A/N: Hi, remember me guys? Yeah, I barely remember me too. Sorry I'm ridiculously late on this. Honestly I've been busy with work, but that's a lame excuse. So let's try this: my favorite author, published work, came out with a new serious and I've been distracted with that.
"Boo! Shame on you Guennar for ditching us for your own selfish ways!" You say. I can only nod my head in agreement.
But if we can take something away from this, hopefully it is a learning experience for me, that make reading more enjoyable for you.
"What do you mean?" You ask now, interest piqued. "Did you learn something kickass that will take this story to the next level?"
My answer is, yes and no. Great, now that I have you utterly confused you have no choice but to continue reading this ridiculously long author's note to understand what I mean. For you rebels that are now about to skip down the chapter…STOP! Please. Thank you. Now continue on.
Yes in the sense that Naruto, as well as a few other characters I have deemed worthy enough, are about to enter the next level of badassery. No, in the sense that the story was already planned out. What I hopefully can bring to the table for you dedicated and loyal readers in this upcoming chapter is a new writing style. In one word I would describe it as: free. I personally like it and feel that it flows better but I want to hear your opinions on the matter. So after reading please, let me know what you think of it.
Last Time: Hanabi was attacked by an assailant who turned out to be Zetsu. By doing so, the Branch Members were able to interrupt the meeting that Hiashi was about to have with the Hokage about the internal conflict within the clan. As Hiashi and Neji left to go see Hanabi, they were confronted by a Branch Member who informed them that Gourzi was not the true man pulling the strings but Hiashi's long time friend, Akesuke. Enraged, Hiashi killed the man with a technique that Neji had never seen before. A technique that Hiashi said was actually banned from use for being too brutal and destructive. The Hollow Fist. Arriving at the hospital Hiashi informs all of the Hyuuga children that they will learn the Hollow Fist. Awhile later, Naruto comes by the hospital to check on Hinata and Hanabi. Getting yanked inside by Hiashi, he then tells Naruto that he must deliver a message to Tsunade at all costs. Agreeing to help, Naruto leaves the hospital and takes Konohamaru with him as an alibi. In the meantime, Gourzi is frantically trying to figure out who is controlling everything. When Zetsu explains that it was him, Gourzi demands an explanaition why. Zetsu tells Gourzi that he is failing and taking necessary steps to ensure that Madara's plans come to pass. He then explains that by using distrust and fear they would take control of the Hyuuga clan.
Chapter 23: Knights of the Shadows
"Boss slow down!" Konohamaru yelled as he practically ran to keep up with Naruto's quick pace.
"Shh!" Naruto said while giving Konohamaru a look. "Just stay quiet and keep up!" he hissed.
"Uh, what's going on?" the small Genin asked with a hint of apprehension in his voice. "And what was with that note?"
"Can't explain here." Naruto said quickly as the two walked through the double doors of the hospital and entered the courtyard. "Wait until we get to Tsunade, I can't say anything with all these Hyuugas aro-"
"-Naruto-sama, could you wait just a moment!"
Naruto froze in his tracks and he felt his blood turn to ice. Konohamaru saw the quick flash of panic in his eyes and instantly went on edge as well. Both turned around to find the source of the voice approaching them quickly: a Branch Member.
"Fuck…" Naruto thought as his mind instantly began to go through his options.
"Naruto-sama," The Branch Member said with a short bow after finally catching up, "Do you have a moment?"
Plastering on what felt like the fakest smile in the world Naruto answered, "Sorry, but not really. Konohamaru and I have to get back to Tsunade-baachan so we can give her a report."
"I must insist you at least hear what I have to say." The Branch Member said forwardly.
"This bastard isn't going to let me go." Naruto thought as he narrowed his eyes. Glancing over at Konohamaru, Naruto could tell that the kid could tell something wasn't right. The way he had subtly shifted his standing position allowed him to grab a kunai without being seen and his shoulders had tensed to prepare for any immediate action. Naruto couldn't help as a little pride swelled up inside of him. "Damn that kid has come a long way…"
"But now is not the time to fight." Naruto surmised as he glanced back at the Hokage building. He wondered if Jihibiki and Renge were still in the meeting with Tsunade and if it was possible to call for back up.
Suddenly an idea went off in the blonde's head. Naruto quickly gauged the distance and from him and Konohamaru to the Hokage tower.
"It's a long shot and is going to take all the luck in the world…" Naruto thought as he turned his attention back to the Branch Member.
"Naruto, are you even listening?" The Branch Member asked more threatening this time.
"Sorry," Naruto apologized with smile. "I'd love to chat but we must be going." Naruto took a step towards Konohamaru and put a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe some other time?" Naruto asked.
"I won't let you leave." The Branch Member said. "I know that Hiashi gave you some kind of message."
"Try and stop us then." Naruto taunted with a smirk while making the half ram sign with his free hand. "Please let this work!"
The Branch Member moved to stop them but as his hand reached Naruto the two disappeared in a bright flash of light. Confused and bewildered, the Branch Member activated his Byakugan and cursed furiously when he found the two right outside of the Hokage's office.
Konohamaru was put on edge when the Branch Member started being pushy with Naruto. He became confused when Naruto placed his hand on his shoulder and made the hand sign. But Konohamaru was at a complete loss for words when he found himself upside down in a potted plant in the secretary's office in less than a second.
The first thing he felt was sickening tug on his stomach before the world seemed to turn upside down and then a sharp pain on his neck and shoulders from where he landed roughly in the plant. The next thing he heard was a loud crash as Naruto hit the secretary's desk, slid across it sending documents through the air, and then fell to the ground hard. The last thing was his ears meeting the panicked and frightened screams of the poor secretary.
Falling out of the foliage and landing on his side, Konohamaru struggled shakily to his hands and knees while fighting back the bile that was determined to escape from his mouth. "Wh-What the fuck?" Konohamaru asked dazed as the room spun slowly.
The next second the doors to the Hokage office burst open and Tsunade, and two senior citizens entered the room. Tsunade quickly rushed over to Konohamaru while the other two went straight to Naruto and dragged him to the center of the room and placed him on his back. From what Konohamaru could see when Tsunade wasn't blocking his line of sight, Naruto was passing in and out of consciousness. The old red head seemed to be angrily lecturing him while the old man seemed to be trying to listen to Naruto mumble something out.
"Are you alright?"
The question seemed to shake Konohamaru from his daze. Looking at the medic/Hokage he nodded. "I'm fine, what hap-"
"-NARUTO!"
Both Konohamaru and Tsunade's heads whipped around to see the blonde shuddering and convulsing on the ground. His eyes had rolled into the back of his head and foam was forming at the corners of his mouth.
"Shit!" Tsunade shouted as she quickly moved to Naruto.
"What's happening?" Konohamaru asked desperately as he moved towards Naruto as well.
"Suki, get Konohamaru out of here!" Tsunade ordered. "Jihibiki, Renge, hold him down! His body is having a seizure from whatever just happened!"
"The idiot tried using the Space/Time jutsu with his chakra sealed!" Jihibiki said quickly as he noticed that the bracelets cracked and the kanji for 'seal' had been melted away.
"Not only did he try to transport himself, but the child over there as well!" Renge said with a tinge of panic in her voice. "He used every ounce of chakra he had to accomplish that! His body is literally suffocating from an absence of chakra!"
Tsunade was already working furiously to resuscitate Naruto's shuddering form while processing what the two told her and doing her best to ignore the choking noises Naruto was making.
"Someone get the damn seals off of him then!" Tsunade said as a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.
"No need to." Jihibiki said eyeing the bracelets closer. "The seals are destroyed. Just focus on getting some of his chakra back."
"Doing my best!" Tsunade grunted out.
That was the last thing Konohamaru saw as Suki pulled him down the steps and away from the three shinobi working over his hero.
The air was thick with moisture and cold to the touch as the cool mist clung to his hair and skin. A brief shiver ran through his body as he looked at his surroundings. Naruto was in his mindscape again and this time he had not come here by choice. That only meant one thing; Kurama was ready to talk. Letting out a foggy breath in the cold air, Naruto began to trudge through the muddy dead forest that now made up his mindscape. Seemingly wandering around lost through the trees, Naruto eventually came to the regular meeting spot of the two. The flashy fountain no longer sprayed geysers into the air and the pond was now a dark green color with dead leaves covering most of the surface of the water. The giant willow held few leaves now causing the tree to look like a giant skeleton of its former self, wilting over with a great sadness and half-heartedly providing protection with its thin wispy branches. At the base of the great trunk Naruto spied the orange form of Kurama curled in a ball.
Stopping just in front of the branches Naruto spoke. "You've been quiet for awhile now. It must have been hard for a chatter box like you."
"Save the jokes." Kurama said bitterly glancing up at Naruto.
"Still on your period? Huh, figured you were done being moody and ready to talk." Naruto said with a shrug.
"Talk about what?" Kurama asked angrily sitting up and glaring at Naruto. "There's nothing to talk about!"
"Then why did you bring me here?"
"I didn't!" Kurama shouted. "You brought yourself here! Probably looking to take some of my power so you don't die! That's all you ever do anyways."
Turning around and curling up in a ball he finished, "That's all anyone ever does."
The demon's words struck a nerve within the blonde. "That's a load of bullshit and you know it!" Naruto shouted angrily. "I never use you for power! I told you that I wanted to be friends! Friends don't just use each other! You're the one that is resisting all of this!"
All was quiet for a moment as Naruto's words seemed to hang in the air.
"There was a time when I wanted to believe you." Kurama said softly.
"Huh?" Naruto said caught off guard by the response.
"Not too long ago I believed what you said; about how you never wanted to just use me and how you wanted to be friends." Kurama explained.
"What changed then?" Naruto asked confused.
A growl rumbled deep in Kurama's chest as he sat up and turned to look at Naruto.
"You chose to pursue Hinata." Kurama said angrily.
"That's what this is about?!" Naruto shouted just as angrily. "You're throwing a fucking hissy fit because I am trying to find happiness?!"
"NO!" Kurama's voiced boomed, shaking the tree that he sat under. "I'm angry because you chose such a selfish path!"
"How am I being selfish?!" Naruto asked incredulously.
"Because you're betting Hinata's life!"
"What the fuck did you say?" Naruto yelled as he threw back the branches and stormed towards Kurama.
"You think I'm selfishly betting her life?" Naruto asked. "Well you get this straight!" Naruto said pointing a finger at the fox. "I am going to do everything in my power to protect her! With or without your power I'll do it!"
Kurama let a deep growl escape from his chest as he barred his teeth at Naruto. The boy was talking about things he didn't understand and he was pushing the fox over the edge.
"You know nothing." Kurama said lowly.
Getting his in his face, Naruto said angrily, "It's not like you give a shit what happens to her anyways! Why do you even care?!"
Naruto's last comment finally caused Kurama to snap. His rage exploded outwards as he slashed at Naruto ejecting him from the mindscape.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Kurama bellowed at the spot where Naruto once stood.
The fox's voice echoed throughout the forest, projecting his angry and pained words back at him. With a deep rumble, the heavens let loose another wave of rain drowning Kurama's world with despair. Curling up against the trunk for protection, Kurama did his best to ignore his own words. However, the sound of dark laughing echoing through the trees caused the fox to perk up and scan the forest around him with narrowed eyes.
"Who's there?" Kurama asked warily.
This wasn't supposed to be possible. There should be no one else in this special place other than Naruto and himself. It caused the hairs on Kurama's back to stand on end.
"You know who I am..." the voice answered chidingly. "I know you know who I am...Just like I know your secret about that girl…Because unlike him, I know ev-ery-thing."
Kurama let out a growl as he searched the dark forest for the source of the voice. "You talk big. Show yourself!" Kurama demanded angrily.
Another dark chuckle erupted from the deepest darkest part of the undergrowth in the forest. "No…Not yet…My time has not come just yet. But fear not. It will come in due time."
From the pitch black shadows of the forest two, crimson, black slit eyes opened and a white feral smile appeared in the darkness. The fangs gleamed in the low light and the eyes burned like smoldering coals.
"All in due time."
Naruto's eyes fluttered open to find him staring up at the ceiling of the Hokage's office. With a groan, he slowly sat up on his elbow and rubbed his head while willing the splitting headache to go away. His body was shaking lightly and he couldn't tell if it was from lack of chakra or his recent spat with Kurama. Regardless, he took a deep breath and held it before releasing the air and calming down slightly.
"Welcome back." Tsunade's voice said causing Naruto to glance over at the desk to see her sitting there staring at him intensely.
Judging from the tone of her voice Naruto could tell something was wrong, and if he had to guess there was a great chance he was the reason.
"Uh, what happened?" Naruto asked running a hand over his face.
Sliding her chair back and walking over to him Tsunade spoke. "Naruto, do you enjoying stressing me out to the point of contemplating suicide?"
Naruto cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Can't say that I roll out of bed in the morning with those intentions."
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched in irritation and she slapped him over the head sending a jolt of pain through him. "Then stop doing it!" She shouted frustrated. "Do you realize you almost died?! What the hell happened?"
Naruto rubbed his now throbbing head while he tried to come up with an answer.
"Let's see here. First I went to check on Hinata-chan at the hospital. When I got there Hiashi pulled me inside and told me that I couldn't trust the Branch Members, which was weird. Then he-" Naruto stopped abruptly as his eyes shot open. His tiredness seemed to practically vanish as he was replaced with an overabundance of urgency.
"Then what?" Tsunade asked quickly.
Naruto responded by reaching into his pocket and pulling out a sealed scroll. Opening it, he released the seal to reveal a letter which he then handed over to Tsunade.
"That letter is from Hiashi." Naruto said as he watched the blonde's eyes quickly read through the text. "Hiashi is at his limit. He no longer has control over his clan and doesn't know who he can trust. His family is being threatened by the elders and that's why Hanabi ended up in the hospital."
Tsunade paled as she read over a certain part of the message. "They have begun to remove the Caged Bird Seal from Branch Members and they are receiving outside help…" Tsunade muttered to herself in disbelief. Leaning up against the desk for support, Tsunade finished the rest of the message. When she had she looked up at Naruto with a very tired expression.
"This is the last thing we need." She said as her expression quickly turned to anger and she crushed the letter in her hand. "Those power hungry bastards are putting the entire village at risk! Don't they know we are preparing for war?!"
"They most likely see it as the best time to make a move for power." Naruto replied while swinging his legs off the couch and sitting back. "But that's not what the problem is."
Tsunade looked at Naruto and he explained. "If Hiashi doesn't know who he can trust…"
"…Then neither do we." Tsunade finished as she began to get the picture.
"We can't outright declare war on the Hyuuga clan." Naruto said with a sigh. "They are one of the most powerful clans in the village. Even with the other clan's help we would probably be able to pull it off but not without a lot of people dying."
"Covert is out as well." Tsunade said pinching the bridge of her nose. "We don't know how deep this corruption spreads. They very well could have the entire Anbu under surveillance."
There was brief moment of silence as Naruto and Tsunade sat there contemplating what to do. Without saying anything both of their heads suddenly snapped up as the same realization hit them.
"Anbu!" They both shouted at the same time.
There was a sudden blur from the corner of the ceiling as it made for the window. Tsunade acted fast, grabbing her desk and flinging it into the spy and knocking them away. The Anbu grunted in pain as they were crushed between the desk and the wall. Quickly trying to get up, they were met by Naruto who grabbed the ninja by the throat and slammed them back into the wall. Not wasting any time, Naruto grabbed the porcelain mask and wrenched it off to be met by pale burning eyes of hate.
"I guess we really can't trust anyone." Naruto said.
"Forgive us Hokage-sama." An Anbu with a Boar mask said appearing next to her along with another in a Hare mask.
"Don't worry about it," Tsunade said dismissively, "No one saw this coming."
She turned her attention to the Hyuuga. "How many of you are there in Anbu?"
"None of your damn business!" The Hyuuga spat out.
The next sound was the Hyuuga's jaw popping as his head whipped to the side and slammed into the wall.
"Wrong answer." Naruto said dangerously as he pulled his fist back. "Want to try again?"
"It's none of your concern! It is a Hyuuga matter!" The man said as best he could.
"You're putting the entire village in jeopardy with this attempted coup!" Tsunade yelled angrily.
"Then help us!" The man cried only to have his air flow cut off.
"Like hell we'd help you!" Naruto growled out.
"Not everyone likes talentless weaklings like you do, monster." The Hyuuga wheezed out angrily. "Trash like her should just be sold to a whorehouse for a pretty penny-"
The rest was cut off as Naruto grabbed them man's face and slammed him into the wall. Naruto slammed his head into the wall two more times before he lost consciousness. By the fourth time the man was already sliding down the wall, but that didn't stop the enraged blonde from slamming his head into the wall three more times before he hit the ground.
"Naruto!" Tsunade cried out.
"What?" Naruto asked coldly turning to look at her.
"We need him alive!" Tsunade said exasperatedly.
"He is." Naruto said before turning to look at the unconscious man. "For now."
He then turned and walked to the window seemingly lost in thought with a hard expression on his face.
Letting out a frustrated sigh Tsunade turned to Boar and Hare. "Get this piece of trash to the I.D. After that get the Commander and tell him you all are to report here immediately."
Boar and Hare both nodded and then disappeared with the Hyuuga traitor. Picking up her desk, Tsunade put it back in its place and sat down. With a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world on it she leaned forward and held her head.
"Naruto…" She whispered.
The voice was soft and quiet, sounding brittle and easy to break if she spoke too loud. Naruto turned towards his adoptive mother and could feel his heart break a little. She looked lost and confused. Not that anyone could blame her really. In all of its years the Hidden Leaf had never seen the amount of power or destruction wrought upon it.
"I don't know if I can do this." Tsunade said, her eyes drifting up to his. "There's so much happening in every direction that I don't know where to even start."
Naruto opened his mouth to say something comforting but he was cut off by a knock at the door.
"Hokage-sama, the members of the village council in charge of the festival are here for their meeting." Suki's voice called through the door.
Tsunade gave an irritable sigh.
"Great, just what I need; more paperwork." She muttered to herself.
"I'm busy right now, have them come back later." She called through the door.
"Hokage-sama we've already had our meeting cancelled twice already, we need to discuss the upcoming events. The festival is in less than two weeks!" A voice called through the door.
"Indeed!" another voice called through the door. "We must discuss this right away! Everything else will have to wait."
"Are they serious?" Naruto asked Tsunade incredulously.
"Unfortunately they are." Tsunade answered miserably.
The door opened and in walked a short squat man with curly brown hair, a mustache, and wiry glasses along with a tall man with short black hair and thick rimmed glasses. Naruto would have normally laughed at their appearances since they were completely ridiculous and contrasted each other so much, but right now he was not in the mood. However, the men paid no attention to him as they walked in and stood before Tsunade's desk. Each was holding a stack of papers in their hands at which the blonde eyed with much hatred.
"Hokage-sama," the short man began, "we must decide on the location of the booths, the number of booths that will be there, as well as what kind of booths we'll be having."
"Also," chimed in the taller man, "We must decide on the color theme for the festival as well as what we will do for entertainment."
"Then there's the ceremony."
"The music."
"The speech."
The two men continued to list off item after item that needed to be discussed. With each detail the men said Tsunade's head slumped lower and lower to her desk while she held it in her hands. Naruto was just about to say something when Suki returned.
"Tsunade-sama, a delegation has just arrived from Cloud to fill you in on the details from the 5 Kage Summit meeting."
Naruto turned and looked past Suki making out the familiar short blonde hair that he had seen previously before. Samui was here and if she was then that meant so were the other two.
"They'll have to wait; we're in the middle of something important." The tall man said indignantly.
"I highly doubt it is." By the voice Naruto could tell it was Karui and she sounded irritated.
"How dare you!" The short squat man cried out. "Of course it's important! Right, Hokage-sama?"
Tsunade looked up from her desk. "Of course-"
"-See! Important!" The small man said in a shrill voice that made Naruto grind his teeth together. The man's voice was certainly not helping his headache. "So get out!"
"You can't be serious." Samui said coolly but her agitation was evident.
"No, they aren't-" Tsunade tried to get out.
"-Of course we are!" The man's voice went higher and more shrill which Naruto didn't even think was possible.
"Can I please ta-"
"-Tsunade-sama, what are your orders?" Boar asked as he reappeared with Hare.
"Hokage-sama, this demands your attention!"
"Tsunade-sama, what should I tell the Cloud delegation?"
"Orders, Hokage-sama."
Tsunade had a look of complete overwhelm on her face. Her eyes were darting around the crowd in the room helplessly. She didn't know who to talk to, where to start, or what to do. They were hounding her for answers, attention, and guidance which she did not have at the moment. It made Naruto angry. No. Not angry, furious. Just as the voices in the room rose as they argued amongst one another, Naruto's fury rose too until it finally burst and flowed out of him.
"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Everyone stopped what they were saying and turned to stare at him.
"I'm only going to say this once, if you are not a ninja of this village then GET OUT!" As he said this he pointed towards the door.
"I don't care if you are a hero of this village or not!" The short man's shrill voice screeched. "But I will not be spoken to as a child! I am a member of the village council!"
Stalking towards the two men that wore glasses, Naruto got in the little man's face. "Do you know where we live?"
The man seemed completely confused by the question at first. "I fail to see-"
Crack! The man held his cheek in surprise and a little bit of fear. Everyone stared at Naruto as if he was insane.
"Answer the question!" Naruto yelled.
"T-The Hidden Leaf Village?"
Rounding on the tall man, Naruto glared at him. "And do you know what kind of village this is?"
"A sh-shinobi village." The man sputtered out.
"And do either of you know who's in charge of this village?"
The men looked at each other for a second. "The Hokage."
"Final question." Naruto said lowly with an angry glare. "What does the Hokage do?"
The tall man spoke first. "The Hokage protects the village and commands the ninja force, they-"
"-I'm sorry," Naruto interrupted, "say that again."
"I said 'the Hokage protects the village and commands the ninja force.'" The man repeated.
"Exactly." Naruto growled. He ripped the stacks of paper out of both of the men's hands. The short man was about to protest but one look from Naruto shut him up. "So can you please tell me why you are bothering our Hokage with this bullshit." He laced the last word with utter contempt.
"How dare you!" The shrill man shouted finding his nerve again. "Those papers are important!"
"Does it involve ninjas?" Naruto asked.
"No, but-"
"-Does it involve, missions? Alliances, intel, or debriefings?" Naruto asked cutting him off.
"No."
"As I thought." Naruto said. Crumpling the papers in each hand, he then pumped a large amount of chakra into them. It hurt. It hurt like hell and he had to bite back the tears of pain that threatened to spill out, but Naruto was going to get his point across.
The papers burst into flames and both of the men let out a cry of dismay.
"What do you think you're doing?!" the tall man asked in shock.
"Making my point." Naruto stated simply. Letting the last bit of burning paper fall to the ground he then leveled them both with a gaze. "You are members of the civilian council. Do you understand what that means? It means that you people are in charge of civilian matters. You people already do absolutely nothing excepts sit on your ass and cause headaches for Tsunade-baachan with paperwork so it's time for you to pull your weight."
Grabbing both of men's collars, Naruto yanked them to his face and whispered in a dangerously low voice. "If I find out either of you two, or anyone else from the civilian council for that matter, are bothering baa-chan with paperwork, I'll personally hunt you down and give you more than just a slap across the face." Tossing them back, the two stumbled over their feet and stared at him fearfully.
"The Hokage handles ninja matters in this village." Naruto declared with a note of finality. "And just so we're clear, ninja matters come first. Now get out!" He pointed at the door and the two men practically scrambled over each other and the others to try and get out of the room first.
Turning towards Suki and the Cloud nin he said a little less heatedly, "That includes you guys as well."
Suki shook out of her trance when Naruto addressed her and looked to Tsunade who was staring at Naruto in just as much disbelief. "Hokage-sama…"
"Go." Tsunade practically whispered as she continued to stare at the blonde in front of her.
Suki quickly ushered the others out the door but as she did Naruto caught Karui muttering. "I don't remember him ever being that commanding."
When they were finally alone Naruto turned to Tsunade and walked towards her desk. Tsunade, Boar, and Hare all stared at him as he looked over all the documents on her desk.
"Naruto…" Tsunade started to say.
"Quiet." Naruto commanded but then his face instantly changed and he looked at her softly and with concern. "Please, let me help."
Normally she would be angered at him for telling her to be quiet. She would have smacked him across the room and lectured him on who he was talking to. But the way he looked at her told her that he really was trying to help, so she nodded her head and bit her lip.
Shuffling through a few papers, Naruto found the few that he deemed necessary and took them. Looking at Tsunade he spoke. "I'm taking charge of the…Hyuuga Affair." Naruto said as he found the words he was looking for. He saw that Tsunade was about to protest so he spoke before she could. "You have enough on your plate as it is. You have a war to prepare for and that needs all of your focus, the entire world is riding on that. You even said yourself that you don't know if you can handle all of this. Normally I would say go ahead and give it to the Anbu, but we already know that they are compromised." As he said this Boar and Hare shifted uncomfortably.
Naruto met Tsunade's eyes. "Trust me on this baa-chan, I'll fix it. I promise."
Tsunade saw the look in his eyes and she knew that she could. How could she not? He had an impeccable record when it came to keeping promises and he always completed his missions. Maybe a bit unorthodox, but success was a success. Beside, maybe that's what this needed, an unorthodox approach.
There was a quick rap on the door and then a man walked in wearing a tan trench coat and a dog mask. As he entered Boar and Hare both gave a quick bow. "Commander."
The Anbu Commander walked up to Tsunade and gave a short bow as well. "Hokage-sama, what is it that you need?"
Tsunade looked from the commander to Naruto. He raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Do you trust me to handle this? She knew the answer, so with a sigh she sat back in her chair. "Commander, from here on until I deem otherwise you will answer to Uzumaki Naruto."
"Pardon?" All three Anbu said at the same time.
"You can't be serious?" Boar said in disbelief.
"He's just a Genin." Hare voiced as well.
"I understand." The commander said with a terse nod.
"Huh?!" the two underlings said in shock.
Turning to Naruto, probably the most powerful ninja in the entire Hidden Leaf system other than Tsunade, bowed. "What are my orders, Uzumaki-taichou?"
Naruto's face remained hard, but the ends of his lips quirked up in a slight smirk. "I want you to round up all of the Hyuugas under your command and arrest them."
This took the commander by surprise and he voiced it. "Forgive me but you wish for me to arrest my own men?"
"Forgiven." Naruto said simply and walked towards the door. When he reached it he turned around. "Boar, Hare!"
Both men straightened instinctually and answered. "Sir!"
"I don't care who, but I want you to gather Nara Shikamaru, Aburame Shino, and Sai. We need a place that is private, secluded, and secure." Naruto added as much emphasis as he could to the last one. "Come and get me when they've all gathered, I'll be at my apartment preparing."
Naruto opened the door but stopped. "Oh and one more thing. What was spoken here, as well as what we are about to do, is so secret that it goes beyond SS. If somehow what we're doing leaks and I find out who did it…I'll feed you to the Kyuubi."
As Naruto left there was a resounding "Sir!" from the men in the room with a tinge of complete fear mixed in. Boar and Hare left quickly afterwards leaving the commander and Tsunade alone.
"Hokage-sama, what is going on?" He hated not knowing what was happening around him. Knowledge was vital to him, after spending so many years as the commander of the spec ops group it had to be.
Tsunade simply smiled and shook her head. "The greatest covert operation this village has ever seen."
The commander gauged her response for moment. "Greater than the Uchiha Incident?"
Tsunade's smile left her and her face hardened. "Significantly."
Shikamaru had been enjoying his day off. Not that he didn't enjoy his days off, today just happened to be special. He had been working tirelessly since the invasion which left him practically crawling home at night. If it wasn't looking over details for rebuilding sections of the village, then it was traffic control of supplies. If it wasn't that then it was correspondence with other villages. And when he finally managed to get home his father would then pull him aside and ask him about certain strategies the enemies might use.
At first he was shocked that his father was asking him as if his opinion mattered. He knew his father acknowledged his intelligence, and he had to admit it made his heart swell though he would never admit it, but he never thought that his father would consider him as a confidant. After the first week, however, the extra work at home quick lost its special gleam and was replaced with grumbling and complaining. Hey, he was a Nara after all.
So this was why Shikamaru found himself lying on his back and enjoying the clouds that lazily passed overhead. The rustle and then crunch of chips to his right reminded Shikamaru that Choji was still there, chowing down like there was no tomorrow. It was habit that no one picked up on except Shikamaru, which spoke volumes about how deep their friendship really ran.
"You're eating." Shikamaru stated.
"I'm always eating." Choji pointed out.
"You're nervous eating. What's on your mind?"
"Nothing." Choji said evasively before shoving another handful of chips into his mouth.
"You're nervous about her answer aren't you?"
Choji sighed. "God damn you and your perceptiveness Shika."
They were quiet for moment.
"I think she'll say yes." Shikamaru said.
Choji choked on his chips and coughed wildly while thumping a massive slab of meat he called a fist to his chest. "You do?!"
Shikamaru sat up and looked at his pudgy friend. Pudgy, maybe, but in his opinion so many more qualities shown brighter than just his physical appearance. "Let's just say I think she can appreciate who you are and what you stand for."
"Yeah, but you know how she is about physical appearances." Choji said with uncertainty.
Shikamaru lay back down. "I think she's finally maturing and understands your physical…nature." He then smirked and added, "Plus I think the darker side of her is curious about other physical natures."
Choji flushed a wild red and coughed even more on his chips. "Damn it Shika, you shouldn't talk about her like that! And at least let me swallow before you say things like that!"
Shikamaru's smirk faded and was replaced with a thoughtful look. "Hey, what do you think?"
"Think about what?"
"If she swallows or not?"
Choji's eyes shot wide open and his face turned a shade of red so bright that his tell tale Akimichi swirls practically vanished from his face. However, before he could yell at his now laughing friend an Anbu in a Boar mask appeared before them.
"Nara Shikamaru?" The Anbu asked.
"Yes?" Shikamaru asked sitting up.
"You have been summoned. We must leave immediately."
This took Shikamaru aback for a moment. "Summoned by whom?"
"That's classified." The Anbu replied quickly and then gave him a look that said 'get it in gear.'
Shikamaru sighed and stood up. "So much for my day off." He grumbled while brushing himself off. "What horrible luck."
"I call it justice." Choji replied with a triumphant smirk.
"Let's go Nara." The Anbu said before leaping away.
Shikamaru let out an irritated sigh and leapt after the masked ninja. As he did one thought ran through his mind.
"Troublesome."
Shikamaru didn't know what to think as the Anbu led him to gates of the village. He became even more confused when they left the village and continued in a random direction at a very quick pace. However, when they broke through a particular group of trees and landed on the ground it all made sense.
"This is serious isn't it." he stated more than asked.
Boar continued on without stopping but answered. "You have no idea."
Shikamaru followed closely behind Boar as they entered the clearing. The forest had opened up in front of creek that had fed into a pond before spilling out at the bottom and continued on its journey. Past that was a cliff wall that rose up several stories tall. Looking closer, however, Shikamaru saw that it was more than just a cliff. With a sharp and practiced eye he saw the paths and switch backs carved into the wall. Following it up he saw that it led to the entrance of a cave, but something told him it was more than just that. He was right of course and he found out the hard way when he was suddenly jerked back by his collar by Boar.
"What gives?" Shikamaru asked coughing and rubbing his throat.
Boar simply pointed in front of him. Shikamaru looked, saw nothing, and then turned back to Boar. The Anbu stood there expectantly which annoyed the Nara.
"I don't see anything." Shikamaru said confused. It finally dawned on him as soon as the words left his mouth though. His head snapped around and he looked even harder this time. "I really don't see anything." He muttered to himself.
There was nothing past the point where he stood. No insects flying through the air, no fish swimming through the creek or pond, not even a bird in the trees. Looking back at Boar, Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow. The Anbu said nothing but stepped up and tossed a rock in front of them. The rock made it about a meter out before there was bright flash and smoke and then nothing.
Shikamaru stood there rooted to his spot and took an involuntary swallow. "That was almost me." He then turned his attention to Boar. "Impressive, so how do we get in?"
Boar checked his surroundings. Then double checked, and then triple checked one last time. Satisfied he made four quick and seals and point his hand out. The air in front of them shimmered for a moment and then stopped. Boar quickly walked forward.
"Hurry." He said. "The barrier only stays down for five seconds before reactivating."
Shikamaru wasted no time and quickly fell in step. They walked across the water and then to the cliff wall. Taking a leap, the two men landed on the stone pathway and followed it back and forth. It was a gradual incline so they had to do four switch backs before finally making it to the cave entrance. Trying to peer inside, Shikamaru was met nothing but a black void. How far down did this thing go exactly?
"Let's go, the others are already here." Boar said stepping forward.
"Others?" Shikamaru asked. He got no response from Boar which didn't surprise him. He obviously wasn't the talkative type. Either that or he was severely pissed off about something. Shikamaru couldn't be sure.
The two men took about five steps into the cave before the whole world suddenly lit up with dim lights. How had he not seen this before? They had only stepped a few feet into the cave and yet Shikamaru couldn't even see the lights. Glancing back, he finally realized why. Genjutsu. Not just a vision genjustu but a sound jutsu as well since he heard voices talking further on ahead.
The two men walked about another ten meters into the cave before the path opened up into a wide cavern. Couches, chairs, and coffee tables lined one side and on the other there were beds with chests at the foot of them for belongings and equipment. Lights lit the walls around the cave and in the center hung a single giant lamp which shown over a table. All talking ceased as the two walked up to the table. In the dim light Shikamaru could make out who was with them.
Shino stood alone on one side of the table and on the other stood an Anbu in a Hare mask and Sai. There was another man at the end of the table opposite of Shikamaru and he had to squint in the dim lighting, but once he realized who it was his eyes widened.
"Commander…" Shikamaru whispered in astonishment. What the hell was going on?
"Nara Shikamaru and Boar reporting for duty, sir." Boar said with a short bow.
"Good, we're all here then." The commander said with a nod. Turning towards the couches he said, "We can begin whenever you'd like, Uzumaki-taichou."
Shikamaru's face screwed into one of confusion and shock as he turned to see the blonde standing up from the couch.
"I already told you, just call me Naruto." The blonde said with a toothy grin and shake of his head. He walked over and stood next to the commander. "Now that we're all here I guess we can begin Operation Spring Cleaning."
Everyone was quiet for a solid three seconds before Shino raised his hand.
"Yes Shino?" Naruto asked.
"You are in command correct?" Shino asked in his dull even monotone.
"Yes I am."
"Even over the Anbu Commander?"
"Two for two." Naruto said with a grin.
Shino nodded in understand and was quiet for a moment before he added, "You are aware that it's almost fall, Naruto-taichou?"
Naruto nearly face planted he was caught so off guard but he recovered quickly and glared at Shino for a split second before breaking out in a laugh. "I'm so glad that we can all skip the awkward getting to know each other stage."
Sai gave his usual fake smile and Shikamaru couldn't help but chuckle. Shino even managed to nod at what Naruto had said and even the commander could be seen giving the slightest raising of his shoulders indicating that he was silently chuckling as well.
With the tension of the secret meeting gone, Naruto stole his face and looked at the men in the room seriously. "Let me make this perfectly clear. What we are about to discuss, plan, and perform are so important that failure could mean the loss of the Fourth Great Shinobi War before it even begins."
"What could possibly determine the war's outcome before it even began?" Shikamaru asked. Of course there were multiple reasons the war could be lost, but from what Shikamaru understood they all involved a lack of cooperation between the nations.
Suddenly it all made sense. That was why they were all there, meeting in a secret location outside of the village. It was about cooperation, or lack thereof.
"Something is happening in the village that no one knows about." Shikamaru said.
"Impressive." The commander said with a nod of approval which caused Shikamaru to blush slightly.
"That's Shikamaru for you, sharp as ever." Naruto said with a grin. "I knew picking you would be a good idea."
"So what's going on exactly, Naruto-taichou?" Sai asked. It was what everyone else wanted to know.
Naruto's grin faded to seriousness once again. "The Hyuugas are planning a coup. More specifically, the Branch Members are planning to overthrow Hin- Hiashi and his family." It was hard not to say 'Hinata and her family', but Naruto knew that if he wanted to sound professional and gain everyone's full trust he would have to make it sound like it wasn't personal.
The surprise was evident on Shino and Shikamaru's faces. The Anbu members were already aware but Sai showed no signs of surprise whatsoever.
"You already knew?" Shikamaru asked.
"I was suspicious of what was going on once Hiashi began pushing for Naruto to stay away from his family. So I had some of my subordinates look into it." Sai replied.
"And by subordinates you mean Root." Hare said abrasively.
"Correct." Sai said.
"You should be executed for that confession, traitor!" Hare said angrily.
"For what? Admitting that I was looking into a potential internal problem for the village? For trying to protect my village before harm ever came to it?" Sai asked with more emotion than any of them were used to. "I may be many things, but a traitor is not one of them. Do not be angry at me just because I saw this coming before you did."
"Are you questioning our competence?" Hare asked bristling.
"No, but while we're on the subject, Fluffy, I do find the Anbu…lacking nowadays."
"Fluffy?" Hare asked incredulously. "Why you pale, smart-assed, bast-"
"-Enough!"
Everyone stopped and stared at the commander.
"Dissention among us will not get us anywhere and most certainly not get us any closer to stopping this shit storm before it happens." The commander said looking between Sai and Hare before everyone else.
Naruto nodded. "He's right, we need to set aside our differences and work together on this if we want to be successful." He then grinned. "Which means you should probably apologize to Hare for saying he sucks."
Sai stared at Naruto for a long moment before nodding. He turned to Hare and plastered on a smile. "I'm sorry for bringing your competency into question, Fluffy. It's not your fault that you're lacking in some areas."
The commander couldn't help but feel a sweat drop run down his head as he muttered to Naruto, "That's as good as it's gonna get, isn't it?"
"Pretty much." Naruto said shaking his head.
"I'm not going to be called Fluffy during this!" Hare said clenching his fists. "I worked too damn hard to be called that!"
"I don't know, I kinda like it." Naruto said with a chuckle.
"I don't care what you like or don't like!" Hare shouted, waving his arms. "I'm not gonna be called that!"
"Quiet Hare!" The commander ordered causing the Anbu to go board stiff in a split second. "You will treat Uzumaki-taichou with respect and respond to whatever he decides to call you!"
"Yes, Commander." Hare said dejectedly.
Shino cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and got back to the important topic. "It's clear that Shikamaru was picked for his strategic abilities." Shino said. "What purpose do the rest of us serve?"
Naruto's grin faded to seriousness once again. "The Commander, Boar, Hare, and whoever else is deemed trustworthy enough will be in charge of rounding up the Hyuugas that are in the Anbu." Naruto turned to the commander. "I can't stress how important it is that no one finds out what you are doing. Take however long you need, as long as they don't catch on to what you are doing."
"Understood, taichou." The commander said with a quick nod.
"If I could make a suggestion?" Shikamaru asked gaining everyone's attention.
"Go ahead Shikamaru, that's why I picked you." Naruto said with a nod.
"Commander, I have a strategy that might work." Shikamaru said turning to the commander.
"Let's hear it."
"Unless on a solo mission, Anbu operatives work in three man groups at the least normally, correct?"
"Correct."
"What if you ordered long term missions away from the village to all the Hyuuga members under your command?" Shikamaru asked. "You could send them out of the village with their normal three man group and once they've gone so far you can confront and arrest them with a larger force."
The commander rubbed his chin for a moment in thought. "It's a sound plan, I'll admit. Being away from the village ensures that the arrests could happen without witnesses and if fighting did occur it would be out of the village and away from innocents." He then folded his arms. "How could I send all of my Hyuuga members away without drawing suspicion to the rebels though?"
"That's the easiest part." Shikamaru said with a smirk. "Use the war as a cover. Tell them that you need all the Hyuugas at your disposal for reconnaissance missions."
Even though Shikamaru couldn't see it he could tell that the commander was smirking underneath his mask, and he was. The commander nodded his head in approval and then looked to Naruto. "Uzumaki-taichou, I approve of this plan. What are your final orders?"
Naruto took a deep breath and looked at Shikamaru. This had to go right with absolutely zero fuck ups. If the Branch Members so much as caught wind of what they were up too, Hinata and her family would be in a life threatening situation. It all came down to whether or not Naruto could trust Shikamaru's plan.
"Who am I kidding; I couldn't possibly come up with anything better." Naruto thought. Shikamaru gave Naruto the same raised eyebrow he had given Tsunade just a few hours earlier: the 'do you trust me?' look. Turning towards the commander Naruto gave his final say.
"Commander, Operation: Spring Cleaning has officially begun. Stick to Shikamaru's plan and if anything comes up I expect you to handle it. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" The commander said with a short bow. Turning to Boar and Hare he then said, "Let's get moving, we have some trash to take out!"
The three Anbu turned and left the cave leaving the three other juniors to themselves. They were all quiet for a moment before Shino turned to Naruto.
"Naruto-"
"-I haven't forgotten about you Shino." Naruto said with a smirk.
"You misunderstand." Shino said emotionlessly. "It's evident that you haven't forgotten about me…thank you…for including me in on this important mission."
To say Naruto was shocked would have been an understatement. In fact, Shikamaru and Sai, to an extent, were both as shocked as well by Shino's confession. The silence that fell between them, while still comfortable, was now slightly stifling with a subtle awkward feeling in the air. A cough from Sai, however, broke the silence long enough for Naruto to recover.
"There's no way I could forget about you Shino." Naruto said quietly with a kind smile. "You're too damn good at what you do to not be included in this."
"And what would that be, taichou?" Shino asked, genuinely curious.
"Why, going around unnoticed, of course." Naruto said with a teasing smirk. Shikamaru had to stifle a chuckle and Sai actually cracked a small legitimate smile.
"Naruto?" Shino asked.
"Yes?"
"That was fucked up."
The room was filled with laughter as all three of them lost it. It was the laugh of three, young, nervous men who were completely in over their heads. They knew they would have to rely on each other if this plan was going to work, and that wasn't what was subconsciously putting them on edge. It was a single blindingly painful fact: the fact that if they screwed this up, the entire world would most likely end because of them. It was sobering, but maddeningly hilarious at the same time.
And that's a wrap! Long chapter I know but you all deserve it after the wait I made you guys go through. Again, I am sorry for that. Now please, I know it's asking more than I deserve, write down a few words and tell me what you think. If anything about this different writing style I've tried out. I'll see you in a week or two…hopefully! Bwahaha!