Chapter 10

Departure

Beta: Old man of the mountain/Darklord331

Naruto and his two brothers are sitting around a table at dinner. Buddha was stuffing his face with everything he can enjoy while Beelzebub and himself were just eating as if they had more table manners. Not that he was a slob, but Naruto couldn't tell if he was inhaling his food or actually enjoying it.

"So what now?" Naruto put his chopsticks down, "What should we do?"

Buddha gulped down his food. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we have to decide what we are doing next." Naruto sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Right now we have what we wanted from this area, so we should leave after resting for the night. But the question is where we should go from here."

Buddha scratched the back of his head.

"Wave?"

Naruto shook his head, "No we can't put them in anymore danger than we already have. Hiding me was probably enough trouble for them as a whole. If the Leaf sends out their ninja we could be spotted and lets face it, I have a very recognizable face." He sighed, "That and if they are tracing my steps they are going to go to Wave eventually and that might be a political matter I want to avoid."

The two nodded.

"Then what about one of the other nations?"

"No." Naruto held up his fingers, "Kiri is currently in the midst of a civil war. If we went there we would either be killed or dragged into their conflict." He tapped his second finger, "Kumo would want to use us for breeding material for their military, and given how bloodline obsessive they have been over the years it makes sense." Naruto tapped his third finger, "Iwa, that place is just a powder keg as I look like the fourth hokage meaning if we go there someone might attack us just on that principle alone."

The two brothers nodded. It was sound reasoning and they too wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict.

"What about a minor country?"

Buddha sighed, "If we did that and Konoha found him, they would surrender him in a heartbeat to avoid a war with them."

He snapped his fingers.

"We can't hide in Kusa or any of the other nations as there is already tension all around thanks to the invasion and death of the third. Plus with the prison probably already being known and the box I was in destroyed, people are probably scouring everywhere for information."

"True." Buddha snapped his fingers, "What about the Bending Nations then?"

The two brothers looked at Buddha.

"Think about it; they are in their own conflict so we can hide out there. Also, the rumor of the Avatar has always intrigued me so I want to see what kind of person the Avatar is. Plus, they have no ties or loyalties to the Elemental Nations so that means we can just go there and not worry."

"Yeah but the war that is brewing." Beelzebub frowned, "Should we really be taking it that casually we don't know how powerful they are over there. Plus who knows other shinobi might have fled there too."

Naruto sighed, "But he does have a point it is one of the few places in the world we would be safe and not tracked on a regular."

"Unless we start something."

Naruto rolled his eyes,

"Yeah unless we start something. But again, it is our best option. It takes what about three months to get there?"

"Yeah."

"Then we can be there by the end of the year and start our new year in a new place."

Buddha smirked,

"Okay then, all in favor for the trip?"

Buddha raised his hand, Naruto raised his own, and Beelzebub raised his hand.

"I didn't disagree," seeing the disbelief on their faces, "I'm just saying that it seemed to be an option we are just looking at the positives and not the negatives."

Naruto nodded. He understood his reasoning, he really did. But at the same time there was no reason to hesitate in this situation.

"So, tomorrow we head to the bending nations. Maybe while we are there I can master this Chi-blocking fighting style I'm using."

Buddha smiled and his eyes lit up, "I can learn all about the monks in those lands and the path of the Avatar! I can't wait to meet the legendary being that is said to reincarnate 100 times over!"

Beelzebub sighed, "I'm more curious about their chi and how it relates to chakra and if it is possible to replicate."

Naruto frowned.

"Your not going to experiment on people are you?"

"No trust me I won't." He sighed, "I'm not going to cross that line but I will want to witness and understand how it is different from us and how we can master it if possible."

Naruto and Buddha nodded before Naruto picked his drink up and smiled, "To new begininngs and to our family."

"Family!" Both brothers joined Naruto in clinking their glasses together and planning out what they need for the trip ahead.

Konoha

Tsunade was not pleased; not in the fucking least. She was so agitated she just wanted to murder those bastards on the council. Just thinking of their heads popping off their shoulders like bottle caps was just enough to make her want to do it.

Shizune expressed concern for her; especially since she wasn't drinking for more than a month and now seems to be throwing herself into her work more.

"God damn it where are you Naruto?"

The lord had made it clear that Konoha was in a lot of trouble. With the revelation of who Naruto's parents were and the facts of his treatment and the lies played against him. She was aware that the lord had all of them taken back to the capital and punished extensively. While she was curious she heard from Asuma it was best not to ask, stating there are things there that are just better not known for their own safety.

She left it at that.

But now, they were trying to find Naruto without using the toads which proved difficult. Their lord ordered them to investigate the blood prison and upon arriving there her shinobi reported the massacre.

Apparently the whole place was gone; nothing was left but skeletons and dry blood that was smeared all over the place. Hearing this she was terrified of what was awakened inside of the prison since there were rumors that the Box of Eternal Bliss was somewhere in their country. No one knew where exactly but they knew it was out there and that they had to find the damn thing. It was the one thing that all the major villages agreed on; finding the box and removing it from the equation once and for all.

The next report made her blood run cold.

The box was destroyed.

Nothing, nothing the world had done could destroy that damn thing. Nothing could break it, and nothing could stop the box. From what they understood that damn thing was indestructible which is why removing it and hiding it was the best option for all. However, hearing this news made her fear the worst.

Naruto was put into the box and he came out of it alive.

But what changed about him?

What did he see inside the box that just broke him so badly? Was her betrayal that bad? Did Jiraiya never coming to save him have an affect?

She knew that they needed to find him and explain the situation to him but she was sure of one thing; he would never trust the village again.

Why would he? They betrayed him, spat on him, gave him nothing but heartache, and now they are hunting him down because of the Kyuubi. Why should he swear loyalty to them?

The Lord understood this but feared leaving someone like Naruto without someone to guide them was a bad thing and offered to take the boy into the palace as a way to protect him from all that wanted to exploit him.

However, they first had to find out where he went.

But that was only the beginning of their troubles and she knew it the minute she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Entering the room she saw the familiar form of Tazuna. She heard about this from the report where Naruto helped inspire their country to stand up to the tyrant that ruled over them—allowing them to be free of his rule and gaining prosperity. Konoha had a good trading deal with them and it was something that she feared losing.

"Tazuna it is good to see you."

The old man looked at her and walked into the office.

"I think we need to speak in private. Because this is something serious."

Tsunade frowned and ordered the ANBU out of the office. Once the seal was up, she motioned for him to continue. The man took a sniff of his drink before putting it down.

This was a surprise as from what she was told he was quite the drinker.

"To be honest, I'm here to talk to you about the matter relating to our trade agreement."

"Oh?"

"While I might not be a shinobi or run a powerful village, I refuse to work with a village that spat on the face of someone that was our savior."

That pit feeling was coming back.

"What do-"

"Don't condescend me." He sighed, "Naruto stopped by Wave a few months back."

Her eyes widened, that meant he was going to familiar places! Meaning they could-,

"He left more than two months ago and we have no idea where he went. Just that he was leaving and heading off in a direction with another young man."

A young man? Interesting that meant Naruto was starting to find allies which is both good and bad. Good that he has someone to watch his back but bad as they don't know if he was working for the Akatuski.

"Thank you for telling us as we are currently-"

"Looking for your prized weapon?" Tsunade's eyes widened. "Yes he told us about how he was treated as a weapon. How the village treated him as a child, what he went through, what happened on his last job where he stopped that traitor from running off. He then told us what happened while he was in the prison." He gripped the bottle, "It was so horrifying that he couldn't tell us everything. But I could see it; the evils that were committed to that child, he was a changed man. I saw it; his eyes were wary, his mouth spoke half-truths, and he seemed to carry so much pain on his shoulders it made me want to cry. My daughter has been in tears after learning what happened to him and tried to smother him with love and affection." He sighed, "But it was not enough I know that look better than anyone. He is a survivor of the worst conditions and he is not someone you want to trifle with."

"Tazuna-"

"No, your actions say more than enough. I promised Naruto that he would be safe and I will keep my word but at the same time I can't abide by what you all have done with him. So as soon as we pay off what we owe, there is no more alliance. We have others willing to join us and protect us from other villages. At this time, we are only temporary allies." He smiled, "Which is more than you all deserve."

"Please let me explain everything. I know this seems bad and it is, but there is a reason you should listen."

Tazuna frowned and listened in.

Traitors in her court, her lord coming down to try the traitor, to find out about the prison he was in, and the horrors that were experienced at the hands of these rogue council members.

"I thank you for telling me this but my decision stands as does my country. So even if you kill me, it won't matter as this is the deal we agreed on as a nation." He frowned, "However, you should know he was doing better. That is all I will say good bye."

Tazuna turned on his heel and walked out of the office with Tsunade putting her face into her hands.

"Great, just fucking great I wish I could kill those council members. Those fucking idiots don't realize the damage they have done." She sighed, "We might not have a choice but to reveal what happened to everyone."

"Hime, we don't have a choice either way." Jiraiya appeared on the other side of the room. While it was true he asked for the ANBU to leave he didn't know about Jiraiya so they did abide by his wishes.

They just played with his words a bit.

"What do you mean?"

"The lord, he has decreed he is going to reveal everything the council members have done. Soon the entire continent will know."

Tsunade groaned and leaned back in her chair.

"Great get me the brats from his generation. I think we need to nip this in the bud before it gets out."

"Got it."

Jiraiya disappeared for a few minutes before returning with Naruto's generation and Konohamaru who insisted on being there to hear about Naruto.

He was one of the few people that really hated that he was treated as a monster and swore as the next Hokage that he would make sure Naruto is remembered as a true hero. He would stand by him no matter what and that was something he would fight for.

It was making her happy that she had a successor in mind.

"I'm glad you are all here." She looked at the group, "As you know Naruto has been missing from the village and I'm not sure if you all know what happened."

Sakura bit her lip in frustration. Hinata moped, Kiba was neutral and so were many in the room but those that knew him were worried.

"There is a decree that is going out in a few days. The lord is going to reveal everything that my former council members did to Naruto. I mean EVERYTHING and right now I want you all to know the real reason why they did it and what he went through."

Kakashi, who had a sad expression held his hand up,

"Should we let Sasuke know about this?"

Tsunade sighed, "He already knows."

The group was shocked and angry, why did the traitor-

"He was in the room when it happened. It was during his trial and while I will admit letting him off with what he has is not something I would do. He did show remorse and did accept his mistake so I'm willing to give him one more chance. As that is something Naruto would want us to do."

The group nodded.

"Now for those in the know; the nine-tails attack devastated our village years ago. It even cost us the Fourth Hokage. However, what you all don't know is that the Hokage sealed the Tailed Beast away." She looked at his picture on the other side of the room, "While powerful and talented, there was no real way to stop the Bijuu other than through the most dangerous sealing method. So he used the Death Reaper Seal to seal the Nine-tails into a baby."

Shikamaru sighed, "It was Naruto."

"Yes."

The group was left stunned; the greatest natural disaster their village had faced and Naruto had it sealed inside of him? Everyone was shocked beyond belief but some of them started to think about his life and realize there was a reason for it. The children distancing themselves from him, the way the adults looked and talked about him, and how the teachers treated him. It made sense.

How he was purposedly singled out, how he was mistreated through his time at the school, and how he was trained in the wrong fashion and they were told not to help him. Now it made more sense and some like Neji understood Naruto knew better than anyone what it meant to have a seal. His was worse than Neji's, if he let fate determine his life then what is the point of living?

Lee on the other hand saw a fellow outcast who was never given a chance and he felt terrible he didn't stand up for him sooner.

Kakashi frowned and could only apologize to Minato and Hiruzen for not doing better in teaching his team and taking care of Naruto when he had the chance. He was a coward he admitted that much, he can make excuses, but at the end of the day he had the chance to be there for him. He just didn't do it because he had an excuse for it.

"I can see you all understand why the council did what they did but we finally found out exactly where he was sent. He was sent to the Blood Prison in Kusa."

The room was confused, most of the younger generation, and horrified and angry in the case of the older generation.

Kakashi his eyes filling with tears and his fist was clenched so tight that he was drawing out blood.

Gai was growling at the thought of what Naruto went through in that horrible place.

Kurenai, while not as close as the rest, was terrified of what he had seen and what was done to him.

Asuma growled and was crushing his cigarette in his hand out of frustration.

"The Blood Prison?"

Tsunade turned to Sakura, "It is considered the darkest prison in the entire world. It is where the worst of the worst are sent, to serve out their sentences without anyone to help them. They are treated worse than slaves and treated as nothing more than after thoughts. Naruto was sent there; could you imagine what his time there was like?"

The group shivered; knowing that some of their parents told them what happens in some of those places and thinking Naruto went through all of that after being betrayed. Some just went over to the trash can and heaved up their stomachs.

"We learned something else."

The group turned to her, "We found out that the Box of Eternal Bliss, a dangerous and forbidden object from the age of the Six Paths was found in the basement of the prison."

The group was terrified by this news. The younger generation were told that they would be explained to each of them later but for now the story was about Naruto.

"We have no proof but we have someone that saw Naruto recently claim that he was there and we think he was thrown into the Box."

"How did he survive?"

"Gai, we don't know. Honestly, we don't know. From the reports the box was destroyed from the inside out. Something or someone busted out of the thing and destroyed the prison; murdering everyone in the crossfire."

Everyone was shakened.

"Y-y-you think it was Naruto?"

Everyone turned to Hinata who was pale with puffy red eyes.

"Yes." Tsunade looked at them, "It is the only logical conclusion we can make but we don't know how he did it. At this time, I wanted to warn all of you, the details will be released through our lord so be prepared. Also, be prepared for changes as many allies that we have thanks to Naruto are not going to be happy about this."

Everyone in the room nodded, this was going to be a huge turning point for Konoha and the rest of the world.

At least, the Elemental Nations but they didn't know that.

End of the year

Naruto and his brother's smirked across the bow of the ship.

"Our new journey and our new beginning."

Chapter End