Slight alterations were made. I suggest a re-read.
Naruto walked down the street, faltering in his step every so often. the loss of his eye gave him some problems with his depth perception, but he knew that it was only a matter of time.
He turned a corner and walked past a couple of market stalls, stopping at one to inspect its merchandise.
"Well, well...look at you, don't you clean up nice." a voice said behind him.
Naruto glanced over his shoulder, holding one of the short blades the merchant was selling. "Worried I wouldn't be able to sate your needs?"
The woman in question stood next to him, also starting to inspect the weaponry. "Oh, I already found myself a new playdate," she shrugged before tossing the blade back on the table. "You were a decent lay but, in the end, I can't have people figuring out I've been fucking one of Konoha's biggest traitors now, can we?"
Naruto shook his head with a smirk. "Gotta keep up the good rep."
Anko nudged her head to the left. "Heads up..."
Naruto was barely able to look up before a fist crashed into his face and sent him sprawling. "The fuck?"
"You traitor!" A teen boy screamed at him, sending his fist flying at the blonde again.
Naruto was barely able to raise his arms before the boy's fist slammed into his guard. "Konohamaru?! what the hell are you doing! stop this now!"
Konohamaru ignored him and tried to hit the hunter again, but this time the blond was prepared and grabbed the incoming arm and threw him in against a wall.
"What do you think you're doing?" Naruto snarled at him, pinning him against the concrete.
"Traitor! abandoning Konoha for your own selfish reasons!" The boy spat at his 'former idol'.
Whilst this was happening, Anko stood there snickering, a small crowd gathering around to see what was going on.
"Me? A traitor? Konoha abandoned me! they tried to take away the one thing that mattered most to me!"
Konohamaru pushed him away and took an aggressive stance, though not appearing to attack again. "You didn't even stay and fight! you ran away instead of fighting against it!"
Naruto burst out in laughter. "Trying to fight a council that licks the heels of him?!" He pointed to the crowd seemingly at no one in particular, before they gave way to Sasuke who was watching the entire ordeal from a small distance.
By now a lot of his 'old friends' had arrived as well, taking in the scene with slight apprehension.
Naruto waved his arms to them as well. "My so called 'friends', and I use this word with absolute loathing! They did nothing to help me! They all just huddled around your precious Uchiha making sure that whatever came out of his putrid mouth was sacred!"
"Naruto..." Sakura started slowly, taking a step forward. "We were young and immature, we couldn't know that this would happen."
By now Konohamaru had managed to free himself from the blonde's grasp and pushed him away. "You were the boss! you gave up so easily. I expected much more from you," He spat on the ground at the feet of Naruto. "Go back to the hole you crept out of. We don't need you."
"Your leader doesn't think so. Might want to check on her before you throw out the group that's assured your survival so far!" The blonde snapped back.
It was then that Konohamaru's teammates arrived. Moegi who once wore a 'unique' hairstyle had now opted for a more stylish and yet simplistic ponytail that befitted a chunin of her age.
Naruto gave her and Udon a spare glance. 'Well, at least Moegi changed.' The girl had grown into a somewhat attractive young women that held an aura not unlike Sakura. Sweet, but dangerous when messed with.
Udon on the other hand had barely changed. He had grown taller in the years that had passed by but it hadn't changed his physique. He had dark hair that was combed backwards, that just didn't quite seem to fit the teenager.
"Konohamaru-kun, let's go, alright? He's not worth it." Moegi spoke as she placed her hand on the Sarutobi's chest trying to steer him into another direction.
Naruto's eye twitched at the comment but let it slide and instead looked to the crowd. "What are you all looking at? Don't you have something better to do?"
The villagers softly talked to one another before they slowly but surely resumed their daily business.
Naruto turned around and continued his trek to the Hokage tower, his mood soured.
Glancing to his right he noticed his old teammates from team seven walking beside him. "What? You want more drama?"
Sakura shook her head and. "Just wondering where you're going."
Naruto grunted and pointed to the tower. "Gotta talk with your Hokage..." he gave one last glance to a grinning Anko and shook his head amusingly, his anger ebbing away.
"And why is that?" This time it was his old rival who spoke up.
"Just be patient and you'll find out soon enough." Naruto looked ahead and noticed Kisame standing there with his usual ridiculous grin.
"Well, well, if it isn't the copycat," He let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, I'm sorry, I mistook you for one of these Konoha dogs!"
"Asshole..." Naruto muttered, a small smile adorned his face. "Aren't you supposed to be recruiting rogue shinobi?"
Kisame nodded before glancing at the blonde's companions. "I did, recruited a bunch of B and a couple of A ranked," He nudged to Sakura and Sasuke. "I see you finally kissed and made up."
Nartuo shoved Kisame aside and started walking towards the Hokage tower again. "You wish! I'm just an incredibly nice guy that everyone wants to befriend."
Sasuke snorted, softly muttering. "Dobe."
"Teme..." Naruto grunted back before looking ahead, noticing that they were almost at the entrance. "You sticking around, Fish? could use your help actually."
Kisame looked at Naruto before chuckling. "Sure, why not."
Meanwhile, Sakura was watching the entire conversation with a smile before quickly following her old teammates.
X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X
Hawke watched from the corner of the office as Jiraiya, and Tsunade were softly conversing along with Shikaku and his son. With the fall of Kumogakure everything was uncertain.
Despite inflicting heavy casualties on their enemy, the Reaver onslaught didn't seem to slow down and were slowly but surely marching their way through Kaminari no Kuni. With the fall of its hidden village, there was little they could do to stop it. The Daimyo and his army tried to do what Kumo's shinobi couldn't but the difference in both mass and power was enormous. They didn't stand a chance.
"The choke point is now Shimo no Kuni, but we can't forget that even if we bunker down there, The Reavers still have a fleet they can use to outmaneuver us." Shikaku pointed out.
Shikamaru walked around the table which had a map placed upon it. "What it seems like they're doing is," pointing at Tsuchi no Kuni, Nami no Kuni and finally at Kaminari No kuno. "Is dividing our attention. they are invading us from different angles which forces us to split our shinobi forces. It looks like they are aware of our alliance with the other countries and are adjusting to it."
before anyone else could speak up there was a knock on the door and Sakure opened it slightly. "Tsunada-sama? do you ha-" she was cut off abruptly when Naruto and Kisame pushed her aside and entered the room.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Kisame before they softened again when she saw Naruto. "Manners? anyone?"
They both looked at each other and shrugged. "I need a Hyuuga for a mission into enemy territory." Naruto stated, his eyes darting across the room."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow in surprise, as did the others in the room, including Sakura and Sasuke. "And just like that I just hand over one of my shinobi? to someone who barely looks at me?"
Naruto shuffled with his feet, impatiently. "Yeah, sounds about right."
"Unless you give me some actual details of this mission you can forget about it, brat."
"Fine fine..." Naruto muttered. taking a seat on top of the table of the Hokage, playing with some of the instruments. "I may have found a way to get the dragons on our side."
Jiraiya looked taken aback. "And how would you manage to do that?"
Naruto glanced at his old teacher. "During the battle of Kumogakure while you were still marching, one of the beasts managed to separate me from the main battle. He told me to come to Tuva-tower in 14 days. But that was three weeks ago."
Tsunade who was leaning with her head on her folded hands spoke up. "And you don't think this is a trap?"
Naruto seemed to contemplate it for a moment before shaking his head, his blonde hair ruffled about. "I don't think so. He could have attacked me back then, he had me trapped and could have severely injured me. Yet he didn't. I truly think that they might want to switch sides."
"That's a lot of what ifs, Naruto..." Shikamaru began slowly before being interrupted by the Hokage.
"I'll give you a Hyuuga, but only if you take Sakura and Sasuke with you."
"How about no?" Naruto responded and pointed over his shoulder to the Akatsuki agent. "I'm planning on taking Kisame and Itachi with me. We work well together."
"Tuva-tower lies in enemy territory. If you want a Hyuuga on this mission, we'll be doing this my way." Tsunade said with finality, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she leaned back in her chair.
Naruto could already imagine the smug faces of Sakura and Sasuke. "You're killing me... Fine! we'll do it your way."
Tsunade turned to Shikamaru. "Fetch Hinata and Sasuke, will you?"
Shikamaru muttered something under his breath which sounded an awful lot like 'troublesome' but left all the same.
"Well, if I'm not going along, I'll just find myself other people to kill." He winked at the group and gave a last glance towards the blonde before leaving the room.
Naruto smirked and gave him a nod, moving across the room to sit down next to Jiraiya and Shikaku.
Sakura followed Naruto's example and sat down across from him, fidgeting with her hands as if she was trying to find the right words to say.
Sasuke, Kiba and Ino softly conversed amongst each other, glancing towards their old friend every now and then.
"How's your eyesight? Tsunade stood up from the table and took the last seat. Jiraiya, Shikaku and Naruto on the couch, with Tsunade and her apprentice on the two chairs.
"It's fine...Look, I'm really not in the mood for smalltalk, Hokage...Just leave me be." Naruto softly spoke, adjusting the cover of his eye slightly. He reached for the one of the glasses but once again his sight failed him and instead brushed his fingers past it.
"Let me do it-" Sakura started and she reached for the glass.
"I lost an eye! I'm not fucking blind, save your pity for someone who wants it." he grabbed the glass and then reached for the jug of water. filling his glass, spilling a portion of it on the table.
Shikaku who was sitting next to him, glanced towards Jiraiya sharing a look but saying nothing otherwise.
Jiraiya spoke up instead, leaning forward slightly. "Brat, how about you relax a bit?"
"I need to relax? I've been trying to just that, but instead I keep getting harassed, with people trying to punch my lights out and what not."
"Who did what now?" Tsunade asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Konohamaru, or at least he tried...That brat," he muttered before pointing his fingers at the Hokage. "Keep your shinobi in check. Next time I'll break every bone in his body."
"You deserved it!" Kiba shouted across the room as he butted into the conversation.
"Let me rephrase it better," Next time I'll break every bone in both Konohamaru and Kiba's body." Naruto coldly stated, taking on a more relaxed posture as he leaned back into the couch.
Kiba pushed past the group who was standing with, baring his teeth in anger. "It's time I put you in your place!"
Naruto waved him off with his hand, barely paying any attention. "Inuzuka, go and ask your sister how well that worked last time."
Ino grabbed the 'active' Inuzuka and pulled him back. "Kiba you need to cool it! I swear I'm going to smack you."
Kiba reluctantly backed down. His angry gaze remained on the Hunter as Ino steered him away to the other end of the corner.
"Good doggie." Naruto took another sip from his drink and turned to Jiraiya. "Hows the new book coming along?"
The Sannin grinned. "Oh, Kakashi will love this one."
"And here I thought you finally made some quality books..."
"This is some high-quality storytelling! Its art is what it really is."
The blonde sighed and shook his in disappointment. "I don't know who's worse, you or Deidera."
Jiraiya reached for his pouch and pulled out a book and handed it to his godson. "Speaking of books! I wanted to give this to you a while back, but I didn't get the chance.
Naruto grabbed the book and looked at the cover. "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi."
Jiraiya winked at him and slapped his shoulder. " I'm sure you'll find some time to read it.
Naruto nodded his thanks and slid it in his pouch. "I'll give it a read, arigato."
Moments later Shikamaru walked in, along with a fully geared Hinata. "You called for me? Hokage-sama?" her eyes darting across the room until they settled on Naruto who gave her a nod.
Naruto briefly brought her up to speed of the mission and then nudged to Sasuke and Sakura. "They'll be joining us as well."
"How long will the mission be?" The Hyuuga asked, looking at Sasuke and Sakura.
"Several weeks. So pack accordingly." Naruto spoke as he stood up from the couch, drinking the last bit of water from his glass before setting it on the table.
Hinata nodded and patted her backpack which she was holding in her hands. "I'm equipped for a long term assignment."
By now Ino, Kiba and Shikamaru had left the room, wishing them success on their mission. Or at least Ino and Shikamaru did, Kiba merely grunted.
Naruto turned to his new temporary teammates. "One last thing. If you guys are going to go all..." He waved with his hands in emphasis as he tried to find the right words. "Konoha-ish on me, we're going straight back, understand?"
The room broke out in laughter, with Shikaku and Sasuke smiling at the antic. "Alright let's meet at the gate in 30 minutes."
Naruto turned heel and exited the room without uttering another word.
X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X
Sasuke was the last to arrive and he gave everyone the once over. Sakura and Hinata we're fully equipped as Jonin should for an assignment of this duration. Naruto however was
dressed in his usual attire that Hunters were known for.
"Is everyone good to go?" Naruto asked, also taking in everyone's appearance.
"Hai! though I've been going over the region we'll be crossing and there is heavy Reaver activity." Sakura pointed out whilst slightly adjusting her vest.
"I know, that's why we'll be using flashstep to reach the border outpost and go on foot from there, civilian wise, if we use chakra to enhance our speed, they will find out us for sure."
"That will take us weeks to get there, dobe. "
Naruto nodded. "I'm aware of that, but once we're finished, we can use flashstep for our return journey, no need to stay secretive then."
Sasuke reluctantly agreed whilst he signed out at the check-in station. "Fine...let's get going."
Naruto motioned for them to gather around him. "Alright, grab my arm tightly."
They did as instruct and firmly grabbed him by either his arm or shoulder. The Hunter exhaled before taking a single step forward, and the four of them were gone in an instant.
They came to a slightly messy halt. Except for the blonde the team either fell to the ground or had trouble to remain upright.
"That was...Unpleasant." Hinata said, hoping for the dizziness to stop.
"Ugh you tell me...You could've warned us Naruto!" Sakura scolded, wheezing slightly.
Naruto shrugged before grabbing Hinata's arm, pulling her up. "After a couple of times you don't even feel it anymore," He turned to the outpost and saw Itachi standing there. "Let's go."
he walked over to Itachi, gazing over his shoulder to see Sasuke giving his brother a hateful look. He turned back to Itachi and patted him on the shoulder, letting his hand rest there for a moment. "How's it going?"
Itachi returned the gesture, a slight smile adorning his face. "It's been going well; they have been testing our border's defenses every now and then but nothing serious. Where are you headed?" momentarily looking at the rest of the group before finally settling his eyes on Sasuke.
"Those dragons...I think I might be able to persuade them to join our cause. Or at least I hope so," his lone eye took in Itachi's tiring features. "You look like crap. You should head back to the village and get a couple of days off."
Itachi shook his head. "I'll be fine," He stepped aside. "Good luck, Naruto-kun. Take care of my brother."
"Tsk! why would you even care!" Sasuke hissed.
Itachi tilted his head. "Because you're my little brother of course, you're family."
Sasuke exploded at that and had to be restrained by Sakura. "Don't talk about family like that! you killed Tousan and Kaasan! you killed our entire clan!"
Itachi created some distance, whilst Sakura sent a few of the onlookers away. "You don't know the story behind it, and someday soon I'll tell you all about it, just not now." with a sigh Itachi turned around and slowly started walking back into the compound of the outpost.
"There isn't a story to tell!" he shouted before he roughly shrugged Sakura off.
"Moving on. From here on out we have to walk without the use of chakra, obviously." and with that he took the lead, Hinata following him with a still seething Sasuke behind them, with Sakura besides the Uchiha trying to calm him down.
X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X
They moved slowly and silently. They were a mile or so away from one of the occupied villages but dared not to take any risks by speeding past it.
"This is going to take forever." Hinata softly spoke, as she ducked underneath one of the low hanging branches.
"We can't risk them catching us." The hunter suppressed a shudder as his thoughts wandered towards Kenpachi. Ever since his fight he wasn't able to stop thinking about the Reaver, it had shaken him to his core.
Sasuke reached for his pouch and pulled out a small canteen containing water. "Dobe, I need to know something…"
Naruto who had taken the lead turned his head abruptly, cut off from his thoughts. "What do you want to know?"
"Have you really been hunted by my brother and that other guy?" the black haired Uchiha asked, barely able to keep the venom out of his voice as the image of his brother floats through his mind.
Naruto grinned cheekily. "Ah you must mean at what happened in Oto no Kuno?" when he saw Sasuke nod, he continued. "That entire thing was a ruse. Back then I was already working with your brother and Kisame. We had caught wind that Konoha was closing in on us and couldn't get out unseen without a proper distraction. Itachi was the one to do so."
Hinata joined in the conversation. "Who killed the Anbu who were guarding the perimeter of the village?"
Naruto looked at her with a questioning gaze. "If you're hoping I wasn't involved then I must disappoint you. Kisame may have done the killing, but I was just as much involved."
"And what about with the Irosa massacre?" Sasuke bluntly asked, redirecting the entire conversation.
Naruto stiffened but relaxed after a moment and resumed his former pace. "The Irosa incident was something that was unfortunate but necessary."
"Unfortunate? Necessary? Murdering innocent men women and children unfortunate? You have changed and not for the better, Naruto." Hinata hissed, surprised by Naruto's lack of emotion in this matter.
Naruto turned his sole eye on her, cold and calculated. "You have no idea of the reasoning behind it. It was unavoidable."
Sasuke snorted. "You killed innocent people, you don't have any ground to stand on here, dobe..."
Now it was Naruto who snorted. "Are you hearing yourself, teme?" He looked towards the Uchiha. "You destroyed a portion of a village in your pathetic attempt to kill your brother. You killed numerous innocents there. What is your excuse?"
Sasuke grabbed Naruto's shoulder and twisted him around, facing him. "At least when I did it, I tried to kill a mass murderer, my actions are justified!"
Hinata and Sakura butted it in, hushing them both. "When it involves innocents, it's never justified." the Hyuuga softly but sternly said, ending the argument.
The entire group remained silent for the remainder of the afternoon. When evening fell and they were out of reach from any of the villages they decided to set up camp at a small clearing that was mostly obscured by trees and bushes. after they finished, they slowly unpacked.
"I'll scout around for a bit see if there's no one lurking." The Hunter briefly spoke before disappearing into the densely packed bushes.
"He sure has changed..." Hinata softly spoke, looking to Naruto who was sitting on a log, taking a sip from his canteen.
"Hn, hard to figure he was once the orange, loudmouthed teme." Sasuke grunted, mimicking Hinata's gaze.
"You think we'll be able to get him back to his former self?" Sakura asked, putting her backpack on her ground and started rummage through it.
Sasuke didn't respond and Hinata in turn bit her lower lip in concern.
Naruto gave a final glance before being satisfied. He turned around and began retracing his step back to the camp. He wasn't happy with his old teammates tagging along. couldn't they just leave him be? He noticed the small fire that was lit at the camp and realized that Sasuke hadn't put a proper perimeter up. he sighed. 'can't they do anything right?'.
He arrived at the camp and walked over to the Uchiha. "For a so called Konoha-elite you sure aren't showing it." With a sigh he formed a couple of hand signs before muttering something. Seemingly nothing had changed, but Naruto knew his genjutsu was set in place. The little amount of chakra he used would most likely not attract any attention
"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked as she joined in.
"I'm talking about the lack of proper security measures set up to make sure we won't be killed in our sleep!" He pointed at Sasuke. "Next time make sure you have this set up the moment we arrive."
Before Sasuke could give an appropriate response, Hinata slid between the two, placing her hand on the blonde's chest and trying to diffuse the situation. "Let's eat. I've made some food. I'm sure you still love Miso ramen, right?" the Hyuuga asked as she turned the Hunter towards the food.
"Miso ramen? It's been a while since I've eaten some actual good food!" Naruto moved to the fire and noticed a cup of insta-ramen, already boiling and waiting.
Sakura shook her head and smiled. "Some things never change..." she softly spoke to Sasuke as she joined the other two for some food, unzipping her Jonin vest so she could finally relax a bit.
Naruto sat down and pulled his hood back and his facemask down, he reached for the cup but instead merely grazed it with his thumb. 'Depth perception still isn't fully adjusted yet.'
The others noticed but refrained from saying anything and instead grabbed their own rations and wolfed it down.
"You know, I've always been wondering where your group came from." Hinata asked as she glanced at the blonde, taking a bite from her own food.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" He responded coldly as he brought the cup to his lips, emptying the last of its contents into his mouth.
She nodded as she took in his features. the black eye cover brought a certain weariness with him she hadn't seen before. "I'm curious, I'm sure it's an interesting story, Naruto-kun!"
Naruto looked at her before letting out a sigh. "Well...The Hunters were created by Rome and Mayu back when Mirarca had fallen. They had formed a resistance group and were trying to find as much survivors as possible. Not only to keep them save but to fight as guerillas as well."
Sasuke and Sakura had finished their meals as well and were now listening in on the story.
"But Reavers are...methodical to say the least. There weren't a lot of survivors to begin with. Regardless, the resistance kept fighting until they were located. They put up a final stand, but it mattered very little."
"How did Mayu and the others escape?" Sakura asked as she scooted a bit closer to Sasuke, who didn't seem to mind.
"The attack happened when they were out looking for supplies. They survived purely due to luck. Everyone else got slaughtered…No one was spared."
"Kami...If they hadn't then the Reavers would've arrived here with no opposition at all." Hinata spoke, shuddering at the ruthlessness of their opponents.
"So, how did they find you?" Sasuke asked, pressing the story onwards.
"I was at Nami no Kuni for a while, I lived with Tazuna and Tsunami and I felt at place. But it didn't last. Scouts from the Reavers were 'sightseeing' and attacked the village. I managed to kill them. I didn't know what was going on. Until your brother showed up." The blonde pointed at Sasuke."He explained to me who they were and what was going on."
"I remember searching for you in Nami, they desperately tried to throw us off your trail." Sakura responded, letting her thoughts wander off before Naruto continued.
"Itachi told me to move on from the village, so I reluctantly did. Eventually though, they found me and almost caught me. Hawke showed up and saved me before taking me under his wing and letting me join the cool club." Naruto smirked and let his mind wander to years past.
"And how did you get your ability to transform your arm?" Sasuke asked bluntly, his eyes plastered on his gauntlet.
Naruto stretched, letting out a yawn. "Story time's over." he stood up and walked to the edge of the camp, leaning against a tree, leaving the others.
Hinata let her gaze follow him before turning her attention back to Sasuke and Sakura. "I guess he is getting used to us, bit by bit."
"I always wondered how he came in contact with my brother..." Sasuke softly said as he stood up and walked towards the blonde.
Naruto noticed and gave him a sideward glance.
"So that's how you met Itachi."
Naruto gave him a single nod, his gaze locked on the darkness of the forest ahead.
"You do realize I'm going to kill him the moment this war is over?" Sasuke mimicked the Hunter and just looked straight ahead.
"You'll try."
"And I'll succeed. It's time he pays for killing my family."
"He's paid enough. If only you knew the real story behind the incident."
Sasuke turned to his former teammate and grabbed him by his shoulder, forcefully turning the blonde towards him. "There wasn't a reason for him to kill my mother or my father! to kill all those innocent people!"
"Like how you killed those civilians during your fight with Itachi when you were searching for me? you can stop pretending to be innocent, Sasuke."
"You aren't innocent either. You slaughtered an entire village, and for what? some pitiful excuse you won't even tell us?" He narrowed his eyes, glancing at his old 'friend'. for the first time he truly took in the blonde in front of him. His shoulders broad and his back straight. He gave off an aura of confidence, at least that's how it looked from his perspective. His face was set in grim determination and yet he looked very tired, not physically but mentally.
"I never said I was, I'll pay for the things I've done...but until then, keep your nose out of my business." Naruto pushed him aside and walked off.
Naruto walked to his pack which was lying next to his sleeping bag, stuffing the canteen back into it before looking up and into the eyes of Hinata.
"Naruto-kun, can we talk?"
The blonde shook his head with an annoyed look on his face. "I've talked more than enough with you guys; I want to be left alone."
"You have to talk to us if we want this mission to succeed." She crouched next to him glancing at his eye cover.
He sighed and closed his backpack, running a hand through his blond hair. "Just leave me be okay?"
She nodded, acquiescing to his request. "I'll take the first watch, Sakura offered to take the second."
"I'll take the third then." Naruto answered before grabbing the three-point leather belt that went from his upper left shoulder to the right side of his waist where it extended to his left side, firmly keeping his outfit in place. He unclasped the belt allowing him to remove the black robe as well as letting the red sash fall to the ground.
Hinata silently picked up the sash and handed it to him. "I'll leave you be..." she stood up again, walking towards her own sleeping bag.
Naruto draped his outfit over his pack and sat down, still wearing his shirt as well as his pants that were of the same color as his robes. He looked at the red sash in his hand, the trademark of the Hunters. "Arigato..." He looked up at her retreating back. "You can't expect me to just smile and play along as if nothing happened, Hinata."
"All I ask is to give us a chance." She turned around, smiling at him.
"And what if I don't want that?" he let the red sash slide between his fingers, playing with it off handedly.
"Do you really want to leave us behind? after everything that we've been through?" She slowly walked back,
Naruto stared ahead towards the dark forest, dodging her gaze. "What if I do?"
A small tinge of fear gripped at her heart, hearing his words. "I don't want to give up on you, Naruto-kun. But I miss the old you, the goofy kid that inspired me to become a better kunoichi."
Naruto sighed and leaned back against his pack, his eyes slowly closing. "He's been gone for years; he isn't coming back." his eyes snapped open once more and looked at the attractive Hyuuga standing in front of him. "You all made sure of that."
"We were kids, we didn't know any better...You can't put that on us." She wavered under his gaze and looked away. "I wish what happened didn't happen. I thought the world off you, Naruto-kun."
"I guess disappointment is a common thing then." Naruto leaned forward and started removing his boots, "I wish I could say that I'm sorry I ruined the image you had of me, but I honestly don't feel that way."
She took a step towards him, her eyes darting all over his figure in an attempt to take a hold of the situation. "There must be a way to get you back."
The blond seemed to mull it over before scoffing. "Your council either wants me in chains or have me executed, why would I even want to be part of a rotten village?"
The pale eyes girl looked at the ground, trying to find the right words. "You have to understand…The terrible things you've done."
Naruto looked at her, emotion gone from his face. "We are shinobi, terrible things are what they expect of us." he slid in his sleeping bag and turned away from her, ending the conversation.
X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X. .X.x.X.x.X
The next day they resumed their trek. They weren't making a lot of progress. The
upside was that they didn't use any chakra and because of that, if a fight were to occur, they could engage the enemy without fatigue.
for the most part Naruto kept to himself, letting his temporary teammates chat amongst themselves. They did try to include him from time to time but he kept his answers short and to the point.
Hinata slowed her pace and walked next to the blonde. "You know, I heard that you told the Hokage that you had died, when you were still going as Orodochi Ghost."
Naruto remembered and grinned at her. "Oh yeah, that was after the Hokage's pathetic attempt to take Itachi and me down."
"So, why did you say that?" She asked him her face marred with conflicting emotions.
"Hmmm, well I wanted to hurt her for one. But it also helped strengthen my identity as Ghost." Naruto remembered that day well. He couldn't fault Konoha for their reaction. But it didn't mean he wasn't angry.
"What about that story of you attacking Orochimaru's base?"
"That one was true! well, mostly," Naruto said, using a kunai to cut through a particular thick set of bushes. "I teamed up with Itachi to take the snake out. We almost succeeded as well but I got overwhelmed and we had to pull back."
"Why did you go after Orochimaru in the first place?" Sakura asked, looking at the blonde with interest.
Naruto coldly stared at her. "Orochimaru had something that belonged to the Akatsuki. I could use the training back then."
"How long ago was this?" Sasuke added in. The mentioning of his brother had piqued his interest.
"A couple of years ago. can't be too sure when. It doesn't matter, the bastard got away. He'll get his due." Ghost said with finality.
As they continued their journey throughout the day Ghost made sure to keep his interaction with the rest to a minimum by scouting ahead of the group with Hinata. As they looked
around the environment, Hinata suddenly grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. "I see a group of Reavers coming our way!" She quickly whispered, her Byakugan activated.
Naruto snapped his gaze into the direction and could sense the faint traces of demonic chakra. "Let's head back to the others."
They burst through the trees and instantly put the rest of his team on guard. "Listen up! there's a Reaver patrol ahead."
"Do we let them past us?" Sakura asked, her eyes glancing over the blonde's shoulder.
"If we do, and they find our tracks we're fucked, plain and simple. If we take them out, word will eventually reach their basecamp but hopefully by then we'll be long gone." Naruto softly spoke.
"So, let's take them out." Sasuke said, a smirk adorning his face. He was itching for a fight, letting Naruto know that he wasn't the only one who had grown stronger.
"Okay, drop our packs here and let's set up an ambush point." Naruto ordered and took the lead.
He knew they hadn't much time and swiftly hid behind a tree, holding a kunai in a reverse grip. He glanced to his left and saw Sasuke and Sakura also ready. Turning to his right he saw Hinata, who gave him a nod to let him know she was set as well.
Naruto heard the chatter of the group approaching and reckoned that there were 5 of them. From what Rome had told them he knew that patrol parties usually held 4 regulars and one holder. The leader of the group.
Naruto held up his hand for his team to see and counted down with his fingers. '3...2...1...now!'
Naruto jumped down and instantly spotted the Holder. He immediately dashed forward swinging with his kunai, aiming at his opponent's head.
"Hunter! How pitiful!" the man roared as he blocked the attack and countered with a swipe of his claw.
Naruto held up his gauntlet and prevented the attack from gauging his remaining eye out and retaliated with a kick, causing the Reaver to stumble back. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Naruto roared as his fireball crashed into the Reaver.
Naruto charged forward but stumbled as he lost his balance and smacked to the ground. "Goddamnit!"
The Holder wasted no time and regained his composure and sent a wave of red chakra his way.
The Hunter held out his hand. "Chakra push!" a blast of pure chakra slammed into the red wave and canceled each other out. The blonde straightened his back and looked around. He saw that his teammates had almost finished off their opponents. 'At least they're not completely useless.'
He turned his focus on the Holder once more and narrowed his eyes. The sheer difference in Holders and regulars was immense. If the Reavers didn't possess the capability to meld with demons, he doubted they would've gotten far in their crusade. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"
The holder looked around as well and knew that he stood little chance to survive. He lowered his stance and stood passively at a distance.
Naruto mimicked his movements, aware that Hinata had just finished off her opponent. "Come to surrender? We tend to copy your playbook when it comes to prisoners."
"Do you really think you stand a chance against our might? Like all the nations before, you'll try, but you will fail.."
Naruto snorted. "You guys sure keep repeating the same thing over and over again. So far, you've taken Iwa and Kumo, but you've lost a lot of men in the process. Are you sure your conquest will be able to sustain these losses?"
Sasuke and Sakura landed next to him and held a defensive posture. "It's over for you."
"You have no idea how big our numbers are. You haven't scratched the surface yet."
Naruto scoffed and took another step forward, inching closer. "You're bluffing. If the army was as big as you say it is, you'd have invaded us long ago."
The Reaver tilted his head before abruptly letting out a stream of red chakra before disappearing using flashstep.
"Stay here!" Naruto followed his foe using the same technique and followed the chakra trail, one of the few downsides of flashstep. It didn't take long to catch up. He unsheathed his katana and plunged it into the retreating man's back, causing them both to tumble to ground, with patches of snow here and there spread about the area.
"Argh!"
Naruto stood up and grabbed him by his head, giving it a sharp twist, ending the man's life. His eyes darting around. He could feel demonic chakra around them, and he knew that they had a very small window of opportunity. He used flashstep again and appeared in front of his allies who in the meantime had grabbed their gear. "Grab hold now. We only have a couple of seconds!"
They instantly latched onto his arm, and they disappeared. Naruto clenched his teeth as he poured more chakra into his flashstep, well aware how taxing the ability was.
They came to an abrupt halt, causing the whole group to crash into the ground.
"T-Teme!" Sakura stammered as she clutched her stomach, trying to keep her contents where they were.
Sasuke slowly stood back up, as did Hinata. "Where are we?" Sasuke asked before looking to Naruto who was still on his knees, panting heavily.
"Are you okay Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she crouched besides him.
The blonde in return waved her off, his eye clenched shut, trying to get his breathing under control. "W-we...We n-need to move...n-n-ow!" he stood back on his feet and stumbled slightly but otherwise remained upright.
"Are you sure?" Sakura asked concernedly as she saw him move about.
"I'm v-very sure, Haruno! If we don't leave now, we're s-screwed." He took off at a stumbling but steady pace.
Naruto knew that Reavers primarily searched for chakra output. If they didn't use any, he hoped that they would have a chance at remaining hidden.
He had noticed earlier that the temperature was dropping sharply. 'Not surprising, we're in Yuki no Kuni now.' looking down at his feet he saw that the ground was covered with snow. Luckily, they had prepared for this, and were wearing cloaks to keep themselves warm.
As they trudged on, the afternoon slowly settled into the early hours of the evening. And with that, an even sharper drop of the temperature. They had long stopped
running and had resorted to walking, the snow had reached up to their waist now and Naruto had insisted to refrain from using any chakra to help ease their travels.
"I-if I had known it would be this cold...I would've stayed home!" Sakura stuttered, her teeth chattering due to the cold. thick snowflakes covered her hair. It had started snowing hours ago and it didn't seem to let up, only growing worse as the cold wind kept crashing into their fatigued bodies.
Naruto looked at her and had to agree with her. Even though he had been here before, it certainly hadn't help prepare him for the cold. "The snowfall, isn't letting up, it'll only get worse." As he said that, the wind howled, causing the downpour of snow to hit his face.
"Let's set up camp, we've traveled far enough." Sasuke told the blonde who nodded in agreement."
The Hunter looked around for a small clearing and pointed ahead. "There's a good spot, we'll dig in there! The snow will be a good natural cover." he half shouted as the noise of the storm tried to drown out his voice.
He pushed on a head and reached their destination, heavy snow-covered pike trees made for an even better cover.
"Let me guess, no chakra?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.
"You got that right, teme!" Naruto tried to smirk but instead turned into a grimace as the cold continued unabated.
They let their packs drop to the ground and reached for a compact shovel and unfolded it, revealing it to be a small yet handy item. They quickly got to work and started creating a small clearing in the waist high snow, big enough for them to set up a small camp.
Naruto glanced over to Hinata who was shivering as she threw the last bit of snow over the wall of snow.
"Alright, I'll scout around a bit, see if anyone is following our trail," Naruto announced as he wrapped the cloak tighter around him. "As much as I am going to regret saying this, I recommend setting up two small tents and bunk together in pairs. This country is known for its deadly temperatures at night."
"Are you sure it's wise to go out there alone? The weather is only getting worse," Hinata asked him, let her eyes darting up and down his body, noting his weariness. "Let me, tag along."
He shook his head. "I'll be fine, you make sure the camp is finished by the time I get back."
The blonde turned around and retraced their steps, which he was still able to see. Another downside to this type of environment.
Thinking back, he realized that their escape was one of luck. By all accounts they should've been found. Perhaps this weather impeded with the Reaver's ability to hunt. 'We got away, that's what's most important.'
He had to agree that his temporary teammates were capable. Something he was very doubtful of at first. ''Perhaps they aren't as useless as I thought." He muttered, his facemask hiding the movement of his lips.
Minutes ticked by and slowly passed the one-hour mark. Looking around but he could see little as the heavy snowfall limited his field of view immensely. 'Perhaps the only positive thing to come out of this weather is that if I can't find my camp...there's no chance they'll be able to.'
With little hope of spotting anything in this weather, Naruto turned around but could barely see ahead. following his previous footsteps, he slowly dragged himself back to the camp.
after 10 minutes of walking, he noticed his trail back was becoming weaker and weaker. 'Nice going there...'
He continued in the general direction he guessed the camp would be. Looking around he didn't find any landmarks that could help him navigate but urged his body to move on, trying to ignore the freezing temperature that had dropped to far below the freezing point. He ducked underneath a snow packed branch, only to fall to his feet as his sight once again failed him. "Kuso!"
He pushed himself off the ground, his hands protesting against the cold. Mayu told him that it was a matter of time before his depth perception adjusted accordingly. Not that it helped him much now.
By now the cold seeped through his cloak and outfit. Making it feel as if he was walking naked through the forest. Heavy snowfall covered his dark hood and shoulders as he slowly pushed himself onwards. Fatigue which had already been an issue before was certainly starting to take its toll on him.
He took a sharp right hoping that this would lead him to his camp. Even though it seemed like he didn't get any closer, he was certain it was close by.
How he wished the Uchiha's incompetence would rear its neck once more.
A couple of minutes later he suddenly stumbled into the camp. He had passed the genjutsu noticed two triangle shaped tents that were set up across from each other. Between them three figures were huddled together.
"I t-take it this isn't your type of weather?" Naruto asked as he suppressed a shiver.
The three turned around and could see the relief etched on their face. "Took you long enough, dobe." Sasuke jabbed as he stood up.
Naruto shrugged which was followed up by another shiver. "Well, if the Reavers find us now, I don't even care anymore."
Hinata tried to chuckle but failed miserably before walking over. "C-come on, l-let's get into the tent. Those t-two are paired up, s-so you're stuck with me."
Hinata took him by his hand and led him to the tent. She pushed the flap aside and slowly headed inside, closely followed by the blonde.
"See you in the morning." Sakura gave them a wave before she led Sasuke to theirs.
Once inside there was barely any room and all he could do was sit upright. In front of him were two sleeping mats shoved together. On top of it Hinata had unzipped two sleeping bags, effectively making them into two large blankets.
"Aren't y-you s-straight forward." Naruto stuttered whilst unclasping his cloak and dumping it in the corner before turning around and zipping the entrance of their tent close.
Hinata turned to him, a sincere smile on her face. "We n-need to keep w-warm Naruto-kun, you said so yourself." She too removed her cloak and started removing her long-sleeved shirt.
Naruto turned around and started removing his own clothes, his teeth chattering even worse as the cold bit into his bare skin. Their small 'abode' could do only so much against the unforgiving weather of Yuki no Kuni.
He heard a small gasp and he twirled around, noticing Hinata staring at his naked upper body. She herself was covered by a fishnet shirt and shorts that did little to hide her incredible figure.
She came closer, her eyes still plastered on his chest. "Where did you get all these scars?"
Naruto's mind wandered to all the fights he'd been in before shaking his head. "We've known about the Reavers for a long time..."
She let her eyes follow his scars, some small and insignificant, others were grotesque and large. Finally, her eyes settled on the eyecover.
"That one w-was Kenpachi's doing..." Naruto softly spoke, his hand reaching for his face, remembering the humiliation that had happened.
She looked up at him, her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "You h-have to take i-it easy from time to t-time."
"I'll r-rest once the Reavers a-are dealt with." He slowly let himself fall onto the sleeping mats, sighing in relief as he crawled underneath the sleeping bag.
She shook her head and crawled in next to him. "You a-are o-one stubborn man…We r-really messed things up, haven't we?"
Naruto knew what she was implying. "Yeah...you did." his eye grew heavier and slowly his eyelid dipped down. The warmth underneath the sleeping bags certainly helped increase his weariness.
"I want t-to make amends, f-for what we've done." Looking back at him, inching closer, their arms brushing against each other.
Naruto mumbled something. "I... know"
She turned to lay on her side, towards him. "I want to make things right. You've got to give us a chance."
The blonde momentarily opened his lone eye, the mauled one hidden behind his eye cover. "Go to sleep." He said before turning his back to her.
She could only stare sadly at his back. The carefree Naruto from years ago seemed even further away.