Author's Note: Here's my newest chapter. However, I should warn everyone that it is not my best. A lot of what I wrote is mainly just to kill time. This chapter is either going make my story better or maybe even ruin it. But these are the chances we take in this world.
I hope everyone enjoys my newest chapter.
Everyone that wasn't wearing a Waterfall symbol on their person was required to be blindfolded. Shikaku warned his team of this village requirement, but it still annoyed Naruto to no end. If two sets of villages were allies, they shouldn't have keep their locations and entrances hidden. According to what Naruto learned in history class, at least the ones he stayed awake for, the Leaf and Waterfall village had never had in disagreements in the past. Unlike the Sand and Stone villages.
But Naruto guessed that was what being a 'Hidden Village' was all about.
Naruto sighed as the cloth covered his eyes. "You're not going to lead into any pitfalls, are you?"
A soft chuckled behind him let him know that it was Fu covering his eyes. "You will never know."
"That's nice to know," Ino muttered.
Naruto felt Fu's hands on his shoulders and gave him a push towards the waterfall. They walked along an uneven path towards the sound of waterfall. The louder the falls got, the more Naruto's skin and clothes were getting soaked. Then he felt his shoulder brush lightly against the stone cliff as the sound of falling water was near his other shoulder. Naruto realized that they were going behind the falls.
A rush of cool air met him as the wall beside him fell away into nothing. The sounds of the falls were now more pronounced and echoed. Their footsteps reverberated around him and made him wince thanks to his heightened hearing.
"You ok?" Fu asked. She guided him by steering him by his shoulders.
"I'm fine. It's just a little loud in here," Naruto answered.
"I understand. Your senses are heightened because your eyes are covered. You're forced to rely on your other senses."
"Yeah," he answered uneasily. He knew the heightened hearing wasn't from the blindfold. "It's a little creepy too."
"Yeah, it's dark, we're in a cave with Kami knows what-HOLE!"
Naruto yelped and hoped to the side. Over his panicked breathing, he heard Ino, Shikaku, Shibuki and Fu laughing at him with Shino silently chuckling. He scowled in the direction he heard Fu laughing.
"Real amusing," he growled.
Fu slapped him on the shoulder and began pushing him again. "Oh, lighten up. Would have been able to resist doing something like that?"
Naruto said nothing. To be honest, that though did cross his mind. Fu was right. He probably would not have been able to help himself to a prank like that.
"Maybe so," he sighed.
Fu snickered. "Told ya so. You seem like a fun guy. Not like the stiffs here."
Naruto would have laughed with her, but he suddenly felt a strong killer intent aimed at him. It seemed like all of the ninja in the cave, save for his friends, were wishing that they were slowly killing him with a very sick satisfaction. Naruto felt that sometimes several years ago in the Hidden Leaf Village.. He was about to retaliate when he felt Fu's hands slight grip his shoulders. Whether it was to comfort him or from her own anger, he calmed down.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"It's not your fault," she growled, causing him to jump. The venom in her voice almost froze his insides. It was clear she was pissed. Whether or not it was at him or not was the question.
Naruto wanted to ask why she was angry, but decided to ask at a better time. He and his friends were led further into the cave. He was soaked to his skin and he was pretty sure his friends were ticked. Ino's grumbling was noticeable over the echoing falls.
Suddenly, Fu pulled him to a stop.
"Are we there yet?" asked Naruto.
"Not quite. There is one more task we need to do," Fu stated. Then she wrapped her arms around Naruto's waist. Naruto froze.
"Um…Fu…what are you doing?" he asked meekly.
"Nothing. But when the time comes, you need to start kicking forward as hard as you can," she explained.
Naruto frowned. "What the heck are you-"
"Dive!" the Jonin captain yelled.
Naruto barely had time to think 'wha' when he was jerked off his feet. He heard Ino squeal in surprise before he felt himself hit a body of water. Panic began to rise inside him as he felt himself being dragged through the the cold blackness. Only then did he remember Fu's advice and began kicking his feet. He calmed down a little as he felt Fu guide him.
They made one quick right turn and felt himself rising to the surface. Naruto took a deep breath when he emerged from the water, relieved and a little ticked about the surprised dive. He heard several gasps around him and a loud curse from Ino. Before he could yell at Fu, he felt her hands untie the blindfold. He blinked several times when the sunlight hit his eyes.
"Welcome to Takigura. The Hidden Waterfall Village," she said.
When his eyes adjusted, the first thing Naruto viewed was one of the biggest trees he had ever seen. The base of the trunk seemed to be bigger than the area around the the Hokage Tower. The smooth trunk seemed to rise straight into the sky where the branches were. The branches stretched far enough to cover the entire village in shade. The tree was planted on a small island in the middle of a giant lake Naruto and his team were currently wading in. Several buildings surrounded the tree along with what looked like the village's Tower.
The rest of village was around the outside rim of the lake. Hundreds of stone buildings surrounded the lake with a giant forest surrounding the village. In the distance, Naruto saw a great stone wall that looped around the forest. The walls of the canyon seemed to almost reach the branches of the tree.
Taka's voice brought Naruto back to reality. "Shikaku, if you and you're team would follow me, I'll brief you on your assignments."
10 miles away from the waterfall entrance, a group of individuals were waiting word from their contact about the new individuals. All of them were laughing, cussing, rough-housing, and sharpening their weapons. Unlike the bandits from earlier, these individuals were trained fighters. They were a mix of academy drop-outs, rogue samurai, missing inn, and assassins. However, there fighting level wasn't beyond Chunin level. They were only mercenaries hired to cause panic
But there were two individuals who stood above them. They were the ones behind the entire plan that was currently taking route. The first one, dark, tall with solid green eyes, sat patiently near the edge of the camp fire. His patience was wearing thin however, thanks to his partner, who was pacing back and forth in front of him. This man was a head shorter than the first. His black hair was combed over to the side, nearly reaching his chin. His black eyes were burrowed to match his frown. On the front of his bandana was a metal plate with the symbol of the Hidden Mist Village scratched out.
The only common ground the two individuals had was they were both dressed in black cloaks with red clouds
"What the hell is taking so long?" the second man growled.
"You are trying my patience, Dario. If you want this plan to succeed, we need to wait."
Dario, the Mist-nin, scoffed. "You think I don't know that? I've been waiting for nearly a month for this plan to work and our window for success is diminishing."
The first man chuckled. "Are you afraid you're poison is not going to be sufficient for our cause?"
"My VIRUS is flawless. I've designed it specifically to block the chakra paths of shinobi and damage them. It has nearly destroyed the Waterfall's forces. No one can create a virus this dangerous. Not even the poison mistress, Shizune."
At that moment, a ninja shushined into the area. Dressed in Waterfall jonin outfit, the man smiled as he walked up to his higher ups.
"Their reinforcements are one jonin teacher and the three runts he is teaching."
Dario stopped pacing and grinned manically. "Oh, this is perfect. Pefect! Our mission is a now guaranteed success if all we have to worry about a few snot-nosed brats."
The green-eyed man stood up. "Who is the jonin-sensei?"
"Shikaku Nara of the Hidden Leaf Village."
Dario barked out a laugh. "The military strategist of the Third Ninja War? He's been reduced to a teacher?"
Green-eyed ignored his comrade. "And the brats?"
The jonin shrugged. "Two of them I don't remember. However, the third one I believe is supposed to be the reason they were chosen. The gaki was showing off how little brains he had by summoning a large number of clones. His name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Dario's eyes lit up and he burst out laughing. His comrade did nothing except wave his hand in dismissal.
"Keep an eye on the them. Let us know what Taka plans to do with them."
The jonin nodded and disappeared in swirl of leaves. Dario finally stopped laughing and grinned at his friend.
"I can't believe it. Our plan just got a two-for-one deal. Konoha just gave us their jinchuriki on a silver platter. We can kidnap it along with the 7-tailed."
"Keep quiet," growled Green-eye. "Those fools we've hired believe we are forming a plan to steal the famous village's secret weapon. They would turn tail and run if they realized we were fighting biju demons. Let's keep it that way."
"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Dario. "Just keep you stitches in."
Dario froze as his comrade stood up and glared at him. His crossed out Waterfall headband glinted in the fire light.
"Do not test me, Dario. It would be the last thing you ever do."
Dario held his hands in surrender. "N-no problem Kakuzu."
Team 10 stood in front of Taka's desk in a room that was similar to the Hokage's. Behind the team were three jonin guards who stood at attention. Standing on Taka's left was Shibuki while Fu leaned against the doorway, looking bored. The jonin were glaring at her, but she didn't seem to notice. Naruto did, however.
Taka continued his speech, breaking Naruto out of his trance. "Due to the disease that has swept through our village in the past month, we are currently short handed on shinobi. Our chunin forces have been cut down by 75% while our jonin has 90%. Luckily, the we haven't lost any of our young genin force. The disease has claimed the lives 75 shinobi and 25 civilians. We were able eventually neutralize the virus with an experimental vaccine and halt the death toll, but everyone cured has had their chakra systems heavily damaged. It would take another month before their systems are well enough to return to active duty. However, the council and along with a majority of citizens have decided to continue on with the coronation festival. So, here we are, requiring your assistance for the next week."
"What will our assignments be?" asked Shikaku.
"You and your team will start your shift in the late afternoon until around three or four in morning. My shinobi will be handling everything else. I hope that won't be a problem."
Everyone shook their head. Naruto raised his hand.
"Yes?" Taka asked.
"Is that the reason I'm here? To cover more ground with my shadow clones?"
Taka nodded. "Yes. Your demonstration outside made me realize that Sarutobi was right in selecting you for this mission. When your shadow clones are engaged, you will always have a Waterfall ninja accompanied with you. So if there is any danger, the shinobi and I will be alerted. Anything else?"
Shino raised his hand. "With your forces indisposed, will the village be in any immediate danger?"
This made Taka grimace. "I'm afraid I do not know. To be honest, any village is always in danger. We are no different. But right now, we have had no reports regarding of an invasion or anyone who would show any malice to us." Taka smiled. "But then again, my village has never successfully been invaded."
In the back, Naruto heard Fu scoff. He also felt the K.I. rise from the three jonin.
"I think that will be all," Shikaku said in a hurry. "If it's okay with you, my team would like to get started as soon as we can."
Taka shook his head. "Don't worry about starting immediately, Shikaku-san. You and your team have had a long journey and need rest. Not to mention the fight you had earlier. If you want, you can start tomorrow."
Shikaku looked at his students. Shino was indifferent, Ino shrugged and Naruto just grinned.
"If it's okay with you, we just like to get some lunch before we begin," Shikaku answered. "We can start our shift in a couple of hours."
Taka was silent for a moment before nodding. "If that his your decision." His gaze went behind the Konoha ninjas. "Fu, would you please show our young genin where they will be staying for the duration of their visit and then take them to lunch. Their sensei will be joining them as soon as I'm done speaking him."
Fu stood at attention and bowed to Taka. "Yes, sir." She turned to the genin. "If you will follow me."
Naruto grabbed his pack and led his friends out the door. As he passed the jonin, he heard one of them mutter 'monster'.
Shikaku watched his team leave, the glares of the jonin followed them out of the room. He turned back to Taka.
"With your permission, there are some matters that need to be discussed in private," he said.
Taka nodded and waved his hand. "Suien, if you would please?"
The jonin captain nodded and the three ninjas disappeared.
"You too, Shibuki," Taka said.
The boy nodded sadly. "Of course, father." He then walked out the door.
"Where would you like to begin?" Taka asked as soon as the door closed behind Taki.
Shikaku turned his gaze back to the door. "They still don't accept her, do they?"
Taka sadly shook his head. "In the 15 years since she had the beast sealed within her, she hasn't had one moment where she has tapped into its chakra. She is as normal as any other ninja in my village. But the villagers and other shinobi still believe the First Hokage's gift to this village is nothing but a curse. They can't see beyond the beat's shadow to know what an extraordinary woman she is."
"She seems to be very angry," added Shikaku.
"That she is," agreed Taka. "I think I'm the only person she has absolute trust. Everyone else she believes needs a severe beating or even killed. I'm afraid if this keeps up, she will lose her faith in humanity and become violently aggressive. I don't know what to do."
Shikaku gave a small grin. "Maybe Naruto can help her out."
Taka looked surprised. "How?"
"Two reasons: One, Naruto has extraordinary ability to bring the best in people. He as the power to make friends with anybody and see the light that makes the individual unique. He's friends with all of the genin he graduated with and even invites them to spar and have lunch. In turn, the friendship received from his friends is the power he uses to succeed. Protecting his friends is what makes him one of the strongest genin in the village."
"And the other reason," asked Taka.
Shikaku took a deep breath. He had been given permission from the Hokage to tell Taka Naruto's secret.
"Reason number two is Naruto can relate to Fu is because he carries a similar burden."
It took a moment for Taka to realize the message. His mouth dropped open in surprise.
"The Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago?" Taka asked in shock.
Shikaku nodded. "The fox demon was sealed into Naruto less than a hour after he was born. There were complications and the fox escaped from the previous jinchuriku. Naruto was the best choice for the sealing."
Taka rubbed the bridge of his nose, his mind churning at this information. It explained how he was able to summon an impossible amount of shadow clones earlier. It also explained another reason why Sarutobi sent this squad to help out.
"I hope he can help Fu out," he said. "I love her like she was my own daughter and hate seeing her going down this path of distrust and anger."
"He will," Shikaku smiled. "Believe it."
Taka chuckled. "I just might. She has calmed down since he's been here." He then clapped his hands together. "Anything else?"
Shikaku turned serious. "Now we need to discuss the possibility that the reason a number of your shinobi have become ill is because someone is planning an attack. With that, you may have a traitor in your midst."
As Fu led them through the village, Team 10 saw the villagers getting ready for their festival. People were opening up booths to sell crafts and food. Others were hanging up colored lanterns while others were putting up banners and lights. There were musicians already playing songs with children dancing around each other. The smell of all kinds of treats were already wafting through the air. Everything from roasted fish, fried noodles, ramen, tabasoburo, rice balls, hot spuds, octopus dumplings, okonomiyaki, and fried squid. Naruto's mouth was watering at the thought of eating lunch here.
But his appetite was gone when he saw everyone's attention on Fu as she led them through the village. They gave her a wide berth while glaring at her and muttering curses under her breath. Mom's whisked their children away, owners who were welcoming shoppers suddenly stood in front of their doors, and those who carried small knives withdrew them.
Naruto caught Shino's stare, his eyebrow raised just the slightest in confusion. Ino was glancing back and forth at the villagers, no doubt feeling the hostility from them.
Naruto really wanted to say something to Fu, but reframed from it when he saw how tense she was. Her gaze never left the path she walked on.
Eventually, they reached outside the village, where several small stone houses were gathered around into a small community. Fu led them to largest one.
"Here's were all the visitors and traders stay when they visit our village," she explained. "They're small, but comfortable enough. You'll each have your own rooms."
"Thanks, Fu," said Ino said with a smile.
Fu looked startled, but gave a small grin. "You're welcome. Go pick your rooms and I'll wait outside."
Team 10 walked inside to a small living room. Two couches were positioned in front of a fireplace with a writing desk in one corner. They could see a small kitchen through one of the doorways and found a closet in one of the closed doors. A stairwell led them to the rooms above. There were five doors, four leading to a room while the fifth led the bathroom complete with a tub.
"Take your pick," said Naruto. He grabbed the first door on his right while Ino picked the one opposite of him. Shino picked the second room beside Naruto. Naruto placed his pack onto the twin-size bed in the middle of the room. Besides the bed, there was only a dresser, a bedside lamp, and a small window with a view of the Great Tree. Below him, he could see that Fu was waiting patiently for them.
Naruto walked back into the hallway, where Shino and Ino was waiting for him.
"Hungry?" he asked them.
Ino nodded, but Shino said nothing.
"Is something wrong?" Ino asked him.
"I'm just curious about the villages' reactions to us," Shino stated.
"I know. The tension was so thick I swear it was solid," said Ino. "And I did notice several hostile glances."
"It wasn't us they were glaring at," said Naruto. "It was Fu."
Ino frowned. "Why would they be angry with her? She seemed nice to me."
"I'm not sure," Shino said.
"How about we worry about it later?" Naruto said. "It's probably something she doesn't want to discuss."
Naruto led the way back outside, to where Fu was waiting. She smiled at their approach.
"So, anything in particular you guys are hungry for?" she asked. Naruto shrugged, along with Ino. Shino shook his head slightly. "I know a place that serves some great roasted pork if you three are interested."
"Sounds good to me," Ino smiled. The smells from earlier had made her hungry as well.
"Come one," Fu said and began to lead them back into the village. After a few minutes and more hostile glares, she led them to a nice, little shop called 'Yamana's bistro'. So many wondrous smells were wafting through the entrance that Naruto's legs made him walk on their own. He opened the door for his teammates as the walked in, but saw Fu was still standing in the street. She had her hands behind her back and was looking down the street. She looked very uneasy.
"Aren't you coming?" asked Naruto.
Fu looked to him and then down at her feet. "I'm afraid I'm not welcome in there."
"Why not?" But even as he asked this, something in his gut was beginning to tell him this scene was familiar.
"The people in there just don't like me," she admitted. "It's not a big deal."
"It is to me," said Naruto as he walked back to her. "Come on. I'll tell them you're with us."
Fu didn't answer for a few moments, but nodded her head. She led him back to the shop while Naruto followed. He was sure this would work. When he was a child and a certain restaurant wouldn't serve him, he would always go with Sarutobi, Teuchi, or Shikaku. The owners wouldn't dare deny him if one them was with him.
Ino and Shino were standing next by the door, waiting to be served. A few moments later, a teen waitress walked up to them.
"Welcome," she said cheerfully. "Four, then? Just follow me and-"
She froze when her eyes landed on Fu. Her face went from cheer to disgust as she turned on her heel and headed to the back. The sudden movement caused the other servers to turn and see what all the commotion was about. Immediately, their faces showed the same expression.
"What was that about?" a perplexed Ino asked. Her answer came a moment later when a man with dark hair and an expensive kimono walked up to them. Naruto took a guess and dubbed him the owner of the bistro. He did not look happy.
"You three are welcome here, but that insect behind you isn't."
Ino and Shino flinched while Fu glared daggers at the man. Naruto scowled at the man and immediately walked in front of Fu to shield her. The glare on the on her face melted into confusion.
"She's with us," Naruto growled. His voice altered deeply and made the man almost step back.
"Look, you three gakis are new so let met help you understand something. That monster behind you is not welcomed here."
He made a move towards Fu with an outstretched hand, but Naruto had enough. He grabbed the man's hand and flipped into an arm-bar behind the man's back. Naruto then pushed the attacker's face into the wooden frame of the entrance. Gasps echoed throughout the room while waiters and other large customers got up to help. They stopped when Ino and Shino immediately stood behind Naruto to protect him. Ino had a kunai in her hand while Shino's glare was enough to freeze them.
Naruto's voice was enough the give everyone shivers. "Now you listen, you baka. Her name is Fu. She is a human being and ninja in your village. She gives her life everyday to ensure you village's safety. So she deserves the utmost respect. Got it?"
The man tried to push away. "That freak doesn't-"
Naruto pushed the man harder against the frame. "If you say that word again, I'm going to-"
WHAM!
Naruto turned to see Fu walking out the door and back into the street. Naruto growled and let go of the owner. He was mentally kicking himself as he followed Fu outside with Shino and Ino behind him. Neither one of them said anything until the caught with Fu a few blocks later on the outskirts of the village.
"Fu, please wait up," Naruto called out.
Fu stopped and turned around to meet them. On her face was a look of fury.
"Why did you do that?" she demanded. "I didn't need any help dealing with them. I get it all the time so it's nothing new. Besides, I told you I wasn't welcomed there. All you have done is made them pissed off at you!"
Shino and Ino just looked at each other in confusion. However, Naruto glared right back.
"They had no right to treat you like that. Nothing you've done outside of killing your own comrades do you deserve that kind of treatment. You're a shinobi and Taka's ward. Those people should be ready to serve you as well as anybody that walks through that door."
Fu threw up her hands in frustration. "I'm the village outcast, it comes with the job. I don't give a damn what those bastards think about me or how they treat me."
Naruto sighed and walked to her, face-to-face.
"You're right. Their opinion doesn't matter, only your own. But that still is no excuse for their behavior. It was despicable. And I don't care what the think of me or how pissed off they are. The one thing I do is always look out for my friends."
Fu's face went from fury to shock. She tried to speak several times but nothing came out. Except for one word.
"Friends?"
Shino stepped forward. "I do not know why your village seems to hold you in such contempt, but I know for sure it is inexcusable."
Ino nodded and added," We were willing to protect you in there just as we were willing to protect Naruto as he was tearing that owner a new one."
Fu swallowed. "I don't know what to say."
"Maybe if you explain why your village is treating you like this, we can try to help," said Ino helpfully.
Naruto turned to glare at her, but stopped when Fu chuckled darkly. "Sorry, sweetheart, but my problem isn't one that can be solved so easily."
"Why," Shino asked.
Fu shrugged slightly. "It's not exactly a secret, so I guess I can tell you. You're opinion of me might change though."
Naruto braced himself for what he was beginning to already guess.
"I'm a jinchuriku. Inside my chakra network, my body contains the Nanabi, the seven-tailed beetle."
Suien, jonin commander of the Hidden Waterfall Village, stood at attention as he watched Shibuki go through his training stances at Taki's home. Suien has been Shibuki's teacher ever since the boy could walk. Since he the leader's son, Suien had been assigned to instruct the boy on how to be a ninja. Everything from taijutsu to ninjutsu had been burned into Shibuki's brain for nearly six hours a day. Suien spent most of time trying to encourage the boy to try his hardest since he was easily frightened by the smallest things. Still, he did what he was told.
Even though he hated it with every fiber of his being.
He was tired. Tired of listening to Shibuki complain about everything he was instructed to do. Tired of chasing Fu all over the village when she did something wrong along with listening to her badmouth everyone in the village. Tired of Taka's weak decisions on how to rule this village. Every since the Third Ninja War, Taka has gotten soft. Takigure should have risen up and become a bigger and stronger village. They should be on par with any of the other 5 Great Villages. But here they where, hiding behind a waterfall. Suien wanted to be the next leader, not Shibuki. He wanted power. He wanted glory.
He wanted the Hero's Water.
Suien was lucky that there a several members of the Waterfall's shinobi force that believed the same thing. Together, they pooled all the money they had into hiring a mercenary force to help them in their endeavor. Much to Suien's surprise, a small group of S-Rank criminals answered the call. He was even more shocked when one of the shinobi they met was Kakuzu. He thought the missing-nin died over 100 years ago. The Missing-nin only agreed to help for two reasons: the first one was when Suien became to leader, he would give 3/4 of the village's treasury to the organization. The second was he would hand the insect freak to him and his organization. Suein didn't know what they wanted her for, but he didn't care. And he thought the payment was fair enough.
Kakuzu's partner was able to create a chakra consuming virus that dwindled the Waterfall's forces while Suien's traitors were safe with a vaccine that was created as well. Now, all Suein had to do is wait for the right moment to strike with his forces and Kakuzu's hired guns.
At that moment, one of his jonin comrades appeared behind him. He turned his gaze from Shibuki to the ninja. "What are Lord Kakuzu's orders? Is his attack plan ready to begin?"
"Not yet, Suien-san," the jonin replied. "He wants to keep an eye on the Leaf genin for the time being."
Suien frowned. "Why would he give a rat's ass about those brats?"
"He want's to know why they are here and wants an eye on them at all times?"
Suien sighed, but nodded. "Fine. Keep our comrades informed of what's going on."
The jonin nodded and shushined away. Suien turned back to Shibuki, a small grin forming on his face.
It's only a matter of time.
"So let me get this straight," Ino stated. "When you were a baby, the village council discovered you had a very unusual chakra system and selected you to become the vessel for the Nanabi: a huge entity of chakra that takes the form of a huge rhinoceros beetle with seven tails. They sealed this "biju" into your chakra core in your belly, but for a moment, the beast revealed itself in its true form and killed several shinobi, including your parents. Your village leader, Taka, took you on as his charge and raised you since then. However, everyone else has treated you like crap."
Fu shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."
They four genin were sitting on a set of stools in a food stand on the edge of town. It was seedy, rundown, and creepy, but it was the only place that Fu was allowed to eat. The owner/cook was an overweight man in a torn kimono, a scraggly beard and very dirty hands. Team 10 didn't want to offend Fu, so the sucked it up and ordered. He served a little bit of everything so Shino ordered a soup, Ino ordered a plate of friend noodles, Fu ordered a plate of dumplings and Naruto had the ramen. He was listening to Fu's story and watching the cook make the food. And scratch his belly with the spatula.
Shino stepped into the conversation. "And this is why your village scorns you? For something that was completely out of your control?"
"Yep," Fu popped. "They believed that I killed those people 15 years ago. They believe I killed my own parents. They believe I'm nothing but I monster."
"Your NOT a monster, Fu," barked Naruto. "Those idiots believe only the bad of what happened, not something was out of your control. They wanted to blame on someone for what happened and picked you. You walk in the streets while people whisper 'monster' and 'freak' when you've done nothing wrong." He turned from the cook to Fu. "Always remember that. You've done nothing wrong."
Fu stared at him in silence with a raised eyebrow. "Thanks," she said skeptically.
Shino stepped back in. "I agree with my friend. You shouldn't let others get under your skin like that."
Fu snorted. "That's easy for you to say. You don't have chakra entity sealed within you."
Shino raised his arms and allowed a few of insects to fly out his sleeves. The insects buzzed and bristled as they hovered in the air. When Shino spoke, his voice was harder than it has been earlier.
"I may not have a biju inside of me, but I do know what it is like to be an outcast because of what is inside you. My family's methods of being insect tamers has made them ostracized from the village. They never took the time to learn our ways so they think we're mysterious and bizarre. Yes, when I was born, I made a pact to have a queen and several of her drones sealed inside of me. This was considered very barbaric by most of the villagers. But they never realized that my kikaichu are my family as well as my weapons. They protect my body as they use it as a hive. They feel my emotions and react to them. And for the longest time, they were my only friends."
"And then what happened?" asked Fu.
"A small group of new genin wished me congratulations when I passed the exam. It was the first time ever someone outside of my family had ever said anything to me. And then," Shino gave the barest hint of a smile and put his hand on Ino and Naruto's shoulder. "I found friends in my teammates. When we were assigned to be a team, I never would believe that they would become my friends. Friends I would give my life to protect."
Naruto smiled and patted Shino on his shoulder. Ino smiled too and squeezed Shino's hand on her shoulder. The trio enjoyed the moment before the cook placed their food on the countertop.
"Order up," he said gruffly.
"That's a nice story," Fu said as she picked up her chopsticks. "A real fairy tale. Too bad they don't always come true for everyone." She picked up her chopsticks and dug into her dumplings. On her first bite, she crunched into her meal.
Naruto, Shino and Ino stared. They were pretty sure dumplings didn't crunch and were now looking at there food. Ino's noodles were black from the old grease on the stove and were burnt on the ends. Shino's soup, tomato, was nothing but tomato lumps in water that was barely red. Naruto's ramen was just as bad. The broth was as thin as Shino's soup and the noodles were undercooked. The trio looked at each other uncertainly. However, they didn't want to offend Fu. Naruto bravely picked up his chopsticks and slowly brought the noodles to his mouth. He chewed only once. And then spat the noodles back out.
"What the hell?" Naruto gagged. "Those weren't noodles! They were strands of cow fat!"
"Excuse me," the cook growled.
Naruto spat the taste out once more. "And what kind of broth was that? It tasted like someone pissed in it."
"Look, punk," the cook grumbled. "You pay for what you eat. If you want ramen, cook it yourself."
Naruto put his hand in a cross and called out five shadow clones. Without any consent from the cook, they all walked behind the counter.
"Fine," they all said.
Later, Shikaku and Taka were walking in the street and watched the villagers prepare for the festival. They just finished discussing the possibility of a spy in their midst and if so, who could it be. Taka was still reeling from the shock that one of his own shinobi might betray the village. It wasn't impossible. The Waterfall Village, as well as any village, had their fair share of missing-nin. However, Taka treated every shinobi like they were his own blood. To be betrayed like this, it was a hard blow indeed.
He immediately set his ANBU on searching for the spy. His team, consisting of only five ninja, were the best the Village had ever seen since the village was created. True, his ANBU unit was small compared to other villages, but they were the best at what they do.
But right now, they duo were discussing a new problem that just recently came to light. They were several complaints given to Taka about Fu and the three Leaf genin causing trouble at a local eatery. Seems they threatened the owner of the establishment we he refused to serve Fu. Shikaku was livid at his team's reckless behavior, but Taka managed to calm him down. He said no charges will be filed against them because the genin defended Fu.
"I should have taught them more sense than that," growled Shikaku. "They're on a mission that represents the reputation of the Hidden Leaf. While their cause was noble, they needed to learn that their actions had consequences."
"Nara-san, it's all right. My council won't make any decisions without my consent. In fact, I should probably thank them for showing such loyalty," finished Taka.
"Thank them if you want to, but I'm still going to reprimand them for this."
Taka sighed. "Fine. But if this Naruto and his friends are what you say, they won't regret their decision."
"That is true," Shikaku admitted. "You know if Naruto keeps this up, he's going-"
"Wait," Taka said. "What's that?" He pointed to where a small group of people where gathered. They could hear them chattering excitedly and see more heading in their direction. Two people walked away holding two steaming bowls and were eagerly eating with their chopsticks. Over the crowd, Shikaku heard a voice calling out to the crowd.
"Get your ramen here!"
Shikaku whacked his forehead with his hand.
"What's going on?" asked a puzzled Taka.
"Naruto, once again," Shikaku grumbled.
More of the crowd broke and they now could see Naruto. Several of his clones were furiously cooking in the food stand and serving it to customers while the cook stood by and took notes. Fu, Ino and Shino were still sitting at the bar and enjoying Naruto's ramen. But what really caught their attention was one of the Narutos dancing on top of the stand. He was wearing black, suede shoes, white pants, a red and white stripped shirt complete with bowtie, straw hat, and cane.
"That's right, folks! Come and get your ramen! I guarantee you'll never find a more delicious recipe than Ichiraku's ramen! I've got miso, shrimp, pork, BBQ, beef, chicken and vegetable broth! I even have a dietary ramen for all of you lovely girls who want to keep your luscious curves while tasting deliciousness! Why, I eat my hat if you can't find a better tasting ramen then right here! Now step up folks because we are having a sale on ramen!"
Shikaku sighed, but had a small smirk. "If he's not protecting his friends, he's selling his ramen. Should I stop-" He turned to find Taka gone. "Taka-san?"
"I'll be right back, Nara-san!" Taka called over his shoulder as he ran to crowd.
It was the late afternoon before Team 10 finally got organized and prepared for their mission back at their lodge. It actually took a while for the crowd and the cook to let go of Naruto. The villagers, the ones who didn't meet Team 10, wanted more ramen. The cook wanted more ramen recipes. Naruto promised him more if would change his shop to sell only Ichiraku's ramen under the contract that it would be a chain store for Ichiraku.
Shikaku didn't find this as amusing as his teammates, Fu and Taka did.
"You're here representing the Leaf Village. You are supposed to be professional and the example of a disciplined team. And on your first day here, you threaten several of the civilians here and draw attention to yourself with that stunt at that bistro stand. What to have to save for yourselves?"
Naruto was currently looking through a book of all his notes he took on changing the ramen shop. "Maybe I should have called the new place 'Naruto and Ichiraku's Ramen Shop'? I mean, no offense to pops, but I did start the place."
This caused Ino to snort and Shino to flinch; his version of snort.
"This isn't funny, Naruto," growled Shikaku. "Either one of those stunts could have damaged the Leaf Village's reputation as well as damage our treaty. Do you want to start a war?"
Naruto scowled and put his notes away. "No, I don't want to start a war. But if you think I'm going stand by and let the village treat Fu like some sort of disease that needs to be exterminated, you got another thing coming. I thought you would understand why I am I'm trying to help her."
Ino and Shino glanced at Naruto with confusion. The story Shino told them earlier would help Fu understand what Shino went through in their village, but why would Shikaku and Naruto understand each other about her situation?
Shikaku sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Fine, Naruto. I did tell Taka that would help her with her problem. I was hoping you would be a little more subtle than what happened earlier though. Just don't expect it to be easy to help her understand."
Naruto gave a small smile. "Nothing important ever is."
Before Ino and Shino could ask what they meant, there was a knock on their door. The Leaf team went outside to see Fu and two Waterfall chunin outside. Shikaku told his team earlier that they would be divided up into teams. Shino and Ino would be teamed up with a chunin while Shikaku was teamed up with the other chunin and Naruto was teamed up with Fu.
"Everyone ready?" asked Fu. "We will be on patrol until the next shift, which is at four in the morning. Then our jonin and chunin will replace you guys on the next shift. Everyone else on this patrol are already in their designated spots. Naruto and I will take the Northern border. Ino and Shino will take the active patrol rotation and Shikaku will be helping the ANBU guard the village tower. Everyone understand?"
Everyone nodded and began to pair off. Shikaku and his chunin escort shushined away. Ino and Shino along with their chunin leapt into the trees.
"So, when are you going to help?" asked Fu when they were alone. "Bust out some clones."
"All right," Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles. He put his hands in the cross symbol. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu! Multi-Transformation!"
Dozens of loud pops and puffs of smoke surrounded the area. After a moment for the smoke to clear, around two hundred figures encompassed the two ninja. But instead of exact copies of Naruto, each clone small distinguishing features that made them look unique. This way it was easier to control the transformations. Also, half of them were wearing Waterfall style outfits while the other half were a mix of chunin and jonin leaf outfits. Some looked male. Others looked female.
"Whoa," Fu said. "That's pretty cool." She squinted at the clones. "How did you get each one to look like a different person?"
"If you would visit my village, you might recognize several of the faces my clones took," Naruto explained. "Each face my clones had mimicked a distinguished feature from every villager in the Hidden Leaf. Civilians only though, not actual shinobi. That might be dangerous."
"It still doesn't answer my question. How do they know not to make the same disguise."
Naruto shrugged. "I really don't know. They just do." He waved his hand to his clones. They scattered to the trees in all directions. He turned to Fu. "Shall we get started?"
Fu nodded and led the way through the trees. He followed a few steps behind her as they headed north. For ten minutes, they traveled in silence. The only sound was the rush of wind in their ears as the flew through the trees. Naruto really wanted to talk, but thought it was best to wait until she started a conversation.
Fu didn't stop until she reached the north canyon wall. Naruto followed her as she leapt up one of the taller trees in the area. She stopped on one of the large branches that gave them a 180 degree vision of the field around the canyon wall. Any intruder would be spotted easily, even by two genin.
Fu sat down on the edge of the branch, her legs dangling in the air. Naruto sat down beside her, one leg dangling while the other was against his chest. The two faced in opposite directions, just listening to the sounds of the forest and each other's breathing.
"So," Fu broke out. "Tell me about yourself."
Naruto gaped. "Whaa?"
Fu rolled her eyes. "You. Tell me about you. You know about my life story and the bug I have sealed inside of me. The only thing I know about you is you're loyal to your friends, a skilled fighter, you have a tremendous amount of chakra to summon that many shadow clones, and you have an obsession with ramen."
"Obsession with ramen, huh?" Naruto smiled. "Well, you're right about that."
"Just start from the beginning," said Fu.
Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm 13 and a genin from the Hidden Leaf village. You know about my teammates so I'll talk about everyone else. Believe it or not, I'm very good friends with the Hokage."
Fu's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"
"Oh, yeah," Naruto nodded. "I'm an orphan, too. The Sandaime helped me get back on my feet when I was a kid because I kept getting in trouble with the villagers. No one wanted to adopt me so he gave me a pension and an apartment. He was always around to help me out and like to think of him as my grandfather."
"How hold were you?"
"Seven."
"You've been on your own since you were seven years old?" asked Fu shockingly.
"No, I had my pops and my girlfriend. Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku. They took me in and gave me a job at their ramen stand. I've been working them and became a ninja ever since."
"You have a girlfriend?"
"Yeah." Naruto got his wallet out and showed her a picture. It was taken about a month ago, after Mizuki was caught. Naruto was grinning and blushing at the camera while Ayame stood behind him with her arms around his neck. She had her lips on his check while she smiled at the camera.
"She's very pretty," Fu admitted.
Naruto smiled and put the picture away. "She's the best."
"And Teuchi? You said you were an orphan, but you called him pops."
This caused Naruto's smile to falter a little bit. "He's more of a father than my real one. Teuchi was someone who could look underneath the underneath and see a person for who they were. He saw me, not the de- I mean troublemaker I was."
Fu watched him closely, causing him to swallow. He knew she caught his slip.
"What happened to your parents?" she asked.
Naruto hesitated before answering that question. "They…died. They died thirteen years ago when the Kyuubi attacked the Hidden Leaf Village."
"I heard about that. They said Hokage during that time was able to face it head on and destroy it."
Naruto didn't say anything. He kept staring ahead, knowing the Fu was looking at him. She was waiting for a reaction from him.
It was several minutes before she broke the silence. "Can you keep a secret? From your friends, sensei and even Taka?"
Naruto finally met her gaze and slowly nodded.
Fu stood up and closed her eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a seal appeared on her stomach.
It was different than Naruto's seal. Instead of a spiral, there was circle with a triangle surrounding it. In the middle of the circle was the kanji symbol 'water prison'. Looping around the triangle were six spirals similar to Naruto's middle one, except they were smaller and only had two, full rotations.
"This is a Umi Prison seal. It's what holds the Nanabi inside my chakra network," Fu explained. She opened her eyes and the symbol on her midriff faded.
"Is that all?" asked Naruto.
Fu shook her head. "What I'm about to tell is something I never told anyone before. It scares me just thinking about it. But for some odd reason, something is telling me I should trust you with it."
Naruto got to his feet and stood across from her, looking into her eyes. "Yes?"
Fu took a deep breath. "It…sometimes talks to me."
Naruto gave a small gasp. "Talks to you?"
"Yes," Fu nodded. "It gives me hints from time to time. Not in words, but with feelings. I think it does just to scare me. During the my lifetime, it's only talked to me 15 times. But then…"
Naruto took a step closer, waiting for her answer.
"You showed up. Every since I first saw you, the Nanabi has been restless. It is constantly trying to send me signals. I can't quite seem to understand them, but I think they're trying to tell me something important about you. Now, I think I know what they are."
This caused Naruto to swallow. He could sense she knew the truth.
"Throughout the day, you've been trying to get to know me when nobody else has even tried. Today in the restaurant, you and your friends defended me when you had know me less than an hour. During my story at lunch, you knew I heard cruel whispers from the villagers. You still defended me even when you learned what I contained. I thought you were just defending Shino because of his insects, but it was more deeper than that. You know my pain because you've been through it as well, haven't you?"
Naruto stared at her for a long time. Neither one of them blinked. He knew he could never keep his burden a secret for long. Telling Ayame and Teuchi was one thing. Telling his friends was another. How do you tell your friends you hold a monster that wiped a majority of the village and killed a lot of innocent people?
But maybe, the best person to tell was someone who knew the loneliness he once had.
Naruto lifted up his jacket while focusing his chakra. Like Fu, his seal appeared on his stomach. A look of shock spread across her face.
"Nanabi, meet Kyuubi," Naruto whispered as he dropped his jacket.
Fu stared hard at Naruto. He couldn't tell if she was angry with him or not. Right now, he wished she would say anything. Even if it was something cross for hiding his secret from her.
Suddenly, she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around his body. He reacted by instinct and caught her when she put her weight on him. He could feel her slightly shaking and crying. A single tear fell on his neck.
"I never…." she whispered. "I..never thought….I would….find another."
He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her. The emotion he felt when he realized who she was came gushing out and his eyes got watery.
"Me neither," he whispered. "It's nice to finally meet a member of my family."
"You too, little brother," she chuckled.
I hope everyone enjoyed the new chapter.