Well, i took the weekend off from writing to rest up, so forgive me for not updating for the past few days
Well now then, i shall respond to my reviewers :)
Gravenimage - thanks for the review, hope you like 40 :)
lilal6 - thanks for the review, indeed, a very hard battle is coming up for Naruto, will he be able to succeed? only time will tell :)
Chi-Neko - thanks to the review, i am confused, yes Shikamaru did refer to him as Kazekage, Gaara is the 5th Kazekage of the sand
Tenshi Aine - thanks for the review, well this is one of the first semi negative reviews i have ever had, i am not classifying it as 100% bad, but still, i guess that's your opinion and your entitle to it :) yes, i admit it, i am not perfect, my first language is actually french "French Canadian" but i am perfectly bilingual, my point is in all this, that yes i do some grammar mistakes, but i find that i do alright, i have read some of the fanfictions out there, and i am forced to shake my head sometimes at them, because some grammar is REALLY bad, i on the other hand think i am at least average good, anyway, but thanks for the review anyway, its always good to get some criticism, i do hope however that you continue to read on, if not then thanks for dropping by :)
Bombat1994 - thanks for the review, yes operation send Naruto back is indeed go :P hope you enjoy chapter 40
narusaku305 - thanks for the review and the compliment, hope you like 40 :)
xzavx - x3 - hey, your finally cough up :D thanks for the review, and i hope you stick around until the end, enjoy 40 :)
JDog335 - thanks for the review and compliment, and no, i cannot morally make that happen, so sorry :/ but i hope you enjoy 40 :)
naru-ca-titan - YAY! Your back! And aww about being sick :( i was worried you had abandoned my story and that i wouldn't get to see your awesome reviews/add/emotions/pudding, to answer your question, i have just decided it was time to take a small break, so i took the weekend off, so i apologize, i did have a minor block for this chapter, but it didn't last long :P i hope i don't get any more, i am very happy that you are feeling better, and i hope that you enjoy chapter 40
Sintar07 - thanks for the review :) enjoy 40
Alright, that's everyone, had quite a few there :P now then, i know you guys were probably expecting this to be a grand big and awesome chapter, with me being gone for a few days and this being chapter 40, but i am sorry to say that no, this is just a regular chapter, i though about making it a huge chapter, but i wouldn't have been able to post it tonight, and i felt that three days was long enough to wait, i know how i feel when i am waiting for people to update there damn stories, some of them have had me waiting for like a month for an update! i promised myself i wouldn't do that to my fans :P so then, without further delay, chapter 40!
Disclaimer – I still do not own Naruto, though i plan on winning a few loto's and buying it out... yeah i wish :P i also don't own bleach, that i can live without, though its still cool, Naruto owns it! :D the only char that belongs to me is Naoto cause i created her :)
This chapter was revised on June 2nd 2017. Most grammar errors should have been addressed (Hopefully :P) I did a few enhancements and changed a few things around but the story remained unchanged
Saving old bonds
Chapter 40 (Revised)
Naruto and Sakura entered Naoto's room; she was eating breakfast but stopped once she Saw Naruto and Sakura walk in. Naruto smiled seeing her face again. Naoto got up to take a closer look at him "Is he…Really my father?" She asked Sakura
"Yes sweetie, this is Namikaze Naruto, your father" She answered
"But, I don't understand, he looks so young… Is he using a jutsu so he looks that way?" She asked again
"You haven't told her?" Naruto asked Sakura
"I haven't had the chance" She answered him "Naoto sweetie, twenty years ago when the Night country attacked Konoha your father fought the Kurokage. Their battle was intense, they destroyed a large chunk of the city but your father had the upper hand. The Kurokage seeing this used his last trump card. He used a technique that sent your father into a time vortex, his plan was that if he couldn't defeat him now, he would defeat him in the future, a few months away"
"Wow, you're really that strong?" Naoto asked her father
Naruto smiled at her and nodded
"But what happened then? Why didn't he kill him?"
"We believe that he miscalculated. Instead of sending your father a few months into the future, he sent him twenty years…"
"Wait, then, does that mean when I found him a few days ago with all those injuries…"
"Yes, we believe that when you found him, that he had just exited the vortex. The injuries you healed were caused during his fight with the Kurokage"
"Had you not found me I would have likely died and had anyone else from the night found me they would have finished me off or delivered me to the Kurokage. Either way I would have been killed" Naruto told her
Naoto was staring at Naruto, she still had a hard time to believe that he was in fact her real father "Father…" she simply said embracing Naruto in a hug as tears were rolling down her face
Naruto wrapped his own arms around her "Naoto, I am so sorry for not being in your life until now, but I promise that I will fix everything…"
Suddenly Toshiro entered the room. He was once again dressed in his full captain attire and wore the night headband. He held in his hands what seemed to be a night country uniform "Naoto, I need you to put this on" he simply said
"What? Why?" She asked him
"We are going to the capital city" he answered
"What? We never said anything about Naoto going with you!" Naruto suddenly said
"Look, Naoto is my apprentice, I don't want to bring her either but if I don't then it will be suspicious. Also, the Kurokage asked me to bring her so he can meet her face to face"
"What? Why does he want to meet my little girl! Does he know who she is?" Naruto said fearing that Naoto could be in danger if he allowed her to go
"No, as far as he is concerned she is Sakura's daughter but he does not know who the father is. And the reason why he wants to meet is because she is the first apprentice I took on since being a captain and he wants to see what makes her, well special"
"So he has never met her? How long has she been a ninja for?" Naruto asked
"She has been a ninja since she was twelve, but every time I went to the capital city for reports or meetings I would not bring her. That's why he told me that the next time I come I had to bring her. If I don't it will upset him and may hinder my mission"
"What mission?" Naoto asked wondering what was going on, but no one answered her
"Are you sure that she will be safe?" Sakura asked him
"Sakura, you know that I would give my life to protect her. You have my word that she will not be harmed while she is by my side. And I will not allow myself to be separated from her"
"I know, I trust you Toshiro" Sakura said smiling at him
"If she trusts you then I guess I do to…" Naruto said, still unhappy about allowing Naoto to go into the enemy stronghold, even if she was one of them
"WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON AND STOP IGNORING ME!" Naoto screamed out, tired of being treated as if she wasn't there
"We don't have the time to explain everything to you Naoto, just come with me; I will explain along the way. We must make it to the capital city by sundown"
"Mom?" Naoto asked turning to Sakura
"Do as he say's sweetie"
"But… I don't want to go after just meeting my father for the first time…"
"And it could be the last time…" Naruto thought to himself as he realized that if they succeed, this Naoto will cease to exist, and he probably wouldn't have any other chances to sit down and talk with her after this. Without warning he took Naoto in his arms and held her tightly as he hugged her, not wanting to let go and trying to hide the tears that were starting to form around his eyes. He held her tightly against his chest
"Father?" Naoto asked not knowing what was going on, or why Naruto was being so emotional. But his arms around her felt good, they felt warm and they felt safe, as if nothing could harm her as long as she was being held by him. She wrapped her own arms around him
"Naoto, I know that we never had a chance to get to know each other, but I want you to know that I love you very much. I am so proud of you" he said as he kissed her forehead
"Why are you acting as if we aren't going to see each other again…Father, is there something you're not telling me?"
"Don't worry Naoto, everything is going to be alright, Toshiro will explain everything" he said as he reluctantly let go of Naoto to wipe his eyes with his sleeve
Toshiro began walking out of the hospital and motioned for Naoto to follow him. She hesitated for a moment feeling that something was wrong "Naoto, come, we have no time to waste" he told her
"Yes Sensei" she said finally making her way out of the room, but not before taking one last look at Naruto and Sakura. She could tell they were both holding back tears, and it scared her. It was as if they were not expecting to see her again, was this mission that Toshiro was leading her on really that dangerous?
Naruto let out a large sigh, knowing that Naoto's safety was out of his hands, at least for the time being "So what are we going to do until the attack?" Sakura asked
"Training… We may only have until tonight before we set off, but I will use every hour, every minute that I can to prepare"
"Do you want my help? I know that I have only returned as a shinobi recently, but I have been training myself and keeping in shape in order to train and protect Naoto" She said with a smile
Naruto smiled back at her "That would be great Sakura Chan" he said as the two exited the room
Hours later Toshiro and Naoto were nearing the capital city. Toshiro had explained everything, the plan and the outcome if it was successful as well as the outcome if it was to fail. She had mixed feelings about it all. Happy that her father would be sent to his real time meaning that she would grow up with him in her life. But on the other hand, back then Toshiro was an enemy. That would mean that her father would have to fight him, and she would never meet him
Toshiro approached the massive gates as the guards bowed at the higher ranked shinobi "Captain Hitsugaya! We weren't expecting you sir" one of them said
"I have some business to tend too" he simply said in his regular calm voice
"Who is this? I don't believe I have seen her before" The man asked looking at Naoto. She was wearing her black night country uniform rather than her regular orange and black. She also had an armband on her arm, it was white and had the number ten on it "Could this be your apprentice?" the man asked, knowing that the color of the armband being white meant she was a captain's apprentice, and the ten being Toshiro's division. They were different from the vice captain's, they were black armbands with a silver plaque on them with the division number
"Yes, she is going to meet the Kurokage for the first time" he simply said
"Wow, the Kurokage wants to meet her personally? That's lucky, you know that means that she could one day be a captain if she impresses him enough" The man said with a smile
But before they could finish their conversation and continue on their way, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of ninja's. The one leading them was none other than Matsumoto "Seize her!" she shouts out as two of them grab Naoto by the arms and forced her to the ground making sure she couldn't move
Toshiro was in shock "Get your hands off of my apprentice NOW" he said in a very angry tone, one that none of them had heard before, including Matsumoto
"But sir, we have reasons to believe that she is a resistance spy!" one of the men who was holding Naoto down said
Without warning Toshiro attacked one of them, sending him crashing to the ground while Naoto used the opportunity to kick the other one off while getting onto a defensive stance
"The next one of you who touches my apprentice will regret it. Now Matsumoto, you have ten seconds to explain yourself before I rip that vice-captain armband from you and throw you in the nearest cell for assaulting not only a fellow night shinobi, but a captain's apprentice"
"Sorry captain, but her mother attacked us while wearing the resistance headband; she cannot be trusted. For all we know she is working with her mother as a resistance spy sir!" she quickly said
"Do you take me for a fool?" Toshiro simply said in his cold voice
"Captain?" Matsumoto asked him confused
"Of course she is a resistance member, why do you think that I had been keeping an eye on her all these years"
"But what about her Captain?" she said pointing at Naoto
"She is completely loyal to me and no one else. I trained her, I was the one who took care of her while she grew up. Do you think that I do not know my own apprentice?"
"But she is still her daughter…"
"She is NOT my mother; she is a traitor. Sensei gave her a home and the safety of the night and she betrayed him! I cannot forgive her. And I swear to you that I will take her down myself!" Naoto said with almost the same cold and emotionless voice as Toshiro. But deep down inside, her heart was breaking, saying those things about her mother tore her up. Even if she knew that she was lying to them
"Now I demand you apologize to her Matsumoto, then, remove yourself from my sight before I decide to send you to the eleventh division, I am sure you could get twentieth seat or something"
"Haruno Chan, please accept my sincerest apologies, I should not have doubted your loyalties. I was just trying to be vigilant, please forgive me" Matsumoto said almost begging
Naoto had never liked Matsumoto and was kind of enjoying seeing her on her knees "YEAH BITCH, BEG LIKE THE SLUT THAT YOU ARE! SENSEI SEND HER TO THE ELEVENTH!" inner Naoto screamed and demanded, causing Naoto to smile a bit "If you ever accuse me of treason again, I will show you why I was chosen to be the tenth division captains apprentice" She said as she took out her blade "Now get the hell out of here before I decide to cut you down!" Naoto said with a grin
Matsumoto wasted no time in disappearing from both their sights along with the men that had attacked them "Wow, I have never seen Matsumoto tremble like that, serves her right for being the bossy bitch that she is" one of the guards said
"Hold your tongue, she may be a bitch, but she is still my vice-captain…for now" Toshiro said to them
"Yes, of course sir, my apologies please proceed" he said as he bowed at him and allowed them entrance into the capital city
Naoto was amazed at the size of the city and the number of people in it. This was her first time being there "That was a bit harsh about your mother, wasn't it?" Toshiro said to her as they walked the streets
"I know, but I wanted to make it sound good" she said sadly
"Well, I doubt we will be seeing Matsumoto for a while, I think she was so embarrassed that she is going to hide herself away for a few days" he said with a grin
"I don't get why you tolerate her sensei. I can tell she hates me, she always had from the very beginning"
"Don't worry about her, she is just worried that you are going to be her replacement"
"Me, her replacement? There is no way that I am of vice-captain caliber sensei"
"You are right, you are not of a vice captain's caliber" he simply said, although Naoto knew she wasn't, it still hurt hearing him say it like that, and so coldly too. But he then smiled at her "You are of Captain caliber, and I know you would have made a great captain too" he said to her causing her to blush from embarrassment
"You give me too much credit sensei" she said in return
"Naoto, you have yet to even scratch the surface of your potential, there are powers locked inside of you that you are not even aware of yet" he told her
"You mean like…What happened to me in earth country?" she said remembering how she had not only transformed, but lost control of herself
Toshiro nodded at her. They continued to chat as they made their way throughout the city streets
End Chapter 40
Well that's that, the peices are set, emotions are running high, what will happen? will anything go wrong? find out soon!