Hey everyone. As usual, I don't really have much to say at the moment. So, let's get to the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Naruto sat at on the roof of a seaside building, staring out into the sea as the setting sun cast a shimmering golden trail along its shifting surface that would almost beckon those who stood at its end with false promise. His blue eyes, normally vibrant and full of life, were dull and listless as he gazed out into the horizon. He didn't notice the calm, refreshing sea breeze that blew in from the harbor.
His mind was still reeling from the revelations of his conversation with Jiraiya. It all just seemed so unreal. The Fourth Hokage; his personal hero and the man who had pretty much single handedly ruined his childhood was his father. The Toad summoner of the Sannin himself, who had become something of the father he'd never had, was his godfather all along. For eleven years the man had been god knows where while Naruto had been wallowing in despair and loneliness, wishing he could have a real family if only for one day.
Maybe if he could think more objectively he could understand why his father had done it. No decent person would just decide to ruin their child's life without thinking long and hard about it. He must have had a reason. At least, he hoped he did. The alternative was far more painful to think about.
No matter how he tried to shut it out a traitorous voice in the back of his mind kept coming up and reminding him of Gaara's father and how he'd turned his son into a Jinchuriki for the sake of creating a weapon. He knew now from his talks with Jiraiya that that was the norm, that leaders would turn their relatives into Jinchuriki to ensure the loyalty of their new weapon... but the Fourth wouldn't do something like that... right?
His mind was abuzz with questions but there were no answers to go with them. He just couldn't focus on any of them enough to find a satisfying response. Naruto was never that good at controlling his emotions. Sure, he could do it in the field or when he had something he had to do, but at the moment when all he had to do was think his mind was raging with warring thoughts and feelings that he just couldn't sort out.
As if that weren't enough, thoughts of the people closest to him also weighed on his mind. Who else had known for all these years and not told him? The Third, the closest thing he had to a grandfather would definitely have known. Grandma Tsunade too. And Kakashi. He'd been a student of the Fourth. Where'd he been? If their team had been anything like his they'd been like family, so why had he not even heard of him until the day met for the first time as a team of their own? He'd been gone almost as long as Jiraiya! At least Tsunade and Jiraiya had excuses! And who else knew? Iruka? Teuchi?
Naruto's expression twisted in anger, a growl emanating from his throat before he took a breath, let out a sigh as he brought his hand to his face. What was he supposed to do? Should he go back and ask what Jiraiya's reasons were? This betrayal aside, the man was the closest thing to a father he'd ever known.
As he contemplated what he was going to do he heard someone land behind him. Without turning his head he sensed Fuu's presence as she made her way over and sat down beside him. He could see her out of the corner of his eye. Having her near made him feel a little better, her presence bringing him some comfort.
She didn't say a word. She didn't need to. He knew she was there for him. She wouldn't try to pry his troubles out of him. If he wanted to talk about it, then they would. If not, she'd just sit there with him and comfort him as best she could and if he wanted to be alone, he need only say the word. She'd help him however he needed it, just like he would for her.
The seconds ticked by as the two Jinchuriki sat in silence before finally, Naruto spoke. "You know... I've always wanted to know who my parents were." He began, causing Fuu to turn to him. "I spent my whole life wondering what happened to them. If they let the Fourth seal the fox in me... if they left me... if they were dead. No one would ever tell me anything. With the way everyone treated me, it was years before someone told me they'd died in the Kyuubi attack. At least then I knew they didn't just leave me because of what I was... but I still didn't know how they felt about me."
Naruto felt Fuu's hand wrap around his. He turned to her as she gave him a comforting squeeze, seeing her give him a look not of pity but understanding and knew she'd felt the same things he had. Asked herself the same questions.
Naruto blew out a long breath before he continued. "Ever since I found out I had the Kyuubi sealed in me... I wondered if my parents let it happen... and why the Fourth chose me out of everyone he could have chosen. And now... I find out he was my father."
Fuu gasped at those words. His father? The fourth was... She was aware of how some of the Kage would seal the Biju within their relatives, but she could never wrap her mind around it. How any parent could condemn their child to the life she'd lived until she met Naruto was beyond her. She couldn't even imagine how Naruto felt about this.
He turned to her then, his expression full of pain and his eyes still listless. She'd never seen him look so lost before. "If your here, then Jiraiya probably already told you he was my godfather." She gave a wordless nod, deciding to let him vent. His expression twisted in anger, though it was clear it wasn't directed at her. "Where does he get off, just waltzing into my life after twelve years!? Where was he and Kakashi-sensei when I..." He trailed off into a sigh as he shook his head. "What was my old man thinking when he sealed the fox into me? I always looked up to him growing up but... and what am I supposed to do with the Pervy Sage? Just forgive him after leaving me high and dry for all that time? I..." He looked to the sea again. "I just don't know."
A few silent minutes passed as Fuu contemplated what she'd heard, how she'd feel if she were in Naruto's shoes and what she could say. Finally, she spoke. "Naruto..." She began. "I'm not even going to try to defend what Ero-sensei did. In fact, I told him he was lucky I didn't beat him senseless before I came to find you." Naruto's mouth twitched at those words and Fuu smiled briefly at that. "But your father... all I can say is he must have had a reason." When he jerked his head and looked at her, she held her hands up in a placating gesture. "I know what you're going to say, but think about it. He sacrificed his life to use the jutsu that sealed the Kyuubi in you, right? Even if he was the kind of jerk who would throw his son's life away, I doubt he'd be as careless with his own. That proves that he must have thought hard about the consequences of what he was doing. I didn't say that he had a good reason, or that I agreed with... whatever it was, but he obviously thought it through. And I know enough about our seals to know there were others he could have used. They wouldn't have been near as good, but they would have worked, right?"
His brow furrowed in thought for a moment as he considered what she said before he nodded. "If he hadn't done something, the Kyuubi would have killed you and everyone else in the village. He gave his life to make sure you had the best possible protection from the fox. That proves that he loved you..." She tilted her head in acknowledgment before she added, "... even if he showed it in an incredibly stupid way."
Once more, the blond's mouth twitched upward at her last words. After a few moments of thought, he finally said, "I guess... you're right. I still kind of want to slug him though."
"Oh, I'm not surprised to hear that. If it were possible and you did, I'd follow up with a kick to his jewels for what he put you through." The image managed to draw a slight chuckle from Naruto. Normally, he would have cringed at the thought but after what he went through... "You didn't hear the whole story from him, did you?" He shook his head at the question and she continued, "Then when you're ready, we'll go back and get him to spill everything together."
Naruto turned to her, giving her a soft smile as he said, "Thanks, Fuu."
Fuu returned his smile as she replied, "Don't mention it, Naruto. I'm here for you. Anything you need, just say the word."
Neither had noticed but throughout the conversation, the two had moved closer to one another until now where their bodies were practically touching. Naruto could feel a warmth in his chest as he stared into her face, saw the concern that her eyes held for him, the relief and happiness seeing him smile brought her. Cast in the light of the setting sun, he once again absently noted how beautiful she was to him. Without taking his eyes away from hers, he absently remembered the last time she'd given him a peck on the cheek.
He remembered the heat that blossomed when her lips touched his skin. Unbidden, thoughts entered his mind of how those warm, soft lips might feel against his own.
Before either of them realized it, their faces had slowly inched closer and closer to each-others before they caught themselves. Their faces suddenly shifting from their normal shades of tan to identical cherry red, they jerked back as if a flame had suddenly lapped at their skin. Giving each other an awkward smile, they returned their gazes to the horizon.
What was he thinking? She was one of his closest friends. How could he think about kissing her? She was like his sister and he still loved Sakura... right?
As Fuu leaned against him, she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they'd taken the plunge and kissed, pressing their lips together and... she was glad he couldn't see how her cheeks flushed as her mind continued to wander on the subject of her blond companion.
Lost in their own thoughts, the two continued to stare into the sunset.
The sky had shifted to a light purple hue by the time the two Jinchuriki finally made their way back to their hotel. Coming to a stop outside the room he shared with Jiraiya, Naruto took a deep breath as he considered what he would say. His godfather had been absent for most of his life, but he had been there for him ever since he finally did arrive on the scene. He wasn't quite sure of how he should feel towards him.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Fuu give him a nod and an encouraging smile. He nodded to her in response before opening the door.
Inside they found Jiraiya sitting cross-legged on his futon, dressed in a sleeping robe and writing the manuscript for his next book.
Since the sage could no longer go on his research he'd found he needed something else to pass the time. You know what they say about all work and no play after all and he couldn't spend all day every day training or hanging around in bars, especially when his students were off on a mission. So he decided to try to write a new story; his first non-erotic work since 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja' though he hoped that it would be more well received than said work given that it saw below average sales and was largely panned as being a far too idealist and romantic take on the shinobi lifestyle whose writing was nothing special. Still, all of his students from Minato and his teammates to his two most recent had loved his original book and been more than a little discouraging about his famed Icha Icha series. The two Jinchuriki had been supportive when they learned of it.
The Sannin looked up at the sound of the door opening and upon seeing his two students he closed his eyes, shut his book and put his pen down. Jiraiya leaned back and propped his right arm up on his leg before looking up at his students as they entered the room and closed the door behind them. A moment of silence passed between them before it was broken by Jiraiya.
"I was wondering when you two would get back." The Sannin stated, his tone serious and just a little bit somber. "I take it you have more questions; about me, your old man and what he might have been thinking that day nearly 15 years go."
"You got that right, Pervy Sage." Naruto began, his brow furrowed as he stared down at his sensei. "For starters, where were you for all those years? You're my godfather and I hadn't even heard of you before I was twelve!"
Jiraiya sighed and closed his eyes again. "Yeah... I know. I make no excuses. I was chasing after Orochimaru and later Akatsuki. I'll admit, I have a suspicion about that group and that they may have been connected to that night you lost your parents." He looked up and saw the surprised looks on both his students faces. "Still, that hardly stopped me from checking up on you every once in a while. I suppose part of me... didn't want to." His eyes turned to the floor as he remembered what he thought the first time he saw Naruto. He'd hidden it well, it was easy for a ninja of his caliber, but there'd been a sense of wonder and fondness there... but it'd been mixed with pain. He saw Kushina's facial features and Minato's eyes staring at him, asking him why he wasn't there that night all those years ago. "Didn't want to face the aftermath of another of my failures. Didn't want to see the face and eyes of two people who were like my own son and daughter staring back at me, knowing I wasn't there when they needed me most. I made excuses and lost myself in my work. It was selfish, but I guess we humans are largely selfish creatures at heart, though we can be so much more." His eyes met Naruto's as he concluded. While he no longer looked angry, his face had shifted into a neutral expression rarely seen on the blond. "I screwed up... again. I can admit that. I had before I first saw you. There's nothing more I can say about it."
Naruto looked contemplative for a few seconds before glaring again. His hand clenched at his side. "Do you have any idea what it was like growing up alone? Do you know how long I spent wondering why no one would tell me anything about my parents? Wondering if they cared about me? Especially after finding out about the fox!"
Jiraiya actually chuckled at that before looking up at his student with a wry smirk. Both the Jinchuriki's expressions twisted in anger at that and Fuu actually took a threatening step forward. How dare he laugh about that! How could he have the audacity to think it's funny that they feared, with the way everyone around them viewed them, that their parents might think the same. He had no idea how much it hurt to even consider that your parents thought you were a monster.
If only they knew that that wasn't what Jiraiya found amusing. It was the irony of the mere thought that his tenant would affect their opinion of him in the slightest.
"You don't have to worry about how they might have felt about the fox." Fuu stopped and Naruto looked puzzled at that. "After all... your mother was the previous Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."
Once more, Naruto's world seemed to freeze at that revelation. His mind running through various warring emotions as he ran through the implications. There was shock, that much was to be expected, feelings of acceptance now that he knew for certain that his status as a Jinchuriki wouldn't have affected his parents view of him, sorrow at knowing his mother had probably experienced the same hatred he had, but among them was a question that disturbed him greatly.
Fuu turned to Naruto, her eyes wide. She was as surprised by what she just heard as he was. Her mind, less clouded by emotion, was more clearer and she was able to voice the question chief among Naruto's thoughts. "But then... how did the Kyuubi escaped his mother's seal? Something like that doesn't just happen."
Jiraiya sighed once again. "Obviously I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you what I do know. It's a long story." Taking the hint, the pair sat down on the floor across from him and he began. "Well, first off I should probably begin with how they met. Like I told you before, both of them wanted to be Hokage when they were in the academy." Fuu blinked at that before smiling at Naruto as he gave a proud grin at carrying on their dream. "That made them sort of rivals growing up. Minato was cool about it, but your mother never hesitated to try to put him down. Looking back on it though, I think she might have had a crush on him even then." He chuckled, "She never did seem too upset about being close to him when she wasn't mocking him for something or other." Naruto tried to picture what he was hearing as Jiraiya told his tale. "That went on until this one day when she was captured."
Naruto immediately looked concerned at that while Fuu frowned, both guessing why she was captured. "Some ninja from Kumo had managed to subdue her. As you can probably guess, they were after the Kyuubi, but that's not all." Seeing their puzzled expressions, Jiraiya elaborated. "Your mother had a power that was rarely seen in the Uzumaki clan. She could mold her chakra into powerful chains able to pierce, block or restrain almost anything as well as form seals. Not even the Kyuubi could break free from them."
Naruto looked amazed before looking at his hand with a disappointed expression. He didn't really care about missing out on a powerful ability, but he wanted to carry on their legacy. They were the family he'd wondered about all his life after all, and he wanted to make them proud. While he could learn and teach his father's abilities, from the sound of it most of the Uzumaki clan's legacy had been lost. "So... I guess I didn't inherit that."
"Maybe, maybe not." Jiraiya replied, getting his attention. "That ability first manifests when you need it the most. When someone you love is in danger and what you have isn't enough to save them the need to protect them calls on it. If you've ever been in such a situation, you obviously didn't need that power. You may have it, you've just never needed it."
Naruto quickly searched his memories and sure enough, he could only think of two situations that really fit. When he saved his older brother figure Iruka from Mizuki, and when he saved Sakura from Gaara. In both cases, he'd had what he needed to protect them, even if it had been a close thing in the second case. His face twisted as he looked at his hand again, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to gain that power if that was the case. The thought of coming close of losing one of them or Fuu or Jiraiya... besides, he wouldn't be able to pass that on anyway.
"And if your worried about the Uzumaki's legacy dying out, I can help you there." Naruto's head shot up at that. Jiraiya pointed his thumb at himself and smirked as he said, "She didn't teach me as much as she did Minato, but your mom taught me the basics of the Uzumaki style. I'd planned on teaching you. I didn't have the imagination needed to bring out its full potential, but if you work hard enough you might be able to recreate their arts someday." Naruto smiled at the thought that his family's legacy wasn't lost after all.
"Anyway," Jiraiya said, getting back to the story. "Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, who should show up to save the day but your old man." Naruto's face brightened further at that while Fuu listened attentively. This story was as good as some of her favorite novels! "Your mom was pretty clever. She left strands of her hair behind as a trail. Seeing that, your father tracked them down." He chuckled. "She always likened that moment to their own red string of fate, binding them together." He looked at the two Jinchuriki, who seemed enthralled by the tale. "From then on, they grew closer over time until finally, they became an official couple." He looked up at the ceiling with a fond expression. "They were each others first loves. It was a beautiful thing to see their relationship blossom in such dark times. They eventually married." Once again, he turned to look directly at Naruto. "And I can tell you, I'd never seen them happier then when they found out Kushina was pregnant with you." Naruto's brow shot up at those words. "They wanted so badly to meet you. To see you grow up. They loved you with their whole hearts... from the moment they learned of you. Never doubt that."
Naruto gave a warm smile at those words, placing a hand over his heart as he now knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he'd been loved by his parents. A single tear spilled from his eye from the pain of having never met them. Fuu had a similar smile as she looked at her fellow Jinchuriki. She'd admit she was somewhat envious that he knew his parents loved him while she still wondered about hers, but more than that she was happy for him.
Naruto wiped the tear away and sat up straight. "Ok, Pervy Sage. Tell me about the day I was born."
Jiraiya's expression darkened at that as he once again remembered that he hadn't been there. He'd wanted to be, but he'd been too busy tracking Orochimaru. He'd thought he had a lead and didn't want to lose it.
He did anyway when he returned for the funeral.
"Right... You were born on the night of October 10, on a remote location 10 miles outside of Konoha."
Naruto blinked and Fuu looked confused. "Wait, what? Why?"
Jiraiya closed his eyes and he began to explain. "You see, there comes a time when a female Jinchuriki's seal is at its weakest. So weak in fact that the Biju can break free on its own. That time is childbirth." He looked up to see their shocked faces. "As the pregnancy progresses, the chakra that normally fuels the seal is instead directed to the development of the fetus. During the birth, all of that chakra is directed to the child. This is when they're most vulnerable."
Fuu gave a rueful chuckle and placed her hand over her stomach, her face bitter. "I guess I can forget about the joys of motherhood then." She'd always wanted to have a family. Though at first she'd wanted to have parents, not be one herself, it eventually turned to the desire to one day, when she'd found someone she loved and had accomplished her dreams, have children to give all the love she didn't receive growing up. She'd given up on that dream a long time ago, but it had been rekindled when Naruto offered to bring her to Konoha.
"Now hold on there." Jiraiya said, holding up his hand in a gesture to stop. "You think they would have been happy with the pregnancy if that was the case? While the seal does weaken, anyone with enough skill and knowledge of the seal could keep the Biju at bay and repair it afterwards. Someone of Kakashi Hatake's caliber could pull it off after looking at your seal for a bit. I certainly could, so could Tsunade, the elders, though I wouldn't trust Danzo," He ticked each one of them off on his fingers, giving two for the elders minus the war hawk of Konoha. "and I'm sure Naruto will be there someday soon."
Fuu smiled before her brow furrowed and Naruto's expression once more became clouded with anger. The Fourth Hokage was famous for his mastery of Sealing Jutsu. Jiraiya had told them his skill had surpassed even his own. If what Jiraiya said was true, then he should have easily kept this from happening, which could only mean...
"If that's true Pervy Sage, then my old man should have been able to protect her. In that case..."
"Yeah." Jiraiya nodded, his expression dark. "The only possibility is that foul play was involved."
Naruto's hand clenched into a fist and trembled with suppressed anger. Someone had done it on purpose. All the damage done by the Kyuubi attack, all the suffering he'd grown up with, the loss of his parents; someone was responsible for all of it!
As he seethed in anger, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder and turned to see Fuu looking at him in concern. He reigned in his anger knowing it would do no good and took a deep breath to calm himself. He gave her a nod to thanks before turning back to Jiraiya. "What do you know?"
"Not much." Jiraiya replied with a sigh. "I talked to the Third about it, but he couldn't tell me much either. Everyone who could have told us anything; your parents, the midwife, the guards; all dead before they had a chance to talk to anyone. I wasn't at the attack, so you probably know as much of the battle itself as I do, but the Third did tell me one thing of note." He looked at them with a grave expression. "Most didn't notice or quickly forgot about it in the panic. I shouldn't need to tell you that even for shinobi, having the most powerful Biju suddenly appear in your village is a major 'Oh Crap' moment. But... despite your birth taking place miles outside the village... the Kyuubi just suddenly appeared in the heart of Konoha in a cloud of smoke."
"But that sounds like..." Fuu began, her face as severe as her sensei's.
Jiraiya nodded. "A summoning." He sat up straight and crossed his arms. "As you both know there's only one guy in history who was able to summon the Kyuubi, and he should be long dead. That means either he isn't, or he somehow passed on his knowledge and with it the summoning contract since you can't draw something like that up on the fly. And of course, I doubt anyone would summon something as powerful as the Kyuubi if they couldn't control it since it might attack them otherwise. Bottom line... I don't think Madara Uchiha died at the Valley of the End."
Naruto's brow furrowed and he brought his hand to his chin and thought while Fuu tensed. Even today, legends of the power of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju persisted. Most discounted them as mere fanciful tales, but knowing of Kakuzu, who's entire force had been slaughtered by one of them, and the existence of the Valley of the End led credence to the stories. They were hailed as two of the most powerful shinobi of all time. The thought that Madara could be alive...
Naruto considered asking the Kyuubi about what happened. On the other hand, he had to consider how he might respond to the questions. Despite taking the form of a Kitsune, typically tricksters in folklore, he didn't seem to be a liar. Sarcastic, arrogant and armed with a dark sense of humor sure, but not a liar. He seemed too proud to lower himself to such methods. However, he doubted he would be entirely truthful in this case.
While the Kyuubi didn't seem the type to lie in general, his pride, that trait that made it seem somewhat trustworthy when he wasn't trying to convince him to use his power, was the problem. The Kyuubi would never admit to weakness. A prime example to that was his attitude towards the others. Naruto was pretty certain he cared more about his brethren than he let on, he would deny it or refuse to respond when asked. He might acknowledge that he was summoned, but he would probably never admit to being controlled.
Naruto remembered what Jiraiya had said earlier and asked, "You said the Akatsuki might have some connection to what happened earlier. What did you base that on?"
"It's not much, but... the Akatsuki rose to prominence soon after the Kyuubi attack. Until then I'd never even heard of them, and they quickly gained power and recruited strong members. It might just be a coincidence, but the timing is a bit convenient."
Silence fell over the group as the two Jinchuriki contemplated what they'd heard. Naruto resolved to find out if the sage's hunch about the Kyuubi attack was right and if it was true that the Akatsuki were connected, then that was just one more reason to bring them down. He would do his best to carry on his parent's legacy and make their killer regret what he'd done.
He didn't need anymore reason to fight the Akatsuki. He had no intention of letting himself die for whatever twisted goals they needed the Biju for. Gaara either, and Fuu... he absolutely would NOT let her be killed.
Fuu quickly calmed herself. It didn't matter if the legends of Madara's power were true or her sensei's hunch about his involvement were right. It didn't change what they had to do. She wasn't going to let them kill her and she'd protect Naruto with everything she had. If he died... She had to suppress a shiver at the thought as she looked at him. She felt like her world would be empty if he died.
Once they processed this information, there was just one more question on Naruto's mind. "Why did my old man choose me?"
"Well I can't say for certain," Jiraiya began. "but for one thing, he wasn't the type to ask someone else to sacrifice something he couldn't. As hard as it would be to do this to your son, how much harder would it be to ask someone else to make the same sacrifice?" Naruto seemed to think about that. "Not to mention actually convince them to go through with it. Assuming we're right and someone did summon the Kyuubi, he obviously had to seal it somewhere or it would just would wind up in their hands again. Finally, if you had to trust that kind of power to someone... to put that kind of burden on their shoulders, it would have to be someone you believed in. Someone you felt could handle it. Who would you believe in more than your own child?"
Naruto closed his eyes as he thought on what he'd heard. Silence reigned as Jiraiya and Fuu watched the blond. Finally, he looked at his teacher and said, "This doesn't mean I forgive you for just leaving and not sending me so much as a hello for twelve years."
"I know. I didn't expect to be forgiven that easily. Maybe not ever, but I hope things can go back to the way they were in time."
Naruto nodded. After a few seconds, he spoke again. "So... you told me about my mother. What was my father like?"
Jiraiya smiled. He'd wanted to do that for over a year now.
Later that night, Naruto lay awake in his bed long after Jiraiya and presumably Fuu had gone to sleep. He turned his head to look at his sensei who was sleeping peacefully on his futon before coming to a decision. He pushed the cover and sheets of his bed down before sitting up straight. He crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knees, entering a meditative stance before closing his eyes. He felt a rushing sensation he'd become somewhat familiar with. He could feel the world shift around him, replacing the comfortable atmosphere of his room with a dark, dank and foreboding air as he suddenly found himself on his feet, his legs submerged in water to about half way up his shins.
He opened his eyes and once more found himself within his mindscape. His eyes determined, he trudged through the water until he reached the large, open area where the Kyuubi's seal lied.
He stared up into the dark depths of the cage, the fox's silhouette visible within its confines, laying down with his head resting on his crossed arms. The Kyuubi's massive crimson orbs staring down at him with amusement, its mouth widened into a malevolent grin.
"Well now... for the first time in so long my host has deigned to join me. To what do I owe this... unexpected pleasure?" The fox asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.
"Yeah, it's been a while, Kyuubi." Naruto replied impassively. He supposed he should be angry. Here was the being responsible for his parent's deaths after all... but he wasn't. Not really. All the facts pointed that their theory was right; someone had freed the Kyuubi for the sole purpose of causing chaos and death. They were the ones to blame. Besides, Naruto couldn't really fault him for wanting to be free, not that he was willing to let him loose knowing what he would probably do and that it would kill him in the process. "You already know why I'm here... don't you?"
"Hmph." The Kyuubi scoffed and closed his eyes. "As much as I would prefer not to waste my time watching your life story... I don't exactly have much else to do here, do I?" He raised his head gesturing to the empty space of the cage.
"Then you know what I'm going to say."
"You wish to know of the day when our fates became inexorably linked... and who the culprit was." The ancient chakra entity answered before opening his eyes and focusing on Naruto. "Your sensei's a pathetic excuse for a sage... but he was correct, for the most part." Naruto's eyes narrowed at the Kyuubi's confirmation, confirming beyond the shadow of a doubt that someone was responsible for all the suffering he went through and the losses Konoha endured on that day. "I was quite surprised when he appeared... it was just after you were born. While your father was busy with the seal... he murdered the midwife caring for you and stole you away. I still remember his words to this day... 'Back away from the Jinchuriki, or your son dies at the ripe old age of one minute'." Naruto's fists clenched as his face twisted into a scowl at the Kyuubi's words. The fox grinned at this response, sensing the hatred that welled up in Naruto's heart at that. "While I despise your Fourth Hokage... I have to admit he defeated me... I respect his power and ability, but even he was helpless with his newborn held hostage."
"Who was he? Was it Madara Uchiha?" Naruto snarled.
The Kyuubi's expression darkened at the mention of the former Uchiha patriarch. "No... I can thank the gods that it would seem that that man has truly gone to hell, were he belongs."
Naruto calmed himself, reminding himself that this latest addition on the short list of people he truly hated wasn't here, and arched a brow. "You sound like you really hate him." He shrugged. "Can't say I blame you with what he did to you. He sounded like a real jackass from what I've heard."
"You know nothing of Madara, boy." The fox growled, actually seeming angered by the subject. It seemed that the mere memory of the man was enough to enrage the fox. "I assure you he was much worse, and far stronger, in reality than in any of the stories you've heard about him." His eyes narrowed. "Everything about the man was hateful... even his chakra signature was darker than any I have felt before. More sinister than even my own. Be thankful you'll never have the misfortune of meeting him."
Naruto crossed his arms, thinking briefly on the Kyuubi's words before staring at the fox once more. His brow furrowed. "Do you know who it was who broke my mother's seal? What did he look like?"
"I haven't the slightest idea." The Kyuubi answered. He seemed to debate whether or not to elaborate for a moment. "He wore a mask that revealed only his right eye; a Sharingan that seemed to be the basis of an odd Space-time technique. His chakra was... strange. An amalgam of several different, distorted signatures. I'd never sensed chakra like his before, although you seem to make a habit of running into such beings."
Naruto gave a grunt of acknowledgment before his mouth widened into a smirk as he crossed his arms. "Thanks. You know, you're not so bad to talk to when you're not trying to trick me into letting you out."
The fox scoffed. "Yes, beneath my cold exterior I have a hidden heart of purest gold." He glared down at his Jinchuriki. "Make no mistake boy. I am a living mass of malevolence. And when you encounter the man who tore me from your mother, you will need my power."
"We'll just have to see about that, won't we?" Naruto replied with a shrug before turning and beginning to walk away. It was easier to leave when he wasn't standing right before the cage. "But it won't come to that if I have anything to say about it."
The fox grinned down at its host. "Oh? Does using my power disgust you so much? You've never truly accomplished anything without it."
"That's not it." Naruto stopped and looked over his shoulder at the fox. "I will if I have to, but I'd rather use my own power than borrow someone else's." He turned away and vanished a moment later, missing that his response had wiped the fox's grin from his face.
He stared down at the space the blond had occupied a moment earlier for a few seconds with an unreadable expression before huffing and resting his head down once more and closed his eyes.
It only had a few moments rest before it felt the same shifting sensation Naruto had when he entered his mindscape, but unlike the blond who did so voluntarily, he was pulled. In the blink of an eye he had reached his destination and he didn't need his chakra sensing ability to know who was responsible. The fox grumbled to himself as he opened his eyes and rose, beholding for the first time in what seemed like ages the linked mindscape shared by the Biju; an infinite white space. There before him, leaning forward slightly so that they could be at the same height, was the Nanabi no Kabutomushi.
"Look at who's come knocking on my door," Kyuubi said with a scowl, "Go away bug, unless you want me to get the pesticide."
Naruto had informed Jiraiya and Fuu of his talk with his tenant the morning after their conversation. The toad sage had wracked his brain but couldn't think of any Uchiha that were particularly talented in Space-time techniques beyond the Summoning Jutsu. At the very least, he was relieved to know that they weren't dealing with Madara Uchiha. Though in all likelihood the masked man was his apprentice, the actual Madara would be a far more fearsome enemy. Jiraiya commented that the nations would actually unite without a doubt if they were dealing with the man himself.
Their remainder of their time was mostly spent hanging around town, training and with Jiraiya's attempts to reconnect with Naruto, the results being... somewhat successful. While Naruto loved finally hearing about his parents and their exploits, he was far from forgiving his sensei. The Sannin was a bit glum over the fact that they weren't really talking too much outside of Naruto's inquiries about them. Time flied and before they knew it they were on the boat to what was once known as the Land of Snow, now the Land of Spring.
Naruto stood at the front of the ship they and dozens of others were taking to the country he'd helped liberate. As he looked on at the approaching land, a wave of nostalgia washed over him. He remembered watching Koyuki shoot the first scene of what would have been the next big hit in her Princess Gale film series, the disbelief when he saw just how different she was from her character and how he could hardly stand her at first. He recalled the first time seeing the seemingly endless fields of snow and ice that blanketed the land as its freezing air washed over him.
Now however, while the currents kept the water cold enough that many of the massive glaciers remained fairly far out from the island itself, as they neared the shore the air shift until it was as warm as in the Land of Fire. Despite having been buried under snow and ice not too long ago, the land was now covered in fields of grass and flowers of every type and color as far as the eye could see. A gust of wind picked up, causing the tall grass to sway and carrying petals out to the sea. Naruto inhaled deeply as they blew over the ship, filling his senses with their fragrance.
The icy wonder of the glaciers contrasted beautifully with the green and the colors of the flowers that covered the land and Naruto could feel a sense of peace and awe as they neared it. His mind wandered to the mirror heat generator that had been built into the Rainbow Glacier, sitting in the heart of a valley, the five massive mirrors surrounding that small island in the center of a lake, the light reflecting from them producing a rainbow that hung over the valley all day. He'd never seen such a sight and while some things came close, hadn't since. Absently, he thought that he had to bring Fuu to see it at least once before they left. It was such an amazing sight, he was sure she'd love it.
"Wow..." He heard an awed voice beside him. He turned to see Fuu leaning forward with her left hand the railing, her right over her eyes to shield them from the sun's rays as she gazed out at the land with wide eyed astonishment. It was hard not to be captivated, not just by the nation's beauty but by the thought that it was human engineering that made it possible. "It's hard to imagine that this place used to be frozen over. That heat generator's amazing."
Naruto snorted and grinned as he looked out at the landscape. "You can say that again. You should have been there when Doto turned it on." Naruto's eyes took on a far away look as nostalgia washed over him. "It was like something out of a story, seeing the snow just vanish, replaced with green fields and flowers everywhere you looked..."
Fuu turned to him with a surprised expression. "Wait, you mean they didn't just embellish the story? That part where all the snow melted actually happened?" She looked at him in confusion. "But... how were the flowers in full bloom under the snow? It hadn't melted in kami knows how long!"
Naruto made a startled sound before he crossed his arms and looked down into the water in thought, wracking his brain over the seemingly impossible occurrence he'd never considered before now and then looking to the sky. "You know... that's a good question." With all that had been happening at the time, the sudden appearance of green fields and flowers were the last things on his mind. Because of that he'd never really thought about it and had just accepted it afterwards, but now that she mentioned it... He finally shrugged, deciding that thinking about it wouldn't change that it happened. "Well, no point wondering about it now."
Fuu puzzled over it for a second before nodding, unable to come up with an explanation, and looked back to the land.
"So, how was Koyuki when you last saw her? She's not anything like she was at the beginning of the movie, is she?"
Naruto chuckled, "Oh no, once she put her past behind her, she was like a totally different person!"
"Good, then I can look forward to meeting her again." Fuu nodded.
"Hmph." Naruto shook his head. "I still remember how totally blindsided I was when I found out what she was actually like. She even maced me for trying to get an autograph!"
Fuu snorted. "Yeah, because it's not like she was just playing a roll on the silver screen." She replied with a roll of her eyes before something seemed to occur to her. "Oh, I take it you did get that autograph eventually, right?" Naruto's face twisted into an almost pained look while the mint haired girl's eyes widened. "You mean you didn't? That was a once in a life time opportunity!"
"Well, not like I can't ask for another..." Naruto immediately realized what he'd said and cursed himself.
"Another...?" Fuu's mouth widened into a mischievous smile. "Oh this is going to be good, I can tell by your face! Come on, share with the class."
Naruto scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Well... with all the crazy stuff that went down, I kind of forgot to ask but... Sasuke got one for me."
"Really?" Fuu eyes widened and she blinked. "Well, that was nice of him. Especially from what you've told me about your team, but what's so embarrassing about that?"
"Well..." Naruto's face reddened as he scratched his left cheek. "It's just... it was an autograph of her kissing my cheek while I was in the hospital after the big battle... and I was completely out of it at the time...and wrapped up like a mummy... and kind of drooling and..." he trailed off.
Fuu looked at him for a moment as her mouth stretched into a grin and her shoulders trembled before she suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh come on, it's not that funny!"
Fuu looked out the nearby window with a smile on her face, her honed eyes watching the landscape blur as the train sped along the tracks towards the nation's capital city.
After they'd disembarked from their boat, the trio had quickly made their way to a nearby town where they'd boarded a train. Naruto was the only one of the group who had seen one before, though Jiraiya had heard of them. The mint haired Jinchuriki couldn't help but marvel at the possibilities the technology possessed by the isolated country.
"The Land of Spring's really something else. How do they manage to keep all this under wraps?" Fuu questioned.
Jiraiya chuckled in his seat across from his students. "Well, what'd you expect? They might rely on it a little too much if you ask me, but their technology's one of the only things they've got going for them."
Fuu nodded. "Point. But you'd think it'd be easy to reverse engineer some of this stuff. They must be really good at counterespionage if they kept their secrets all these years."
"You're telling me. Even my spy network's connections here are limited. The only country that's better at keeping secrets is the Land of Rain, and that's because you can't so much as step across the border without meeting hostility."
Fuu hummed in agreement before looking out the window again. "It's kind of a shame that they keep it all to themselves. I mean, I understand why they'd want to keep quiet about the armor, but just imagine what these trains could do. It'd revolutionize travel across the countries!"
Jiraiya grinned and leaned back. "Well, isn't it a coincidence that you'd bring that up? That's actually one of the things we're here to talk about."
"Huh?" Naruto, who had until now only half been listening to what was happening around him, looked up and blinked his tired eyes at the sage.
"Lady Koyuki's had the bright idea to release some of the Land of Spring's advances out to the rest of us. Nothing like their chakra armor or weapons of course, but trains and a few other luxuries, as long as their allowed to run the big ones like these trains and do all the maintenance so the secrets stay with them. They're hoping to set up a system where all the countries work with them, that way no one can attack them without provoking just about every other nation. Of course, thanks to you my young apprentice..." Jiraiya grinned at Naruto. "We get first dibs and a host of other benefits." He then chuckled as he folded his arms together and closed his eyes, puffing out his chest with pride. "I've taught you well, my student."
Naruto gave his sensei a deadpan stare. "You shouldn't toot your horn when you'd only taught me one jutsu by then, Pervy Sage."
"Hey, it was the jutsu that won the battle, wasn't it? You wouldn't have won if it wasn't for me."
"Sakura and Sasuke did just fine without it. I'm sure I would have figured something out."
"You keep telling yourself that, brat." Jiraiya replied with a laugh before stretching his arms out and rising to his feet. "I'm going to go check out the lounge. Might as well put these VIP passes to some use." He said before walking away, eager to enjoy one of the many benefits to traveling with the savior of the country.
Fuu watched him leave before turning to Naruto, giving him a slightly worried look as he let out a yawn and rubbed his drooping eye. Ever since he found out what happened to his parents, he'd poured more and more effort into his training. Not that she could fault him, finding out that someone had deliberately ruined your life would light a fire in anyone's belly but he was starting to burn himself out. He looked like he was minutes away from just dozing off.
"Naruto, what did I tell you about pushing yourself?" She asked, causing him to turn to her.
Naruto gave her a weak smile to allay her concerns. "Don't worry about it, Fuu. I'm fine."
"Uh huh. So completely tearing up that clearing with 100 clones the other day was normal? And how long did you stay up last night working on sealing jutsu?" Naruto chuckled sheepishly in response and Fuu sighed. "Naruto, it's not going to do anyone any good if you push yourself until you crash."
"Relax. I know my body better than anyone. I can handle it."
"Really? 'Cause you look half dead, but maybe that's what your going for. The enemy's sure to drop their guard when you suddenly fall asleep mid battle."
"Come on, like I'd ever let that happen. I'll admit I may have gone a little overboard and I'm not going to let it happen again, but it's not like we're heading into enemy territory or something," Naruto shrugged. "Besides, worst come to worst a food pill will wake me up."
"Relying on stimulants to get you through the day? Yeah, that sounds like a brilliant idea. Not like that could become a habit or som-" Fuu responded sarcastically and rolled her eyes, only to be interrupted when a weight fell on her shoulder. She turned her head back to the blond to find him slumped against her, fast asleep. She arched a brow as a large bead of sweat ran down the side of her head. "... You can handle it, huh?" She let out a sigh.
Oh well. They had a few hours before they reached their destination. She was pretty sure he'd be fine if he spent the rest of their trip getting some shut eye. She took hold of his shoulders and gently maneuvered him into laying down with his head resting in her lap.
She looked down at his sleeping face, running her fingers through his hair. Thinking back on the previous day, when she'd first brought up her concerns about him pushing himself too hard.
(Flashback)
"Naruto, don't you think this is a bit much?" Fuu asked, standing beside the real blond as he stood panting, hunched over with his hands on his knees as beads of sweat pouring down his face. The clearing and the surrounding forest were littered with their clones, divided into three groups. Some were reading books, others practiced sealing jutsu while the rest were divided into practicing elemental jutsu or a new variation of the Rasengan. However, it would only take a quick glance for even the most inattentive civilian to realize there was a large discrepancy in the number of clones fielded by the two Jinchuriki.
As if that weren't enough, Naruto had just gotten done sparring with 10 of his clones. Given that he'd been outnumbered, it had taken quite a while for him to take them down. And that was after they'd done a series of exercises... 3 hours ago... and all without rest.
"Huh?" The blond turned his head.
Fuu sighed, resting her hand on her forehead. "You remember that we get all the fatigue of our clones when they pop, right? Even if you don't do it all at once, put that together with how tired you are and I'll be surprised if you don't hit the ground when we're done. Don't you think you're going overboard?"
Naruto just shook his head, a determined look on his face. "Not a chance. We won't get anywhere if we don't push ourselves to the limit, right?" He stood up straight, his hands forming a familiar cross shaped seal, preparing for another round.
Fuu took a step forward in concern. "But if you go too far you'll just wind up hurting yourself."
Naruto just smirked. "Don't worry about it. You know me, a good night's sleep and I'll be at 100%. Perks of being awesome."
"You shouldn't count on that, Naruto. What if you don't sleep well? You'll lose a whole day of training because you're too tired or sore." She said, moving closer and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Look, I understand why you're pushing yourself. Anyone would want some payback for what happened that day," It was obvious what day she was referring to. "but you could burn yourself out if you keep this up."
Naruto shook his head and let his hands fall to his sides. "That's not it." Fuu seemed surprised to hear that. "Well, that's not it exactly. I mean, of course I want to find that masked guy and bash his face in for what he did to my parents and I know I'm going to have to be stronger than my old man, but..." His eyes once again took on a determined look. "I don't want to let him do this again. I'm not going to let this guy hurt anyone else close to me." He then looked to her. "And it's not just me he's after, he's going for you too." He raised a hand to his chest and balled it into a fist. "Just thinking about that..." He turned to her and smirked. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Fuu. I'll protect you, even if it costs me my life."
The mint haired Jinchuriki blinked, her cheeks reddening slightly. She stared at him for a moment before she suddenly burst out laughing. "Geez, Naruto, you idiot." Now it was Naruto's turn to seem surprised. "Who do you think you're talking to? I'm not some damsel in distress, and I'm sure as hell not some helpless fangirl! You think I'm just going to sit by while the people I care about protect me?" She leaned forward and placed her hands on her hips. "We're a team, Naruto. I won't let anything happen to you either. We'll watch each others back, and when this guy shows up we'll show him why messing with the Leaf's strongest team is the biggest mistake he'll ever make!" Naruto smiled at her words.
(flashback end)
Fuu smiled fondly as she looked at her teammate. A warm feeling filling her chest as she remembered his words that day. After a few moments of silence, she craned her neck to look out the nearby window, her face pensive. She cared about the blond in her lap. A lot. More than she ever cared about anyone, but just what was he to her? A friend and kindred spirit? A brother figure? Or maybe... was it deeper than that? Deeper than just friendship.
'Have I been... falling for him?' And what did he feel for her?
She looked down at him, her mind abuzz with questions. 'I wonder if you realize how much you mean to me. Just what is this I'm feeling? And... if... if it is something stronger than friendship. If I wanted to be more... what would you say? Naruto?'
Jiraiya returned an hour later to find that Fuu had fallen asleep, leaning against the window with her hand resting on Naruto's forehead. He took a moment to smile warmly at his two students, wondering when they were going to see what he did... before his mouth widened into a twisted grin that was at some horrible halfway point between mischief and perversion.
He quietly moved towards them, lifted Fuu's hand off of Naruto's head and turned him around so his face was buried between her legs. The toad summoner of the Sannin could barely suppress his giggles as he imagined how she'd react when she awakened.
Fuu began to stir three hours later as the train pulled into the station. The mint haired Jinchuriki groggily cracked open one of her orange eyes, giving a slight groan as her tired mind attempted to fight off the desire to just fall back into slumber. She raised her left hand and rubbed her still closed eye before stretching as she yawned.
As awareness returned to her, the first thing she noticed was how the train was no longer speeding across the tracks at breakneck speed. Looking out the window, she saw a large town approaching. She recognized it from the movie as the capital city, and knew they'd finally reached their destination.
With a smile, she directed her gaze downwards to awaken the blond laying in her lap. "Hey, Naruto. We'r-" Her words cut off as her eyes bulged open, her pupils shrinking to the size of peas as a blush spread across her entire face, painting it so red it was worthy of Kushina's hated nickname 'Tomato' when she saw Naruto lying face down with his nose almost shoved directly into her crotch.
The result was instantaneous. A cry of "PERVERT!" rang throughout the train car, almost covering the sound of a deafening smack, followed by a crash. The commotion drew the eyes of everyone who hadn't already disembarked.
Fuu stood over Naruto, her eyes blazing with all the fury of an erupting volcano as she stood, heaving over Naruto with her arm still extended, who had been violently awakened by the sudden white hot flash of pain that erupted through his cheek as he was thrown violently to the floor.
"Ah!" Naruto's eyes screwed shut as he propped himself up on his right arm, his left holding his smarting cheek. He glared up indignantly at Fuu as he shouted, "What the hell was that for!?"
"Don't play dumb!" Fuu stood up straight, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "There's no way you could have gotten like that by accident!"
"Like what!?" Naruto shot back. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"
Fuu opened her mouth to retort when the sound of perverted giggling reached her ears. Her head shot up to look at her sensei, just barely catching his shit eating grin before he put on an innocent expression...
Which wouldn't have fooled a three year old.
Fuu blinked twice, looking between Jiraiya and Naruto in shock, before her eyes settled on the perverted hermit as she put two and two together. Her face twisted into a look of pure rage as an aura of flames seemed to grow around her, causing her hair to whip around as a growl rose from her throat.
"I'm so, so sorry." Fuu said, her hands clasped before her chest, a blush on her face as she looked at Naruto as he stepped off the train.
"It's ok, Fuu. I'm not blaming you for the pervert's stupid stunt." The blond replied, rubbing his stinging left cheek, the hand shaped mark still glowing an angry crimson, accompanied by a slight blush now that he knew the reason she'd been so angry.
Jiraiya stepped onto the platform with a mark matching that of his male student's looked down at his student. "What, no apology for me? Don't you think this was a little much? It was just a joke."
"Shut up, Ero-sensei! You deserved that and more!" Fuu glared heatedly at the Sannin. "Maybe that'll teach you better."
"Ha!" Jiraiya crossed his arms over his chest, raising his head proudly as he closed his eyes. "As if that would deter me from the path I have chosen. Neither hordes of angry women, nor any single woman scorned and not even the legendary fury of Tsunade will ever sway the proud heart of a pervert that beats in my chest." He then opened his eyes... to find that both his students had walked away, apparently having decided to ignore him. He twisted his head around rapidly, searching for the pair and eventually caught them stepping inside the station. "HEY! WAIT UP!"
Naruto's eyes wandered as he walked down the vaguely familiar streets of the Land of Spring's capital, taking in the sights offered by the most technologically advanced country of the Elemental Nations. Little had changed in the capital city since Koyuki's coronation. One new addition, however, was the large showcase of devices and technologies that you would find here and there as you traversed the streets. Under Doto's reign, the country had put all of its efforts into developing more and more powerful weapons and improving their chakra armor and the nation was locked down nearly as tight as Ame. Now under Koyuki, they seemed to be focusing on more commercial and luxury items and travel was unrestricted. Well... as unrestricted as one would expect in a world where the every country's entire military force doubled as spies and assassins anyway.
The people of the country milled about their daily lives as tourists marveled at the wonders offered and children watched in amazement at the devices on display. He couldn't really blame them, you couldn't find anything like this in any existing country. According to Jiraiya the Land of Spring only had one technological rival and they were destroyed in the Second Shinobi World War.
Beside him, Fuu took in the sights with a similar awe. She couldn't wait to go sight-seeing once the treaties were signed. The Land of Spring's beauty surpassed even the sights of Takigakure, ignoring the brief sting of pain the comparison to her birthplace brought, and she already spied a few trinkets the would make nice souvenirs to take to her new home. After all, it's not like she was short on money between the 19 million Ryo she got from her book and the additional 10 from Raiga's bounty, not to mention the other bounties she and Naruto collected and the pay for the missions they'd taken. She wasn't usually prone to splurging, preferring to live frugally, but these were one of a kind.
It wasn't long before the trio had reached the castle where Koyuki ruled from. It was an ancestral palace from which the Kazahana family had ruled over the nation before the more solitary castle named after them had been built and had afterwards remained as a historical monument. The new castle had been burned to the ground by Doto during his coup and replaced with a more militaristic citadel, which in turn had been badly damaged during their adventure and subsequently blown up to symbolize the end of his tyrannical reign.
The guard at the door was a kunoichi garbed in a white kimono with ice blue lining, her left arm encased in a metallic device that Naruto immediately recognized as the core of the nation's famed Chakra Armor. Considering the armor was clearly the model used by Doto's right hand men as opposed to his own prototype variant, it seemed they had ceased advancing it, or at least put it on hold. Naruto idly wondered what they'd been working on in their place as the guard let them inside and called for a servant to take them to the main hall.
As the large double doors opened on the main hall of the castle, they were greeted by the sight of Koyuki waiting for them. She hadn't changed at all from when Naruto had last seen her. The woman possessed the beauty and grace one would expect from royalty. She wore a thick, pink royal kimono under a midnight blue haori with imperial symbols emblazoned on the back that complimented her long black hair. She smiled as they approached.
"Master Jiraiya. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
"Trust me, the pleasure's all mine your highness." Jiraiya responded in a respectful tone. As expected, he wasn't going to act like his usual perverted self around a Daimyo... at least not unless he knew for certain they were cool with it. The Daimyo of the Land of Fangs came to mind. "Believe me, I've been looking forward to meeting the woman who brought my artistic vision to life ever since I saw it on the big screen."
Koyuki chuckled while Fuu scowled, annoyed that the filth she considered an insult to literature was popular enough to warrant a full length film. "Well, it was a nice change of pace. Too many actors careers grind to a halt because they get stuck in one role. Besides, it was certainly an... interesting experience." Her eyes then roamed to the two standing behind the toad summoner of the Sannin, landing on the blond.
She blinked in surprise as she saw how he'd changed over the past year. Gone was the short, scrawny brat who seemed to radiate overconfidence. Where he was once easily the shortest member of his team, he was now average height for a boy his age. While he still carried a care free air to him like he used to, his eyes showed he had gained experience... and fortunately more than a little intelligence. What little she could tell hinted that where before he'd been skinny, she knew from when he'd picked her up and she'd been shocked at how loose that ugly jumpsuit had been, he was now well built, but lean.
"Naruto!?" Koyuki looked at the familiar young man standing before her in shock. In return, Naruto gave her that foxy-looking grin she remembered oh so well.
"Heya Koyuki!" Smiling so wide his eyes squinted shut, Naruto greeted the Daimyo of Snow country. "How've ya-"
The rest of his words would never be known. His entire world was ground to a halt. The reason for this was because of Koyuki almost bowling him over in her haste to hug him.
"Naruto, it is you! It's been too long." She said as she pulled back before giving him a peck on the cheek, causing a deep flush to spread across the stunned blond's face. "I've been looking forward to seeing you again. And you've grown so much." She smiled as she looked him over. "You're turning into quite the looker, aren't you?" She asked, causing crimson to engulf his entire face as he laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head.
Jiraiya shook off his shock and gave a wide, perverted grin as his mind raced at all the ways he could use this when he wrote his next Icha Icha book (just because he was writing more T rated stories now didn't mean he'd quit writing more adult literature)... before he suddenly became aware of a spine chilling sense of impending doom.
The white haired man turned to see Fuu, her head tilted forward so that her eyes had vanished beneath the shadows of her hair, but her twisted mouth let him know she was glaring daggers at the Daimyo. He could see a fiery aura surrounding her that reminded him all too well of Naruto's mother when she was truly angry and her fists were trembling at her sides. Killing intent seemed to be rolling off of her in waves. He quietly inched away from her.
Fuu had felt a sense of jealousy boiling in her stomach unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She remembered feeling longing as she watched happy families walk by when she was younger, wishing she could have a normal life. This was different. It was mixed with fear and anger. How dare she touch her Naruto like that?
... Wait, since when was he her Naruto? It didn't matter, she didn't know why but as she looked at Koyuki hug Naruto to her so tightly she felt threatened. Like she could lose him somehow and the thought of that hurt.
As she turned to Fuu, Koyuki caught a glimpse of her face before she managed to hide her expression behind a somewhat strained mask. Being a woman who had had to take many roles and know the characters inside and out, it didn't take the Daimyo long to put two and two together, though she kept quiet about her discovery and smiled.
"And who might you be?" She asked.
Fuu managed to to smile amiably. After all, there were rules one had to follow when dealing with Daimyos. She bowed slight and replied, "I'm Fuu. I was recently transferred to Konoha. It's an honor to meet you, Lady Koyuki."
Koyuki smiled. "There's no need to be so formal. I spent years in hiding before becoming an actress, you know. It's refreshing to be around people who aren't as uptight and proper as the nobles around here."
Fuu nodded. Naruto took a step forward. "I was pretty surprised to when I found out you were starring in the Pervy Sage's movie." He began. Her mouth widened into a smirk as Jiraiya's scrunched up at hearing the blond call him that in front of the ruler of a nation... still considering she starred in his movie, she already knew he was anyway. "I mean, it wasn't not exactly the most dignified role,, was it?"
Koyuki chuckled. "Maybe, but I had my reasons and it was fun. Besides, the nobility were up in arms about it. That almost made it worth while by itself." Even Fuu, still somewhat upset about earlier, smirked at that. "So, what's it like traveling with Jiraiya of the Sannin? Did you manage to save another country or something?"
Naruto grinned widely. "Yep, and a few villages. You know how it is, being a hero and all."
Koyuki blinked again. "Seriously? I was kidding." Seeing the two teens give each other knowing looks, she shook her head in bemusement, "Wow, you know you're making other ninja look bad. Most are lucky if they've gone on 2 A-rank mission by now, if you'd call it that."
"I can't help it. I'm awesome like that."
Koyuki laughed and began to walk away. "Come, let's show your teammates around."
"How bothersome. None of my subordinates informed me that Jiraiya of the Sannin would be here..." Said an old man, rubbing his chin with his eye looking towards the ceiling as he sat cross-legged on the tatami mats of a fairly lavish room, lit by two pairs of torches on either side. He had an eye-patch covering his left eye, his hair tied in a beard that curled forward.
After months of preparation they were finally ready to move. He could still hardly believe that young upstart wanted to share their technology with the rest of the nations, even if she was smart enough to keep their military advancements within the country. Anything lessened their advantage, and that couldn't be allowed. Oh, he agreed that they should share their prosperity with the other nations... once they'd conquered them, that was.
If only Koyuki's father hadn't wasted the Kazahana clan fortune on that heat generator. He supposed the scenery was far nicer now than it had been before and it certainly made life in the nation more comfortable it crippled their shinobi. Where before they had an unlimited source of ammunition and materials to work their jutsu with in the snow that covered the land giving them a near perfect defense, their forces had to waste time and chakra summoning snow, losing a great deal of the home field advantage. Yes, the people were happier, but their nation was more vulnerable now than ever.
Those who agreed with Doto's vision had bid their time and waited, gathering resources, hiring mercenaries, ascertaining who would side with them or not and now was the moment to strike... and then who should show up but Jiraiya of the Sannin. Yes, this was a bit of a spanner in the works.
But no matter. Surely it wouldn't make that big of a difference. After all, he'd hired S-rank shinobi of his own.
"That's an understatement. I must admit I'm curious how your people could miss such a complication, Yukimura." A voice said from the shadows. An odd man stepped forward, crouched down on all fours, his entire form hidden by straw hat, a rag mask and a black coat.
A coat emblazoned with red clouds.
"Ah relax, Sasori my man." Another man wearing the same cloak stepped out of the shadows, tugging at its high collar with his right hand. The shadows cast by his hat and the darkness of the room obscured any of his features aside from the long blond hair that spilled down his back. He pulled his hand away from his collar and shifted it to reveal his palm, displaying a lip-less mouth on his palm. It opened, letting a tongue lash out as if searching for something to pull in and unveiling its flat teeth. "Not even a Sannin will be a match for my art, yeah."
"Hmph." Sasori scoffed. "It almost pains me to hear you refer to that pyrotechnics show of yours as art."
"Ouch. You know Sasori my man, I may not care for your works, but I at least respect you for the work you put in them. Couldn't you at least show my art the same respect, yeah?"
"That's what I'm doing. This is exactly the level of respect the effort of making an explosion deserves." The now named Sasori replied irrelevantly. "Still, I suppose we should count ourselves lucky. He's traveling with two of the Jinchuriki, one of whom was my designated target."
Well, that's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.
Sorry to leave it on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I'm going to work on Looking into the Abyss for a while now.
Please review.