Hey everyone, I am back with a new chapter :) I also want to wish you guys all a very happy valentines day
And now its time for my favorite part, responding to reviews!
Slop Doggy - Thanks for the review, i hope that you enjoy the new chapter :)
Gravenimage - Thanks for the review, please enjoy chapter 35 :D
Azazel Kingetsu A.K.A Aza-chan - Thanks for the review, and yes, i enjoyed portraying a 5 year old Tsunade :P was much fun, hope you enjoy the new chapter :)
Delran - Thanks for the review, and it could very well be the very first ninja wars between the great nations ;) only one way to find out :P hope you like the new chapter
RairyuuBlade - Thanks for the review, and yes, it was a fun experience to be a beta tester, however i don't think everyone who was in the beta understood what it meant to be a beta tester, you had the ones complaining about bugs and server down time and how they weren't able to play the game :P oh well, i had fun at least, and found some bugs! :D well i hope you enjoy the new chapter
quintupledots915 - Thanks for the review, and we only have about one month and a few weeks left of winter, YAY! so hang in there :) least we didn't get a lot of snow this year "We = New Brunswick"
dragonshaun9 - Thanks for the review, and YES Thank you for pointing that out, it was a big mistake, i did a post new chapter instead of replace existing chapter when i was fixing up some typos :P i apologize for that
MiseryluvsDeath - Thanks for the review, and hope you continue to enjoy the story with this new chapter :)
xzavx - Thanks for the review, and lol, thing is, if you kill me, the chapters will stop coming all together :P
Well that's everyone, I am still sad that i lost some of my old reviewers, it would be nice to know if there still reading or if they stopped liking my story :(
anyway, without further delay, or snow storms, i give you chapter 35!
Historical Bonds
Chapter 35
IN THE PAST
Everything was quiet in the Namikaze estate, Tsunade and Danzo were sleeping soundly in their beds. Nami was checking up on them, she stared at them from the door as they slept "They look so peaceful" she thought to herself as she closed the door "And very soon, we will have a family of our own" Nami thought happily as she returned to their room. She opened the door and turned on the light, the bed was still empty. She let out a small sigh thinking about Masaki, the news Hashirama had given him had really hurt him.
Masaki was sitting on a tree branch and staring at the stars in the night sky behind the Namikaze mansion. He was deep in thought, who could have framed him and why? Although one name came to mind
Nami was staring at him from bellow; she knew that he was hurting inside and it was breaking her heart. She jumped from tree branch to tree branch until she had reached him, she sat on the tree branch next to him, it was enough to get his attention "Are you alright?" she asked concerned
He put on a smile for her "Yeah… I am just still shocked at the news…" he told her. Nami could tell that he was forcing himself to smile, she took his hand into her own and held on, Masaki turned his head to look at her. She was a true vision of beauty, he smiled at her but this time for real "Thanks Nami, I don't know what I would do without you" He told her as he stared into her emerald green eyes
She smiled back at him "And I don't know what I would do without you" she answered back as she stared into his deep blue eyes "Masaki… I have something to tell you" she said in a serious tone as she looked up at the moon shining brightly
Masaki suddenly became concerned at Nami's sudden change in expression "What is it?" he asked her. Nami didn't answer right away. She was actually debating if now was really the best time to tell him, with everything that's happened to him tonight, they had never really seriously talked about having children, although she knew that they both did want them "Nami?" Masaki asked as he was getting scared at the pause
"Today… At the hospital the doctor told me…" She once again paused
Nami now had Masaki's full attention, he was beginning to fear that it could be bad news; why else would she be pausing? "Nami?..." he once again asked as she looked like she was lost in her own thoughts
She began to stare at her stomach and used her other hand to caress it "Masaki, I am…. Pregnant" She was finally able to say it
Masaki was speechless; his earlier troubles didn't seem as pressing anymore. He held her hand even tighter as he pulled her to his branch; she was now sitting in front of him "That is great news!" He said as he hugged her tightly
Nami wrapped her own arms around him as she hugged back, Masaki then began to kiss her passionately, when they finally parted their lips he put his hand on top of Nami's hand as they felt her stomach together "Masaki… I love you" she told him
"And I love you too" He answered her almost instantly
The next morning Nami woke up, she felt around to try and find Masaki but his side of the bed was empty. She sat up and looked around the room, the sun had risen outside, she looked at the time and noticed that it was just past eight. She normally would wake up before six "Masaki must be gone to train Danzo by now…" she thought sadly to herself, she let out a small sigh as she got out of bed and decided to take a shower. Today was going to be a big day, Masaki would be facing the very council that he was a part of himself, although she knew that he was innocent they are still going to want to ask him questions, and she would be there to support him
She exited the shower and got dressed, she realized that her clothes were starting to feel tight on her. She would need to get herself some maternity clothing because she wasn't going to be fitting in her old clothes for very much longer. Suddenly she began to smell something, it almost smelled like "…Banana Pancakes?!" she said as she quickly exited the room and made her way to the kitchen
Masaki was flipping a pancake while keeping an eye on the bacon, it wasn't a traditional Konoha breakfast, actually, it was a night country traditional breakfast. However it became Nami's favorite when he cooked it for her once. He heard someone enter the kitchen and knew that it could only be her "Good morning sleepy head" he said with a bright smile
"Masaki?!" She asked confused as to why he was still here "Aren't you suppose to be training Danzo?"
"I decided that we were going to take a break, for many reasons…" He answered her
"I could tell that Sensei was not in the mind set for training today with everything that's happened last night, and then he informed me about you. So I suggested that we take today off" Danzo said with a bright smile as he got the toasts ready
"And I helped set up the table!" Tsunade said cheerfully happy to also be helping "I don't know what they are making, but it smells yummy!"
Nami couldn't believe the trouble they all went through just for her "Thanks guys…" She said feeling embarrassed
Both Masaki and Danzo smiled as everyone sat down to eat
Meanwhile at the fire tower the council had already convened for their meeting. Although Masaki was also a part of the council as a founding member of Konoha, he would normally be too busy with other matters to attend such as being on a mission or dealing with the ANBU, unless it was very important and had the issue not been about him, then he would have been asked to attend
"Why wasn't Masaki arrested as we agreed!" one of the council members asked
"Because he did not commit the crimes that he is being accused of!" Hashirama answered
"With all due respect Hokage Sama, but that is something for the police force to determine" the man responded
"Perhaps your friendship with him is clouding your judgment my lord" Another stated
Tobirama got up instantly "HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE MY BROTHER OF ALLOWING PERSONAL FEELINGS AFFECT HIS DECISIONS REGARDING KONOHA!" he said in anger
"Calm down Tobi" Hashirama told his younger brother "There was immediate evidence that he was not the one to have committed the crime" Hashirama responded calmly
"What kind of evidence?" another asked
"Multiple witnesses and statements all placing Masaki here during the crime, making it impossible for him to be the one"
"And you conducted the investigation yourself? Do you not think that because of your friendship with the suspect that…"
But before he could even finish "No, the head of the Konoha Police force conducted the investigation" Hashirama answered
"How is that possible? How could there have been enough time to conduct a full and thorough investigation?"
"You can ask him yourself, please allow the captain in" Hashirama told the guards
They opened the doors as the head of the Konoha Police force walked in; he had raven black hair and eyes just as black, as was common for Uchiha's. He bowed in respect of the council "Thank you for allowing me to speak directly to the council my lord" The young man stated "I was with the Hokage last night when we went to arrest the suspect, and I assure you that we went there with the intentions of arresting him. However there was a young boy there that testified being with Masaki the entire day training together, that alone gave Masaki a good alibi, and I agreed with the Hokage's decision to hold off on arresting Masaki right away" the man stated
"But you cannot declare someone innocent from just the one witness!" One of the council members stated
"No of course not, I wouldn't be a good officer if I would conduct such a sloppy investigation. Since Masaki is a council member, and a founding member of Konoha, I made it my priority to solve this case as fast as possible. With the Hokage's blessing, I used every free officer at my disposal to conduct the investigation. We spent the past fourteen hours questioning multiple Konoha citizens, we retrace the places that the boy said they had been during the day, everything checked out. Every story connected and fell into place, I am very confident in my findings, Namikaze Masaki is innocent" The man told them all
"I still believe that this investigation seemed rushed" The councilman stated
Akito got up "ENOUGH! Why are you trying so hard to have the boy found guilty? From everything I have heard here, I agree that he is innocent!"
"The man saved your son's life Sarutobi, you are hardly impartial in the matter" the councilman stated
"And doesn't that say something about who the boy really is?! He risked his life to save both Hiruzen and Kayoko, he didn't think twice!" Akito responded, having a hard time at keeping from killing the man
"He is a founding member of this village and a fellow council member, out of all of us, he may have worked the hardest to build this village. He has shown nothing but loyalty towards us, he risks his life on a daily basis for us. He almost died on his last mission! Yet some other nation comes to us and accuses him of killing one of their own and we are ready to throw him to the wolves?!" Tobirama said joining Akito in defying the councilman "What if they accuse you next? Would you wish for us to just hand you over to them?" He added "What kind of country are we if we don't defend out own citizens? How can the people trust us if we simply bow to every demand, every story the other nations give us!" he added
The councilman felt ashamed "It is not that I want him to be guilty… But if he isn't and we do nothing, then it could mean war. Are we ready for that?" The councilman stated
Hashirama got up "We cannot fold every time another nation demands something from us, I agree that if there is a peaceful solution to resolve the issue, we should pursue it, but we will not be handing over Masaki to them, and if that is unacceptable, then we will defend ourselves"
"Agreed!" Tobirama said alongside his brother
"Agreed!" Akito said standing by his Hokage
One by one the other council members agreed
IN THE PRESENT
The sun was rising in the sky as Sakura was staring in the direction of the demon country; it had been a few days since Naruto had been captured and Toshiro and Itachi went in to rescue him, but in only two days they would be leaving as instructed by Toshiro. A tear was slowly dripping down her cheek at the thought of having to abandon her soul mate
Konohamaru walked up to her, it was breaking his heart to see his big sister in such a state "Sakura Nee-Chan… You should eat, it's not good for you or the baby if you skip your meals" He told her
Sakura continued to stare in the distance "Don't worry, I will eat something, I just wanted some fresh air first" She said as she turned around to face him with a fake smile
But Konohamaru knew that she was lying "Nee-Chan, you know that if you give me the order, I will go get him… Team Naruto is ready to leave at any time!" Konohamaru told her
Sakura gave him a faint smile, but it was a genuine smile "No, I cannot ask for more people to risk their lives, if Toshiro and Itachi can't do it..." but she didn't finish her sentence, she didn't even want to think about them failing and perhaps even fall into enemy hands themselves, no, she had to be optimistic, they were going to make it
"Yes Nee-Chan… But please go eat breakfast; I will stay here in your place"
Without warning Sakura hugged him tightly "Thanks Konohamaru, for being there for me" She said as she cried in his arms, knowing that she could trust Konohamaru
He wrapped his own arms around her to comfort her "You and Nii-San have always been there for me… So it's only natural that I be there for you, now go go eat something, please!" Konohamaru once again requested
Sakura wiped away her tears with her hand "Alright, I am going" She answered him
Sakura began to walk away as Konohamaru took her place to keep an eye out for Naruto; suddenly he thought he saw something move in the distance "Sakura Nee-Chan, wait!" he told her
Sakura immediately stopped and turned around "What is it?" She asked
"Something is coming this way… I can't make it out yet but… Wait, yes, it's them!" Konohamaru finally said
Sakura ran to his side to see it for herself, her eyes lit up when she saw Naruto leading the group. She began to run out to meet him "NARUTO!" She screamed out as tears of happiness were streaming down her face, it was him he was alive and he was back. As he got closer she noticed that he was carrying someone who seemed unconscious, a young girl. As she reached him he shockingly continued running past her along with Itachi, Hamako and Hiyori
Toshiro stopped; he looked exhausted "Lady Sakura… Naruto told me to apologies for him, but time is of the essence, Ino's life is hanging in the balance and possibly Suzu's as well" He said as he allowed himself to fall down to rest
"What happened?" Sakura asked
"Ino's mind is slowly being integrated into Suzu's mind, it must be affecting Suzu as well because she lost consciousness yesterday, and before that she began acting strange, for some reason the only person she would allow to even touch her was Naruto, she never left his side even when we stopped to rest"
"But Ino is still in there right?" Sakura asked concerned for her best friend
"Yes, Itachi was able to talk to her using his abilities to connect to her mind, Ino said that she would need to be in physical contact with her body in order to return, that is why they must get her to Ino right away" Toshiro explained
Sakura was in shock, she turned around and began running towards where they had been keeping Ino, Toshiro forced his body back up and followed her
She arrived and saw that Naruto had laid Suzu down next to Ino "Did it work!?" Naruto asked Itachi
"I don't know, nothing seems to have changed"
"Could we have arrived too late?" Hiyori asked
"No, I refuse to accept that possibility, Itachi, isn't there anything you can do?" Naruto asked him
"The only way to get any answers is by going inside her mind again" He answered him
"But won't that be dangerous?"
"It would indeed, but it is a risk I am willing to take my lord" Itachi told him
"… I will not force you to do this, but if you wish it then please, do what you can" Naruto answered
"Very well, open her eyes, my sharingan needs to be in direct contact with her eyes for my power to work" He instructed him
Naruto gently opened Suzu's eyes as Itachi activated his Sharingan, he found himself inside Suzu's mind once again. He looked around, there seemed to be storm clouds as it rained heavily along with bolts of lighting, it seemed like Suzu's mind was in complete chaos "I have to find Ino…" He said as he began searching, he saw a body laying on the ground. He quickly ran towards it. It seemed to be Suzu's inner child, the form that he had first made contact with before. However something was wrong, her hair was no longer completely pink; it was a mix of pink and blond hair "Suzu! Wake up, please Suzu!" Itachi said as he held her up on his knee
Her eyes slowly opened, Itachi noticed that they were no longer yellow, but green, it would appear that Ino's memory was not only merging with Suzu's, it was rewriting her entire DNA coding. Something that he would have never thought possible, at least not without DNA manipulating. Which was forbidden by all five major shinobi nations back home "Itachi… You came back" she said with a faint smile "I always knew you were a nice man" She said in a weak voice
"Suzu, where is Ino?! We have brought you to her body, she can leave now!" Itachi told her, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck nearby causing a fire to start in the nearby forest
"She… I think she is gone" Suzu answered
"What do you mean?!" Itachi asked her
Suzu pointed towards another body that wasn't far from them, Itachi took Suzu into his arms and brought her with him, when he arrived he could tell that it was Ino's body, but it seemed like it was phased out, almost transparent. He laid Suzu down next to her "Ino!" He said as he tried to wake her, but she didn't move "Come on Ino, your body is right there, come on" then it hit him, if Ino's mind was almost completely absorbed, then perhaps her consciousness was no longer in that body, and that's why it was fading away. He took Suzu's hand and placed it into Ino's hand "Come on Ino, if you're in there, respond!" suddenly a bolt of lightning struck Itachi, everything went black as his consciousness faded away
End chapter 35
And that is that, another chapter done :)
I wonder if Nami will have a boy or a girl? What will they name him/her? will Konoha's decision to protect Masaki cause a war? What happened to Suzu/Ino/Itachi? did she make it back? and what about Itachi himself?! How do they get the caramel in the caramilk bars!
FINAL CHANCE TO VOTE ON SUZU OR INO! NEXT CHAPTER REVEALS THE WINNER!
READ RAVE REVIEW! oh please oh please REVIEW! :)