Hello, and I hope that everyone is doing well today, I am sorry for not making another chapter for a while as I already had said in the last chapter but I honestly hope you enjoy this.
Firstly,
1.The Chunin Exams will begin in the next chapter.
2.Different events will pan outward from the original in the series but will only change slightly.
3.I might plan on changing the ages of a few of the characters (Still debating on it though)
4.I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter.
Chapter 8: Shifting Sands
1 WEEK LATER
Hiruzen was a calm man when it came to it, but there were times when he would like to rest and relax. With a certain blonde though it seems like he could never do that. He was currently in his office at midnight. Naruto who was battered and bruised sat before him with Hiashi Hyuga and his two daughters Hinata who was also in a dirty mess holding onto her father's leg and Hanabi who was in Hiashi's arms sleeping.
"Listen Naruto I have the jist of what happened, but I need an in-depth report from you. I just got done with a meeting with the Hidden Cloud a few hours ago and I think we could all use some sleep," he said pointing at Naruto. Naruto sighed and he started to discuss what happened.
FLASHBACK
Naruto had just gotten done with eating dinner at Tenten's house. Her parents enjoyed Naruto's hospitality and kindness and they reciprocated it. Naruto still was training his butt off and Kakashi started to implement other training as a group which he was grateful for. They started to learn how to do something called Water Walking and Naruto had Tenten teaching him how to use Senbon like Genma told him to. Naruto spent more time with Tenten and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and he enjoyed the company.
After dinner, Naruto decided to take a stroll through the village, enjoying the cool night air. The moon was high, casting a silvery glow over Konoha. He hadn't realized how much time he spent at the Higurashi household as it was 11 p.m. now. He felt at peace, a rare feeling for him, and he cherished it. His training has been going well and he has learned one wind jutsu and one water jutsu. The Earth Jutsu he is learning will be done soon but the rewards he got for a job well done in his evaluation were 1 Water Jutsu, 1 Wind Jutsu, 1 Earth Jutsu, and Senbon that Tenten was helping him with, as well as a couple of other scrolls sent to him by the old man. He had completed the Water Style: Liquid Bullets, Wind Style: Wind Wave, and he was learning how to use Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. He was satisfied with his ninjutsu as it had expanded greatly since a while ago and he no longer had to use the Academy Three as often.
He was passing by the Hyuga Compound as they were technically neighbors because his compound was right next to theirs. He saw a black hooded figure holding what looked like a person in his right arm. He then jumped towards the trees and Naruto pursued. He would make sure that it wasn't a person and if it wasn't he would be on his way.
The man stopped when he saw a Shinobi with blonde hair and whisker marks in front of him.
"Move it kid, I have nothing to do with you," he said.
"What's in the bag? Tell me that and I will let you go," said Naruto.
"I don't have to tell you, shit kid," the man said annoyed. He dropped the bag and it let out a soft grunt. The bag was moving which indicated that there was someone in there. Naruto grew angry at this.
"I suppose beings you found out. I should tell you my name since you are going to die here anyway." He unveiled his hood showing he was an older man but not an elderly one. He was a tall dark-skinned fellow with braids scattered throughout his hair. He was a fairly muscular man with scars lining his body.
"My name is Ryota Sugawara. I am known as "Ryota of the Lightning Legs" as you will see shortly," he said getting into a stance. Naruto got into a stance of his own and readied himself.
"You aren't that important if I have never heard of you," he said mocking him. Ryota grunted in annoyance.
Naruto let off a chakra pulse alerting everyone in the village. Ryota felt it and grew pissed. He pointed at Naruto before angrily spouting out, "You brat! You just signed your death warrant!"
Ryota's legs started to be surrounded by lightning charka. With what sounded like thunder, he dashed forward with incredible speed, aiming a powerful kick at Naruto. Naruto barely managed to dodge, feeling the wind from the kick brush past his face. He countered with a kunai, but Ryota deflected it with ease. The man's speed and strength were impressive, and Naruto knew he had to be careful.
Ryota smirked, "Not bad, kid, but you're out of your league."
Naruto didn't respond. Instead, he focused on his training and what he had learned. He sent a punch right to his head but was blocked.
"Oh, so you do know some tricks. Let's see how you handle this!" Ryota's legs crackled with lightning chakra as he launched himself at Naruto again, this time even faster. Naruto didn't have time to react and was hit across the field right into a tree. Ryota smirked and walked over to him picking him up by his hair. "You were decent for a kid but horrible." Naruto smiled. "Says the guy that got fooled by said kid," he said before dispersing. Ryota was shocked, that was a shadow clone. A kid making one means he has a lot of chakra. He flared his chakra and turned around to see the real Naruto getting the girl out of the bag. Hinata clung to Naruto before he booked it to the nearest sign of people. He growled; this wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to bring a Hyuga back to the Hidden Cloud so that he would be welcomed back as a Cloud Shinobi. His legs were encased with chakra once more before zipping off after them. He would have about a few more minutes until higher-level Shinobi were here.
Naruto put chakra into his legs and jumped to the branches to make a getaway. "Naruto-kun, hurry, he is right there!" Naruto felt his Fighting Sense kicking in and let instinct take over him. He turned around coating his arm in wind chakra, "Wind Style: Wind Wave." A wave of wind launched at Ryota who was prepared to kick him. The wave of wind made contact and it canceled out the lightning chakra in his right leg. That was the moment Naruto needed to do this.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he yelled creating hundreds of copies of himself carrying Hinata.
"Oh no you don't brat!" he yelled before cocking his left leg back and sending a giant wave of lighting, "Lighting Style: Extreme Leg Lighting Wave," he said landing on a branch. Naruto watched as the wave of lightning surged toward him and his clones, lighting up the dark forest with an eerie glow. He felt the electric tension in the air, the hairs on his neck standing up. He had to think fast if he was going to protect Hinata and himself.
"Scatter!" Naruto commanded, and the clones spread out in all directions. The lightning wave tore through many of them, dispelling them in puffs of smoke. The real Naruto, holding Hinata tightly, was hit by the wave flinging them back. Naruto moved Hinata and positioned her to his front side, ensuring she didn't hit the ground. Naruto grunted from the pain but hoisted themselves up anyway. He had some burns from the attack but nothing too serious.
Hinata clung to Naruto, her small hands trembling. "Naruto-kun, what do we do?" she whispered, her voice filled with fear.
"Don't worry, Hinata. I won't let him take you," Naruto reassured her, his voice firm. He could feel his adrenaline pumping, his mind racing through possible strategies. He knew he had to buy time until the higher-level shinobi arrived. But now they were wide in the open with the tops of the trees scorched and burned by the Lighting Jutsu, they were left unprotected. Ryota landed on the ground and deactivated his lighting chakra around his legs Looking at the two of them smirking, he said,
"Looks like you are about done kid. Now give the girl. You don't get to walk away from this alive, so hand her over and we can hurry this up," he said his hand extended out. *SPLAT*
Ryota looked at his arm which was now covered in water. He looked at the tops of the trees to see some of the clones survive the Lightning Jutsu were now firing water bullets at him. He was being bombarded with these bullets and was getting annoyed. Ryota had enough of this and unveiled some shuriken throwing them at the clones and puffing them out of existence.
"This is pointless. You just wasted chakra hitting me with that display of water jutsu, if you could even call it that," he said wiping his eyes. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by 6 Anbu Black Ops led by a certain feline.
"You will surrender to us or die where you stand," said an Anbu in an otter mask.
Ryota gritted his teeth pulsing his chakra. This wasn't how it was supposed to go and he would be damned if he was stopped by some kid. "You all will know the full power of Ryota of the Lightning Legs!" he yelled powering his lightning chakra up. He then felt sparks shooting through his body. He was being electrocuted.
Everyone saw as the man in front of them started to scream in pain. It sounded throughout the village as the Lightning spread all over his body. Some of the Anbu shielded their eyes while Cat leaped down putting her cloak over the two Genin. Hinata and Naruto held each other as the scream continued for another few seconds followed by a thud. Cat looked at the now charred body of Ryota and held up a hand to Naruto who was trying to get up.
"You have done well and more than enough, let us take care of it," she said in a soft tone as she placed two hands on the both of them. She looked back to see the corpse again not wanting the Genin to see it. She knew the life of a ninja was gruesome, but there is a point where you don't show certain things to younger ninjas.
"Listen. Seal the body and take it to Lord Hokage," she said in a firm tone.
"Yes Commander," they all said in unison. With her teleporting away.
FLASHBACK END
"And then Hinata's Dad came in and now we are here," he said inhaling some air.
Hirzuen looked on with a mixture of emotions. Surprise that the Cloud would try something like this again shocked that Naruto fought him even if it was for a bit and satisfied that Naruto was able to fight him. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out the bingo book handing it to Naruto. "Open page 35, Naruto-kun."
Naruto looked at the book and sure enough, was a picture of Ryota. "He was a missing-nin from the Hidden Cloud. Was this the guy you had a meeting with?" asked Naruto.
"No, he wasn't. I am assuming that was an associate of his but aside from that. He has been a B-rank missing-nin for the past 14 years. He was someone who was able to copy the Third Raikage's Lightning Cloak to an extent. It is what makes him the fastest man in all of the elemental nations. He could only use it in his lower body and not his upper body. It is quite impressive, to say the least, but it is a bastardized version of it. He is around 40 years old. I think that he thought he could bring back a Hyuga to get him into the good graces of his Raikage but he can't do that now since he's dead. How did you know that the Lightning chakra would transfer to the rest of his body?" asked Hiruzen.
Naruto was still in his mind that he stopped a B-rank missing-nin but answered him anyway, "I didn't."
"So it was a bit of a gamble you did. You couldn't have known that Water would have reacted the way it did doing that," questioned the old man.
"Yes and no. No, it wasn't because I thought there was a reason why he wasn't using his arms and stuff for his Lightning Covering thingy. Yes it was because I saw an Anbu coming when I did it and I was hoping it would be enough time so that they could catch up," said Naruto.
"Are you ok though Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked worriedly.
"Just a couple of burns and scrapes nothing major," Naruto said showing him.
"Naruto-kun you know you didn't kill that man, did you?" he asked quietly.
Naruto looked at the ground not sure what to say. "I know I didn't. He brought it upon himself because he was the one who did the Lightning Jutsu, not me. The Water was supposed to be more of a distraction and not for something to power up the Lightning." Hirzuen nodded.
Hiruzen watched the scene with a soft smile, a mixture of pride and relief washing over him. Naruto had proven his worth yet again, not just as a promising ninja but as a protector of his village and its people. He looked at Hiashi, who seemed to share his sentiments, albeit expressed through his more reserved demeanor. The Hokage knew that this incident, while troubling, had a silver lining in strengthening the bonds between the villagers and highlighting Naruto's growth.
"Uzumaki-san," Hiashi said, his tone formal yet warm, "I will ensure that the Hyuga Clan acknowledges your bravery and the debt we owe you. Hinata's safety is paramount, and you have demonstrated commendable resolve."
Naruto blushed slightly, scratching the back of his head in his typical fashion. "I was just doing what anyone would do. I couldn't let him take her."
Hinata came from behind her father and hugged him. "Thank you…Naruto-kun," she said with Naruto hugging her back. They let go of the hug and the four occupants were teleported out of the room to their respective homes leaving Hiruzen and Cat.
"You may take your mask off Cat, you are off duty until tomorrow afternoon," he said turning to her.
"I know, Lord Hokage," she said showing her face. Yugao Uzuki. A name she is not called very often less it be Hayate, Kurenai, or Anko. She looked at Hiruzen with her chocolate brown eyes and purple hair shimmering in the light waiting for what comes next.
"Listen Yugao-chan. I want you to do something for me and it is an S-rank mission that you will be doing with Hayate-kun," he said getting her interested. He formed hand seals placing a Silencing Seal in the Hokage Office.
"You both will be protecting Naruto Uzumaki when I say," he said seriously.
"Not that I won't Lord Hokage, but why the seriousness?" she asked curiously.
"Call it an old man's intuition. Naruto-kun is getting stronger as you can see and he isn't showing signs of stopping anytime soon. I have a gut feeling that something bad will happen and I want to make sure that he has someone watching his back. You and Hayate-kun have been watching him for the past few years now and I trust you with him. So will you do it? It will only be when he is in the village by himself or with very few people and when I say," he said looking at her.
"Of course, Lord 3rd. I agree to this," she said bowing.
"Good," he said undoing the seal in the room.
"Then I shall be on my way," she said teleporting to her apartment. Leaving the old man to close up shop.
HOKAGE'S OFFICE NEXT MORNING
"Man, what a long night," said Naruto stretching his arms out.
"Didn't get much sleep or something baka?" asked Sakura.
"Indeed, not Sakura. He fought someone last night," said Kakashi.
"You already know," Naruto said surprised.
"Word often spreads fast, especially when it involves your students," said Kakashi opening the door to the office.
"Who was this someone?" asked Sasuke.
"Ah it seems that Team 7 is here," said Hiruzen.
"We are here for a mission old man," said Naruto with a thumbs up.
"I can see that. Say Kakashi-kun do you think that they are up for a C-rank mission?"
"I believe they are. Depends on what though," he said looking up from his book.
Hiruzen chuckled, "Well it isn't an escort mission so you will be fine."
"Then we can take that off your hands for you," Kakashi said being handed the scroll. The door to the office opened to reveal Team 8. Kiba looked pumped, while Shino looked as stoic as ever, Hinata gave a small wave to Naruto who returned it with a smile.
"Oh, I am sorry Lord Hokage we should have knocked," said Kurenai pushing back her students towards the door.
"That is quite alright. Say I have a great idea. Why don't you teams go on this mission," he said.
"Are you sure Lord Hokage? This doesn't seem like a big mission anyway," said Kakashi.
"Well, this is the way I see it. The Chunin Exams are coming up soon and Teams 7, 9, and 10 have done one or more C-rank missions while Team 8 has not. This should be a good experience," he said smiling slightly.
"What is the mission," asked Kiba popping his head from behind the door.
"You will be transporting some information to the Kazekage about the Chunin Exams and this mission should take a little over a week," he said stuffing his pipe.
"We accept," said Kurenai.
"Then get to the gate. You all leave in about an hour," he said as they made their way out.
"Awesome. I can get some Wind scrolls from the Sand Village," said Naruto as he left the room.
58 MINUTES LATER
"So, you change the outfit huh Naruto?" asked Kiba.
"Yeah, what about it?" he said hoping this wouldn't be like the academy.
"Doesn't look half bad," he said honestly.
"Oh….uh, thanks."
Kakashi was then teleported by Team 7. "Alright, Teams 7 and 8. Shall we begin."
"Yes sensei," all said in unison. And so began the awesome journey towards the Sand Village. I am definitely not trying to stall for time as I come up with some words for the next paragraphs. I swear to God when I am writing chapters for this fanfic I either come up with the next 3000 words or the next 2 words. Anyway sorry, back to the story.
It was about a few hours in, and Sakura was trying to talk to Kakashi about what was so important about those books he always reads. Kurenai and Hinata were chatting whilst Kiba and Akamaru were jumping in the trees trying to have some fun while the other boys where 3 other boys just traversed the path. The temperature was starting to change to more of a dry heat rather than a humid one. The land started to change slowly but surely. They were out of the dense forest of the Leaf and started to shift towards hilly lands. They weren't in complete dunes yet, but the soil was starting to become drier, and this was the grazing side of Fire Country. It was peaceful in its own right even if there was nothing out there. Naruto then felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Kurenai behind him with a soft look. He would never admit it to her, but he always thought she was quite beautiful. He had heard stories of her being a bit feisty towards men who ogled her. Naruto shook the thought from his head, focusing back on the mission. Kurenai gave him a gentle smile, sensing his distraction.
"Naruto, how are you feeling about this mission?" she asked softly.
"I'm excited, Kurenai-sensei! It's been a while since we've done something like this, and I can't wait to see the Sand Village," Naruto replied, his enthusiasm palpable.
Kurenai nodded. "It's good to see you so motivated. Just remember to stay focused and work as a team."
Naruto grinned. "You got it, Kurenai-sensei!"
"That and Naruto. I heard what you did for Hinata-chan. Thank you for protecting my student," she said quietly.
"Oh yeah don't mention it," he said waving his hand.
As they continued their journey, the teams fell into a comfortable rhythm. Naruto and Kiba occasionally raced ahead, their competitive spirits driving them to push each other. Sasuke and Shino maintained a steady pace, quietly observing their surroundings. Sakura and Hinata chatted about their training and recent experiences, while Kakashi and Kurenai led the group, discussing strategy and potential challenges.
By midday, the landscape had changed significantly. The lush forests of the Leaf Village were far behind them, replaced by the arid, rocky terrain that bordered the Land of Wind. The sun beat down relentlessly, and the heat shimmered off the ground in waves. Despite the harsh conditions, the teams pressed on, their determination unwavering.
As the afternoon wore on, they decided to take a short break. They found a small oasis, a rare and welcome sight in the increasingly barren landscape. The clear, cool water was a relief, and the group took the opportunity to rest and rehydrate.
"It appears that past this point we will be in the Land of Wind," remarked Shino.
"Indeed, Shino. Make sure that we all rest for a moment and fill up on the essentials," said Kurenai to the group.
Everyone sat for a while. Eating a quick snack and filling their canisters. After 10 minutes, they had set off again. There was some idle chatter but otherwise as quiet as you would expect. Nightfall was almost upon the group when they decided to stop for the night.
"Alright let us set up camp here. We have about 2 days left if we walk and we are going to walk. We don't know if we are going to encounter some water source out here and we need to conserve it in the Land of Wind. This is one of the harsher places in the Elemental Nations," said Kakashi to everyone.
Naruto opened up one of the scrolls while everyone else was setting up their tents laid out some kindling and started to light it. Kiba saw this and chuckled slightly. "Naruto why the hell would you light a fire in the desert and where did you get firewood?"
"I got the wood from back home and do you know how cold it gets out here at night? The temperature changes are more serious than back home," he said finally lighting the fire.
"Smart Naruto," said Kurenai sitting done in her tent.
Kiba grumbled finishing his tent. Soon everyone was around the fire chatting about past experiences. Kiba boasted about how awesome he was with Shino telling him back down to say what had been happening. Naruto read one of the many books he brought with, and he was now reading about how to make explosive tags. Albeit he wouldn't do that here for obvious reasons it was still interesting, nonetheless.
"Naruto-san where is your tent? I noticed you haven't set one up yet," asked Shino somewhat quietly.
"Oh, I don't have one," said Naruto not caring.
Kiba heard the discussion and decided to join in. "We all got one the day after we received our headbands man, how the heck do you forget something like that?"
"Because they told me when I went to go and get one that they were out," he said closing his book knowing that he wouldn't be left alone for a while now.
"Weird. They should have enough for everyone who became a ninja," said Sakura.
Naruto then realized why he didn't get a tent. "You don't think it was because of my predicament that I didn't get a tent was it Kurama?"
"It is likely the reason why that happened but don't worry about it. You've been what, about 2 ½ months without a tent. It doesn't change much now. That and we need to have a discussion when you go to sleep tonight. I will be teaching something and I need to say something important," said Kurama.
"Sounds good," was Naruto's reply.
"…Naruto," said Sakura a bit louder making him jump.
"Jeez, man you have been out in space for like a minute," said Kiba.
"Yeah…I was thinking about something."
Kurenai and Kakashi knew what it was and that was likely the reason why he didn't get one.
"What were you thinking about dobe?" asked Sasuke
"I…uh…was thinking about what the Sand Village looks like. I know it has sand, but I wonder if the buildings are made of wood, stone, or even sandstone or something. Ya know," he said hoping they would buy it.
"It is a good question. I would assume sandstone. Why? It is the only logical thing," said Shino pushing up his glasses.
Sakura and Hinata shivered from the chill of the night. They both felt a warm blanket go around them and looked up to see a shadow clone of Naruto giving them a blanket. They both snuggled into the blanket, keeping in as much heat as possible. Sakura was feeling conflicted about how to feel. She had noticed in the past months that the words coming out of her mouth weren't hers. Her body would have aches when she would try to resist it and it annoyed her to no end. Even if Naruto treated her with kindness, she physically could not say anything positive to him with being pain. But she would suck it up tonight.
"Thank you Naruto/Naruto-kun," the girls said in unison. Sakura grabbed her neck slightly but pushed it to the side for the time being.
"Speaking of Naruto. Who was that guy you fought when we were in the Hokage's Office," asked Sasuke curiously.
"Oh it was a guy that messed with Hinata and…ya know, I kicked his butt," he said pulling out his sleeping bag and setting it on the ground.
Hinata was blushing slightly trying to hide behind the blanket. Kurenai giggled slightly, "That seems like a bit of an understatement. He held off on a B-rank missing-nin until a group of Anbu arrived to help the two of them."
The four other Genin looked at Naruto with amazement, shock, and curiosity.
"How…there's no way," said a shocked Sakura.
"How the hell do you even do that Naruto," practically yelled Kiba.
Sasuke had his hair shadowing over his eyes. "That is what I would like to know," he said in irritation.
"It was weird too. The man's name was Ryota and he was from the Hidden Cloud before becoming a missing-nin. He was able to mimic the Raikage Lightning Cloak but only on his lower body. I shot some Water jutsu at him hoping the Lightning would spread to the rest of his body and it worked," he said explaining what went done.
"You should show me that jutsu…Naruto," said Sasuke.
"No."
"What do you mean no?!" he asked annoyed.
"One, you don't know your affinity other than fire as that may be your only one. Two, you don't need every damn jutsu that someone else has. Three, there are jutsu that you are better off not learning because it may not even work for you. Four, because I don't want to anyway," he said inhaling a large breath after letting that out.
Sasuke got up from where he sat to head over to where he was to knock some sense into him but was stopped by Kakashi.
"He isn't wrong Sasuke. We need to verify your affinity. So go sit back down and calm down. I'll train you more later," he said the last part more quietly. Sasuke nodded and sat back down.
"How do you even know your affinity Naruto?" asked Kiba.
"Because the Hokage tested it himself. He thought he was ready for it. He has three affinities which is very rare. He has Wind, Water, and Earth. I thought he wasn't ready but who am I to have an opinion on my student?" Kakashi said in a lazy tone.
"Well, if I actually had a sensei that trained me then I would be more ready than you think," Naruto said quietly, annoyed with Kakashi.
Kakashi may not have caught that, but Kurenai surely did. She had a confused look and deduced that there was a bit of tension between the sensei and the student. It was natural between any group as that happened with a Genin team at some point. But, this was different in the sense that someone seemed to be favoring one over the other. She would have to keep an eye on them.
It was at the point where everyone was tired and Kakashi and Kurenai were at the fire keeping watch. You never know when bandits or other events could happen. Naruto lay in his sleeping bag looking at the stars. He slowly let sleep take him and started to feel that same pull toward his Mindscape when Kurama wanted to talk to him.
He reopened his eyes to see he was at the gates before entering the domain of the fox. He likes the vines entering the room of concrete. It gave it a rustic look that made it feel more at home for some odd reason. He walked to see Kurama resting on top of the hill. Kurama saw him and started to make his way over. He finally got there and sat down picking him up in his hand and holding him there.
"What did you need to talk about?" asked Naruto.
"There is some important information that you should know. Do you remember when I said something about Madara Uchiha back when you were fighting that Ice Wielder?" Naruto nodded.
"Well, I should tell you the full story. You will listen to it fully before asking any questions. But, firstly what happened was I was resting in my previous container when I was pulled out of her. The man entered the mindscape and used the same Genjutsu that Madara used to control me when I fought the First Hokage. I had assumed it was Madara but the more I thought about it, it made me realize that it was likely another Uchiha who did it."
Naruto nodded at this and started to wonder who the other container was. He had thought about it for a while though.
"He was the reason I attacked the village that day. The Genjutsu he used was so strong that it put me into a state where I would attack anything and everything." Kurama had to choose his next words carefully. "I am sorry…Naruto. I wasn't strong enough to resist it. It is my fault in that sense that you were not able to have the life you could have."
"But, Kurama you said yourself that you could not control it. You shouldn't be sorry even if it was Madara Uchiha or whoever did it," he said sincerely. All Kurama did was nod.
"We will talk more on this later, but there is something else you should know before we make it to the Sand Village. You should know that there are more of me out there. Not exactly like me but I have "siblings" so to speak. I have a brother named Shukaku who resides in a child there. He is the One Tails. I thought I would let you know ahead of time because something that you should know is that when Jinchuriki are near each other they tend to be pulled towards each other, no matter what. That and Shukaku makes his hosts batshit crazy by not making them sleep so you will have to be on the lookout. Then again this could be prevented if people knew how to make a proper seal."
"How will I know if I see the Jinchuriki then," he asked wondering.
"You will feel a sense of familiarity," was all he said setting Naruto on top of a hill looking over everything. They both sat next to each other for the next long while in silence.
"So…your birthday is coming up…," said Kurama awkwardly.
"Yeah, what about it," he asked confused as to why Kurama would bring that up.
"I suppose it is better to be out of the village is all. With the things that have transpired on your birthday in the past," he said quietly.
"Yeah, it is in 2 days, so I mean at least I won't be sent to the hospital this year," he said solemnly.
"Listen I am sorry for being awkward to be around kid. I haven't exactly been speaking to people for the past thousands of years. I will be better at conversation though," he said getting up from his spot.
"It's fine. It's understandable. I think I am going to get going," he said getting up himself.
"Sounds good. We will talk soon," he said walking away. Naruto felt a pull and he was back in the real world. Everyone but Kurenai was sleeping, leaning against her tent. In the distance, the sun was about to come up. He felt rested but was amazed that it was already morning. He looked on in the distance to see nothing but endless sand. There was a cool crisp air that flowed through the camp making it feel perfect for him anyway. He knew it was about to be hotter than hell out here from here on out.
"Good morning, Naruto," said Kurenai breaking him from his thoughts.
"Good morning Kurenai-sensei," he mumbled rubbing his eyes.
"Do you always wake up this early?" she asked giving him some water.
"From time to time," he said accepting the drink.
"Well, you need to have sleep if you want to be a growing boy you know."
"That's probably why I am shorter than I would like to be," he said popping his shoulders.
"Then why don't you sleep?"
"Some…problems, that happened when I was younger put me on edge all the time. That is why when something happens I am jumpy all the time. That's why I never can sleep for long periods unless I know that I am comfortable," he said to her. Kurenai just nodded at him.
"Well then, how about you eat your breakfast while I wake up everyone else so we can have a very early head start," she offered getting up and walking to everyone else.
Naruto opened his food scroll and grabbed an apple starting to munch on it. Maybe the fox was right that he would be away on his birthday this year. That way by next year the villagers would maybe forget about him.
LEAF VILLAGE YAMANAKA COMPOUND
Inoichi stood with his daughter and son for there training sessions that they had been doing for the past couple of weeks now.
"Alright I think the plan for today is Inojin-kun I will be teaching you a water jutsu and Ino I will test your affinity to see if it is Water and I will be having you do some chakra control exercises to help increase those reserves of yours," said Inoichi stretching his shoulder. He pulled into his pocket a chakra paper and handed it to Ino.
"Just channel chakra into it," said Inoichi. Ino channled the chakra into the paper and not surprisingly, the paper was soaked with water.
"Well then at least we know that the Yamanaka water affinity has been passed down to you kids now," said Inoichi happily.
"Dad, what kind of chakra control am I doing," asked Ino.
"More advanced versions of the leaf sticking exercise. They may seem tedious but they focus more on adding your chakra rather than controlling it. Your reserves are low as of now but that will change if you do these," he said handing her some leaves.
"Inojin-kun I will take you to the training area but I need to go to the bathroom real quick. Your mom's dinner last night isn't sitting right with me," he said jogging to the bathroom. Ino was about to stick the leaves to her fingers when Inojin brought her out of his thoughts.
"Ino, can I ask you something?" he said looking at her.
"Sure," she said giving him attention.
"What do you see in the Naruto kid," he said a bit more disdainfully.
"What do you mean, what do I see in him? He is a good friend. He is the reason why I am training more seriously now and he saved my life from the bastard of an Uchiha," she said confused.
"While that is good and I am glad for it. I will advise you to not be friends with him," he said picking up his kunai and examining it.
"You aren't the gardener of my life Inojin. I can choose the people I want to be around in my life. I sure as hell didn't hear you complaining about how me ogling Sasuke all the time. Itachi's brother," she said annoyed. Inojin grunted in anger.
"All I am saying is people use you in the end. There are very few friendships or even relationships with other people that work both ways," he said seeing his father looking in the distance.
"Shut up and go train Inojin," Ino said walking away from him.
Inoichi walked over placed a hand on Inojin's shoulder and teleported away. Ino just shook her head. She knew where Inojin was coming from but not every single person in the world was that way. Not everyone was going to use you for their gain. She would rather trust Naruto than Sasuke. Naruto hasn't even done anything yet saying that he needs something. He was the one who offered to help her train. She looked at the leaves in her palms thinking about what her friends were up to.
2 DAYS LATER
"Why the hell is it so damn hot?!" complained Kiba for about the hundredth time. He had been walking around without his shirt for a while and dripped in sweat.
"Would you stop complaining about it? It sure isn't going to change the weather," said Sakura wiping her brow again.
"You guys will be fine we have about an hour or so now," said Kakashi pulling out his book only to put it back after Kurenai glared at him.
"Yeah, yeah," said Naruto wiping sweat from from his brow. Naruto looked to his left because he sensed something but nothing was there. He had been getting that feeling for the better part of a couple of hours and was sure something was following them. He just hoped to god it wasn't a giant sandworm or something.
"Kakashi-sensei," he said still looking to the left.
"Yeah, what's up," he said still looking forward.
"Do you have the feeling that someone is watching us right now," he asked looking around.
"I won't lie. Maybe just a little bit," he said looking in the direction that Naruto was looking.
"Guys look," said Sakura. They looked toward Sakura who was pointing forward and everyone could see a giant column of sand heading their way.
"Is that a sandstorm?" asked Kiba.
"No, it is a person or people. A sandstorm would look like it is a wall coming at us," said Sasuke getting a kunai out.
Everyone but Kakashi was battle-ready. Kakashi moved the cover of his left eye and used his Sharingan to see who was coming. He moved it back down and turned to the group.
"Everyone relax. This is the Sand Village coming at us," he said.
"How do you know that?" asked Kurenai putting her kunai away.
"I know one of the men's chakra signatures. We aren't friends but we aren't unfamiliar with each other," he said standing in front of the group. The sand was now less than a hundred feet away but it started to die down. A thick cloud of sand resonated around the group. When it cleared it was revealed to be a man with a sword on his back and one eye covered with a white cloth from the top of his head.
"Baki. Long time no see," said Kakashi eye-smiling.
"Kakashi," was all he said. The other sand ninjas around them seemed to be calmed down after that.
"What are you doing out in the dunes anyway?" he asked.
"We have information regarding the Chunin Exams for you Kazekage. Lord Hokage would like a response from his in regards to it," he said unwavering handing him the scroll.
Baki looked at the scroll, nodded his head, and gave it back to him, "Very well. We shall teleport you there. Sand Hoppers!" he yelled getting them at attention.
"We are to teleport these teams to the Sand Village for some information. We shall be there in 5 minutes. Compared to the 52 minutes if you were to walk. I am sure you guys will be fine." Each ninja grabbed a genin while Baki grabbed the sensei's and made their way toward the village.
5 MINUTES LATER
"Maybe you guys should have gone slower," said Kurenai pointing at 6 Genin lying on the ground exasperated. Kiba was hunched over gagging. Shino was shaking slightly but was still standing. Sakura and Hinata were leaning on each other for support while Naruto and Sasuke were out of breath but had a slight green tinge to their faces.
Baki looked slightly embarrassed. "Oh yeah, we didn't consider that Genin was not used to using the Body Flicker in that many successions. Anyway, I will set up a meeting with our leader tomorrow so you all may rest," said Baki as he teleported away to tell the Kazekage.
"Well, we should get a hotel and rest. We can't do much else other than wait. It is 2:30 so you all may do as you please after we get set up in the hotel, but don't make scenes out here. We are one of the few allied villages out in all of the Elemental Nations. So let us keep it like that," said Kakashi walking off. Everyone followed behind him and made their way to the hotel.
"Huh, the Desert Rose Hotel. Looks fancy," said Kiba with Akamaru yipping from the top of his head.
"Listen when we check in, please be on your best behavior," said Kurenai staring at Kiba.
"What?!" he said defensively.
"Let's just get inside," said Kurenai pulling him.
KAZEKAGE'S OFFICE
"Lord Kazekage. There are two teams here for the information regarding the Chunin Exams from the Leaf Village," said Baki kneeling. Rasa nodded at this. "Good I shall write back to the Hokage to give them tomorrow," he said.
"You may rise Baki," he said placing his hat on the desk.
"Sorry, Lord Kazekage," he said getting up.
"Baki, please, you don't need to be so formal all the time. When we are alone you may call me Lord Rasa or just Rasa if you would like," he said folding his hands together.
"Right. Lord Rasa. How many teams are we going to be sending?"
"Just yours," he said drinking his water.
"Re…Really?" he said shocked.
"Yes, I think that Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari will all do well while they are in the Leaf Village this year. I believe that if they prove themselves they will all become Chunin. Speaking of which how is their training going," he asked genuinely.
"Kankuro's been excelling in his puppet mastery, while Temari is using her battle fan to the best of her ability," he said with confidence.
"What of…Gaara," he asked quieter than normal.
"His training is going fine. It's just…the past couple of days he has been more on each than normal. Like he has sensed something that is making him more… bloodlust. Aside from the Sand Manipulation training that you do with him then that is all I know," he replied.
"Oh, I see. Well, I should talk to him then. I would hate to see something else happen while he is in one of those fazes again," he said getting up from his seat.
"Well then walk with me to see if we can discuss more of this," he said walking to the door.
AT THE HOTEL
"Why are we doing this again?" asked Sasuke annoyed.
"We thought it would be a good idea to have different room arrangements other than your teammates because you will have to work with all kinds of people at some point. So we thought that you could all do with something different," said Kurenai.
"Well, it appears you are my roommate Naruto-san," said Shino. Naruto nodded and stared at Shino who was eyeing him carefully. "Well, you all be off. We will see you tomorrow at 7 am," said Kakashi walking away.
Shino and Naruto made their way to their room and when they opened the door. It showed something truly amazing. It was just as big as Naruto's master bedroom back at the manor just with two queen-sized beds. Everything was newly furnished and it even had a balcony to look over the village.
"Dang this place has some nice digs," said Naruto placing his stuff down near a bed.
"Indeed it is. Not to sound rude, Naruto-san, but what do you plan on doing," said Shino placing his stuff down too.
"Oh, I was going to see what kind of shops they have here. I have a Wind Affinity and they don't sell a whole lot of scrolls back home, so I was going to go find a few of them to practice with," he said looking at his wallet.
"Then allow me to give you this," said Shino extending out an insect in the palm of his hand.
"What is it for," he said looking at it.
"It is a kikaichū. This one is different because it is able to send something of a message to its kin. It will alert other kikaichū if there is danger depending on the situation, if it feels dark ominous thoughts towards you, and your feelings. It will rest on your spine just below your neck so that it can receive a signal from the brain. ," he said still holding his hand out. Naruto extended out his hand and the bug slowly made his way up his longsleeve. The two Genin watched the bulge in his shirt slowly travel its way up until it settled on his spine where it was no longer seen.
"Why would you give me this even if we are in an allied village?" he asked making his way to the door.
"Because something is off about this place. More importantly Naruto-san, you are never 100% safe in another village even if they are our allies," he said making his way to his bed. With that, Naruto left in search of a shop.
He left the hotel and Naruto strolled through the streets of the Sand Village, marveling at the distinctive architecture and the bustling marketplace. The sun had dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the sand-colored buildings. He kept an eye out for any shops that might sell the scrolls he was looking for.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Shino was unpacking his belongings, meticulously arranging his gear and tools. His thoughts were on Naruto, hoping his kikaichū would keep his teammate safe. Shino's instincts rarely failed him, and something about Sunagakure felt off. It had been felt malicious intent by the group when they entered the village but that seemed to have disappeared a while ago. He hopes that he doesn't feel that feeling again. It felt…demonic.
SOME TIME LATER
"Thank god. I thought I wasn't going to be able to find one," he said to himself looking at the store. The one thing he found pleasant was not being hounded by death glares from everyone when he was walking around town. He walked into the store to see there were weapons, armor, and many different styles of clothing accustomed to the culture of the village. He saw a few other shinobi in there and they greeted him with more kindness than back home. Naruto looked at the plethora of Wind jutsu he could use for future arsenal.
He grabbed 5 scrolls that he deemed fit and went up to the counter. The man at the front looked at his headband before answering.
"Well, you don't see that every day; someone who isn't from here anyway that has a Wind Affinity from the Leaf that is," he said seeing the price for the scrolls.
Naruto laughed slightly, "Yeah I get that a lot. Say, do you know where there is a training ground around here? I don't know the area," he said scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah there are a few of them but there is one down the road about 4 blocks and then it's on your left," he said pointing down the street. Naruto took out his wallet and paid for what the scrolls cost.
"All right thank you, mister," he said leaving with the scrolls. To be honest, it was really easy to find the training ground but it was about as bland as you could get. It was a large area of sand with some training dummies and that was about it. A decently large wall encased the area and it made him wish he was back home. The thing that sucked about the terrain out here was that it was all the same. It was flat and had sand. That was it. Thankfully there was no one training out here so he could be only for a while.
"Training Ground 7, huh? Funny," he said looking at the worn-in sign. "Well better get started," he said setting his stuff down and loosening up his arms.
"All right let me see if I can do this now," he said bouncing slightly on his feet.
"This'll be good," said Kurama chuckling.
"Shut up fox! Mistakes happen," he yelled to him.
"Sure, sure. The Wind Chakra will just dwindle out again," he said smirking.
"Not this time. Maybe I just need more power to it,"
Naruto put his arms into an X-shape and started to channel Wind Chakra in both arms. A light blue hugh formed around his arms and he aimed it at the wall behind him. He then shouted out.
"Wind Style: Dual Wind Wave." He threw his arms from his X to his sides and watched the X-shaped waves of wind launch toward the wall. Naruto smiled vigorously at this.
"I told you I could do it Kurama. Suck it." He said still smiling.
"Then you might want to look again, kid," said Kurama.
Naruto turned around to see that the Dual Wind Wave was heading right towards him.
"Oh shi…" was all he said before being flung back but his jutsu. Naruto rolled several times before stopping. Naruto just lay in the sand catching his breath and shaking his head.
"Well…at least I know that it is strong," he said getting sand out of his arm sleeves. "How the hell did it bounce back though."
"Beats me, but I guess that with this type of Jutsu, it may be able to bounce off certain types of rock because it never did that with the dirt or trees back home," Kurama said laying down in a field of grass.
"Guess I'll have to test that out later," he said to Kurama when he heard giggling and giggling turned to laughter. He looked in the direction of the laughter to see a girl with something strapped to her back. She had dusty blonde hair with 4 pigtails but up. Naruto's face slumped into one of embarrassment and annoyance. He was trying to get better and this girl was laughing at him. Naruto folded his arms and just waited until this girl was done laughing at her.
After a minute more of this, the girl wiped tears from under her eye and still lightly chuckled said to Naruto, "You know, that was one of the funniest things I have seen in a while."
"Yeah sure whatever, go be annoying to someone else," he said wiping sand off his shoulder.
"Hey, you don't get to be rude to me runt," she said heatedly.
"You laughed at me for like 2 years," Naruto said pointing at her.
"That's because you…"
"We trying to improve yourself, oh god forbid," he said throwing his hands up sarcastically.
The girl snarled, "Hey smartass, people would know to practice with safety when using wind jutsu," she said looking at his headband before making an O face with her mouth.
"Oh, that explains it. You are from the Leaf Village. A place where Wind users are uncommon there," she said walking over.
"Yeah what of it," Naruto said stepping back slightly.
"You should know that Wind Jutsu are very unpredictable when it comes to learning and using them. Yes, you could indeed say that about any jutsu but it looks like you need to learn how to do more Wind Chakra Control Exercises. If you don't have proper control over the amount of power or chakra the jutsu will work sporadically," she said looking at one of the scrolls he had.
"Geez, talk about knowing about something," he said to himself rather than her.
The girl grunted at his response but stuck her hand, "Temari Sabaku, sorry about earlier but it was kinda funny."
"Naruto Uzumaki, and it is fine, stuff happens," he said grinning.
"But, what is a tree hugger like you doing here? You got a mission or something," she said throwing the scroll she was looking at back to him.
Naruto caught the scroll mid-air with a quick motion, his grin never wavering. "Yeah, something like that. I'm here to gather some intel and maybe find a training spot. The Leaf is a bit too... bustling for me sometimes."
Temari raised an eyebrow. "Intel, huh? Sounds serious. Who's the mission for?"
"Nah I'm just kidding. It is something that the old…I mean the Hokage is giving to the Kazekage for the Chunin Exams."
Temari nodded, a smirk forming on her lips. "You sure you're not just trying to sneak a peek at our secrets?"
Naruto laughed, waving his hand dismissively. "No way! I'm not here to cause trouble, believe me. Besides, I'd rather figure things out on my own. It's more rewarding that way."
Temari's expression softened slightly. "Fair enough. Wind Chakra Control is no joke though. It's one of the most versatile yet difficult elements to master."
"Yeah, I've noticed," Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I've been having a tough time getting it just right. Any tips?"
Temari considered his question for a moment. "Well, it's all about balance. Too much chakra and you'll blow everything away. Too little, and nothing happens. You need to find that sweet spot. Start with small things, like cutting a leaf or controlling the wind's direction."
"Yeah, I have already done the Leaf Cutting Exercise. I ain't too sure what to do next," he said. He started to feel a slight tinge in his next.
"Kid"
Temari had her finger on her chin, thinking, "There is something called the Rock Cutting Exercise. It focuses on the force and power you need. It is a lot more difficult than the Leaf Exercise," she said.
"KID"
"Wait. If we are in a Desert then how the heck can you do that exercise if there are no leaves?"
"KID!"
She pulled down her fan leaning on it. "My dad has connections per se. He is someone important but that isn't important right now. I would like to spar with you to see what kind of Wind Juts…" she said but was cut off but a large killing intent.
Naruto felt a cold shiver run down his spine as sand began to coil around his leg, tightening with every passing second. He knew he had to act quickly. "Kurama," he thought desperately, "I need your help here."
"How am I supposed to help you?" he asked. "I know this isn't much help but you need to stay calm because the moment you show fear is the moment you are dead. Shukuka likes to play on fear and if you don't show it to him he will be less likely to do something."
"Gaara what are you doing here," asked a scared Temari.
"Shut up."
Naruto took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He looked directly into Gaara's eyes, which were filled with a mix of rage and sorrow. "Gaara was it," he said slowly, "I don't want to fight you."
Gaara's eerie smile widened. "Fight? Who said anything about fighting? Mother just wants to play."
Naruto's heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to remain composed. "Temari," he said softly, not taking his eyes off Gaara, "get back. I'll handle this."
Temari hesitated for a moment, her eyes wide with fear and concern. Then, with a reluctant nod, she stepped back, giving Naruto and Gaara some space.
"All right, Gaara," Naruto said, trying to keep his voice steady. "If your mother wants to play, let's ensure no one gets hurt."
Gaara's expression shifted slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing his features. "No one gets hurt? But Mother... she craves blood."
Naruto felt the sand tightening around his leg, but he refused to back down. "Listen to me, Gaara," he said firmly but quietly. "I know what it's like to have a monster inside you. But you don't have to let it control you."
Gaara gritted his teeth. "You don't know what it is like. Plain and simple."
"Excuse me Shinobi-san would you kindly put my friend down before bad things happen," said a calm voice. Gaara and Naruto looked to see Shino was there with a swarm of bugs surrounding him.
"Great…another toy to play with," he said.
"Shino get back. This guy is unpredictable," he said to him.
"Well, Naruto-san I bet you are glad that I gave you that bug," said Shino.
"Maybe just a little bit," he said feeling the sand on his leg tighten more.
Gaara looked between the two of them and started to get angry. This was supposed to be his moment.
"Enough! If Mother wants me to play…then I will play!" He said sand spurting out of his gourd.
"Gaara."
Gaara went wide-eyed and looked at the man across the field. It was his Father and Sensei with a squad of Anbu behind him. "Stand down now, son. They didn't do anything to you. I will only ask once."
Gaara looked around and saw dozens of people staring at him. Slowly but surely the sand started to seep back into his gourd and he calmed down and walked back to his father.
"Good, Baki take him back home I need to speak to these kids," said Rasa. Naruto took a few deep breaths and tried to shake off this feeling, of malicious intent.
"Are you three all right," asked Rasa. The three of them nodded but Temari was the only one to speak.
"Yeah we are good Dad," she said, shocking the other two, even if Shino didn't show it.
"Wait, Dad! Oh, that's why you said he has connections," said Naruto.
"Yeah, people tend to treat me more like royalty than a person and that is why I didn't say it," she said.
"Oh you are fine I treat everyone the same way no matter who they are unless they are of super duper importance," he said waving dismissingly.
"Can confirm," said Shino.
Rasa interrupted them, "Regardless I am sorry for what my son did. He has been dealt a bad hand, per se."
"So that is where she gets it from," said Kurama.
"It's alright. I mean, he looks like he has been through a rough time," said Naruto getting his stuff together.
"No, it isn't and I am sorry about this. I will be sure to make it up to you guys tomorrow when you are in my office and before you say anything. You are the ones with info on the Chunin Exams. Let us go Temari-hime," he said ruffling her hair only for her to shoo it away.
"Stop it, Dad. Anyway, next time we meet I would like to fight you Naruto Uzumaki. I hope your team gets to be in the Chunin Exams so that I can spar against you without interruptions," she said walking away with her dad.
All that was left in the Training Ground was Shino and Naruto. Shino turns to Naruto giving him a deadpan look. Naruto wasn't too sure considering that Shino was almost always monotone and gave a calm look.
"I leave you alone for one second and you do this. This is the exact reason why Naruto-san I said to have that bug on you because I knew you would do something like this," he said to him.
"Oh please, how the hell is that my fault when the other guy instigated it," he said annoyed.
"Whatever makes you feel better," he said walking away.
"Oh shut up Shino, you are doing this just to get a rise out of me aren't you," he said continuing to argue with him down the street.
Naruto sighed before looking at the road ahead of him. "Good lord what a long day. Not the worst thing that has happened on my birthday anyway."
THE NEXT DAY KAZEKAGE OFFICE
Rasa stood from his desk staring at the Eight individuals from the Leaf Village in front of them. He had prepared his part of the information regarding the Chunin Exams. Only one team would be going this year and that was his children's team. He had to explain what happened between his son and the Leaf Genin which in the end resulted in a few of the others throwing slight jabs at Naruto but he didn't pay too much mind to it since Shino was backing Naruto up on what happened.
"Thank you all for coming," Rasa began, his tone formal and composed. "As the Kazekage, I welcome you to Sunagakure. Before we begin discussing the Chunin Exams, I want to express my deepest apologies for the incident involving my son Gaara yesterday. So as a gift, I will allow the Sand Hoppers to take you to the border which should make the trip only a day and a half worth and I will make sure that you won't feel any sickness from the frantic teleporting," he said chuckling. "I heard about that but anyway, I'll make this short. Here is your scroll for the Hokage. It contains the team I am sending and what will be happening regarding future endeavors," said Rasa.
Kakashi still didn't get how Naruto was always getting into prediciments even if he didn't start it most of the time.
"We thank you Lord Kazekage, we shall take leave and give this Lord 3rd," said Kakashi. With that, the Kazekage snapped his fingers, and out came enough Anbu to teleport them to the border. The Anbu placed cushion masks on their heads which confused Kiba greatly.
"What the heck are these going to do?" he asked resisting slightly.
"They prevent you from getting that vertigo feeling when you teleport in so many succesions," said one of the Anbu. Kiba just nodded and placed it on his head. With that, everyone teleported out of his office and the Kazekage sighed.
"Now then let me get started on some paperwork," he said as he looked at the mountains of paperwork lining the room.
3 HOURS LATER: LAND OF WIND/FIRE BORDER
"Thank you," said Hinata bowing towards the Anbu who did so in return. The Anbu started to walk back so that they could restore the chakra they had lost teleporting them. The rest of the squad sat for a while to regain their barrings. Kiba stretched his arms out and sighed contently.
"That was a decent mission. Remind me to pack lighter so that I am not sweating like a pig next time we are out here," he said with Akamaru yipping in agreement.
Sasuke looked at him and grunted, "For the love of god, mutt don't jinx us, please."
Kiba glared at the Uchiha and was held back by Kakashi. "Alright let us get going. Soon we will be home and you can squabble all you want but right now we got some ground to make up," he said giving everyone the nudge.
"Oi, kid," said Kurama.
"Yeah, what's up."
"I gave you…a belated birthday present for you. Hope you enjoy it. I enhanced your five senses to give you a better boost in your abilities. I bet you could rival an Inuzuka one day," he said smugly.
"Well I appreciate it regardless you furball," he said chuckling inside his mind.
"I'm gonna eat you if you call me that again," he said seriously this time.
"Sure, sure, whatever makes you feel better."
KAZKEKAGE OFFICE IN THE EVENING
"Holy crap, about time I finished," said Rasa slumping in his chair. He looked at the photos on his desk. One of his deceased wife and one of all of his three children. He smiled slightly but frowned when he saw Gaara.
"The one thing I regret is ever sealing that damn beast inside of you son. I was greedy and you paid the price for my rashness," he said holding the photo.
He didn't get to say much more when he felt a blade pierce his skin. He spurted up blood from his mouth as he looked to see a pale-skinned man behind him. Orochimaru smiled wickedly as he looked into the eyes of Rasa.
"It appears that is not the only thing that is finished," he said grabbing the photo from him and staring at it intently.
He leaned into his ear and whispered, "Oh, and do not worry Rasa-kun. I will take care of your son for you." He pulled out Kusanagi and stabbed him once more in the heart effectively killing him.
"Well, I would have been here sooner but something else needed my attention. No matter what, the plan will commence as it has been planned. The first step into making the ultimate Dojutsu mine is beginning," he said morphing into the Kazekage and collecting a sample of blood before burning the body. He smiled happily knowing that something was going his way for once. "And soon, the end of the Leaf Village."
HIDDEN CLOUD VILLAGE: RAIKAGE OFFICE
A was filling out some reports for B's Genin team. Kauri and Omoi got into a fight again causing some property damage. This team had a lot of potential but that doesn't show when kids get into fights.
He then heard a knock on the door and entered his assistant Mabui.
"Ah, Mabui, how can I help you," he asked curiously at her arrival.
"Sir, someone has slane, Ryota," she said seriously.
A widened his eyes slightly, "Huh."
"I know it is hard to believe but follow me," she said gesturing him to follow her.
They walked out of the office and teleported their way to the hospital. When they arrived, he saw a body bag with what was presumed to be Ryota. He slowly opened it to see the charred corpse of a man he once knew. He quickly closed it up and grunted in annoyance.
"How did this happen?" he asked demandingly.
Mabui cleared her throat, "What happened was he was in the Leaf Village detaining a Hyuga and likely bringing him here to get back in the good graces of the Cloud Village again. From what he said in his letter, he was defeated by a Genin who is 13 years old though he did not give a name."
"Oh course he didn't, that old coot," he said annoyed.
"The fact is a 13-year-old boy defeated a missing-nin who has been one for longer than he was been alive. It looks like he used his weakness of not being able to use the Lightning Cloak to entirely cover his body by making him wet and electrocuting him," he said thinking.
"We should keep an eye out for this boy. See if you can find any details but please do so discretely. We do not need a war with the Leaf Village. First, I shall ask him if he will give the name of the boy when I send them the bounty money for him. If that fails, then we shall try to find out secretly and non-aggressively." Mabui nodded before walking off. All A could do was teleport back to his office and begin the report to the Hokage.
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