Chapter 6- The Looming Darkness…
~No matter how many times I think about that last mission, I can't stop being amazed at how far it escalated. What started out as a simple errand led to an attack by strangers wielding incredible powers capable of defeating ninjas with ease… and the shocking revelation that every one of them is the vessel of a demon. But there is something that bothered me even more than that… just what was their reason for attacking us? They aren't connected with the other villages, nor do they use any chakra or jutsu… So why would they have any interest in a historical ninjutsu trinket? What information are we missing, and just what have we gotten ourselves involved with?
-Uzumaki Naruto
(Konoha Hospital)
Naruto lay still in a hospital bed, deep in slumber. He was covered in bandages all over his face and body from the numerous wounds sustained in the battle against Nergui. Slowly he began to stir, and his eyes opened. "Hmm…" Naruto yawned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes… "Ah!" he exclaimed, suddenly remembering the events that had just occurred. He also noticed his surroundings "Where am I!?"
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Naruto-kun…" said a voice
"Huh?" Naruto turned around and saw who it was, "Ebi! What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed, pointing at him.
"Ugh… not the response I would've liked, but I'm glad to see you're finally awake." Ebi sighed "After all… you've been in a coma for over six months now."
"WHAT?! SIX MONTHS?!" Naruto exclaimed
"Nah, I'm kidding. It's only been half a day." Ebi laughed.
POW!
"Ow…" Ebi sweatdropped after Naruto punched him over the head. "I deserved that."
"You sure did… ouch!" Naruto grunted, pulling back his arm. He was sore everywhere, especially in his legs which were pushed beyond their limits. Though he usually healed overnight, even he couldn't recover from these injuries so soon. Suddenly, Naruto remembered something else, "Ebi! What happened?! The mission… the scroll… Nergui… Hinata…! What happened to Hinata?! Where is she? Is she all right?!
"Calm down! I'm just about to explain those things!" Ebi exclaimed, "As for Hinata, why don't you look for yourself?" he pointed behind to the other side of the bed.
"Hmm?" Naruto turned his head and saw her… Hinata was in the chair next to his bed, fast asleep. "Oh…" he calmed down, trying not to make any noise.
"She is very brave. From the moment she regained consciousness, not once has she left your side" said Ebi, "I've never seen anyone as loyal as her… even though she's also been hurt and should be resting herself, she's been helping to take care of you." He then looked down and sighed, "Naruto, about the mission…"
"Oh yeah… I took the scroll back! Did you get it?" asked Naruto
"Yes I did, but there is another important matter to discuss." Ebi straightened his glasses. "You see… the moment you and your team walked back into the village, carrying the scroll, the mission should've been marked complete, but then something unexpected occurred… Nergui and those other two arrived, and took the scroll. Even though you fought hard to take it back… the fact remains that the team did not succeed in its mission, and the mark has been finalized. I'm sorry, but even though you eventually retrieved the scroll in the end, the mission was a failure."
"SAY WHAT?!" Naruto shouted angrily, but quickly shut up when he saw Hinata was stirring… "(Damn… I woke her up!)" he cursed himself under his breath
"N… Naruto-kun…?" Hinata blinked, rubbing her eyes. "Ah…! Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed, hugging Naruto. Suddenly, she went red, realizing what she was doing, and quickly let go. "A… ano…! I'm sorry…" she stuttered… but her shyness was quickly replaced with concern, "Naruto-kun… are… are you feeling alright!?"
"Well, aside from the many aches, pains, cuts, bruises, fractures and internal bleedings that may very well kill me, I'm fine. How are you?" he answered. Hinata blinked, unsure whether that was a joke or not
"Ah, Hinata, you woke up just in time" Ebi spoke up, getting their attention. "Now… as I was saying about the mission… the scroll had been taken away from Team 7, so the mission was marked as a failure. As for Hinata-dono… she acted of her own accord. She hadn't been assigned by the Leaf Central, so naturally it shouldn't count…" Naruto and Hinata both looked down in disappointment. Even if they hadn't fought that battle for the prestige, it still hurt knowing their efforts went unappreciated… "I'm not done yet!" said Ebi, "I said the TEAM failed, I never said anything about the individuals who retrieved it! There was a big debate about it, but it's been decided…" Naruto and Hinata stared at him, "The battle and recovery of the scroll have been classified as an entirely separate mission, and it will go on both your records as a successful A-Rank mission!"
"You're… serious?!" Naruto's jaw dropped.
"I… I completed an A-rank mission…?" Hinata just couldn't believe it
"ALL RIGHT! I DID IT! A-RANK MISSION! OOOUUUCH!" Naruto jumped up and cheered, then screamed in pain. His legs still hurt, but that didn't stop him from dancing around… "A-RANK! OOOUUUCH! A-RANK! OOOUUUCH! A-RANK…!"
"Naruto, be quiet! This is a hospital!" Ebi snapped at him between clenched teeth
"Oh yeah… sorry…" Naruto sweatdropped… he sat back down while grunting painfully underneath his breath. "Hey, where are our senseis?"
"Ano… they were here just a while ago… Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei came to check on us… you were still asleep then." said Hinata
"Right now, they are at a meeting regarding the attack." Said Ebi, "It's to be expected, especially because there were casualties involved…"
"Ebi… What happened to Nergui?" Naruto asked in a serious tone.
"…they never found him." Ebi shook his head. "The two of you were found unconscious back there, but there was no one else… he had apparently escaped. Right now they're still tracking him… but if he has regrouped with his accomplices, then we should be more worried about the lives of our own trackers." He said grimly. Ebi sighed and looked down, "I want to apologise to you… the both of you. After all the trouble you had to go through because of me." Ebi sighed, "That whole battle was my fault. I got the two of you involved. If only I had just gone and retrieved that scroll on my own…"
"Hey, come on Ebi, it's nothing!" Naruto grinned, "Sure, it was a tough fight, but if you got the scroll yourself, those guys would've come for you instead! The way things went, in the end we're all fine! So you see? It's no big deal! Heh-heh!"
"Maybe… but could I try telling that to the Anbu ninjas who got killed?" Ebi sighed, "With this scroll involved, I feared this was bound to happen… but I had no idea they would reach this country so soon…"
"Huh?" Naruto and Hinata stared at him
"It's nothing, never mind…" Ebi shook his head and stood up, "Another thing Naruto. It has recently come to my attention that you've been taking lessons from the great Toad-Sennin Jiraiya-sama of the legendary three. I just have to know… with connections like that, why would you accept to learn from some stranger you just barely met? I mean, it's not like the stuff I have to offer has been useless… but seriously! This is JIRAIYA we're talking about!"
"Well for one thing, the Pervert-sennin only teaches me when he feels like it, and that's like… never." Naruto answered, both Ebi and Hinata sweatdropped when he referred to the living legend as 'Pervert-sennin'. "More than that, I'd rather not be seen in his company ever since he's picked up that new… habit of his…"
"New habit?" asked Ebi
"EEEEK! PANTY THIEF!" a women's scream could be heard from outside
"BWAHAHAHAHA! WHAT A HAUL, WHAT A HAUL!" Through the window, the three of them could see Jiraiya wearing a thief's hood, jumping across rooftops with a large sack strapped over his shoulders with women's underwear dangling behind him.
"I… see." Ebi sweatdropped. "Anyways, I'd better get going. Kakashi said for you to take the rest of the week off to recover. You did take a lot of injuries after all…" Ebi leaned in closer and whispered into his ear, "(Though it'll probably take less than that, you shouldn't push it. You did use up all of Kyubi's strength after all)"
"WHAT THE…!? HOW DO YOU…?!"
"SHHHH! Naruto! Shut up!" Ebi shushed him, while Hinata blinked, confused
"Ugh…!" Naruto stopped shouting, "But still… how…?!"
"Village children may not know about it, but remember, I'm not exactly a 'child'." Ebi smirked, "Don't worry about it, it doesn't bother me. No matter what some small-minded people may think, you're still you… a ninja, and a damn good one at that" said Ebi, "I'm going now, got work to be done, checking that scroll you got back, it'd be a waste not to check it out, after all the effort you guys put into getting it back!" He turned around and headed to the door, "If you or Hinata ever need help with anything, feel free to tell me. Ja ne!" he nodded and left
"Hmm…" Naruto sighed as the door closed and he sat there alone. So Ebi knew about the Kyubi as well… "(Yet it didn't matter to him…)" he thought to himself. It was strange, how Ebi seemed to know so much, about him, about everything… but somehow, Naruto just felt he could trust him. He also wondered… Ebi hadn't met him very long ago, and the knowledge of Kyubi didn't faze him… would it be the same for everyone else if they found out about the demon? "(Would they not look at me any differently… or would they hate me, and treat me like a monster?)"
"N… Naruto-kun?" Hinata spoke up, she had been sitting there quietly for some time. "I… um… have something for you…" she slowly held up a container of medicinal cream, "I… I was intending to give this to you sooner… but… with all that's happened… I… I hope you feel better soon…"
"Hinata…" Naruto, not knowing what else to say, accepted the container, "Thank you…" for some odd reason, and could feel his cheeks going red as his hands brushed against Hinata's… "(She… she is really worried about me…)" He thought to himself, seeing her brought him back to his earlier thoughts… of how the others would react if they knew his secret… Hinata… who not once looked down on him, although shy, she treated him with kindness and respect… "(If she learns about what I really am…)" he suddenly closed his eyes. The thought of her looking at him with fear and backing away in terror… it was just too much for him to bear…
"What's wrong?" Naruto's eyes opened at the touch of her hand on his shoulder
"It's…" as Naruto turned his head, he was met with her gentle gaze… somehow… he felt his anxiety… all faded away… "Nothing… nothing's wrong." he answered truthfully, and held up his hand, "Come on, sit down!" he offered, also wondering what she was so nervous about when she sat down on the bed next to him
"I'm glad you're okay… it looks like I had nothing to worry about after all." said Hinata, as sitting down, "I really envy you… it seems like nothing can keep you down. You know exactly what you want, and you keep going for it."
"Hey Hinata… do you really think so?" Naruto said quietly. "I mean… all the time I talk about becoming Hokage… I've been thinking…" he looked down, "Even if I became strong enough… would I really deserve it?"
"What?"
"What I'm saying is… up till now, I've always bragged about becoming Hokage… but every one of them loved the village enough to willingly give their lives for it. For someone like me, someone who only wants the title so I could be noticed… with a selfish reason like that, I'd make a pretty bad leader, wouldn't I?"
"I don't think so…" said Hinata, "When you were fighting earlier on, you weren't trying to be noticed by anyone, were you? You were determined to succeed when the others had failed and only you were left. You kept going, never giving up even a monstrous opponent like him…" She encouraged him, "More than anyone else, you gave your all for this mission… and it was enough to call me to help you, and stand by your side no matter how grim the situation became… and that's why I think you'll become a great leader someday!"
"Hinata… thanks!" Naruto closed his eyes and smiled brightly… "I'm really glad to have you for a friend…" He said. She always seemed to know the right thing to say to encourage him. Just having her around, it felt like there was nothing he couldn't do! Unknown to him, those were her feelings exactly…
Even though it was late, they didn't feel the least bit tired. Neither of them got any sleep, as all through the night, chatting and laughter could be heard coming from their room…
(Meanwhile, in the training grounds…)
"HA!" Sasuke shouted as he struck his fist against the padded log with all his strength. Right now, he was alone in the practice field… sweat poured from his body. It was late and he was exhausted… but he wasn't giving up. "HAAA!" he let out a roar as he struck it with his full strength. There was a loud crack. The layer of padding slid to the ground as the log split in half. "GRRR…" he growled, even with the target destroyed, Sasuke continued attacking the air around him, punching and kicking into the darkness…
More than training, he seemed to be venting out his frustration on everything around him. "HOW!?" he shouted as he continued to strike the empty air. "How did he get so strong?!" All the wooden practice dummies have been completely shredded apart, and no more shuriken could possibly fit onto the targets. He remembered his earlier battle… if it could even be called that. His defeat against Nergui was one of the most humiliating things that ever happened to him… and the only thing worse than being beaten by that big stupid ape was the fact that the one to beat him was his own stupid team-mate!
"Naruto…" Sasuke growled, "I don't know how you acquired such power… but I bet HE has something to do with this…!" he muttered, his thoughts flying over to the mission client, the one called Ebi… "What's he trying to pull!?"
It later came to him with no surprise that Ebi was in fact a ninja… having handled weapons and jutsus when under attack… but when Kakashi-sensei told Sasuke that Ebi was a sennin who must be treated with respect, and not to ask too many questions… it was absolutely ludicrous!
"A sennin?!" Sasuke spat, not believing it for a second. A real sennin was all aspects, legendary, from their transcending wisdom gained over the course of many years, while unmatched in power… "Wisdom of the ages? He's barely older than me, and any academy student could outmuscle him! If that man's a sennin, I must be the god damned Hokage!" Sasuke was no fool. People from all walks of life intrinsically heed the words of sennins, but that title was so obviously a ruse to keep others from asking questions. If anything, Sasuke trusted Ebi even less than the men who attacked the village, at least THEY were clear about their goals, but Ebi… just what is his angle? Sasuke was determined to find out. "Never again… I won't be humiliated this way…!" Sasuke continued to train fiercely all through the night… "No matter what enemy may challenge me, I must become stronger than any of them… I will not lose again…"
(Outside the village walls)
"GRAAAAHH!" Nergui roared in pain and fury. "IT… HURTS!" He screamed, still feeling the effects of the wound Naruto and Hinata inflicted on him. All the years he had fought, never has it been like this. Never has he felt this much pain… "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE THEM! THEY DID THIS!" He rose to his feet and screamed, "I DON'T CARE IF I HAVE TO TEAR DOWN THAT ENTIRE VILLAGE! I WILL KILL ANYONE WHO STANDS IN MY WAY! I WILL MAKE THEM SUFFER!"
CRASH!
"URGH!" Nergui screamed, when Yashiro slammed the back of his fist across his face, causing him to topple over. "Ngh…" he lay on the ground, gasping
"It's bad enough you lost against children, so stop crying and looking for pity." Yashiro glared down at him. annoyed tone, not caring that his companion was suffering. He had struck him for one reason alone: to shut him up.
"Come on, he's hurt. At least show some sympathy…" Maoyan smiled as he sat perched in the trees. Between his fingers he was holding his own severed ear to the side of his head. Slowly he released it, to reveal that it had healed back into place. All the other cuts and injuries Kakashi had inflicted on him during their fight were healing. "Well… we failed our main objective. The scroll is now in their hands." Now that the village was on full alert and the scroll was more than likely under heavy security, it would take more than the three of them to retrieve it. "Should we call for others?"
"Not yet. They are busy on other fronts." Yashiro replied. "Let those savages safeguard it for us. The seal alone is already too much for them to undo. When the time comes, we'll just come back and take it."
"We've really underestimated the Leaf Ninjas… one of them at least." Maoyan thought out loud, leaning back, "That boy in the orange getup… is he like us?"
"Yes… he holds a demon." Nergui spoke, slowly rising to his feet, holding onto a tree for support. That blow to the head seemed to have brought him back to his senses. "He carries the nine-tailed fox… but he doesn't consider himself to be anything like us…" Nergui remembered what Naruto had said during their battle… "That boy actually takes pride in being a ninja, a stubborn pride no less… but for such power to be wasted on such stupid beliefs… Way of the ninja!? He wouldn't stop talking about it!" He growled.
"It makes no difference. He is one of us…" Said Yashiro "Even if he is as stubborn as you say… he is but a child. His will can be changed."
"That boy holds the nine tailed fox?" Whistled Maoyan, obviously impressed. "First the Sacred Scroll, now a child with such rare power… who would have thought a tiny little village would hold so many treasures?" said Maoyan, "And that's not all. Resources, weapons, riches, advanced-bloodlines… this village is a veritable gold mine. It's also by far the strongest military force on this continent! It is a stronghold worth conquering!" he leaned back and sighed, "How such a powerful demon fell into their hands, I'll never figure out… but fortunately we've got something here that outclasses even that tailed beast…" his eyes moved towards Yashiro…
"We leave. Now." Yashiro commanded, prompting Nergui to stand up and Lei Maoyan to hop down from the trees and follow. "We still have that other matter to attend to. We mustn't keep our benefactor waiting…" The leaf village shrank from sight as they departed. "When the time comes, the boy will realize his mistake. We will make him see the light… and he shall willingly serve the MaShin Empire…"
(The Next Day)
In all the Shinobi Villages throughout the continent, ninjas partake in many dangerous missions, and it's not unusual for ninjas to fall in the line of duty. However, the recent attack on Konoha by the three invaders of unknown origin was a huge matter, as it took place directly within the village walls. Not only were there casualties, but all of them belonged to the elite ANBU force. It was ironic that the Genin team actually targeted by these foes were the only ones to make it out alive.
"Can you remind me again WHY I'm here?" Naruto grumbled as he and his team walked through Leaf Central. This was supposed to be his week off, but instead he got woken up early and dragged here by his sensei…
"Because we are looking for any information we can gather about our unknown enemies, and you happened to be fighting one of them." Answered Kakashi
"But why does the meeting have to cut into my free time? I've got an empty bed at home that's calling my name!" Naruto complained, before closing his eyes and yawning.
"Naruto, you look really tired." said Sakura, seeing Naruto's face and mood. Sasuke was also tired and grumpy… though no one noticed anything out of the ordinary.
"Oh gee, and what gave that away?" Naruto eyed her, "I am tired… I didn't get any sleep… I was up all night with Hinata."
"Wait, WHAT?" Sakura and Sasuke turned to him, eyes wide open in shock.
"Hmm? Did I stutter?" Naruto glanced back at the two, wondering why they were so surprised. "I just said the two of us spent that night together in the hospital room."
"Naruto…?" Sakura spoke up, "By spending the night together… you don't mean sleeping… in the same bed?"
"Sleeping?! I had so much fun last night, I didn't get a wink of sleep! If you catch my meaning…" Naruto grinned as Sakura's face went redder than a tomato. "Sure Hinata can be pretty timid at first, but once she really opens up, there's this whole other side to her I never knew!" he said cheerfully as he stepped into Tsunade's office, fondly remembering the talks with Hinata that went all throughout the night.
"UM… I… UH…" Sakura stammered, her cheeks burning red and steam escaping from her ears. She suddenly noticed Sasuke scowling, "Sasuke-kun? Is something wrong?"
"Damn it…" Sasuke was growling, "It's not enough he beat that Neanderthal, NOW he's getting it on with the Hyuga girl!?" he shouted, and Sakura sweatdropped
Inside the office, Tsunade sat at her desk, Shizune stood by her. There were a number of the village's jounin, including Kurenai, Asuma and Gai standing there, accompanied by their students. Sakura's eyebrow raised… it was rare to see Genin attend such a meeting. Naruto and Hinata's eyes locked for a moment, and they looked as if they were about to speak only to pull back and remain silent.
"So Kakashi has arrived. Good, we can begin" Said Tsunade, facing everyone, "You are all no doubt aware why I called this meeting: The attack on our soil directed on Genin Team 7, and the death of a five-man ANBU patrol." she frowned at that last part. "As of yet, we still have no information on these attackers, but as head of the team I hope you can offer some insight. Kakashi? If you please…"
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi nodded, stepping forwards with his arms resting behind his back. "The attackers are of unknown origin. Their abilities are alien, and they do not utilize chakra arts. The only thing I can even say for certain is that they aren't shinobi, and it is highly doubtful that they are connected with the other Hidden Villages…"
The jounin listened with intent as Kakashi proceeded to share his accounts of the clash between himself and the man called Lei Maoyan. While Gai was unable to keep himself under control when hearing of the match between his eternal rival and the kung fu practitioner, Asuma's eyebrow raised in interest when he heard their names. Such warriors should have quickly found their way into their bingo books or various underworld hit lists… yet they were completely unknown.
"…that is when they proceeded to make their escape. It was then when two of our young shinobi…" Kakashi's eye glanced at Kurenai, the female jounin nodded, "…pursued one of them and successfully reclaimed the stolen artefact."
"Thank you, Kakashi." Tsunade gave a nod before turning her attention towards Naruto and Hinata. "Two of our shinobi were able to engage the enemy and emerged victorious. Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata…" said Tsunade, as the two genin looked up, Hinata shifted uncomfortably feeling all eyes were on her… "You two were the only ones who saw that battle through to the end. More than anyone, you might have acquired information on these strangers. If you could, please recount the events to us. Any information or insight you've gathered may prove helpful."
"Hmm… well," Naruto crossed his arms. "To tell the truth, we don't know much more than you. We just fought one guy, but he wasn't very talkative… except for when it came to shouting his name and telling us that he's immortal every time we hit him."
Naruto and Hinata began recalling to everyone the events of the battle, taking turns to fill the parts when the other had been downed. The Jounin and their teammates weren't sure which was harder to believe… their account of Nergui's impossible durability… or how hard these two genin had fought to finally take him down. Kurenai's expression remained stoic, but there was an unmistakable glint of pride in her eye.
When the story reached the point where Hinata had been knocked unconscious and both Naruto and Nergui drew out their respective demons to battle, Naruto carefully omitted everything he could about the demon centipede, as well as his revelation of the other two carrying demons as well. He wasn't about to tell them that these enemies carried demons like him… a selfish decision it may be and perhaps one that he would regret later on… but the keyword here was like him… Somehow, Naruto just knew that the instant the Leaf Shinobi learned they were fighting against demons, it wouldn't be long before they all began to look at him the same way…
"Ano… and that's how we were able to defeat him." Hinata concluded, having just described the paired Rasengan they used to beat Nergui, as everyone stared in shock.
"I can't stress enough how dangerous these people are. I blasted him with half a dozen Rasengans and Hinata hit one of his tenketsus until it literally exploded, and it still didn't stop him. We had to reinvent the technique on the spot just to put him down, and the guy still didn't die." Naruto said with his arms crossed. "They fight weird, they use all kinds of bizarre abilities that surpass our own, and the normal rules of combat just don't apply." Though he wasn't saying anything about the demons, he still gave them warning. Everyone remained silent for about a minute. Just what kind of enemy were they facing?
"This isn't the first time we've received such reports." Said Tsunade, and everyone turned to her, "Our allies in the Sand Village have also experienced similar encounters in recent times, against foreign invaders with unfamiliar arts. Not only the Sand… but our spies have reported such incidents happening all over the continent." She stated seriously, "In particular, every attempt to deal with the white-haired swordsman armed with western blades ended in the same result: Death."
"Yashiro." Naruto spoke up, causing everyone to look at him. "He was the third among that group… and I saw him fight with my own eyes."
"Yashiro…?" Tsunade and all the Jounin present took note of that name, along with
Kakashi's darkened expression. "What can you tell us about that one?"
"Only what I saw that night." Naruto clenched his teeth as his eyes drifted downwards. "In a way, we got lucky that the one we fought was Nergui… because that man was in a whole other league. Everything about him… his skills, his bloodlust, his presence… it's inhuman… tch!" He clicked his tongue in frustration. Even with all his power, he felt completely helpless in front of that man… too frightened to even lift a blade. "What happened that night couldn't even be called a fight… just a one-sided slaughter."
Tsunade got up from her chair once more, "Until these men are caught, I want the village on full alert. Something tells me that things are far from over… but for now, this meeting is adjourned." At that, most of the ninjas were leaving… "Naruto, stay here, I would like to speak with you in private."
"Ugh… what now, Tsunade-obachan?" groaned Naruto as all the other Teams left the room. He was hoping to catch up with Hinata's team and have a word, while Hinata could only give him a wistful glance before she was urged to leave by her teacher.
"That story you told us…" Tsunade did her best to ignore the 'obachan' remark. "I don't doubt you were telling us the truth, but I just couldn't help but feel you left some parts out…" she leaned forward, tapping her fingers down onto her desk.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, trying to play it cool. He wasn't about to spill it right now. If Tsunade found out, then it wouldn't be long before everyone knew…
"Are you sure you're not trying to hide anything?" Asked Tsunade
"Are you sure you're not just coming onto me?" Asked Naruto
"Grr…" Veins were bulging on Tsunade's forehead and temple. "Hmph, never mind then. Run along." She shook her head. She knew Naruto was hiding something… but he wasn't gonna say it. As Naruto was about to leave the room, Tsunade spoke up, "Oh wait a second Naruto-kun! Before you go, would you do me a teeny, little favour?"
"Uh… sure, I guess. What is it?"
"You see that scroll up there on that shelf? Could you run over and grab it for me? I have a bad hip, and it would really help…" Tsunade smiled…
"Well, okay… I guess that's understandable, what with your age and all…" Naruto reached upwards and hopped to grab the scroll off the shelf, "This it?"
"Yes, Naruto-kun…" Tsunade smiled, speaking in a suspiciously sweet tone… "Be a dear and open it for me."
"Okay… but I just don't see what-AAAAAAGH!" Naruto suddenly screamed when a blast of wind came from the scroll, and he suddenly vanished!
"Tsunade-sama! What happened?!" gasped Shizune as she burst into the room, carrying Tsunade's pet pig Tonton. "What was that scream?!"
"Oh don't worry Shizune, just disciplining the brat." Tsunade cheerfully replied as she took a sip of her coffee. That old scroll was leftover from a previous chuunin exam… this one in particular would teleport the offender beyond the examination grounds resulting in instant disqualification. Tsunade wasn't worried, it wouldn't send him further than the village walls. Worst that could happen would be him landing in the women's bathhouse and getting beaten to a bloody pulp… "Heh-heh-heh…" Tsunade leaned on her desk and chuckled evilly… blissfully unaware of how grievous a mistake she had just made…
(Meanwhile, on the village outskirts)
"GAH!" Naruto screamed as he suddenly reappeared… ten feet above the ground. "OW!" he screamed out after he fell on his back and lay there sprawled…
"Hmm?" A travelling merchant noticed Naruto lying on the road, and quickly ran over to him, "Hey kid! Are you alright?" he asked with concern.
"GRRRR… LIKE HELL, I'M ALRIGHT!" Naruto suddenly shouted, causing the merchant to jump back in surprise. Naruto growled as he got to his feet, "THAT DAMNED OLD HAG TSUNADE! I SWEAR, I'LL GET BACK FOR THIS!"
"Tsunade?" The merchant blinked, "As in Tsunade-hime of the legendary three?"
"Yeah, that's the one!" Naruto replied as he dusted off his jacket "That dried up old witch is the reason I got thrown way out here!"
"Did you hit your head or something, kid!? Tsunade-sama's a beautiful young lady!" The merchant exclaimed, shaking his head. Seeing that the kid was fine (save for some glaring mental issues) he walked off, leaving Naruto by himself…
"Tsunade-obachan is a young lady?" Naruto said out loud, pausing for a couple of minutes to think about the merchant's words, "OH MY GOD…" his eyes widened as he came to a conclusion… and in no way whatsoever did it involve the merchant simply not knowing about Tsunade's real age. "I'VE TRAVELLED BACK IN TIME!"
For the next five minutes Naruto was scrambling in circles, clutching his skull "AAAH! AAAAAH! What am I gonna do? What am I supposed to do?!" Naruto suddenly stopped and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, "Okay… calm yourself… gotta think rationally! Remember what you saw in that movie on how to deal with time travel!" He exhaled, finally calm. "If I remember correctly… I mustn't touch anything or speak with anyone, because even the smallest actions can change the course of history and upset the space-time continuum or something like that…" Naruto suddenly paused.
"Ah screw it! The future sucks anyways! Instead, I shall use my amazing knowledge of events yet-to-come and improve the sad lives of these primitive past dwellers!" Naruto ranted to himself, "There's so many disasters I have to warn them about! The Kyubi's attack, the Uchiha massacre, Orochimaru's betrayal, the filler episodes…! Now let's think… which one of these took place first?"
(A few minutes later)
"EVERYBODY! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! CALL THE HOKAGE! OROCHIMARU'S EVIL! HE'S KIDNAPPING PEOPLE ALL OVER THE VILLAGE AND HE'S GONNA KILL YOU NEXT!" Naruto ran through the streets shouting as loudly as he could, warning the 'primitive past dwellers' about Orochimaru's horrific human experiments.
"WHAT DID HE SAY?!"
"OROCHIMARU'S INVADED THE VILLAGE AGAIN!?"
"Oh my god… WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!"
From all over the village, terrified screams could be heard for miles.
"All right! First objective complete!" Naruto chuckled, after running across the entire village and shouting about Orochimaru, he was satisfied with a job well done as he ran into an alley, not noticing the streets behind him falling into chaos. "Now that I've exposed Orochimaru's evil experiments to the world, the third Hokage can go kick his ass, and hopefully get the job done this time! Even if he doesn't, I'll wait hidden somewhere to catch the freak off-GAH!" His thoughts were interrupted when he ran out of the alley and straight into someone. Naruto looked up and gasped, "Sasuke?!"
"Watch it!" Sasuke glared angrily at Naruto, rubbing his jaw.
"No way, it can't be him… he couldn't have also been sent back!" Naruto said out loud, staring at Sasuke. "Wait… Of course! You must be his father!" Naruto exclaimed. "Jeez, now I know where he gets it from. You even got that same, stupid scowl!"
"Excuse me?" Sasuke stared at Naruto, trying to figure out just what the hell he was babbling about. Naruto was recalling another important event in village history, the Uchiha massacre… suddenly he bent down so he was even level with Sasuke's crotch… "Hey-HEY! What the hell are you doing!?"
"Sasuke! If you can hear me in there, I want you to know I'm sorry!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke's crotch, "This is a difficult decision, but in order to keep Itachi from being born, I'll have to sacrifice you too!" Sasuke stared blankly as Naruto continued speaking to his groin. "Look at it this way, at least your life goal will be accomplished! This'll save the lives of the entire Uchiha Clan, and the hell load of people Itachi's bound to kill! Not to mention the girls will act less stupid without you around!"
"Huh?"
-CRACK-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" Sasuke shrieked, falling to the ground and squirming in pain with his hands over his crotch.
"Your sacrifice will not be in vain! The Uchiha Clan will live on!" Naruto shouted as he ran off, his eyes full of tears and completely unaware that he had literally shattered the Uchiha clan's remaining hope of revival.
"Let's see… what else needs to be fixed?" Naruto wondered as he ran down the streets. "If I run into Gai, I can probably torch those freaky eyebrows and bowlcut to keep them from corrupting Lee in the future… but what to do about that bodysuit… Huh?" He noticed Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji run up to him.
"Oi!" said Shikamaru, "I'm not sure why I'm asking you of all people, but do you know what's going on? They're saying that Orochimaru is…!"
Naruto didn't hear a thing Shikamaru said; he simply continued to stare at the three. "DAMN, Sasuke being identical to his dad was one thing, but this is getting creepy!" Naruto exclaimed as he stared at Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji's 'fathers'. "Heh-heh! Not hard to make the connections here! As usual… lazy-looking bastard, big fat-ass, and…" His eyes opened up wide when he saw Ino… "Holy shit! You're a transvestite!"
"WHAT!?" Ino shrieked at Naruto's statement
"OH SNAP! So that's why she's so messed up! It's all because of your perverted charades!" He pointed accusingly at Ino, "Look, why don't you just drop the act? Quit pretending to be a girl, because we ALL know you've got more balls down there than a billiard table!" Shikamaru's eyes widened with shock and Chouji choked on his chips.
"WHAT… THE… HELL…?" Ino's eye was twitching.
"Oh, and another thing?" Naruto looked down at her chest, "You ain't foolin' anyone with those fakes you got there! HONK-HONK!" Shikamaru and Chouji's jaws hit the floor at what Naruto did next. "See ya later, FREAK!" he waved as he ran off.
"GRRR" Ino snarled… her teeth were clenched, her eye was twitching, the ground around her cracked as a fiery killing aura surrounded her body… "NARUUUTOOOOOOOO!"
"Oh shit… GRAB HER!" Shikamaru formed a seal with his fingers and snagged Ino in his shadow, while Chouji's arms grew huge to restrain her.
"LET GO OF ME! HE HAS TO DIE!" Ino roared, her eyes glowing white while putting up a spectacular struggle against Shikamaru's shadow and Chouji's arms…
"Hmm…" Naruto was thinking to himself as he continued running through the streets. Unknown to him, the mass panic throughout the village had escalated and the citizens began to riot. "What next? Well, I definitely gotta go find Gaara's dad and kick his ass… that is… after I'm done beating the shit out of Haku's dad…" he suddenly skidded to a halt when he saw Neji walking down the street, minding his own business… "Ah yes… I almost forgot you, Hiashi. The HINATA-bullying Hiashi…" Naruto growled, cracking his knuckles, "Those other guys can wait… because as of this moment, you are MY bitch."
(At that moment… in Ebi's house)
"Dammit!" Sasuke growled as he spread open a large scroll on a desk and read through its contents. He was standing in the middle of a dark room with many giant bookcases filled with hundreds of scrolls, trying to focus while ignoring the intense throbbing pain down below. "Uzumaki Naruto…! I'll get you for this!"
"Um… excuse me." Ebi spoke up, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Hmm?" Sasuke turned around, just noticing Ebi, "What are you doing here?"
"I LIVE HERE!" Ebi shouted angrily, "How did you get in here? More than that, how did you even find this place? I never gave you my address!"
"And if you had, I certainly would've broken into fewer houses before finding this one." Sasuke said, returning to the scroll… "That idiot Naruto gained incredible power just by learning a few of your tricks. I shall acquire this power for myself and become unstoppable… AND THEN I WILL KILL HIM!" he then paused, "…and maybe my brother too, if I'm not too busy." he said as an afterthought.
"So… um… would you hang on for a minute? I'm just gonna go and call the police real quick." Ebi slowly backed out of the room while Sasuke carried on with his simultaneous home invasion and murder plotting. Sasuke didn't even notice Ebi left.
Sasuke continued reading through the scrolls… "Hm?" he noticed a mosquito buzzing around his head. Ignoring it, Sasuke returned to reading the scroll. The mosquito landed on his face and bit him, "Ow." Sasuke grimaced slightly and slapped at it, but missed and it flew away. Rather than going after it, Sasuke continued reading the scroll. However, a minute later, the mosquito came back and landed on his nose. Sasuke blinked, looking down… "Ow! Dammit!" he clapped his hands, but somehow missed. "GRRR…" he started to growl as it continued buzzing around his head, annoying the hell out of him… when it just happened to land on his nose… "ARGH! MOTHER FU-#$^&!" he finally snapped and started thrashing around, swinging his arms wildly, throwing shuriken, furniture, anything to kill it as it continued to elude him completely…
"THAT DOES IT!" he screamed as he formed the hand seals "KATON! GYOKAKYU NO JUTSU!" He shouted, as a huge ball of flames blasted from his mouth… hitting a bookcase and causing it to burst into flames. "Uh-oh." Sasuke sweatdropped as he looked around, as the fire started spreading…
(Meanwhile)
"Oh yeah! In your face! That'll teach you to pick on Hinata!" Naruto clapped as Neji lay face flat on the ground. "I don't care if your future daughter hasn't been born yet, if you ever say anything to hurt Hinata again, I'll kick your ass twice as hard!" Naruto paused, "Oh! And don't draw that freaky birdcage on your nephew either! It'll seriously mess him up!" He kicked Neji one more time before running off.
"Hmm?" Tenten was walking by when she noticed the bloody pulp that resembled her team-mate on the ground… "NEJI-KUN!" she screamed, running over to him, "Neji-kun! Wake up! Please be alive!" she was desperately shaking him. Neji began to stir, "Neji-kun! What happened to you?"
"GRRR…" Neji growled. "What happened to me… WHAT HAPPENED TO ME? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED! UZUMAKI NARUTO HAPPENED!" he screamed, causing her to jump back. Naruto had taken him by surprise and fought with every dirty trick imaginable. Even the Hyuga clan's genius couldn't stand up to such underhanded moves. "That idiot suddenly attacked me, rambling on about the way Hiashi-sama treats Hinata-sama, and he actually seemed to think I was him! What the hell is wrong with him!?"
"Naruto wants to fight Hiashi-sama…?" Tenten tried piecing together what Neji said. "Ah, I get it!" She then smiled, clasping her hands, "So Naruto's challenging him to earn Hinata's hand! Oh, that's so romantic!" Her cheeks reddened and her eyes twinkled.
"How in the hell did you come to that conclusion!?" Neji snapped at her
"GYAAAA!" Lee ran into the scene with his eyebrows on fire. "HEEEELP!"
"Lee-kun!" Tenten gasped, "Hurry! Stop, drop and roll!"
"Okay I'll try doing that-AAAAARGH! THAT JUST MADE THE FIRE SPREAD EVEN FASTER!" Lee screamed, the blaze having climbed to his hair. He ran over to a nearby bridge and dove off the edge… "OW!" Diving headfirst turned out to be a terrible idea, as the stream was less than a foot deep and filled with rocks. "Ungh…" he stumbled dizzily… walking towards his team-mates. His eyebrows were still smoking while his burnt hair had curled up, changing into an afro… "I… I don't know what happened! One moment I bumped into Naruto-kun, and the next-AAAAAAAH!" he screamed, seeing his reflection in their forehead protectors. "M… my face… my hair…! OH LORD, I'M HIDEOUS!" he wailed, turning around and covering his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks. "GRR… NARUTOOOO! YOU DARE DESECRATE MY BELOVED BROWS AND BOWLCUT!? SUCH INSOLENCE WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED! I SHALL SMITE THEE!"
"UZUMAKI NARUTO! I'LL KILL YOU!" Neji and Lee shouted along with Ino who popped up out of nowhere and ran off… leaving Tenten standing alone in the dust.
"Uh…" Tenten stared in confusion. "What's going on?"
(Meanwhile)
"Heh-heh-heh! Doin' great! Making excellent time here, literally!" Naruto laughed as he ran, after having met a few others… "Now I'm the greatest time-travelling hero! Crono can go suck my-HOLY SHIT!" he skidded to a halt. "What happened here?!"
Ebi and Sasuke were both standing in the street, their clothes were charred and faces blackened by soot. In front of them Ebi's house was up in flames.
"Ebi! How did you get here?!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Ebi. Family resemblance is one thing, but there was no way a nerd like that could find a girl to pass his genes onto the next generation. "Don't tell me you got sent back in time too?!"
"What are you talking about? We're nowhere near accomplishing time travel with the current level of technology and even then, the method is hypothetical at best… Why are we even discussing this?!" Ebi shook his head, not wanting to waste his time on Naruto's stupid questions… he turned to Sasuke, "So let me get this straight. You… burned my house down… because of a mosquito."
"Um… yes. That would be correct." Sasuke nodded nervously. Suddenly, the mosquito started flying around Sasuke and landed on his neck. Sasuke unconsciously slapped and killed it, "Oh hey, look at that! I got him!" He chuckled nervously, only for his smile to fade away when he saw the massive killer aura surrounding Ebi.
"SASUKEEEEEE!" Ebi threw his arms up, and all these razor sharp blades, weapons and other freakish and pointy objects appeared, ripping through his sleeves.
"UH…!" Sasuke panicked, and suddenly pointed, "OH MY GOD! WHAT'S THAT BEHIND YOU!?" he shouted, pointing past Ebi
"Hm?" Ebi turned his head, but saw nothing. Looking back, he saw Sasuke make a break for it. "GRRAAAAAAAAH! UCHIHA SASUKE! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
"Dammit Sasuke! That's my move you're using!" Naruto shouted as Ebi chased after Sasuke. The fire on his house was growing and starting to spread to neighbouring houses… yet there weren't any ninjas coming to stop it because they were all busy hunting for Orochimaru. Naruto sighed, but then remembered what Ebi said about time travel not being possible… "Heh, that's a good one. If time travel isn't possible, then THAT would mean…" Naruto's eyes suddenly opened wide. "…oh shit."
"NARUTO…" Naruto turned around to see a large and very angry mob, which included Ino, Neji, Lee, Shizune, Asuma, Anko, Ibiki and many, many others he had run into along the way. A good number of them were carrying torches.
"Um… hey guys, h-how's it going?" Naruto smiled nervously. They didn't respond. "AH! LOOK BEHIND YOU! IT'S OROCHIMARU!" he suddenly shouted, pointing behind them. Everyone quickly turned around… and Naruto ran away.
"GET HIM!" the lynch mob roared as Naruto fled for his dear life.
From her office window, Tsunade stared wide-eyed as fire spread across the village. The riots continued to rage while Konoha Central had fallen into chaos. The Village Council and Elite Jounin who should have had the situation under control were too busy fighting each other while throwing accusations of secretly being Orochimaru. Somehow… Tsunade just knew that boy was the cause of all this.
"I've figured out a sure-fire method to defeat Orochimaru…" Tsunade could feel her hair turning grey as she fell back into her chair, ignoring the sounds of Aoba and Genma having a fistfight outside her door. Tsunade reached for a bottle of sake and downed it in a single gulp. "Just let him have my job… it'll kill him by the end of the week!"
(TO BE CONTINUED)