Good grief. I really need to reschedule my schedule so I can schedule things to be rescheduled. All jokes aside, I'm late, again. My excuse? I got lost on the path of life. And I'm not joking…
Disclaimer time: I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters you see in this story, except for the ones I created. Really, if I did, Sasuke would have taken up knitting instead of revenge.
Talking: "It's good to change."
Thinking: 'It's good to change.'
ooo
(At A Restaurant In Sakuragawa Town)
Ayaka glared at her teammate Naruto in disgust as he devoured the last of their remaining food.
They decided to visit a restaurant in Sakuragawa Town before setting out to gather information, but it turned out to be a mistake since the blonde had already consumed nearly all of their provisions.
"Anyway," she rolled her eyes as Naruto let out a burp. "I think splitting up would be the best decision because we can cover more ground and gather information faster without distractions."
Shikamaru let out a yawn. "And who's going with these two jackasses? From what I've learnt, they only cause more trouble together. Especially him," he added, pointing at Naruto who was currently in a headlock by Kenta.
If it weren't for the absence of anyone else in the restaurant besides them, Shikamaru would've employed his Kagemane no Jutsu(Shadow Possession Jutsu) to make Naruto and Kenta embarrass themselves, sparing Ayaka and himself from further embarrassment. He'd be lying though if he said that it wasn't entertaining.
Shikamaru noticed Ayaka's uneasy demeanor and simply asked, "What's wrong?"
She let out a sigh and shook her head. "Nothing. Let's just get going. Time's ticking." she gestured towards Naruto. "I'll take him, and you take Kenta. Any problem?" Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak but Ayaka cut him off. "Good. We'll reconvene here by evening."
ooo
"Why did we use my money to pay for the food?" Naruto grumbled as he and Ayaka strolled down the road. "Why didn't we use the lazy guy's money? The bastard didn't contribute anything except for napping.
Ayaka accurately discerned that Naruto was referring to Kenta when he used the term 'bastard,' and she simply shrugged in response. "If you hadn't devoured our food, then maybe."
They had traversed the entire town, inquiring if any of the townsfolk had any knowledge of an individual named Haruto Nakamura. However, all they received were responses indicating that he was either deceased or entirely unfamiliar to them.
If Haruto was indeed deceased, then Shikamaru's intuition would prove correct, that someone else was pulling the strings, assuming the alias of Nakamura.
If Haruto was someone completely unknown to the townsfolk, it would pose a significant problem, as it meant their leads were leading to dead ends, leaving them with no further clues to pursue.
Her uneasiness quickly deepened, and she considered returning to Shikamaru and Kenta to know what information they gathered. Just as she was about to bring it to Naruto, her attention was drawn to a familiar figure exiting a nearby bar. She reacted quickly, pulling the ranting blonde closer to the back of a shop, wary of the approaching individual.
"Isn't that Mr. Akimitsu?" Naruto's question was responded with a hesitant nod. "Cool. I still didn't finish telling him about my fight against Neji in the chunin exams. I'll go say…" His words were abruptly cut off as he felt Ayaka's strong grip seize the back of his shirt, causing him to stumble and crash to the ground. "Hey! What gives!" He exclaimed, clearly taken aback by the unexpected action.
Ayaka signaled for Naruto to be quiet, her expression tense as her gaze followed Zankoku. He paused, scanning his surroundings, but resumed walking moments later, much to Ayaka's relief.
"Can I get an explanation here?!" Naruto exclaimed, rubbing the small bump on his head from the fall. His loud complaint was shrugged off by Ayaka, who remained focused on watching Zankoku intently. Naruto was puzzled. "What exactly are you suspicious of that you don't want me to approach him? Didn't he save us back in the forest?"
"It's not that," she said, her gaze fixed on Zankoku until he disappeared into a rundown house. "From what I recall, didn't he mention he was just passing through in the forest? He only came with us to claim the bounty, which was a few hours ago, so he shouldn't have any reason to be here." she observed that Naruto had caught on. "He may or may not be involved in everything that's happening. Create two clones, one to tail him and another to fetch Shikamaru and Kenta."
Naruto nodded, weaving the hand signs as two clones materialized. Each clone set off on their respective missions while Naruto and Ayaka watched as one of the clones cautiously made its way into the house.
Beads of sweat formed on Naruto's forehead. What they were doing felt wrong. Mr. Akimitsu had saved them, and suspecting him didn't sit right with Naruto. But Ayaka's explanation made sense. Could he really be a threat? Or was this all just a misunderstanding?
Ayaka's breathing was shallow, each inhaling a struggle to maintain composure. The weight of the impending moment pressed down on them, a tangible tension that made the air feel thick and heavy.
Then, in the eerie silence, the clone came into view, inside the dilapidated house, its outline just visible through the cracks in the wall. It paused, turning to face the both of the with a grim expression. The clone raised its hand and waved in a slow, deliberate 'no' motion.
The explosion erupted without warning.
A blinding burst of vivid color tore through the gloom, a flash of intense light that seared into the retinas. For an instant, the world was nothing but brilliant, scorching white. The deafening roar followed, a concussive wave that slammed into them with brutal force. The sound was overwhelming, a visceral, gut-wrenching detonation that swallowed everything else.
Ayaka felt the shock wave as a physical assault, the air knocked from her lungs as she was thrown backward. The ground trembled beneath her, the old house shuddering as though in agony, its fragile structure splintering and collapsing. Splinters of wood and shards of glass flew through the air like deadly projectiles, the acrid scent of smoke and burnt wood filling her nostrils.
Naruto's cry was lost in the chaos, his form a blur as he too was hurled by the force of the blast. For a moment, all he could do was cling to consciousness, his mind a swirl of noise and pain. The explosion's fury seemed to last forever, a relentless assault on his senses.
Then, as suddenly as it had come, the worst of it was over. The cacophony began to fade, replaced by the groan of settling debris and the crackle of fires.
Naruto struggled to sit up, his vision swimming, ears ringing with the aftermath of the blast. He blinked through through dust and smoke, searching for Ayaka and spotted her nearby, pushing herself up from the ground. He offered her a hand, pulling her up beside him.
The house was a ruin, consumed by a massive fire that roared and crackled with an almost living fury. Flames lucked hungrily at the collapsing structure, feeding on the drywood and debris.
Thick black smoke bellowed in the sky as the fire's glow cast eerie, flickering shadows across the ground. The smell of burning wood and chemicals filled the air, mingling with the acrid stench of something sinister. The toxic fumes from the burning chemicals made every breath feel like swallowing shards of glass.
In an instant, people began filling up the area, some pouring water from buckets onto the fire, while others stood by watching in fear. Naruto stood still, watching the fire anxiously, his eyes reflecting the large flames. He was brought back to reality by Ayaka's hand on his shoulder.
"Standing there won't help anyone!" Ayaka exclaimed as she took off to a nearby pond with a bucket in her hand.
ooo
Shikamaru and Kenta arrived, panting heavily.
Moments earlier, they had been aimlessly wandering the town after a failed investigation, but the sound of an explosion and the sight of thick black smoke had propelled them into action, their concern for their teammates driving them forward.
Kenta's eyes widened in horror at the sight before him. A massive fire blazing, its intense heat felt from even where he stood, and the thick air with the smell of toxic smoke. People around appeared and disappeared, hurrying to fetch water, their figures blurring before his eyes.
"This isn't good. The little water they're gathering isn't enough," Shikamaru said, with a single bead of sweat running down his face. "At this rate, the fire will spread and burn down more homes."
A water style user would be perfect for this situation, but to Shikamaru's dismay, no one in his team had that affinity. Even if he and Kenta joined the townsfolk in their efforts, it wouldn't make much of a difference. He was in the midst of formulating a plan when Kenta stepped in front of him.
"Get back a bit, and move the people away from the fire," Kenta instructed, taking a deep breath.
Shikamaru had an inkling of what Kenta was about to do and followed the orders. He guided the villagers to a safe distance while watching Kenta begin weaving hand signs.
As Kenta completed the final sign, a shimmering form began to take shape before him. Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise, as the spectral figure of a spectral serpent materialized, made of water, its translucent body rippling with fluid grace. The serpent slithered and coiled in the air, its scales glistening with moisture accompanied with its gleaming eyes.
"Suiton: Hebi no Hōyō! (Water style: Serpent's embrace!)" Kenta exclaimed, raising the final hand sign as the serpent surged forward with elegant speed and unstoppable force, crashing into the heart of the fire.
Upon impact, the spent exploded, into a frenzy of swirling currents, tearing through the flames with relentless aggression. The water surges through the flames with unyielding force, extinguishing it with brutal efficiency.
The collision between the water and the fire created a spectacle of steam and smoke, shrouding the area with a thick haze. Amidst the chaos, the structure of the burning house groaned and creaked under his strain.
Weakened by the intense heat and flames, the already compromised structure could no longer withstand the additional force of water. The walls of the House gave way, crumbling inward as the roof collapsed under its own weight.
As the steam cleared and the dust settled, only smoldering ruins remained, together with the once-standing structure that was reduced to rubble.
Shikamaru readily hurried to Kenta's side as the boy dropped down to one knee. It was clear a jutsu like that must have drained a considerable amount of chakra, and it made sense why Kenta was exhausted and drained; clearly evident by his relentless panting.
"Whoa! That giant snake was awesome! I didn't know that you were a water user," a voice exclaimed, causing Shikamaru to turn and see a grinning Naruto and a bruised Ayaka approaching them.
Kenta smirked through the pain. "I was pretty awesome, huh?" He flashed them a thumbs-up but winced in discomfort, coughing slightly.
Shikamaru however, wasn't sharing the same energy. "And what exactly were you two up to during this whole situation?"
"We were helping out, of course," Naruto said, raising his hands in a defensive stance. "But what did you expect us to do? None of us are water style users."
Shikamaru sighed inwardly, acknowledging Naruto's point. Without Kenta's quick thinking and decisive action, they would've been left scrambling, trying to figure out a solution to the problem. But thanks to Kenta's intervention, the situation had been dealt with swiftly. As much as he wanted to dwell on what could have gone wrong, Shikamaru knew dwelling on it wouldn't change anything. He shrugged and decided to let it go, focusing instead on the fact that they were all safe and the crisis had been averted.
Ayaka's demeanor turned serious as she spoke up. "There's something that you both need to know," she said, pausing to ensure they were listening. "Remember Zankoku Akimitsu? The guy who came with us?" Shikamaru nodded. "Well he… he was involved in the explosion."
Both of them were caught off guard by this, but it hit Shikamaru especially hard. A pang of guilt washed over him as he recalled how Zankoku had saved them back in the forest, less than an hour ago. The guilt stemmed from the realization that they owed Zankoku their lives, and yet, they hadn't been able to repay him for his selfless act. Without Zankoku's intervention, all four of them would be kicking it in the afterlife.
For Kenta, the news hit differently. He found himself reflecting on the story his team shared when he woke up. It was saddening to realize that someone who had selflessly rescued him and his team had met such a fate, especially without Kenta having the opportunity to meet him in person.
"Wait, what was he doing here anyway? You guys said he only came with you to claim the bounty and left. That's why we've all got a bunch of money right now," Kenta inquired.
Ayaka shook her head. "We don't know. That's why we were tailing him for a bit… until the explosion happened." She started walking towards the remains of the house, now surrounded by people, hoping to find a clue.
The murmuring from a distance caught her attention, prompting her to change course and investigate. She jumped atop a tree to get a better view of the situation, observing the crowd that gathered around something.
From where Shikamaru stood, he observed her, noticing the subtle transformations in her expression. At first, her brow raised slightly and her eyes narrowed in concentration. Then a hint of confusion crept in; her head tilted to one side, as if trying to piece together a puzzle. Lastly, a look of realization dawned on her, and her mouth fell open just a fraction, as if something became painfully clear. But the clarity gave way to horror. Her face paled, and she recoiled slightly, eyes now filled with dread, lips parted in a silent gasp.
"What's with that face?!" Naruto exclaimed from where he stood. He started to approach her but stopped midway when Shikamaru placed a hand on his shoulder.
Naruto was initially dismissive, but Shikamaru's firm grip made him pause. Shikamaru pointed towards the crowd, and Naruto didn't initially notice anything out of the ordinary. However, as he followed Shikamaru's indication, his eyes widened in surprise.
A small gap in the large crowd allowed Naruto to catch a glimpse of the scene, though he wished he hadn't. After seeing it, he immediately closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight.
Zankoku's body–or what Naruto innocently described as such–lay there. It had been utterly consumed by the flames, leaving behind only a charred and an unrecognizable form. In truth, what remained was nothing more than a blackened shell, devoid of any semblance of its former self. The intense heat had incinerated its clothing, leaving behind fragments of bone to hint at the human form that once occupied the space.
Kenta gently rubbed both Shikamaru and Naruto's backs in an attempt to comfort them, while Ayaka approached them without a word. However, the silence was abruptly broken by a single voice.
"Hey everyone!" The voice drew the attention of everyone. "Look what I found!"
The man brandished a weapon in his hand–a kunai–waving it as tension started to escalate.
Shikamaru clenched his teeth as the attention of the crowd slowly shifted to them. With the kunais' appearance, accusations of their involvement in starting the fire would inevitably follow, especially after Kenta's recent jutsu. It was clear everyone would think this was the work of a ninja… and the only ninjas in the town were them.
"... did they do this?"
"... it's possible. That's a ninja weapon, if I'm not wrong…"
"... but they did help extinguish the fire. Or was it just to appear innocent?"
"... I knew they were trouble as soon as I saw them. Evil bastards, trying to sow cause chaos in our town…"
The crowd swelled larger and larger, pressing in from all sides until the air felt thick and stifling. The people were drawing nearer with every moment, creating a suffocating atmosphere that made it difficult to breathe.
If it weren't for Shikamaru holding him back, Naruto would've yelled his lungs out to defend himself and his teammates. But he had matured. He knew that, given the crowd's reaction, any words in their defense would be swept by the chaos.
They needed to get out of here to regroup and talk things over. He glanced at his three teammates. He had a plan.
After weaving a hand sign, several clones appeared around the crowd. Each one retrieved a kunai and stabbed themselves, creating a thick cloud of smoke as they dispersed.
Once the smoke cleared out, the crowd's eyes darted to the ninja they were suspicious of had vanished. Several curses were muttered, but attention soon returned to the ashy remains of Zankoku Akimitsu, or so everyone believed.
Unseen eyes watched the scene from a hidden vantage point, observing the crowd with a hint of a smirk.
The crowd began to disperse, a chilling wind sweeping through the clearing, carrying with it the distant echo of a familiar, yet haunting laugh.
ooo
(At Tsubasa's base)
Tsubasa walked down the hallway, nodding to everyone he passed. He entered one of the rooms and began undressing in a closed stall.
Denji soon entered the room with a fresh set of clothes in hand. He handed it to Tsubasa once the man's hand reached out of the stall and was handed the ones Tsubasa had been wearing.
The stall door swung open, and Tsubasa stepped out, facing a large mirror that Denji held in place. He glanced at himself, turning slightly as he admired the new clothes with a satisfied smile.
"Don't I look good, Denji?" Tsubasa asked. When Denji didn't respond, Tsubasa cleared his throat and repeated, louder this time, "I said, don't I look good, Denji?!"
Denji jumped at the booming voice, almost dropping the mirror but managing to catch it as he smoothly landed. "Y-yes Tsubasa-san. It really fits you."
Tsubasa adorned himself in a long, pale gray robe with a dark purple tied in a large bow at the back. Underneath, he wore a dark, high-collared sleeveless shirt underneath. His arms were protected by arm guards and his legs were wrapped in bandages.
"Um, Tsubasa-san, if I may." Denji requested and Tsubasa waved his arm while still looking at himself in the mirror. "Why specifically did you choose this to be your battle outfit? I think I've I've someone wear the same–" Denji yelped when his eyes met Tsubasa's cold gaze.
"Not another word. Now do me a favor and deliver this to everyone," he said with a smirk. "We're doing it tonight." Denji looked at him in disgust. "No, not like that! You know what I mean! Now, go!"
He groaned as he watched the young boy scramble to his feet. Turning to the mirror that lay downward, he gazed at his reflection one last time. The fun was about to begin.
ooo
(At A cottage near a lake, south of Sakuragawa Town)
"Oh please, make yourselves at home," an old weary man's voice said in a welcoming manner.
Naruto and his team nodded gratefully and made their way inside. On the outside, the house wasn't so big, considering it was a cottage. From the inside however, the house had an attractive rustic appearance through the variety of designs and floor plans.
Kenta simply took the old man's word and simply made himself at home, collapsing onto the couch with a relieved sigh. A slap to his cheek from Ayaka made him sit up instead.
"Would you like some tea?" The voice continued. The four shook their heads, but the old man waved them off. "Nonsense! You're guests in my home. Of course I'll serve you tea, even if you refuse." He made his way into the kitchen, clutching her walking cane as it tapped rhythmically on the floor.
Naruto made a disgusted face. "Is that how I'm gonna look when I'm old?" he asked, his tone incredulous. Ayaka frowned at him. "What?"
"From the way you asked that question, I hope you're even worse." she responded, clearly not amused. Her remark earned snickers from the other two.
Naruto clenched his teeth. He hadn't meant to imply the man was bad looking, per se. It was just… well, with wrinkles covering his face and a double chin, what did they expect him to think?
He noticed the man's eyes narrowing in response and he hurriedly added. "I mean, it's just my opinion." As the man served them tea and disappeared into the kitchen, he let out a sigh. "Was coming up with a lie that we're lost kids the best you could come up with?"
"It worked. We're alone, aren't we?" Kenta said ina mocking tone.
"Moving on," Shikamaru said in a low tone, arms folded. "Can I get a revised explanation of what really happened back there? Because I still don't understand."
Naruto wasn't good at explaining things, so he tilted his head toward Ayaka, signaling for her to take over.
"We were out gathering intel as we planned," she began, her voice steady. "We hit a dead end so I decided it was time to regroup with you two. On our way back, I spotted him slipping out of a nearby bar."
Her eyes softened for a bit. "It struck me as odd since his sole purpose there seemed fixated on the bounty. My instinct told me to follow, and we did, to a rundown house on the outskirts. We made a plan. Naruto would make two clones–one to shadow him and another to retrieve the both of you. That… that's when the explosion happened."
She paused, scanning the other two members for their reactions. Shikamaru appeared slightly hurt, but he returned to deep thought nonetheless. Kenta's reaction, on the other hand, was vague–and understandably so. He hadn't met the person and had only been informed that this particular individual was the reason they received a substantial amount of money.
But she knew Naruto was the most hurt. She could feel the sadness emanating from him, even without needing to look. He had gotten close… too close.
Shikamaru stopped folding his arms and turned serious. "OK, but I have one question. Don't take offense to this, but were you two… there?"
"I'm sorry?"
"I meant were you there before?"
"I see where you're going with this," Ayaka said, raising her voice a little higher.
"I don't think Shikamaru meant that—"
"Zip it, Kenta." she snapped, slamming her hands on the wooden table. "You piece if shit! You think we did it?!"
"There was a reason I said, 'don't take offense to this.' It was a yes or no question," Shikamaru answered calmly. Normally, he'd expect Naruto to be the one snapping at him.
"Bullshit! What says you two weren't there before?" She continued, her tone carrying a hint of malice. She wasn't accustomed to being accused by anyone, and she especially didn't see this coming from a teammate.
"If we did, I wouldn't have asked that question. There's a reason I'm suspecting you two. There was an explosive kunai, and you were the only shinobi there."
"What's to say there aren't any others?"
"I can't solve this if all you do is yell. Just calm down and—"
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
Naruto watched them bicker with an idiotic gaze. Has he always been like this? If so, he was grateful Kakashi-sensei or any of the other people he'd he'd done to hadn't already put him six feet under.
There was a reason he hadn't spoken. They weren't there, plain and simple. Shikamaru had pointed it out—it was just a yes or no question, so there was no reason for her to lash out. He would've tried to stop her, but he'd preferred not to wake up with a red-hot palmed mark on his cheek.
Instead, he sat cross-legged, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Back when he and Kenta had captured the puppeteer during their interrogation attempt, he managed to escape. At that time, he'd been able to sense the puppeter's chakra signature, leading to a successful capture. Did he awaken some sort of ability? Curious, he closed his eyes and focused, intending to find ot.
Kenta crept slowly on him and nudged him with his elbow, whispering, "What're you doing?"
"Testing," was the only word he uttered before resuming. Kenta went back, trying to separate both Ayaka and Shikamaru before things went out of hand. Naruto closed out the noise coming from the bickering and concentrated. It took a couple of seconds but he successfully managed to sense everyone's chakra signatures in the room, although the downside was that he could only do it while remaining in one position. With further training from Ero-sennin and Kakashi-sensei, he was confident he could refine it to using it while moving.
Before he could take pride in his achievement, his mouth fell open in shock and he gasped for air.
"Guys," no one answered. "Guys," still no response. "Guys!"
"What!" they all exclaimed simultaneously.
Naruto's expression turned serious. "Remember when Kenta said we were alone?" They nodded in unison. "Well, he was wrong. We're surrounded."
Ooo
3. Suiton: Hebi no Hōyō! (Water style: Serpent's embrace!). A C-rank water style jutsu where the user channels chakra to create a serpent-shaped surge of water. Upon command, the serpent swiftly crashes into its target with powerful force and relentless aggression.
And cut! I think I'm done for the day. No lame ass remark. Kaiokenika gonna sleep. Kaiokenika say bye-bye!