You guys are awesome as always! I want to apologize for the length it took me to get this chapter out. I originally, had intended on this chapter having several time-skips in it, leading up to the start of the Chunin Exams. However, it didn't really turn out that way. But I'm satisfied with how it came out in the end. This chapter brings in a whole new political angle as well as marking the start of the legend of Team Eight. I'm planning on the Chunin Exams starting next chapter.
As far as AU content, there's not a lot this chapter. In cannon, we don't see what happens when Konoha accepts the mission. I figure the client would get some sort of official confirmation notice. But given that we don't know for certain, I'm marking it as an AU departure.
The new summery is brought to you in part by the awesome Goliith who pointed out that my story summery could use a bit of help.
Responses to your awesome reviews are at the bottom.
And without any more news, Here's the next chapter. Chapter 12: The Power of Family
Hinata fought the urge to twist her hands in worry. The battle with the missing ninja had ended over twenty minutes ago, and Kurenai-Sensei had just taken their client, Rokurou-San, over to the side of the road for a short chat. During the fight with the missing ninja, Hinata had fought against a former Konoha ninja, who was a Hyuga. He had toyed with her, blocking or evading every move she made. Hinata glanced at the bruises on her arms again. "If only I was faster! I could have saved Naruto-Kun!" Naruto had fought a ronin who had poisoned his weapons with a deadly poison. Were it not for the Kyubi, Naruto would have died!
Hinata vowed, in that moment, that she would train until she grew strong; until she was strong enough to stand beside her Naruto-Kun; strong enough that he wouldn't have to succumb hatred or rage in order to win. While she was grateful for Naruto-Kun's rescue, it was terrible to witness her crush filled with so much anger and hate. The cheerful aura he seemed to always emit radiated malice and darkness. His normal confidence that he excluded was transformed into lethal intent. But still, even in his darkest moments, he was still her Naruto-Kun.
Sakura sat beside Naruto as they waited for him to wake up. Once again, she cast the diagnosis jutsu, needing to reassure herself that her Naruto-Kun was still getting better. The poison the ronin used to hurt Naruto had severely damaged the blonde's internal organs and nervous system. Would it not for the Kyubi's chakra healing her blonde, Naruto could have died on the road. And that thought terrified her. Sakura remembered feeling utterly outclassed by the earth missing nin, and the terrible beauty of Naruto's rage. Sakura remembered the feral look on Naruto's face as he killed her attacker. His beautiful sky-blue eyes were subsumed by the terrible baleful red eyes of the demon fox. His face, always smiling and cheerful, had twisted with darkness and rage. Despite seeing the red corrosive chakra of the demon fox first hand, she never doubted for a second who Naruto was. Naruto was, and always would be, her Naruto-Kun.
Sakura knew that she was partly the cause of Naruto's anger. If she had been stronger; if she had been faster; if she had thought faster; Naruto wouldn't have had to give into his fury, his hate. When she had fought the missing nin, it was all she could do to stay alive. Despite her anger at her attacker, despite the nearly overwhelming feeling to attack; to hit, punch, and kick, she wasn't strong enough. But that would change. Once she returned to Konoha, she would train. She would learn. She would master her newly created technique. She would be strong. Naruto would never stand alone against their enemies again.
Kurenai walked to the side of the road with Rokurou. While her gut said he had nothing to do with the attack, she couldn't ignore the conquencidental timing of the attack. Not only that, but she had overheard the ronin's words to Naruto. The missing ninja were contracted to kill them. And that was disturbing enough, without the implication that they knew exactly where to find Team Eight. Rokurou would give her answers! The leader of the missing ninja had fled at the sight of the Kyubi's chakra, and Kurenai had been too disoriented from the sudden massive chakra spike to give chase in time.
"So Rokurou-San," Kurenai began, her voice not quite dropping into a threatening tone, "How did you know that our team, Team Eight, was coming to escort you to the town?" Kurenai looked relaxed, despite the recent events. In truth, every muscle in her body was ready to spring into action should Rokurou attempt to escape or try to attack.
Rokurou looked confused at Kurenai's question. "It was in my confirmation notice I received." The well dressed tailor explained, "It said that a Team Eight would be meeting me as well as what route to take to ensure the safest travel."
Kurenai's eyes sharpened as she reiterated the information. "So the official mission confirmation notice you received from Konoha stated that Team Eight would be meeting you as well as giving you a specific route to follow?"
"That is correct." Rokurou confirmed. A look of open concern flashed across the man's normally jovial features. "Is Naruto-San going to be alright?"
"Naruto-Kun will be fine." Kurenai answered, feeling no falsehoods with Rokurou's words or actions. "He just needs to rest for a little while."
"Would you like to camp here until he recovers?" Rokurou offered, feeling guilty that the cheerful blonde had been hurt while protecting him. "Or if we have to continue, you are more than welcome to lay him in the wagon until he wakes!"
Kurenai nodded in acceptance. "We can't risk staying here. With your permission, I will put Naruto-Kun in your wagon until he recovers." After getting the tailor's nod of approval, Kurenai moved over to pick-up Naruto. A small lady-like grunt escaped her lips as she lifted the surprisingly heavy blonde into the wagon, carefully maneuvering him to lay flat on the wagon bed, making sure to not let his bloody clothes dirty the client's wares.
As the group moved on, each member of Team Eight was quiet, heavy thoughts keeping them silent. For Hinata, she was attempting to remember every move that she could learn from her father. Sakura was carefully planning a training routine that would allow for maximum effect while still giving her time to spend with Naruto-Kun. Kurenai brooded over the terrible realization that someone with enough power in the village, her village, had sent Rokurou-San an altered mission confirmation message. Not only that, they had planned on Team Eight taking a specific route to allow the team to be killed by the contracted assassins. It shook the Jonin, when faced with the inescapable knowledge that her village, the one she had sworn to defend, had callously decided to kill them. For the first time in her life, Kurenai wondered exactly what she would do if she was forced to choose between her friends; her team; her precious people, and the village...
Consciousness came slowly for Naruto. He awoke to the strange sensation of slight rhythmic bouncing. The faint dusty smell of the road mixed with the scent of two horses. The blonde sat up as he opened his eyes. Swathes of brightly colored silk bundles greeted him. He quickly realized that he had been sleeping in Rokurou's wagon. Naruto took a deep breath, his eyes widening at the feeling of how much air he could suck in. A moment later he remembered what, or perhaps who, the demon fox had told him about. A massive grin stretched across Naruto's face as he remembered that his parents didn't hate him. In fact, they loved him! Naruto flung himself out of the back of the wagon, feeling more joyful then he could ever remember feeling before in his life.
Kurenai was taken by surprise as Naruto landed behind the wagon, a blindingly radiant smile stretched across his face. The blonde looked more joyous then she had ever seen, and she had seen some of his true smiles. She quickly moved forward, eager to learn what had given her student such happiness. "Naruto-Kun!" She asked as she grew close, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling..." Naruto's face momentarily screwed up in thought as he attempted to find a word to accurately describe his utter happiness. "I'm feeling...completely good!" His radiant disposition instantly returned to the blonde's face as he found a word that explained his feelings well enough. Naruto's thoughts replayed the knowledge that he was wanted; that he was loved.
"Naruto," Kurenai hesitantly voiced her question, bringing the Uzumaki out of his thoughts, "Why are you so happy?"
Naruto's smile grew larger. "I found something out from the Kyubi!" Naruto paused, seemingly savoring the truth. "And it told me who my parents where!" Naruto's voice dropped to an awed whisper. "And they loved me." A lone tear slid down his face unnoticed. "The Kyubi said that they planned on teaching me; training me; loving me." Naruto shook his head, his smile reappearing. "But I have parents!"
Kurenai watched Naruto happily bounce off to inform Hinata and Sakura about his parents. She was shocked. Not only had Naruto talked to the Kyubi, the Nine-tailed Demon Fox, but it had told him of his parents. While she privately wondered if it was lying-it was a demon after all-she couldn't possibly figure out what it had to gain from lying about Naruto's parents. And if it wasn't lying, then how did it know when others did not? When not even the Hokage, the wise Professor, didn't know? Watching Sakura pull Naruto into a enthusiastic hug with a joyful smile on her face as Hinata smiled as well, Kurenai suddenly knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the answer to her previous question. If she had to choose between her precious people and the village, it was no choice at all. She would stand beside and defend her precious people!
It was nightfall before Team Eight could convene together. As the group sat around the fire, Kurenai glanced over at Naruto, who's smile still hadn't abated. "Naruto," she said, gaining the attention of those at the fire, "You never told me who your parents were."
"Oh!" Naruto blinked before rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "I guess I forgot!" Naruto's voice grew proud as he told them the names of his parents. "My mom was Kushina Uzumaki! The one of the strongest kunoichi's ever! My dad was Minato Namikaze! The Forth Hokage!" Stunned silence choked the camp.
Kurenai was utterly disarmed. While she had suspected for a while that Naruto's parents had been powerful ninja, she had never expected this! Not only had his mother been one of the strongest kunoichi of their age, but his father was the beloved fourth! Glancing at Naruto, she could see the uncanny resemblance between the father and son. She honestly didn't know when she never noticed it before.
Sakura was torn. While she wasn't glad that Naruto-Kun's parents where dead, she was happy that they never willingly abandoned him. Glancing over at Naruto, she flushed as she imagined how Naruto would look in a few years, given who his father was. She resolved to find as many pictures of Kushina Uzumaki as she could, knowing that Naruto treasured pictures of his precious people above all else.
Hinata was overwhelmed. Naruto-Kun had found out who his parents were! Not only that, but they loved him too! Hinata wondered if Naruto-Kun knew about the power he wielded as the last surviving member of both the Uzumaki and the Namikaze clans. He would have land, wealth, and access to all of the clans' techniques. The blue-haired girl promised herself that she would talk to not only Naruto-Kun about his inherited position, but her father as well. Her father would know how to help Naruto-Kun regain his clans' holdings.
"Naruto-Kun," Sakura said, eventually breaking the silence, "Everyone knows about the Fourth. But I don't know anything about Kushina Uzumaki. Could you tell me about her?" Sakura's earnest and inquisitive voice prompted Naruto to share one of the stories the Kyubi had told him about.
"Sure!" Naruto happily returned. His face grew momentarily sad as he remembered that he didn't know much about his mother. "I don't know a lot about Mom, but the Kyubi told me a few stories about her." Naruto's joyful aura returned. "So one time Mom was hanging out with Dad, although they weren't together at that time, and this ninja woman comes up to Dad..."
Later that night when Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura had bedded down for the evening in Naruto's three-person tent, Sakura was quite restless. Several thoughts swirled about in her mind, Naruto's recently revealed parentage being the foremost. From the two stories Naruto had told of his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, the pinkette felt a certain kinship to the red-haired woman. Sakura herself would have punched a woman who had come onto Naruto in such a way. However, Kushina Uzumaki, Kurenai-Sensei had a bit of information about the woman, was a very strong and very talented kunoichi. Sakura, despite the fact that Kushina was dead, couldn't help but wonder if the red-haired woman would have approved of her. "Not likely." Sakura admitted to herself, thinking about how badly she had been out-classed by the recent fight with the missing ninja.
The subject of Naruto's parentage wasn't the only thing that was on Sakura's mind. Naruto's recent physical changes were quite...pleasing to look at to say the least. The lingering baby fat that had stubbornly clung to him had all but melted away, leaving strong developed muscles and cleanly defined facial features. A blush stained the pinkette's cheeks as she thought how good Naruto looked now, to say nothing of how he would look in a few years. Sakura frowned as she realized an important detail. Naruto was good looking now, no one in their right mind could deny that now. However, she wasn't naive enough to think that Naruto's changes would go unnoticed. Hell, she already had spotted several girls her age giving her Naruto-Kun appreciative looks. Sakura clenched her fist. If they tried anything like that woman did with Minato-San, well, she would follow Kushina-San's example...
Hinata lay on the other side of Naruto, five proper feet away from her not-so-secret crush. She longed to slid over those few feet and rest next to her Naruto-Kun. But her thoughts whirled within her. You couldn't keep something as big as the birth of the son of the legendary Fourth Hokage a secret from everyone. It just wasn't possible. So that meant that someone knew about Naruto's parents. They knew who they were and let Naruto-Kun believe that his parents hated him! Hinata's eyes narrowed as she felt a spike of righteous anger. If she ever found out who kept that secret from her Naruto-Kun, she would make them regret it!
Hinata, for the first time in her life, began to make plans for the future. She had made goals for the future, but never plans. Naruto's parentage would come to light eventually, as would his status as a jinchuriki. Given that there was a chance, even the slightest one, of someone-some woman-stealing him away from her when those truths came to light, Hinata knew she needed to claim or at least find a way to ward off other women when that day came. A sudden thought struck the blue-haired girl. What if the village tried to take away Naruto's heritage? What if they didn't believe him? Hinata sighed inwardly before firming her resolve. She would stand beside Naruto-Kun, no matter what happened!
Naruto awoke with the feeling of weight on his arms on shoulders. A quick sniff informed him that Hinata-Chan and Sakura-Chan had moved close to him for warmth. He opened his eyes and tilted his head to look down at his two teammates laying next to him. Sakura was clutching his arm tightly, her fists slightly clenched. Hinata was also holding his arm, but had wrapped his arm in a deep hug, keeping it close to her. As Naruto felt his face soften with indefinable emotion, it occurred to him that today was the second day in a row when he had no nightmares. In fact, he felt that he had a good dream, but the details floated just out of reach, no matter how hard he tried to remember.
Naruto wondered if there was some way to contact his clones that he had created to keep watch with Kurenai-Sensei. A moment later the tent flap eased open and one of his clones poked it's head in. Spotting it's creator's predicament, it quickly swapped places with Naruto. As Naruto stood up and stretched, he caught sight of the two girls sleeping peacefully next to his clone. Watching them sleep, Naruto felt a sudden wave of fierce protectiveness ripple through him. While he had won the fight against the missing ninja, Naruto knew he would have died without the Kyubi's help. Naruto knew that those missing nin weren't the strongest ninja he would ever face. Naruto's face changed into stony resolve as he watched his teammates sleep. He would train harder than ever to become stronger; he would train until his bones cracked; until his blood ran like water; until he couldn't move even another inch; until he became strong enough to take on anything. And with those resolved thoughts, he headed out of the tent, intending on getting a report from his lead clone before starting training.
It was still dark when Naruto exited the tent, but the lack of light didn't bother him in the slightest. Spotting his lead clone, Naruto headed over to it. "Kurenai-Sensei fell asleep while on watch, so I moved her to her tent." The clone whispered as Naruto grew close. "She was really tired from all of the combat today." Naruto nodded, understanding why Kurenai had been tired. He automatically brought his hand up to create more clones, but stopped before he activated the technique. The blonde slowly brought his hands down, realizing that he could train his skill in creating clones without the hand sign. Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated.
Kurenai slowly opened her eyes, sleep making her brain momentarily foggy. Spotting her surroundings, she instantly awoke and sat up. "How did I get in my tent?" She wondered, "Last I remember I was feeling tired as I watched the camp!" Kurenai quickly exited the tent, looking for Naruto. She spotted three Narutos-she made the safe assumption that they were clones- as well as one more watching the camp. She quickly headed over to the blonde. "Why didn't you wake me?" She quietly demanded, feeling concerned that something could have happened without her watching.
"You looked tired, so I moved you to your tent." The clone explained with a shrug.
A sudden thought occurred to Kurenai. "Wait. I didn't set up my tent last night! It was still in my locked sealing scroll."
The clone grinned proudly. "Boss has been getting really good with seals. Your locking seal for your sealing scroll was only a tri-seal lock." The clone rubbed the back of its neck in embarrassed pride. "You really should get a better locking seal." It added as an afterthought.
"If you are just a clone, " Kurenai asked, "Then where is Naruto-Kun? Still sleeping in his tent?" She guessed.
"Nah," The clone dismissed with a wave, "Boss woke up a bit ago and is training. He said to get him once everyone is up." It tilted it's head to the side to look over Kurenai's shoulder. "Looks like Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan are awake!" It stood straight from where it was leaning against the tree. "I'll go tell the Boss everyone is awake."
"Kurenai-Sensei," Sakura's determined voice called out as she and Hinata strode towards their teacher, "We have to talk!"
"What is it?" Kurenai questioned, wondering what could have caused such serious determination in her students' faces.
"We need to get stronger!" Sakura declared, "We couldn't defeat those missing ninja before Naruto-Kun got poisoned and had to use the Kyubi's chakra!"
"You do know that they were Jonin level ninja, right?" Kurenai pointed out.
Hinata shook her head. "It doesn't matter! How can we stand beside Naruto-Kun if we can't fight his enemies?"
Kurenai glanced between her two students. "What did you have in mind?"
Sakura took over, having already figured out a tentative plan. "We need to increase the intensity of our training, both as a team and alone. If," Sakura flushed at the possible double-entendre she was about to say, "Naruto-Kun give us his chakra, we can use up our chakra during training, and he can refill us so we can train more!"
Hinata nodded, a flush spreading across her face at the thought of Naruto's chakra inside her. "We can even get refilled again if we need to when we go to non-team training!"
Kurenai thought for a few minutes. While she instinctively wanted to shield and protect her students from the dangers of the shinobi world, if they would be standing against such dangers regardless, could she do anything less then make sure they were strong enough to survive? Kurenai mentally shook her head. No. She couldn't do anything but help them. Anything less would be failing them. She would train them; make them strong, strong enough to face whatever the world threw their way. She glanced at her two determined students. They would one day surpass her, and she would be so proud of them on that day.
"All right." Kurenai finally answered. "I'll train you as hard as I can. But," She clarified, "If you show signs that you cannot keep the pace, I will slow down!"
"Thank-you Kurenai-Sensei!" Sakura and Hinata bowed, already looking forward to starting Sakura's daily plan on training each day once they got back to the village. A few moments later Naruto entered the clearing, and Team Eight quickly prepared the meal before waking their client. The next two days quickly flew by as Team Eight neared their destination. Rokurou had thanked the entire team, and secretly gave both Hinata and Sakura a special discount card for his tailoring services. Team Eight prepared to head back to Konoha, eager to start their new training regimen.
As nightfall approached, the successful Team Eight halted to make camp. As the team sat around the fire, Hinata spoke up about Naruto's heritage, given this was the first night they could talk without prying ears. "Naruto-Kun," The Hyuga heiress began, "Do you know the ramifications of your newly status as heir of two clans? Political or otherwise?"
"Uh..." Naruto scratched his head, not having thought about what this would mean. "I guess...I get their house?" As far as he was aware, one had to have clan members in order to be a clan head.
"The clan of the Uzumaki was greatly respected for its strength and skill. The Namikaze clan was an unknown clan until Minato grew famous. He was the only known member of the clan, but it was granted great prestige and honor by his actions in the Third Shinobi War as well as his time as Hokage."
Seeing that Naruto still wasn't understanding, Hinata was unsure of how to continue. While she was trained in politics, she had never found them interesting, and thus had only learned what was required of her. That lack of knowledge was something she regretted now. She knew enough about politics and clan politics to know that Naruto's status as the last member of two clans was important, but Hinata didn't know exactly what it meant.
"Naruto-Kun, when you get back to the village, we need to speak to father. He will know what you need to do about your heritage." Hinata requested, hoping that Naruto would be able to use his status to become immune to the machinations of the villagers who wished him ill. Naruto nodded, still unsure what it was so important, but if it was important to Hinata-Chan; it was important to him.
"Naruto-Kun," Sakura piped up, feeling more than slightly inferior to Hinata's knowledge of clan politics, "Would you like to have dinner with my family and I after I move in with you?"
"Sure Sakura-Chan!" Naruto grinned, happy to have Mebuki-San's tasty food.
"Good!" Sakura's voice became ever-so-slightly sly as she continued, "I know Mom and Dad always enjoy when you come over!" The pickette shot a glance at Hinata, "It's almost like we are already family!"
Hinata scowled slightly, the expression looking odd on her normally gentle face. While the hidden meaning had passed completely over Naruto's head, she had not missed it. "Ah, I see." Hinata said carefully, her tone becoming slightly subtle, "In that case, do you just feelings of sisterly affection towards Naruto-Kun?" She leaned back slightly in satisfaction as she watched Sakura sputter.
"Naruto-Kun," Hinata said gracefully, as she rose from her sitting position, "Would you like to retire for the evening?" Naruto, being completely confused at this point from the exchange between his precious people, could only nod his head in acceptance before heading to his tent to change. Sakura and Hinata watched the blonde enter the tent. As soon as the tent flap stopped moving, Sakura snapped her head to Hinata.
"You win this round, Hinata-Chan," The determined pinkette whispered, stepping close to the Hyuga, "But you'll lose the war!" Hinata's answering smile informed the pinkette that she had no plans of conceding victory. Spotting Naruto reopening the tent flap, both girls walked toward the tent, determined to not let their friend/rival have any time alone with Naruto in his tent.
Hinata and Sakura immediately pulled their sleeping bags next to Naruto's orange one, silently claiming a side. "Naruto-Kun, we have to change real quick!" Sakura informed the blonde, waiting for Hinata to also get ready to change. The two girls exited the tent almost simultaneously, both wanting to change quickly to get back to their Naruto-Kun, while also not wanting to let the other girl alone with Naruto.
It was a scant two minutes later when Naruto's tent flap burst upwards, Sakura sliding in just a few seconds before Hinata. Spotting Sakura shoot a victorious grin at Hinata, Naruto relaxed, figuring that they had raced to the tent. Ironically, he was correct, but the reason for the race wasn't training.
Naruto shrugged. He understood squeezing in a bit of extra training before you had to go to bed. He himself would be waking in a few hours to train. Both girls laid down next to the blonde, before he could get comfortable however, Sakura latched on to his arm, snuggling next to him, burying her face in his shoulder. It was partly due to her wanting to be close to him, partly due to hide her extremely flushed face at her bold actions, and just a little bit of a one-up to Hinata. The blue-haired girl on the opposite side of her instantly copied Sakura's actions, albeit a bit slower due to her embarrassment.
Naruto glanced at the two girls on either side of him with confusion. Was it really that cold? He didn't notice, but then again, a lot of people tended to dress rather warmly near his birthday. Naruto shifted unconsciously at the thought of his birthday. He had never told Sakura or Hinata when his birthday was. It was a day filled with horrible memories, and now knowing about his parents, he could add 'the day my parents died' to the list of reasons he didn't like October Tenth. "I wonder if I'll have to hide my things this year during my birthday." He mused to himself, unaware that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. Sakura and Hinata shifted next to him, seemingly shifting to a more comfortable sleeping spot.
As Naruto closed his eyes to sleep he was intensely aware of the two girls next to him and the strange feelings their close presence invoked. The blonde stoically ignored the strange and resolved to talk to Kakashi when they got back to the village, reasoning that the seasoned ninja would know of the strange sensations that had been plaguing him. Naruto slowly drifted off to sleep.
The moment Naruto's breath evened out in sleep, Sakura's head rose from his side, Hinata mirroring her. With a grim expression, Sakura whispered to Hinata, her voice barely making it across to the blue-haired girl. "Did you hear that? Naruto-Kun hasn't ever had a good birthday!" Sakura looked aghast at the thought of Naruto not ever having a birthday, opening presents, eating cake, or enjoying time with friends and family on his special day. Birthdays had always been a momentous occasion in the Haruno household, and it was unthinkable for someone to not want to celebrate their birthday. "Another thing the village has stolen from Naruto-Kun!" Sakura's thoughts began to spiral downwards in outrage.
Hinata, knowing how Sakura would inevitably react to the news, quickly whispered, "Sakura-Chan! We need to give Naruto-Kun a good birthday!"
"Right!" Sakura nodded, her anger temporarily put on hold. The two girls stayed up for the next hour, quietly figuring out a framework of a plan for Naruto. Once they finalized the basics, they themselves lay down, feeling drained from the emotional events of the past two hours.
Mebuki Haruno straightened in surprise as the doorbell rang. She wasn't aware of any of her few friends coming over, and Sakura wouldn't be back from her mission for at least three more days. She quickly headed to the door, stopping by the window to check who had rung the doorbell. Only a few short days ago she would have simply opened the door, but she had noticed a few rough looking ninja loitering around the area of the market she shopped. While this was no real cause for alarm, she had also spotted them outside Konoha Hospital, the hospital she worked at three days a week. And yesterday she spotted them outside the window!
A quick check of the window revealed that a pretty black-haired girl was standing at her doorstep. She was wearing a white and orange kimono and her hair was pulled up in a bun, semi-transparent intricately carved senbon holding her hair in place. Mebuki opened the door, curious to what the well-dressed young woman wanted.
"Hello Haruno-San!" Haku bowed, "I am Haku. I am Naruto-Sama's servant."
Mebuki eyes widened as she recognized the young woman's name. Sakura had talked to her often about Haku, for a few weeks it was to complain about how Haku-San was so close to Naruto. But in the last two weeks, give or take a few days, Sakura's stance had changed. Sakura had told Mebuki of how she and Haku-Chan had become friends. Sakura had also mentioned that Haku would be coming over to learn "how to make a house a home." The request, while strange, was something that Mebuki understood and was more than happy to help the confused young woman out.
"Hello Haku-San!" Mebuki greeted, "Would you like to come in?" Haku bowed again and followed the dark blonde woman into the living room. After they both settled into the chairs, Haku tentatively poised her question.
"Mebuki-San, your house seems to be a home. Could you tell me what techniques you used so I can turn Naruto-Sama's house into a home?"
Mebuki tilted her head slightly to the side as she considered Haku's request. "Haku-San," She began kindly, "The difference between a house and a home isn't some special series of techniques or procedures. It's a home because when you enter it you don't have to pretend to be something else or someone else. You can relax, knowing that you are cared and loved for in your home. "
Haku carefully thought about Mebuki's words, her pretty face scrunching up slightly, slightly reminiscent of Naruto's thinking expression. "Perhaps, Haku silently considered, "I didn't understand what the definition of a home was, but I have done my best to make the house a sanctuary for Naruto-Sama and myself. Naruto-Sama seems to relax when he gets home for the day."
Haku's cheeks gained a slight pink tone as she thought about what the word "love" meant to her towards Naruto-Sama. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, but it was different then the same feelings she held towards Zabuza-Sama. Haku mentally shoved those feelings to the back of her mind. She would deal with them later.
"Thank-You, Mebuki-San!" The Ice-user bowed, "You have cleared up my confusion." Mebuki and Haku made small talk for another few minutes as they headed towards the front door. After the door shut behind the ice user, Mebuki felt the smallest of smirks cross her face. "Don't look now, Sakura-Chan, but you might have more competition for Naruto then you realize soon." Mebuki idly peeked out the window, but was pleasantly surprised to not see the group of ninja that had been lingering near her home where nowhere in sight.
Haku headed to pick up a few groceries she needed before Naruto returned from her trip. As she walked, she reached up to touch one of her ice senbons that was holding up her hair. It took a small, steady stream of chakra to the senbons to keep them from slowly melting. As Haku neared the edge of the housing district, she noticed several younger people moving into Naruto's old apartment. They moved the pieces of furniture with military precision, but the Haku could not find any symbol to indicate what rank they were. The black jacket they wore was odd, only coming down to their midriff, but other than that they didn't seem to have an standard uniform. A pale white boy, his skin almost unnaturally white, waved to her as he picked up a rather large plant pot. His extremely fake looking smile slightly unnerved Haku and she continued onto the store, reasoning that whoever wanted to move into Naruto's old apartment wasn't important to Naruto-Sama or her.
Team Eight entered Konoha and split up, each member heading in a different direction. Kurenai headed to give the Hokage her report, albeit slightly altered. The members of Team Eight agreed to not mention the fact that Naruto had used the Kyubi's chakra, given the alarm it raised last time. Afterwards, she planned on speaking to Anko, to both ask her to help with training Sakura and Hinata, as well as to inform her friend of the contract taken out against Team Eight. Naruto had given Kurenai permission to tell Anko about his parents.
Sakura was heading over to her parents house, in order to start packing her things in preparation to move to Naruto's home. Naruto and Hinata made their way to the Hyuga compound, splitting up when they reached the gates of the compound. Hinata headed into the clan home, seeking to schedule an audience with her father and to also start packing what few things were not already packed for her move. Naruto quickly walked to his house, wanting to make sure things were cleaned up and ready for Sakura-Chan and Hinata-Chan to move in.
"I'm home!" Naruto called as walked through the door. A moment later Haku walked into the room and greeted the blonde.
"Welcome home Naruto-Sama!"
Haku tilted her head. Something was different about Naruto-Sama. He seemed...lighter somehow. As if a burden she never knew he had been carrying had been lifted. It wasn't too obvious to the untrained eye, but if you had spent time with the blonde, it was the most obvious thing in the world. Before, there was a deeply hidden sadness in Naruto-Sama's eyes. It was, she privately suspected, why Naruto would always scrunch his eyes shut while smiling. But that sadness was gone, replaced by a calm happiness. No, not mere happiness. Joy. And when Naruto looked in her direction, Haku was temporally stunned. Naruto-Sama's smile was radiant. It was the sun taken mortal form. It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was Naruto-Sama.
"N-Naruto-Sama," Haku finally found her voice, turning slightly away from her master in an attempt to hide her burning cheeks, "What happened? You seem...brighter than before!"
Naruto's grin threatened to split his face. "I found out who my parents were! And more importantly," the blonde's voice dropped into an awed whisper. "They loved me!"
Haku gasped, feeling happy tears begin to spill down her pretty cheeks in the shared joy of Naruto's discovery. Haku knew that her Naruto-Sama had nightmares, and she had always felt so helpless when he had them. She would often sit outside his door, wishing; praying; hoping; that there would be some way to help him. Sometimes, on the worst nights, Naruto-Sama would call out for his family, begging them to help him; to save him.
"Naruto-Sama," Haku began, wanting to know about the people who had left Naruto alone, "Who were your parents?"
Sakura opened the front door to her parent's home. "Mom!" She called as she headed into the hallway, "I'm home!"
"I'm in the kitchen!" Mebuki called back. Sakura walked into the kitchen a minute later, spotting her mother baking something delicious smelling, a bowl half-filled with cookie dough sitting on the counter. "So how was the mission?" Mebuki asked as she turned to her daughter, wiping her hands on the dishrag.
Sakura half-grinned. While she was beyond happy that Naruto-Kun had learned who his parents were, Hinata had gained a large amount of boldness in her quest to claim Naruto. And it had Sakura worried. Unlike Hinata Hyuga, the Haruno clan wasn't prestigious. In fact, it barely had twenty members, and that was including those scattered about the various lands. Sakura wasn't very knowledgeable in clan politics, and she suspected that she never would be good at them. One simply couldn't punch everyone who made snide remarks after all. And given the importance of the clans Naruto had inherited...
Her thoughts must have shown on her face because Mebuki ushered her over to the kitchen table. "Tell me everything!" She urged her daughter, not knowing how to help without more information. Her eyes never left Sakura's face as she listened intently to her daughter's recounting of the mission.
Hinata found her father exiting the area by the koi pond behind the Clan Head house. "Father, I have some important information that is most important to the clan, you, and myself." Seeing Haishi's attention instantly focus completely on her, the Hyuga heiress continued. "During my last mission several things came to light. Among them, the clans," Hinata emphasized, "Naruto-Kun belongs to. Naruto-Kun and I would like to set up a meeting with you to discuss them and how it will effect Naruto-Kun."
Hiashi nodded, his mind already attempting to figure out what two clans Naruto-San was a part of. He could figure that Uzumaki clan was one of them, given the size of his chakra reserves as well as his actions. But he didn't know that there was a second clan Naruto-San was a part of. Wait a second, hadn't his precious Hinata said 'several things had come to light?'. "Daughter, was there anything else that happened on the mission?"
Hinata nodded, hiding her smirk. While she was grateful that her father was starting to act like a father, he had much to make up for. And she would happily manipulate everyone to keep her Naruto-Kun safe. "There was an assassination contract placed on Team Eight. If it wasn't for Naruto-Kun, we would have all died."
Hiashi stilled. His thoughts had gone cold, his anger a icy, frozen thing. "Come daughter, there is a room where we can talk privately. You must tell me everything!"
Kurenai sighed to herself as she left the Hokage's office. While she didn't exactly feel bad for giving a modified mission report to the Hokage, she still felt slightly guilty for lying to the village leader. She had been told from the time she started in the ninja program to always tell the truth to the Hokage, but she had to think of her precious people first now. Plus there was a inner fire and strength in Hiruzen that hadn't been there when she left for the mission. Whether it was beneficial or not for those she held dear however was the question.
Kurenai tilted her head to glance at the sun's position in the sky. At this time Anko should be finishing up a meal at her favorite dango shop and heading back to Training Ground Forty-Four. If Kurenai hurried, she could catch her boisterous friend before she entered the training ground.
"WHAT!" Given what Kurenai knew of her friend, she shouldn't have been surprised as she was by Anko's reaction. "WHAT THE FUCK! WHO GIVES THEM THE RIGHT TO HURT YOU GUYS!" Anko sucked in several aggravated breaths, slightly calming. "Taking a contract out on my friends!" The violet haired young woman ranted. "And how did no one know who Naru-Kun's parents were!" She paused. "How did I not know who his parents were?"
Kurenai, using Anko's temporary confusion to as an opportunity to interject, quickly brought the conversation back on topic. "Anko-Chan, you can't tell anyone about Naruto-Kun's heritage!"
Anko scowled, but nodded, showing her reluctant acceptance. The blonde kid had grown on her, his simple acceptance of who she was without any sort of fear or judgment had felt nice. He radiated confidence and peace, making you feel like you could be the best you could be; that you could become better then you were; that you could become more than just the 'snake bitch'.
So the idea that someone would try to kill not only Naruto, but the entire Team Eight, including Kurenai, her first real friend, made her more than a little angry. "Oh, don't you worry." Anko dismissed Kurenai's fears, "I won't tell anyone about Naru-Kun's little secrets. But," A bloodthirsty grin appeared on the violette's face, "I will be checking to see if I can find anyone who knew about the contract. And when I find them..." Anko paused, seemingly savoring the idea of 'interrogating' the people responsible, "They'll tell me everything I want to know..."
A moment later Anko's expression rapidly shifted into a lighter tone. "So," She began conversationally, "When I sparred with Naru-Kun that one time, I noticed how oblivious he was..."
Kurenai blinked, needing a moment to shift gears as it were to the current topic of conversation. "Y-Yes." It came out more sounding like a question then the confirmation she intended.
"Well, I say we see how oblivious he can truly be." Anko continued, her voice taking on a slight devious tone. "I'll train the girls, make 'em strong and all that. And," Anko's grin widened, "I'll drop a few hints to them. See if we can really test the limits of his obviousness."
"I don't know..." Kurenai said, her tone uncertain, "That doesn't sound like something they would enjoy..."
Anko snorted. "Everyone is a pervert." She paused considering. "Well, perhaps not Naru-Kun. He might be a lost cause at this point." She shrugged. "Either way, I'm sure that I can 'help' Hinata and Sakura along in their quest." The violet haired woman spread her hands in a dramatic fasion. "It's the only thing I can do for a noble quest to claim the heart of a powerful hero!" A teasing grin appeared on her face at Kurenai's disbelieving face. "Don't give me that look! You are not the Ice Queen everyone thinks you are!"
"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Kurenai said stiffly, before insisting, "And I am not a pervert! I am above such things!"
Anko's grin looked like a shark that had scented blood. "Oh really? Not even for Asuma?"
Kurenai stuttered, her face turning a very interesting shade of red. "I-I have no idea what you are talking about!" The red-eyed woman quickly turned to leave before Anko got more ammunition. "Team Eight meets tomorrow morning at nine!"
"Use protection!" Anko cheerfully called out to the rapidly retreating back of her friend.
"I see." Haishi Hyuga said. His calm tone was the complete opposite of the feelings of outrage he felt inside. Try to kill his little girl would they? They would rue the day they even thought of such an action! And to think Naruto-San would be part of such powerful clans...Haishi furiously thought, discarding several plans before settling on the most likely to succeed. "I will meet with Naruto-San next Monday to discuss his clan status." As the father watched his daughter bow and leave the room, he thought about his plan. If he could somehow bind Hinata to Naruto-San, she would be completely immune to the machinations of not only the Hyuga Clan, but the village at large. Not only that, but Hanabi, his second daughter, would be granted the same immunity by virtue of being the sister of Hinata. His family would be protected.
Sakura headed up to her room to pack. Her mom had been significantly shocked by the pinkette's recounting of the mission, but not so shocked that she had been unable to offer some advice for Sakura. Sakura grinned a very Naruto-like grin as she thought about the advantage she had just gained over Hinata-Chan. All was fair in love and war right? She opened the door to her room and froze. The room was completely bare, save for a box filled with scrolls sitting innocently in the center. A note was resting on top of the ordered scrolls.
Sakura made her way to the box, confusion warring with curiosity. She picked up the note and began to read.
"Sakura-Chan, your father and I have packed all of your things away in sealing scrolls for you. There is a ordered list of what each scroll contains at the bottom of this letter. Don't worry, everything is there."
Sakura spotted several round, dried water marks on the note. Her mother's neat, precise hand writing did not change, despite the evidence of the dried tears.
"You are growing up so fast. We are so proud of you. You have grown up into a fine young woman. Know that you will always have a place here should you ever need it."
Sakura's fresh tears dripped onto the page, joining the dried ones.
"We will always love you, no matter how far away you go. We will always support you, no matter the decision. We are, and always will be, proud of you.
Love,
Mom and Dad."
Sakura let the note fall back into the box and raised a hand to wipe the tears off her face. She slowly stood, feelings of utter warmth filling her. As she headed down the stairs to thank her mother, she made a vow, that someday Naruto would feel such love, such warmth. That he would have a family.
Haku leaned back, her back protesting from sitting in one position for so long. She easily ignored it. She bowed low, keeping her face from Naruto-Sama's sight. It wouldn't do for him to recognize the emotions on her face. "Thank-you Naruto-Sama for telling me!" Even if she couldn't see his expression, she still felt the warmth of his smile. "But shouldn't you check on the rooms you have picked for Sakura-Chan and Hinata-San?" It was only when Naruto's footsteps had faded from the room did the ice-user lift her head.
Anger, bordering on rage was clearly painted on her pretty face. She slowly stood, quickly writing a note to Naruto-Sama. She had to go to the training ground. Naruto-Sama was correct that training did help with dealing with emotions. And she was feeling quite emotional right now. How DARE they put out a contract on Naruto-Sama and his team? If she ever found out who created the contract...the air grew cold. As Haku reached the center of the training ground the tight control she had on her outrage broke. Her chakra spiked. Fall became winter.
Hinata watched the proceedings in front of her with no small amount of confusion. She had intended on just packing what she needed, but had made the mistake of answering the inquiry of one of the Branch Members about what she was doing. It was a scant few minutes later when a dozen Branch Members descended on her room, sealing everything in sight in a whirlwind of motion. Her current confusion was generated by the two arguing Branch Members who were debating if it would be feasible to seal a few koi fish for Hinata, both knowing that the gentle heiress loved to sit by the peaceful pond. Eventually, it was agreed upon that they would leave the fish alone for now. Hinata stopped a Branch Member who was about to seal her fox-themed calendar. She glanced at the current date, her eyes widening. It was October 6th! Only four days until Naruto-Kun's birthday! Glancing up at the sudden whispers of excitement, Hinata realized that perhaps she should not have spoken aloud.
The confused murmurs of the gathered group echoed in the chamber. They had all been about to start eating a nice evening meal with their respective families when they had received the summons for a emergency meeting. It had been years since a emergency meeting had been called, the last had been when a group of the Hokage's personal guard had stopped them from killing the demon fox while it was but a year old. So with all due haste the members had assembled in this secret chamber. The leader cleared his throat, gaining the attention of those gathered in the room.
"I have called this meeting because I have just received the most disturbing news of my life. The assassins that we contracted failed to kill Team Eight." Worried whispers broke out. "Not only that, it appears that the demon was able to use its chakra cloak without succumbing to rage." The leader paused, his face pale. "The contract was returned to me by the leader of the assassin group. He claims that he was not paid to kill a jinchruiki and he will not accept any more contracts from us." The leader shock his head. "The leader informed me that one of his men informed Team Eight about the contract. The man who told the demon died to the fox shortly later." The leader's shoulders slumped, defeat laced in every word. "No doubt the Hokage will learn of the contract, if he already has not. We have failed."
There utter silence as each member reflected on their failure to protect Konoha. After the leader recovered himself, he asked, "Does anyone have an idea what we should do now?"
"Perhaps we should lay low." One suggested, "After all, if you think about it, the demon only attacks those who attack it's friends." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Come to think of it, the demon hasn't done anything to attack us since it was sealed. It's clearly powerful enough to do damage, but it chooses not to. Perhaps we should just leave it alone."
"That's exactly what it wants you to think!" Another member shouted back, "It it just waiting for us to lower our guard! We must continue to find ways to hurt it!" He took a breath before continuing, zealous fire burning his eyes, "We must find its weakness before it destroys the village!"
"But why would it need subterfuge?" Another shot back, "It's the Nine-Tail Demon Fox. It doesn't need trickery!"
"That's what it wants you to think!" Was the snarled reply. The room quickly deteriorated into shouts and curses, two groups forming. One group believed that if they left the demon fox alone and didn't attack or hurt it's friends, it would have no reason to destroy the village. The second group insisted that they had to press the attacks on the demon while they still could, least the demon grow powerful enough to destroy them all.
Only one man still sat quiet, simply watch the unfolding chaos. If anyone had stopped shouting for a moment, they would have realized that it was the one who had originally suggested the assassination contract. And if you looked even closer, one have could spotted the smallest of satisfied smirks touching his lips. "Even the greatest of armies fall when divided."
So what did you think? Drop a review and let me know!
To my reviewers:
kalel201125: Thanks! I do try to utilize my skill the best I can, but sometimes it doesn't come up quite the way I intended.
acw28: Thanks! I had a blast writing it. And as far as the merchant goes, I think most of your questions about him have answered this chapter. And as far as the spider-silk goes, they did get a discount card...
KasumiKeiko: Thanks! And as far as Sasuke goes, it really depends on how he develops. He is currently fixated on defeating Naruto, but he could learn at some point that there is more than one way to defeat an opponent. And that would end...quite badly for him.
Iceflame55: Haku is starting to see the difference between Zabuza, who used her as his personal weapon, and Naruto, who just wants a friend. You'll see in this chapter a hint of her changing feelings towards Naruto. One of the things that makes me sad while reading other stories is that they have such great ideas, but don't take the time to flesh it out. I try my best to flesh everything out, to make each character feel as real as they possibly can.
CreedRazerReaper: The bonds of family and friends, and how far you will go to protect them is one of the central themes of this story. And as far as Danzo goes, I'm letting that up to reader interpretation. I'm interested in seeing what you guys think his true motive is.
Vanishing Raptor: Exactly. But they have learned, sort of. The start of Konoha's wake-up call started this chapter. And it will continue. And you have the best sayings.
Animaman: Thanks! I decided to go with a different angle for the client. I wanted to see that it's not just Konoha that they are willing to manipulate or hurt. As far as Hiruzen's making up goes, it will have to be quite a bit. Even more so if/when Naruto learns that Hiruzen knew all along about his parents. Danzo will be left up to your interpretation for now. I'm interested in what you think his true motives are. As far as who interrogated Naruto's former landlord, there's a hint of who did it this chapter. The fabled talk will be happening next chapter!
Goliith: Heh. Yeah...life got a bit busy for me this last week. Hopefully it will settle out soon. Let me know what you think of the new summery! I tried to keep the vagueness of the summery while showing the focus of the story. I personally liked Yugao as well in the story, given how few sword-users there are, not to mention true kunoichi. Bear was a lot of fun to create. Hiruzen has finally lost the blinders he himself put on. He is getting back to the 'Shinobi no Kami', the one only hinted about in the series. Time will tell if it will benefit our heros though. The C-Rank was a bit of a struggle for me honestly. I had to sit down and carefully figure out what information exactly would be given to the assassins. Given that most of the shadow council aren't ninja, I couldn't see them noticing the subtle differences between 'accurate with weapons' and 'precise with weapons'. Or anything like that. And they most certainly wouldn't tell anyone that Naruto was the demon fox. Ironically, the only reason that the mission failed was because of the ronin's honor. The ronin had still a shred of honor left in him, and thus answered Naruto truthfully, sparking his rage. If he had not, the fight would have gone very differently. As far as the poisoning goes, the scene was originally much more epic. But given that I had no real way to top it, I pulled the scene out and replaced it. The original scene that I pulled out is saved for later. Here's your update!
logenhunter2: I understand where you are coming from. But in cannon and HotE the village doesn't seem to understand Naruto up until it's bashed into their face. In cannon it takes basically the village getting destroyed for them to stop hating him. For HotE...heh heh heh. The talk will be next chapter!
gothamking: Thanks! I have a few plans for the Chakra inprints. I think you guys will like them when it is revealed. Haku is an interesting character. She was between 5-7 when Zabuza found her. So she was old enough to understand what a home felt like, but too young to understand why it felt like it did. Plus the years of brainwashing from Zabuza didn't help at all. Here's the next chapter!
bloodbrother 18: Thanks! I honestly couldn't see that there was no missing ninja from any of the major clans in Naruto. So I sat down and plotted when it would be most likly that any clan members would have left the village. There was a few hints about the Kyubi, but perhaps it was a bit too subtle. And don't worry. You'll see what the reaction to Bear's report to Dog-Sama next chapter. And yeah, as a general rule, Naruto did romance poorly. But there was enough hints for me to utilize it.
SilentSambo88: You are absolutely right. However, and perhaps this is my failing as a writer, it's very hard for me to 'step into their shoes' for a heavier romance given their age. It might be where I grew up, or perhaps I still find it fundamentally odd for kids to have adult relationships. And you are correct about Naruto having a hard time understanding love. Especially even more so in this story. But that will slowly change, unlike in cannon. It brings a smile to my face that you think that perhaps one of the events in this chapter would have been better then the cannon one. The reviews you guys leave influence and inspire me. It's a long journey ahead, but Sakura and Hinata are starting to realize that they may have to share Naruto, even if they don't consciously acknowledge it. And I wonder what you'll think of Hinata's actions this chapter. In a way, I'm glad it's jarring to read. I try to make sure that a characters actions are shown for what they are, rather than excusing it. So Zabuza's actions towards Haku are shown for what they were. It's funny. When I started this fic, it was going to be Naruto/Sakura. It quickly developed into Naruto/Sakura/Hinata. And now at this point, it might be developing even further. As far as the Kyubi goes, it's not so much it being chummy with Naruto as it is being friendly with him. Too often authors give the Kyubi human characteristics. In HotE, the best way to describe the Kyubi's feelings towards Naruto is "This Is My Human". It tries to understand what a friend is, but it lacks a human understanding of what exactly a friend is. This isn't helped by the fact that Naruto doesn't fully understand the word either. So the Kyubi just believes that if it helps Naruto kill everyone who attacks him, it's being a good friend. Don't feel bad. I enjoyed reading and responding to your reviews.
X70A: No problem!
Trace Reading: True, but I can't see everyone knowing about them. Kurenai probably wouldn't, and three genin certainly wouldn't.
kurifu geri: Well, it's currently looking like that's how the paring is shaping up. But that might change though.
Redripper666: My author notes may be a bit on the longer side, but they do have a purpose. But I color-code them so you can just dive right into the story if you want.
kurifu gari: To my knowledge, and anyone can feel free to correct me if I am wrong, there is a difference in a girl's mind between 'close friends' and 'let's share the man we love'. Now this may change as their relationship with Naruto progresses. Here's another chapter!
DemonFiccer: Here's the update! Sakura was a very underused character in Cannon. She started out as important, but a strong lack of good character growth hampered her. I personally don't really like a pure cannon Sakura. But a properly written Sakura isn't bad.
Lightningblade49: Thanks!
eimajssof: Thanks! Here's the next chapter!