Chapter 26: The Naruto Investigation Task Force

Sakura arrived on Team Gai's training grounds with a splash of water, soaking both TenTen and Lee as she did so. Ah, water style shunshin.

"Seriously, Haruno?" TenTen sighed, shaking her arms.

"Seriously, Meiji," Sakura smirked. "Lee!"

"Sakura-chan!" Despite how much water she'd gotten on him, he wasn't that damp; his jumpsuit tended to let it slick right off. Still, he embraced her gingerly, careful not to get her clothes wet. "How are you this fine morning?"

"I'm wonderful. Not going on a mission?"

"Just training today," Neji said, having avoided even one drop of water. "Gai-sensei is on a mission by himself." When Sakura raised an eyebrow at Karin's absence, he elaborated further. "She recently enrolled in the hospital with a focus on poisons."

Sakura nodded and took a sip of her coffee. "How are you not tired after running around looking for Naruto last night?" TenTen asked with a curious stare.

Sakura shrugged. "I take a lot of night shifts. I'm used to it."

"Sakura-chan perseveres through anything," Lee said in appreciation, just as chipper as ever.

"I'm starting to think we should actively try to keep Naruto and any alcoholic beverage at a minimum distance of fifty feet from each other." Neji tilted his head back and enjoyed the cool air on his neck. The hot temperatures had finally left for good, leaving a true fall to spring into existence. Winter wasn't far off- it ended early, but there was never much transition between fall and winter in Konoha.

They had all altered their attire to the requirements of the season; Lee wore a green vest without any pockets so as not to be mistaken for a chuunin vest, with an orange neck warmer that matched the ones adorning his wrists and shins. TenTen had changed into a shirt of the same style with sleeves that went to her elbows, and arm warmers attached beneath that ran from her bicep to her wrist. Neji hadn't altered his clothing but to add a pair of (decidedly more plain than his teammates') arm warmers that conformed to his wrist and doubled as gloves, rather than their baggy ones. Sakura had tucked her pants into boots instead of taping them at the shins to wear with sandals, switching out for a fur-lined jacket.

"That's a good idea. Any ideas on what to get him for his birthday?" Sakura frowned, taking another sip of her coffee. "I've known him for a long time but he doesn't seem to want anything."

"Hmmm." TenTen sat on a training post and set her chin on her hands in thought. "Bomb materials?"

"He has a supplier for that. Makes a lot on his own too."

"Fuinjutsu materials?"

"He has enough ink and brushes."

"Weapons?"

"He has plenty of staves and that fan of his, as well as a sword and tantō. I'm sure he'd like a new weapon but he probably wouldn't just go crazy over it."

"Naruto-kun is reading much of the time I see him," Lee interjected. "Is there not a book he would want?"

Sakura rubbed her cheek. "Hm…well, he's read the whole library, so I can't think of one."

"Surely there's a type of book he likes," TenTen said.

"Well. When I say 'the whole library', I mean the literal whole library." Three set of wide eyes stared back at her. "The only book he's attached to is Jiraiya's, and that's-" She paused, catching herself. "He just likes the story."

Neji's eyes narrowed.

"Hmm…you're right, this is difficult." Lee sat down cross-legged on the ground and frowned at the grass. "But we won't give up! We'll find a suitable gift for him yet!"

"I hope so," Sakura sighed. "I've got four days."

"Why don't we take a break from training then, Neji? A little morning shopping wouldn't hurt," TenTen suggested.

The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow before nodding. "Very well."

"All right, Sasuke. Go ahead and use your Sharingan on me."

Sasuke paused, hands in the middle of forming a hand seal. "Are you sure?"

Kurenai gave him a friendly smile. "Don't worry. I am a jounin. I can handle it."

She'd been pleasantly surprised at the boy's disposition when they'd started genjutsu practice a few months before. He wasn't arrogant at all- quite the hard worker, in reality. He always listened to her instructions and followed them to a T.

He looked into her eyes. A bit of déjà vu assaulted her from her last encounter with a Sharingan, but she forced it down. "Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

The world fell into darkness. "Good," Kurenai said, unable to see even her own hands. "Next."

"Magen: Kasegui no Jutsu."

Kurenai winced when several spikes drove themselves into her body. She was no stranger to pain, but they hurt nonetheless.

"Magen: Kyō Tenchi-ten!" she exclaimed, focusing her chakra. A pained grunt somewhere ahead of her informed her it had been successful.

"Release!" she heard Sasuke hiss as the darkness receded. "Magen: Jubaku Satsu!"

Kurenai was unprepared for another technique so soon after the first. Tree roots wound around her as a tree grew behind her, the last threads of darkness ebbing away to reveal Sasuke disappearing in a haze.

"Good," she said with a smile. "Let's see how you handle this. Release!"

For a moment, the tree stayed stubbornly in place before it disappeared. "Nehan Shōja no Jutsu!"

"Release," Sasuke countered smoothly, not even wavering an inch. "Magen: Jigoku Kōka no Jutsu!"

Kurenai's eyes widened when a sudden feeling of intense heat rushed upon her. In the sky above her, a tremendous ball of fire hurtled towards her, but she kept herself calm despite her body screaming at her she was in danger. She went to make the release hand sign, only to find her hands wouldn't move.

"An immobilizing technique hidden beneath this one," she murmured. "Excellent, Sasuke-kun."

She wormed her lip beneath her abruptly locked-up teeth, biting down hard. The illusion shimmered, and she slowly weaved the necessary hand sign as his control over her body became the smallest bit weaker. "Release!"

The fire disappeared instantly. "Genjutsu: Shiranui," Kurenai cried, not wasting any time.

Sasuke gritted his teeth across from her. They'd been going at it for nearly an hour, and to an outside observer, looked to be simply standing in a field across from each other, occasionally moving their hands or a few steps aside. Blue flames appeared around him, trapping him in their midst while a tree began to grow behind him.

Not to be outdone, he halted his chakra flow without a hand seal, closing his eyes to concentrate. The illusion shattered at the same time Kurenai extended her arm from the tree, and he twisted his head around to make eye contact. Magen: Kyō Tenchi-ten!

In an instant, he took her place in the tree, letting himself slither out of it. A moment later it exploded, seemingly taking her with it, but the illusion bled away seconds later.

"You're a fine opponent, Sasuke-kun," her voice said from all around him. "Can you break out of this one? Hana Ninpō: Kyōkasu."

The midday sky darkened to night around him while flower petals rained down on him from above, surrounding him in every direction. With the slightest of smirks, Sasuke closed his eyes, waiting until he felt her chakra circle back in front of him.

"Let's see."

His eyes snapped open, the Sharingan whirling rapidly. "Iatsu Sharingan!"

The illusion shattered. With a gasp, Kurenai crashed to her knees, panting. Taking a shuddering breath, Sasuke held his own knees as he bent over slightly, exhausted.

"You certainly have a talent for this, Sasuke-kun," she said after a minute of breathing.

"Thank you, sensei," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

"I think that's enough for today. I'll meet you again next week at training ground fourteen; they're going to redo the path near this one."

He nodded and bowed. She smiled and waved at him, and he restrained the urge to let his lips twitch up to return it, simply returning the wave as he walked away.

The woman reminded him some of Mikoto. Her hair was a different shade and her eyes were different, but she held a similar air about her.

Breathing out heavily through his nose, he tried to shake the feeling of being watched as he walked towards a lunch stall that saw little traffic near the outskirts of town. Attempting to be inconspicuous, he checked the trees around him, finding nothing suspicious- if there wassomeone following him, they were at least skilled enough to hide themselves effectively.

He resolved to stay on his guard until he returned to the compound that evening, back to the safety of Naruto's paranoid fuinjutsu barriers.

"What's up, my little apprentice?" Jiraiya fairly shouted, ducking into Ichiraku's with a quick swish of the curtain.

Naruto choked on his noodles, nearly overturning his bowl into the floor. He quickly set it down and slapped his chest, swallowing before shooting the sannin a glare. "What do you want, ero-sennin?"

Grinning, Jiraiya took the seat next to him. "What, I can't come see if you want to train or something?"

"Buzz off, pervert."

Naruto went back to his ramen with another glare, muttering under his breath. Snickering, Jiraiya set his cheek on his knuckles as he leaned against the bar. "Is it really that hard to admit you're fond of someone, gaki?"

"Hn."

"The Uchiha really are rubbing off on you…"

"Hn."

Jiraiya's cheek twitched. "Anyway. Guess what a little birdie told me?"

"That you're a useless lech who can't even manage to summon the boss of his own summoning contract?"

Jiraiya hunched over slightly. "T-that was one time…"

Ayame giggled from her place by the stove.

"No, I heard it was someone's birthday," Jiraiya emphasized, poking Naruto's cheek as he glared at the back wall. He'd known all along, of course, but the Haruno girl was persistent.

"Wow," Naruto said in fake amazement, "you can count days after all."

Jiraiya scowled. "What are you implyin', ya little brat?"

"That your writing is subpar at best and that of a child at worst."

Tilting his chin up, Jiraiya pouted. "Well, maybe I just won't get you anything."

"Really?" Naruto cheered up, mood taking a one-eighty. "Awesome!"

Jiraiya faceplanted into the bar. "You're supposed to disagree!" he yelled, shaking his fist.

Naruto beamed at him, already setting a few bills down. "I disagree! Issue settled!"

He turned in his seat and slunk into the street, choking when an irritated sannin wearing a dull expression caught his collar with two fingers. "Ah-nuh-uh. You're not leaving until you tell me something you want."

Minato and Kushina wouldn't want their son's birthday, simultaneously the happiest day in their whole lives and the day they'd died, going by uncelebrated.

Furthermore, the Haruno girl would punch him if he didn't insist.

"I want world peace. There." Naruto tried to go forward again. Jiraiya twitched and pulled him back again. "I don't know, ero-sennin. I don't celebrate my birthday."

"So I've heard."

"So let it go."

"No."

"You're just doing this to annoy me."

"I can't deny that gives me pleasure."

"Don't you dare start another argument in public," Naruto threatened, pointing at him with a scowl.

A slow grin crawled across Jiraiya's face. "And what if I did?"

"I don't KNOW anything I'd want, ero-sennin. I just don't like celebrating."

"Why?"

Naruto snorted. "Why don't you come up with something on your own?" he asked, an idea popping into his head. "I bet you just want a cop-out," he said in a sing-song tone.

"Wha- I do not!"

"Yeah you do~ you just can't admit you don't have the slightest clue what I would like."

"Oh yeah?! Fine, then, gaki, I'll do it on my own!" Jiraiya pointed in his face, glaring. "And you'll be speechless because of how awesome of a gift I got you."

Naruto smirked. "Don't bet on it."

With that he sauntered away, leaving Jiraiya shaking his fist at his back and muttering various things to do with 'disrespectful brats' under his breath.

Hold on a minute, Naruto thought, Where's Kurama?

Kurama groaned as he came to, the afternoon sun making him cringe further into the pile of garbage he laid in. Rolling unsteadily to his feet, he looked down at himself in disgust before snapping. The wrinkled yukata disappeared and left an ensemble similar to Naruto's; black jounin pants taped off at the shins, a sleeveless black button-up with a leather belt around the waist, and a sleeveless haori stopping at the hips with the kanji for nine on the back. The symbol had never had any particular connection to him besides counting his tails, but he liked to wear it as a subtle "I'm standing right in front of you and you don't even know it." Or perhaps just a less eloquent "Screw you."

He stepped out of the alley he'd been sleeping in and stretched his arms over his head, murmuring a cleansing spell under his breath. Covering a yawn, he strolled down the street of the village he'd spent so long as a prisoner in, but now walked freely in as a citizen.

At some point he realized he was being followed; they were downwind, hence why he hadn't smelled them. As he was, he thought he was particularly unrecognizable- he rarely used the form; unfortunately for him he didn't remember his drunken escapades.

Kurama stepped into a back street and pulled his ponytail tighter, anticipating a fight. He turned and waited- only to blink in surprise at the figure that appeared before him.

"Name's Kurama, yeah?" Kiba drawled, pose casual and eyes half-lidded in boredom- but Kurama knew better. The mutt was on guard, ready to jump forward at a moment's notice. It wasn't that threatening, but it set Kurama on edge; he felt as if there was something going on here he didn't know about. And how did they know his name in that form?

"Don't try running," the bug-user said from behind him.

Above in the tree sitting behind the fence, the Hyuuga looked down on them, sitting on one of the branches in with a falsely relaxed air. "We have some questions for you."

Dispelling himself now would look suspicious. But more, he was curious as to why Naruto's little friends had cornered him (he wasn't actually cornered, but he would let them think they were tough for the fun of it). "To what riddles do I owe the pleasure?" Kurama asked, opening his mouth wide in a grin that showed off his sharp canines.

Kiba glanced at his mess of red hair, thinking of Karin. "You can start by telling us who you are. You don't live in this village; with a look like that, someone would have noticed you. And I have literally never seen you with Naruto before in my life."

"You people weren't the most observant when it came to Naruto before graduation."

Kiba cringed slightly. "That is irrelevant," Shino took over. "He is a mutual friend of ours now. Will you answer the question?"

Kurama thought for a moment. He was half tempted just to say no to see what their alternative would be, but he was in a good mood. He shrugged. "Uzumaki Kurama. Naruto's my cousin."

"Did you come here when he assumed headship as Karin did?" Neji asked this time, letting himself drop to the ground.

Kurama shrugged again. "Been around longer than that," he said in a vague manner, just to piss them off.

Kiba twitched. "You a shinobi?" he asked, eyes looking Kurama up and down.

Kurama grinned. His eyes glinted, and a shiver went down Kiba's spine. "Yeah, I am."

Not a total lie. Kurama knew many techniques just by living vicariously through Naruto. He had an ocean of power to pull on through his link to Naruto, and he could, technically, fight as he was; the clone wouldn't dispel after a single hit.

"Not joining up here, though," he said in a noncommittal tone. "Not interested."

The three surveyed him, calculating, observing. Kurama did the same, watching them through a smirk and devilish eyes.

"Why is Naruto the way he is?" Kurama had been expecting something as blunt from Kiba.

"He is constantly on guard when not in his home," Shino added. "Ready for even allies to try and attack him."

"Or shun him or purposely put him at a disadvantage," Neji said, thinking back to the moment he'd witnessed between Naruto and Gaara, when the blond had spoken so casually about being worried someone would slight him in a village-mandated competition. After the chuunin exams, word had gotten around that Naruto had single-handedly fended of Shukaku himself, and many civilians andshinobi had gained a new respect for him. However, there were still those who seemed to be biased against him.

"He hides things behind that grin of his."

"He uses a technique not in any shinobi's arsenal," Neji said with narrowed eyes. "Strange symbols appearing without the need to draw them, opening doors without touching them, chanting words backwards to cause an event to happen."

So he picked up on that? Kurama, thought, slightly impressed. It wasn't an easy task to decipher something such as words yelled out backwards in the heat of battle.

"He says he sees ghosts for Kami's sake, and Shino actually believes him," Kiba exclaimed, sweatdropping.

"He was abused as a child for no apparent reason." Shino's voice was toneless, but Kurama felt repressed anger in him. "Even though one of Konoha's revered sannin is his godfather."

"He fools everyone for twelve years and comes up out of nowhere, a master of sealing and making bombs and even if Sasuke and Sakura did the same thing, he's just extra weird."

"He has shown he knows what it feels like to be treated as if he were a monster," Neji added in a quiet tone. "For something that wasn't his doing. He said he once wanted to simply give up and die."

"So if you've 'been around for a while'," Kiba said, leaning in and narrowing his eyes dangerously, "you know the answers to all this?"

Kurama stared at him, smirk growing wider, before nodding. "I do."

They froze, as if they had been half expecting him to just tell them to sod off and flee.

"But if you want to know the answers to any of your questions," Kurama whispered, stepping closer to Kiba until they were less than a foot apart, "you'll have to find out for yourself."

The Inuzuka's eyes went wide when they observed him so closely, making Kiba take a half step back, intimidated by his mere presence. Kurama snapped, disappearing in a plume of red smoke and leaving Kiba coughing on it.

The three genin eyed each other as Kiba recovered, the same sentiment running through their minds.

Just what the hell was going on with Uzumaki Naruto?

Ino swallowed heavily, fidgeting with the hem of her scarf as she debated going into the hospital or not. Come on, Ino. Just go in and do it, she told herself, scowling at her feet. Taking a deep breath, she marched forward through the front doors, coming to a stop at the front desk and making the nurse on duty just raise an eyebrow at her.

"I-" She stammered and took a second's pause, steadying herself. "I- I would like to..to…a-appr…" Apprentice under Tsunade-sama. Just say it! I want to see Tsunade-sama and ask to be her apprentice like Sakura! "To…"

"To?" The nurse squinted at her.

"To join the medical program!" Ino burst out, smiling nervously.

What did she have when compared with Sakura? She didn't have the super strength, or the fancy genjutsu and ninjutsu (was Kakashi trying to make his students take after his 'Kakashi of a Thousand Jutsu' moniker?), or even the level of insane taijutsu Sakura had. She couldn't bash through walls like Sakura or put a shinobi's head through a cement floor like Sakura could. She couldn't use a tantō or a katana effectively, or a staff or the numerous other weapons she saw the pinkette use with that buns girl from Lee's team. She couldn't break a watermelon with her thighs or lift both of her teammates on her shoulders. (She'd seen Sakura do just that when they were going for ramen one day. Squad Seven had been returning from a training session, looking worn out, satisfied, and extremely happy. Sasuke had been on Sakura's right shoulder, legs crossed and with a smirk adorning his perfect face, and Naruto had been on the other, laughing. Sakura had been smirking too, walking along like it was nothing at all. Sakura could probably lift five Chojis and still be able to bench press Sasuke with the other arm.)

She didn't even know any medical jutsu- Sakura was already a full medic.

Squad Seven. Friends since forever, apparently, and experts at leaving everyone else behind.

Sakura, with biceps that made Ino's arms look like limp noodles, apparently one of Sasuke's best friends, who apparently didn't even have a crush on him, who apparently had a happy, extremely enthusiastic relationship with the spandex-clad boy that weirded Ino out.

"All right. Just fill out this paperwork." A clipboard was thrust into her arms. Gulping, Ino retreated to a seat along the wall, setting the board in her lap and chewing her lip as she answered the questions. Name. Age. Shinobi ID. Level of experience.

After ten nerve-wracking minutes, she returned the clipboard, watching the nurse scan her papers into a computer. There were several awkward minutes spent standing there while the woman ignored her, but she finally looked up, speaking in a drawl.

"All right, I entered you into the system. Your medic teacher will work out your schedule and training with you; I called one down that hasn't been given a student yet."

"Thank you," Ino said, breathing a sigh of relief.

There. It was done. No more indecision. Right or wrong, she'd taken a step forward.

She wouldn't let Sakura show her her back forever.

"Ah, where's my first apprentice, hmm?"

Ino froze in pure horror, a shiver crawling up her spine. "Right here," the nurse said, wearing a bright and friendly smile when she addressed the person coming up behind Ino. "Yamanaka Ino, this is-"

"S-Sakura," Ino stammered, whirling around with a smile. "Y-you're my sensei?"

Sakura's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I didn't know you wanted to be a medic, Ino. And yes, I'm your teacher, until a schedule change happens, anyway."

"Ah…I see…"

"Well, come on! We might as well get started. Follow me." Sakura gestured for her to follow, turning and walking briskly down the hall.

Ino followed with a lump in her throat, feeling like she was walking into a doom-filled future with the biggest reminder of her inferiority constantly showing Ino her back.

By evening Sasuke had become extra paranoid, unable to shake the feeling he was being watched. He kept a hand on the handle of his katana at his hip, feigning casualness, at all times.

He'd gotten lunch, taken an afternoon shift at the hospital, and then tried to keep training, but the secluded nature of the training grounds was ripe with opportunities for assassination. He wasn't stupid; he knew being a clan head made him even more of a target. If the Uchiha clan was able to rebuild, Konohagakure's strength would only increase.

He kept a good pace as he headed back earlier than usual, but didn't go fast enough it looked like he had caught on. As the sun set, he kept a lookout for any strange noises around him, listening for even the slightest creak of a tree branch with someone's weight on it.

The air shifted. Sasuke held his breath, stopping abruptly and flipping. A figure darted past him, missing him completely; he placed a hand on their shoulder and pushed hard, knocking them down as he gained distance and landed on the side of a tree. A moment later another figure came at him.

He ducked under them. It slammed into the tree, shaking its foundations; landing in a roll, Sasuke came up with his sword drawn, placing his back against a tree with his expression settling into a glare.

"Identify yourself."

"Aw, he thinks he's tough," an amused voice said from his right. A pale teenager emerged from the trees, an extra mop of hair lying limp his shoulders.

A redheaded girl emerged to his left as the other two boxed him in to the front. Sasuke froze, a shiver running through him.

The pale clothing. The purple rope around their waists. The Oto headband the one with multiple arms wore.

"For the love of kami," he said, interrupting the redhead as she was speaking, "can Orochimaru not take a hint?"

"Ah, so you know where we're from." The pale one smirked and set his hands on his hips. "That might make this easier."

Sasuke tensed, switching his blade to a defensive stance. "If you're here to take me to him, you will literally have to drag my breathless body out of this village before it does anything that could be conceived as 'betraying' it."

"Feisty one, aren't you? Why don't you just shut up for a minute, hmm? Orochimaru-sama has an offer for you, but I don't know why." The redhead scowled.

"He offers you power. If you stay in this village for the rest of your life, you'll stay a weakling," the leader snorted.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I won't repeat myself," he said, just as two- invisible to their eyes- shinobi passed by below. "The Uchiha are Konoha's allies, not Oto's. Has Orochimaru screwed with your brains so badly you think no means yes? I'm not leaving."

"Sasuke-kun?" Hashirama glanced up into the trees with a startled expression, leaping off the ground and floating to a stop beside the Uchiha. Tobirama followed on his heels, landing on Sasuke's other side.

"I guess we're doing this the hard way, then. Oh, well. That is the fun way," the female said with a smirk. She punched her palm with a closed fist, but the effect just seemed to dull after seeing Sakura create shockwaves.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He wasn't in a condition to take them all- he'd been training half the day with Kurenai and healing injuries at the hospital; his chakra was low. "I guess we are," he bit out, his Sharingan spinning to life in his eyes. The two Hokage went still, glancing between the two sides. "Magen: Jubaku Satsu!"