Tale of the Uzumaki: Chapter Five

By: Slade963

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

RECAP:

Naruto suddenly felt a tug on his arm and he looked down to see what it was. When he looked down a pair of black eyes that were almost covered by red bangs stared back at him. "Hey mister… there are a whole lot of small chakra signatures around us"

Naruto was a little startled at the little girls' statement and he wanted to ask her where she came up with such a ludicrous idea, until he noticed one too. "Thanks, little girl… now go back and stay with the others, yeah?"

He could not believe that he had missed these signatures, but he was glad that they did not seem to be strong because his team was not in a condition to fight any real ninja. He jumped a little further ahead, signaling his team to be ready for attack, and shouted, "Come out scum!"

At first nothing happened but then he was suddenly surrounded by six bandits all wielding swords. Who Naruto assumed to be the leader stepped forward and started to laugh "Hahahahaha... so you think you are tough kid."

Another bandit looked at the children and a perverted smirk plastered itself on his lips "Hey boss they have girls with them!"

"Hahahaha!" The boss lifted his sword up to Naruto's throat and pushed the point against it "What say you just give those children to us hey kid?"

By now, Naruto was beyond furious and his killing intent floored the bandit "You…" He took a step closer to the leader "You…" When he took another step, the leader was ready to scramble away for his life. Then Naruto fell over from his back injury when he tried to unleash his chains.

The bandit looked on in a shocked expression, not believing his luck, but quickly sprung to his feet "Quickly men! They are injured. Kill the adults and take the children!"

Naruto heard the command and tried to stand up on his feet but his legs would not cooperate. When he saw the bandits getting up with smirks on their faces, he could not control his anger anymore and he started to feel the familiar itch in the palms of his hands 'Please let this work…'

Naruto lifted up his palms in the direction of the bandits and pushed all his remaining chakra from them. At first, nothing happened but then three chains burst out of each palm, impaling all six bandits in vital spots and killing them instantly. Naruto gave a tired smile before he passed out.

BEGIN STORY:

As Naruto lay in, what he assumed to be, an infirmary bed he noted to himself that he would have to make an effort to stay conscious more often. The last thing he could remember is that he killed the bandits that tried to attack them and then his injuries and chakra exhaustion took a toll on him.

He tried to sit up but then realized that someone was laying on his stomach, upon opening his eyes he saw that it was his mother. Looking around the room, he saw that he was not infact in the infirmary but in his bedroom, which surprised him. He decided to wake his mother to get some answers out of her. He shook her gently and she instantly woke up, probably her ninja instincts or something because he could never wake up so fast.

He looked at her tired eyes and smiled softly "Hey mom"

His mother instinctively returned his smile "Hello Naruto-kun"

Naruto looked down for a moment "Mom… why am I not in the infirmary? Did you…"

She did not let him finish his sentence because she knew he would blame himself for her decision "I had to give you some of my blood Naruto. They said your spine would never recover from the damage it took."

Naruto did not accept that reason though but instead of feeling sad that he was the reason his mother had to use a technique that cost her so much, he felt angry "Mother! You know that you shorten your lifespan by doing that!"

Rida gave her son a soft smile and took his hand into hers "Naruto-kun… a few years is nothing if I can not see you become the shinobi that you are destined to be"

'There it is again. Destiny. As if my life had been planned from the start and I am just suppose to follow the path. If life were only that simple.' Naruto looked at his mothers' eyes and he could see that she was being sincere so he decided to drop the topic and talk about more pressing matters. "Mother, I was not successful in my mission. Four of the children were abducted by unknown ninja as of yet."

His mothers' eyes immediately lost all emotion when he started talking about his last mission and she straitened herself. "Yes, I was briefed by Hikari-san on what transpired. This is also one of the reasons why I am here"

Naruto gained a puzzled look now "Do you want me to give you a better report?"

Rida did not let any emotion show on her face but Naruto could still hear a sad undertone when she spoke her next words. "No, Naruto. In light of your latest mission the counsel has decided that they do not believe you are worthy of becoming the next Uzumaki heir. I told them to give you one last chance however and they agreed to it. You are to head to Kirigakure within the day to retrieve the seven swords that were gifted to them by our ancestors. It was decided that Kiri are no longer worthy of wielding such power that was granted to them by us. They will not give them to us willingly so you will need to assassinate the seven swordsmen of the mist."

Naruto put up a hand to stop his mother there. "Are you saying that if I do not bring those swords back… then I will be stripped of my title as heir?"

Rida did not hesitate to answer his question because no matter how much it hurt her to say it, she was still the leader of Uzushiogakure. "Yes, Naruto, so I hope you do bring those swords back to us. You are allowed to take two ninja with you, whoever you choose is up to you I have however taken the pleasure of briefing Hikari-san and Yohei-san, if you are interested in taking them."

"Is Nasha in the village?"

Rida shook her head in the negative "I am afraid not. She has been sent out to help in Kusagakure."

He nodded in understanding and stood up without a word being said, his mother understanding that he would be needing time took that moment to excuse herself from the room. Naruto watched his mother leave his room in the mirror and caught sight of a tear that fell to the ground as she turned to close the door. 'Mother…' He knew that it was hard for his mother to be the one to convey such a message to him but he also knew that he would not let her down this time. Naruto focused his eyes on his stature in the mirror and studied his red bangs that were falling over his eyes. They had become longer and since he would be in mist from now on they would just get in the way, so he took a kunai from his drawer and cut them as short as he could. He then gathered all he would need for a long-term mission into scrolls, dressed in his mission-wear, and shunshined to the first person on his list.

Hikari's place

Naruto appeared before Hikari's door a matter of seconds later. He was just about to knock on his door when a voice spoke from behind him "Good afternoon Naruto-sama"

Naruto was so startled by the voice that he jumped to the side and withdrew a kunai to settle into a defensive stance. When he looked at the person who startled him however he came face to face with a smiling Hikari "O… uhm Hikari-san it is you." Naruto decided to save some face by ignoring his little reaction and going straight to business. "I believe you know why I am here?" When Hikari nodded, Naruto decided to continue "Good, then I assume you are already packed?"

"Yes, I am Naruto-sama." Then Hikari gained an amused smirk "I suppose you want me to show you where Yohei-san lives?"

At first Naruto gained a confused expression at Hikari's question, then realization hit him that he did not know where Yohei lived, and then he gained a sheepish grin "Hehe… that would be very helpful Hikari-san"

Hikari gave a small bow towards Naruto "Of course, Naruto-sama. Just follow me"

Yohei's place

Naruto found himself in front of a flat that looked in decent shape; he assumed that Yohei lived alone since it did not look that big. Hikari walked up to the door and knocked on it three times. They waited for one minute before Yohei opened the door, when he did he was carrying ten packs of cheese puffs in his arms. "Hey guys, can one of you seal this in your scrolls please?"

Naruto gained a tick mark now. "Why the hell would I do that Yohei?"

Yohei gained a hurt look at Naruto's harsh words and went on his knees in front of Hikari. "Please comrade, I beg of you to do me this favor! I can not function without these holy snacks!"

Hikari chuckled at Yohei's actions "you must understand that we need to pack as light as possible but also as much food as possible, Yohei-san, so I will only take five packs and then you must make sure to pack nutritious food."

Yohei's eyes went wide from shock "Why do you hate me so comrades! We have spilled so much blood together, fought together! And this is the thanks I get?"

Naruto rubbed his forehead in frustration and sighed "Ok fine, Hikari-san can you just please seal this maniacs food because I do not want to see him when he is not functioning correctly."

Hikari chuckled even more at the thought of Yohei losing his mind but pulled out a scroll nevertheless, "As you wish, Naruto-sama."

Naruto waited for Hikari to finish sealing Yohei's 'holy snacks' before he spoke to them "My mother says she gave you important information, Hikari-san. Would you care to share it with us?"

Hikari nodded in acknowledgement "Rida-sama gave me this scroll…" He pulled a red scroll from his bag for proof "Rida-sama says that I must send a surge of chakra through it when get close to shore. Someone on the inside will give us a window of ten minutes to make it to shore, successfully hide our boat and then move inland without being noticed."

Naruto nodded in understanding "That means we have a way to get in. assuming the plan goes well, then we will have the rest of the day to make it to a village located a few miles inland and contact our informer." Naruto gained a determined glint in his eyes before continuing to speak. "I'll only be saying this once so pay attention, and I'm talking to you Yohei…"

Yohei lifted his hands in defense "Hey I'm all ears boss."

Naruto messaged his temple to keep a headache from starting "Ok, then listen up. This is the most important mission that I will ever go on and I trust you two to have my back, or front, through this entire thing. So please do not let what little faith I have left be misplaced with you."

Hikari took a deep bow before Naruto "I am well aware of how important this mission is to you Naruto-sama and so is Yohei-san. I am also well aware that you do not trust me for some reason, but what you must know Naruto-sama is that I take every mission seriously and I also do not intend to let my mistakes cost you your birth right."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at Hikari. He had always thought the guy hated him and was just putting up a nice front to try to deceive him, but apparently, he was just that nice. 'Well, shit, maybe Hikari-san is not such a bad guy.' "Yes, well thank you for being such a professional Hikari-san and Yohei-san" Yohei stopped spinning his sword around and looked at Naruto with a grin. "I repeat in simpler terms for you: do not fuck this up for me."

Yohei huffed in reply to Naruto's statement, threw his sword in to the air, and leaned a little to the left to let it sheath itself. "Hey, don' even sweat it comrade. I got yo back, I got yo front, I even got your sides. Man I'll be like a ninja if it means saving this mission."

Naruto face faulted at Yohei's stupidity, "You are a ninja idiot!"

Yohei just pumped his fist in the air and with eyes burning with fire exclaimed, "Exactly, comrade, I am a ninja! And that means this mission will not fail!"

Hikari chuckled whole-heartedly at Yohei and Naruto's antics and then turned around to walk towards the unfinished gate of Uzushiogakure. "This is all good fun Naruto-sama, but do you not think it's time for us to begin the mission?"

Naruto sprung to his and dusted himself off "Ahh… yes, yes of course Hikari-san. Let's go idiot."

Yohei cried comical anime tears and fell to his knees "Whaaaaaaaaat?! I'm not an idiot! Damn you comrade I'm a genius you hear! Genius I say!"

Naruto and Hikari decided to ignore his unnecessary outburst and just kept walking.

Hyuga Compound

Hiashi sat in his study, drinking a cup of tea, and reflected on the meeting he had with the Hokage and Danzo the previous day. He knew he was dealing with people who were much wiser than he was at the moment but he could not figure out why Danzo would allow the Hokage to find out about their deal and then walk away from it without receiving anything. Had the Hokage truly played Danzo or was it his plan from the beginning? Who was the shinobi that was truly worth fearing in this situation?

"You should not think so hard on matters that you will never understand boy." The deep and dark voice cut through the silence that lingered in the study like a hot kunai through flesh.

Hiashi jumped into a defensive stance and activated his Byakugan at the sound of the unknown voice. He immediately lowered his defense when the shadowy figure became illuminated by his Byakugan, andherecognizedtheperson. "You should not sneak up on a clan-head, Danzo-san." With that said Hiashi sat down again and gestured toward the tea so Danzo would pour his own cup.

Danzo eyed Hiashi for a moment and then walked toward the table and sat down opposite of him. "You must forgive me Hiashi-sama but I do not drink or eat when I visit a partner. With that in mind you must wonder why I am here, yes?"

Hiashi took another sip of his tea and nodded his head. "I am, because I was under the impression that our deal had been made and both parties were satisfied with what they received."

Danzo looked at Hiashi with impassive eyes and Hiashi returned his gaze equally. "I have come here to take a Hyuga child."

Hiashi's eyes slightly narrowed at Danzo. "What do you mean by 'take', Danzo-san? This was not in our agreement."

Danzo's facial expression remained stone cold. "It does not need to be a main-branch child, Hiashi-san. All I want is a child at the age of six and of average talent. I do not need your prodigy."

Hiashi took another sip of his tea and locked eyes with Danzo once again, "The fact remains Danzo-san, it was not part of our agreement."

Danzo still showed no sign of emotion on his face, "Boy, I gave you what you wanted and soon the Hyuga name will be among the greatest clans there ever will be and you will be the clan-head that achieved it all. This was always part of our agreement. The Hokage was always suppose to find out about our deal and it was always suppose to seem like I get nothing out of this entire ordeal. Now give me what I want Hiashi and we shall continue this little partnership."

Hiashi grit his teeth in frustration, it was true that Danzo had made it possible for him to be the greatest Hyuga clan-head there ever was and there could come a time where he would need Danzo's assistance again but to just give a Hyuga child to him? "I will think about it."

"No." Danzo's tone of voice left no room for question.

"I will need time to think this through, Danzo-san"

Danzo stood up and turned around, "We both know that you will give me what I want in the end, Hiashi. I do not have time for your emotional nonsense. There will be a shinobi waiting for you here at midnight, have the child ready." With his business complete, Danzo melted into the shadows of Hiashi's study.

Hokage's office

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag of his pipe as he scrutinized Jiraya, who was standing in front of him. "I suppose you are wondering why I have only summoned you, Jiraya."

Jiraya scratched his head and gave a non-chelant grin to Hiruzen, "Nah, you probably have a spying mission for me…" then he gained a perverted grin and a blush ran across his nose "Or you want that new porno I secretly bought in Kumogakure on my last mission, hey hey? Come on I know you do sensei." By this time, Jiraya's face was basically pressed against Hiruzen's blushing face.

The Hokage pushed his chair backwards so that he could get some room between their faces and then coughed once to regain his composer. When he was certain that his little blush was gone, he took another deep drag of his pipe and slowly exhaled. "Well, Jiraya, your first guess was correct. I do have a mission for you and it does involve spying. I need the best on this and only you comes to mind when I think of this."

Jiraya struck his victory stance when he heard the Hokage praise him so openly, "Haha you truly honor me Sarutobi-sensei. For you to say that I am the best out of all your students brings tears to my eyes!" He proved his statement by crying rivers of anime tears.

Hiruzen took one look at his comedic students' antics and punched his desk so hard that it split in two, "DAMN IT JIRAYA, TAKE THIS MEETING SERIOUSLY!"

Deciding not to take chances when his sensei was this mad, Jiraya, jumped to attention as fast as he could and took on a serious impression. "Of course sensei, I am sorry for my actions. Now would you please tell me what I must do?"

As the Hokage stood up from his chair, seeing as there was no point in sitting on it anymore, he walked around the remains of his desk and stood in front of his student. "I need you to infiltrate Uzushiogakure and bring back as much information about their kekkei genkai as you can."

Jiraya's eyes grew as big as ramen cups when he heard what his mission was, "But… but sensei we already know all there is to the Uzumaki's amazing chakra sensing abilities, why go through all this trouble?"

The Hokage took another drag of his pipe and exhaled the smoke in Jiraya's face, "Maybe you should let me finish my sentence next time you want to comment on my judgment, Jiraya?"

The Sannin had the decency to look away in embarrassment before apologizing to the Hokage for his foolishness. "Yes, well what I was about to say, before I was so rudely interrupted, was that it was recently brought to my attention that the Uzumaki have a bloodline or secret technique we have never seen before. If this is a bloodline then you must find out everything you can about it because the heir of their clan created solid objects out of chakra."

This time Jiraya's eyes narrowed in concentration, "Yin-Yang Release?"

Hiruzen put his hand on Jiraya's shoulder and narrowed his eyes at him, "We do not know that yet, however, we are counting on you to come back to us with an answer. I hope you realize how important this mission is now, Jiraya."

Jiraya nodded his head in all seriousness now, "I do, sensei"

Hiruzen nodded his head and then turned around to walk toward the window of his office. As he reached the window and looked over his village, he glanced back at Jiraya for one more time. "You must not fail this mission, Jiraya. I will not accept failure this time."

The Sannin nodded at his sensei and turned around to walk out of his office, "I won't fail sensei."

As Jiraya reached the door Hiruzen spoke one more time, and he had a light blush on his face too. "O and you can leave that porno at my house when you go."

As Jiraya used the shunshin to leave the room, even though he was walking towards the door, his perverted laugh could still be heard in the Hokage's office.

Three days later on a small dingy

"Day sixteen. We have been stranded out in the ocean for so long I do not even remember what language I'm writing in. I'm afraid this might be my last entry if we do not find land soon, o how I miss the sweet smell of food and the taste of fresh water. If it was not for my strong body I wou…"

Naruto had finally had enough of Yohei's rambling and kicked him as hard as he could in the head, sending him and his notepad sprawling across the small deck of their dingy. "Damnit Yohei, can't you shut up for once!"

Yohei jumped to his feet and pointed an accusatory finger at Naruto "What the heck, comrade, I was minding my own business! I aint even talking to ya!"

Naruto pointed an accusatory finger back at Yohei "Well, you're rambling on and on about things that don't even make sense!"

Yohei gasped in shock at Naruto's apparent insult, "How dare you, comrade, I was writing about true life events as it was happnin!"

Naruto gained a tick mark on his head before shouting at Yohei again, "That's what you were writing? It hasn't even been five days and you said day sixteen, how is that true life man you're just a liar!"

This time Yohei gave a louder gasp and grabbed his chest, "O how you wound me so, comrade, but…" here he jumped on his feet and pointed at Naruto again "some day when I die you will read these awesome adventures of mine everywhere you go, trying to remember your best friend and weeping at his courageous lifestyle. The people will love me, comrade, I tell ya!"

Naruto face faulted when he heard the reason Yohei was writing those lies in his notepad, "What do you mean you idiot! This is a black book operation, you can't write this down to be published!"

Yohei pumped the air in victory and gained a huge grin, "Haha… and you dare call me an idiot, comrade. I was just teasing you when I said the people would read this, I'm only writing to keep me busy and then I burn the pages when I'm done ya see?"

It was at this moment that Hikari made his presence known, "Naruto-sama, Yohei-san, I thought you would like to know that we must sink the dingy and start to swim to shore now because I have already sent the signal."

Naruto jumped a little when he heard Hikari's voice but pulled himself together, "Yes, of course Hikari-san. Let's activate the gravity seals."

With the command said, they grabbed their sealed gear and all three shinobi held the seal for release and yelled "Gravity Seals Release!" as soon as they said it the dingy lit up with seals plastered all over it and immediately sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Naruto immediately looked at Yohei and said, "Hey, remember: no chakra will be used while swimming, yeah?"

Yohei started swimming as fast as he could towards shore and yelled back to Naruto "Got it, comrade, but can you keep up?"

As competitive as he was, Naruto let the taunt get to him and raced after Yohei as fast as he could. Hikari just shook his head and began to swim at a steady pace so that he would not be as tired as they would surely be. The distance was seven hundred meters after all, "They are far too enthusiastic around each other."

END.

Hope you enjoyed this chap. I shined some light on a few things and put in some foreshadowing yet again, you would have had to read very thoroughly to get them all though so props if you do. Anyhow, I have my first arc coming up and I am SUPER EXCITED TO WRITE IT. I cut the fight with the first member just to ask you this: who do you think they will be fighting first? O and I put in the recap on request of Wacko12 so I hope that helps!

If you like then please follow, favorite and if you want review

Slad963

Out