The Dishonored Raven, the Fox that Never Was, & the Man that Wept
By Pyro Yuki
~Author's Note: please review!
Having read recent reviews, I've come to realize a mistake in a past Author note. The Hyuga Clan AND the Akatsuki are the only groups so far in the story that DOES have their chakra back. However, Obito made a new law that opened the opportunity for the other Clans to finally join him after 12 years under his rule.
The reason he chose the Hyuga Clan and ONLY the Hyuga Clan so far was because of their amazing Kekkei Genkai abilities and their precise abilities to strike down an enemy. Plus, the Sharingan and Byakugan are 'cousins' or something like that in the manga/anime. Two of the Leaf's most powerful Clans. If Obito could control them, then he wouldn't have too much trouble with the other Leaf ninja or/and the Clans. Remember, when Obito took over, no Clan wished to follow him. But a lot of people can change over 12 years and with the younger generation not knowing anything other than 'the Fifth Hokage', they view him as a respectable figure.
The following two chapters should answer the questions about the Chakra Ceremony. ;) Also, if you loved the twists so far, you'll love the upcoming chapters. That's where the real action begins. XD Sorry for Grammar mistakes!
Also, I noticed that I leave you guys hangin for the next chapter a lot so I added the 'Suspense' gener
Enjoy~~!
… Tends to mean a tiny time skip
Italics are thoughts or a flashback. "." Are words.
(Comments from me)
All original characters and story belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 4: The Plan
The clock on a stand was the only sound in the whole room for a long while. All ten shinobi looked at the former Jinchuriki's eyes had their old flame in her blue eyes.
"We've been waiting for Anko to return. Anko?" Kurenai looked at the former snake Kunoichi.
The woman glared back at her. "You try finding a Sannin that doesn't want to be found. I only found her thanks to Jiraiya-san. It took me 2 years to find Tsunade-san and one year to convince her and return with what we needed." She informed the group.
"Then you have it?" Tsume Inuzuka, Head of the Inuzuka Clan, growled impatiently.
In response, Anko took something small out of her coat jacket and held it out high between two fingers. It was a white paper folded up and stuffed with something inside it.
"Tsunade made this herself. It won't fail us." She told them all, placing it on the table for everyone to see.
"How does it work?" Kakashi asked first.
"Tsunade said it's a powerful jutsu-release drug that just needs to be mixed in with drink or soup. It's odor-less and taste-less. I know because she used it on me as a test subject." Anko scowled at that memory. The jonin around Anko's age raised their eyebrows. They knew that Anko had once been the apprentice of the last Sannin, Orochimaru, and experimented ruthlessly by him too. They all guessed that her body had immunity to poisons as well. Tsunade really was something to be able to drug Anko.
"We should all have enough chakra in each of us to release it without trouble."
"Tsume-san?" Asuma glanced at the Inuzuka. The Clan Head took the packet and opened the top. White powder was inside it. She looked it over for a bit, and then put it closer to her nose and sniffed to check if it really was odor-less. If it could get passed her nose, then it wouldn't fail them. She cautiously dabbed a bit on her finger and tasted it. She tasted nothing at all.
"It's as she said." Tsume closed the packet and handed it back to Anko, who placed it back in her coat pocket.
The others were pleased to hear this. Now it was up to them to make sure it worked.
"What did you have to say to Tsunade-san to get this drug, Anko?" Kakashi asked.
Anko let out a snort. "The old hag wanted nothing but to get her chakra back. She doesn't even care if her grandfather's Village burns to the ground."
"She could get all the chakra she wants if this works. Obviously, she wanted us to spike their drinks." Kakashi stated. The others nodded.
"But how can one do that? I doubt Obito and the Akatsuki would come over to our homes for a friendly drink." The Aburame Clan Head spoke out in his Clan's familiar collected way.
"That's true, but I'm certain that the Hygua Clan will host a party for Hinata and Sasuke. I heard they are going to have a Clan Gathering just to see Hinata's graduation papers. They will go all-out for the heiress becoming a full Clan member." Asuma stated.
"So we just need to convince Hiashi to ask Obito and the whole Akatsuki to join them? He would get suspicious." Kurenai pitched in. The Clan Heads nodded in total agreement.
"We could fake a letter from Hiashi." The Akimichi Clan Head suggested.
"It would still make Hiashi suspicious," someone stated out.
"If I could still use a transformation technique, then I could just pretend to be Hiashi," Anko growled.
"Obito's Sharingan would see through it," Kakashi rejected.
Kushina grew quiet in her thoughts. She hated herself for what she was about to say. "Maybe I could get Naruto to convince Hinata to ask Hiashi for Obito and the Akatsuki to use one of their main buildings for the party." All heads turned to her again.
"Naruto? Minato-sensei's son?" Guy asked, looking worried. That was a risk.
"That's dangerous, Kushina-san. You'd have to tell Naruto everything." Kakashi's voice softened.
"I know…but I think it's for the best now. In fact, besides drugging them, we need to take the opportunity and find the chakra sphere, and get our chakra back. We may never get another chance to." She told them all. They all looked worried. No one knew just where Obito kept it after the ceremonies. Only the Akatsuki may know that and they only had about an hour or more of a head start if they activate the drug.
"Drug the Hokage and his puppets, find the chakra sphere, get our chakra back, and then flee for our lives?" Shikaku Nara listed out.
"That's about the sum of it." She nodded.
"We can't all go though. Some of us need to stay here undetected, and I think I know who." The Nara Clan Head stated out. All eyes were on him.
"Asuma, Kurenai, Inoichi, Choza, Shibi, myself, and Tsume will stay behind. We all have Clans or family to protect." Shikaku drawled out, glancing at the only ninja couple there.
Kurenai blushed; a hand instantly went to her belly. Asuma tried to hide his blush. "So you noticed already huh, Shikaku-san? Yeah, Kurenai and I are going to have a second child."
Surprise flickered onto the other shinobis' eyes. They knew that Asuma had married Kurenai a couple years after Obito took over and had their first son in the following years. To have another child now though…
"How far along?" Kushina asked.
"Three months," Kurenai replied.
"I wish I can openly congratulate you both, but I'm afraid we have a revolution to think about right now." Kakashi told Asuma, who nodded in acceptance.
Kakashi looked at Shikaku. "And I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for more time before I leave."
"Why's that?" The older tactician asked with a raised eye brow.
"I want to try and convince Sasuke Hyuga to join us."
Gasps erupted from the others, including Kushina.
"What?!" Anko stood up, smacking her hand on the table.
"Sasuke is a Hyuga raised boy, but he's no true Hyuga Clan member. Nothing about him looks Hyuga but his hair color. If I can make him see that-"
"And what, tell him to join a bunch of former ninja and eventually help them to defeat the very Clan that raised him?!" Anko snapped.
"Anything sounds silly when you say it like that." Kakashi retorted calmly, crossing his arms.
"Anko's got a point, Kakashi. You were Obito's teammate. You would be the first he'd suspect in this attack," Guy spoke out.
"You're wrong, Guy. Kushina and Naruto will be the first one he suspects." Kakashi looked at her with his one eye.
She had to nod back. "Obito still suspects rebellion from me and Naruto."
"I'll talk to Hiashi and tell him that I wish to take over Sasuke's training. Guy's already training Neji so there shouldn't be a problem with me training Sasuke. He'll most likely be training Hinata anyway."
"And if he gets suspicious by your request?"
"I'll just tell him that I owed him a favor way back when. That, or I'll make a statement that he let GUY train Neji but wouldn't let someone like me train Sasuke." Kakashi gave a small hidden smile behind his mask.
"Okay, but say that you DO convince Naruto and, god forbid, Sasuke to help us out. We STILL need to find a way to find the chakra sphere! Because as I see it, we won't be getting out of the Leaf Village alive without our jutsu back. No matter how talented we are." Anko stated matter-of-factly.
"Then I believe I have a solution." A new voice came from the door. Every person jumped out of their seats and got poised to strike down one Neji Hyuga at the door.
…(Much Later that Day since it was already 2 AM)…2 day till rebellion
Naruto did something he had never done even on a weekend…sleep till 11AM. Normally his mom would wake him up at 9:30AM on a weekend. But he had graduated so he could sleep for as long as his heart's desired.
He opened his bedroom door, eyes still blurry. When they got focused, he became aware that his mother's door opened as well. Both stared at each other, both also looking as sleepy as the other.
"Mom?"
"What Naruto?"
"Did you just wake up?"
"Ya? So what? You're graduated now. I should be able to have a day or two for a full night's rest." She answered.
"Hmm…"
"Go take a shower, I'll get breakfast." She walked towards the kitchen, though she was wobbly as she walked.
Naruto shrugged and get into the bathroom to shower.
He was drying his hair with a towel as he walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. His mother finally seemed more awake too. She was sitting down with a cup of coffee after placing the food out.
"Don't you have to work today, mom?" Naruto asked as he sat down. Kushina stopped in mid-sip.
"Naruto…I never once told you what I do, did I?"
"Now that you mention it…" Naruto frowned.
"That's because I've just been leaving the house every time you go to school. I've never gone to work. Not that I haven't tried, 'ya know. But being who we are, there was no way to get a job…even basic labor work." Kushina sighed, sitting her cup down and facing her son.
He nodded. He could understand that…
"But how did you pay for food and everything?"
Kushina raised an amused eyebrow. "Come on, Naruto. I'm the Fourth Hokage's wife." She told him.
"Oh…yeah." He remembered, though it was still a vague answer. "So…so what did you do?"
"Well, for the first two years of your schooling, I watched you." She told him calmly. His face turned bright red.
"You WHAT?! Mom!" He cried out.
"What? I had to make sure my baby was safe. You'll understand one day." She waved her wrist like it was no big deal. Like all parents did it.
"I doubt it." He mumbled, slightly red. "Do I even wanna know what you did after that?"
Kushina gave his head a teasing punch. "Don't make assumptions!" she declared. "I was training, 'ya know!"
"Training?" He blinked through the watery eyes.
"For the moment where I'd have to put my life on the line to protect you and save the Leaf."
Silence followed those serious words.
"You're joking, right? C'mon, what were you really doing?" Naruto began to sweat.
Kushina looked at him even more seriously that she had when she showed him their family pictures. It scared Naruto.
"What do you mean 'save the Leaf'? From who? Is this the same person that would kill us if I asked about my father?"
"Yes."
"Who is he?" Naruto's voice grew quiet. He would finally know why…
"Obito Uchiha." She looked him right in the eye. Silence filled the air. Naruto swallowed hard.
"The…the FIFTH HOKAGE wants us dead?!" Naruto stood out of his chair, unable to sit down.
"He's no Hokage, Naruto. He never was. He took over the Leaf at its weakest moment-the WORLD'S weakest moment." She rephrased herself.
"How can that be?! The Fifth Hokage wants the Fourth's family dead?! That doesn't make any sense!" He yelled out.
"Obito Uchiha was a Leaf genin that was declared dead in the last Third Great Shinobi War, I'm sure you heard about that war. He was a student under your father in a basic ninja team. He fought with his teammate to save their third teammate and the result was him getting crushed in a cave-in. He was presumed dead but it wasn't until years later that everyone saw him alive. I think he wanted revenge on the Village and to make it his own image, or maybe he had greater plans. I don't presume to know an insane man's thoughts, Naruto. Anyway, the Third was alive at the time, and your father and he were battling out the Nine-Tails that I once had sealed inside me."
Naruto only followed along because his mother had gone into larger detail about the shinobi world than any of his classes. But his whole body was shaking as it was trying to take in this news.
"You're the Nine-Tails' host, mom?"
"I was, yes…a Jinchuriki. That's what we were called." Kushina sighed at her younger memories.
"Power of Human Sacrifice." Naruto defined.
"Yes. We were sacrifices for our Villages. To be the gate keepers of the tailed beasts' and their chakra."
"What happened to the Nine-Tails? The books said that the Fourth and Third died killing it."
Kushina snorted, "Lies. You can't kill the holy beasts no matter how you tried. They can only come back. Even if their Jinchuriki dies, they come back. I'm only alive today because of my friends, Naruto. Once a tailed beast is removed from its' Jinchuriki, the Jinchuriki dies. I'm only alive because of our Clans' strong chakra and longevity. Otherwise, you would have grown up alone." She looked very sad at the thought of it. Then she shook herself out of it.
"Naruto, the Third gave himself up to seal the Nine-Tails into a new host…and that host became your father, Minato. Minato became the new Jinchuriki as well as the only Hokage in the Leaf then."
"What?! But how is…Obito the Hokage?!"
"Events happened after the Nine-Tails was defeated, Naruto. What exactly happened, I don't think any of us really know. Not even Obito. But we all blacked out for a bit and when we woke up, all the chakra in the world got so dangerously low, it almost disappeared off the face of the earth."
"But we'd die without chakra…"
"That's right. We would have, so would all the plants and animals. Earth would be a life-less husk."
Naruto shivered at the thought…and he never even HAD much chakra!
"But we still lived…just with no jutsu. Not even Obito had jutsu. We were about to take him prisoner when…" Kushina stopped, frowning at her dishes in front of her.
"When?"
"A orb fell out of the sky and landed right at Obito's side. He picked it up and…it came to life. Living visible chakra spiraled in a orb as big as your fist. That's how Obito got his chakra back. That's how Obito was able to rule over us. He could personally control the flow of chakra in this world. That is a dangerous thing in the wrong hands, Naruto…and it should never have found its way to him."
"What…What happened to dad?" Naruto's voice wavered in the fear of knowing. Then he became startled for the first time in his life, he saw his mother's tears ran down her cheeks.
"He took Minato away. I don't know what's become of him. I don't know if he's dead or alive but he HAS to be…Naruto, your father is the strongest shinobi in the world and I refuse to believe that he's dead!" Kushina covered her face in her hands and cried. Cried for the first time in 12 years over her husband.
Naruto stared at her for a while, then walked over to her and hugged her where she sat.
"I'll find him, mom…I promise."
"Naruto…I've tried to for years…"
"I'll find him…somehow." He told her. "I never go back on my word."
"Naruto…there's another reason I'm telling you all this. Because…the jonin I'm friends with have decided to revolt against Obito the evening that Sasuke and Hinata Hyuga get their chakra ceremonies."
Naruto stiffened up. He waited for her to finish.
"We are going to make a run for it, Naruto, but only after we get our chakra back. We need your help for this to succeed." She looked him right in the eyes. "We need you to do something first, but I'm going to explain everything to you now. Please listen to me."
…Hyuga Compound…
Naruto stood in one of the back gardens of the Hygua Clan Compound. He had been able to slip right through the gates undetected because everyone was at Hinata's Clan Gathering. The sunset blazed behind him.
He had thought about his mother's words over and over again. He knew what he had to do, but would he do it? COULD he do it to his best friends? He felt cold and hollow inside. He sat down on the wooden swing that hung under an oak tree.
He swung a little, dragging his feet on the ground and staring at the ground when He felt something poke his stomach. He reached into his orange jacket pocket and pulled out a slightly crushed white envelope. He had forgotten to take it out.
"Naruto?" Hinata's voice came from the Compound. Naruto shoved it once more back into his pocket and looked up at Hinata and gasped. She was dressed up in a very beautiful, very expensive Kimono. Deep rich purples, whites, and blue fabrics were wrapped around her. The pattern was sakura blossoms and leafs. Her hair had been cut neatly and all wrapped up into a lovely bun with hair ornaments sticking out in the back.
"H-Hinata?!" Naruto gasped. Hinata giggled.
"Do I really look that different? Hehe." Hinata covered her chin with her sleeve, adding to the effect. "What are you doing here, Naruto?"
"I uh…was just around." He twitched a smile as he continued to stare at her. Hinata blushed.
"Well the party is just about over. Father is already planning my ceremony party." She sighed like it was a bother.
"Where are you going to have it? In the Hokage's building after the ceremony?" Naruto asked, feeling a stab of regret in his chest.
Hinata shook her head. "No, but I want to. It would be enough room, since it's bigger than any Hyuga building."
"Y-you should try asking your Father. You only get a party like that once. And if you get to have the party there, you can ask O…the Hokage and his Akatsuki Unit to join you."
"Why would I ask the Akatsuki Unit to join?" Hinata looked confused at her friend's suggestion.
"Well they have some powerful jutsu, right? It couldn't hurt to get in their good graces. They might even teach you one of their jutsus."
Hinata thought for a moment but nodded. "It's sneaky, but it couldn't hurt to try. I'll ask Father after everyone has left. Thanks Naruto." She smiled warmly at him, which made his stomach sink low to the ground.
"By the way, you better leave or else the Branch family will catch you." She winked and he let out a nervous chuckle.
"Okay."
Hinata turned and went back inside the party, leaving Naruto alone to hate himself. He knew what he had just done. He had used Hinata's years of friendship to help his mother and her friends escape the Leaf. He felt so terrible; he thought he was going to throw up. He stepped out of the swing and began to head home in misery.
But unfortunately, he didn't notice the white envelope slip out of his pocket onto the ground. He didn't see it get blown into the flowers either as his silhouette darkened the path he walked down.
…
Hinata made her way to her room, happy that her Father had agreed to ask the Hokage for this favor. It took some convincing but he would try to ask the Fifth for a room to host the party and to come to it himself with his Akatsuki Unit.
The only thing wrong in this whole picture was that Naruto isn't going to be there in the ceremony with me. Hinata thought a little sadly. She WANTED Naruto to join her and Sasuke and become a real ninja. He had the talent for it and she didn't want to break their friendship ties.
When she opened up the room, she saw her cousin, Neji, sitting in a chair reading one of her books. The thirteen year old genius looked up at her and smiled.
"Lady Hinata, welcome."
"It's my room. What are you doing here?" Hinata laughed.
"I just wanted to talk to you after the party, that's all." He smirked, closing the book and putting it down.
"About what?"
"I know how you must be feeling, Hinata. You're going to become a full Hyuga Clan member with Sasuke while Naruto won't be around anymore." His tone was sympathetic.
She sighed, "Yeah…It's not fair. The new rule won't allow Naruto to join us either. How did you get through this, Nii-san? You had two friends outside of the Clan before you had the ceremony."
Neji nodded. He had his ceremony a whole year before Hinata. He hadn't talked to his friends as much as he used to either.
"I miss Rock Lee and Tenten, but we walk different paths now. I'm training day in and day out with Guy-sensei and they have labor jobs now. Though if I could go back in time, I think I'd sneak them into the ceremony somehow."
"What?! Nii-san, that's against the rules!" Hinata gasped at the thought that her cousin would be so rebellious.
"But I would have my two best friends with me as equals, and who knows? Maybe I could have convinced Guy-sensei to train us three together. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?"
"No." Hinata looked at her feet. She probably would have done the same for Naruto.
"It's not an impossible though, Hinata. I think I know a way to slip through." Neji smiled slightly. "If you really want to stay friends with Naruto, there's only one way…"
"What is it?" Hinata looked into her cousin's eyes. She wanted to know…
Could Naruto join the Leaf Force after all?
Chapter End~~
Naruto has decided to side with his mother to help them escape the Leaf Village, but at what cost?
Little does innocent Hinata know that she has been used by her best friend. She only knows that she wants her friend by her side.
And what is Neji's part in all this?
Find out in the next chapter: That Moment When…