Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Co-author and beta Etheral-23
Actions scenes done by Godospartan the kitsune
Chapter 23: The path we made
So, a couple of things before we start…
First of all, we noticed some people feeling a bit confused about certain things. We rewrote a few of the previous chapters. Nothing major, in a way. Like Naruto and the others suspecting of Kabuto and immediately finding out he is a spy, they had no reason to believe so (not to mention Kabuto is an outstandingly good spy at that) and it just made no sense they wouldn't report him or anything.
We also removed some things that made some characters be bad for no reason at all, and honestly it didn't sit well with us and the course we wanted to go for the story.
That brings us to the most important thing we wished to tell you, we want to deviate from the series GREATLY. Filling out holes left by the mythos in Naruto, make new lore for the universe, introduce new characters and stories. We don't want to tell the more or less the same story but with other factors thrown in, we want to make something new and fun for others to read. For that we'd also be taking inspiration from other sources, both in designs for characters and for elements in the story.
If that's not your cup of tea, you are entitled to continue reading or not if you so desire.
As always, Naruto doesn't belong to us.
XxX ~ last time ~ XxX
They soon hear people from behind the door; "One night with people for dinner won't kill you." They hear the voice of Kushina. And why did they hear the rustle of chains behind her.
"I said I was fine; let me out of these chains damn it! And stop laughing at me dobe!" Sakura, Soujiro, and Saito lean over hearing an angry Sasuke and the gleeful laughter of Naruto.
The door slams open, revealing a smiling Kushina. "We're back~!" A golden chain of chakra sprouted from her back, tying up a scowling Sasuke. They enter the house, dragging him all the way. Naruto soon follows, his laughing not stopping for a second.
A gravity defying silver haired ninja peered over the door with a bored look as much as his masked visage allowed. "Yo" He greeted them with a raised palm.
Rising off the ground, the golden chain extend till Sasuke is hanging in the air, glaring daggers at a smirking Kushina in front of him. "Now will you be a good boy and join us for dinner Sasuke-kun?"
The Uchiha only growls which makes Naruto only laugh even more; "I am so~ glad I took pictures dattebayo!"
"I'm going to kill you" Sasuke said with an inhuman tone to the blonde. "I'm going to kill you slowly. I'll find a way to revive you only so I can kill you again" His answer was the flash of a camera.
"Ma, ma, you should have listened instead of brushing off Kushina-Sama Sasuke." Kakashi waves a dismissive hand. "You'll learn she always gets what she wants."
Seeing how was not going to get out of this cause he guessed Naruto's mom could summon that chain at will Sasuke sighs; "Alright... One time."
Once Sasuke got over his initial shock at seeing more Uzumaki survivors (as well as the pang of jealousy and pain that came along with it) he finally settled down in front of the table, sitting next to his teammates. He observed the food that was being served. "We're having ramen" He sighed. "Of course we are"
"While I'd like to educate you on the virtues of this food" Said the spiky haired Uzumaki with a smirk. "I'd also like to point out there's other food if you want ramen" As to prove his prove, he and Kushina began placing other plates full of salads and other pieces of roasted meat. "But seriously, ramen is the best. Deal with it"
The Uchiha points dryly at his blond teammate; "He was always trying to sneak it during classes at the academy, Naruto has always eats ramen."
"Cause ramen is awesome," Sakura says with such a mock serious tone it makes the rosette giggles being gawked at by Naruto. "Oh don't give me that look. I practically can repeat every line you have when it comes to ramen."
"I like ramen" Karin mumbles.
"Me too, I love it" Soujiro adds to a smile.
Kushina rubs their heads affectively. "It's an Uzumaki trait" They realize only one certain redhead had not expressed the so called 'trait' regarding their affection for the food.
Saito says nothing as all eyes descend on him. Finally he sighs. "It is... a delicious plate"
Sasuke looks over to the tall Uzumaki; "And I had you pegged for the sane one here."
The Uchiha let out a growl as a grinning Samenosuke rubs the top of his head; "Afraid sanity has never been our strong suit, in fact it ran away screaming hehe."
As they sit on the table, they pay their thanks and proceed to eat. "Hmm the ramen's really good" Kushina says in delight. "When did you get to be such a good cook?" She asks to Samenosuke. "I remember when you and Lyn burnt everything to the ground the time Tsukiko-sama tried to teach us how to cook"
"Well, once I got less 'enthusiastic' with the fire it was actually pretty simple"
"After the sixty tries and fifteen burned down houses;" Saito says dryly which earns a childish pout from the roguish Uzumaki.
Both Naruto and Karin chuckle as they watch everyone. It... Was a strange thing what they were feeling? Strange, but it made them feel just so... happy. The way the others jested among themselves, the way the bickered good naturedly. The nostalgia in their voice when they recalled times of their youth, of their lost home.
Home... that must be what they were feeling. A sense of truly belonging. It was this feeling they both promised never to lose it even if it cost them their lives. They would never lose their family again, not while they had a say in it.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
As the morning rays of light cleave the air through the window, they settle upon a futon with disheveled sheets and the naked form of a woman covered in said sheets. Her very wild and long red hair went all over her back and even spread a little beyond the width of the shoulders, a few bangs covering her eyes.
She smacked her lips and groaned in discomfort as her slumber ended, she tiredly moved to get closer to the form of her partner, seeking the warmth and comfort of her lover's presence. Only to find the bedside empty as her arm reached forward and felt nothing but the mattress.
Slowly she raised her head, running a hand over her wild mane while yawning; she tucked away a stray bang covering one blue eye, freeing her vision. She slumped and pursed her lips in displeasure at the sight that her lover was not present.
She had a good idea of where she was right now. "Meditating at sunrise..." She muttered in a groggy morning voice. "Damn sage-y things, who does that?"
Disgruntled, she lazily sits up as the blanket falls to her waist she stretches her arms above her head, with a small sigh she lets them drop as she gets out of bed, not bothered by her own state of nakedness. "Guess I will make breakfast then."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The warmth of the sun and the cool breeze made for a perfect combination which brought comfort to her entire body, further relaxing her. On a field of grass, a woman sits in a meditating in a half-lotus position, eyelids closed and a serene expression on her face. Her messy blonde hair sways with wind, the breeze caressing her mocha skin.
Her attire consisted of a one-sleeved light blue robe filled with wave and wind motifs with the sleeve covering her right arm, though she wore long dark fingerless arm gloves that reached to her biceps in both arms. A black tube top covered her chest area, her robe tied with a red sash; she also wore dark green loose pants and sandals.
Her mind drifted into the wind and the earth itself, allowing her to feel the natural energy flowing all around her. She welcomed it with her soul, but it did not enter her body, and slipped her grasp when she tried reaching it... just like she always did.
She refused to feel frustration; it went against her training and all she strived for. Determined herself to try again and again until she could finally succeed... Though a part of her wondered why it kept happening, why did nature not answer her calling..?
"Hey!" Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival a familiar and exuberant voice. "Brought you something to eat" The redhead said, carrying a tray with tea and toasts, she was dressed in a sleeveless white shirt and a pair of black shorts.
"Thank you Lyn" The blonde replied patiently. "But during meditation, I require no substance other than harmony with the energies of nature" It was then that her body betrayed her, her stomach emitting a loud growl. If she wasn't so controlled of her own impulses she would blushed, or at least, she convinced herself she wasn't blushing.
"Aww, you're blushing!"
Damn it...
Lyn smiles brightly as she sits in front of the mocha skinned blond setting the tray in between them; "Eat something Kya." With a sigh the blond concedes as the two eat breakfast.
"So anything yet on your sage training?" Lyn tilts her head with a piece of toast hanging from her mouth.
Long experiences with her antics have given Kya great patience towards her... companion's manners. "None" The replied, letting out a sigh. "Sage training without instruction, focusing more on the spiritual aspect of things is far more difficult than any other type of sage training" Yet at the same time it was far more rewarding, as it would give her peace of mind and spirit allowing her to be in tune with the world around her.
The old ways of sages were mostly forgotten. There were barely any left in the world, and those that knew senjutsu had all but pushed aside the spiritual aspects of what it meant to be a sage. She strived to accomplish this, to become a true sage, to achieve inner peace.
But why wasn't she any closer to achieving her goals than she was when she first started years ago?
"Well," Lyn shrugs. "I can't help ya. Senjutsu was always hard for me." More like down right irritating if she was honest.
"If you learned how to sit still for five minutes that would help," the buxom mocha blond chides.
"Bah" The redhead scoffs. "If I'm gonna stand still I'd rather be doing something fun" Kya suppressed a sigh. Well, she supposed Lyn was in tune with the world in her own way. She certainly was as wild as nature itself. "Soooo" She started with that tone again, which meant she was going to say something Kya wouldn't like. "Remember that message I got from Saito-"
"No"
"Come oooooon!" She fluttered her eyes at Kya.
The blonde was unfazed. "No"
"It'll be fuuuun~"
"Then go yourself" Kya stated dryly. Why did this woman thought she had to go with her to Konoha when she had no interest of doing so.
"It would be so boring going alone!" Lyn pouts; "besides, I will never say it to her face in a million years, but I do want to see that woman again and meet her son. I thought you'd like to meet him too, especially if her brat is half Namikaze."
Kya does not even show a flicker of emotion; "Even if he is half Namikaze I have more important things to do."
Lyn's goofy smile slowly drops as she just stares. "Kya" The Uzumaki says in a rare moment of sternness. "He's of your clan. He's family"
"Shared blood" The blonde retorted. "Doesn't make family"
"Maybe not" She conceded. "But I thought you of all people would understand the importance of maintaining your clan's legacy"
A long stare comes from the mocha skinned blond before she sighs shaking her head. They'd had this conversation before, and she knew Lyn wouldn't change her mind at all. Uzumaki were very stubborn, especially when it came to what they considered family. "A waste of time, but alright."
The redhead throws her arms in the air, shouting "Success!" with a wide grin before enveloping the Namikaze with her arms in a tight hug. "We're gonna have so much fun, you'll see!"
Kya only remains expressionless; 'I highly doubt it...'
XxX ~ Konoha ~ XxX
Hiruzen stood before the window in his office, observing the village he loved so much. Each of its people was precious to him, everything he did as Hokage, as a shinobi of the Leaf, was to protect the people who even without blood ties were his family. And he was proud to say every ninja of Konoha would give their lives for the village in heartbeat.
Yet it still pained him greatly when a brave defender of the village fell in the line of duty. One would say a true leader should distance himself from such things, to more effectively ensure the peace and prosperity of his people, to understand sacrifices were necessary.
Hiruzen believe such words were rubbish. A shinobi of Konoha had died in their very village, killed by an unknown assailant.
"The wounds on his body indicate the cause of death was a blade" Yugao Uzuki, the Anbu leading the group in his office, informed emotionlessly. "Either a physical one, one that channeled chakra or an edge made of chakra as the traces of residual energy tell us"
"It was most likely a wind technique" Another Anbu, one wearing a bird mask, said. "I practice such techniques; I know the cut of a wind blade when I see one Hokage-sama"
Slowly shifting his head, Hiruzen gazes to the Anbu team, more specifically Yugao at the lead. You can mask your voice as well as you want, but he could hear the tiny tremble in her voice. See the smallest twitch in her fingers. Losing a loved one is never easy.
"I want a full investigation but we keep this discreet, the exams nearly a week away. You all may go, save you Neko." The other Anbu shunshin away as the purple haired woman stays still as a statue. "I am giving you four days off Neko. A person has the right to mourn."
Yugao remained still for a few seconds before finally heading for the door. Once she stood outside the office and closed the door, she let herself collapse against the wall taking off her mask and running her hands over her face.
She did not fight the moisture gathering in her eyes, which became denser each time she remembered her time with Hayate.
"Yugao" She heard the voice of her teacher, and saw her approaching down the hall with a sorrowful expression on her face. "I heard about what happened... I'm so sor-" Her words died in her mouths as the purple haired woman latched her arms around her and buried her face on the redhead's shoulder.
A single sob comes from her student as Kushina slowly wraps her arms around Yugao. She soon runs a hand through her student purple hair, neither says anything as the Uzu matriarch shunshins both of them away from the tower.
The two suddenly appeared at the top of the Hokage monument, at no point had Yugao let go of her teacher, clinging to her as if her life depended on it. Kushina could feel her shoulder growing wet. "We... Hayate and I planned on getting married a few months from today," Yugao's voice broken.
Kushina said nothing as she let her student let out the pain. "We wanted... we wanted to start a life together" Listening to Yugao's heart breaking just broke Kushina's. "He was my everything... I loved him so much"
"... I wish I could have met him," her sensei says quietly. Feeling Yugao's legs losing strength she sits down with her student in her arms. "Kakashi mentioned him when I asked how you were."
Her head rising from her teacher's shoulder, Yugao's broken tearful eyes show every painful emotion she was feeling; "He loved this village. He loved being a shinobi… He was such an awkward guy" She managed to smile at the memories. "But he never doubted himself, always managed to make friends, and he was always so brave..." Her smile slowly crumbled. "He always said he'd give his life for me, and for the village. I always thought as he did... but even with our lives as ninja, I guess a part of me refused to believe that possibility..."
"He... He wanted to be a father so bad, to have a family with me, he said. Now..." Yugao's voice failed her as she buried her head in her teacher's chest; "I... I..."
"Shhhh" Kushina shushed her softly, easing her pain by surrounding her comfortingly in her arms. Fingers intertwining with purple locks while one hand soothingly ran up and down her back. "I know honey, I know"
"I know Jiji must have given you some time off. So you're spending those days with me, understood."
She feels Yugao gently nodding; "... Hai sensei..."
XxX ~ next day ~ XxX
"I keep telling you it's an awesome idea!" Samenosuke exclaimed with a wide grin. He and Saito were walking down Konoha's main street, browsing.
Saito stared at him impassively. "You actually believe rigging an entire building with explosives, collapsing said building and dropping it on the target, THEN detonating the explosives is prudent?"
"Pfft, who cares about prudence?"
"Well, when the 'plan', and I'm using the term loosely here, is to quickly take out dangerous foes on the level of S-ranks or even on the level of the Sannin, then I imagine it is better than to take any chances"
The spiky haired Uzumaki looked at him in confusion. "Take out who? O-Oh yeah, enemies. That... that's why I wanted to blow up a building" He avoided Saito's stern gaze.
At that the swordsman sighs. "How did end up talking about this? I distinctively remember starting this conversation saying we should get rice for lunch"
"We could try dango, did you see that hottie Jounin eating there," the rogue Uzumaki whistles. "I never saw such a rare beauty that looked too dangerous and sultry at the same time."
"... Her name is Anko, and she's from what I hear the biggest sadist in the village," Saito says dryly.
Samenosuke only smiles brightly; "Oh~ Then it's even better! Hehehe, if I play my cards right I could have plenty of fun here. This village is filled with tons of hot babes and hunky guys"
Instead of going to the impulse to face palm, Saito only sighs; "Thus your infamy now spreads to here."
The roguish Uzumaki rubs his chin; "Also need to find you a woman. Get you laid and relaxed." Passersby only look as they hear a hand slapping across a forehead loudly.
"Come on, you're all so stiff. Heh, if you let me set you up with someone you can be a good kind of st-" He suddenly felt silent.
"Gods, please tell me you realize how horrible that pun was on your own" As Saito got no answer, he rounded on his friend only to see him utterly speechless. "What cat got your tongue now?"
The roguish Uzumaki dips his chin forward. "That smoking hot minx right there..."
His gaze settle on the person Samenosuke had to be referring to. And Saito had to admit the woman sure was attractive. Long auburn hair that reached her knees, flawless pale skin and lovely green eyes. She wore a dark blue dress that complemented her figure, covering up the upper part of her arms and the underside of her breasts. She also wore a skirt of same color as her dress and, underneath those, mesh leggings reaching down over her knees, along with high-heeled sandals and shin guards.
Another interesting thing he noted about her was that she was accompanied by at least four Wave ninjas.
"A delegate of Kiri," Saito mutter quietly. She has to be highly important, what with all the Kiri Nin beside her. Looking to Samenosuke the tall Uzumaki nearly groans; "Oh gods, you serious are going to try?"
"'Try'?" The roguish redhead grins as he accommodates his jacket. "Tsukiko-sama always told us trying implies doubt, I'm gonna act AND succeed"
"Pretty sure she didn't say that with picking up women in mind" Saito mumbles. "...Or maybe she did. You could never tell with her"
Rubbing his eyes while shaking his head, Saito does not even want to see the coming disaster as Samenosuke makes his way to the auburn haired beauty, said woman stops along with her entourage eyeing a red haired man walks over.
Samenosuke puts on his most charming smile. "Why hello beautiful" He makes sure there is nothing but confidence in his voice. "Ain't see you around here before"
The four ninja were about to speak until the woman smiles pleasantly; "My first time in Konoha actually." Saito lifts a brow seeing the Shinobi around her frozen in fear at her smiling.
"Really?" Samenosuke playfully lifts a brow. "It's my first time here too, and I haven't been here long so there are still plenty of places to see" He leans forward a bit. "Maybe we can take a tour together"
A light giggle comes from the beautiful lady's lips. Just as the Uzumaki believed he had hit the jackpot, a delicate hand moves at nearly untraceable speeds, slapping him across the cheek and firmly bashing his head into a wall.
People stare in shock at the limp form of the man whose head now lay buried in concrete. The auburn haired woman continues smiling. "I'll have to decline"
Saito sighs 'Sometimes your luck just runs out my friend'
The tall Uzumaki grunts as he sees the woman noticing him and walking his way. Stopping they both eye each other as she finally speaks; "Mei Terumi." She introduces herself.
"... Saito Uzumaki..."
Her eyes flash with interest. "Uzumaki huh..? That is very interesting" She says in a sultry tone. Mei tilts her head; "Seems the rumors I heard on my way here were true after all. I for one am happy they were right."
"Care to elaborate," Saito lifts a brow eyeing the woman suspiciously.
"Over dinner... If you are interested?"
A muffled voice cried out 'Are you kidding?!' from where Samenosuke's head was buried on the wall.
"Uh..." The swordsman tried to find the right words to decline delicately. "I am honored, but I'm afraid I'm otherwise indisposed"
A light pout comes from the auburn hair beauty before smiling as she nods; "Very well... all the same it was good to meet you Saito-San, farewell." both bowing their heads Mei soon leaves with her shinobi following.
With a grunt heavy grunt Samenosuke pulls his head out of the wall, not paying attention or caring of the cement pieces and dust stuck in his hair. "Are you kidding me?! She is exactly what you need!"
Saito stares at him impassively. "Have you ever given any thought that perhaps sex is not the answer to everything?"
The more wildly haired Uzumaki stared at him in silence for a moment; an utterly confused looked on his face. "...I don't follow"
"If I find a woman, it's not for a mere one night thrill," Samenosuke sighs. "Finding a woman who can accept the fact my child comes first; finding someone like that is not easy."
"Who's to say this Mei-chan isn't? But I won't press," the wild haired Uzumaki shrugs.
"You won't?" The swordsman was actually surprised by that change of attitude. Samenosuke wasn't anything if not stubborn, even by Uzumaki standards.
"Yeah..." He scratches his neck, a distant look in his eyes. "Just... You and Maya, I know you still... sorry" He tries to avoid Saito's gaze.
Saito's eyes shift with an unreadable expression on his face. "It's alright" He eventually gives Samenosuke a smile. "You're a good friend, you know that?"
"Pfft, with all the trouble I always get you in, I rather think I do SOMETHING right 'cause of how you still haven't kicked me out"
"Between you and Lyn, I consider you the lesser of two evils"
A good distance away, one of the four Kiri Nin leans to Mei; "Another Uzumaki besides the Red Death's return?" he whispers. "Should we investigate Mizukage-Sama?"
"Leave it be" The Mizukage ordered. "For now at least. Right now, we have more pressing matters at hand"
XxX ~ Hokage tower ~ XxX
With his desk in order, the Sandaime waits patiently for the arrival of the Mizukage. Behind him both Kushina and Jiraiya stand dutifully as the old Kage stares at his former student; "Been a while since I actually felt this nervous." The sannin comments.
"Oh it's just a diplomatic meeting that could decide the fate of nations" Kushina waved him off. "Nothing to worry about"
The two older men of the room slowly turn to look at her, while even the hidden Anbu felt like face palming if not for their training. Hiruzen only rubs his eyes; "Had you actually taken Hokage position instead of Minato I am uncertain if I would have been terrified or just curious of how much chaos would come along the way."
"Chaos IS fun..." She muttered softly with a dazed look in her eyes.
Jiraiya pinches the bridge of his nose, uttering a prayer. "Gods, protect us from the madness of these redheads"
Sticking out her tongue, the former Anbu captain only smiles defiantly; "Say what you want, but there's no kind of madness unlike Uzu style madness."
"Ain't that the truth…" both men mutter prompting the redhead to pout. A knock comes from the door making the trio get serious.
"The Mizukage is here Hokage-Sama," a voice speaks behind the door.
"Please let her in," Hiruzen says in authoritative tone.
The door opens, revealing a beautiful woman with auburn hair accompanied by four kiri-nin. Jiraiya immediately lets his appreciation of the woman's looks be know. "WOA-HCK!" But is promptly silenced by an elbow to his stomach, courtesy of Kushina.
"Now is not the time for leering" She reprimands. "...She is pretty hot though" She muses softly to herself.
Ignoring the two behind him Hiruzen stands bowing formally; "I welcome you to Konohagakure Godaime Mizukage-Sama. I am grateful you came."
Mai also bows respectfully; "Thank you Sandaime-Sama. Not very often you get a scroll from the legendary god of Shinobi himself. Let alone a request to offer an alliance."
The old Kage beckoned her to take a seat with a wave of his hand, which she did. "Let's get down to business shall we" Hiruzen started. "To prevent further conflicts and bloodshed between our villages I wanted to propose to you a none-aggression pact, as well as establishing new trade routes between our villages. I know your village is still recovering from Yagura's reign of terror, so I am also willing to lend you aid in the form of resources and manpower to speed up your recovering. It is my hope that in time you can join us in our alliance with Suna"
He really isn't wasting time with small talk. Thought Kushina. A sentiment shared by many in the room.
The Mizukage looked like she was pondering his proposition. Her visible eye hardens and sets a firm gaze at him. "Before I agree to anything, there I something I must ask"
Sarutobi tipped his head. "Of course"
"At the final moments of the rebellion, me and… an associate battled against Yagura" Jiraiya had heard about her battle against the jinchuuriki from his informants, thought the bit about her 'associate', whoever that was, was new to him. "It was by no means easy; fighting against a bijuu, with no fūinjutsu specialist to support you can only end poorly for you. But I prevailed in the end and defeated it"
Hiruzen understood the hidden meaning of her words. 'I'm a Kage, I'm powerful, don't mess with me', a statement meant to scare off enemies of her village. If one earned the hat then he didn't doubt their prowess, especially if they fought one of the Tailed Beasts and won.
"In his last moments, Yagura spoke to me" Her eyes soften a bit, and Kushina could see a quick flash of pain in them. "He was completely different from the person that had driven Kiri through hell for so long. He honestly had very little recollection from his time as Mizukage, though he expressed deep regret, and explained that his actions were not truly his"
"...You think he was being controlled?" Hiruzen asks a somber tone on his voice.
"I believe he was. He claimed he was under the power genjutsu, one that can even control a bijuu" The Konoha-nin's didn't like where this was going. "He said the one who had controlled him all this time had a Sharingan"
A pregnant silence takes the room as Mei let the words sink in as Hiruzen takes in a deep breath; "You believe an Uchiha did this?"
"Or someone who implanted the doujutsu into themselves, but he said he only saw one eye. The rest of the person's face hidden behind a mask."
Shock and dread suddenly dawns on their faces "What?" Kushina whispers, color quickly draining from her face.
"Before I can trust Konoha, I need to know if there was any involvement from the Land of Fire regarding what happened in Kiri. I would also like to request a list of any missing-nin you believe to be in possession of the Sharingan, though I wouldn't discard rogues like Itachi Uchiha, or a possible survivor of his-"
Finally coming out of her stupor, Kushina takes a step forward and shouts. "What did you just say?!" Mei looks on startled a the sudden outburst, her ninja tense in case of needing to act soon. "You said he a single Sharingan and a mask?!"
"I..." The Mizukage didn't understand why the woman had reacted like that. "Yes" She finally said.
Her teeth soon gnash, as raw anger courses through Kushina's trembling body; "It... Was him..." She growls out clinching her fists to the point of bleeding. "It was him..."
Mei observed as the woman seethed in anger. "Is there something I'm missing?"
Jiraiya and Hiruzen shared a look, before the Hokage turned to her once more. "I believe there is something else we should discuss, milady Mizukage. In light of this information, there is something we must share with you"
After finally calming down, Jiraiya bandages up Kushina's hands while Hiruzen speaks for an hour of the events twelve years ago. While revealing the former Kyuubi jinchūriki within the room, Hiruzen kept silent of the current host. The Mizukage remains quite throughout his whole tale, only making a small nod every now and then in confirmation that she understood the severity of the situation as Kushina intervened to explain the masked man's abilities.
"This... is troubling"
"We current do not know who this individual is or his actual objective. Nor do we know if he is working for a third party," Hiruzen sighed. "But from the fact he can enter any shinobi village undetected is dangerous."
Mei remained silent for a few seconds, placing her joined hands before her mouth. "It seems we have a common enemy" The same foe, the same objective, the foundation of many alliances.
"That we do" Hiruzen agreed.
The auburn haired woman sighs. "Kiri is willing to enter the alliance you propose Hokage-dono. As long as Konoha keeps true to their word and provides aid to speed up Kiri's recovering. In return, we will aid Konoha in hunting down this maniac"
The Hokage nods. "Of course" He swears vehemently.
"And WHEN he is dead" Mei said with an edge in her voice. "The Sharingan he bears shall be destroyed"
A dark aura radiates from the Uzu redhead, as a savage smile crosses her lips; "I'll guarantee he will be burning in the fires of hell when I find him."
XxX ~ Soujiro and Karin ~ XxX
Walking through the street of Konoha, the two Uzu cousin look around as they just enjoy a quiet afternoon stroll. "This place is actually so big, a month here and still not used to it," Soujiro mutters looking at the crowd. "And so many people."
"Since the exams will be in a week everyone is showing up," Karin adjusts her glasses.
"I've never been to an event so big" The young Uzumaki male commented. "Much less seen so many in one place"
"You've never been to a large village?" Karin asked curiously.
Soujiro shakes his head. "Never. Father always wanted us to keep a low a profile. I've only visited small hamlets or trading posts, and only for a short while and accompanied by him or uncle Samenosuke"
"... So this is all new to you isn't it," Karin hums. "I've been to a few very big places from time to time. Before my parents passed away I lived in Kusa."
The young Uzu swordsman turns to his cousin; "You never did say what happened after that."
"Not something I am very proud of..."
"Like what?" Soujiro asked, clearly unaware of the discomfort emanating from his relative.
A weak smile comes from Karin; "I promise will tell you when I feel more comfortable about it. All I will say I was helping a very, very bad man."
"Well what have we here?" A female voice suddenly says behind them with mirth. "A pair of redheads but no blonde following you around. Now this is an odd sight to me"
Turning around, Karin's eyes widen as she recognizes the blond Kumo girl that has been hanging around Naruto off and on during the month; "Yugito-San."
Her blue slit eyes show mirth as she smiles; "Karin-San. So what's up with you guys?"
"Just roaming about with my cousin," A smile crosses Karin's lips, "This... is... Soujiro?"
The boy in question was looking at the Kumo-nin with wide eyes a half open mouth and a small blush on his face. "Oh dear..." Karin muttered.
Yugito just smiled at him. "Another Uzumaki huh? Man, you people are showing up everywhere lately" When he didn't answer, she looked at him quizzically. "Um... you okay there pal?"
"Hehe" His eyelids were now half closed and a crooked smile formed on his lips. "You're pretty..."
There was only silence, expect for the sound of Karin's palm meeting her forehead.
Yugito looked at him weirdly. "Uh... thanks?"
A startled look quickly replaced his dozy features. He grumbled to himself. "Oh, ground shallow me up..."
Looking for something, anything, to relief the intensely awkward mood that had set in, the Kumo kunoichi locked her eyes to the blade on his back. "So, you're a swordsman?"
"Huh... Uh y-yes, been learning since I could remember," Soujiro rubs the back of his neck much like his blond cousin. "My father and uncle have been my senseis."
"That would be Saito Uzumaki his tousan, and Samenosuke Uzumaki. Word of caution with Uncle Samenosuke he is a bit of a..." Karin trying to find the right word.
"Man-whore" Soujiro calmly supplies, much to the stupor of the young girls. "That's what my father always call him"
Even Matatabi just blinks as her container turns to a stupefied Karin; "Has he had any sense of subtly around women?"
"I... don't go out much?" Was his excuse, which even he didn't seem so certain of its efficiency.
Both ladies look at him for a minute before speaking nearly in perfect sync; "We'll work on that."
XxX ~ Naruto and Sakura ~ XxX
Naruto's gaze shifts through the trees as he tries to find his target, hidden a midst the sea of green and brown of the forest training ground. 'Where could she be?' He had clones looking all over but they had yet to find anything. Sakura had become very good at stealth this month of training.
Which is why he pales hearing a sizzling sound, he sharply looks to his arm seeing a paper bomb. Quickly he rips it off throwing it into the air with light 'puff'' sound. Damn she got fast too.
"Never drop your guard Naruto," the rosette's voice coming throughout the area.
"Oh I'll find you yet" He grins. "Just you-" His instincts scream at him to dodge, which he does, just in time to evade three kunai that hit the ground instead of him. "Hah! You missed"
"Or did I?" Sakura's voice replies with mirth.
"Um... yeah you did"
He only hears a sigh before smelling something burning and hears a familiar noise. He turns to see the kunai on the ground had lit explosive tags on them. "Oh"
The explosion rocks the area, as it rips up the ground leaving a med size crater. From her hiding spot among the leaves, jade eyes wait as the dust and smoke settles. Her eyes narrow finding no Naruto; 'kage bunshin eh.'
A kunai finds its place near her throat. "Got'cha" Naruto says cheekily. But apparent he does not have her, as her entire form vanishes like mist. "Aw I hate genjutsu!"
Feeling the tip of a kunai at his neck; "Got you, Naru." Sakura whispers a singsong to his ear.
The blond slumps; "you got better at stealth than I am now."
"You've got that right" She grins cheerfully as she slips the kunai back into her pouch. "Shall we call it a day?"
"Yeah, I'm tired and hungry" The settle down on the ground, Naruto unpacking a sealing scroll with a note. "My mom made ramen!" He says cheerfully.
"Of course she did" Sakura drawls.
The blond takes the note and reads. "'I made you three emergency ramens. Enjoy it!'"
"There's more on the back" Sakura points out.
He turns the note and reads. "'I ate the first two. Sorry'"
The rosette giggles seeing her teammate pout, she soon sighs looking up at the sky; "Amazing how we've come since our first mission isn't it?"
"Yeah..!" He says excitedly. "Going away from the village, fighting bad guys" His smile slowly wanes. "Like really bad guys. I didn't know how many murderous psychos were out there" His voice begins losing its cheer, the full weight of his own words slowly hitting him. "Or how bad things were everywhere else. And all those times we nearly died..." That smile was now a long distant memory. Any jubilation felt by them soon forgotten. "Man..." He lets out an explosive breath.
"Being a ninja isn't at all what we've thought it be huh?"
"...Think us facing Orochimaru and him trying to put that damn curse seal on me made me realize this job kinda sucks," Naruto says dryly.
"I realized it sucked back in Wave. When we had a professional killer trying to, you know, kill us. Then we heard about all those horrible things like bloodline users being slaughtered in Kiri, or ninjas in Kiri killing each other so easily. And that time we first met Gatou. Remember him? The short guy who oppressed an entire nation and slaughtered innocent people?" She sighs. "I could have lived my entire life without knowing things like that happened in the world..." She remains silent for a moment, a contemplating look on her face. "But... this is the life we choose, and keeping our eyes shut does nothing"
"And look how far you came," Naruto beams. "Your skills are as awesome as Haku-Chan's."
She blushes under the praise. "You give me too much credit Naruto. I'm leagues away from people like her or you"
The jinchuuriki stares at her blankly for a moment, before flicking her in the forehead with his finger.
"Ow!" She rubs the sore spot. "What was that for?!"
"Why do you do that?" Naruto asked in a tired voice. "Why do you have to compare yourself with other people and sell yourself short every single time?"
Averting her eyes, the rosette lightly pouts; "It wasn't until after those demon brothers and you talking to me I finally realized how much of an idiot I was. So I was an academic genius in the academy, how did that do for me since I acted like some stupid fan girl..."
"Yes you did" He agrees.
She narrows her eyes at him. "Gee, thanks"
"I'm saying you DID. Past tense" He further adds. "You're not the girl who came out from the Academy, just like I'd like to think I'm not that same dumb ass"
Tapping her chin, Sakura does nod; "You even eat better now. You look healthier, and actually taller, who knew eating more than just ramen would be the answer," the rosette says slyly.
"Oh ha, ha" the blond Uzumaki mocks.
The rosette laughs softly before giving him a fond look. "But seriously. I have you to thanks for helping me grow up" His pure blue eyes meet hers, Sakura blushes and looks away. "A-and Kakashi-sensei of course. And, others too"
Rubbing the back of his head the blond Uzumaki looks away blushing also; "W-well I always knew you could be a kick ass kunoichi."
Well hidden in the trees, Jiraiya rubs his eyes while Kushina only smiles; "Well those two are getting along well."
"Kids these days" The Sannin sighs.
"He encourages her; she can make sure he doesn't go overboard" Kushina nods to herself. "I approve"
"They remind me of you and Minato, but those roles you just mentioned in reverse," Jiraiya says dryly earning a glare from the redhead.
"You saying I don't have control?" She seethed dangerous before grabbing him by the collar. "Answer me old man!"
"I think you just answered your own question..."
Naruto and Sakura relax while waiting for their teammates, and Karin, for their training session. At Kushina's urging, Kakashi had agreed for Sasuke to train with his team instead of just with him, seeing it as the best thing to do.
When they arrived, the jinchuuriki had excused himself for a moment, saying he remembered something he had to do, he returned short latter with company.
Hinata fidget nervously before the beaming gaze of the Uzumaki matron. "So you're Hiashi's kid huh? Can't believe a guy with a frown as deep as his could have a sweetie pie like you, you must take more after your mother, clearly"
The young Hyuuga wondered how she had gotten into this situation, she vaguely recalled Naruto appearing out of nowhere asking her if she wanted to hang out with his team. Everything got blurry after, without waiting for a response, he had taken her hand and pretty much dragged her to the training field.
"Y... You knew my mother?" the Hyuuga heiress asks quietly.
Nodding her head Kushina still beams; "Yup! Even friends with that stick up his ass you call your father." Hinata never heard someone call her father a… that.
Kakashi lifts a finger eye smiling; "I don't think Hinata-san is used to such rude language Kushina-sama."
"Tch" She makes a sound of displeasure. "What have you I told you about the formalities Kakashi?"
The redhead face faults noticing the silver haired man reading his book, before looking up; "Sorry did you say something Kushina-sama?"
"...Ignore him" She pointedly says to Hinata. "You don't need to be so formal with me understood?" The Hyuuga meekly nods with an embarrassed blush before suddenly finding herself in a tight hug. "Ohhh you're just the cutest thing!"
Karin chuckles sheepishly; "Aunt Kushina is a huger." partially sympathizing for Hinata as she watches her cousin, her friend Sakura, and Sasuke all sparing.
The young Uzumaki and Uchiha traded blows with great speed. Naruto smirked when he felt he had the upper hand. "Hey teme!" He taunted him. Taking his right arm in a lock. "What has a dumb face and a fist on-?" To his surprise, Sasuke quickly broke the hold by kicking his legs apart and delivering a swift punch to his face. "Uck..!" He backed away while holding his nose.
The Uchiha youth smirked. "I'm imagine 'you do' is the answer"
His smirked turned to bulging eyes, courtesy of a powerful elbow strike from their rosette teammate. Sakura smirks seeing the Uchiha flying into a tree. "Eyes on the prize boys!"
Rubbing his stomach, the Uchiha glares in both disbelief and anger; "Damn she's gotten fast, I couldn't even track her."
"Just be thankful she didn't punch you at full strength..." The jinchuuriki mutters. It was really freakish and terrifying how physically strong Sakura was becoming. His attention soon goes to the shy Hyuuga. "Hey Hinata, want to join?"
"Afraid she can't sochi," his mother speaks up. "The doctors said she has to take it easy for least a few weeks." As soon as she said that she picks up Karin by the back of the collar; "However your sweet cute cousin needs more training."
Surprised by her aunt's sudden action, she stammers. "I-I was actually studying some scrolls right-"
"Studying is good and all, but you need to practice" She whirled her around like one would a ball to gain momentum before throwing her, the spectacles wearing girl screamed in fright as she collided head first against an unsuspecting Sakura.
Hinata only looks wide eye at the scene as Kakashi tilts his head; "Well, on a plus note. Once you get accustomed to Uzu madness, you're used to anything."
"I-I am not sure that is a good thing..."
"Well I'm sorry to tell you, you have no choice in the matter"
A small 'eep' comes from Hinata as Kushina smacks the back of Kakashi's head; "don't scare her."
"I'm not scaring her" He says while robbing the sore spot. "I'm just giving her a fair warning. So few us were lucky enough to know what we were getting into when we decided to spend time near an Uzumaki..."
A dry look comes from the redhead; "Name one so called time scarecrow."
"I am glad you brought that up;" Kakashi looks to Hinata. "Allow me to tell you this one time, it was during the Third War, we were fighting some Kumo-nin. Our beloved redhead here clasped her hand over a poor guy's mouth, lifting him from the ground and asked him 'you wanna know what death tastes like?!' and proceed to do a rasengan, you know, the Fourth's legendary jutsu... inside his skull"
With a huff Kushina crosses her arms under her chest; "Well the bastard was a pervert, kept trying to cut my clothes off so he could 'have fun' as he put it."
The Genins' only reaction was staring at the redhead with open horror. "T-That's..." Sakura stammers. "...brutal"
"Hey, ain't no kill like overkill"
A dry look comes from Sasuke as he points past Kushina and Kakashi; "Speaking of over kill."
Looking behind them they all see Hinata literally unconscious; "Think you broke her," the Uchiha mutters.
"Nah," Kushina waves it off; "Her mother was the same way. Telling her ghost stories was always fun cause fainted in a flash."
"So that's where it comes from..." Naruto muses in realization.
Slapping his forehead Sasuke groans, while Sakura rubs her eyes sighing in exasperation; "Baka..."
Naruto pays them no mind, "I'm actually glad she came here" He says, earning a few curious looks from his team. "Hinata's really awesome, but I don't think she's got many friends. This is a shame because I'm sure if she spoke her mind a bit more she'd have tons"
"... I have to agree," the boys look at Sakura; "Her Taijutsu's something else, no other girl in our class could even touch her. But..."
Sasuke interjects; "She never went for hard strikes. I always wondered if she was too gentle for being a ninja."
Kushina snorted. "With that clan of hers pushing her so hard, it's no wonder the girl lacks so much confidence. No offense to Hinata-chan or anything, but she's too nice. She could be a pretty damn good ninja if she gathered a bit of courage"
"...That's why I want to be her friend," Naruto says quietly. "I think she can get plenty confident knowing she has people who care for her."
Sakura smiles at him warmly while Sasuke carefully avoid looking at everyone in the face, Kakashi smiles proudly behind his mask. Suddenly Naruto finds himself strangled into the deadly choke that was his mother's embrace. "Awww..! Such a good son I have!"
"Ack..! Mom, can't breathe, can't breathe!"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Sitting on the patio of her sensei residence, Yugao, wearing simple pants and a shirt, watches quietly as Naruto going through several hand seals for a jutsu. Her eyes narrow a bit as she perceives a small mistake in the sequence. "Those particular signs aren't suited for what you have in mind."
Naruto's eyes shift to the Anbu. He had met her barely a day ago, receiving quite the surprise when his mother had introduced Yugao to him as her student, and was later informed that she had been responsible for watching over him a lot of the time. He was still getting to know her; she seemed quiet and soft spoken, yet firm and disciplinary when the situation called for. A wonder that she ended as she did, with his mother as her sensei.
His mother had told her that recently Yugao's fiancé had died, assassinated in the village. So he had welcomed her to their home with utmost hospitality, and respected her space if she didn't feel like talking.
He liked Yugao; she was a nice person to be around with. Plus she's an Anbu, that's just badass!
"How do you what I'm doing?" He asks
"It's an earth technique"
"...Could have been doing one of my own techniques you know"
She chuckled in reply. "It was obvious from the signs. A technique designed to reshape the terrain around you yes? Try using the dog seal before the dragon, you'll find the chakra in the soil around you flows better that way"
Nodding slowly, the blond Uzumaki does the hand seals as the Anbu captain suggested. "Very good, but you need to work on it if you want to beat Rock Lee-san."
"Thanks," Naruto smiles as he goes through the seals again. For few minutes none say a word, till the blond looks back to Yugao; "Was it only just you looking out for me when I was little?"
"... No, Kuma and Iguru as well a certain silver haired cyclops we both know well," the purple haired woman faintly smiles.
"Huh" Naruto muses with an unreadable expression. "So Kakashi-sensei was always watching over me..." Yugao nods "Why did he never-?"
"Don't be so hard on Kakashi-sempai" The purple haired woman interjected. "He's been through a lot, more than most even. It was decided it'd be better for you if we kept our distance. A lot of your parents' enemies would have identified you easily with us near"
He grumbles. "Ain't stopping anyone from identifying me now"
"You're a ninja" Yugao says pointedly. "You choose this life, as well as the consequences"
A dry glare was his response to her words, but she was right so he said nothing to contradict her. "I know, I made my bed and have to live with it. If I had any regrets now it's just how long it took me just to stop acting like the idiot I was."
"A shinobi's life is a merciless eye-opener" The Anbu said in understanding.
"... Speaking of eye-openers what happen to Mizuki-Teme anyways?"
"Currently enjoying prison. We did not get much from him, save only that he worked for Orochimaru."
Naruto stared at her incredulously. "Is there anything that creepy snake isn't behind of?"
A sigh comes from the Anbu captain; "Honestly that's what I want to know. And it had to be now when he decided to shows up not only going after you but the Uchiha as well." She eyes her sensei's son; "Just be glad he did not get you with the curse mark."
"...Want to know something? Since I saw Sasuke's I have been meaning to see if I can remove it. But not ready yet. I can seal it, but that's far as it goes."
Yugao tilts her head; "Jiraiya-Sama and Sensei could help. Though I'm afraid that is something still beyond your level. An Uzumaki you may be, but you lack the knowledge and the experience to pull something like that on your own"
The blond rubs the back of his neck; "I know that is way beyond me. Figured I ask them after the exams were done. Just wish that Tsukiko lady of my clan left something to help out."
"... Sensei didn't tell you yet?" she gets an odd look from Naruto; "As sensei told me, they say Tsukiko-Sama left her entire collected wealth of knowledge deep in the depths of Uzushiogakure. However none have been ever able to find it."
"Why not?" He asks.
"I don't know the details myself" The Anbu starts. "But from what I heard, a large and outstandingly complex sealing array supposedly protects all the knowledge gathered by the Uzumaki. It keeps it hidden and protected; no village has been able to pierce beyond its veil"
His eyes widen in surprise. "There's a seal that big there?"
"Indeed. Your clan did all it could to protect their secrets"
The blond was silent as Yugao kept speaking; "If I recall, Sensei and yourself are Tsukiko-Sama's living descendants. I think sensei said only someone with Tsukiko-Sama's blood cane open the door. But I am uncertain. If you go there you could give a look for it."
As the young Genin and Anbu captain speak casually, Yugao feels a small measure of comfort. Naruto was a good kid; she could see the best of his parents in him… Ok that may be an exaggeration, other than the Yondaime's looks; he was Kushina's son through and through. But spending time with him and Kushina eased her pain, the hole in her heart may never be refilled, but least it can heal.
"Ma, ma, well this is quite a scene." Both Anbu and genin turn to see a certain silver haired scarecrow waving lazily at them. "Yo"
"Sempai" Yugao greeted with a cordial nod.
"Hey sensei..!" Naruto was much exuberant in his greeting. "Didn't expect to see you today after training"
"Well, I do want to check on my cute little Genin after all. And make sure Yugao is alright," Kakashi eye smiles. "Training is well and good, but the body needs rest or else you burn out." He looks at them both. "So" He continues. "You've gotten to know Yugao this few days I see"
"Yeah" The jinchuuriki smiles cheerfully. "She's awesome. But she's my mom's student so that's a given"
A small smile comes from the purple haired beauty as she sweatdrops; 'He is so much like sensei personality wise it's scary.'
'Bout the only way you know he is sensei's son is his looks;' Kakashi sweatdrops.
"Why don't you take a rest?" The jounin suggested. "Like I said, you trained enough for today"
Naruto stretches his limbs. "Yeah, think you're right" He goes to sit by the house's entrance; he is soon joined by his sensei, letting Yugao have some alone time. "Say Kakashi-sensei" He starts. "You think I'm ready to face Bushy Brown?"
Making an 'hmm' sound, Kakashi rubs his chin; "I'd say you've gotten as far you can in a month's time. Lee will be tough, but you can win. Just don't underestimate him."
For a moment, Naruto remained silent, weighing if he should or should not ask the question that was present in the back of his mind. He didn't want to tackle the issue, it was of no use to do so, but he also desired some answers. He felt he deserved a few at least.
"Sensei" He started hesitantly. "Why didn't I meet you before?"
Yugao stealthily made her way back into the house, feeling this to be a private conversation that these two needed to have.
"... I had a feeling you would ask me that sometime soon," Kakashi says quietly looking downward. "I won't make excuses for you, after Minato-sensei died, I felt like I lost my second father. When I was a little younger than you my actual father committed suicide. During my Genin days I lost two very important people."
A slow sigh escapes his lips; "Minato-Sensei's death was what pushed me away. It's not that I did not want to meet you sooner. Or at least helped you through the academy. But I was so afraid if I got too close, you would be gone as well... I know that doesn't excuse me of anything. But still, I am sorry Naruto."
The boy doesn't say anything, only staring at nothing with an unreadable expression.
"If it makes you feel any better" The jounin says. "I really didn't want you near me at the state I was in" Naruto gives him an incredulous look. "Believe me when I tell you some years ago I was a terrible mess of the likes you would not believe... Think of Sasuke, but ten times worse"
Naruto blanches as the silver haired scarecrow nods; "Yup exactly... I'm still a mess, but thank the gods nowhere as bad as I was. And thanks to a lot of good people" Guy had been a great friend; he could always what lay underneath the underneath with him. All those 'challenges' and their 'rivalry' was the taijutsu master's attempt at stopping him from falling in that abyss of his own making. "But seeing Kushina-Sama, alive and in front of me after so long... I don't think I ever felt so happy in a very long time."
He rubs his neck. "I'm awkward at this, downright terrible even, opening up and all. So I think I'll finish with this" A hand descends on Naruto's head, ruffling his blonde locks. Kakashi gives him his trademark eye smile. "You're a good kid, and I'm glad you're my student"
In return, a large bright smile dawns Naruto as he chuckles.
XxX ~ Nightfall: The mountain area of Hi no Kuni ~ XxX
The wind rushed strongly, making the tears falling upside down his face stream erratically. The sight of the seemingly bottomless chasm brought terror to his heard, he tried to scream, but the tape on his mouth limited the noise, only coming out a muffle. His entire body was tied with rope, enveloping him like a cocoon. The rope was tied to a branch of a nearby tree, tall enough for its foliage to step outside the limits of the cliff.
The sound of music coming out of a radio was very out of place, on so many levels, just like the two individuals dancing and mimicking the playing of a guitar with their hands.
They both wore the same attire, a sleeveless white hooded tunic with a hint of gray tucked into a red sash around their waist, with a gray shirt underneath. Strips of clothing around the forearms, with metal arm guards over them, long baggy pants with swirly designs weaved on them, coming short at the knee where there were leg guards, finishing with their feet clothed in long white sockets and sandals.
They were mirror copies of each other, long straight brown hair in bangs at the sides of their heads, long angular faces with high cheekbones and green eyes. The only difference between the two was the head scarves, one red and the other blue.
These two who were currently lost in the music had kidnapped him, destroyed his precious operations, killed each and every last of his men, and set free his merchandise. Now his life was in their hands.
He couldn't accept it, he wasn't going to die here, no, no wasn't. He tried to mouth his curses at them, but all he could do was let out muffled cries.
"Woah, woah, woah" One of the, the one wearing the blue head scarf, stopped their merriment to regale at the bound man with annoyance. "Wait up" He pushed the pause bottom on the radio. "I think this guy ain't having fun"
"He isn't?!" The other replied in an exaggerated tone. "After all we've done for you to make your last hours fun?"
"Put up some good music, smoke a bit of weed, and what do we have? This jackass glaring at us and screaming, well, trying to anyways" The blue scarfed one said, clicking his tongue a few times. "Now that's just rude Isamu"
"Very rude I'd say Isao" The one with the red head scarf replied. "But hey, what else can you expect from a heartless slaver scum like him?"
Isao nods as he looks to tied up man; "Well anything to say slaver scum before dropping to your death?" a muffled scream was his answer; "How could I have slept with your mother, I wasn't born yet?"
"Wouldn't have been my first choice for some last words" Isamu shrugs nonchalantly as his twin takes out a kunai, getting ready to slash the rope and let the man fall to his death. "But to each... Oh hey a message" The cry of a hawk signals its approach. The red scarfed twin holds up his arm, giving the hawk a place to land as it settles on his arm guard. He opens the lid of a container on its leg and takes out a small piece of paper; he reads it upon unrolling it. "It's from the boss, says he's got a mission for us in..." He soon grows pale, eyes and mouth widening. "Konoha"
"WHAT?!" Isao shouts, arms flailing wildly, accidentally cutting the rope. The slaver let out a muffled scream of terror which soon became an echo the further down he went down the chasm. The twins stared owlishly down the cliff. "Ah gods damn it!" Isao cursed. "I had this awesome one liner to say before killing him. Opportunity, wasted"
"Forget that!" Isamu retorts. "Konoha, man! Konoha!" He shakes his twin with the hand holding the note. "You have any idea what they'll do to us if they find out who we work for!"
"What the hell is the boss thinking? Does he want us skinned alive!? I haven't even been with a woman yet," Isao yells.
"I haven't either, and you don't see me complaining about that" Isamu said.
"Because you don't like women you knucklehead" His twin felt the need to point out. "If anything, shouldn't you be wishing you've been with a guy yet?"
Isao saw something he hadn't seen his twin done in a while; he blushed and avoided his gaze. "No way... You got lucky? With who?"
"NOT THE POINT!"
"No, but I bet you enjoyed his" Isao says dryly. He soon slumps; "And I wanted to be with that hot waitress... Her tits were awesome!"
"I'd give you some advice, buuut I seriously doubt they'd work on women"
"Yeah... Okay, getting back on track WE'RE GONNA FUCKING DIE!" Isao wailed in despair, hands holding his head.
Both huff and puff after screaming for almost an hour. Isamu takes a deep breathe; "Well if we die, we die like men."
"Can I just die having my dream harem of twelve women for one whole night?" Isao says weakly.
Isamu's face lights up as he suddenly has an epiphany. "Hey wait a moment, we're ninja!"
"...Have you been smoking something? Other than the pot that is"
"No, no! I mean, we can sneak in, pretend we're civilians, they won't find us out if we are careful!"
"Yeah..." Isao slowly nods. "Yeah! And besides, it's the chunin exams there, with all the crazy stuff that's been happening, Orochimaru, that Uzumaki lady back from the dead. Maybe the boss just wants some recon work"
"And hey, it could be fun. I don't think anyone in the gang has gotten close to Konoha in a really long time. We'll be back before we know it and everyone will be talking about us! The badasses who braved into jaws of the wolf."
"... I heard that Uzu lady is super smoking hot too." Isao smiles lecherously. "Heard they have tons of smoking hot babes even. That settles it, we go for Konoha!"
"Alright" The red scarfed one smirked. "We're doing this, we're Kageken after all"
"Yeah" They share an elaborate bump fist. "And damn proud of it"
"Let's just make sure Konoha doesn't find out"
"That'd be best yes"
After all, they didn't want to know what Konoha would do to them if they discovered they were members of the organization that had assassinated the first Hokage.
XxX ~ Konoha ~ XxX
Inside the study room of their house, Kushina unceremoniously drops the box on the table in front of her and her son, so covered with dust was the item it causes Naruto to cough when it puffed in great amounts. "What's in this thing?"
Scratching the back of her head, Kushina chuckles; "Found it when looking in my room. These were the first things I bought for you when learned I was pregnant" Idly she plays with her crystal bracelet.
"Sooo... this is what, baby clothing?"
"Among other stuff." She opens the box and immediately smiles widely, holding up a small green article of clothing. "Awww, this is the toad onesie your father and I bought for you"
"...You were going to dress me as a toad?"
"Minato was the summoner of the Toads, Ma and Pa along with the others all loved him like family. We debated on you becoming a dual summoner for the Toads and Dragons but we never got around to it," Kushina shrugs.
"Whose Ma and Pa?"
"Oh a pair of toad Elders" She explains. "They trained Jiraiya to become a sage, and later your father. Though his body didn't meet the requirements completely, so he wasn't able to do it often, or for long even"
"I heard the old pervert was a sage" Naruto said. "But I don't really know what that means"
"The art of the sage is learning how to access nature chakra. It's the ambient energy from nature itself, by harnessing it and mixing it with your chakra you gain something called Senjutsu." the redhead sighs; "It's one of my own dreams, becoming a dragon sage like Tsukiko-Baachan."
"That's not the first time you mention her" Naruto pointed out. "Who was she?"
Sighing as she takes a seat by her son, nostalgia waves over her as she smiles; "Tsukiko Uzumaki, she was Shodai Uzukage, and the greatest Fūinjutsu master to ever exist. Not even I or your dad could come close to her skills. She also had a very rare genetic condition that happens in our clan sometimes, around when she was thirty her body stopped aging. I can count on one hand how many Uzu had that condition and still have two fingers left."
Naruto decided to ask the important question. "So she was a badass?"
Kushina flashes a toothy grin and ruffles his hair. "Ohhh definitely. The Uchiha's had Madara, the Senju had Hashirama. For us we had Tsukiko, however when the first two I mentioned were in their prime, baachan was already their elder and helped them while they were still friends. She helped found Konoha with them," Kushina winks. "She was still around when I was a child, when my mother died she raised me till I was sent to Konoha, however... She died not long after..."
She sighs with both nostalgia and wistfulness. "I wish you could have met her, that you could have seen Uzu" Her gaze remains lost for a second before a small smile forms on her lips. "You know... how about if we travel to Uzushio after the exams? Only ruins remain... but it's the home of our ancestors and the last resting place of our people"
A bright smile comes from the blond Uzumaki; "Sounds awesome!" Shifting through the items on the table, Naruto picks up a scroll. He opens it after blowing away the dust, and finds the contents to be numerous notes and research on what looked to be techniques. "What's this?"
"Ohhh!" Kushina says in wonderment. "That's your father's notes on his techniques. Look here" She points at a particular section on the scroll. "it's how he tried to proceed with his element to complete the Rasengan"
Naruto soon gawks as he sees mother make a perfect Rasengan in her left hand. "He taught me it when he finally got the damn thing done. Jiraiya got it afterwards," Kushina soon frowns. "Your dad never could get his nature chakra to add to it. And he tried like hell."
"With how fast the chakra spins on the damn thing, that should be, like, impossible" Naruto comments with a thoughtful frown. "What element was he?"
"Wind mostly. But he had a second affinity with water" Kushina replies while dismissing the rasengan in her hand. "Not surprising, considering his clan"
Seeing the questioning look in Naruto's cerulean eyes the Uzu redhead explains; "The Namikaze was a clan, but they are nomadic in nature so they never settled anywhere really. Minato's parents just stayed in Konoha cause they wanted to grow some roots. I heard they died when he was young, but he never told me how or why."
"What happened to them? The Namikaze I mean" He asks in fascination.
Kushina sighs and Naruto already begins dreading the answer. "They were good people, often helping where they could... but unfortunately that also made them a lot of enemies"
Falling silent, Naruto did not press on the issue. They both silently go through Minato's old scroll. Solemn silence turns to wonder as they could not help but smile at all the works he had done or had been in the process of doing.
Nearing at the end of the scroll they stop when they see writing, both look in shock as it is addressed to Naruto. "When did he..." Kushina trails off as she speaks out loud.
"Hey kiddo, you're probably wondering why this is in here right? This would be a few weeks after your mom told she was pregnant with you, and I felt I should write something down in case if something happened. If it did I hope your mother is there with you and you're not alone, she can be a handful though."
"Be patient with her alright? Unless you take more after her side of the family, in which case, I highly doubt about your ability to be patient. No offense, but Uzumaki are rowdy like that' Gee, thanks honey,"Kushina mutters drily before continuing.
"I want you to know I'm sorry for not being there with you, to see you grow up, to teach you, to love you. So I pray you'll never be alone, I know you'll have friends, people dear to you"
"Took a while but got there;" Naruto comments quietly.
Patting her son's head she keeps continues; "Whatever path you chosen in life Know I would be proud of you. And if you are following the life of me and your mother, know a few things. One, being a shinobi is a very hard life and it will be brutal. You will lose friends, loved ones, but never let your heart die. You will live for them and for you. Now number two. Follow your dreams no matter where they lead you, don't let anyone tell you who to be, but don't be deaf to the advice of those wiser and more experienced than you"
Those words upturn Kushina's lips; "With all my love, your dad. P.S. Kushina, Whatever may have happened to me don't let it stop you from being happy, and yes you do know what I mean."
Slowly, a shaky sigh escape the redhead's lips. "As if I'd ever let go of what he had Minato..."
The blonde looks at his mother with a mixture of emotions. "Are you okay?" He asks in concern.
"Yeah..." Kushina replies.
"You miss dad huh?" He says with sympathy. He could feel the sadness coming from her; she was good at masking it, no doubt from years of experience. But so had he masked his feelings for a long time as well, he could tell she was trying to hide it. He tried to look for the proper words that would comfort her. "Maybe... you should do what dad says" He didn't have clear what his father's message had tried to convey to her mother, but he trusted them on the matter.
"It's..." She sighs. "It's not that easy honey" She wasn't ready to move on, not yet. She softly runs a hand through his blond locks and manages to form a sincere smile. "I have you with me, I'm happy with the life I have here"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
With her legs dangling as she sits on the roof of a building, Kuroreimei smiles up at the moonlit sky. Her long silky raven hair flows freely in the gentle breeze. "How will you fair tomorrow my young friend? I look forward in seeing how it all plays out for you... Naruto…"
No matter the era the world, mankind, they kept making the same mistakes over and over. The events soon to come would be no different. Perhaps what the world needed was someone with a spirit like his, that young boy who had went through a lot yet he could still smile.
But a large part of her soon thought that as pointless optimism. There had been people like him before, and that didn't stop the world from falling to chaos over and over… Perhaps what the world needed was something different.
So she would stand by and watch the events unfold, like she always did. Knowing she could not do so much longer, the time for her to act was neigh.
"The times are changing again… will it be for the better or worse I wonder?"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Annnd that's a wrap.
A couple of things, we know there isn't much to this chapter; we wanted to do a bit of character and introduce others before going over to the exams. For those that will find the amount of new characters overwhelming and lacking good characterization, we'd like to remind you this fic will be LONG but we'll take our time to develop them properly.
Another thing, Kya's regarding physical looks is mostly based on Tia Harribel from Bleach. With Kuroreimei she is based off of Yuuko Ichihara from xxxHOLIC. While Tsukiko is from Yumi Komagata of Rurouni Kenshin.
Hope you guys enjoyed it.