Words-35523, Chapters-4, Reviews-63, Hits-8867, C2s-11, Fav-95, Alerts-116
AN:
Here we go three updates in one day. Unfortunately, all three are unbeta'd. Anyway, this is an unbeta'd chapter, which I will replace with a proof read one as soon as I get it. As such, there may be things like small comments or notes in the story. This is because what I'm posting today is the exact same thing I sent my Betas. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. Don't forget to check out my challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. Without further ado, I give you chapter five of Naruto: The Reckoning
This will be AU (obviously) and Naruto will be two years older than Canon. Which means that the Kyuubi attack will be two years earlier.
Summary: A single moment's hesitation during the Kyuubi attack changed everything. Now as the world rushes towards war, a new order begins its rise.
'THOUGHTS'
LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV
Chapter 5
Two years later…
Deep within the great forests of Hi no Kuni, a form leapt quickly from tree to tree, intent on putting some distance between it and it's pursuers. It paused on a large branch, instantly going into a prone position before quickly, yet carefully sliding down around the side of the branch, using the absolute minimum amount of chakra to keep from falling.
Once hidden, a single blue eye cautiously peered over the top of the branch, searching for any signs of activity. There were three pursuers, one of whom had been bloodied by an improvised trap, yet he knew it wouldn't slow the man down for long.
For these weren't ordinary ninja. These were Anbu, and it was only a matter of time until they caught up with him. Running would only delay the inevitable, and risked him exhausting himself in the process.
No, he needed to fight, preferably before they had a chance to corner him. Releasing his grip on the tree, the blue-eyed ninja dropped silently into the foliage below, leaving no signs of his passing behind.
There was little time to prepare, so he was forced to make do with simple, improvised traps and tripwires. If he was extremely lucky, maybe he'd catch one of his pursuers. He was just hoping the traps would distract them long enough for him to take one out of the fight. After all, two on one odds were far better than three on one.
Without enough time to be thorough, he was forced to accept the makeshift traps as is, and moved into a small clearing, just big enough for his small form to rest in. Hoping for the best, he again utilized the smallest amount of chakra he could, and created a single, injured Bunshin with a roll of bandages half wrapped around an arm. The illusionary copy quickly settled against a tree before the real one cut his arm, saturating the ground and air with the sight and scent of blood respectively. Satisfied, he quickly wrapped his own arm, before retreating into the trees further downwind.
Hopefully, that would keep the ANBU from detecting him until it was too late, and the lay out of his traps would lend to the illusion that he was resting against that tree.
Tilting his head to the side, he picked up a slight rustling of leaves from upwind, alerting him to the arrival of his pursuers. Sniffing quietly, he was able to identify all three of them. 'Good, they're all here.' he thought to himself as he attempted to narrow down there locations via hearing and smell.
Unfortunately, he could only pinpoint two of them, including the one who'd run afoul of his traps before. Cursing, he slowly made his way around the clearing, doing his best to remain downwind as he flanked them.
The first one he came upon was a Hebi masked man, who had avoided contact with him so far, seeming to prefer long range combat. Blue eyes darted from Hebi to the surroundings, trying to find any sign of the other two. He could still smell the blood of the first one, further upwind, seemingly attempting to make his way through the various traps, so he knew his general location, but the third still eluded him, and he was running out of time. If they realized that the Bunshin was just that, then he'd lose all elements of surprise.
Mentally cursing, he cautiously made his way closer to Hebi. Glancing around one last time, he committed himself and broke into a near silent sprint, channeling chakra to his legs and right arm as he approached.
Unfortunately, his near silent sprint wasn't quite silent enough as Hebi whipped around to face him as he got within four feet. The ANBU reached for his holster, only to be caught off guard when his target suddenly closed the distance with a burst of chakra enhanced speed.
Hebi instinctively brought his arms up to block the incoming punch, only to scream in pain as the chakra enhanced punch shattered his arm and sent him flying fifteen feet to slam into a tree.
The blue-eyed ninja attempted to close the distance, only to be forced away by a barrage of shuriken. Moments later, a Tori masked female landed in front of him, drawing her ninjato as she did so.
Cursing, he was forced to dive into a roll in order to avoid the horizontal slash that would have taken his scalp off. Coming up in a crouch, he sent a single kunai at her, running through a quick set of hand seals as soon as the blade left his hand. "Kunai Kage Bunshin," he muttered as a focus, turning the single kunai into a dozen.
The Kenjutsu user dodged most of the projectiles, and batted away the others with her sword. But he only wanted to distract her. As soon as the first jutsu was completed, he started on the next one, this time merely thinking 'Tsuchi Bunshin' as his focus for the much easier jutsu.
A moment later, two copies of himself pulled themselves from the ground, one of which was decapitated almost immediately by Tori. The second however, drew a pair of kunai and dashed in close, engaging in a dance of parries and strikes with the masked woman.
Seconds later, the original entered the fray with a drop kick that left a sizeable crater in the ground. For what seemed like an eternity, clone and master circled, jabbed, slashed, and retreated, waiting for the mistake that would let them defeat the female ANBU. They took advantage of the difference in height to predict the ANBU's moves, as she was forced to swing downward to some degree each time.
Then, Tori seemed to stumble slightly on a rock, giving him the opportunity to lunge forward and bury both kunai into her, eliciting a gasp of pain, followed by a puff of smoke, revealing a log with an explosive note attached to it.
Cursing, he allowed his Tsuchi Bunshin to grab the log and Shunshin away. This of course, left him alone and out in the open, so he decided to risk a Shunshin as well, only to be clothes lined just before he arrived at his destination.
No sooner did he hit the ground than he rolled away to avoid the stomp that was sent at his head. Jumping to his feet, he was met by the third ANBU, the Tora masked man who had triggered his traps earlier.
Seconds later, Tori arrived as well, and the two took to circling him, using his own tactic against him. No longer concerned about remaining hidden, he flooded his system with chakra, using it to enhance his speed, reflexes, and strength, allowing him to keep up with his attackers, albeit temporarily.
Desperate for a respite, he tried using another jutsu, only to be forced to abandon it time and time again. Trapped between Tori's sword and Tora's fists, he quickly made the decision to close the distance between him and Tora, hoping that would force the woman to be more careful with her swings, lest she injure her teammate.
This seemed to work, giving him the chance to focus on Tora, who had apparently learned from Hebi's experience, and was careful to avoid blocking his blows, working to parry and dodge them instead.
Growling, he slammed his fist into the ground and pulled, yanking a five foot slab of earth up behind him, blocking out Tori's sight of him and forcing her to circle around. This was what he wanted, as he drew another pair of kunai and leapt over the makeshift barricade, coming down on Tori with blades poised to stab.
Tori reacted quickly enough to block the kunai with her sword, but that left him in the perfect position to kick out with a chakra enhanced leg, breaking ribs with a resounding crack and sending her flying back.
Grinning, he turned back to Tora, only for the man's fist to crash through the mound of earth and slam into his face with the force of an avalanche. Caught completely off guard, he was sent flying to the ground in a disoriented haze.
Before he could even think about recovering, Tora was on him, pounding away with fist after fist.
"That's enough." A powerful voice came from seemingly nowhere. Tora immediately stopped and pulled his dazed opponent up by his arm.
"Nicely done, Naruto-kun." the voice said as a group of two men and two women appeared from behind a Genjutsu. Blinking to clear the last of his dizziness away, Naruto quickly identified the people as his sensei, -Ebisu- the Godaime Hokage, -Danzo Shimura- Tsunade Senju, and her apprentice, Shizune.
"Of course, you really shouldn't have dropped your guard after bringing down Tori. And you didn't even attempt to use any Genjutsu outside of your Bunshin." Ebisu-sensei lectured as he and Tsunade approached, Shizune heading off with Tora to collect the other two ANBU.
"Still, I think you did quite well, Naruto-kun." Danzo spoke up as he came near. "You went up against three Chuunin level ANBU, and managed to evade them for over an hour, before setting up a decent ambush and incapacitating two of them. I feel you might be ready for your Chuunin promotion -with some more field experience of course."
Naruto tried not to beam at the praise the Hokage was giving him or the approving nod from Ebisu-sensei. But his newfound good mood was dashed somewhat as Tsunade began healing his injuries. "Next time you're up against odds like that, you run, understand Naruto-chan?" she whispered sternly.
"Oh, come on, Tsunade!" he objected. "I did great until that last part, and I'm sure I could have taken him if he hadn't sucker punched me!"
"Nonetheless, you didn't take him this time, and it only takes one loss to get you killed." Danzo added as he stopped beside them. "In that, Tsunade-hime is right. There is no shame in withdrawing when faced against superior opponents. Had this been a real life situation, you -and the village- would have been better served if you continued your retreat after taking down Hebi."
"Indeed," Ebisu-sensei said as he crouched down next to him to draw in the dirt. "Instead of staying to slug it out with Tori, you should have withdrawn 100 yards south to this ridgeline -which you should have remembered from your map." he illustrated in the dirt. "If you could make it that far, Tori and Tora would have been forced to back off, if only to retrieve Hebi. That might have been enough for you to get away entirely, or at the least it would have bought you time to prepare another ambush."
"But Sensei!" he objected strenuously. "How could I be sure that they wouldn't keep chasing me? Or that Tora wouldn't be waiting from me when I tried to disengage, like he did with my Shunshin? It was better that I try to take them down while I still had some element of surprise and my traps."
"That was a possibility, Naruto-kun, but one that could have been avoided, or at least reduced, if you had planned out a route away from this area. But you didn't. Instead, you focused on your attack single-mindedly, not even bothering to consider making a plan B." Ebisu-sensei explained. "And as for them continuing to chase you, remember, they had an injured teammate, who was more or less defenseless. Most teams that are close to each other will at least make the attempt to defend an injured comrade. And in this case, it was an ANBU team, meaning that they absolutely couldn't risk leaving Hebi behind, not without risking him being captured and forced to reveal important secrets. These are the kinds of things you must maintain awareness of, as they could save your life, Naruto-kun."
Naruto nodded in understanding, as now that he could look back on the situation, as well as his memories of the map, Ebisu-sensei's explanation was the better course of action.
Luckily, he had moved beyond his "thin skinned" phase, as his sensei called it, when he took offense to any such criticism to his plans or actions.
As his mind took him through the things he would have done had he followed Ebisu-sensei's explanation, he tensed a moment before a Taka masked ANBU appeared behind the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama," the ANBU said as he knelt with one fist pressed to the earth in salute. Danzo-sama motioned to him, and the ANBU stepped close and whispered. "They've arrived."
"Very well." he replied before turning back to the group. "I'm afraid I have to leave now, Naruto-kun. I'm very pleased with your progress. Tsunade-hime, I trust you'll see to Tori and Hebi?" he asked.
When Tsunade nodded curtly, Danzo-sama vanished.
Danzo quickly made his way down a corridor deep with the Hokage Tower, contemplating his coming meeting. In the last two years, he had worked to slowly lower Kumo's guard and expectations, trying to buy time while simultaneously making it seem as if Konoha and Hi no Kuni didn't want, or couldn't afford a war. This had in turn, given Kumo hope that they could still get away with their outrageous demands.
He had also spent the time coordinating with his allies -secretly of course- and one other thing.
It had taken months of effort, and more than a few lives, for him to finally get in contact with Sanshouo Hanzo, and when he finally did, Danzo was not pleased.
He had known that there were signs of civil strife in Ame no Kuni, but he wasn't expecting a full blown civil war! One that had apparently been going on for several years now. Danzo frowned at that last part.
Such things didn't happen to Sanshouo Hanzo. Hanzo crushed anyone who opposed his rule. For these rebels to last this long, or in the numbers they were reputed to have, they'd have to be quite powerful.
But most importantly, this endangered his plans. The last two years had been spent dancing around with politics and diplomacy, with both sides of the war doing little beyond a few low key assassinations of minor nobles and spying.
In fact, the most warlike thing done by Kumo had been to dig in a few miles from the Shimo no Kuni border, nearly two years ago. At the time, Danzo knew that had been in preparation for an invasion. However, as the political machinations had continued for first weeks, then months, the Kumo nin stationed there had simply dug in, turning a temporary camp into an outpost, then into a staging point.
Now, with most of the Kaminari court calling it a "sitting war", most Kumo nin seemed to find a rotation on the frontlines to be a chore, almost as boring as Konoha nin found gate duty. Even better, the numbers and ability of the Kumo nin stationed there, while still significant, wasn't the overwhelming force one would expect if they thought conflict was a possibility. Something that Danzo was counting on.
In fact, according to Jiraiya's spies, Kumo had begun using deployments to the border as minor C rank missions to break in new Genin, who spent their time there doing manual labor for the most part.
And perhaps the most interesting bit of intelligence was the presence of one Yugito Nii, the Jinchuuriki of the Nibi no Nekomata. The eighteen year old kunoichi had spent most of the last two years in the encampment; standing by for an invasion that many on both sides were starting to believe would never come.
Which of course, is exactly what Danzo wanted.
But with the news from Ame no Kuni, his plans were in serious jeopardy. Which was why he had gone to all the trouble to arrange this meeting.
Walking into the room with Taka at his shoulder, Danzo observed the Ame Jounin that awaited him. He was a fairly nondescript man, dressed in the standard shinobi attire of Amegakure, with only two differences. One, he wore no breath mask like most of his comrades, and two, he wore the cape that signified him as one of Hanzo's personal bodyguards, his most trusted shinobi.
"Greetings, Ame-nin." Danzo greeted as he took a seat. "I apologize that I don't know your name."
"That is unnecessary, Hokage-sama." the Ame Jounin spoke stoically. "I am merely a courier." he explained as he stretched out his arm, depositing a small salamander on the table between them.
Taka tensed and moved to place himself between his Kage and the Ame-nin, but Danzo waved him off. A moment later, the salamander oriented itself on him and then opened its mouth impossibly wide, to the point that the Hokage hat could easily fit through the opening. Looking closer Danzo noticed a slight sheen of water, almost like a bubble that stretched between the creature's jaws.
A semi bright light passed across the bubble, and then Danzo was faced with the visage on Sanshouo Hanzo himself. "Danzo." the man greeted simply.
"My, that's quite the trick you have there, Hanzo-dono." he said in genuine interest. After all, the ability to communicate real time over large distances was incredibly rare.
"Don't waste my time with trivial nonsense, Danzo. What is it that you want?" Hanzo rasped out irritably.
'Hmm…it looks like he hasn't been sleeping well. Interesting…' he mused to himself before speaking. "Perhaps it would be best if our subordinates leave the room. Do you agree, Hanzo-dono?"
"Fine." his counterpart rasped.
"Taka, leave me." Danzo ordered.
"Hai, Hokage-sama." Taka saluted before escorting the Ame Jounin from the room.
"So, you're the Hokage now?" Hanzo mused. "I suppose you expect me to call you "Hokage-sama" then?"
"That won't be necessary. Hokage-dono or even Danzo-dono would be more appropriate." he said politely. He had forgotten how much of a nuisance dealing with Hanzo could be.
"Fine then, Hokage-dono. What is that you want?" Hanzo demanded impatiently.
"Well, that depends on how much you know of what's been going on in the world." Danzo explained carefully.
"I know about your little war with Kumo, if that's what you mean." Hanzo snorted in amusement. "And if you want my help, I'm not interested in fighting your wars for you."
"That's not quite what I had in mind." Danzo countered. "In fact, I think you'd find my proposal quite enticing."
"I have my own wars to deal with Danzo. Find someone else." Hanzo grunted angrily.
"Even if I offer to help bring an end to those rebels who are troubling you so?" Danzo offered. "And do keep in mind; you never upheld your end of our last bargain."
"What are you talking about?" Hanzo's raspy voice questioned. "You're the Hokage aren't you?"
"Yes, but you didn't do anything to help me gain the title." Danzo pointed out solemnly.
Hanzo went silent at that. To those who had grown up during the old world, in that time period when Shinobi had yet to completely separate themselves from their Samurai ancestors, a man's word was incredibly important.
During that time, Shinobi lied, they cheated, and stole, they were little more than mercenaries. Yet when their word was given, they kept it.
Both Hanzo and he had been born in the early years of Hidden Village Era, yet many of the old customs were passed to them from their fathers, as had many of the elders of the Shinobi world. And each of them retained different parts of those traditions. For some, it was absolute loyalty to their lords, to others; it was a system of honor and shame. But for Danzo and Hanzo, it was their word.
Whatever they gave their word on, they bound themselves to. Oh, that's not to say that they couldn't get around it when they needed to. For instance, had Danzo tried to take Konoha by force, and Hanzo aided him, only to fail, then Hanzo could -and probably would- kill him immediately after.
After all, he only gave his word to help Danzo in his bid to become Hokage. He made no such promises of helping Danzo if he failed.
It was that which made Taki such an oddity in the Shinobi world. For an entire village to hold to the honor of their word in this day and age was unheard of.
"However, I'm willing to let that go if you hear me out." Danzo continued.
Hanzo glared at him for a minute then nodded his head in acceptance.
Steeping his fingers, Danzo focused his mind for the coming conversation. All his plans hinged on Hanzo at this moment. "I would like to request an alliance of sorts between our two villages," he began with what he knew Hanzo was expecting. "Along with the villages of Suna, Taki, and Kusa. I won't go into all the details now." he said before Hanzo could interrupt. "But rest assured it would be quite beneficial to you and to Ame no Kuni."
"You know that's not possible, Danzo." his Ame counterpart growled in his raspy voice. "I have my own problems to deal with, and you know it."
"Ah yes." he nodded in understanding. "Those rebels of yours. They must possess some powerful shinobi to be able to give you so much trouble."
"One." Hanzo spat.
Danzo blinked at that. "Excuse me?"
"It's just one man." Hanzo growled. "He calls himself Pein. He's the leader of the rebellion."
Danzo couldn't believe his ears. "One man? One man is giving you so much trouble? You?"
"He's not an ordinary man." Hanzo conceded. "In fact, he somehow possesses multiple bodies. I must have destroyed a dozen of them by now."
"I don't understand." Danzo admitted with a frown. "How can he possess multiple bodies?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I know which one is the real one. It's the only body that the others try their hardest to protect." the leader of Ame explained. "When he first appeared, he only had two bodies. I killed one, and the other fled. A week later, the survivor returned, this time with a new second body. I killed him too. The next time, there were three. Now, there are four."
"How do you know he's "possessing" these other bodies?" Danzo questioned. This just didn't make any sense.
"All of the bodies have had four things in common." Hanzo said slowly. "They all refer to themselves as Pein. They all have orange hair, they all have chakra conducting piercings, and they all have the same eyes." He stared Danzo in the eye before continuing. "One time, he possessed the dead body of one of my cousins. I know he was dead, because I buried him."
Danzo closed his eye in thought. That sounded like a very interesting, and very dangerous ability. Too dangerous to leave in the hands of a revolutionary like this Pein character. And Hanzo was vital to his plans for the war. He had to have the man, and his nation, on Konoha's side.
It was obvious that he needed to give the man aid, but the question was, who could he send? Including himself, there were only ten or so high level shinobi in Konoha that would make a difference to Hanzo. Obviously he couldn't go himself.
'Sarutobi on the other hand, would probably be more than enough to get Hanzo's attention.' Danzo thought suddenly. 'We'd also need someone who knew Ame well, and Jiraiya was the only one who qualified for that. Who else could I send?'
Kakashi perhaps? After all, he was a rising star in Konoha's ranks. But who else- "you might be ready for your Chuunin promotion -with some more field experience of course." 'Well…why not? He could use the experience, and there are sure to be a number of normal rebels he can deal with.' Danzo mused. 'Of course, then I'd have to send Tsunade too, just to reassure her- not to mention to keep an eye on Naruto-kun.'
Nodding, he opened his eye and addressed Hanzo again. "I'll send you an elite team to aid you in destroying this Pein fellow. In return, I ask that you agree to aid me, and come to Konoha one week after the deed is done to meet me in person."
Hanzo just snorted again. "I have no use for your ANBU and I have Jounin of my own. No deal."
Danzo smiled grimly. "I'm not offering you Jounin. I'm offering you legends. A team made up of two Sannin, plus two others, led by the Shinobi no Kami himself. They, and yourself, should be more than enough to bring down this Pein character." He paused to let the offer sink in, and then asked, "What say you, Hanzo-dono?"
Hanzo stared for a moment, and then bowed his head in thought. When he looked back up, his strange black eyes gleamed darkly. "How soon can you dispatch them?"
Danzo could barely restrain his grin.
"Absolutely not!" Tsunade spat angrily. How dare this bastard even suggest such a thing?
Surprisingly, Ebisu took her side in this particular argument. "With all due respect, Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun isn't ready for a mission of this caliber. He needs more training, more time to grow, and more importantly, more experience."
"Exactly!" she agreed. "He's not going."
"I understand what you're saying, Ebisu." Danzo sighed. "But this is a perfect opportunity to gain that experience. And as much as I hate to say it, there's no time to lose. He's going."
"He's not!" Tsunade shouted angrily. "As his personal medic, I declare him unfit for this kind of mission."
"I'm afraid that doesn't matter, Tsunade-Hime." the old fossil said, causing her eyes to widen in outrage.
"You promised!" she hissed in fury. "You gave your word!"
He flinched ever so slightly at that before responding. "I said I'd take you under consideration. I also said within reason."
She opened her mouth -whether to curse or argue, she wasn't sure- only to be overridden.
"He needs this, Tsunade-Hime. He'll soon be called to the frontlines and we owe it to him to prepare him as much as possible." Danzo explained in what he probably thought was a reasonable tone.
"The war isn't going anywhere." she said softly. "It's been two years, if anything were going to come of this Kumo situation, then it would already have happened." She didn't want to accept the thought of her baby going off to war. Not now, not when he was still so young.
"Tsunade," Danzo said with more gentleness then she thought him capable of. "The war has stalled because Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and I have worked to make it so. The court of Kaminari believes we're just steps away from giving in to their demands, but they won't believe that forever. Soon, the fighting will break out. Surely you can see it would be better if Naruto-kun made his first kill in a semi-controlled situation in a friendly nation?"
"There's nothing friendly about Ame no Kuni!" she objected. "Have you forgotten that monster Hanzo!? He's not like any of the other village leaders; he doesn't take orders from his Daimyo. Hanzo is Ame no Kuni!" Was he insane! She couldn't believe he would actually suggest such a thing about Ame. Not when he was there, not when he saw the kind of place Hanzo ruled.
"Which is why this mission is so important." Danzo replied firmly. "Let me come out and say it, Tsunade. If we don't complete this mission, Hanzo won't support us. Without his support when the fighting starts, Iwagakure will certainly take advantage of our distraction. Then, our allies in Kusa and Taki will be forced to get involved, and Suna may or may not come in on our side. This mission is nothing more than the deciding factor between whether we fight a war with Kumo or if we fight beside our allies in the Fourth Great Shinobi War!"
As much as she hated to admit it, Tsunade was actually stunned into silence at that declaration. She had lived through more than one Great War, and she had no desire to see another one. But still, this wasn't about her, this was about her son.
Before she could come up with a counter argument, Ebisu -whom she had actually forgotten was there- spoke up. "If this mission is that important, then that's all the more reason to pick someone more experienced. If Naruto-kun must gain experience, let him do so through some lesser missions, or even by hunting Missing-nin! Forgive me Hokage-sama, but as his sensei I cannot allow Naruto to go on a mission so far beyond his abilities!"
Tsunade blinked in surprise. She had never really liked Ebisu, thinking that he was just another lackey of Danzo's. Of course, the fact that he often spent more time with Naruto than her certainly didn't help. But she had to say, he was definitely endearing himself to her now.
"Enough!" Danzo barked. "This is not a debate. Naruto-kun needs combat experience, and this is the best opportunity we have for it."
"Then at least allow me to go as well!" Ebisu pleaded somewhat desperately. But Tsunade knew the answer before Danzo even opened his mouth.
"No. The team for this mission has already been selected." the old Kage stated.
"Well I'm going regardless of what you say." she growled angrily as she stomped away to track down her son and make sure he was prepared. 'Maybe I could find a suit of armor that would fit him before we leave?' she mused to herself before the old bastard's voice broke through her thoughts.
"That goes without saying of course." he called as she stopped in her tracks.
"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously. Surely he couldn't have planned on this?
"I knew it would be pointless to try to keep you here, and I figured you'd be the best person to keep an eye on Naruto-kun anyway. Make sure you're both in the number five briefing room by 1500." he called over his shoulder as he walked away.
Tsunade grit her teeth angrily, certain she could hear the smug grin in his voice when he said that!
Naruto was confused. Scratch that, he was downright dumbfounded. When Tsunade had found him in the middle of his weapons practice, the woman had been angry. Not only that, but she hadn't even tried to hide it.
Even more, instead of the furious, burning anger he was used to witnessing whenever she lost her temper; her anger had been a cold, almost palpable thing. As she had told him to pack away his things and follow her, Naruto was half certain that she intended to murder someone.
As she all but dragged him down the corridors, Naruto frowned at the almost painfully tight grip she kept on his arm, reminiscent of the time he fell from a tree during his Kinobori no Waza training.
He had only hit a few branches on his way down, and even then Tsunade had quickly caught him before he could fall more than ten feet or so. Yet she had refused to let him go for nearly twenty minutes afterward, even as she was yelling at Ebisu-sensei for "pushing him too hard".
When his subtle, and careful prodding into the cause of her anger was met with nothing other than a "Hush, Naruto-chan." he contented himself with the knowledge that whatever had her so upset, it wasn't something he had done, and as such, he was in no danger.
Of course, he might be slightly biased in that regard, as he always felt…not better, as that implied that he was somehow displeased with his life, but…calmer? Happier? More relaxed? Naruto never could put that feeling into words, and beyond his own curiousness, had never felt the need to try, yet he always felt...something when he was with her.
So he simply enjoyed his "walk" with Tsunade, lengthening his strides to try to match her pace so she didn't have to drag him.
When they had finally reached their destination, Naruto was surprised to find a pair of ANBU guarding the door, as well as the fact that Tsunade came to an abrupt halt at the sight of them.
She had looked like she was about to attack them, only to draw a deep breath and turn around, kneeling in front of him as she did. "Naruto-chan," she said solemnly. "This briefing is very important, so pay close attention. Don't let your mind wander and don't be afraid to ask me questions." she had paused there as if struggling with herself, then simply said "Let's go."
Blinking, Naruto had nodded respectfully to the ANBU and followed Tsunade into the briefing room.
And that was where he found himself now, surrounded by some of the greatest legends Konohagakure had to offer. There was, of course, the Godaime Hokage, Danzo Shimura sitting at a table at the front of the room, reading a scroll -possibly the details of the briefing?
Directly behind the Hokage was a map that seemed to be focused on the northwestern border of Hi no Kuni, as well as the nations of Ame and Kusa no Kuni.
'So, the mission involves Ame or Kusa…and it must be important for Danzo-sama himself to be giving the briefing…' he thought vaguely as he stared in awe at the other legends in the room.
'Holy shit, that's Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage! It's the Kami no Shinobi himself!' he thought as he stared at the old man in awe. He was dressed in robes that marked him as a village elder, and was smoking from a pipe, smiling slightly with a kind look in his eyes with a hint of steel underneath the surface.
Next to him stood a grim looking Jiraiya of Sannin. Just looking at the man caused Naruto's awe drop sharply. While he knew the man was incredibly powerful in his own right, not to mention being one of, if not the best Fuuinjutsu user in Konoha, the two of them didn't have the best track record when it came to getting along.
This stemmed from some accusations the man had made years ago, which Naruto had taken quite personal, as well as the fact that the man was a self-proclaimed "super pervert" and he was constantly trying to sweet talk Tsunade and Shizune. And Naruto did not like that. Not. One. Bit.
Wanting to avoid dredging up the past just before such an important briefing, Naruto shook his head and turned to the final male in the room.
He was an apathetic looking man with spiky gray hair, dressed in ANBU armor, though he lacked the organization's trademark mask, replacing it with a cloth mask that covered everything below his eyes, and even one of them was covered by the man's slanted Hitae-ate.
And last -but certainly not least in his unbiased opinion- was Tsunade herself, sitting in the chair next to him, staring angrily straight ahead for the most part, yet occasionally sending glances at him that were filled with…fear? No, that couldn't be right. Tsunade was many things, but never afraid.
So what was it then? If it wasn't fear, then it must be worry, right? Only, what could she possibly be worrying about him for?
Granted, Tsunade often worried about him, stating that it was "her job" whenever Naruto asked.
Then it hit him like a sledgehammer. She didn't think he was qualified to be there. She thought he was too…too weak to go on this mission whatever it was.
At first that made him angry. Then he took a glance at who else was going on the mission, and suddenly deflated. Considering who else was going, she was probably right. After all, he was on a team made up of some of the greatest legends Konoha had ever produced, whereas he and the other guy were just…wait a minute, who was the other guy?
Heartened by the thought that he might not be the weakest person in the room, Naruto tugged on the sleeve of Tsunade's coat to get her attention. "Hey Tsunade," he said quietly when she turned to look down at him. "Who's the guy in the mask?"
She blinked, glanced over at the man in question and then answered, "Kakashi Hatake."
'Oh…' Naruto mentally wilted at that. The Copy-Nin, Kakashi Hatake, student of the Yondaime, Jounin at thirteen, war hero, and star of the ANBU Black Ops, not to mention being an ANBU Captain himself. 'Well, so much for not being the only non-legend in the room.' he thought glumly as he released Tsunade and stared forward pensively.
Tsunade frowned at him, glanced back over at Kakashi -who was seated near Jiraiya and the Sandaime- then put a comforting arm around his shoulders. "It's ok, Naruto-chan," she said with a gentle smile. "I know you'll do just fine. I believe in you."
Naruto felt much better, both from the physical contact and her reassurances. He never understood how she could so easily pinpoint whatever happened to be troubling him, but in this one instance, he was glad for her usually annoying mind-reading ability.
"Let's get started." Danzo's voice suddenly called out, jarring him from his thoughts.
Sitting up straight, Naruto steeled himself for the coming briefing, as well as the mission that would follow. He would do what he was trained to do, what he was made to do. He would do his duty, and he would successfully perform the mission. Tsunade had said so.
Danzo made a show of studying the scroll in front on him, while subtly studying those in the room.
Sarutobi, as would be expected of a former Hokage, was calm and collected, patiently awaiting orders from his "superior". Danzo couldn't help but wonder which of them would win in a fight, what with him being stuck behind a desk for most of the last seven years.
Still, at least the old monkey was there, willing to partake in the mission that, technically speaking, he should be exempt from. And all it had cost Danzo was the life of one traitor.
Flashback
"Hokage-sama?" his secretary's voice called from outside his office.
"Enter." Danzo called as he rolled up the scroll he had been writing in. Glancing up when she entered, Danzo nodded in for her to speak.
"Sandaime-sama is requesting to speak with you." she informed him. "Should I ask him to come by later?"
Blinking his one good eye, Danzo glanced in surprise at the scroll he had been working on. The scroll was a summons to the very man waiting outside his office. 'Could he have…no…I'm certain there was no one other than Taka and myself who was close enough to spy on the meeting with Hanzo…unless Taka was the one…' Danzo mentally frowned. Taka was one of the admittedly many ANBU who was both not a member of ROOT, and had served under Sarutobi.
And Danzo wasn't stupid enough to believe that Sarutobi didn't still command the loyalty of many of the ANBU. After all, Danzo himself had possessed more than a few official ANBU in his service over the last forty to fifty years.
The question was, which ones were still working for Sarutobi?
All of this passed through his head in the instant it took him to glance at the scroll and look back to his secretary. "Send him in, please. Also, I'd appreciate some tea if it's not too much trouble."
"Of course, Hokage-sama." she replied with a bow before asking, "Is there any particular flavor you'd like?"
He paused for only a moment before deciding to focus on the coming meeting. "Surprise me." he answered as he put away some of the more sensitive documents on his desk.
Moments later, a grim-faced Sarutobi took a seat, a scroll clutched in his own hand, and a slightly triumphant look slipping through his grim mask.
"Sarutobi," Danzo greeted as his secretary placed the tea on his desk and left them alone. "I was just about to summon you."
He wouldn't have seen the brief look of surprise cross his predecessor's face if he hadn't been looking for it, and that helped to ease Danzo's paranoia slightly.
"What fortunate timing then." Sarutobi said with a hint of smugness. "If it's all the same to you, my business will only take a moment. After all, I'm just here to inform you as to Anko-chan's fate."
Blinking in surprise, Danzo frowned at his old rival's words.
Anko Mitarashi, missing-nin and apprentice to Orochimaru, had been discovered by an ANBU team on a mission in Umi no Kuni nearly a year ago. The Chuunin had disappeared along with Orochimaru when he defected seven years ago, and had been entered into the Bingo book as an A rank missing-nin, wanted dead or alive.
Not that she had been a particularly powerful ninja at the time of her defection, having only been a rookie Chuunin at the time. Still, she was Orochimaru's apprentice, fanatically loyal to the man, and she showed signs of being able to go far under Konoha's standards, not to mention what she could do with any of the Kinjutsu Orochimaru possessed.
So imagine his surprise when one of his ANBU teams brought her in, weak and shivering like a new born puppy, and professing to have no knowledge of what she was doing in Umi no Kuni, and only bits and pieces of her time with Orochimaru following his defection.
Unfortunately, her claims of amnesia proved true, when no one, not Inoichi Yamanaka himself, nor Tsunade using the latest Ijutsu, could restore the girl's memories. What little they could get from the girl was either unhelpful, or downright disturbing.
Anko claimed that she hadn't intended to defect, that she was told by Orochimaru that they had a mission that would take them from the village for some time. She of course, had believed the man and left with him, supposedly unaware of his crimes beneath the streets of Konoha.
What she could tell them of Orochimaru's activities were both disturbing, and were limited to Umi no Kuni. According to her, Orochimaru had left the country frequently, rarely telling her where he was going or what he was doing, though often reassuring her that the Hokage had authorized what they were doing.
Namely, the human experimentation that he performed, sometimes with her help.
But perhaps the most interesting piece of information was the Juinjutsu Orochimaru had placed on her neck. According to the girl, Orochimaru had placed the "Ten no Juin" on her and nine others as part of some experiment. She also claimed to be the only one to survive the process. When prodded on what the "Curse Mark" actually did, the girl professed not to know, though agonizing pain seemed to be a side effect.
Tests conducted by himself, Sarutobi, and Jiraiya revealed little of the Ten no Juin's design or purpose, but they did discover that it seemed to be defective in some way, and possessed plenty of side effects. The girl's ability to control her chakra was reduced to almost nothing, as any attempt to channel it caused her crippling pain. It seemed possible that she could eventually regain her abilities through intense, trial and error training, but it was obvious that she would never be able to reach Jounin level.
Perhaps the oddest thing to hear was why she wasn't with Orochimaru any longer. The girl claimed that the Snake Sannin had abandoned her after she survived his experiment, stating that she "lacked the drive for power". Whatever that was supposed to mean.
Not that any of it mattered as, considering her crimes, Danzo had every intention to have her executed once they were sure she couldn't tell them anymore. After all, even if she was telling them the truth, the girl was dangerous, -"tainted" as some of the more zealous villagers put it- by her time spent with Orochimaru.
And while Danzo wouldn't use such fanatical terms, the possibility of her being a spy or sleeper agent for the Snake Sannin was there. And despite the very real possibility that the girl didn't know the man's crimes, she had still betrayed the village, intentionally or not. Besides, who knew what could have happened in those four years she was gone? Could anyone really say that it wasn't possible for her to have been swayed to Orochimaru's way of thinking?
However, Sarutobi had taken pity on the girl, no doubt feeling some measure of guilt over his student's crimes, as well as the fact that he was responsible for handing the girl over to the rogue Sannin. He had asked for clemency, and for the chance for Anko to prove her loyalty.
Danzo refused naturally, and Sarutobi hadn't taken that lying down. For the first time since he became Hokage, Danzo felt the full force of Sarutobi's political power. He was shocked to say the least. The man had far more support than Danzo gave him credit for, especially after being "retired" for seven years. In fact, it appeared that Danzo had actually helped the man by putting him in charge of maintaining the various alliances that Konoha possessed. And while Sarutobi didn't have enough sway to get the girl released, he did have enough to get the girl placed under house arrest and observation for the one year.
A ploy that Danzo was forced to accept in order to gather his own influence, and that Sarutobi no doubt put forward to buy himself time.
"Oh really?" he asked skeptically. "And just what fate would that be?"
"I, Hiruzen of the Sarutobi clan, have decided to invoke the right of the Doom of Tobirama on behalf of Anko Mitarashi." the balding man declared formally as he placed the scroll on Danzo's desk.
Danzo for his part blinked in confusion, before unrolling the scroll, trying to remember why that right sounded so familiar. After reading the scroll, he raised an eyebrow at Sarutobi in surprise.
It was a very old law, dating back to the Shodai's time, when the creation of the Forbidden Scroll of Seals first came about. Naturally, there were those who either rejected the Hokage's right to label and restrict Kinjutsu, and occasionally there were those who didn't know they were practicing a forbidden art. Considering that the punishment for using a Kinjutsu was death, this caused quite a problem.
The Doom of Tobirama, as the law eventually came to be called, gave other shinobi -usually a family member- the right to step in and place the perpetrator on a sort of parole or suspended sentence.
They'd be watched closely, but as long as they never used a Kinjutsu they'd be left more or less alone. If they did ever use a Kinjutsu however, they and their benefactor would be executed immediately, no trial, no appeals.
As time went on, particularly before and during the First Great Shinobi War, the law was adapted to include former members of enemy villages and clans, and expanded to include all of the laws of Konoha, rather than just Kinjutsu, allowing them to be recruited into the village while reducing the general suspicion of the village.
Finally, in the years after the First Great War, it was adapted once more to include the entirety of Konoha and its laws.
Danzo frowned as he finally remembered all of the details involved. But that law hadn't been invoked since just prior to the Second Great Shinobi War, so it was no surprise that he had forgotten about it.
Still, he kept his surprise under control long enough to retort. "So, you wish to take responsibility for the Snake's apprentice? And why should I allow that?"
"You don't have a choice." Sarutobi said grimly. "It is my right, and we both know I have the power to make it so."
Danzo didn't bother to point out that he could have Anko killed before Sarutobi could "make it so". They both already knew that. No, the question was, did Danzo want to allow this?
On the one hand, if Anko did prove to be a threat, then the blame for her actions would fall on Sarutobi, crippling his political power. On the other hand, if Anko proved to be a threat, Sarutobi would die with her. That wasn't something he wanted, regardless of how much trouble the man might cause him.
The Kami no Shinobi was a powerful asset, even in retirement. Losing him to something like the Doom would be a serious blow to Konoha's image and ability to project strength. Particularly when the war with Kumo could escalate any day.
Mind racing, Danzo considered all the possible benefits and dangers, and then mentally nodded. "Very well Sarutobi. I'll allow you to take Anko under your wing. But there are conditions."
"I assumed there would be." Sarutobi shrugged. "What do you want in exchange?"
"Firstly, I want any and all updates on her progress, as well as anything that happens with the Ten no Juin. Obviously she'll be watched closely by the ANBU. Finally, I have a mission that requires your presence. If I let you do this, you'll go through with this mission, despite any misgivings you might have." Danzo explained quickly and succinctly. "Agreed?"
To his credit, Sarutobi only hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Agreed."
Flashback Ends
No, it hadn't cost him much at all, and if Anko did turn out to be a traitor, Sarutobi would deal with her personally. Probably. After all, Sarutobi had no love for traitors, and Orochimaru was the exception.
And if Anko were to die by Sarutobi's hand…well…Danzo could probably find some legal excuse to avoid killing him.
Or make one. He was the Hokage after all.
Turning his attention to the one most likely to cause problems on this particular mission, Danzo observed Jiraiya. Learning of the man's activities in Ame no Kuni had been disturbing to say the least, but the man's assertion that his former students were dead, lessened his worries somewhat. Though he wished the man would have had the foresight to bring the Rinnegan user back, at least the Sannin hadn't taught them any of Konoha's Hijutsu. That could have been disastrous.
Mentally shaking his head at the Toad Sannin, Danzo let his gaze slide past Kakashi and Tsunade, both of whom were quite easy to convince to take part, and settled on the one that he was concerned most about.
Young Naruto was Konoha's ace in the hole, the one who maintained balance between the greater villages just through his existence. Konoha's only Jinchuuriki, Naruto had taken the revelation surprisingly well.
Flashback, two years ago…
"Naruto-kun, Tsunade-Hime, please, have a seat." Danzo requested calmly. As the two did so, he studied their faces. Naruto didn't know what they had been summoned for, and his confusion, while hidden well for one his age, was visible to Danzo's eye.
Tsunade on the other hand, was much more difficult to read, yet he could guess how she must be feeling. After all, it's not every day that a mother has to explain to her son -even if he doesn't know that- that the most powerful Bijuu was sealed inside him on the day he was born.
"Naruto-kun," Danzo continued once they were seated. "What I'm about to tell you is extremely important. I want you to promise me that you'll listen to the entire explanation before you make any judgments. Can you do that?"
To his credit, the boy in question blinked in confusion only once, before nodding his head and focusing all of his attention on him.
Glancing at Tsunade, Danzo met her eyes and easily read the message in them. "Don't you dare fuck this up, or I'll kill you".
"Well Naruto-kun," he began carefully. "What I'm about to tell you is an S rank secret. As such, you are not allowed to discuss it with anyone who doesn't already know. Do you understand?"
"Hai Hokage-sama." Naruto nodded sharply.
"Very well," Danzo continued. "As you know, seven years ago, on October Seventh, the village was attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. We don't know why, but that's a conversation for another time." He paused there for a moment, wondering once again whether this was a good idea or not. Something like this could be devastating to a small child, and despite how much he might deny it in public, Naruto was a small child. Should he really force the boy to try to deal with the shock of his "condition" added on top of trying to increase his control over the Kyuubi's chakra?
Balancing all that he knew about the world's current situation, it certainly seemed to be better to go through with it. But he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps, just this one time he should choose what's best for the individual over what was best for the village.
He always tried to find the solution that would benefit both, and Danzo could never truly forgive himself for the times when he failed, and he sacrificed the one. Many of those times, it had turned out the best for the village. But rarely had it turned out even remotely well for the poor soul who got sacrificed.
Would it be better to spare Naruto this burden? It wouldn't necessarily cause harm to the village, and the boy would still be a powerful asset.
But Danzo knew he couldn't do that. He had never been able to not put the village first, not even when he desperately wanted to. And no matter how fond he was of Naruto, he knew he couldn't do it this time either.
The boy wasn't like a surrogate grandson or anything like that, but he had to admit, he genuinely admired the small blond. No matter how hard he was pushed, nor how much of his innocence was stripped away by his training, the boy never once considered refusing. He had far too much heart for that. If anything, Danzo worried that there wasn't anything the boy wouldn't do for those things he held dear.
'He can take it.' Danzo reassured himself. Who knows, maybe this would all turn out for the best for both Naruto and for the village.
Steeling himself, Danzo pressed on. "What is important is how the Yondaime was able to stop the Kyuubi. He did this by sacrificing his life to seal away the beast inside a newborn child. That child became what is called a Jinchuuriki." He paused there for a moment to explain the purpose of Jinchuuriki. "There can only ever be nine Jinchuuriki in existence at any given time. They are considered to be invaluable weapons during war, and during peace they act as a powerful deterrent against aggression. In fact, the current balance of power depends heavily on them." Danzo paused again as the boy took in the information, but it seemed he hadn't quite made the connection yet. "That child, Naruto-kun, was you."
To his credit, Naruto's only outward reactions were a single blink, followed by a widening of the eyes and a slight increase in his breathing. Yet beyond that, his facial expressions and body posture remained the same. Very good for a five year old.
"Now, I imagine you have some questions, and I'll do my best to answer them." Danzo promised.
Danzo watched as Naruto closed his eyes, no doubt trying to arrange his thoughts into something more manageable. A bad habit to have on the battlefield, but he could let it slide this time.
"The markings," Naruto began slowly. "That cover my body…are they a part of the seal?"
Danzo shook his head. "No, they're a part of a different seal matrix all together. One that I put on you." He saw the look of confusion in the boy's eyes -as well as the one of loathing in his mother's- and hurried to continue. "It's a security measure only, a precaution in case you ever lose control. You must understand, Naruto-kun" Rubbing at the bridge of his nose, he sighed tiredly. "The sheer damage and terror that is unleashed when a Jinchuuriki goes on a rampage. It's catastrophic. The seal that covers your body is the one of the only reliable methods we have to stop such rampage without killing the Jinchuuriki. Do you understand?"
Naruto was silent for a full minute, and Danzo let him think. It was important that Naruto come to terms with this on his own, that he accept the seal for what it was. If they had to convince him of it, the boy would always hold that seed of doubt and mistrust, and that was unacceptable.
Still, he couldn't deny that he was somewhat worried. They really couldn't afford for Naruto to take this badly. Both for his own sense of self-worth, and for the importance he played to Konoha and Hi no Kuni.
Finally, Naruto nodded. "Yeah…I can't say that I understand the risks since I've never even heard of Jinchuuriki before today but…you are the Hokage, so I'm sure you're more experienced in these things then I could ever be…so I guess I can understand why you put these mar-er, seals on me."
Danzo mentally sighed in relief. That went better than he had expected, almost as well as he had hoped. Of course, Tsunade's reassuring hand rubbing on Naruto's back probably helped, especially with the calming effect Tsunade always had on the younger Senju. Not that Naruto knew that piece of information.
"I'm glad you understand, Naruto-kun." Danzo said with a smile. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
Naruto glanced from him to Tsunade and back before asking "Why me?"
Danzo didn't bother to hold in the sigh this time. "Honestly? We don't know Naruto-kun. The Yondaime could have used almost anyone as the Jinchuuriki, even himself if he hadn't resorted to the Shiki Fuujin. I didn't even know he had chosen you until after he was dead and the Kyuubi sealed."
Naruto tried to hide it, but he was hundred years too young to be able to fool him. Danzo easily picked up on the boy's disappointment at the answer to his question. Leaning forward, Danzo placed a hand of his own on the young Jinchuuriki's shoulder.
"I might not know why he chose you, Naruto-kun," he said as gently as he could, squeezing his shoulder lightly as he could. "But I do know that the Yondaime wouldn't have picked you at random, that he had a reason why he chose you over everyone else. And just like he believed in you, so too do I."
He could almost feel the boy's feelings of pride and gratitude at the acknowledgement and statement of faith. Now, there was just one more question the boy should arrive at. The clues were all there, Naruto just had to piece them together.
Almost as if he could hear his thoughts, Naruto frowned. "But, you must have a reason why you're telling me now, Hokage-sama."
'Good boy.' Danzo thought. It was good to see that the boy could connect details and predict where things should be going when given the small clues.
"You're right of course." Danzo nodded amicably. "The reason we're telling you now is because you're going to start training with the Kyuubi's chakra in one week."
"And you want me to get used to the knowledge of my…condition…so it doesn't affect my concentration during what's sure to be dangerous training." Naruto finished.
Both Danzo and Tsunade were pleased, and surprised respectively at the boy's professionalism and quick thinking.
Nodding, Danzo spoke with Naruto for another twenty minutes before sending the young boy on his way. Once he had left, Tsunade remained behind long enough to quietly promise. "If anything happens to him because of this training with the Kyuubi's chakra, I'll kill you."
As she walked out the door, Danzo couldn't help but think how much he preferred her angry, raging threats to that coldly quiet one.
Less than two weeks later, Danzo was reading a report disbelievingly. Saying that Naruto's progress on controlling the Kyuubi was going well would be like saying Sarutobi was a decent ninja.
Naruto had blown away everyone's expectations. Not only did he learn how to draw out the demon's chakra, he did it in only five days! But that wasn't all. The boy was already able to draw out and control an entire "tail's" worth of the Bijuu's chakra and he showed no signs of struggling with it. And that was only in two weeks!
Obviously, Danzo, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were shocked, wondering how such a thing was possible. He and Jiraiya had spent hours pouring over Naruto's seal, checking to see if it had somehow weakened over the years without anyone noticing.
But it was fine. In fact, it might as well have been put on Naruto just yesterday for all the wear and tear it had.
It was Tsunade who came up with a possible answer. An answer that had Danzo slamming his head against his desk, figuratively speaking. She believed, and had even found some evidence supporting, that Naruto had inherited some specific genetic traits from the Shodai, Hashirama Senju.
No one was certain what it was that gave the Shodai his Mokuton, or his ability to suppress and control Bijuu. The man had been quite secretive about his abilities, like most clans and bloodline users. So there wasn't much on record about it.
In fact, most of what they did know came from examinations performed on an ANBU named Tenzo.
Tenzo had the unfortunate luck of being one of Orochimaru's many test subjects. He also happened to be one of the few survivors who walked away with something more than scars and nightmares.
Tenzo's particular case involved Orochimaru trying to splice the DNA of the Shodai into sixty infants. And Tenzo happened to be the only one who survived the process, gaining a weaker, watered down version of the Shodai's Mokuton and Bijuu suppression abilities mixed into his own DNA sequence.
So while they hadn't learned much about how they worked, they did get enough to be able to match it to pieces of DNA in both Tsunade, and Naruto. More so in Naruto than in Tsunade.
And while Naruto hadn't shown any signs of being able to use the Mokuton, the suppression ability could be the reason for Naruto's uncanny ease working with the Kyuubi's chakra, and would also explain the less than expected interference from the Bijuu when it came to his chakra control.
Added to that, was Tsunade's gloating look when she showed him the reports, supporting her theory, as well as her belief that a sudden manifestation of the Mokuton would be undeniable proof as to Naruto's heritage. That would bypass the whole "amnesia" thing, which of course, suited her just fine.
And perhaps worst of all, Fuu had confirmed that it was possible that something more than just memories had been locked away when he used his jutsu on the boy. Something that might be crucial to unlocking a bloodline. And there wasn't a damned thing they could do about it.
As important as the Mokuton could be, the best option for bringing it out would be to send Fuu back into Naruto's mind to try and bring out the missing pieces, without unlocking the boy's memories.
A difficult and dangerous prospect to say the least.
Sighing, he signed the forms to have some more tests run.
Flashback Ends
Yes, Naruto had come far since those days, extending his control over the Kyuubi to the point where he could control three tail's worth of chakra. Unfortunately, with the declarations of war between Konoha and Kumo, they had to cut back on that training in order to increase Naruto's battle capacity.
In fact, the only thing he was lacking was real-life combat experience. Which was why he was going on this mission. After all, it wasn't like he had a rebellion of his own that he could unleash the boy on. So this was the best he could do for him.
Deciding he'd waited long enough, Danzo decided to start the meeting.
"Let's get started." Danzo called out as he closed the scroll in front of him.
Translations:
Hebi=Snake
Tori=Bird
Tora=Tiger
Taka=Hawk
Kunai Kage Bunshin=Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu. An A rank jutsu.
Tsuchi Bunshin=Earth Clone. I couldn't find any official ranking for this one, so we'll call it a C rank, based on the other clone techniques.
Umi no Kuni=Land of Sea
Sanshouo Hanzo=Salamander Hanzo
Kinobori no Waza=Act of Tree Climbing
Ten no Juin=Cursed Seal of Heaven
AN: Not much this time around. Some of you may have picked up on the Dresden Files reference. I obviously adapted the idea to fit the Naruto universe, but I left the name as is because I honestly couldn't think of a better name. Any suggestions on that would be greatly appreciated. As always, any reviews, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcome.
Peace, Vaan.