One morning, I'm up and all dressed to leave.
Me: Alright, now it's time to head to wor-
(Suddenly, I'm tied up with ninja wire and then encased in ice)
Me:... WHAT THE CRAP IS THIS!?
(Naruto and Korra stood in front of me with their arms crossed and scowls on their faces)
Naruto: You're not goin' anywhere, pal!
Korra: Right! You've hardly been putting up any updates and have shirking your responsibilities as a Fanfiction writer!
Me: Well excuse me! I've been having to deal with work! Now let me out already!
Naruto and Korra: NO!
Ok, so long story short, I've gotten more busy lately. I finally managed to get an internship. The good news is that it's in the town I live in. The bad news is I have less time to work on this story.
This chapter probably isn't a whole lot and I'm kinda disappointed with how I've been working on this. I honestly wanted to update more frequently than just a chapter a month, and now it's even harder. I just wanna thank you guys for putting up with this and hope you'll be pleased with this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Legend of Korra as they are the property of Mashashi Kishimoto and Nickelodeon (and Mike and Bryan) respectively.
Chapter 11: Recovery and Conflict
Nothing but rain clouds filled the sky. They hovered over the entirety of the Villige Hidden in the Leaves and seem to be staying for quite a while.
This was of little concern to the residence of said village. All who were gathered outside were garbed in black clothing and stood in front of memorials. They were commemorating the lives that were lost in the Sound/Sand invasion.
It was a time of great sadness not only for the loss of fellow comrades and loved ones, but also for the loss of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His portrait was displayed on a stand with flowers, and other portraits of other Leaf ninja were below it.
Korra was also there along with Katara to pay their respects to the dead. Although she didn't know him extremely well, Korra felt sad about Lord Third's death, though she could tell this was nothing compared to how everyone else felt, especially Katara.
She looked up at Katara to see solemn look on her mentor's face as well as a few tears. She must have been devastated to lose another person close to her. Korra thought about what happened in the invasion. Should she have stayed and find some way to help the Third Hokage? Was she selfish for going to help Naruto?
Katara seemed to sense Korra's doubt because she put her hand on her pupil's shoulder and smiled as if to assure her that it wasn't her fault. Korra smiled a bit in response and looked to see the others at the funeral.
She saw a small boy with brown hair and appeared to have a tooth missing as he gritted his teeth while crying.
That must be Konohamaru. Korra thought. Naruto told her a little bit about the Third Hokage's grandson when they were both recuperating from their recent battle. She was sad to see him in such a state, especially since he and the old man seemed close.
Korra then looked over to where Naruto was standing and saw him talking with Iruka. She knew that the Third Hokage was like a grandfather to him and it was going to be hard for him now that the old man is gone.
At this point, she wonders what her predecessor would be thinking here as well. Would Hiruzen be dead in the first place? What would he have done to prevent this? Was there a way she could have been able stop this entire invasion? Situations like these made Korra really wish she could connect with her spiritual self.
The funeral service continued to the point when attendants came up the memorial to lay a flower down to honor the memory of their fallen leader and comrades, and the twelve genin joined in on this too.
Katara, Korra, and the White Lotus members with them also went up to do the same as the rain continued to fall during this solemn event.
(The Next Day at Leaf Hospital)
Katara wiped away a few beads of sweat from her brow as she examined her patient.
After the attack, Katara had been working around the clock with medic ninja to help all of the injured at the hospital. She got accustomed to the role rather quickly thanks to experience as healer, but the activity became strenuous for her over time. Adding in the strain from fighting and the panic from the whole situation, Katara was struggling to stay functioning no matter how well she was hiding it.
Korra had accompanied her master there as well. Katara believed that it would be a good learning experience for the young Avatar to use the healing form of waterbending on less serious injuries.
Right now, Katara was focusing on Rock Lee, who though wasn't one of the ninja injured during the invasion was being looked at due to Korra's request after hearing of the bowl-cut ninja's situation from Naruto.
The old waterbending master hovered her water-covered hands over Lee's injuries to sense the magnitude of the damage. She retracted the water back to her and sighed.
"The damages to your left arm and leg are severe. I was able to relieve most of the pain, but I'm afraid you would need surgery for them," she said in a solemn tone, "But the chances of the results being favorable are slim."
Lee said nothing for a moment. He kept staring at his legs, wondering what he should do.
"It is alright," he finally spoke, "Even in this condition, I should not let my body be completely lax all the time. If I can, I will strengthen my body to increase my chances of success if I have to."
Katara stared at the bowl-cut ninja for his determination. She smiled at how the boy wasn't willing to give up being a ninja, despite his own shortcomings in only being able to use taijutsu. A frown came back to her face as she thought about how difficult it would still be for Lee to get back on his feet.
It's been a long time since she had to deal with treating serious wound and she wasn't sure if she could trust herself to help with the surgery.
Although, there is one person who could possibly help. Katara thought. She remembered the female member of the Sannin: Tsunade. She had met the kunoichi when she was a genin under Hiruzen's tutelage and praised both her ninja and medical skills. Katara believed she would be a great female ninja of her time.
However, the last she heard of her was when Hiruzen told her that Tsunade had left the village years ago and hadn't bothered to return.
Katara was saddened to hear of the loved ones that Tsunade had lost and wondered if she would ever come around. This village would certainly need her help now.
The Water Tribe woman brought her thoughts back to the shinobi in front of her. "Just try to take it easy for a while. I know you're eager to return to shape, but you need to take special care of your body if you want to recover," She said with a smile.
Lee brought out a smile of his own and raised thumb up in some sort of nice-guy pose, "Yes, ma'am! I will just have to be careful and continue to keep my body strong. So that when I am healed my Youth will shine brighter than ever!"
Katara was a little put off by that pose, but then smiled nonetheless. "Then take care. I strongly hope that you recover,"
"I will! Thank you, ma'am for your support!" Lee answered back with enthusiasm as the old healer walked out of the room.
Korra was waiting for her outside. "How is he?" she asked, concerned.
Katara sighed, "His injuries weren't exaggerated. He may have the determination he needs, but it's questionable if he will ever be a shinobi again."
She groaned as her legs were growing weak from exhaustion and she had to sit down at a nearby seat.
"Master Katara!" Korra yelled out in worry.
Katara put up a brave face despite her condition, "It's alright, Korra. I just need to sit down for a bit."
Korra still had a look of concern. Master Katara probably hasn't fought so hard in a long time. She must be really exhausted, especially with trying to help all these people.
Katara's young pupil then bent water out of the water skin Katara had and used it to soothe her aged master's body. Katara seemed like she was going to protest against this, but soon felt her body begin to relax.
"I figured you could use some water healing too," Korra said as she smiled, "You've just been doing so much lately that you haven't gotten any rest."
The water tribeswoman smiled in appreciation, "Thank you, Korra. Your skills have really come along."
Korra smiled back in pride as Katara thought back to the village's predicament. There were still strong ninja left, but the death of the Hokage was a huge blow. The causalities and damages have left the Leaf Village in a weakened state.
Perhaps it's time to bring the little Slug Princess back home. Katara thought as she made her decision.
"Tell me, Korra," Katara started speaking to her pupil, "Have you ever heard of the three legendary Sannin?"
Construction was more common to see in the Leaf Village nowadays.
The streets were filled with citizens and shinobi working on the repairs throughout the village. The invasion took a huge toll on the people and the businesses that operated, but everyone who was able-bodied needed to take part in the repairs and it even included genin in the form of missions.
Naruto had also been participating as he could. Other times he would spend training. He would have gone to spend more time with Korra, but she was over at the hospital with Katara, so it appeared that she would be busy for a while. At the moment, he was taking a break from work he had been doing and walked down the streets for a while.
He had thought deeply about a lot of things since Lord Third's death. The loss of the old man hit him hard, but his talk with Iruka-sensei helped him understand what he died for and gave him more appreciation for the old man. He still missed him though, as the Third Hokage was the closest thing he had to a guardian growing up. He even wished the old man would see him become Hokage.
Naruto's mind then went to another concern: his teammates. He hadn't had time to talk with them much after the invasion, but after Korra showing up and using a Kyuubi transformation in front of them, he had a lot of explaining to do.
However, he wasn't sure if he should since he made a promise to keep Korra's identity a secret and the Kyuubi sealed inside of him was a very personal subject.
However, as his teammates, Sakura and Sasuke needed to be able to trust him, and how can they do that if he doesn't trust them?
Naruto grabbed his head in irritation. "Argh. This is such a mess! What I wouldn't give for some ramen right now."
"Sheesh. Is that all you ever eat, kid?" a voice said from beside Naruto.
Said blonde genin turned to see Jiraiya leaning against a building.
"Huh? Pervy Sage?" Naruto questioned out loud.
Jiraiya immediate gained a tick mark at that remark, "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I SAID TO QUIT CALLING ME THAT! I AM THE GREAT TOAD SAGE JIRAIYA AND YOU WILL REFER TO ME AS SUCH!" the Toad Sage yelled comically.
"…yeah, whatever Pervy Sage," Naruto responded with a pout.
Jiraiya was becoming more irritated, but chose to compose himself.
"Anyway," he said, "I came to talk to you about something serious. You see, there's a woman I'm supposed to find outside of the village and I was wondering abo-"
"SERIOUS MY BUTT!" Naruto yelled, "I'VE GOT MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN TO HELP YOU FIND SOME PRETTY LADY, YA STINKIN PERV!"
"WILL YOU JUST LISTEN FOR A MINUTE YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Jiraiya yelled back before he calmed down again, "Look, she isn't just another pretty face, she's incredible healer I've known for years and I've decided to track her down bring her back for the village."
"Well, okay though we already have Water-Granny," Naruto said with squinted eyes, "but why drag me along into this? You'll probably just waste more of my time with your so-called 'research'."
Jiraiya just turned his back to Naruto with crossed arms, "Well, that's too bad. I would have taught you a brand new jutsu too, but I guess it would be wasted on you."
"Wait, what!?" Naruto yelled incredulously, "You're not pulling my leg here, right?"
What he wouldn't give to learn a new jutsu now!
"Well… I'd say it's a jutsu that would make even Sasuke's Chidori look like a joke, but I guess you're not interested," Jiraiya said in mock disappointment, "Though perhaps I could teach it to him instead."
"AUGH! No wait! I'll go with you Pervy Sage!" Naruto clasped his hands in a begging fashion. He did not like the idea losing a jutsu to his rival.
"What's that? I don't think I heard you." Jiraiya taunted in a sing-song tone.
Naruto grunted in return and did a slight bow, "I would like to accompany you, Super-awesome Toad Sage Jiraiya."
"Alright, I believe I can make accommodation for you," Jiraiya replied with a smug grin, "Just know we'll be heading out pretty soon; about an hour or so."
Jiraiya was walking away while Naruto looked down in thought about something.
"Hold on!" he yelled, catching Jiraiya's attention, "I'll go, but… there's something I've gotta take care of first."
The Toad Sannin stared minute before he waved off at him, "Sure. Do what you have to," he answered as he started to walk away again.
Naruto then began thinking about how to deal with what he was going to do before Jiraiya interrupted his thoughts.
"Just be sure of what you're going to tell your teammates," the Sannin said.
Naruto widened his eyes, "How did you-" he started.
"Kid, you may be a loudmouth, but even you're not secure about everything, including matters like what's inside of you. Think about what your teammates mean to you and how well you think you can trust them. Everyone has their secrets, but if you want the team to stay together, give them the benefit of the doubt."
Naruto was stunned for a bit before he smiled. Pervy Sage was right; if he considers them his friends, it's only right that he would give a sign of good faith so they will stay close for a long time.
"Alright then, I'm off! Thanks, Pervy Sage," Naruto yelled before he headed off, irritating Jiraiya in the process.
(Team 7 training ground)
Sasuke and Sakura were waiting by the three wooden posts of their team's training ground. They arrived here after they each were told by Naruto to wait there so he could explain what he kept a secret from them. They were curious what he was going to reveal and waited where they were for about fifteen minutes.
Before either could speak their minds about the coming talk, a familiar figure with a cream-colored jacket and dark blue hair approached the two.
Both of Naruto's teammates recognized the figure.
"Hinata?" Sakura questioned, bewildered, "What are you doing here?"
The addressed Hyuga heiress composed herself after she approached the two, "Naruto-kun asked me to come here a while after he told you. He and Korra-chan should be arriving shortly."
The reason Hinata was present there was because when Naruto told Korra what he was planning to do, the Water Tribe girl insisted that they include Hinata believing, as their friend, it was only right to tell her as well. Naruto and Korra stayed behind for a bit to think of what they were going to say and would appear any moment.
This surprised both Sakura and Sasuke, as they were both aware of her and the Uzumaki's friendship during childhood. Before either could think more on that, however, both subjects of interest showed up.
"Hey guys. You made it!" Naruto said as he arrived with Korra.
"We're the ones who've been waiting," Sasuke replied with a scowl, "Now, are you going to tell us what you've been hiding, or not?"
Korra raised an eyebrow to this. Sheesh. He really likes to cut to chase. She thought.
"Right. Well…" Naruto started hesitantly, "First off, Korra isn't from around here."
We noticed. Sakura thought with a deadpanned expression, but kept the thought to herself.
"And the thing is she's from the Bending Countries," Naruto finished.
Sakura and Sasuke widened their eyes. Hinata already knew this years before as Korra chose to tell her this along with her Avatar status during one of their hangouts.
Bending Countries? I think I read about them at some point. Sakura thought as she stared over at Korra. I never thought that an inhabitant from that place was visiting here regularly, but why would Naruto keep a secret like that from us?
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Bending? So that's what that was… but there's more to this, I'm sure.
Sasuke had already learned a bit about the Bending Countries from his clan. He along with his brother was told the little knowledge they had in order to prepare for any encounter with them, especially as possible threats. He didn't care that much about it at first when he had his own goals to worry about, and it was especially irrelevant to him after what befell his clan.
"Well, that seems to clarify some things. I've already learned a bit about those countries," Sakura replied, "But it still doesn't explain that power we saw in that fight with Gaara or why you'd go as far as not telling us."
Naruto was a little surprised that his peers already learned about the Bending Countries. Well, I guess it makes explaining things a little easier. He thought as he and Korra looked at each other.
Korra gave a nod and a smile before Naruto decided to spill the beans.
"Well… I kept it a secret because she isn't just any bender from that part of the world. She's the Avatar," Naruto explained while gesturing over to the said brunette.
Now Sakura and Sasuke's eyes were widened and their mouths were hanging open.
No way! That's her? Sakura thought in her astonishment.
So this girl… She's this being with incredible power? Sasuke thought also dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what was more shocking: the fact that he was standing right in front of her or that she has been Naruto's friend all these years.
"But… how did you two even-" he was about say before he was cut off by Korra.
"I met Naruto on my first visit here when I was six," she answered for him, "I chased away a bunch of bullies that were picking on him."
"Eh, I could've handled it," Naruto said, crossing his arms with a pout.
Korra chuckled before she poked Naruto's whiskered cheek in a teasing manner, "Right, sure you could've, Tiny."
Her blonde friend growled at her for the jab at his height, while Hinata giggled at the spectacle and Sasuke and Sakura watched in slight amusement.
"Well, I guess it makes sense why you'd have to keep it a secret. I mean, it's a huge thing for me to think that such a powerful being would be here," Sakura said, getting to conversation back on track.
Naruto turned back to the others to answer, "Yeah, after that first visit Old Man Third had me promise to keep it a secret; I guess so that she wouldn't be targeted while being here, though we decided to tell Hinata since she spent a lot of time with us."
The pink-haired kunoichi and young Uchiha were silent for bit to let the information sink in.
"Alright," Sasuke replied, seemingly satisfied with the answers, "So, I guess with that out of the way, what was the other thing you wanted to mention?"
Sakura set herself to listen and Hinata was curious as well since she only knew about the first part of the discussion. All three of them saw Naruto immediately get uncomfortable and Korra throw a concerned glance his way.
After about a minute of awkward silence, Naruto finally decided to speak.
"Right, well… you guys… know about the story of the Nine-Tailed Fox that attacked the Leaf Village about thirteen years ago?" Naruto said looking more at ground.
The three questioned were a little confused by that and Sakura was the first to respond.
"Huh? Of course we know. It was told in the Academy. The Fox attacked and then the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to kill it and save the village, but what does that have to do with this?" she said.
She and Sasuke saw when Naruto used the combined Tranformation Jutsu with Gamabunta to transform into the Nine-Tailed Fox, but why he chose that transformation was beyond them.
"Because that story was a lie," Korra replied as the other three turned to her who was also looking down but with bitterness, "The Fourth Hokage couldn't kill the Nine-Tails. His only option was to seal it away."
"She's right," Naruto confirmed, getting everyone's attention back to him, "To stop it, he had to seal it inside of a newborn baby. (Sigh) And guess who turned out to be the 'lucky winner'."
It took a few minutes for Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke to absorb the information before the revelation hit them all like a ton of bricks.
N-no way! But then that means… Sakura thought.
The Fox was sealed inside of Naruto-kun! Hinata thought in horror. She couldn't imagine such a horrible burden to being placed her friend.
So that's what that chakra was. Sasuke thought in bewilderment. And it must have been the reason… he's been alone like I was.
After seeing their reactions, Naruto continued his explanation, "So… as you can imagine, after the attack that took lives of so many villagers, almost everyone here treated me like a monster. No one adopted me, parents wouldn't let their kids be friends with me, and every academy instructor except Iruka-sensei ignored me."
He then looked up at the others and started to gain a smile, "After Korra-chan, you guys, and Kakashi-sensei came into my life… it got a lot better."
Hinata was already brought to tears hearing about this. She always knew that the villagers treated Naruto horribly, and her clan wanted to keep her away from him, but she never knew the reason why.
Sakura's eyes were still widened in shock and tears were starting to force their way out. She had no idea that he had to deal with this burden for all these years. If it was her, she would have gone insane. She was so glad that she changed her attitude toward Naruto, but she still felt guilty for how she treated him in the past.
Sasuke looked down in deep thought. He always knew that Naruto was alone, but didn't know where all of the deep pain came from. All this time he thought his own experience was the worst. Granted, it was still horrible, but he wasn't sure if he could imagine the thought of having a demon fox sealed inside of his body and the entire village hating his very existence.
Korra still looked down on the ground darkened eyes. She would never forget the night when Mizuki revealed the Nine-Tailed Fox being in Naruto. It turned out for the better in the end of that night, but she hated remembering every minute of that experience. She wished Naruto never had to deal with such suffering.
"You guys didn't know about this before because the Old Man made a law that kept people from talking about it," Naruto spoke more after a bit and scratched the back of his head, "Even I wasn't supposed to know about it until I turned sixteen or became a chunin."
He dropped hand down and got quiet thinking back to the Mizuki incident. Korra decided to fill in for him.
"But on the night of the Graduation Exam, Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the Forbidden Scroll after he failed. When Mr. Iruka and I got there to stop him he spilled the secret to Naruto and tried to kill us. That's how I learned about it too," she explained in her friend's place.
Naruto decided to speak again, "Anyway, I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you guys. It probably wasn't right to keep you two in the dark like that since we're a team and all. Hinata, I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you either. I was worried that your clan wouldn't let us be friends anymore. I hope this doesn't hurt our friendship."
"N-no, not at all," Hinata replied as she wiped away her tears and gave a smile, "I'm just happy that you chose to tell me."
"Yeah. It's alright," Sakura said, also wiping away any tears that may have escaped her eyes, "It was your secret, Naruto, and I understand why you didn't want to tell us, but I'm glad that you wanted to be honest with us."
"Same here," answered Sasuke who had somewhat serious look on his face before a ghost of a smile appeared on his face, "Even with all of that, it doesn't change the fact that you're our teammate. Albeit a knucklehead, but still."
"Oh, haha," Naruto shot back with sarcasm and everyone laughed.
Naruto smiled at this. It went better than he thought. He told the truth about what was inside him and they didn't hate for it. In fact, they accepted him. Korra smiled in gladness seeing Naruto in satisfaction. It was like he took a huge weight off of his shoulders.
"Well, guys. I'd like to stay and talk, but I have to leave for a mission in a few minutes. See ya!" Naruto said as was running off.
"Naruto! Wait up!" Korra yelled, following after him while waving goodbye to the others. They all waved back.
(Leaf Village Front Gates)
Jiraiya was waiting by the village gates for his pupil/apprentice to show up. It was down to three minutes before he wanted to leave.
"Dammit," the Toad Sage cursed under his breath, "I don't have all day. That kid better not have been messing around while I could've done more of my research."
"I certainly hope it's the serious kind of research, Jiraiya," an elderly voice said, overhearing.
Immediately, Jiraiya felt his hair stand up in fear. That voice… Oh crap!
He quickly turned around to greet the person, "Hey, Katara-sama! Long time no see!" he said, trying to keep it pleasant.
The aforementioned waterbending master approached the village gates carrying supplies with her along with an extra water skin.
"I'm doing well. Thank you for asking," Katara replied with a grandmotherly smile yet surrounded by a menacing aura that promised pain and suffering to the target.
"So, what brings you here?" Jiraiya said nervously, desperately wanting to get away from the woman.
"Well, I'm to leave to find someone, right now I'm waiting for Korra to show up… My, there she is now,"
The Toad Sannin turned to look in the direction of Katara's line of sight to see both Korra and Naruto running toward the others with the latter wearing a backpack. The two stopped at the gates as well to catch their breaths.
"Ha! Made it!" Naruto cheered after being able to breathe normally.
"Yeah. Great," Jiraiya deadpanned, "Now, let's get going. We don't know where Tsunade could be moving next so we can't waste any time before tracking her down."
He then turned to Katara with an uneasy smile, "Well, it's been nice catching up, but the kid and I better get moving."
Korra gained a confused look on her face as Jiraiya started to leave and then turned to her master, "Wait a minute. Aren't we going out to look for her, Master Katara?"
Jiraiya immediately stop in his tracks as he start put all the pieces together in his mind. Crap!
"My, what a coincidence," Katara replied with a pleasant expression, and Jiraiya seemed to realize that Katara purposely left out that information to scare the crap out of him, "Well, it will be wonderful to spend some time with you again, Jiraiya. Please be sure to behave yourself this time around."
She continued giving Jiraiya a pleasant smile as the ominous aura from before surrounded her, which Naruto and Korra were somehow oblivious to.
"Yes, ma'am," Jiraiya replied with a whimper. Internally, he was crying at his loss at the chance of "research".
"Wait," Naruto said in a pondering tone before turning to Korra, "You're coming with us?"
The brunette smiled in response, "You bet! What?" she then questioned when she saw Naruto's uneasy expression, "You don't think I can handle myself?"
"Uh... no! I was just… surprised you guys are coming. I guess it'll be fun having you guys along!" Naruto replied with his usual wide grin.
Korra just raised an eyebrow and was about to retort before Katara interrupted.
"In any case, Korra, I brought you this water skin for you to use. I know you can fight with the other elements, but I need you to limit yourself to only waterbending; we mustn't draw unnecessary attention," she said as she handed Korra the aforementioned object.
Korra sighed to this, but took the water skin nonetheless. She wasn't all too pleased with the idea, but on the plus side, she'd get to explore other places besides the Hidden Leaf Village.
Naruto stared off at Korra as she walked closer to the gate. Katara put her hand on his shoulder, seeming to know what was on his mind.
"I know you're concerned for her," she said as she got the young blonde's attention, "But you know she's strong. You shouldn't worry too much."
Naruto put his head down for a minute.
"I know that, but I just can't really help it. I mean, after the Old Man…" he spoke before he trailed off.
Katara frowned in response. She already figured that was his state of mind since Hiruzen was more of a grandfatherly figure in Naruto's life, and because of his death, the young genin couldn't bear the thought of losing Korra. She certainly knew that getting through this loss wouldn't be easy.
"Believe me, I understand the feeling," Katara spoke again as she bent down to Naruto's height, "In times like these where we are forced to endure, but we must always continue to become stronger from these experiences and be open to those who care for us."
It took a moment for Naruto to absorb this before he nodded to the wise woman's words.
"Hey! It's time to get going! We can't afford to waste any more time!" Jiraiya called from outside of the gates with Korra standing next him, also waiting.
The other two quickly obliged and the four made their way out of the village to search for Tsunade.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was making his way toward his sensei's house. He wasn't sure if he was home at the moment, but he wanted to see if it was possible to get some training from him some time that day.
It didn't take long for him to get there as he was soon inside. Since he didn't he didn't see him anywhere else, he decided to make his way to Kakashi's room only to be surprised when he saw Guy, Kurenai, and Asuma in the room. To top it off, his teacher was resting in bed and appeared to be in a coma.
"Wh-what the hell is this? What happened!?" demanded Sasuke after he saw the state that his sensei was in.
Unfortunately, none of the jounin in the room made any move to answer the young Uchiha. He beginning to get more impatient and was about to demand some more before someone else came in.
"Is it true?" asked a man with black, spikey hair and red-framed sunglasses, "Itachi Uchiha's back? And he's after Naruto?"
Sasuke immediately froze at the mention of his older brother while the three jounin sighed in exasperation at the man's slip-up.
"Really should've kept your mouth shut, Aoba," Asuma said with annoyance in his voice.
"Huh?" the now-named Aoba blurted out in confusion before turning to Sasuke.
Before the special jounin had the chance fully realize his error, Sasuke took the time to leave quickly. He continued to run even as he got out of the house.
Damn! He's here! And he's after Naruto? He cursed in his mind as he continued running. But why? Could it be-
He gritted his teeth in anger as he came to the realization. No way in hell will I let that happen! Besides, it's time you face death at my hands, Itachi! Sasuke thought in anger.
As this was happening, two mysterious figures were keeping themselves hidden as they examined their targets.
"So," the taller of the two began, "How do you think this will go down if we approach them?"
The other man narrowed his red eyes in thought, "Jiraiya will be the most problematic. If he and I were to fight, either one of us would die in the onslaught, or perhaps it would end in a stalemate. The elder woman with him is Katara; a great waterbending master from the Hundred Year War in the Bending Nations. She may no longer be in her prime, but she would still give a tough fight, and with her accompanying Jiraiya, it wouldn't end well. I'm not sure about the girl with them though, but we must proceed with caution."
"Hmm," the other mused, "I guess we'll need a well-calculated diversion to get to our target."
"Agreed."
After several hours of walking non-stop, the group that left the Leaf Village arrived at Shukuba Town. Jiraiya decided it was best to find an inn to rest at for the moment as they would continue to search for Tsunade. They got two rooms in which Katara and Korra would stay in one and Jiraiya and Naruto in the other. The former two went up to their room to get settled while other two stayed behind as they bickered over why they were staying at an inn. However, both were distracted by a pretty lady getting their attention. Subsequently, the perverted Toad Sage left his apprentice with the keys to their room and took off after the woman. Grunting in displeasure, Naruto went up to his room and decided to exercise his chakra while sitting on his bed.
"Stupid Pervy Sage," he muttered with a pout in his activity, "He hardly makes any time to teach me anything."
His thoughts were interrupted when a he heard a knock on the door.
"Well that was fast," he thought out loud as he made to the door.
He unlocked it expecting to see his master behind the door only to be surprised to see Korra instead.
"Hey," she said with a wave.
"Korra?" Naruto responded, dumbfounded, "Why are you here? I thought you were with Water Granny."
"Katara decided to go out to buy some more food and supplies. I chose to stay behind," she said as she walked in and noticed someone missing, "Wait. Where's Jiraiya?"
Naruto grumbled as he closed the door, "He went after a pretty lady the moment she winked at him. I swear sometimes I don't get why I bothered to get him to train me when he pulls crap like this!"
Naruto went back to his previous position and Korra decided to sit next to him.
"Well, he is one of the legendary Sannin," Korra decided to speak, "That has to count for something, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," Naruto replied with a sigh, "He does teach me some pretty cool stuff, but a lot of times he's just a lousy old pervert."
"Well, if that's the case, how did you get him to train you?" the young Avatar asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto immediately froze at that question. He perfectly remembered what he did, but Korra definitely didn't need to know!
"Oh, it wasn't really all that important," he replied quickly while trying to hide the nervousness in his voice, "Just had to show off a bit of my skills to impress him."
"Really? And what kind of skills, exactly?" Korra inquired, not very convinced if her narrowed eyes were anything to go by.
"Uh…just what I learned so far. Thankfully, that was enough to convince him," the blonde answered, desperately trying to keep the girl from asking any further as he went back to his exercise.
"Naruto," he heard Korra say in a tone that meant business.
He opened his to look at her and was startled to see her scowling face very close to his.
"You didn't go and use that jutsu again, did you," the brunette said in a very intimidating voice.
Naruto immediately gulped and was sweating profusely. He really didn't want to make his Avatar friend mad. He may have feared Sakura when she used to beat on him, but Korra? If he got her annoyed that easily, he'd rather dig his own grave and save her the trouble.
"What… do you mean by that?" Naruto questioned, still trying to avoid the question and was trying to move away from her.
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe one I specifically called idiotic and perverted, which I told you to never use again!" Korra seethed with rising anger as she got closer to him.
Oh crap! Was all Naruto could think.
Out in the town, Katara had been gathering any more food necessary for the trip. She also decided to look for recipes that she could make Water Tribe dishes with.
She continued on her way when she noticed Jiraiya traipsing in the company of a girl in promiscuous clothing. She shook her head at the younger man's antics. She really hoped that he would've outgrown his perverted tendencies by now, but it appears that some things would never change.
However, found it a bit odd that the young woman was giving her attention to him to him that quickly, and it seemed oddly coincidental for the both of them to be out away from the kids.
Her eyes went wide as she had a sudden sense of foreboding. Oh no. she thought as she dropped what she had and ran back to the inn as fast as her old legs could carry her. She desperately hoped no one was after the kids…
"AUGH! No please stop!" Naruto exclaimed as he was stuck in a headlock.
…and Naruto desperately hoped he wasn't going to get strangled to death.
Korra had him on the floor in a headlock after having found out that used his Sexy Jutsu again.
"I can't believe you! I told you not to do it again, but you did it anyway!?" she yelled.
"Please, it was necessary! I needed someone to train me for the Chuunin finals! Please don't sink me in the ground again- Ack!" Naruto pleaded as Korra choked him tighter.
"I'LL BURY YOU IN A ROCKALANCHE AS FAR AS I CARE!" she yelled before hearing a knock on the door.
"Oh! Pervy Sage might be back! I better get up- OW!" Naruto tried to get up, but was kept restrained.
"Oh, he can wait!" Korra yelled.
However, the knocking persisted, and the young Avatar decided to let her prisoner go for now. Naruto eagerly got up to open the door.
"We're talking about this later, you know," Korra said as she stood behind him.
The hyperactive ninja tried to keep that off his mind at the moment he managed to unlock the door. He was about to mouth off his mentor, but then saw a pair of Sharingan eyes staring down at him.
Sasuke? He immediately thought. Wait, no.
He and Korra studied the guy in front of them. He appeared to be in his late teens or perhaps older, had black hair, tear-troughs under his eyes, and was wearing a black cloak with red cloud designs on it.
The young genin and Avatar felt a sense of dread especially when the man spoke.
"Naruto Uzumaki. You're coming with us."
And that's where I'll end things for now! Thanks for reading and please follow, fav, and review! ;)