Author's note – Kishimoto Masashi owns Naruto while Guyver is written by Yoshiki Takaya.
I make no claim to either, I am merely playing in their sandboxes.
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Chapter Seventeen
Harsh Reality
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"The Hokage tower and our final task for this round of missions." Naruto said as he indicated a plan spread out across a trio of collapsible tables set in his living room. "Our targets are a large scroll stored here or a decorative ceremonial blade-less sword stored here. Our mission is to find and remove one of them, our choice, but I say we grab both to prove we can. Agreed?"
Aoi smirked in the background and Idate and Yagura both nodded in agreement.
"It can't be that much harder than breaking into ANBU headquarters." Idate shrugged.
"And raiding your brother's office." Yagura grinned. "How did he take it, anyway?"
"He was very… thoughtful." Idate grinned. "He had Shikaku help him overhaul the security protocols."
"Ouch." Naruto winced. "That'll make it hard next time round."
"Yeah." Idate said with a matching wince. "Those Nara are damned sneaky when they can be bothered. If not for your clones, we'd have completely failed, rather than partially."
Both Naruto and Yagura nodded. Although they had managed to liberate the target (Shikaku's shoji board), they had all been captured and only a last-second improvisation by Naruto (throwing the board to one of his clones for transport to the meeting point) had stopped the Nara from claiming a total victory.
"Only the Hokage knows about this mission and according to Sensei, he hasn't told the guards, so they won't be expecting anything." Naruto continued. "Ideally, we want this to be an in-and-out with no-one the wiser, but there's always the chance of discovery so we need a gone-to-hell plan as well."
Despite the fact that Naruto was going over something that they all knew, the other two genin nodded in agreement.
"Perhaps a chain of rendezvous points around the village so we can link up before heading to the final location." Idate mused. "If one of them looks compromised, we move to the next."
"In opposite directions." Yagura added. "Or we can simply have Naruto leave a clone at each point to tell us where we should go. If the clone is gone, then the area's compromised."
"Sounds good." Naruto agreed. "Where would you suggest the points be set up?"
Aoi watched as the plan took shape, one hand lightly caressing the bulge of the hidden pocket in his belt which held the message relayed to him by Mizuki.
The message that he had been waiting for.
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The security patrol walked past and a moment later, Naruto emerged from underneath the bench, quickly stuffing the black piece of fabric he had used to cover himself back into a pocket. Glancing round, he ran silently up the stairs and ducked into the Hokage's office, pausing for a long moment as he checked that he hadn't been discovered.
When no-one responded, Naruto almost ghosted across the room to the window, pulling out a kunai. Checking round the window Naruto found a small lever attached to a wire that went across the windowsill and pushed the kunai into the wood behind it before pulling out another blade and cutting the wire. The lever twitched as the tension was released, hitting the kunai and failing to set of the alarm. Letting out a breath of relief, Naruto slid open the window and caught the blunted kunai that Yagura hurled up to him from the grounds below.
Pulling the string attached to the kunai, Naruto soon had the darkened rope that the string was attached to in the office, as well as a pair of wrapped poles. Unwrapping them, he placed them across the window in an X-shape, fixing the ends into position with small spikes and tying the rope to where the bars crossed, then he turned his attention to the targets.
Pulling a small pulley out of his coat, Naruto tied it to the large scroll, then he carefully opened the small cupboard below it and pocketed the sword handle. Carrying the scroll to the window, he hooked the pulley over the now-taut rope and let the scroll slide down, then he swung himself up, pulling out a second pulley, this one with a handle through the middle. Placing it over the rope, Naruto leaned forwards and slid down the incline to where Idate was already unhooking the scroll, barely managing to suppress a crow of triumph.
All they needed to do was escape, and they would have completed a mission many saw as impossible!
Yagura caught him before he could hit the tree trunk and Naruto took a moment to stabilise himself.
"We need to go." Idate whispered with a wide grin.
"What about the rope?" Yagura asked quietly and Naruto shrugged.
"Leave it. They probably won't find it until it starts to get light."
The trio leapt away silently, making their way to their goal.
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"How do you think they're doing?"
"If they've stuck to the plan, they're probably on their way here now." Aoi replied to Mizuki's question. "Just to check, you planted the evidence?"
"A fake letter from Kumo to Yagura, promising him promotion to special jonin if he brings them the fox? Yep, placed it under his bed.
"Excellent." Aoi smirked. "You'd better hide. Whichever one protests, Yagura or Idate, take them down using that kunai I gave you."
"It's a damn good kunai." Mizuki grouched.
"I know, but it's one that Naruto purchased from Higarusha's, the proofing mark and serial numbers will let them prove it's his. Once we get the demon container to Ame, we get our reward."
"And a bonus for the scroll." Mizuki gloated, then he cocked his head. They're coming, I'll get under cover."
Aoi settled into a cross-legged position, closing his eyes as if he was meditating, then he reached up and removed his bandanna with its integrated Hitai-ate, folding it up before dragging a kunai across the metal plate. Reaching into his jacket's inner pocket, he drew out a new Hitai-ate with the four vertical lines of Amegakure and donned it before brushing his hair to half-cover it. Picking up his former Hitai-ate, he began to put it in his pocket, then paused. Half-turning, he placed it at the bottom of the tree just behind him, then he returned to his meditation pose.
"Sensei, mission successful!" Naruto exclaimed as he landed in front of Aoi. "No sign of any pursuit and… is that a new hairstyle? Looks cool!"
"We got the scroll." Idate grinned, unslinging the aforementioned article and propping it up, one hand on the upper end.
"And the handle." Naruto laughed, fishing out the weapon and tossing it to Aoi, who caught it and rose to his feet.
"You did brilliantly." Aoi smiled and Idate gasped.
"That… Sensei, why are you wearing that symbol?"
Naruto blinked. "What the…? That's not the Konoha leaf!"
"I know." Aoi smirked. "Congratulations, you have just finished your first official mission for Amegakure. I feel certain that the Hokage will find out about it at dawn, especially since we slipped your resignations into your files yesterday evening."
"Oh shit." Yagura whispered. "You've defected! You traitor!"
Yagura spun round to sprint back to Konoha, then he froze before falling with a quiet sigh, the handle of a kunai glinting against his chest. As Naruto and Idate stared in horror, Mizuki dropped down from the trees, unhooking one of the giant shuriken he carried on his back.
"So, that's the loyal one down. You two coming along, or is Idate going to have to join his friend? Especially since he can't go back any more."
"Idate? Why not threaten me?" Naruto snarled and Mizuki chortled.
"Because Ame wants you alive for the fox, demon brat. We all get what we want, except you. I get promoted to Tobesku Jonin, Aoi gets his girl, Idate becomes a chunin if he decides he wants to live and you… well, you don't really get anything. Sorry."
Naruto growled and Muzuki spun the shuriken.
"Get ready, I'll chop his limbs off and we can carry him."
"How about we paralyze him." Aoi said as a humming blade of lightning extended from the handle he was holding. "Thank you for this, by the way. The raijin makes any kenjutsu practitioner unbeatable. You cannot win."
"That's what you think." Naruto snarled and Idate twitched as he prepared to flee. Mizuki hurled his shuriken at him, bisecting the boy…
…and sending a shower of splinters across the clearing.
"Shit! Kawarimi!" Mizuki snarled as he pulled out a kunai. "I'll track down and kill the kid!"
"I can't let you do that!" Naruto yelled as he leapt into the air. "Armour on!"
A crackling sphere of energy surrounded him and both men stared in shock as the armour materialized around Naruto, turning him into a very familiar legendary figure.
"Shit, you're Hiro." Mizuki cursed as he unslung his second giant shuriken. "Not that this matters, DIE!"
Mizuki swung the spinning shuriken round and Naruto blocked it with his arm-blade, carving through the tempered-steel weapon as if it was made of butter.
"What the…?"
"Die!" Naruto growled and his forehead gem glowed before sending a slash of red light through Mizuki's head, killing him instantly. "And as for you…"
Aoi lunged and Naruto blocked the blade, only for it to send tendrils of energy coursing through him.
"AaaAAArrrRGhhHHH!"
As he collapsed, Aoi smirked. "So, I get the reward to myself… what the…?"
Aoi leapt backwards, his sword flashing to block the near-solid rain of kunai arcing towards him. Landing beside the scroll, he reached for it, then had to dive away as it was replaced by a clone of Naruto that tried to stab him.
"You… lose… sensei…" Naruto growled as he tried to pull himself onto his feet, only to collapse spasming as Aoi stabbed him with the lightning blade again.
"No, you do." Aoi panted as he used his umbrella to block another rain of clone-thrown kunai. "You're now going to be seen as a traitor too, you can't go back."
"He can! I saw enough to know the truth!" A voice shouted from the trees and an ANBU with a dolphin mask landed by Naruto.
"Shit!" Aoi cursed, then he threw the umbrella up into the air, triggering the senbon launchers within it. With a mighty effort, Naruto managed to grab Dolphin and roll on top of him, protecting him from the poisoned senbon that rattled off his carapace armour. After the rain stopped, Dolphin managed to lever the near-insensate Hiro off him and looked round.
"He escaped! Damn!"
A hissing sound caught his attention and he turned in time to see Hiro's armour separate and vanish, dropping Naruto onto the ground.
"Let's get you back, Naruto." Dolphin said quietly. "If I had any doubts before, they're gone now. You are a true shinobi of the leaf."
Turning, he looked at Yagura and Mizuki's bodies, then sighed and pulled out a pair of black-bordered scrolls.
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"Fuck." Aoi panted as he raced through the trees as fast as he could without stumbling. "What the fuck was an ANBU doing there?"
"Tobi wants to know, are you Aoi?"
Aoi glanced sideways to see a cloaked figure with an orange spiral mask keeping pace with him.
"Yes, why?" He asked, tightening his grip on the raijin and preparing to channel chakra through it in order to activate the lightning blade again.
"Tobi is here to get you to safety and Tobi will, for Tobi is a good boy! Tobi is told the key phrase is from the ashes of the Salamander."
Aoi stopped and turned to face the odd man. "So, what now?"
"Now we go." Tobi said as he bounced to by Aoi's side, then the two of them vanished in a swirling vortex, leaving virtually no trace of their passage.
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Naruto opened his eyes to find himself looking at a white ceiling.
"Welcome back, Naruto." A familiar voice said and Naruto rolled his head to find Hiruzen sat beside his bed. "Can you give me a report?"
"We…" Naruto croaked and Hiruzen helped him to sit up before lifting a glass of water to his lips. Naruto gratefully drank, letting the blessedly cool liquid re-hydrate his mouth. When he stopped drinking, Hiruzen put the glass down and then shifted the pillows to support Naruto.
"Okay, try now."
"We were doing our final mission." Naruto started. "Sens… Aoi told us it was to retrieve either a large scroll or a ceremonial sword handle from the Hokage tower, but we decided to grab both to show how good we are… were…"
Naruto paused and Hiruzen nodded slowly. "Continue."
"We made our plans and I snuck into the tower via the Academy while Idate and Yagura prepared the escape route…"
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"… and then I woke up here." Naruto finished. "Did you catch him? And where's Idate?"
"Rokushu Aoi managed to escape. We think that Madara helped him, based on some of the traces we found, which means that Madara may be allied with Amegakure, assuming Aoi wasn't lying about that." Hiruzen sighed. "We found no trace of Idate. From what you said, he did a panic-fuelled kawarimi and those have been known to move people as much as a kilometre. He probably thinks that we believe he's a traitor too."
"Please tell me you got the scroll back? My clones tried to return it…" Naruto pleaded and Hiruzen nodded.
"Yes, the Forbidden Scroll is back where it should be and now it has security seals protecting its display case."
Naruto sagged with relief, but Hiruzen wasn't finished.
"Naruto, you managed to unmask and defeat two traitors to the leaf. For your actions and your bravery, I am promoting you to chunin."
Naruto nodded listlessly and Hiruzen sighed.
"Naruto… you did the best you could. That's all that I ask of my ninja and I am proud that you are amongst them..."
Naruto lunged forwards and Hiruzen caught him in a hug as Naruto started to cry.
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Author's Afternote – And that is how one does a WHAM! Episode.
And yes, I did just show one of the weaknesses of the Guyver. Shocking!
PS - There may be a short delay before the next chapter. ETA Saturday.