"Blah": Talking
"Blah": Demon speaking/Inner Sakura
'Blah': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts
'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto
Hello, guys! I'm back with a new episode… I mean, chapter, and this one is going to be pretty short, much like the last one.
I really wanted to end the previous chapter with Danzo's Hokage candidacy because it seemed like the perfect place to end it, so that's why this chapter is particularly short. And given the events of this chapter, I think combining the last two chapters together would have made it feel a bit overstuffed or unbalanced. But now I really can't wait to read your reactions to this next plot twist I saved for the end of this chapter! Guys, seriously, I really want to read your reviews this time XD I saved this chapter for over two years! I am so excited!
Azeroth44: I've been waiting for this one too! I can't wait for the next one when Naruto-
Kvsyaoran: SHUT UP! Don't spoil it, dude!
AZ44: Right. Sorry about that.
K: With Azeroth44 getting his kicks out of scaring us the other chapter, I think now is the best time for us to be a little more civil.
AZ44: But I like crazy nonsense…
K: Save it for later.
AZ44: Awwwwww…
Please enjoy this new chapter, readers and followers! I think the ending of this one is pure gold! Don't forget to write a review!
Reviews are welcome and wanted!
Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto
Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling
Chapter 6: The Shinobi of Darkness
Danzo Shimura would return to Konohagakure later in a few days. The palace where the Fire Daimyo lived was far away from the village and the trip back from there would take the elder at least a couple of days. Naruto soon learned that the Hokage Candidate were not official Hokage, so Danzo's face would not be carved into the mountain and some of his powers and authorities were more limited than they would be if he were the true Hokage. He wouldn't be able to make drastic decisions without the consent from a council of the other two elders and a few of Konoha's most influential representatives. It also turned out that Danzo would not become the official Godaime Hokage until the Sandaime died or as soon as it was confirmed that he would never recover from his coma. But despite those setbacks, the Hokage Candidate still had control over the ANBU, mission handouts, and the careers of certain shinobi.
With all of that on his mind, the blonde rookie had to leave with Jiraiya as soon as possible, before the elder returned. After the incident at the will reading, Danzo could make Naruto's life a living hell or have him expelled from the Shinobi Program, purely out of spite. As soon as he heard the news about Danzo's promotion, Naruto rushed back to the motel where he knocked hard on Jiraiya's door.
"Ero-Sennin! OPEN UP! It's me! ERO-SENNIN!"
No one answered and the blonde-haired rookie started to feel nervous. He knocked several times and earned the attention from the other tenants that shouted at him to cut it out and went back to sleep. Someone must have called the manager because he arrived soon after and approached Naruto.
But then the manager blinked when he realized he was outside the door of one of his particular tenants and called out to him, "Are you Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Yeah," the rookie answered back.
The manager handed over a thick envelope and said, "This is from Jiraiya. He left at around sunrise and asked me to deliver this to some blonde kid if he ever came knocking on his door."
Naruto stared at the manager and then at the envelope that had his name on the front. He took it back home with him and found a letter from the Sannin. The blonde-haired rookie read and almost crumbled the message in his hands but continued to read more:
Dear Naruto,
Please excuse me for the sudden disappearance. But I had to leave when I found out about the elder Danzo's promotion to Hokage Candidate yesterday after you visited. If I didn't leave as soon as I did, he would have forced me to stick around Konoha for the relief effort and we would never have the chance to leave and save the old man. I couldn't risk it. Gomenasai.
Now read this letter over, kid, and don't miss even the tiniest details.
You can still come with me to save the old man, but it's going to be a bit difficult. I went to the other elders before I wrote this and told them to let you leave Konoha on your own accord as a test to find me. It took me over an hour to convince them when they said it would leave you at risk of falling into enemy hands. In this letter I left behind a set of directions and a map that will enable you to find me without the risk of you running into other shinobi, criminals, or bandits.
Trust me, kid. You'll be fine. These directions are flawless and the road I've drawn out is safe. Follow the directions carefully and find me. But make sure to follow these directions in exact detail, I can't stress that enough. If you follow them well, you'll be safe and get to see some great views of the countryside, farmlands, rivers, and this incredible lake along the way.
You have to trust me, kid. Find me and we can save the old man together.
Jiraiya, The Toad Sage
Naruto read the letter over a dozen times before the Sannin's written word sank in. He checked the other contents of the letter and found a detailed map with directions, tickets, and an identical backup set of directions and map in case he ever lost the first set. Naruto presented the news to Iruka and showed him the letter.
"What the hell is this?!" he outraged, "Does he have any idea how dangerous it is for a genin to venture out on their own?! Without an instructor?!"
The blonde rookie nodded, "Yeah, but I won't be alone out there, aniki. Nii-san will be with me the entire time."
"I know that," the chunin hesitated, as he understood his adoptive sibling would have his magic to aid him, "But I don't like this idea. Not one bit… These directions do seem legitimate, but it's still too dangerous for anyone to be out there alone. Especially a genin."
"Nii-san isn't pleased with Ero-Sennin's decision either. He agrees with you entirely. But this isn't the first time we've been outside the village on our own. Nii-san also has a lot of experience with dangerous journeys like these."
When Naruto referred to the incident at the Land of Waves and the bandits, as well as the hunt for the Horcruxes. Iruka remembered the memories in the Pensieve and seemed a little bit less unnerved about the situation.
"I'm probably going to lose a lot sleep over this," he said, "But as long as Harry is around and keeping an eye out for you, I guess it's okay with me… But I'm still not happy about it."
Naruto admitted, "Neither am I… But I should be okay. I won't be alone."
Iruka handed the directions back to his little brother. Naruto agreed with his older sibling that he would leave Konoha in a few days, before Danzo was due to return. And so the two of them sat down to breakfast while Naruto read the directions over and over at the table with a half-eaten sausage on his fork.
The blonde-haired teen spent the rest of the day at home as Naruto and Harry retreated to the mindscape to study the map and the directions further. The two wizards were seated at a table in the library room where they hovered over the map while Harry compared it to a recent map of the Land of Fire. He seemed perplexed and studious as he checked the maps and compared them to one another. Meanwhile, Naruto's face was buried in the directions as he tried his best to memorize them.
Jiraiya's trail went off the beaten track and involved a number of unusual areas and a few independent bathhouses. Naruto thought back to the tickets in the envelope and realized they were to be used to stay at the bathhouses for a free night. The final destination, where Jiraiya would be waiting, was miles over a mountain range and two towns at a city called, Pleasure Avenue. Harry recognized the town as a gigantic festival town that attracted tourists and travelers, but was also notorious for it's red-light district, much to his chagrin.
"That's probably the reason he chose that town over the various provinces in the area," said a dull-faced Naruto.
The older wizard shook his head and said, "Shameless."
Back in the real world, Naruto decided to leave tomorrow when his team was due to meet at the reservoir at noon. But at the moment, Naruto still had a few tasks left to do and was in his room as he finished one of them.
The shadow clone in his bedroom finished with the last strands and fibers of the material in its hands. The cloak from Tenten, that was once a plain color, now shined like it was made of silver and was softer than even the richest silk or velvet. The shadow clone ran his wand over the material one more time before he looked over to the real Naruto. The two of them then raised their wands and made the cloak levitate. The cloak shined one last time and then it fell to the chair. The shadow clone burst into smoke as the real Naruto watched the material slither down the chair as if it were fluid. He reached out and grabbed the hems of the cloak and smiled as he heard his brother congratulate him.
'You've done it, Naruto,' he smiled as he shook Naruto's shoulders, 'You have an invisibility cloak!'
The blonde wizard couldn't contain his excitement for one more second. He threw the cloak over his shoulders and turned to face the mirror to see his head suspended in midair.
"YES!" he shouted and laughed.
Naruto covered his head with the hood of the cloak and vanished in the reflection. Footsteps were heard stamping around his bedroom before the door swung open and the footsteps patted into the kitchen and living room. The footsteps stamped back down the hall, the doors to the bathroom and Iruka's bedroom were swung open but no one else was there. Iruka was still at the Ninja Academy and wouldn't be back for at least another hour, when Naruto checked the clock.
"Damn," his disembodied voice cursed, "I wanted to surprise him! Iruka-aniki would have freaked out!"
'We can mess around with Iruka all we want later. Right now, we have a mission to do. You have the antidote?'
Naruto lowered his hood and his head floated back to his bedroom, "Yeah, I've got it."
'Don't forget your wand, too. There's bound to be loads ANBU at the hospital to bewitch.'
Naruto collected his wand and his beaded rucksack, and then he vanished under the cloak. A loud crack was soon heard as the dust from the floor whisked into the air from where the blonde wizard Disapparated.
Naruto arrived in a dark alley outside the hospital. He double-checked the contents of his rucksack before he threw it over his shoulders and vanished beneath the cloak. The blonde rookie made sure he didn't make a sound as he trekked across the street and snuck inside the clinic as a nurse arrived to open the automatic doors. Naruto sneaked around the receptionist's desk and threw a stack of documents on the ground to distract her.
"Oh," she squeaked as she scrambled to the floor to retrieve the documents.
The blonde rookie aimed his wand at the nurse from under the cloak and muttered, "Muffliato!"
He then took the moment he had to check the computer for Sarutobi's room number and found him in no time. The Sandaime had his own area in the hospital reserved for his treatment, which came to no surprise, as he was the Hokage. Naruto read the room number in less than a second and walked off, as the nurse remained none the wiser.
Naruto took careful steps to the elevator and waited for someone to come out and sneak in. He had to wait until someone landed on the same floor as Sarutobi, which took him at least a half hour. It was close to sunset and visiting hours would be over, not that Sarutobi was allowed to have visitors, aside from members of his clan. Naruto snuck out from behind a doctor and walked down the halls until he found a room with two ANBU at the doors. One of them had brown hair and a cat mask on, while the other ANBU seemed to be the same one that knocked Naruto out cold at Dosu's corpse, who Iruka had a confrontation with at the Hokage's office over his involvement in the incident. Naruto couldn't resist a small smirk as he aimed his wand at the familiar ANBU.
He muttered, "Confundo!"
And the ANBU wavered a bit before he looked to the soldier with the cat mask and shoved him.
"Oi," shouted the cat ANBU, "What was that for?!"
The bewitched ANBU shook his head and asked, "What was what for?"
"You shoved me!" said the cat ANBU.
The ANBU answered back in confusion, "No, I didn't!"
"You did! Just now! You shoved me!" shouted the cat ANBU, "What did you shove me for?!"
"You're nuts, Tenzo. Just because we're not in the middle of a battlefield doesn't mean we have to be on our toes on a simple guard mission. You can relax a little bit," the ANBU dismissed and looked out ahead, "Now stick to the mission."
The cat ANBU, named Tenzo, then shoved the other ANBU back in the same manner as earlier, "There! Now we're even!"
"Oww! Don't shove me!" shouted the ANBU as he shoved Tenzo back.
But Tenzo shoved back and started a fight between the two soldiers. The ANBU wrestled and shoved each other until another ANBU ran down the hall to break them apart. In the commotion, Naruto cast the Muffliato Charm on them and snuck inside the room. He listened in on the commotion and heard the third ANBU order the ANBU that assaulted Naruto to leave. The ANBU order to leave was furious and confused, much to Naruto's satisfaction when he heard him cuss down the hall.
Naruto turned around and locked the door behind him with his wand. When he turned around, he saw the withered and weakened form of the Sandaime. The old man looked even worse than he did when he saw him a few weeks ago. It looked like Hiruzen had aged further as his skin had turned a sick shade of yellow, mixed with new dark spots and even more wrinkles across his now leathery skin. His heartbeat on the monitors was steady but his breathing was slow. He had tubes inserted in his nose, mouth, and both his arms, with a mask over his face to keep him breathing. Medicine seemed to be pumping into him through the aid of the machines, as the Sandaime remained motionless on his bed while his chest moved up and down in synch with wheezing breaths. It was almost too much for Naruto to take in, as the man he loved like his own grandfather had been reduced to a wrinkled mess of a man, dressed in a hospital gown. The blonde rookie shivered as he covered his mouth with his hand out of reflex. He braved the sight as best he could and tried to see the man he remembered through the tubes and wrinkled old skin.
{{Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart's Theme by Murray Gold & BBC National Orchestra of Wales}}
The blonde rookie lowered his hood as he let the cloak open in the middle. His back and shoulders remained invisible as he walked up beside the old man to get a good look at his face. He sat down in the chair and frowned while his lip quivered and tears threatened to rise in his slowly reddening face.
Sarutobi had failed to give Naruto the blissful childhood he deserved, but the old man had never given up on him and had always supported him as best he could. Naruto thought back to his earliest memories and remembered how kind and gentle Sarutobi had been to him while he cared for him; his warm smile, his kind words, how they ate ramen at Ichiraku together, and the way he ruffled his blonde hair as he caressed Naruto's lightning scar with his thumb. Then he remembered when Sarutobi gave him the photo album and visited Kushina's grave with him. He thought about how he hugged and comforted him through those most emotional and tearful days. After that, he remembered how much the old man had trusted him when the threat of an invasion loomed over them. He had faith in Naruto, as well as all of his citizens while their lives were of the utmost importance to him. He inspired Naruto and made him want to stand up and fight for the Sandaime, or this case, set out on his mission and succeed no matter what. The Will of Fire burned within Naruto's blood but the condition of the Sandaime made him feel weak in the knees.
"Grandpa," he said as his voice failed to conceal his emotions, well aware that the old man couldn't hear him but he didn't care, "I swear I'll come back… You wait here and hold on until I come home… You won't die here… Not like this."
The blonde rookie sniffed before he enchanted the door to hide his voice from the ANBU outside. He then reached back for his rucksack and found the bottles of potion he had brewed; a thin, white liquid that had a special shine to it that made Naruto think of fat-free milk.
"Here," said the blonde rookie as he stood and opened one of the medicines that fed into Sarutobi's bloodstream.
Naruto filled the container until all of the bottles were emptied. Each drop of the antidote wasn't wasted as the milk-like liquid turned clear as the medicine and fed into Sarutobi. The blonde rookie tossed the bottles back inside his rucksack and shouldered it back on under the cloak. He then listened as Sarutobi's breathing suddenly sounded healthier and the blackened skin around his neck returned to its normal tan shade. He stopped wheezing and started breathing normally, which made Naruto smile.
"It's not a cure, but it'll hold off the venom for a while," he said, "It might give me enough time to find a real cure."
The rookie wizard tried to be brave and be more like a soldier, but his affection for the old man overwhelmed him and he moved in. Naruto took Sarutobi's hand and tried to feel him squeeze back, but his fingers didn't even twitch.
"Please rest and hold on until I come back," he then leaned over and kissed the old man's forehead and said in a tearful voice, "I love you, old man."
Naruto relented and was about to turn and leave, but then he heard a voice and a shuffle of feet. He turned around as his face became stricken with panic. He heard the ANBU outside walk from the door and another voice on the other side, but Naruto's charm muffled it out. Naruto had to Disapparate but even if his charm wore off in time, it would make too much noise. There was a commotion outside, as it seemed the third voice complained about the door being locked, much to the confusion of the ANBU. Naruto looked to the window, Sarutobi, the medicine, and then the cabinet at the wall beside the door.
'HIDE!'
The blonde wizard closed the cloak and threw the hood over his head as he bolted to the cabinet. Without a noise, he snuck inside and cracked the door open enough to see outside. The cabinet was filled with robes, extra blankets, and pillows while Naruto found a tight spot to hide and remained invisible. The extra charms he placed on the cloak masked his presence and even his chakra while he heard shuffling footsteps, followed by another pair of feet. And then Naruto heard the distinct sound of cane as the first individual entered the room.
{{The Locket by Alexandre Desplat}}
Danzo Shimura of all the people in the world had arrived with his head held high. Naruto slid back into the corner of the closet and almost slid down in a spineless motion. The blonde teen remained frozen where he stood, terrified and shocked as the elder had arrived way too early. He was forced to watch as the same ANBU he saw from the will reading, the one with pale, vampire skin, followed the Hokage Candidate like a shadow and held his breath. He had on a distinct outfit, like the other ANBU that Danzo was associated with, with red straps over his shoulders. He wore the mask of an animal, like the other ANBU, but also carried short a tantō blade on his back.
After the old man entered the room, Danzo drifted to the side of Sarutobi's bed. He stared down at him with a dark, emotionless face, until a small, sinister smirk stretched across his aged skin. Naruto shivered and his scar burned for less than a second. He felt an immense desire to leave but if he moved, he would alert Danzo and the ANBU that he was in the room. He could be killed on sight or forced to face punishment as Danzo arrived so much earlier than scheduled. He shouldn't have gotten back to the village so soon. The Fire Daimyo's palace was ages away, and yet here he was, right in front of him. Naruto had to wait until the old man left and he didn't know what to do next after that. But for now, all he had to do was wait and pray he wouldn't be found.
Naruto stared in silence as the old man started to talk to the bearded leader, unaware that his breathing had improved.
The hideous old man said in a slow and victorious voice as he mocked his former rival, "Look at him… so weak and defenseless… Pathetic… Hiruzen was once one of the most fearsome shinobi in the world, now he's been reduced to a withered old man on his deathbed… I have waited for this moment since the Second Shinobi World War. I should have been the one that was chosen to succeed our sensei, not this… spineless pacifist... But now, it doesn't seem to matter. I am the Godaime Hokage."
"Candidate, sir," corrected the ANBU.
Danzo frowned as he looked back at the ANBU and said, "For now… But with Sarutobi out of the way, this village will not be brought down to its knees... We still have so much work to do… I will have to start with securities and make sure Konoha is an impenetrable fortress. No more of these late-night strolls to stores, shopping malls, and ramen noodle bars… I will have to take restrictions and new regulations slowly, one step at a time. But as soon as Sarutobi is dead and the title I have been elected for is made official, Konoha will be mine and the shinobi of Iwa, Kumo, Kiri, and Suna will have reason to fear us. And this village will be stronger than ever before… No more rebels, no more defiance."
Naruto was shocked and disgusted as he saw the old man smirk and raise his voice, like some villainous stereotype. He knew that this man had ambitions, but he didn't think he was evil. Danzo almost reminded him of Lord Voldemort or Umbridge. But as the blonde-haired wizard remained hidden, the short ANBU in the room turned to his leader and talked in a voice completely striped of emotion, but underneath that was a hint that made the ANBU sound slightly insistent.
"Sir? What about Naruto Uzumaki? He is one of Sarutobi's most devoted allies. Once he learns about this, there is a chance he will rebel against you or fail to obey any orders given to him from you. What will you do to him should he cause a disturbance or prevent Sarutobi's demise? Will he be punished to set an example?"
Danzo stared at the wall in front of him and answered, "No… You know I cannot harm or punish him."
Naruto would have breathed in relief, but he had to remain silent as he did let his muscles relax a bit. But then he felt a wave cold overwhelm him when Danzo finished his next statement.
"Besides, there's no need to speak ill of the dead," he said in a cold voice.
The blonde wizard froze when he heard that utterance and starred at Danzo as he read the old man's face. The ANBU seemed to be lost when it was obvious to Naruto what he had meant in his words.
"Sir, I don't understand," he said.
Danzo seemed bemused and then he said in a chilled voice, "You haven't heard the news? Naruto Uzumaki died in his old apartment building. He had been seen returning there a few times over the last few weeks for whatever reasons he had, often times after sunset. The landlord found him in the bathroom; the boy had slipped, fallen, and broken his neck in the shower… Such an unfortunate accident and to happen to someone so young and… strange."
"I see," the ANBU said as he realized he had received detailed orders for an assassination mission as he bowed to the elder on one knee, "Accidents do happen."
Danzo frowned and asked, "You understand what needs to be done, then, soldier?"
The ANBU on his knee bowed his head one more time and without hesitation.
"It will be done at sunset, sir," he said.
Danzo ordered him with a swift, dark voice, "See to it. Be discreet."
With that, the ANBU had vanished while Danzo remained in the room and looked down at the old man beneath him. Naruto watched as Danzo tilted his head and then talked to the unconscious shinobi as he watched his hand and arms twitch and his face look distressed as he started to sweat in his sheets
"Farewell, Hiruzen… Perhaps this was a fortunate thing to happen… What old man wants to be alive to outlive their grandchildren? Fear not, old friend," he then assured him and clenched Sarutobi's shoulder, "You will not have to mourn the little bastard too long."
With that said, the elder left the room and shut the door behind him. Naruto then poured out of the cabinet, pale as a ghost and horrified, before he Disapparated on the spot.
To Be Continued…
Dun-Dun-DUN! Danzo is after Naruto!
I know in most fics the writers like to make Danzo want to turn Naruto into a weapon. But in this universe, in the past he did try to persuade the Konoha Council to do it after he was orphaned, but Sarutobi took him in and protected him until Naruto was deemed too old for weapon conditioning. Since then, Danzo has tried to suppress Naruto and keep him grounded and under control with the help of the other elders, as seen in the will reading. Although Danzo has ordered for Naruto's assassination, Danzo's words have a double-meaning to them. But Danzo's true intentions with Naruto will be revealed in the next chapter.
I can't wait to read your reviews and reactions to this new plot twist! I'll keep on writing as usual and I really look forward to posting again soon! I should have the next chapter up in about a week or two!
See you guys later! Leave me a review and show your support!