Still don't own Naruto
Chapter 70: The Village Hidden in the Tree's
It took Naruto a full day at full speed to reach the Land of Tree's, Naruto looked on in awe of the village, each part of the village was built high in the trees with wooden bridges connecting the trees, in fact the only things on the ground of the forest were large spiraling ramps that went all the way up to the canopy where the village was located.
Naruto found two ninja on guard duty, there Hetai-ite had a picture of a single tree in the center. "Hey, I'm here on a diplomatic mission from Konoha, I need to speak to whoever is in charge here" Naruto said in a friendly manner handing the guards his papers.
"This seems to all be in order, I hope you enjoy your stay in Kigakure" one of the guards said before handing Naruto his forms back.
Naruto made his way across a large bridge to the one of the biggest trees that he had ever seen, and it was not like the others were small, but this one seemed like it was almost as wide as the Hokage monument in Konoha and twice as high.
The blond Konoha ninja arrived in the center tree and he saw at the thickest place where the branches forked out, there was a large mansion. Naruto moved towards the mansion as he knew it was his destination.
As he approached he entrance was blocked by three ninja. "Halt you cannot enter without permission" one of the ninja said.
"But I am here on an important mission from Konoha" Naruto said.
"That doesn't matter nobody enters without permission" one of the other ninja said.
"Oh alright, then how do I get permission to enter?" Naruto asked.
"You need to talk to Hikaru-sama" the first ninja to speak said.
"And where do I find him?" Naruto queried.
"He lives in the mansion, and he rarely leaves" The ninja replied.
"This same mansion that I am not allowed to enter right?" Naruto said starting to realize why a nation with there own ninja would need to rely so heavily on Konoha for support.
"Well yes" the ninja admitted.
"Then can I see him, or is that forbidden as well" Naruto said.
"As a matter of fact it is, wow you're a smart one, how did you know that" the final ninja who had yet to speak said.
"You're kidding right, the only way to see the person who is in charge is to talk to this Hikaru-sama, and he lives inside the same mansion that I cant get into and he almost never comes out, is that right?" Naruto questioned.
"Yeah that's about it" the first ninja said happily.
"And that doesn't seem at all stupid to any of you?" Naruto queried.
"No, why would it?" they all replied.
"How about the fact that it is absolutely impossible to get in to see the person in charge. Look is there anyone out in the village that I can speak to, preferably someone who is more intelligent than a common house cat" Naruto said with a deadpan.
"I don't know what you mean" the first ninja said again.
"Of course you don't. Look is there anyone I can actually speak to without having to enter the mansion that I am not allowed to enter that can help be get a meeting with either the person in charge or Hikaru" Naruto said willing himself not to hit the three ninja as punishment for being idiots.
"Um, maybe the Jonnin commander, he is allowed to enter once a week to get our missions for the week" one of the ninja said.
"And where can I find him?" Naruto asked.
"We ugh, we don't know" the three guards admitted.
"You guys are useless, you know that right" Naruto said exasperatedly.
"Yes" all three of them replied lowering there heads in shame.
"At least tell me where your ninja HQ is, and if you tell me that it is inside the mansion I swear to kami I am just going to beat you three up and go in there" Naruto said.
"The ninja HQ is two tree's over to the west, maybe someone there can help you" one of the ninja said shakily.
Naruto then walked off in the direction they pointed him in muttering about useless incompetent ninja.
(Land of Fire)
Team Taka were jumping through the trees when the air in front of them rippled and Madara stood before them.
"I believe I told you that if you betrayed me I would have to kill you" Madara said after he completed his materialization.
"What are you talking about, I gave you the Hachibi" Sasuke said.
"No he gave you the slip, you only have me part of a tentacle, you failed me. Or did you allow him to escape you" Madara said.
"Impossible, I saw him burn from my Amaterasu. Now get out of my way!" Sasuke said.
"I'm afraid I can't let you go any further, it would be pointless anyway, Konoha has already been destroyed by my minion Pein" Madara said.
"So he stole my revenge!" Sasuke seethed activating a chidori in his anger.
"Not exactly, he was stopped and defeated by your former classmate the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, he is quite a ninja" Madara admitted.
"So Konoha has still been destroyed but there are still people left alive, then I will finish the job Pein started and enjoy watching them beg me for forgiveness from there sins" Sasuke said.
"I can't let you go, you failed me so you owe me a job done right before you are free from my service" Madara said.
"Get out of my way!" Sasuke yelled.
"No" Madara replied simply.
Sasuke charged the elder Uchiha with a chidori. Madara screamed but changed to laughter as Sasuke just passed straight through him.
It was at this point that Zetsu rose from the same tree branch that Madara was currently standing on. "What the hell is that thing" Suigetsu said upon seeing the plant man.
"He is another one of my minions. Zetsu, who is the new Hokage?" Madara said turning to Zetsu.
"There is no change in leader, The Hokage is still Tsunade Senju" Zetsu said.
"This is confusing, I would have bet on Danzo attempting to take the seat of Hokage for himself" Madara admitted.
"Well he did try, but he was foiled by the Kyuubi jinchuuriki" Zetsu said.
"I see, and what happened?" Madara asked.
"Well I didn't see the confrontation up close for obvious reason's, but from what I gathered from spying on the village, Danzo was just about to get the approval of the Daimyo when Naruto showed up and exposed him of treason when he teamed up with Hanzou. He then said that if he was elected Hokage then he would leave the village along with Tsunade and Jiraiya, leaving the village with no jinchuuriki or S ranked ninja to deter any possible threat on the village. Much like when Suna and Oto tried to invade. And the name of Danzo is far less threatening than Hiruzen Sarutobi, the God of Shinobi. Danzo could see his plan had failed and attempted to control the Kyuubi somehow, I have not found out how he attempted it. Anyway after a short confrontation Danzo fled the village along with close to three hundred of his followers, I believe he still has spy's inside the village though" Zetsu said.
"I see. So Danzo has been forced to flee the village, I doubt it will be the last we see of them, and I am sure you will be wanting to find him, Sasuke. After all he was one of the people who ordered the elimination of the Uchiha clan" Madara said.
"Where is he hiding" Sasuke said clearly angry at the thought of Danzo being allowed to escape his wrath.
"I don't know, but I have a fairly good idea of where he will show up" Zetsu said.
"Where, tell me Now!" Sasuke demanded.
"Well since you failed to ask nicely, I don't know if I should tell you. Hey boss are you sure about not letting him go to Konoha, I would enjoy watching him get humiliated by the the young Namikaze" Zetsu said.
"I will crush the Dobe, he is nothing compared to me" Sasuke said arrogantly.
"Well he did just defeat a man who considered himself a god, and not without good reason, not many people have been able to control life and death. He really could have been seen as a god, I don't think you would stand much of a chance against Naruto" Zetsu said.
"Enough of this you two, now Zetsu, where do you think Danzo will show himself?" Madara ordered.
"The Raikage has called for a summit of the Five Kage's from the great shinobi villages. They plan to discuss what they should do about the Akatsuki, that will be Danzo's last chance to gain power, if he can seize it at the Kage summit. He did take enough root members with him to have a good chance at defeating the Kage's with sheer force of numbers. It will be held in just over a week in the Land of Iron" Zetsu replied submissively.
"Then I guess we will just need to crash that party, after all Sasuke, two of your highest profile target's will be there" Madara said.
"Alright I agree. Once I crush the Kage's I will prove that the Dobe doesn't stand a chance against me" Sasuke said in a mocking tone.
"Then it's agreed you will make your way towards the Land of Iron and lay low until the summit. Take White Zetsu with you, so I can be sure you don't fail me again" Madara said.
Zetsu split up into two half's and sent the white half to go stand over by team Taki.
"Alright, let's head out then, the sooner we get there the easier it will be to sneak into the country Sasuke said and left without saying another word.
Team Taka and White Zetsu followed after him. Once he was out of range black Zetsu turned to Madara. "Do you really think you can control him? Even if he does become stronger than Itachi ever was, it will be pointless, and you could just create another problem" Zetsu said.
"I am aware of the risk's, but the more he uses the Mangekyo Sharingan the deeper into the Darkness he will fall, and the further he falls the easier it will be for him to manipulate. I just have to make sure I am on hand to save him, I don't expect him to be able to win at the Kage summit, but it will be the perfect opportunity for him to train his eye's. Then all I have to do is sweep in and save his life and then he will begin to see me as his ally" Madara said.
"You're probably right" Zetsu said.
Madara didn't reply he just warped himself away from the area, and Zetsu seeing his leader had left decided to do the same and sunk into the tree branch he was standing on.
(Land of Tree's)
Naruto had eventually found the Jonnin commander of the village, he was a long way from the symbol of power and ability that Kakashi, Asuma, and Gai, were for Konoha. In fact this man looked as though he was mentally drained, like he had past his best years ago.
"Hello, I hear you are the one in control of most of the Ninja forces" Naruto said approaching the disheveled jonnin commander.
"Wha? Oh yeah, that's me, who might you be, you're clearly not one of our ninja" the man said.
"Me, oh I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, I'm here on a diplomatic mission from Konoha, I was hoping to get in to see the leader of the village to deliver a message from the Hokage" Naruto said.
"That will be difficult, it is almost impossible to get a meeting with our leader, I have only seen him a couple of time's since I took over as jonnin commander" the man said.
"And how long ago did you take over the job?" Naruto asked.
"About a nine month's ago, but I don't know how much longer I can continue with the job, it seems to be far more draining than I ever imagined, it's no wonder the last four only lasted just over a year" the man said.
"Why did they retire?" Naruto queried.
"They all seemed to loose it, it was like all of there skill just left them, towards the end of there rein they could barely remember how to throw a kunai" the man said shakily.
'That sound's really fishy to me, what could cause something like that? One thing's for sure there is something going on inside the mansion that need's to stop' Naruto thought.
"Look I really need to get in to see the leader, is there anyway you could get me an audience? At least with this Hikaru-sama I have heard about" Naruto asked.
"There might be a way. I will ask for you, I'm sure they will take notice when they find out the son of the Yellow Flash is here to see them with an urgent message from Konoha" the jonnin commander said.
"Thank you, it seems like you are my only hope of completing my mission" Naruto said.
"No it's no problem, your father saved this village during the third shinobi war, it is the least I can do to repay that kindness by doing my best to get you an audience with at least Hikaru-sama. Wait here I will go at once to the palace to speak with who I can" the man said.
Naruto decided to agree and sat in the small bar where he had found the shabby looking jonnin commander.
It was over an hour before the man returned to take his seat. "Good news Hikaru-sama has agreed to a meeting with you outside of the Kikage's mansion, in one hour in the mission briefing room of the Ninja HQ" the man said.
"Ah good can you take me there, I would rather not have to answer anymore questions about why I am here than I need to" Naruto said.
"Ah very well. Shall we?" the jonnin commander said standing up from his seat and beginning to lead the way.
Naruto found the village itself to be a very beautiful place, living in the canopy of a dense rain forest gave the village a quite peaceful feel to it. But he found the ninja to be a bit infuriating. The ninja commander was friendly enough and seemed to be rather intelligent but Naruto could tell just from following him back to the Ninja HQ where he found out where to find the man that he was on his last leg's as a shinobi. Even the way that he seemed to walk, it was as if he had forgotten how to be assertive or even secretive, his feet were loud and clumsy. Everything about him screamed fresh genin rather than experienced jonnin of a village.
"Well here we are, Hikaru-sama will be with you shortly" the man said, leading Naruto into a large hall like room.
The room itself was utterly unremarkable except for a amazingly skilful carved feature on the back wall of the large tree that was in the center of the village that had such detail Naruto could even make out the faces on the people who were gathered around the base of the tree as if they were worshiping it.
"An amazing piece of work isn't it" came a voice behind Naruto. Who was not focusing on sensing people approaching did not realize he was no longer alone.
Turning around Naruto saw a large man around Kurenai's age. He was about Jiraiya's height with pure white hair with several thick black and red streaks that traveled down to just past his shoulders. The thing that really shocked Naruto was his eyes. He had one purple eye and the other was red.
"My you really are the son of the Yellow Flash, you look just like the pictures of him" the man said clearly Naruto had piqued his interest.
Naruto went to reply but then stopped as both of the man's eye's changed color, the right one which had been red changed to light blue, several shades lighter than Naruto's and his left which had been purple changed to yellow. The process stole Naruto's train of thought from him and all he could think about was what was going on with his eyes.
"Ah I see you have noticed my eye's, there is nothing to worry about. They change color according to what I am feeling at that point in time, it's a Kekkei Genkai. I call it the Joushugan, or Mood Eye" the man said.
"Oh that must make keeping your thoughts and emotions a secret, rather difficult" Naruto said.
"Yes I suppose it could, but as long as people do not know what the colors mean if will not help others all that much" the man said.
"True I suppose. Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, and you are?" Naruto said sticking out a hand to shake the man's hand.
"Oh how rude of me, I must have lost my train of thought when I saw how much you looked like your father. I am Hikaru Nentou, the Kikage's personal Aid and I run the day to day shinobi business of the village" Hikaru said.
"Well then it is a pleasure to meet you Hikaru, you are clearly highly respected in this village" Naruto said.
"No the pleasure is all mine, you are the son of one of the strongest ninja ever to live, you must be quite the shinobi yourself" Hikaru said as his yellow eye changed to dark green.
"Naruto noticed this and couldn't help but wonder what it indicated. There was obviously no genjutsu causing it otherwise his senjutsu seals would have activated to dispel it. "Your Joushugan intrigues me Konoha is known for possessing the Byakugan and Sharingan, and they both have amazing abilities, I was wondering if you could tell me something about it?" Naruto questioned trying to find out more about the man and his bloodline limit.
"Now what kind of ninja would I be if I gave away my secret's it would be like me asking you how your father performed his prized jutsu the Rasengan or what was the secret behind the fabled Hirashin" Hikaru said.
'The way he said that it was like he wanted me to tell him how to do my two most prized jutsu, hm he would never be able to use the Hirashin anyway, father fixed the seal so it would only ever work with people that have Namikaze blood, I was able to get it to work but I doubt even I could completely remake the seal from scratch to use other peoples blood, not that I would ever want to' Naruto thought.
"You're right of course it was rude of me to ask" Naruto apologized.
"No apology is necessary" Hikaru said happily but Naruto couldn't help but notice a small frown appear on his fore head.
"Perhaps we should get down to business. I require an Audience with your Kage, I have a letter to deliver to him from the Hokage" Naruto said.
"Ah I am afraid that it impossible, Kikage-sama has refused all visitors. He has been like that for almost a year now, I am the only person he agrees to see, perhaps I can take the letter for you" Hikaru said.
"No I have my order's not to give this to anyone other than the Kikage, I don't care if I have to walk in drop it off without saying anything and leave but I have to give it directly to him" Naruto said determinedly.
"That will be close to impossible I am afraid" Hikaru said.
'What is this bull shit, what Kage refuses to see a diplomatic emissary, war's have been started for less, there is something very wrong going on here' Naruto thought.
"Actually, there might be one way that you could see Kikage-sama, but I will have to talk to him first to make sure it is alright, I can understand your position after all, I request you come back tomorrow morning. I hope that is acceptable" Hikaru said.
"Yes and please tell him that it is urgent and for his eye's only" Naruto said.
"I will. It has been a pleasure talking to you Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze" Hikaru said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
'Something about that man is off, if I was in sage mode maybe I could have gotten something from his chakra signature, but I couldn't just enter sage mode in the middle of a civilized conversation, but there is definitely something going on in that palace and I want to know what it is, looks like I will have to break in and have a look around for myself' Naruto thought, as he left the room to go find a hotel for the night.
End Chapter!