I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
Touchy Relations
"Why are we on this island again?" Naruto questioned.
"We're just restocking, if you can avoid marriage proposals," Yamato snickered.
"Alright," Naruto sighed. "I'm going to eat."
Naruto turned and walked away with Hinata walking beside him and the others all sighed. After a few minutes, they stopped at a ramen shop. They got sea food ramen and the cook left to prepare the order. Hinata turned to Naruto, having been thinking about nothing but Naruto's speech for days.
"D-did you m-mean it?" Hinata questioned.
"What?" Naruto questioned.
"What y-you t-told Shizuka," Hinata stated. "About me?"
"Oh that," Naruto smiled. "Of course. I love you Hinata. Why would I lie about that?"
Hinata merely smiled and hugged him as the cook came back. They both ate but just before someone began shouting outside about the Allied Shinobi Force. They both rushed out to see a group of Mist Village shinobi attacking two Hidden Stone Village shinobi. Six were attacking a young girl about Naruto's age and one with a sword was attacking a rather fat man. Both were wearing the standard Iwa flak jackets and red clothes beneath. The girl had black short black hair, the right sleeve of her arm missing, a red lapel over her right leg, fishnet tights, and a short red skirt over them. The man had a bandanna-style forehead protector with black hair spiking out the back, a large round nose, a complete uniform with both sleeves, and a yellow scarf around his neck.
Just as Naruto and Hinata arrived, the fat Iwa ninja seemed to freeze and the ninja he was fighting slashed him across the stomach. The ninja moved to finish him but just as he sword descended, Naruto appeared in front of the man blocking the enemy's sword with his Sword of Kusanagi.
"Out of my way Leaf Brat," the ninja ordered.
"Why are you attacking them?" Naruto demanded. "Our villages are on the same side."
"That's what I wanna know!" the girl shouted. "They just showed up and attacked! What's up with that! Answer me!"
"Move, now!" the shinobi ordered.
"No," Naruto growled sending a clone at the shinobi.
He slashed at the shinobi but the shinobi blocked the slash and instantly bisected it. As the smoke cleared, Naruto's other clone returned holding the girl while five struggled under the fat man's weight.
"Even if you're from the Leaf, if you interfere-"
"Stop!" a voice shouted as Chojuro, who was standing on the building behind them, jumped down to stand between the two groups of ninja, drawing his sword.
"Back up?" the girl muttered.
"Don't interfere Chojuro," the enemy growled.
"No," Chojuro said flatly. "This stops right now. It violates Lady Mizukage's will. As per her orders, I'm going to have to stop you right now!"
He gulped and Naruto walked forward to stand beside him, trading his sword for his Crow Blade and Temujin's sword. the enemy leader nodded to one of the others and two threw smoke bombs down and the Mist Ninja all vanished, with the exception of Chojuro.
"They're scared of you," Naruto grinned.
"Is everyone okay?" Chojuro questioned.
"Are you kidding me!?" the girl shouted grabbing him by the collar. "Do we look okay? Why'd you guys attack us!?"
"No time for that now," Naruto stated walking over to the fat man. "He needs a medic. Either of you have one?"
"There's one on my ship," Chojuro stated. "It isn't far away."
"I see," Naruto nodded. "That should do. You'll need to get him a room and take care of his wounds."
"Don't tell me what to do Leaf Underling!" the girl snapped.
"I'm not an underling," Naruto growled as Hinata arrived. "Where were you?"
"Telling the others we'd be delayed," Hinata stated. "We were staying the night here anyway."
"I see," Naruto nodded. "Let's go then."
His clones picked up the man and Chojuro led them to the nearest hotel. Hinata got them a room and Naruto deposited the man on the bed as a clone walked in with towels.
"Wipe him down!" the girl ordered. "Stupid underling."
"Not an underling," Naruto growled.
He moved to do as she instructed anyway but Hinata took the towels and started doing it instead.
"I have some limited first aid training," Hinata stated. "If you could take his shirt off, I could bandage the wound to stop the bleeding."
The girl nodded and began to help Hinata.
"Who were they?" Naruto questioned.
"A group of now rogue shinobi that oppose the alliance," Chojuro stated. "Their leader, Ganryu, is the sole survivor of the Tragedy of Yosuga Pass."
"What happened?" Naruto questioned.
"Ten years ago, give or take, the Hidden Cloud was collecting jutsu from ever nation," Chojuro stated. "They took an important document from us and a group of Mist Ninja were sent to meet with allies from the Land of Stone. They retrieved the document with the Land of Stone's help but then the Land of Stone turned on them. Their true mission had been to retrieve the document for their village and to do so, they killed two of the three Mist Ninjas. The third was saved from death by one of the other two. He escaped but both of his teammates died. He has never forgiven the Hidden Stone. He has never moved past his hate."
"Sounds like the Stone earned it," Naruto stated. "But it also sounds like it's time to move on. What will you do?"
"I'm going to end this," the girl, Kurotsuchi's, growled smashing the window.
"Where are you going?" Chojuro questioned.
"To get him before he can get me," Kurotsuchi growled.
"Please don't do that!" Chojuro pleaded. "The Mist will handle this!"
Before he could react, Kurotsuchi delivered a fist to his stomach and dropped him.
"I'm not waiting around for the Mist to do something," Kurotsuchi stated jumping out the window. "You guys take care of Akatsuchi!"
She ran up the wall and away from them and Naruto sighed standing.
"Can't let her get herself killed," Naruto sighed. "Hinata, stay here. Chojuro, if you can end this now, do so."
With that, he followed Kurotsuchi out the window. He soon slipped around in front of her in the woods. She stopped in front of him glaring.
"What do you want Underling?" She demanded.
"I know you're worried about your friend," Naruto stated. "But please don't go after Ganryu."
"What should I do?" Kurotsuchi demanded. "Wait for him to come and kill me?"
"That's not what I mean," Naruto stated. "If you go, one of you will die."
"That's the point," Kurotsuchi stated. "I'm going to kill him before he can kill me."
"I'm sorry," Naruto sighed. "That's not the answer. If you kill him, he'll win. The alliance will be destroyed. I can't allow that to happen."
He spread clones around and Kurotsuchi growled in frustration charging forward. The clones tried to catch her but she was fast able to evade the clones while killing them moving with the speed and grace of a dancer, more than a fighter.
"You should try dancing," Naruto grinned. "You seem like you'd be good at it. Better than fighting, anyway."
"What'd you say?" Kurotsuchi growled as Naruto created more clones.
"I'm going to settle this," Naruto stated. "You're going to stay here and spend some quality time with my clones."
"I don't think so," she growled. "And you shouldn't underestimate me."
She knelt placing her hand on the ground as massive stone spikes shot out, destroying the clones.
Meanwhile, Naruto reached Ganryu and his group sending out clone who incapacitated a few of the group before Ganryu destroyed them.
"Why are you interfering?" Ganryu questioned.
"Because," Naruto said dropping to the ground. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
"You're the Nine-tails Jinchuriki?" Ganryu questioned.
"That's right," Naruto nodded. "I heard your story. Your friends died because they were betrayed by the Hidden Stone. I'm sorry. I know how you must feel. But you're only making things worse. My master, my sensei, and my father were all killed by Pein. I understand the bitterness you feel."
"Yours were brought back to life," Ganryu stated. "And I heard you were dumb enough to let the two leaders of the Akatsuki live. Excuse me for not being as much of a fool."
"You don't understand," Naruto sighed. "Nagato and I, we were the same. We both lost what was most dear to us. We both almost lost the person we cared most about."
Ganryu's eye twitched and Naruto suddenly understood.
"One of your teammates was more than that weren't they?" Naruto questioned.
"Suiren...was important to me," Ganryu stated. "She may have been able to be saved. But she shielded me from several kunai and was killed in my place. She believed that cooperation could create peace and she died seeing her theory be proved false."
"She's not wrong," Naruto stated. "Cooperation can create peace. But only when both sides understand each other. Pain can create understanding. I learned that from Nagato. He lost his best friend and knew the pain of losing the love of his life. A pain you also know. As do I. I watched Pein kill the love of my life while I was unable to move. As it turned out, he missed the vital spot he was aiming for, allowing her to be saved but I didn't know that until after."
"What's your point?" Ganryu questioned.
"I understand what you feel toward the Hidden Stone Village," Naruto stated. "But if you do what you're planning, the alliance will be destroyed. The peace that Suiren died for, that we are finally starting to achieve, will be destroyed. Suiren will have died for nothing, because of you. Is that what you want?"
"...No," Ganryu finally muttered. "But I cannot forgive the Hidden Stone. So I will use my own sacrifice to solidify the peace."
"Found you!" Kurotsuchi suddenly shouted leaping out of the trees, sword drawn.
As she swung, Naruto stepped in the way and the sword carved a trail through his stomach before Kurotsuchi took a step back and dropped the sword.
"What are you thinking stepping in front of him like that!?" Kurotsuchi demanded.
"Relax," Naruto grinned. "It's just a scratch."
"Don't act tough, I wasn't aiming for a scratch and I can see the blood on my sword from here," Kurotsuchi snapped.
"Doesn't matter," Naruto grunted placing a hand over his wound to slow the bleeding. "I'm not dying here."
He pushed himself up and Kurotsuchi helped him up, Ganryu's presence completely forgotten. Then Naruto collapsed.
"Oh no, this could start an international incident and it's all my fault!" Kurotsuchi fretted before grabbing his shirt and shaking him violently. "Wake up! You're not allowed to die on me!"
"Relax!" Naruto said as his head bounced around. "I was only resting because someone went and hit me with a sword!"
"Naruto Uzumaki," Ganryu chuckled. "I'll put my faith in you, as your master and Pein did."
Just then, Chojuro arrived and began to order Ganryu not to resist only for Ganryu to throw his sword to the ground at Chojuro's feet.
"I have no intention of resisting you," Ganryu stated. "But please, tend to his wounds."
"Hey, Mist Guy!" Kurotsuchi shouted throwing Naruto aside and turning to Chojuro. "How's Akatsuchi?"
"I left a medical ninja to heal him," Chojuro stated. "The girl took good care of him until then, he was in no real danger of dying anytime soon."
"Good," Akatsuchi sighed.
"Ganryu," Chojuro spoke up pulling a small box out of his pocket. "The messenger you attacked entrusted this to me. I think it's time it was returned to you."
Ganryu opened it and his eyes widened as he saw a bracelet similar to the one he wore on his right arm.
"But, this is..." Ganryu began but trailed off.
"It was being returned with the personal affects of the ones that died at Yosuga Pass," Chojuro stated. "Along with a formal apology for what happened."
"The Hidden Stone, has actually apologized?" Ganryu breathed.
"This was done to strengthen the new alliance between the Mist and the Stone," Chojuro stated.
"So what happens to Ganryu?" Naruto questioned.
"He'll be taken into custody to await sentencing," Chojuro stated.
Ganryu nodded and the Mist ninja that had accompanied Chojuro led him away. Naruto, Chojuro, and Kurotsuchi returned to the hotel where the medic healed him before leaving.
"He'll either be executed or released," Chojuro spoke up seeming to sense Naruto's question without either speaking.
"I don't think it'll come to that," Akatsuchi stated. "I only got hurt because I took a wrong turn and fell."
"I just slipped up while me and Hinata were training," Naruto spoke up. "Wouldn't be the first time."
"Don't forget that you owe us one Mist Guy!" Kurotsuchi snapped.
"Oh right," Chojuro nodded. "Thank you very much."
"And you, Leaf Underling..." she trailed off when she saw that Naruto and Hinata weren't where they'd been.
Naruto was in the window and Hinata was on the wall outside.
"Wait, isn't your wound still-" Chojuro began but Naruto just chuckled and shook his head.
"I've had worse and my friends are waiting for me," Naruto smiled. "I'll see you guys around. "And Kurotsuchi, I'm not an underling. My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
And with that, Naruto and Hinata left, returning to the ship. Once there, he explained to the others that he had slipped while he and Hinata were training resulting in him being cut.
"We're sleeping here and leaving in the morning right?" Naruto questioned. "Why don't we go to bed early and leave first thing tomorrow?"
"Actually," Yamato stated. "There's been a change of plans. a ship from the Land of Lightning is going to pick us up and take us there directly. It should be here any minute."
"It's here," Guy stated pointing at a large ship sailing toward them.
"This aught to be good," Naruto smirked. "I'm eager to see the island. And to finally get this trip over with."
They all moved to the Land of Lightning's ship and were led to their respective rooms where they all went to sleep.
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