Chapter Eight
He knows, he knew that the Council had been plotting, yet he couldn't bring himself to worry. He had weeks at best before he would drop off the radar. He would prefer to execute his plan without Konoha on his shoulder. Orochimaru's betrayal had been expected as he was the one that geared the emotion of the snake Sannin in the first place, it was only part of things that needed to happen, things that must happen, he could feel the gears begin to turn already, and very soon everything would be in full effect.
Naruto blinked, the noise and chit-chatter of marketers receding to the background, he continued onward nonetheless. Before long, he found out who was responsible as his surrounding morphed into that of a forest.
"Naruto" he heard a rather calm voice called
Naruto turned to the two figures standing a few feets from him. Both of them had black cloaks with red clouds. The taller one had an inhumane feature as his whole body was blue like that of a shark, he even had gill slits below each eye, his jagged teeths only reinforced Naruto's opinion. The second one could be considered a little normal if not for his red glowing eyes. Both had straw hats.
"What is it?" Naruto asked briskly
"What a rude mouth! Itachi allow to shave off his face with Samehada" Kisame demanded. Jinchuuriki or not, no one should speak to his elder that way. Itachi waited for any sort of reaction when his name was mentioned, over time his name had been something that generated fearful attention. Whenever his name was mentioned people tended to be on their toes, yet Naruto didn't show the slightest hint of a quickened breath. "Control your anger Kisame, we are only here to talk". Confusion flashed across Kisame's visage but was quickly replaced with a neutral one, Itachi always knows best. Meanwhile, Itachi was still analyzing Naruto, he didn't even seemed surprised at the sudden change in environment.
"I used to know someone like you" Itachi said steering for a conversation. "He…" Itachi continued but was interrupted.
"Itachi why are you here?"
Itachi widen his eyes slightly before he chuckled, "you even have his voice" he said purposefully avoiding the question. However he was forced to change that approach when Naruto started to turn around. The Genjutsu was pretty much useless as he couldn't feel any hold on Naruto.
"Naruto, what do you think of the today ninja world?" he wasn't sure if that would make any sense to a Genin but he had to try. Naruto with his back to the two, smiled, this he could talk about, and he was interested in knowing what could have forced Itachi to slaughter everything he had ever held valuable.
The loud puff of smoke brought Hiruzen out of his reverie, what the council had suggested weighed heavily on him, it could Damage Naruto's life completely should anything go wrong.
"Ah! Kakashi, why the sudden appearance? I don't think I called for you"
"It's just something that has been bugging me for a while now," Kakashi explained
"Oh well, go on, what is it?" Hiruzen said, a little more enthusiastic than he intended, maybe he was just glad that someone arrived to draw his attention from Naruto for a while.
"Naruto said something during the chunnin exams just before his display, what he said was pretty much expected. The problem is the way he said it" Kakashi enlightened the aged Kage.
"And what would that be?" Hiruzen questioned, he was unceremoniously brought back to the Naruto case he had been wishing to escape from for a while.
"He said Konoha wasn't his home. Hokage-sama, he sounded like he was soon going to desert the village," there, his cause of discomfort out in the open. Should Naruto decide to desert the village, Sasuke would most likely turn rogue also, considering the unstable phase he is in currently. If either Naruto or Sasuke should go nuke he would not be able to carry out his obligations, besides, it would soil his image. Two missing-nins as students.
"What do you suggest we do?" Hiruzen asked even though they pretty much had a solution in mind.
"That's the problem, I can't think of one. I was thinking that maybe the council would know best, or more importantly, Shikaku." He always knew what to do when others met a brick wall.
Hiruzen weighed the pros and cons of telling someone not part of the council, not even the civilian side of the council know of the plan. Should any of the Jounins know, it should be Kakashi, he has the closest of relationship to Naruto.
"Have a sit Kakashi" Hiruzen said while activating the privacy seal. After getting comfortable Kakashi asked "what?" with an even more serious tone-if that is at all possible-, the Hokage's change in demeanour showed the Hokage was about indulge him in a very secretive information.
"After Minato sealed the Kyuubi we checked the seal on Naruto's belly and noticed some alterations in it. It wasn't that obvious but Jiraiya being a seal master also, spotted it right away. We didn't think much of it at the time, so we just attributed it to Minato being crafty." Hiruzen clarified
"So you think the presence of the seal or rather the disappearance of it is responsible for Naruto's current state" Kakashi contributed what little he could.
"Exactly, and we believe whichever it is happened approximately on the night of his tenth birthday. Inoichi characterized his behavioural pattern from that night to that of someone who has locked away his feelings. We suspect he might have done it unconsciously or… someone else might be responsible" Hiruzen was glad he decided to involve Kakashi, it felt refreshing talking about it with someone who has the safety of Naruto in mind.
"That is unnerving; do you mean there may be an external influence?" Kakashi asked even though he didn't need more explanation.
"It could very well be Naruto, but usually people that are able to do it are so bent on destroying the world that it is nearly impossible to get to them" Hiruzen put it in plain words
"I guess we never had a choice in the first place," Kakashi said finding it hard they had already lost Naruto without much of a choice.
"There is a solution…." Hiruzen drawled purposefully
Realization dawned on Kakashi soon enough and muttered a barely audible "but it is forbidden"
"As the Akimichi clan and Nara clan each have forbidden techniques, the Yamanaka also has theirs, but as it deals with the mind and therefore very dangerous, it is rarely mentioned, if ever." HIruzen didn't stop there, "it may reap fruitful result or it could backfire. It's possible it may not even work because we don't now how deep Naruto has been affected.
"How soon is this going to be?"
"Very soon if things continued at this rate. An unknown informant informed us that Naruto had a deal with Orochimaru as he plans to attack a place, where though, the person didn't mention." Hiruzen was back to his first cause for concern.
"So you don't know the identity of this informant?" Kakashi asked feeling skeptical
"No we don't but we suspect Orochimaru sent him in himself considering how much of his invading force was decimated at the hands of Naruto. It could be revenge move. But most importantly, where is Naruto planning to attack?" It couldn't possibly be konoha after he save them just three weeks prior. However, precaution was needed because they wouldn't put it past him to turn on them.
Back with Naruto
"Naruto, what do you think of the today Ninja world?" Itachi asked again. Kisame was getting increasingly frustrated with his partner. Samehada had been bustling with unusual amount of energy since they came in close proximity with the Blonde.
"I think it's pathetic" Naruto replied, this was something he liked discussing
"Why?" Itachi asked a bit surprised
"Firstly, why did you kill off all what you have always held precious, what you have always cherished?" Naruto returned the question with a question of his own. Itachi studied Naruto a little, he didn't seem like he gave a damn about the life Itachi took that night. Naruto was after something else.
"Excuse us Kisame" Itachi ordered not waiting for a response as he eject his partner from the Genjutsu. "I'll tell you but first, do you believe in peace, or rather, do you think its right to wish for peace?" From here, Itachi didn't know where the conversation was heading
"Itachi, everything attached to the word 'peace' is nothing but vain fantasy. Peace is a mere word that shouldn't exist in realistic world. Ninjas that do think of peace have clearly been allowed to roam free for too long…without an owner. The ninja era came to be because of a war-infested mind, so I see no reason why our main reason for being to be vainly wished against. I guess you were also one day wishing for peace when you slaughtered your family" Naruto clarify in one breath. He would remind them what a real ninja world looks like, not the now pathetic duplicate. Even the powerful ones among them who claimed cruelty for human life do sometime wish for peace or are indirectly working towards it.
Itachi shuddered, from what, he did not know. Was it because Naruto never called him a monster-meaning slaughtering a whole bunch of people was okay in his book as long it is not family and not for the purpose of peace. Or could it be because Naruto has completely lost hope in humanity-It's like Naruto didn't even want there to be peace.
Itachi pondered a little more, on one hand, this was the kind of person they needed in the Akatsuki, on the other, it could backfire. But would Naruto allow for the success of project Tsu Ki Nome. Naruto's next answer would conclude their meeting. "The sage made a prophecy, do you know about it?" one does not claim to understand the ninja world without knowing about the prophecy.
What answer he got, came in form of a hard stare. Well he expected too much from Naruto, he made to drop the cloak (it did not qualify as Genjutsu) but Naruto spoke up.
"The prophecy was the only the product of a fear-stricken and desperate mind, nothing more" when the brain remain idle for too long, all sort of things take haven in it.
It should have come as a surprise to Itachi that someone could easily dismiss the most sacred of prophecies the sage had ever made, but Itachi had got acquainted.
Well that decides it. "Naruto, how do feel about joining the Akatsuki?"
"Here they come Taicho" A ninja said handing the binocular to Baki, the acting leader in the absence of their Kage. He had a veil covering half of his face with a red war paint visible on the other cheek. After their rather quick and humiliating defeat at the hands of Konoha, the village council had made him take up the task of a temporary leader until a more suited leader will takeover.
Baki jumped down from the high elevated walls of Suna ready to receive their soon to be Kage. He brought the binocular up to his eyes; he should make sure there were just their Ninjas, just in case. Baki turned right and left, he noted a good dozen or so of their Ninja captive maintained a few feet distance from Gaara. Normal enough.
Kakashi walked down the streets of Konoha, his book pulled close to his face to avoid looking suspicious. What the Hokage told showed him there was much trust held in him, What if Naruto already caught wind of their plan, should there even be such plan in the first place? Kakashi almost walked past a stall when he sensed three powerful chakra. One he was familiar with, the other though… doubtful. Peering into the stall, Kakashi saw two figures donning black cloaks with red clouds, capped with straw hats. Alarm bells started ringing in his ears, what were the Akatsuki doing here? And why is Naruto in the same stall with them, doesn't he know it's dangerous to even come close one of them. On cue, Asuma and Kurenai walked up to him, before they could say a word he shushed them "Intruders" he whispered. Then right in front Kakashi's eyes the two AKatsuki vanished as Naruto strode out of the stall, walking past the three Jounins as if they weren't there. He made to call Naruto but paused, the two Akatsuki were more pressing. He silently summoned his nin-dogs, he never had to tell the two other Jounins to give chase.
Naruto breathed in the air of the village as he walked past some villagers. He noted as everyone parted way for him while some smiled at him, something that had become a regular occurrence anytime he walked the streets of Konoha. He was sure some would have waved at him while shouting his name had he Valued the attention they showered him. He could only shake his head; humans really don't know what to make of their minds. They went from despising him to admiring him overnight just because he used a technique of their beloved Hero to save them. He however did wonder if they would still suck up to him had he used the Hiraishin against them.
Naruto arrived at his warehouse, he moved closer to the door and a seal glowed to life at the top of the door before it swung open, he walked in and darkness enveloped him until another seal hummed to life as a door slide open right in his front. The darkness disappeared as daylight streamed in, accompanied by fresh grassland breeze. To Naruto's right was a vast grassland that stretched over thousands of hectare of land where it met up with a humongous forest, further in were a couple of highlands along with some high elevated mountains. To his left, not much, just seawater, which allowed sea breeze to filter into his abode, further in also, a massive waterfall could be seen which was formed like a horizontal arc. Finally, directly in front of Naruto stood his masterpiece, the several feet tall mansion (not good with measurements). A true work of art, designed, crafted and made entirely out of Naruto's highly reinforced Mokuton-Jutsu. It was a sturdy and elegant mansion worthy of only Naruto, it had its top half painted with a scaly yellow paint which made it to sparkle in the evenly distributed daylight that extends to every nook of the sky. No sun was present/visible; the daylight was evenly distributed though. The lower half of the building was intricately designed to look like interlocking bricks while still being wood. Naruto walked past the glass paned wall into his spacious mansion heading for the mini-deck at the very top of the building, which protruded over the balcony on the second floor. After getting settled on the fold out chair, Naruto turned his gaze to the bright sky, and with a thought everything soon disappeared and was replaced with his favorite, the night sky. He could see the stars begin to twinkle and the sea breeze wafted all around him.
Physics was useless in here, he controlled… everything, living or non-living, tangible or intangible, movable or immovable, were all under his control. In here He controlled the geography, in here He was GOD!