Naruto Shippuden -H-: Chapter 031: The Royal Parliament
Karin had sensed the chakra of a disturbing force within Lazarus, it's potency has caused her to fall to her knees.
"What do you mean, even Lord Orochimaru is in danger, that sounds like something farfetched to me!" said Suigetsu as he and Jugo helped Karin to her feet.
"I can tell that there is something going on in that city ahead of us, but I am not sure what it could be." said Jugo.
"Look, we need to at least look around this area, that man that offed himself must have known that we were going to capture him, hence why he committed suicide to avoid giving out any information." said Karin as she managed to get her wits back.
"You don't say, I cannot see anyone else around here, let's head towards the same direction as Orochimaru then, that is the only way to really tell what it going on that has you so creeped out." said Suigetsu who was trying to discern the fearful look in Karin's eyes.
"If things really do go bad, then at least we need to wait for Sasuke and Naruto to get here, that is what Lord Orochimaru told me anyway." said Jugo with a look of duty in his eyes.
"I guess so, but still we cannot get separated in a foreign territory, let's go." said Suigetsu to his two team-mates as they ran off towards the direction that Orochimaru was headed.
Naruto and his team had arrived at a cliff that was overlooking the city itself, as the sun had risen to reveal the vast forests and plains surrounding the outer gates.
"So, this is Lazarus, I see, we really have reached our end goal." said Shikamaru with a tone of uncertainty.
"It looks like a beautiful place, but we all know that those Knights of Dawn reside there, as well as this boss of theirs." said Sakura with a sweat drop falling down her right brow.
"I would look from the air, but we do not want to be detected yet, besides, it might be better to just travel by ground, we do not want to cause anymore trouble than we have to." said Sai cautiously.
"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am looking forward to meeting this man today, I want to see what he is all about, including the goal that he has concerning me." said Naruto with a tone of excitement.
"Before we do anything, we need to be sure on the route we are going to take to the city, do they only want Naruto to go, or will they allow us too?" asked Shikamaru.
"That is a good question, but of course we are not going to just let Naruto go in by himself." said Sakura thinking of Naruto's safety.
"Don't worry about me, I will use my shadow clones to supplement the numbers of need be, but for now we will travel as a group towards the nearest entrance, I can see two entrances in those gates from where we are currently standing." said Naruto as he and the others jumped down the cliff and landed on a grassy plain with several swamps and bridges leading to the western and eastern entrances to the city.
"Okay, we will take this route then, but Naruto, I want you to be on guard with your sensory perception ability, if anything strange is picked up, have Kurama tell us immediately." said Shikamaru to Naruto as the four leaf shinobi started their trek to the main gates.
"I got it, did you hear the plan Kurama?" asked Naruto to the fox within himself.
"Yes, but you be careful too Naruto, I can sense something very dangerous within that large castle that overlooks the city, you can see it too, I don't like the feeling of this chakra at all, dare I say it resembles the same potency as Kaguya's, maybe even worse." said Kurama with a worried tone.
"Really, is Kaguya their leader, did she escape from the alternate dimension, no, that cannot be right, I know that she is still sealed away, no one can break it, Sasuke would have noticed first." thought Naruto to himself as he looked around the swamp area that he and the others were traversing.
"No, I can at least confirm it is not her, but it is definatley this boss that those Knights of Dawn have spoken of, he or she must not be human." said Kurama to Naruto as the four man team closed in on the city gates.
Meanwhile, Killer Bee and Sasuke had approached the nearby valley that was surrounded by the Genesis Ocean which led to the western gate of Lazarus, going across the Sun-Braced Grove.
"So we are almost at the city of lights, man o man, things are starting to look bright, oh yeah!" proclaimed Bee with an excited tone as he and Sasuke were walking at a brisk pace through the valley which was composed of large mountains adorned with apple trees and various pine trees.
"Let's not be too brash, my Rinnegan is picking up Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Shikamaru's chakra to the east of the city, and I can tell that Orochimaru and Taka had apparently also came along for the ride." said Sasuke to Bee with an annoyed expression.
"What's the matter my man, you do not like this others shady plans?" asked Bee to Sasuke as they continued to traverse the valley towards the Genesis Ocean.
"I would rather it had just been Naruto and his team out here, but I can guess why Orochimaru may have decided to go along as well, I just hope he is not planning on joining with his brother out there, if so, then I will kill him without hesitation." said Sasuke with an intense glare in his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"Bee, I can feel Kurama's chakra from within Naruto, it looks like you can finally meet him again, just don't be reckless out there, you know that your brother will give you the Iron Claw if you wander off aimlessly." said Gyuki to Bee within his mind.
"Check it fool, I will not do anything that would go against my bro's rule." said Bee with confidence
"We are almost out of this valley, and no intrusions from what I can tell, let's make sure it stays that way." said Sasuke who was observing the surrounding area with his Rinnegan.
Within the Castle of Leviticus, Antoine, Lunesto, and Lehourihm were overlooking the city with anticipation of Naruto's arrival.
"Oh wow, to think that the Golden Hero will be here any time is making me too excited, I can feel my heart race with anticipation, this will be spectacular!" said Lunesto with a look of utmost joy concerning his demeanor.
"Those three team-mates of his are coming along for the ride as well, I wounder how the big boss will react to this, I mean we only asked Naruto to come alone, not with these heathens that will only slow him down." said Antoine as he scoffed at the idea of anyone unworthy entering the city.
"Boss will not care, and neither should we, regardless, the more the merrier, we are going to be putting on the greatest show in the galaxy, why not have more spectators to see the power of our great leader and angel, Lord Hirudeguarn Naga." said Lehourihm as he stared over the horizon atop the castle with an emotionless expression.
"Fair enough, but I am just looking forward to seeing this for myself, let's go see the boss right away, I want to see what he has in plan for us." said Lunesto with excitement.
"I will contact the other Knights of Dawn, minus Tetsuga, because he requested to be allowed to continue tracking down that spy after all." said Antoine as he and Lunesto walked back into the top floor of the castle.
"Heh, I cannot wait, I can feel Xipe Totec's blood flowing through me, and once I get to head out towards my home village of Kumogakure, I will make sure that it will be all but standing." said Lehourihm as the large seven and a half foot man as Dreatoen came up from behind him.
"We are the royal parliament of his Majesty, The Apathetic Judge, we are to assure that those imbeciles do not harm the citizens of our great city, do you understand me Lehourihm Nante, your mission to Kumogakure comes later." said Dreatoen to Lehourihm with a fire in his eyes.
"Of course my brother in arms, I will only obey Hirudeguarn's utmost directive, nothing more, nothing less." said Lehourihm as he and Dreatoen also entered the castle.
Tetsuga was waiting for Greshem to return as he continued his search for the spy near the Watering Grounds.
"He should have been back by now, heh, the bastard must have either been captured, or he killed himself to prevent an information leak, if it is the latter, then he honored his viaduct well." thought Tetsuga to himself as the rain around him started to intensify.
"Wait, I can feel four more chakras heading my way, Hiding in Camouflage Technique." said Tetsuga as he turned transparent and his within a bushel of leaves.
"Either this spy has backup, or this is a separate party of worthless scum that has decided to trespass on a land not their own." thought Tetsuga as he prepared more hand signs.
"Scent Elimination Technique, and to follow up, Chakra Repression Technique, now not even the most skilled sensors on the planet will be able to detect me." thought Tetsuga as his cover was so concealed, it was as if he did not even exist.
Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu had caught up with Orochimaru as they entered the Watering Grounds.
"So, you four decided to follow along after all, hehe." laughed Orochimaru as he could not seem to find the presence he was looking for.
"Hmmm, this is strange, I could feel a chakra nearby, but it vanished, completely without a trace." said Karin with a cautious tone.
"It could be one of those Knights of Dawn, it is hard to tell at this point." said Jugo as he looked around the rainy forests and caverns, searching for a presence.
"Maybe that man that killed himself was a subordinate to the chakra you felt in this area Karin, and since he never returned, this person could be on guard." said Suigetsu trying to make sense out of the situation.
"He could have a similar ability to you Karin, to wipe out his chakra signature, and even make himself seem non-existent, in any case be on guard, I feel someone else nearby as well, and I might know who it is." said Orochimaru with a grin.
Naruto and his team had arrived at the end of the swamp-covered area, and were within half-a-mile of the main gates of the city.
"We are almost there, just a little further and we can put this mission to action." said Naruto with exuberant joy.
"Be careful not to get too riled up, we don't want to start raising hell the moment we arrive in the city." said Sakura to Naruto.
"Yeah, the last thing we need is some more chaos before the action even begins, that would be a major drag." said Shikamaru.
"Hey, I see someone laying on the ground in front of us, see, right there on that bridge." said Sai as he noticed this anomaly in the corner of his eye.
"Huh, I see it too, it looks like a young woman, could she be hurt, let's go check on her!" said Sakura with a sense of panic as the four shinobi ran towards the girl.
"Is she a citizen of that city, or could she be from somewhere else, and has ended up lost?" asked Shikamaru with confusion as they approached the young girl with short blonde hair and a blue gown, resembling one a patient would wear at a hospital.
"Um, excuse me ma'am, are you alright?" asked Sakura as she and her team carefully approached the girl.
The girl did not utter a word, as she looked at the river beneath the bridge she was sitting on, staring into it without any acknowledgement of the leaf shinobi being in her presence.
"Hey, can you hear us, are you okay, how did you get here, do you live in that city?" asked Naruto with concern in his tone.
"They are all dead." uttered the girl in a soft, shaken tone as she continued to sit on the bridge with a dead, almost lifeless look in her eyes.
"What the hell, did she say they are all dead?" asked Sai who was taken by shock at the girl's words.
"Who is all dead, what happened here, what is going on?" asked Shikamaru as he approached the young woman.
"Please, do not go there, go back, you are going the wrong way." said the girl as she stood up in front of Shikamaru.
"Who did this, did someone hurt you?" asked Sakura who did not know what to think.
"He...he is a bad man, he is a very bad man." said the girl as she began to cry quietly, her tears falling out of her bright green eyes at great intervals.
"Someone did hurt you, I can see all kinds of scars on your arms and legs, was it one of those damn Knights of Dawn?" asked Naruto.
"For fuck sakes, go back now, do not let this happen to you!" yelled the girl as she pulled out a knife and held it towards her stomach.
"No, don't do that, there has to be another way, please!" yelled Sakura with fear of the girls well being.
"You are all going to die." said the girl nonchalantly as she rammed the knife towards her stomach, only for Naruto to grab her hand, and throw the knife away.
"No one is going to die on my watch, you just rest easy now, we will take care of the bastards who did this to you." said Naruto with much anger in his expression.
"Sakura, heal this girl and stay behind to look over her, Sai, Shikamaru stay here as well, I am going in alone, if these sick fucks want a meeting with me, it will be a meeting they will get!" said Naruto as he created four shadow clones to follow him into the city.
"I understand." said Sakura as she started to heal to injured girl.
"Please, find my family." said the girl as she fainted.
"We will stay back, but you be careful." said Sai to Naruto.
'I will find your family I promise, and don't worry about me Sai, I will handle this swiftly." said Naruto as he walked towards the eastern gate of Lazarus.
"What have we gotten ourselves into, this is crazy." thought Shikamaru to himself as Sakura had finished healing the girl.
"Let's just trust Naruto for now, I will have faith in him." said Sakura as she made sure that nothing else would happen to the injured young lady.
"Kurama, let's get ready to do this, that castle is our destination, the four of you, follow my lead." said Naruto to his shadow clones and Kurama respectively.
"I hear you Naruto, but still, be careful, this man that the girl back there spoke of, may very well be this boss of those Knights of Dawn, and if he really did do that, he may do the same to you." said Kurama to Naruto within his subconscious.
"I know, time to see what this man is all about once and for all." said Naruto valiantly as he had finally entered the eastern part of the city.
-To be continued next time with Chapter 032...-