Freedom. Chapter 1: William Wallace.
(Note: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, so now we get onto the real story. :D P.S. I forget to mention this in the last chapter, but as part of the fanfic, I will be using some parts of the dialogue from the actual "Braveheart" movie, while other parts will be in my own words.)
Disclaimer:
I do not own Braveheart or Naruto. Braveheart belongs to Mel Gibson, and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement intended. All copyrights are reserved.
Before I tell you about William Wallace's death in 1305, I will talk about the events that happened years before.
It all started one fateful day, seventeen years ago... I was seventeen.
17 years ago...
~ May 5, 1297... ~
The sun was shining brightly in the ninja village of Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village. The birds were singing, children were laughing and playing and people were talking amongst themselves and having a good time.
Not too far away, a man was at the entrance to the village gates. He told two of the guards Izumo and Kotetsu that he wanted to see the Hokage. They let him pass of course, and he started to walk towards the Hokage office.
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old hyperactive blonde-haired ninja was sleeping in bed. He had just come back from a mission with his friends a few days earlier, and he was already exhausted.
Then, he heard a loud knock at the door. He groaned, and immediately woke up right away.
"Coming, coming...," he mumbled as he made his way toward the door with a cup of ramen in his hand.
He opened the door, and his pink-haired green-eyed teammate was standing at his door with an impatient look on her face, arms crossed, and tapping her left foot on the floor.
"Oh. Hey, Sakura. What are you doing here?" he asked.
She sighed.
"Why is it that almost every time Lady Tsunade wants me to come get you, I find you sleeping?"
"Oh come on, Sakura! You know how tired I get after we go on missions!" the boy cried.
"Whatever. Anyway, she wants to see us in her office. Let's go, Naruto," Sakura stated.
"Wait! I'm not even dressed yet!" Naruto panicked as he went back in his house, and got prepared to get ready to go to Tsunade's office.
"This happens all the time...," Sakura mumbled.
A few minutes later, after Naruto got dressed, he and Sakura were just arriving at Tsunade's office with their sensei who was a silver-haired man wearing a mask covering his left eye, and wearing a green vest with blue sleeves, and blue pants.
"I'm sorry I had to interrupt you all on such a short notice, but I have a mission for you," Tsunade declared.
"Does it have to do with Sasuke?" Naruto recalled, remembering his raven-haired, onyx-eyed teammate who betrayed Konoha almost four years ago.
"No. It doesn't. However, since he left Konoha four years ago, I've decided that he needs a temporary replacement until he returns. You see, each team must contain a three-man squad, with a sensei as their leader. In your case, Naruto, Sakura, you only have a two-man team, which is why I'd like you to meet the new member of Team Kakashi, and temporary replacement for Sasuke. This is William Wallace, and he is Scotland's greatest hero," Tsunade spoke as Team Kakashi turned their attention to the man now known as William Wallace standing to her right.
He had long brown hair, with the sides of it in braids, and sapphire blue eyes, much like Naruto's eye color. He wore a belted plaid, also known as a tartan kilt, arm bracers, and carried a long two handed sword on his back. William was 5' 3'' tall, and weighed 120 lbs. Surprisingly, he was the same height as Sakura (who was also 5' 3''), but was 20 lbs pounds heavier than her (who weighed 100 pounds).
Naruto looked at William's outfit, and raised an eyebrow.
"Why is this guy wearing a dress?"
William, who was insulted at Naruto's comment, punched him on the head, and lashed out in a Scottish accent:
"For your information, this is not a dress. It's called a kilt."
Naruto shouted at William with angry white eyes:
"Well excuse me, but I'm not from Scotland now, am I?!"
"You should pay a little more respect for me! Oh, here's a favor I have for you: put your head between your legs, and KISS YOUR OWN ARSE!"
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
Kakashi and Sakura grabbed Naruto by the arms while Shizune held William back, to prevent the two men from killing each other.
Tsunade slammed her fist on her desk, and intervened.
"Naruto! William! That's enough!"
Naruto and William eventually calmed down while Naruto pouted and William glared at him.
"Do we have to work with William? Can't it be somebody else?" Naruto groaned.
"No. He's your new teammate and that's that. Anyway, since William is the new member of Team Kakashi, I have an important mission for you. It's not only just because he's your teammate, but you could say it's also a bodyguard mission. One that's very important," Tsunade said.
Naruto moaned.
"Look, I came here to go on a mission and train; not to babysit someone," he complained.
Sakura punched Naruto.
"Ow! Sakura!"
"Will you shut up for a few minutes so Lady Tsunade and William could speak?!"
"Fine," Naruto muttered.
Sakura gave a nervous look to Tsunade and William.
"I'm sorry, William. Naruto can be kind of an idiot sometimes."
"I AM NOT AN IDIOT!"
"Shut up, Naruto!" Sakura punched Naruto again.
Now, it was Kakashi's turn to speak.
"Sorry about that. Please continue."
"This is going to be tougher than I thought," William mused.
"William? Tell them about the mission," Tsunade stated as William told Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi about the mission.
"Right now, my people and I are about to go at war with the English. We are fighting for Scotland's freedom because King Edward "Longshanks," the king of England has invaded and conquered my land, following the death of Scotland's King Alexander III who died without a son. Because of how cruel Longshanks is, he wants to claim the throne of Scotland for himself, but we, the Scottish, will not stand for it. In a few months from now, we are fighting the English at Stirling, and I need your help."
Naruto blinked in confusion.
"Um, why do we have to kill this "Longshanks" guy?"
William looked at Naruto who asked the question.
"I mean, I understand that you're fighting for Scotland's freedom and all, but is there a reason why you have to go after him?" he wondered.
William sighed. He immediately thought of his father Malcolm, his brother John, and wife Murron who were all killed by the English a long time ago.
"My family and wife were all killed by the English. Since their deaths, I've longed for revenge for them, which is another reason why I want to kill Longshanks," William replies.
Sakura's face grew solemn as she remembered something she told Sasuke about revenge on the night he left Konoha almost four years ago:
~ Flashback (1293)... ~
Sasuke was about to leave Konoha to go to Orochimaru for power so he could kill his older brother Itachi for killing their family, the Uchiha Clan.
Sakura tried to stop him, and at one point during their conversation, she even told him this:
"I know about your clan, Sasuke. I do. But seeking revenge, that won't bring anyone happiness. Nobody at all. Not you... and not me."
Sakura remembered these words that Sasuke would say to her, and they'd stay with her forever:
"I'm traveling a path the rest of you can't follow. I know that the four of us have worked together. And for a while I thought I could take that road instead. But in the end... I've decided on revenge. That's always been my reason for living."
~ End of flashback... ~
"So. You long for revenge too, don't you, William?" Sakura questioned herself.
"Sakura," came the voice of Naruto.
"Oh. Yes?" Sakura responded.
"Grandma Tsunade's about to give us the mission," Naruto said.
In his mind, William snickered when he heard Naruto call Tsunade "Grandma Tsunade."
Tsunade started to speak again.
"There is a catch to his mission, however: You have to make sure that William doesn't die, otherwise the mission will be a failure. Understood?"
Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and William all nodded their heads.
"You are dismissed," Tsunade said.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura walked out of her office. Before William was about to follow them, Tsunade told him:
"Oh, and William?"
William looked back at Tsunade.
"Yes?"
"Good luck on your journey and look after Team Kakashi."
William nodded.
"I will."
He followed Team Kakashi close behind, and they were on their way to the village gates to begin their mission.
While they were walking around the village, people started to notice William walking right beside Team Kakashi.
At one point, Ino Yamanaka, a girl who was Sakura's childhood friend and rival walked up to the quartet, and giggled when she saw William.
"Hey, Sakura. Who's that handsome man over there?"
Sakura looked at Ino and back at William.
"Oh. Uh, Ino, this is William Wallace. William, this is my childhood friend and rival Ino Yamanaka," Sakura said.
"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, lassie," William voiced with a smile as he kissed Ino's left hand which made her confused.
"Uh, "lassie"?"
"Oh. He's Scottish. Let's just say lassie is a way of calling you "Miss." " Sakura replied.
"Yeah, and he's Scotland's greatest hero! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed, proudly.
"But, why is he here?" Ino questioned. So Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and William explained the mission to her.
"Oh. I see. How long will you be gone, then?" she wondered.
"Hopefully not too long. I'm guessing maybe after The Battle Of Stirling, we should return around that time," Naruto responded.
"Oh. Alright. Well, good luck, and be careful," Ino cautioned.
"We will," Sakura stated as she left with William, Naruto and Kakashi while Ino sighed in a fangirlish way, already starting to fall in love with William.
Meanwhile, as the quartet continued their walk, they came across Kiba Inuzuka and his dog Akamaru.
"Hey, Sakura. Who's your new boyfriend?" Kiba teased, referring to William, which made Sakura slap him.
"Ow!"
"For your information, Kiba, William Wallace is NOT my boyfriend. We just met a few minutes ago. Therefore, we are only friends," Sakura declared.
"Okay, okay. Sorry," Kiba apologized.
"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a mission to go to," Sakura confirmed.
"What's it about?" Kiba inquired as William explained the mission.
"Huh. Sounds like a dangerous mission. Well, good luck," Kiba warned as Team Kakashi continued their walk.
Later, they came across two men who had bowl haircuts and bushy eyebrows.
"Sakura! Who is your training partner?" the young man named Rock Lee quizzed.
"Who are these weirdos?" William scoffed.
"You dare misjudge the handsome devil of the Hidden Leaf Village?!" Lee angered.
"Well you are," William remarked.
"In that case, you don't know anything about the power of youth!" Might Guy bellowed.
""Power of youth"?" William catechized.
"Yes! The power of youth! Lee and I live for it! We breathe it! It's a part of us! So how dare you not know what the power of youth is!" Guy shouted.
William rolled his eyes in disgust.
"William, this is Rock Lee and Might Guy. Or as I like to call them, "Bushy Brow" and "Bushier Eyebrows" Naruto pointed out.
"Hey!" Lee and Guy both cried in unision.
"Come on, Naruto. We're wasting time. We have to go to Stirling before it's too late," William demanded.
"Stirling?" Lee instituted.
"Aye. It's in Scotland. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi are helping me fight for Scotland's freedom," William said.
"Well, in that case, Lee and I wish you the best of luck, and let the power of youth explode in your burning eyes!" Guy proclaimed which made William do a facepalm.
"I'm surrounded by two buffoons who talk about the "power of youth." Not only that, but they're also idiots. Oh, God, kill me now," William sniveled to himself with a sigh.
"Come on, William. Let's go," Sakura told him as he followed her, Naruto and Kakashi to the gates outside of the Leaf village.
Along the way, William met some of their other friends – such as Neji Hyuga, Shino Aburame, Kurenai Yuhi, Tenten, Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara, Asuma Sarutobi and his nephew Konohamaru, and Iruka Umino. Jiraiya was out on a mission of his own.
Later, Naruto went to Ichiraku Ramen with Kakashi, Sakura and William one last time, fearing that he (Naruto) might die in the war with the Scottish against the English.
"Itakadimasu!" Naruto cried out as he slurped his ramen hungrily.
"You eat like a pig, Naruto," William muttered.
"What did you say?" Naruto asked.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," William lied.
"O... K...," Naruto voiced as he went back to eating his ramen, and bid goodbye to Teuchi and his daughter Ayame.
Finally, as William was about to depart Konoha with Team Kakashi, a girl called out to Naruto with a soft-spoken voice.
"Um, Naruto?"
Naruto turned around, and saw Hinata, the cousin of Neji right by the village gates.
She had long dark-blue hair with a hime-style haircut, white pupiless eyes, and wore a loose fitting, long-sleeved jacket, lavender and cream zip-up jacket with lavender cuffs over mesh armor with navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals.
"Hinata. What are you doing here?" Naruto wondered.
"Well, I heard about your mission to protect William-sama during his fight against the English and for Scotland's freedom. So, I came to say goodbye, in case you don't return. Also, I have a present for William-sama," Hinata said as she looked at William.
"A present? For me?" William asked.
"Y-Yes," Hinata stuttered as she gave William a shield.
"A shield?" William inquired.
"I-I found this at a weapons shop, and thought of you, because you have a sword on your back. Here. Take it," Hinata told William as she gave the shield to him.
"Wow. Thanks," William complimented as Hinata nodded at him with a smile. "Oh, and Hinata? Please, just call me William."
"Naruto...," Hinata spoke, looking back at Naruto.
"Yes?" Naruto answered back.
"Listen. I know you're going to be gone for quite some time during the war in Scotland, but I want to tell you something really important. I've been waiting all my life to say this, since the day we met as kids. I used to always cry and give up… I made many wrong turns… But you… You helped me find the right path… I always chased after you… I wanted to catch up to you… I wanted to walk beside you all the time… I just wanted to be with you… You changed me! Your smile is what saved me! The truth is that... I love you, Naruto. I've always loved you," Hinata admitted her feelings to Naruto who was stunned as she started to kiss him.
As William watched Hinata and Naruto kiss, he remembered Murron, the woman he loved so much ever since they were kids.
Flashback...
After Murron asked William if he wanted to marry her, he happily responded:
"I love you, always have. I want to marry you."
He kissed her, and she accepted his proposal.
End of flashback...
"William? William," the voice of Kakashi interrupted his thoughts.
"Oh. Yes, Kakashi?" William replied.
"Are you okay?" Kakashi wondered.
"Aye. I'm fine. I was just spacing out a little," William reassured him.
After Hinata and Naruto stopped kissing, Hinata, with tears in her eyes hugged Naruto and told him:
"Naruto. I fear I'm never going to see you again.'
"Don't worry. I'll be okay," Naruto consoled her.
"How do you know that? What if you come back home dead?" Hinata asked.
"Like I said, don't worry. I'll come back for you. I promise. Don't forget: I never go back on my word! That's my ninja way!" Naruto proclaimed, to which William was awed by his determination.
Hinata hugged Naruto and kissed him one last time before leaving for Scotland.
Once Team Kakashi got on the boat heading for Scotland, everyone was waving their goodbyes to Naruto.
"Good luck, Naruto!" Ino cried.
"Be careful!" Lee voiced.
"Take care of yourself!" Konohamaru called out to him.
"I hope you don't do anything reckless, Naruto," Iruka thought to himself.
"Naruto. Sakura. Kakashi. Please come back with William alive... and be careful," Tsunade said to herself.
Just then, an emotional Hinata ran up to the docks with Neji by her side and waved goodbye to Naruto one last time who waved back at her.
"Naruto. Be careful," Hinata cried to herself as Neji hugged his sobbing cousin.
As soon as Konoha started disappearing from their sight, Sakura thought of Sasuke.
"Sasuke..."
As we were leaving for Scotland, there were a lot of questions that went through my mind.
Would we survive this battle?
Would we die?
Once our mission is over and we went home, would it be the last time we'd ever see William again?
Would William finally be able to get his revenge on Longshanks?
Would William's dream for freedom come true?
And most of all...
Would I ever see Sasuke again?
Even though Sasuke never went with us on this journey, because of Orochimaru, I still felt as if Sasuke was still here.
Once Lady Tsunade told us that Sasuke would be replaced by William in Team Kakashi, I was a little sad and shocked about it, but I eventually came to terms with it.
Even though Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and I barely knew William at that time, I felt like I've known him forever.
This wasn't just a simple mission that Lady Tsunade assigned us to, but it was also the beginning of a long journey.
And William Wallace was right by our side through it all...
(Note: Wow. This is a really long chapter. Now, for those of you who are wondering where the story takes place (because I forgot to put this at the beginning of the chapter), here are the timelines for the movie "Braveheart" and anime/manga "Naruto." (*SPOILER ALERT!*)
Braveheart Timeline:
After Murron has been killed, and before The Battle Of Stirling.
Naruto/Naruto Shippuden Timeline:
After the Gaara Kazekage Rescue Arc, and before the Sasuke And Sai Arc, which takes place before Sai and Yamato join Team Kakashi to rescue Sasuke.
Oh, and to anyone who's Scottish, I'm sorry if I offended you in any way at that part where Naruto called William's kilt a dress. Don't get me wrong. I love Scotland, and I highly respect you, so please don't get mad at me. Now, for those of you who are wondering where the story takes place, here are the timelines for the movie "Braveheart" and anime/manga "Naruto." (*SPOILER ALERT!*)
(Note: Well, that's it for the chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it, and please R&R (read & review)! :D P.S. Oh, and before anyone says anything about Hinata's confession to Naruto, yes I know she doesn't say that until the Invasion Of Pain Arc. I just thought it fit so well with that scene in the fanfic, so I just had to put the quote in there. One more thing. When William tells Naruto to "put his head between his legs and kiss his own arse," that's actually a reference to the movie where he said those exact same words to one of the soldiers at Stirling. XD)