a reminder of sorts of his first kill.
'One of many to come..' He took out a blank scroll and sealed it within for safekeeping so when he returned to the compound, he could store it in a more proper place of decoration.
"I sense someone approaching..I believe it is your teacher." Naruto checked his scent and realized Kyuubi was right, his teacher was approaching him from above.
Then again, since everyone else in the area was dead it wasn't very likely it could be anyone other than him. Naruto looked up and saw with his eyes that Kakashi had already rescued the four genin who stood with him on the branch, looking down at Naruto with quiet awe considering the dead man at his feet.
Naruto only looked back at them with a determined, staunch stare of acknowledged victory; no smirk, no confident remark, just a stalwart stance that resembled that of a matured Master Assassin making yet another kill.
'He..he killed him. He did what I could not..damn you Naruto. You are more powerful than I could even imagine.' Sasuke's awe turned to inner hatred and, even if he would not admit it, envy of the assassin's training and skills.
Sakura only looked on at her crush with a new found respect and admiration that could only come from viewing him in all his glory on a real mission, not some training exercise. The boy..no, that word did not come close to describing the mature assassin that stood below her on the forest floor.
That man made her feelings go haywire just by the look he was giving her now and she now realized that this was far more than anything she felt for Sasuke, these feelings were no farce.
Sakura desired to stand beside him on that forest floor, to be a fitting partner for him both physically and emotionally. She wished to fight alongside him, to live with him, to just be in his presence. The thought almost came across her mind she was too young to think such deep thoughts but in the world of shinobi, life was a fleeting and precious thing.
Her life could end the next day, and she did not want it to happen while Namikaze Naruto was not hers. That was when Sakura made herself a promise, that from that day onward she would do whatever it took to be close to Naruto and be strong enough to fight with him.
'I won't get you hurt anymore Naruto-kun..next time I will protect you!'
"Naruto.." The blonde eyed Kakashi as the man addressed him from the tree branch, his arms folded and that charcoal black eye staring into his own. "..Nice job. Let's deliver that document together now, shall we?"
He made no attempt to respond, only to to stand up to his full height and disappear in a blur. In just a moment he stood there in their midst, making them all quickly back away in surprise. Kakashi and Sakura were the only ones who did not move to accommodate him as they knew it was not necessary and trusted him.
It was almost as if the Kusa genin thought he would try to kill them next but their fears were slowly allayed as the boy handed over the documents to Kakashi and was joined quickly by Sakura whom he shared a quick smile with which she readily returned.
"Geez..all this trouble over this little bit of parchment." Kakashi muttered to himself, not receiving a response as all four of the children in front of him did not want to think about the day's events.
The Kusa genin had seen their elder shinobi struck down so easily and were humiliated into servicing the brutes at their camp. Sakura found herself reflecting on her capture and her inability to help her team defeat the shinobi at the bridge. The Uchiha was still embarrassed the Namikaze performed better than he did against an opponent which was arguably the best challenge he had been presented in his life.
"Well..let's go." Kakashi led them through the forest on a night run that brought them right to the edge of Kusa and into the arms of a search party made of Kusa's best.
These Jounin and Chunin subordinates were the fabled users of the same flora jutsu the genin had had so much trouble fighting earlier that day. The village leader would not spare any amount of manpower to recover his and Konoha's people and that was why he authorized sending their best, as it turned out it was an unnecessary but welcome show of power as the Konoha shinobi were able to rest easy for the rest of the journey.
Kakashi made sure his students were well taken care of in the village's local inn and in bed before he went to see the village leader about the documents. The Kusa shinobi, although saddened by the loss of three Chunin, were at least able to take solace that the genin were saved and returned them safely to their families.
Naruto immediately collapsed into his futon supplied by the inn, not even bothering to strip himself of his clothing or take off the covers. As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep, not a usual reaction to the prospect of sleeping but the battle had taken too much out of him.
Sakura watched him fall into slumber as she was still fixing her own bedding. She smiled and dreamily sighed at how cute he looked with his robe and hood still on, just sleeping so peacefully. How he looked almost made her want to giggle but she thought better of it, knowing it would be disrespectful to him. A grumble made her turn around to see Sasuke roll away from her in his bed and she could only guess he thought it disgusting the look she had given Naruto.
'Whatever..be jealous if you want Sasuke but Naruto saved both of us. I know you aren't jealous that I like him now, seeing as how you never cared in the first place.' Perhaps if she had just realized this, Sakura would be saddened at admitting the fact he had never liked her; the girl had realized for a while now that he never really did feel for her so she was able to brush past the fact without so much as a grimace.
Sakura had her bed fixed and ready to go but something kept her from getting in and falling into sweet slumber as her crush did, in fact she felt that it was indeed he who was keeping her awake. It was just how he fell asleep that made Sakura uncomfortable, she didn't think it was right that he at least didn't take off his hood or get himself under the covers.
Even with his robes on, he could still catch a cold.
Making up her mind, Sakura crawled over to him and just watched him for a moment. Her hands slowly went for the hood and she realized this would be the first time she would truly get to see what he looked like. The time that she was in the river during their training did not really count to her as his hood was still on, only allowing her to see his shaded face.
The thought of it only excited her more and made her fingers tremble in anxiety, so much so Sakura feared that he would wake only by the vibrations her trembling body was sending through the floor. Before her fingers could even lace around edges of the fabric, a gloved hand darted out and gripped her wrist tightly as another sent a blade right for her throat.
Sakura froze as Naruto's body reacted on reflex as he held her from his laying position in what was assuredly a lethal move should she have been deemed hostile. Naruto immediately recognized her and saw the fear in her eyes, quickly letting her go and recovering his senses to his surroundings.
'Safe, in bed at some inn..not around any enemies. It was just Sakura.' Naruto reassured himself it was alright to relax and the Haruno saw as his shoulders sagged in what could only be calm.
"I-I'm sorry Naruto..I just saw you laying there with your hood still on and thought you would be uncomfortable. I didn't..mean to disturb you or anything." Sakura was caught and felt ashamed now reviewing her actions, what could she expect from a trained assassin's reaction?
"It's fine Sakura, if anything I should apologize for how I reacted. Its just I can't really differentiate who's around me when I'm asleep so that's how I always react." Sakura nodded in understanding but locked on to his hands as they came up to his hood that covered his identity. "..But I must thank you for reminding me, amongst those I trust I suppose I can take off my hood."
Naruto took off his hood to reveal his spiky blonde hair, tanned skin, and as Sakura had thought, whiskers that were on either cheek. His appearance was breathtaking and it took all her willpower not to make any too outstanding reactions other than a blush and more shaking. Naruto at first was confused but then realized she was taking in his actual appearance and found she liked what she saw; for some reason he smiled at that and felt happy.
"So..handsome." Sakura covered her mouth as soon as she uttered the word but soon realized Naruto had heard it with his hearing when he chuckled.
"Well thank you..no one has really been around me without my hood or robe on so knowing I don't look bad is a good thing I guess." Sakura was amazed at how such a cold, collected killer could speak with such polite warmth but it only made her enjoy his company more as it did intrigue her.
"Naruto..may I sleep near you?" It was an odd request by Sakura, but was done for two reasons; one was obvious as she wanted to sleep near her crush and this was a great opportunity, the other was so she could talk to him without disturbing Sasuke who would surely hear them speak if she lay in her bed which sat between them.
"Um.." Naruto had relied on his calm attitude to get him through the conversation so far but he was at a loss now that a girl was asking such a personal request.
"Sure." He decided to go with his gut and what he desired which was for the girl to stay close.
"I still say she is a useless vixen who has nothing to offer you boy..but I suppose you humans are fickle when it comes to mates." Naruto ignored the fox, silently hoping it would get a muzzle or failing that fall asleep.
"T-thank you.." She hadn't expected him to say yes so when he did she struggled to get herself moving and quickly grabbed her futon and moved it so they would be mere inches from one another.
Naruto just watched her do this work, not finding it in himself to take his eyes away. The girl mesmerized his mind in so many ways that should have been foreign or ignored to him through the training he experienced. It seemed even his father could not prepare him for a woman's influence as this was something he could not even comprehend let alone fight against. That is if he wanted to resist which was the last thing on his mind as the girl lay down inches from him and stared at him with the most innocent face.
"I never got to properly thank you for saving me." Sakura said as she settled under her blanket and met Naruto's uncovered eyes, barely able to make her voice go above a whisper.
Naruto's face dipped with a frown and she realized that he did not see it the same as she did.
"I did not save you, Kakashi did. If anything I am the one who got you captured in the first place..if I had only stayed focused, I could have-" Naruto caught himself from second guessing his actions; what was done was done and he could do nothing to change it.
"I didn't see it that way.." Sakura mumbled in disagreement, nervously playing with her hair. "You couldn't have stopped them from getting me, not with all that chaos. You came to the camp and defeated them all, if it wasn't for you Sasuke and I..we may not have made it back to Konoha alive. We..I owe you my life." Naruto just shook his head and made to caress her cheek on instinct but reared back at the last second, realizing what he was about to do.
"Its fine..I'm your team-mate and I was the squad leader, it was my duty to defeat them." Sakura could see it in his eyes that the answer was only half true while the rest was not said.
"Naruto..I don't want to be weak like that again. I don't want you to get hurt because of me!" Naruto was taken by surprise as the girl got even closer to him and raised her voice in distress.
It was obvious that the thought of him getting hurt because of her was not something that settled well on her conscious. He wanted to assure her he was bound to get hurt either way but it seemed she was not fishing for reassurance but something else entirely.
"I know I don't have any right to ask and I know I was placed on this team to learn from Kakashi but.." Sakura stifled a sob as she spoke too quickly to cover her tears that began to fall. "I don't think I can learn from anyone but you, I want you to..to teach me like you learned! Please Naruto, I don't want to be weak anymore!" Naruto's blue eyes widened at her request, she wanted him to be her teacher?
Sakura knew she wasn't a Namikaze and what she was asking was surely breaking every secrecy rule the assassins had set up, but there was nothing that mattered to her more now than being his equal. To be even closer to him, Sakura was willing to learn the arts of assassination and be just like him, even if it meant she would have to go through training the likes of which she never would have thought possible before.
"Sakura..I couldn't..I mean I'm just a genin, a novice assassin..I'm not qualified to teach-" Her tears and sobs seemed to become more pronounced and he felt himself losing resistance.
"P-please Naruto! Kakashi..h-he told me I was a disgrace to kunoichi, I don't think..I don't think he would even try to train me right. Please..please.." Naruto couldn't believe their teacher would say that and it only served to make his blood boil.
"Hmph..well if you are the one training her perhaps she won't be such a useless vixen." Kyuubi's comment, while drenched in his usual sarcasm, made Naruto feel a bit of pride from the beast's compliment.
"Sakura..do you really know what you're asking? I would teach you to become an assassin, a killer. You are still pure, an angel in the light while I am an agent of darkness." Sakura stifled her sobs and wiped away her tears, bringing her mouth right up to his ear.
"Then bring me into the darkness..I will do anything to stand with you." Those words said with such determination, such emotion, made it clear to Naruto that even if he wished to he could not deny her heartfelt request.
Naruto grabbed her hand with his own, intertwined their fingers, and made his forehead touch hers. Sakura could only quiver in excitement as he spoke such meaningful words and granted her wish.
"Fine then Sakura Haruno, from today onward I will take you on as my apprentice assassin. I promise I will teach everything I can to make you a true follower of The Code and will from now on never leave your side should you need me." That was as close to a start of relationship Sakura could translate and kissed Naruto on the cheek who only smiled and blushed.
"Thank you..Naruto." And with that, the two genin fell asleep, holding hands and practically in the same bed with two big smiles on their faces.
000
Kusagakure
Next Morning
Administration Building
"I brought your squad here to thank you..and apologize for the attack made on your lives." Akeru Take bowed to the gathered Konoha shinobi who by now were well rested and ready to go home.
"Uh yes..thank you." Kakashi didn't know how to react so he just scratched his head and bowed his head a bit, a reaction that made Sakura roll her eyes.
Kakashi had already filled the elder in on what exactly happened when he left his genin at the inn. It was the leader's choice to meet his students now, however, Kakashi wasn't sure what he hoped to gain by doing so. Sure Naruto was unique because of his heritage and training but still, he was sure the village leader had better things to do.
"We had hoped to kill the rebels sooner to prevent something like this from happening, but we could never track them all down. It seems as though you finished the last of them off..how many ninja did you say there were?" An aged Kusa Jonin spoke up and Kakashi struggled to answer his question.
"Well..I definitely saw the one at the camp, his name was Uroko." Other than a grimace at the name, there was no response.
"And another, her name was Kyoko. We met her at the bridge." Naruto spoke up with his usual quiet, calm voice that led Akeru's eyes to fall on him.
"Ah, the assassin speaks. It is a pleasure to meet one of the Namikaze.." Akeru walked up to Naruto and, while he stood almost a foot taller than him, bowed in respect.
"Namikaze-dono, I am honored you have graced our village with your presence and thank you for your personal involvement in resolving this matter with the rebels. Its my understanding you killed them off along with the bandits they were working with?" The Kusa Jonin scoffed at the thought of just some kid killing Uroko and Kyoko along with the bandits.
"Ha! Don't let that boy take credit, its obvious this Konoha Jonin did all the-" A glare sent by Akeru quieted him down immediately and again the man bowed to the annoyed Namikaze.
"My apologies Namikaze-dono, since we lost our own assassin guild during the war many have forgotten the respect we pay to the world's protectors." Naruto held up a hand in understanding and the village leader saw the boy was modest, a good trait to have being an assassin and one he respected.
"No apologies necessary, times have changed since assassins were the dominant force in the world. I'm just trying to make sure the Namikaze guild is not forgotten." Akeru smiled and returned to his desk that they were standing in front of.
"Oh you can be sure your tale will not be forgotten any time soon here in Kusa, you almost singlehandedly defeated our most dreaded enemies for the past decade and for that we are in your debt. Should you ever need anything while you are in Kusa, please feel free to visit as a welcome friend. The same of course goes to the rest of your squad."
'Not that it matters, an assassin is known to have certain liberties ninja do not. They can leave villages whenever they want on 'clan business' or they just don't live in the village at all. Its not technically a rule villages must follow but its done out of respect for what assassins have done over the centuries.'
"I have already given your squad leader the payment for your mission and again you have my thanks. Please feel free to stay in Kusa for as long as you wish until you return to Konoha." Kakashi and the others looked at one another and, while glad they could have a vacation, would rather be home instead.
"Uhm..thank you Kusa-dono, but we should really be getting back as soon as we can. This mission has been very draining on us.." The man nodded in understanding and indicated they could leave as they wished.
Naruto turned around to leave when the door opened to reveal a Kusa Jonin leading his squad in, two boys and a girl. His breath caught as he took in the sight of the girl; bright and flowing red hair that seemed jagged and wild on one side while the other it looked perfectly straight and sharp. Her slim glasses reflected her vivid red eyes that seemed to be taking him in as well.
'Beautiful..just like when I saw Sakura the first time. I..don't know what it is about them but they take my breath away.'
Karin immediately recognized those robes and almost gasped, but she held it in as she took in his physical appearance. He looked no older than she was, perhaps fourteen years old; his actual body belied that however as he was built like a young man who had been through so much. The chakra he radiated was so warm and as red as her hair, it had such an effect on the sensitive sensor she blushed from pleasure.
Before she could be taken away by his face, an irate Sakura stood by Naruto and grabbed his hand.
"Ahem! Come along Naruto-kun, Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke have already left." Naruto allowed himself to be pulled away but not before accidentally mouthing a few choice words that left Karin with a lasting impression.
"-autiful red hair."
The girl was easily able to fill in the first word and blushed on purpose that time, only to wake up when her team-mates began to poke fun at her. She gave them her usual evil glare and threat to punch them if they didn't shut up, it worked like a charm as it always did. Gen gave his report that the entire sector they were given was combed for seedlings and successfully cleared.
The village leader gave them his usual thanks and had Gen stay after, no doubt of which to talk about her, Karin thought. Her squad dismissed, Karin already knew what they were talking about with her enhanced hearing. The old fools still seemed intent on having her become the village's next top ninja, even though she came into their care, quite suspiciously if she may add, only about a year ago.
'Orochimaru-sama may think this place is suitable for a takeover, but I believe a mere hideout or two in the forests surrounding Kusa will be enough. Our main base should of course remain in Oto.'
Karin's job as Orochimaru's spy in Kusa was almost complete and, using her skills taught to her long ago, would disappear without a trace when her job was done. Following Orochimaru's will wasn't the best life, but as she traveled around and saw how others lived, she realized there was such a thing as worse off. And, she thought with a naughty smirk, she got to see rare things in front of her such as a handsome young assassin.
If they crossed paths again when they were older, Karin wouldn't mind having some fun with the Namikaze heir.
000
Kusagakure
Gate
Kakashi looked to the sky at the screech of a hawk, it seemed they had a message from the Hokage. A few people stopped on their daily routes to observe the foreign shinobi at their gate and a genin or two would poke their heads up from whatever food stall they were dining in to catch a glimpse. Kakashi held out his arm and the animal immediately came to him and landed perfectly allowing the man to take the message from its pouch attached to its leg.
Naruto and Sakura watched as he skimmed the short message, nodding to himself. Sasuke just leaned against the gate, tapping his foot impatiently as he wanted to get a move on. Their teacher took out a small scroll and placed it back in the hawk's carrying case to send back to Konoha, giving his team a smile.
"Seems like it was a good idea to write that report before we got back, because it seems like we won't be returning to Konoha anytime soon." Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, what did he mean they weren't going back?
"What do you mean sensei? Our job here is done right?" The man nodded but pointed at the message he still held in his hand and sweat dropped.
"Yeah..but it seems like Hokage-sama has emergency orders for us to redeploy to Wave to support one of our squads there. Looks like they got into a bit more trouble than they can handle on their own." Sasuke walked over to him and wanted to know more.
"What squad?" Kakashi looked back at the note.
"Team 8, Kurenai's squad. Apparently some rogue ninja was hired to kill the man they were supposed to escort and she can't handle him alone. They somehow avoided detection and are now in hiding, but they want our help for when they have to fight him." Naruto and Sasuke didn't have much reaction but both were somewhat anxious of the coming battle as a better test of strength.
Sakura on the other hand was not looking forward to their change in plans as she hoped to begin training with Naruto once they went back to Konoha. It seemed the training, along with any chance to be with him alone, had slipped from Sakura's delicate fingers for a long while.
"Unfortunately we won't get much of a chance to resupply since Wave is pretty far off and we need to get there soon to render assistance. We will have to leave now and keep stops to a minimum, so I hope you are ready for a run." Naruto saw Sakura looked very sad and gave her shoulder a firm, reassuring grip to get her attention.
"Don't worry Sakura, we can begin your training in Wave with some simple chakra exercises. I can even start teaching you some of my clan's history along the way." This brightened the pink haired girl's mood and Kakashi wondered what just happened, it seemed Naruto was going to help Sakura out.
'That's a surprising turn of events, I figured he would still be the loner-type.'
"Okay!" Sakura yelled enthusiastically and Kakashi just shrugged.
"Let's get going, I'm tired of standing here." Sasuke grunted in annoyance, the squad was getting on his nerves.
Kakashi couldn't agree more and waved for them to follow as squad 7 left Kusagakure behind for a new country, one that desperately needed someone with Naruto's abilities to free them. But would they make it in time to save everyone?
000
Wave
Tazuna's House
"Thank god we made it! I thought that bastard was gonna kill me!" Tazuna and co. practically burst through his front door as if the towering swordsman was still on their trail.
Luckily for them, Kurenai was a master of deception. With an elaborate genjutsu and the careful use of traps, they were able to keep Zabuza occupied long enough to escape the forest and get to Tazuna's home on the pier. How long they could remain hidden, however, was not something she had thought out yet.
'Let's just hope the reinforcements get here soon..and that they are strong enough to fight a Jonin-level rogue ninja.'
"Kurenai-sensei, how the hell are we supposed to beat that guy! I mean it was like none of our attacks did anything to him or his clones!" Kiba yelled in frustration and punched the wall, trying to vent his anger at how inadequate he saw his own abilities.
"Kiba, you can't allow the result of the battle to influence your mind. Why? Because we were clearly outmatched, that ninja was a Jonin of Kirigakure and a member of their elite swordsmen group. We clearly had no chance of success." Kurenai leaned against the wall and crossed her arms in thought; although she hated to admit it, Shino's tactical analysis was as frightening as it was true.
"I don't need to hear it bug boy! While you and your flyin' friends were buzzin' around, Akamaru and I were getting' the shit kicked out of us by his water clone! Why I oughta-" Kurenai was just about to tell him to stand down when a blue haired woman came out from the kitchen to see what the ruckus was.
"Hey, quiet down! I respect you for bringing my father home safely, but that does not give you the right to just yell inside our home!" Kiba was taken aback and hesitantly mumbled an apology; Hinata seemed thankful the fight was short lived as the nervous girl was practically shaking in fear.
"Shino is right Kiba, we can't change our enemy's skill level nor our own. That is why I requested backup and when they arrive, we will defeat Zabuza and hopefully bring some peace to this poor nation." The Inuzuka looked at his teacher and nodded in understanding as his pup whined in submission.
"Now please, come inside and rest. You have come a long way and dinner is almost ready." Tsunami invited them inside their home and made sure to feed the ninja right, trying her best to avoid the thought it could be their last meal.
Considering how dangerous the country was to normal citizens, who knew how many would be willing to target shinobi. Whatever reinforcements the woman captain spoke of, Tsunami hoped they would be enough to help them change Wave. If not, she shuddered at the thought of even more blood on Gato and Wave's hands there would be.
'Please Konoha..rescue us.'
000
And done. Glad I got this written and out to you all at a reasonable hour, seeing as how I have to write some silly farewell speech for English since this is my senior year and all. I hope you enjoyed the turn of events and hopefully you will bear with me as we continue to get the ball rolling on these stories of mine.
Review!
Peace.