Densetsu no Yonnin (The Legendary Four) - Chapter IX (Rework in Progress)
Disclaimer: I do not have possession of Naruto.
(Training Ground 3)
*Whiz*
*Thump*
"Dammit!" Sasuke shouted as his shuriken missed its mark once again. After Naruto's apartment was destroyed last night, the quartet was given a week off from the academy by the Hokage. While his three friends were staying at his apartment, Sasuke came to their personal training ground saying that he was getting some extra training done. However, that was simply an excuse. The conversation with the village elders and his near-death experience weighed heavily upon him, and he needed some time to think.
Initially, when he heard Homura and Koharu's proposal, he was excited. They were going to help him restore the Uchiha clan and make sure that tragedy never happened again. It filled him with elation that the elders cared enough to help him build a new family and keep them safe.
That happiness dissipated when Sasuke heard Homura's words about the Sharingan. True, his clan's bloodline was powerful and is the main reason his clan was feared and respected, but the old man's words just infuriated him. It also showed him where their priorities were. They were more concerned with getting the Sharingan back than helping him restore his family. Because that's all they cared about: the Sharingan.
"People are more than what's in their blood. You shouldn't judge someone for what they were born with, but instead who they are as a person."
Sasuke hated the man who said those words to him with all his heart, but he couldn't help but agree with them. He took those words to heart, and it helped him see through the people whose friendliness was just a façade, and the ones who genuinely wanted to be his friend. Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura might have been his only friends in the village, but he'd rather have only three real friends rather than an entire village of fake ones.
Especially after what the villagers did last night.
Naruto was a great person, and Sasuke was glad that he was friends with him. He didn't know where he would be if the blonde didn't stop to talk to him on that winter day. He would probably be a loner who dragged around emotional baggage every day and refused to talk to anyone.
This made Sasuke even angrier at the villagers for the way they treated Naruto. They ignored his very existence as if he were scum who wasn't even worth acknowledging. And whenever they did bother to look at him, it was always with fear or disgust. They didn't even know a thing about Naruto, which makes their treatment of him even worse.
The words those people spoke about his blonde friend made Sasuke want to go over to them and beat them within an inch of their life. In fact, he was tempted to let Sakura go if it meant he could do it along with her. He could still remember the faces of each of those people.
And to make matters worse, they tried to kill Naruto. A child. They actually tried to kill a child. How messed up in the head do you have to be to try killing a kid. Sasuke once again found himself questioning what was wrong with the Leaf village.
Sighing at that last thought, Sasuke walked over and plucked his shuriken from the target. He then walked to where he was previously and placed himself in a ready stance with his shuriken primed for throwing.
*Whiz*
*Thump*
Sasuke sighed when he saw that his shuriken missed the bullseye again.
"Are you experiencing trouble, Uchiha Sasuke?"
Sasuke froze in shock when he heard those words. He hastily spun around and saw, sitting on a log, was the old and bandaged man from the other day. He wasn't doing anything overly strange; he was simply sitting on the log watching him like a hawk, which put him on edge. Especially, since Sasuke didn't even sense the man's presence.
"How long have you been sitting there?" Sasuke questioned while taking a step back.
"I have been here for about five minutes," the man answered without hesitation.
"Why were you watching me?" Sasuke asked.
"I merely wish to inquire about your wellbeing," he answered.
"Yeah, right," Sasuke scoffed but kept his guard up. "You probably just wanna make sure your precious Uchiha is safe."
"I take it you did not like the conversation from the night before," the man raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise.
"No, I didn't," Sasuke growled, "You guys were saying that you wanted to restore my family and make me stronger, but you only care about getting the Sharingan back. You do so much to make sure I have everything I need, but meanwhile, you ignore the people who really need it like my friends." Sasuke took a long breath after his rant. He looked at the man who sat silently and asked him, "Who are you anyway?"
There was a long pause in which the man leveled a calculating gaze on Sasuke, which slightly unnerved him. "My name is Shimura Danzō, and I am one of the village elders," the man revealed.
"Why are you here?" Sasuke demanded as he narrowed his eyes at Danzō.
"Before I tell you that, I need to inform you of something first." When Danzō had Sasuke's full attention he continued. "I did not agree with the advisors' proposal," he stated, shocking Sasuke.
"What?" was all Sasuke could get out in his confusion.
"Putting the pressure of restoring a major clan on a child is foolish, and that plan would have taken too long; at least a decade. Other villages are not going to wait that long to attack us," Danzō stated. "Also, there was no need for that proposal. Those two should have figured out that you were going to restore your clan. That plan was completely pointless. Konoha is a strong village. She is not so weak as to rely on one clan to protect it. The Sharingan is a powerful tool, however, overreliance on one ability often leads to death in the Shinobi world."
Sasuke merely listened on with rapt attention, soaking up the information like a sponge.
"I didn't agree with their proposal, and thankfully Hiruzen didn't either. However, I do not believe that those elders will stop trying to get the Sharingan back," Danzō stated ominously.
A pit formed in Sasuke's stomach, "What do you mean?"
"The Sharingan is highly valuable. So, much so that people are willing to do... morally questionable things just to obtain it. I fear that Homura and Koharu might go behind the Hokage's back to reclaim the Sharingan," Danzō explained.
"What?!" Sasuke exclaimed. "But they can't do that? The Hokage said they can't, so they have to listen to him."
Danzō shook his head at Sasuke's naivety. "Unfortunately, people can often find ways around orders. If there is a loophole, there will always be someone to exploit it."
All this information was starting to overwhelm Sasuke, "Why are you telling me this?"
"I do not wish to see great potential wasted on a fruitless endeavor. It's possible that those elders are going to figure out a way around Hiruzen's order, and I do not wish to see that happen," Danzō explained.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked with growing curiosity.
"I came to give you an offer. The elders may not follow Hiruzen's order, so we can't let you fall into their hands. To do that we need to keep you out of their reach," Danzō started, "And when I say that I mean where their jurisdiction does not reach."
"Wait... what?" Sasuke asked though he had a feeling he knew where the old, bandaged man was going with this.
"You said so yourself, those elders don't care about you: only the Sharingan. And if the elders don't care about you, who's to say the villagers themselves don't feel the same way. Why stay inside a village that doesn't value you as a person...," he trailed off, intentionally letting Sasuke draw his own conclusion.
Sasuke's widened eyes showed that he knew where Danzō was going, "Are you saying that we leave Konoha." The old man's silent nod confirmed his suspicions. "But we can't leave Konoha, it's our home."
"The only reason the villagers talk to you is because you are an Uchiha. Take that away, and you would be nothing in their eyes: simply another village orphan," Danzō stated brutally, "Can you really call a place that sees you that way home?"
Sasuke didn't answer, but he didn't need to. "We still can't leave the village. We'll be rouge shinobi. The Hokage will send hunter ninja after us."
"Technically, even though you are training to be a shinobi, you are still a civilian until you graduate. And since you are a civilian, you are allowed to leave the village anytime you want." Danzō intentionally left out the part where they had to have the proper paperwork filled out before they could leave the village. "I can help you lead better lives. If you accept, I have a plan that can get you out of this village."
"But... but...," he stammered, desperately trying to come up with a reason to deny his offer, no matter how enticing it was.
Danzō frowned when he saw that the boy was still hesitant. "Do you want to keep your friends safe?" That question stopped Sasuke cold, which Danzō took note of. "I know about what happened to them: Haruno's injuries, Hyūga's banishment, and Uzumaki's destroyed home. The lives of your friends are getting worse in the village. They may have lived this time, but those people who tried to kill them will try again. What are you going to do if you come home one day and see your friends dead?" Sasuke flinched and remembered the vision he had the night he visited the Uchiha compound. "Are you willing to risk your friends' lives just because you don't want to leave a place that doesn't value you the same way you do it?"
Sasuke and Danzō stayed silent for several minutes, the old, bandaged elder staring down the Uchiha with his one visible eye and the younger noirette staring at the ground in contemplation.
(Sasuke's Apartment)
Silence permeated the living room as the afternoon sunlight penetrated the large windows. Hinata and Sakura were both reading books. Although, reading wouldn't be the right term; more like staring at a page for several minutes while stealing glances at the silent blonde in the middle of them.
Naruto was sitting between his female friends on the couch absently staring at nothing. He had been like this since last night, and no one could blame him. He barely acknowledged anyone, only giving them short answers whenever they asked him questions. The girls didn't know what to say or do, so they resorted to staying beside the usually cheerful blonde as much as possible. Occasionally, they would shoot each other worried glances, as if communicating their concern to each other through just their eyes.
The clicking of an unlocked door drew the three's attention. They all looked up at the front door and saw Sasuke walking in. "Hello," he greeted.
"Hi, Sasuke," they greeted back, but Naruto's greeting was much more subdued. Sasuke frowned but didn't push him. He understood why he was acting like this.
"Hey, Hinata," he called, gaining the bluenette's attention. "Can you help me make lunch?"
"Sure, Sasuke-kun," Hinata answered, and stood up from the couch to help Sasuke in the kitchen.
As Hinata helped Sasuke prepare lunch, Sakura stared at Naruto who still had a gloomy expression on his face. She hated seeing him like this, all three of them did. Naruto and gloominess simply did not go together.
As she contemplated what to do to bring the Naruto she knew back, her eyes landed on a nearby bookshelf. More specifically the several sealing scrolls that Naruto found inside the closet. Finally figuring out what to do, she walked over to the bookshelf, picked up the scrolls, and walked back over to where Naruto was still sitting with a blank expression and gloomy aura.
"Hey, Naruto," Sakura called, foregoing the use of her nickname for him. Naruto raised his head and looked at her. "What's inside these scrolls?" she held the scrolls out for him to see.
Naruto's eyes lit up for a moment before they dulled again. "Oh... it's just some stuff that I like."
Sakura noticed the change in his eyes and decided to fish for information. "Can you show me?"
Naruto stared at the scrolls for a long moment, and Sakura was afraid that he would say 'no'. "Sure," he replied and reached out his hands for the scrolls.
Feeling relieved, Sakura placed a scroll in Naruto's hands and sat beside him on the couch. The blonde placed the scrolls on the table and unrolled one of them to reveal a circle made up of small symbols that Sakura couldn't begin to decipher. In the center of the circle was a large symbol: the kanji for book.
Naruto slowly moved his hands through three hand seals before placing his hands on the large kanji. He channeled chakra through his hands and onto the scroll. A puff of smoke appeared, and it dissipated to reveal a large textbook. Specifically, his Sealing Arts: Volume 1 textbook.
"This scroll has my fūinjutsu textbook in it," Naruto explained with a little more life in his voice. "My... home...," Naruto choked up at that last word, and Sakura put an arm around his shoulders. Naruto felt reassured by the contact and continued with his explanation. "It was a bit of a mess, and I didn't want it to get lost. So, I sealed it inside this scroll. I figured that it'd be easier to find if I did that." He left out the part where it took him losing the textbook five times before he finally decided to seal it away.
"Oh, okay," Sakura smiled. Her efforts to bring life back into Naruto were paying off. "And what's in this one," she picked up another scroll and held it up to him.
Naruto grabbed the scroll and performed the same procedure to unseal the contents inside. This time the smoke dissipated to reveal a jutsu scroll. "Where'd you get that?" Sakura questioned as she reached over and picked up the jutsu scroll. He couldn't have gotten it from the Academy because Iruka-sensei never lets them take jutsu scrolls home. They also weren't official genin yet, so the ninjutsu section of the library was off-limits to them.
"I found it in a dumpster," Naruto stated.
Sakura recoiled in disgust, and she dropped the scroll, "In a dumpster?"
"Yeah," Naruto replied easily before he noticed the disgust on Sakura's face. "I cleaned them after I found them."
"Oh, okay?" Sakura let out a relieved sigh and picked the scroll back up. "Why were you looking through a dumpster, anyway?" Sakura questioned.
"One of the things I used to do was look through dumpsters throughout the village," Naruto explained. "I was running on the rooftops one day, and I slipped and fell into one. It was nasty as hell. But it wasn't all bad. I found this jutsu scroll inside." He unrolled the scroll to reveal three ninja techniques: the Substitution Jutsu, the Clone Jutsu, and the Transformation Jutsu. "I started looking through any dumpster I could find. You'd be surprised at all the stuff people throw away," he explained before his eyes became downcast again. "I had more but, they're probably gone now. This is all I have now"
Seeing the brightness fading from Naruto's face, Sakura rushed to bring it back, "What other techniques do you have in here?"
"Oh, I have lots of others." The brightness was thankfully not fully snuffed out. "I've got wind style jutsu, lightning style jutsu, earth, water, and fire, and I've got..." Naruto trailed off when he realized that there was nothing left in the scroll. "... Actually, that's all I have. Hmm... I'm gonna need to get more someday. Maybe I could find some jutsu in the Scroll of Seals one of those scrolls talked about," he mumbled the last part to himself.
"Okay..., well, what's in this scroll?" She picked up another scroll and handed it to Naruto. He once again performed the procedure to release the contents only this time he did it on all four kanji. The smoke dissipated to reveal four different, white animal masks, each of a different secondary color.
"These are some masks I got the day I met Sasuke," Naruto explained before picking up the white and orange fox mask. "I saw them in a store and thought they were cool." Naruto was smiling as he gazed at the mask in his hand. His smile disappeared with his next words. "Then the mean shopkeeper pushed me out the store and told me to get lost. He threw these masks at me when I didn't."
Sakura frowned along with Naruto. She didn't know who this shopkeeper was, but she hoped to not cross paths with him. For his sake, not hers. "Well, at least you got these cool masks. That's gotta count for something," she tried to cheer the blonde up as she reached down and picked up the white and pink dolphin mask.
"Yeah, you're right, Sakura," Naruto smiled at the pinkette, and Sakura returned it with a smile of her own.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Hinata and Sasuke were busy making rice bowls with fish and carrots for the four of them. While doing so, the pair heard the conversation in the living room. They couldn't help but smile when they heard the change from dull to semi-enthusiastic in Naruto's voice.
"He's finally somewhat back to normal," Sasuke pointed out as he boiled some rice.
"That's good," Hinata stated as she cut up some carrots before putting the slices in another pot of boiling water. "He was barely talking to us this morning and took a long time to eat his breakfast. I was really worried about him."
"Yeah, I was, too," Sasuke admitted, taking his attention off the boiling rice and onto the eight slices of fish being fried on a pan. "But it seems like he's getting better.
Hinata frowned. "But do you think it will last?" Sasuke switched his attention from the food and to the bluenette. "He might be okay now, but that may change later."
"Even if it does, we can bring him back." He pointed at the duo sitting on the couch. "You see the way Sakura is affecting him? We can do the same thing if he gets depressed again."
"I guess you're right," Hinata sighed.
Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head up to him. "He's gonna be alright. We just gotta be there for him," he reassured, though whether the words were for Hinata or him, he didn't know.
Hinata nodded her head, "Yeah, he's going to be okay." She bit her lip. "I just wish the villagers didn't treat him that way. He doesn't deserve this, no one does."
"Don't worry about them, Hinata," Sasuke stated. "They're just a bunch of assholes. They'll get what's coming to them."
Hinata didn't know what Sasuke meant by those words, but before she could ask, Sasuke rushed to a nearby cupboard and pulled out four bowls. Realizing what this meant, Hinata saved her question for later and took the pots and pan off the hot eyes of the stove. Sasuke placed the bowls on a nearby counter, picked up one, and scooped some rice in it before handing it to Hinata. Hinata took the bowl of rice and placed two pieces of fish in the middle before taking several slices of carrots and arranging them around the rice and fish. The cooking duo did the same for the other three bowls.
"Lunch is ready," Hinata called to the duo sitting on the couch. Naruto and Sakura stood up from the couch and walked over to the table in the kitchen. Hinata sat a bowl down for Naruto and herself before she sat down, and Sasuke sat a bowl down for Sakura and himself before he sat down.
Lunch was a quiet affair. No one spoke, and the only sounds made were ones of chewing and clattering of chopsticks. Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura ate their food at a steady pace slowly savoring each bite of the flavorful dish. Naruto ate his food at a sedate pace, but everyone knew why and didn't bother to question him about it.
Sasuke was the first to finish. This wasn't the unusual part; that was the contemplative expression he had on his face as he stared at the table. "Hey, guys. Can you all stay for a minute after you finish? I need to talk to you," he requested. The other three didn't know what was going on, but they agreed to hear him out.
When Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura finished, they sat back in their seats and waited for Sasuke to start talking. The noirette did not know how to begin the conversation, so he decided to forego tact and just be blunt.
"We can't stay here," Sasuke spoke.
This statement confused the other three. "What do you mean 'we can't stay here'?" Hinata was the one to voice their confusion.
"I'm saying we should leave the village," Sasuke elaborated.
The other three's confusion changed to shock at those words. "Leave the village?" Sakura asked as if she couldn't believe what he was saying.
"W-Why would we do that?" Hinata was in the same state of shock as Sakura.
Naruto remained silent and stared at the table in contemplation.
"Because we'll have a better life if we do," Sasuke explained. This only further confused Hinata and Sakura.
"Where did this come from?" Sakura asked.
Sasuke took a deep breath as he thought over his next words. "Well, for starters, you remember that day the Hokage called me to his office." Hinata and Sakura nodded their heads, and Naruto perked his head up. "Well, I was called there because the village elders had a plan called the Organization of Clan Creation and Restoration to help me restore the Uchiha clan. It seemed like a good plan at first, but then I realized that they were only helping me to get the Sharingan back. They weren't doing it because I wanted a family again," Sasuke clenched his fist in anger. "The Hokage didn't agree with it, and he told them to get lost. After they left, I asked Sandaime-sama why he said that plan was inhumane, and he told me that sometimes people who are in that organization aren't in there willingly, and sometimes, they have to sire children with people they don't even know."
Shock returned to the other three's faces. Hinata's eyes widened, Naruto had an uncharacteristic frown on his face, and Sakura clenched her fists in anger. "Tha-that's horrible!" Hinata exclaimed.
"I'm glad Sandaime-sama chose not to do that to you," Sakura stated, her fist still clenched at the thought that someone would be willing to do that to Sasuke.
"Yeah, me, too," Sasuke unconsciously shivered before bringing his mind back to the conversation. "Well, I was out training today, and I met an old man named Shimura Danzō today." Naruto perked up with a confused expression; Where had he heard that name before? "He's one of the elders-."
"What?!" Sakura shouted. "Did they try to force you into that plan anyway?!"
"No! No! That's not what happened!" Sasuke placated the angry pinkette, who calmed down after hearing those words. "Well, he wasn't trying to do that at least," he emphasized the 'he'.
"What do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"The old man came to warn me that those elders might ignore the Hokage's orders," he stated, shocking Hinata and Sakura again.
"But they can't do that. He's the Hokage," Sakura protested.
"They could find a loophole around his orders," Sasuke explained silencing Sakura's protest. "If they found another way, they could get the Sharingan back while not disobeying the Hokage's orders." The noirette noticed the pinkette getting angry again, so he rushed to continue speaking. "But that's why we need to leave. The village doesn't care about us. Someone put Sakura in the hospital for 2 months, Hinata's family abandoned her, people only care about me because of who my family is, and the entire village hates Naruto for no reason. We can't stay in a place like this. That old man said that he has a plan to get us out of the village, and I think we should go along with it."
Hinata and Sakura flinched when Sasuke mentioned those events. The bluenette brought her hand up the rub the ribbon over her forehead, and the pinkette clenched a shaking fist. Unpleasant memories racked Hinata's mind, and a sudden headache struck Sakura.
"I think we should leave the village, too," Naruto spoke up for the first time. This statement shocked Hinata and Sakura and surprised Sasuke.
"But... we can't leave. Konoha is our home," Hinata protested with a small ounce of conviction.
"What kind of home has people who want you dead?" Naruto questioned. Stunned silence was the only answer. "The villagers went too far this time. They would usually just glare at me and talk about me behind my back, but this time they destroyed my home. And we almost died. If I didn't recognize that sealing tag, we would all be dead." A cold feeling washed over Hinata and Sakura. They had never thought about this because they were too busy trying to make sure Naruto was okay. "We survived, but they might try again. You all are my best friends, and I don't want to see you get killed. If I have to leave the village to keep you safe, I'm gonna do it."
The other three were touched by Naruto's concern for them, and Sasuke added another reason why he was a great person. Though, they were confused by his wording. Why did he say it like his being there is what caused their near-deaths? Did he think that it was his fault?
Sasuke resolved to ask him about it later. "We're leaving with or without you." That was a lie, and Sasuke knew it. He never wanted to be separated from his friends, and not even a life where no one saw him as just 'The Last Uchiha' could get him to leave them. However, he could see that they were almost convinced, they just needed one final push. It was kind of manipulative, but he didn't care.
"... Fine," Sakura sighed. "I'll go with you. I mean someone's gotta keep you out of trouble," she finished with a smirk.
Sasuke's face displayed a real smile, and Naruto grinned for the first time since last night. All three turned their attention to Hinata who resorted to her old habit of twiddling her index fingers. "I want to go with you, but..." the other three frowned when she trailed off, "I want to say goodbye to my sister first."
"That's okay," Sasuke reassured. "We've got a week before Danzō-san goes through with the plan."
"... Okay then. I go with you," Hinata finally relented. Naruto let out a subdued cheer, and both Sasuke and Sakura smiled.
A/N: The quartet is finally going to leave the village with the help of Shimura Danzō. But will things go as smoothly as planned? Find out in the next chapter. Which I, hopefully, won't wait till the last minute to write.
Thanks for reading.
Date: Jun/30/2022