Chapter XV
Root Arc I
Throughout the heavens and the hells, the past few years have been enlightening. Panic had settled in when the Rabbit Goddess had turned the Earth barren of intelligent life. No humans remained in the aftermath of Kaguya Otsutsuki's curse. The summoning animals watched on in horrified silence as they became the last bearers of intelligent life on the planet, hidden in the far corners of the world, shrouded from all others. Yet, the cycle of destruction and rebirth was not one that was unknown to those who would come to be known as 'gods' in the mortal realm. One day, a new race of intelligent lifeforms would arise once more. Perhaps, Kaguya had just expedited the process. No one in Takamagahara or Yomi could tell precisely. Yet an anomaly remained. One single human had survived the curse that had ravaged his entire kind. Even demons winced at the fate. No one deserved to be the last of their kind, but if that was the karma the human had drawn, then that was his lot to bear.
Junko remembered everything. It was her body that the Akuryo had inhabited for decades, even in the sixth hell. She knew the being's thought process and while she was stuck in the form of a pre-teen, she was technically an elderly woman and would have been seventy when Naruto had been born in the original timeline if she had been granted a normal life. Her obsidian eyes tracked her new caretaker's movements quietly as she buried her face into her arms and the table. Naruto's apartment in the Senju Clan compound was not large or luxurious by any means, but it was cosy and had enough room for a guest. When Naruto had claimed her as his responsibility in front of the Grand Council, the Uchiha Clan had raised a large stink about a Uchiha being given to an outsider to be raised. However, as the daughter of Madara Uchiha and a girl who had been possessed by an Akuryo, it was believed to be more beneficial if she was given into the care of someone who could take care of matters if the Akuryo decided to return. Still, seeing the redhead trip over cooking something for her, Junko had a hard time comparing the Naruto she had heard about from the frightened and angered thoughts of the Akuryo when it had possessed her.
Everyone in the heavens and the hells had watched the journey of the last human with curiosity. He wandered the remains of the Elemental Nations like a being without a purpose, surviving by the skin of his teeth. Yet when the Banished Gods of the Cursed Clan descended onto the planet to harvest its natural chakra, the last human had defended the summoning animals and the inherent natural chakra of the planet with a ferocity that was unmatched. When he slew one of them, it was deemed a coincidence. When he slew a few more, heads turned, yet people remained calm. But when Naruto slew the entire clan and even its leader in a divine culling that went far beyond simple words, the heavens and the hells were intrigued and a bit scared. For a few months, nothing happened, but then suddenly the monster Satori was killed. And with a ferocity unmatched Naruto broke through the barriers of space and time and landed in Takamagahara demanding to see the Divine Wheel Where Time Began and Ended. A mere mortal demanding such an honour from the Gods? And then trying to use it to undo things that had already happened?
It was inconceivable. Arrogant. Conceited.
The Gods brought their wrath on the last human. Yet, this human defeated every single deity sent after him. When an injury sent Naruto into hiding back into the former Land of Fire, the entire Heavenly Host descended upon him hot on his heels. Not a single deity claimed victory that day as they returned back to Takamagahara sporting wounds that would have surely killed them if they hadn't been immortals. When he defeated the Storm, the Moon and even the Sun, he was finally granted an audience with the King. He refused Naruto's request but granted him the title 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' in honor of his achievements. An empty title meant to appease him. Naruto saw through the ruse quickly. The King was bested in combat and Naruto forced the Heavens to his will. Time turned back as per his will. Nothing was more feared than the single utterance of the phrase Six Paths Sage Mode: Kunitsukami.
And now, instead of one anomaly, there were several running around the mortal plane. Junko herself, was one of them, one of the few who remembered.
A thud broke Junko out of her thoughts. She glanced up and saw Naruto grinning at her. A hot bowl of miso pork ramen was in front of her. Naruto was grinning like a loon, his bright white teeth sparkling in the morning sunlight. His spiky hair which shined like the ruby on a crown swayed in the morning breeze as he sat down next to her and teasingly bopped her head.
"Stop thinking." Naruto chastised her in a gentle manner as he slurped into his own bowl of ramen. "Eat! Come on, I can see the depressing thoughts inside of your head a mile away."
Junko smiled politely but her thoughts were still a stormy mess. She took the chopsticks and idly stirred the ramen on them for a minute before she looked up, her dark brown hair falling to the side as she did. "Is it healthy to have ramen as breakfast?"
"Of course it's healthy!" Naruto looked affronted at the very thought if the pinched face was anything to go by. "I made the noodle strips myself! Ultra-organic! Just like Old Man Ichiraku used to make it. And Big Sis Ayame's special ramen spice blend and of course, Kakashi-sensei's endorsed blend of vegetables for a healthy yet tasty ramen."
"I…. I didn't understand half of that." Junko deadpanned as she looked at Naruto with a flat line on her mouth.
Naruto patted Junko on the back and looked at her with big eyes that glinted with the beauty of a clear sky. Junko spaced out, looking at his deep blue eyes. It reminded her of the small few lucid moments she had when she had been possessed. Its gentle gaze made her calm down, but its strength made her feel reassured. It was a contradiction, but it was a contradiction that felt welcome. "You'll understand. You'll become a ramen addict too. It's in your blood. You're an Uzumaki after all!"
"Ack!" Junko protested as she slurped into the ramen half-heartedly. She coughed into the bite and swallowed the lump of ramen she had just slurped, punching her chest slightly before looking back at Naruto. "I'm not an Uzumaki!"
Junko didn't realize she had puffed out her cheeks when she had protested and Naruto cooed over her. He pinched her tween cheeks and patted her head in a teasing manner. Junko protested non-verbally as she tried to scratch out Naruto's eyes, but that did nothing. In fact, a sense of dread settled over Junko's stomach as she felt a teasing glint enter Naruto's eye in the aftermath of the unsuccessful scratching attempt. He stood up abruptly and picked up Junko like a ragdoll and began to whirl her around in the air. Junko yelped into the air as she was spun in the air like a normal kid. Her grip on Naruto relaxed after a few spins.
"Of course, you're an Uzumaki!" Naruto declared happily as he continued to spin her around. A clone of his was still feeding Naruto ramen as he spun Junko midair and the entire scene looked like something out of a cartoon. Junko had to wriggle to avoid the few spittle of ramen that nearly got to her face. "Look at you! Traumatic past, adopted by an Uzumaki and will one-day love ramen! It's a perfect recipe to become an Uzumaki legend!"
"I'm a Uchiha!" She protested into the wind as Naruto continued to spin her around. Her long brown locks fluttered behind her, trying to keep up with the thrilling pace that Naruto was spinning her with. Naruto's clone which had been feeding the main Naruto ramen in between the spin set the now empty bowl down to the side and bopped her nose with a playful glint.
"Nuh-uh." Clone Naruto shook his head. "You will come to the dark side soon enough. Come to the dark side Junko…. we have ramen."
"What does that even mean?" Junko wailed with a playful glib in her voice as she tried to hide her growing laughter Naruto began to tickle her as he spun her around as well.
'This…this is so nice…' Junko reflected as she was spun around. She giggled as she felt a tickle on her abdomen. To any outsider, it would look like a father having a really good moment with his daughter who was enjoying the attention despite the attempt to look detached. It was the height of domesticity. It was something that had been robbed from her. Through the Akuryo's memories which had been imprinted to her own, she still remembered the night she had been born. She remembered the crazed glint on Madara's eyes when he had offered up Junko to an Akuryo and how he had silenced her wailing mother. A slight pang of anger grew within her as she raged against the fact that a total stranger was managing to give her the domesticity she had so longed for. A stranger who could have just killed her to get rid of the Akuryo in the first place. Instead, he had risked his very stake among the people he had come to save in the past to try and help her live through the possession. And moreover, he had succeeded. Raging against the crimes the world had committed, she relaxed fully against Naruto and began to spin around in rhythm, which seemed to delight Naruto even more.
After a few moments, Naruto carefully set her down on the floor so that she wouldn't suffer from vertigo. He smiled at her brilliantly looking nothing like the infamous 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven' who had once shattered the heavens itself. Slowly though, his smile turned more melancholic and his eyes shined as he knelt down to Junko's height and looked at her solemnly.
"If you want to remain a Uchiha, I won't object. Especially after what I learned about what happened to your mother." Naruto spoke softly, as he rubbed the side of her cheeks affectionately. "I'm simply giving you that option. After what Madara did to you…across two timelines, I just wish to give you the option to move beyond your past."
"What…what happened to my mother?" Junko asked with a trembling voice, as she looked head-on at Naruto with her half-lidded obsidian eyes. Her hands fidgeted agitatedly.
"You know," Naruto whispered at her sadly, a sheen of tears visible near his eyes. "I found out after seeing your memories when I defeated the Akuryo."
"She died…trying to protect me from Fath-" Junko began with her own eyes becoming wet the more she spoke before she was interrupted.
"Junko," Naruto growled as he interrupted her. "You can call Madara anything. Anything, but a paternal word. No…no father would do what he did to you, twice!"
Junko's lip trembled as she nodded. She wiped some of her own tears away and continued. "She died trying to protect me from M-Madara."
"Yes." Naruto nodded sadly, bangs from his spiky red hair falling to the side as he moved. "She wasn't a Uchiha either. According to the records, she was a member of the Hagoromo Clan. But still, I'm getting off-topic there. The thing is, as you are my ward in Konoha, I have to fill in official adoption papers for you. As a resident of the Senju Clan Compound, you can take the name Senju. As my ward, you can take the name Uzumaki. Or you can keep your current surname. Or if you want, you can create your own surname."
"Why are you telling me this now?" Junko asked slowly, as she turned her gaze towards the floor, glancing at Naruto.
"On the counter table, there is a form with a pen beside it." Naruto began with a gentle voice. His voice was low yet calm, and Junko let it wash over her. "Today is the last day before I have to submit it to my Clan Head, Lady Kushina Uzumaki. Do you remember her? My cousin, who welcomed you into the compound? I want you to fill in your official name yourself, Junko."
Junko was quiet for a beat before she turned towards the counter on the far side of the kitchen, where she indeed saw an official-looking document sitting idly. It gleamed into the morning sun next to the window it was placed on. Junko turned back to Naruto and swallowed some of the lump growing in her throat. With a raspy voice, she voiced the question she had been too scared to ask for the past few days. "How…..how did you move beyond your past?"
"I haven't." Naruto smiled at her grimly. "I haven't moved on from my past, my little tigress. Why do you think I turned time itself backwards?"
"But then – why?" Junko protested with a quiet voice as she flailed her arms into the air in a wild manner. Naruto pulled her close, hugging her, basking her in the warmth of the hug. Yet, Junko could fill the maelstrom of painful memories that hid within the affectionate move. Naruto sighed against her before her answering her question. Junko tightened the hug.
"I don't want you to make the same mistake that I have," Naruto answered her honestly. "The sheer agony I feel every time I call my very own mother my cousin, my own father as my future cousin-in-law, my sensei as my student is….is unmatched. Sometimes, I just want to shout out the secret to everyone. It's overwhelming. It feels like the very sky is being handled on your back with all its ferocious pressure falling down upon you. I don't want that same thing to happen to you, Junko. Don't repeat my mistakes."
"But…..but why do you care?" Junko grasped out, as she hugged Naruto tightly. "If….if you haven't moved past it, then I have every right to not move past my own!"
Naruto chuckled into the air. Softly, he lifted Junko back into the air and rose to his full height before hugging her properly as he massaged her back with his free hand in a protective and calming manner. Naruto's warm chakra permeated from every chakra point as it filled the room with its warmth. Junko waited for an answer with bated breath.
"Why do I care?" Naruto chuckled into the air. "That's a silly question. It's because I care, Junko. I cannot give you a more complicated or detailed answer."
I care.
It was as if a dam broke. Junko would later blame the charged emotions she was still feeling in the aftermath of the exorcism she had undergone, but she exploded into tears and bawled into Naruto's chest. Naruto quietly murmured strengthening words and songs into her ears, patting her back softly. Naruto continued to rock her slowly as he walked around the room, basking Junko in the morning sunlight. For Junko, it was an embarrassingly long time before she settled down and quietly asked to be let down. Naruto let her down slowly and smiled at her.
"Whatever your choice…. I'll support it, Junko."
After a while, when Naruto went to the washroom to get ready for the day, Junko sat on the chair next to the kitchen counter and bit into the pen as she looked at the adoption papers quietly. Taking a deep breath, she remembered the warmth that Naruto had provided her from the very first second they had met, she began to quietly write the empty portions of the paper that Naruto had left for her. After Naruto returned, Junko silently got off her chair and handed the paper to Naruto. Naruto slid the paper to the side and accompanied Junko to the Academy. When he returned home, Naruto opened the paper to see her answer. Several minutes later, Kushina entered Naruto's apartment to find Naruto standing still, looking at a piece of paper that she vaguely recognized as the adoption papers that Naruto had to submit to her by the end of the day.
Amused, Kushina walked up to Naruto and pushed her index finger into Naruto's cheek, which garnered no response. Close up, Kushina recognized the wet sheen of tears that was gathering in Naruto's eyes. Curious, Kushina stood next to Naruto and read through the paper. Her eyes trained on two sections of the paper which had been filled in with a childlike scrawl handwriting.
New Name of the Adopted Ward (If Applicable): Junko Uzumaki
New Relation to Caretaker of the Ward (If Applicable): Adoptive Father
"Kamui Shuriken!"
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
"Lightning Blade!"
"All-Killing Ash Bones!"
Minato was nervous. Today was the day he had invited Naruto and his new ward into his house for dinner. After what had happened with Obito and his involvement in the entire Akuryo spectacle, Minato owed that much to his girlfriend's newfound cousin. His apartment was filled with the aroma of ramen, which he knew to be a favourite of both Kushina and Naruto. He already had to deal with a few complaints from his neighbours, though they were more playful than mean. That would probably change if he made even more ramen, Minato mused. There was just so much ramen a person could take before gagging. Something that was apparently lost on the members of the Uzumaki clan, since it seemed that all its members were ramen addicts. His blonde hair was frazzled from all the cooking he had done in the afternoon. Minato was cautiously proud of himself. The civilian Namikaze clan had prided itself on its seafood for generations. Minato's own father had been a fisherman living on the coast of the Land of Fire whilst his mother had been a cook who specialized in sea food, selling the fish that Minato's father caught. When Minato had been orphaned during the early stages of the Second Great Shinobi War when the war came to their small village, Minato had fled to Konoha, yet he kept up with the proud Namikaze tradition of being a seafood connoisseur, in remembrance of his parents. Coupled with lobster ramen, he had also prepared sashimi, sushi, unadon, unagi and tempura. Yes, Minato was proud of himself for his cooking skills, could you tell?
Minato glanced at Obito who was sitting on his dining table with a slight vacant look with a look of consternation. It had been a few days since the entire confrontation between Naruto and Obito against the Akuryo and Obito was out of it for the most part. Despite Kakashi's best insults and Rin's best efforts, Obito had been acting robotically for the last three days. He said very few words and other than the morning after when Obito had shown them his new Sharingan, had shown little enthusiasm too. Minato was concerned for his students. In a bid to maybe get his spirits higher, Minato had asked his team to join the dinner he had planned with Naruto and Kushina and asked them to help him out. Kakashi looked like he wanted to do anything, though he still did what he was told dutifully. Rin was humming a happy tune throughout the chores Minato assigned her. Minato had been extremely upset when he had first heard of Rin's choice of a sensei for an apprenticeship. Before the entire shenanigans with the Akuryo, Minato had a rather cautious if poor view of Naruto. Frankly, it was still suspicious that a kage-level shinobi who happened to be a first cousin of the Jinchuriki of Konoha appeared from the middle of nowhere in the middle of a war, but after Naruto had saved his students during the Akuryo crisis, Minato was becoming more open-minded.
Besides it wasn't as if Minato could say that Naruto was a bad sensei. He had adequately kept his team in shape during his absence and all of his students showed a heightened sense of reactiveness and reflexes during the taijutsu warm-up that Minato took that morning; which Minato knew to attribute to Naruto's strong physical training routine. Further, Naruto had already taught Rin how to use one water-release jutsu and was coaching her through a second. Minato was proud of Rin for fighting against the stereotype of a demure female medical ninja who stood on the sidelines. Barring Lady Tsunade, no other female medical kunoichi in Konoha had manage to break out the trappings of that stereotype. Plus, Minato had heard about how Naruto had used sage mode against Hanzo in battle. Minato had a sneaking suspicion that Naruto intended to teach that to Rin when she was sufficiently capable. If so, Minato wished him all the luck in the world. Minato knew how to use Sage Mode, but it was so finicky that he didn't use it unless he absolutely had to and he couldn't maintain it for more than a precious few seconds.
"Sensei, when is Naruto-sensei, Kushina and Junko coming?" Rin's question broke Minato out of his thoughts. Minato jerked back slightly before rubbing the back of his head with a slight smile.
Minato glanced at the clock before looking back at Rin. "If the clock is correct, then a few minutes at most. They should be here at 6:30."
"I don't know why we must be here, sensei." Kakashi groused as he folded his hands and tried to look at the window with a disinterested gaze. It failed, as Minato saw through it completely.
'He's still suspicious of Naruto.' Minato realized as he busied himself with the plates a bit.
"Don't be like that," Obito spoke up for the first time during that evening as he pushed some of the chopsticks on the table into their designated space. "Naruto-sensei saved my life, you know."
"Why did you even ever fall into that kind of situation?" Kakashi asked back with a bite in his voice. "What kind of a ninja would be caught unaware in his own home?"
Obito glowered and Minato mentally readied himself to break a fight between the two rivals. But Obito didn't reply and quietly went back to arranging the chopsticks on the table in an orderly fashion. Though it was apparently taking a lot of self-control as Obito's face was still glowering. Kakashi raised an eyebrow in a mocking manner, but Minato quieted Kakashi with a silent gaze. There was a time and place for rival banter. In the aftermath of a traumatic and stressful event was just not it.
"Those two…" Rin sighed under her breath next to Minato and honestly, Minato shared the sentiment. Despite the fact that all three of them were now chunins and Kakashi was even well on his way to progress towards a promotion to Jonin, they all acted so childishly, that Minato often forgot that the three of them were child soldiers who were veterans of a war already. It was a sad truth, but it was the truth. The doorbell rang, breaking Minato out of his thoughts. Minato gave a once-over to the food he had prepared and motioned for his students to take their place on the table. Minato walked to the door and opened it. Kushina and Naruto's shared red made invaded Minato's senses first as he smiled at them.
Cutely, Minato noted the former vessel of the Akuryo, tugging at Naruto's side, hiding half of her face behind Naruto as she looked up at Minato warily. Kushina motioned Minato quietly, and Minato looked at Naruto in silent askance. Naruto grinned at him, and taking that as a positive, Minato knelt down to eye level with the Uchiha-turned Uzumaki and smiled gently at her.
"Hey." Minato prodded gently. "I'm Minato Namikaze. It's nice to meet you. Welcome to my home."
Junko Uzumaki glanced at Naruto. Minato saw Naruto giving her a reassuring smile as Junko fidgeted underneath the attention that Minato was paying her. Junko turned back to Minato and quietly introduced herself. "I-I am Junko Uch-no sorry, Junko Uzumaki. It's an honour to meet you, Mr Namikaze."
"There's no need to call me Mr. Namikaze." Minato corrected her gently as he rose to his full height and walked to the side, allowing his three guests to enter his apartment. "Call me Minato or Minato-sensei. Whichever you prefer."
"That smells divine," Naruto murmured as he caught a whiff of the lobster ramen that was hanging in the air. Kushina nodded in admiration as she turned to Minato and gifted him a kiss on the cheek. Blushing slightly at the public display of affection his girlfriend was giving, Minato turned to Naruto and Junko.
"Please come in and settle down on the dining table. My students are already here."
Minato ignored the gagging noises Naruto made after the kiss and led them to the dining room where his students had made themselves comfortable on the table. They rose as they saw Kushina, Naruto and Junko enter. Rin smiled happily and bowed low to Naruto, who embarrassingly rubbed the back of his head. It was custom for apprentices to bow to their masters, but considering Naruto was never a stickler for rules or tradition, it was a great way of embarrassing him. Minato looked on amused, half-sure that Rin was bowing not out of a sense of duty or tradition, but because she was feeling vengeful. Minato had seen the bruises that Rin had after her training sessions with Naruto. Kakashi murmured a quiet welcome whilst Obito's face brightened.
"You really outdid yourself, Minato." Kushina praised him as she took in the spread of dishes that Minato had prepared. Minato grinned at her and slung his arm around her.
"Anything for my whirlpool princess." Minato teased. He owed one for the public kiss Kushina had given just minutes prior. He wasn't one for public teasing, but in this instance, Kushina had asked for it. Kushina's face turned as red as her hair as Naruto began to snicker. He was joined in with a snort from Obito and a hidden giggle from Rin. Both Kakashi and Junko hid a fake cough as well, adding to the embarrassment that he was inflicting on his girlfriend. Kushina glared at him playfully as she disentangled herself from his arms and sat down on the table next to Rin. Naruto and Junko followed her cue, sitting together.
Minato sat down as well, noticing how carefully and gently Naruto guided Junko to the table. It was a tender moment, as Junko seemed to be hanging on every single syllable of Naruto's gentle whispers. After being possessed for so long, the girl was still having trouble with a bit of her motor functions. Minato didn't have any relatable experience to compare, but he was thankful that the young girl had at least found someone like Naruto to help her through it.
The seven members of the dinner table began to dig into the scrumptious spread that Minato had prepared. Minato felt like a proud mother as he saw his guests savour the food he had made himself. Between the small talk and the delicious dinner, he was already chalking the evening to be a success. As he brought out the desserts, mochi and dango, Minato asked Naruto, "So Naruto, do you have any plans for the future, as a new shinobi in Konoha, beyond everything you've done?"
Naruto slurped through the last bits of his lobster ramen before answering the question. "Well, I'm under constant supervision from the Hokage, if that's what you mean. The Grand Council doesn't trust me. I think the only reason why Naori isn't tailing me tonight is because she doesn't want to deal with her annoying cousin."
"Who's – hey!" Obito spoke up playfully affronted as he realized that he was the cousin that Naruto was talking about. Naruto grinned at Obito before his face softened up.
"Are you fine, Obito?" Naruto questioned. "From the ordeals of the past few days?"
Minato saw a guilty look overcome Junko, whilst Naruto patted her on the back in a reassuring manner. Naruto sent a meaningful look at Junko, who looked back at him uncertainly. Naruto smiled at her warmly and her guilty look dissipated slightly. Obito's mood turned contemplative as he mulled over his answer.
"I'm fine. Really!" Obito added the last bit loudly as he scowled at the scoff that Kakashi directed at him. "It's just overwhelming. I mean, I'm pretty sure 90% of this table thought that Akuryos were just myths before that entire event right?"
"I'm still not fully convinced myself," Kakashi muttered beside Minato.
As Obito and Kakashi fell into a familiar argument that had been complemented and well-oiled by a thousand preceding arguments over the course of the previous seven years, Minato groaned knowingly mentally. The table fell into a familiar chattering as it exploded into mock arguments and chattering and gossiping. Despite it all, the dinner was a success, Minato mused.
"Lightning Release: Purple Electricity."
"Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees!"
"Chidori!"
"…..wait – what?"
"Kamui."
Beetle liked to muse if he remembered a time before his purpose had been made clear. He had vague memories of what once was before his training regimen had started. He rarely gave it a lot of thought. His ANBU training had disciplined it right out of him. But spying on such a domestic scene made such memories bubble onto the surface against his will. Against the will of his Lord. Beetle knew that he would be severely punished after his next psychological assessment was over. Lord Danzo was never kind on his more emotional soldiers. It had no place on the battlefield. And Lord Danzo knew what was best for them. The seal that Lord Danzo had devised from the ruins of Uzushio had been so intricate that even the Yellow Flash was completely blind to the fact that someone was spying on him. Of course, the seal took a large amount of chakra – as was usual of anything Uzushio-related – but as one of the few in Root who boasted a large chakra pool, Beetle could use the seal with only a faint sense of discomfort.
Beetle made another mental note as he watched the Hatake and the Uchiha fall into another argument from his hiding spot right outside of the window next to Namikaze's living room. Such argumentative behaviour was a potential risk on the battlefield, especially during wartime. Perhaps Lord Danzo could persuade the Third Hokage to restart a war camp for impromptu training? War camps had become increasingly scarce as the war continued, but they had been instrumental in preparing a new generation of shinobi for war. Shaking himself, Beetle forced himself out of his thoughts and continued to watch the scene, feeling a tad bored. Lord Danzo was only adding credence to the rumours that he was paranoid by forcing Beetle, one of the best spy operatives of the ANBU and Root branch to spy on Naruto Uzumaki.
Konoha is fighting on four fronts in this war. Against all of the other Great 5 elemental nations. If a Kage-level shinobi appeared out of thin air to help them, with nothing but good intentions, then Beetle was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was a folly of the highest order. But an order was an order, and Beetle did as he was ordered. It was dreary, making several mental notes of what was happening and compartmentalizing his brain so that he could remember the details from his memories better. It was made even drearier by the fact that nothing important or interesting was happening on the event that was spying on. It looked like a genuine dinner and nothing else. Danzo had alluded to changing political allegiances in Konoha but there was nothing of the sort happening in the dinner that he was spying on.
"What in Kami's name am I doing?" Beetle murmured under his breath as he saw Kushina Uzumaki summon a cake and then throw it at Minato Namikaze's face. The duo was joined by Obito and Naruto who instigated a food fight in the dinner which dragged Rin, Kakakshi and Junko into it as well. This was not a mission that Beetle would be endorsing in the future, he grumbled mentally. Watching some of the most dangerous shinobi in Konoha act like children was an assignment that he wouldn't pray for on his worst enemies. Besides the childish quips and actions, did he mention that the entire thing was dreary?
However, within a flicker of a second, Beetle's agitated mood was replaced by discomfort. The air had turned cold suddenly, and Beetle could feel a faint killing intent. The sounds of insects disappeared from the evening sky and everything seemed eerily quiet. Beetle shuffled in his hiding spot uncomfortably as he expanded his sensory senses outwards, trying to catch anything that could explain the inexplicable change in the atmosphere. Beetle turned to the sides, trying to feel for anything when Beetle felt something behind him. Before he could move, however, Beetle felt the cold slick of a kunai positioned on his neck, aiming for his throat. Beetle stilled.
He didn't see who was holding him by a kunai to his throat, but he recognized the voice.
"Little Root." Naruto Uzumaki's voice was a low growl. His normally bright and warm chakra felt dark and menacing. It's pressure crashed down upon Beetle like a tsunami consuming an ant. Evidently, he was a clone because another Naruto was having a food fight with Kushina inside the house, but that didn't make the situation any less terrifying. "Why are you spying on us?"
"I've been ordered by Lord Hokage to monitor your whereabouts –" Beetle answered robotically as he remained still so as to not give any excuse for the kunai near his throat to become lodged inside of his neck.
"Old Man Sarutobi was informed by Kushina about where I would be tonight." Naruto interrupted him with a menacing and biting voice. "He knows where I am and he gave permission for this night. That is not the reason. What does Danzo want with me, little Root?"
"I cannot –"
"Six Paths: Shakujo: Human Path."
"KAMUI!"
"Danzo," Naruto growled into his mouth as he twisted and turned on his bed that night. The otherwise fun night with Minato had been utterly ruined by the visit of a Root Agent. Unfortunately, the little agent hadn't actually known anything and had shared Naruto's opinion that the entire spying mission was pointless. Naruto had sealed the agent's memory of meeting him and sent him on his way. Still, it set Naruto on edge. Danzo was a weakling, speaking from a moral and military point of view. He had fallen victim to the mythos of the kekkei genkai and where once a young and strong Danzo had reached Jonin level on his own merits during the First Great Shinobi War, Danzo had fallen to grave robbing Uchiha and Senju bodies to enhance himself. Stolen techniques and stolen abilities. There was a reason why the Shimura Clan never associated with Danzo, despite the fact that the clan was led by Danzo's niece, who if rumours were correct, absolutely abhorred Danzo.
Restlessness was preventing him from falling asleep. One-half of Naruto wanted to consign the entire issue to be tomorrow Naruto's problem, but the once hyperactive ninja now knew that he had to take things seriously. It was a lesson that he had paid for in blood. Gallons of it. Naruto stewed in silence before a light breeze entered his room from his open window.
He immediately bolted up from his bed. Silver hair filled his vision alongside a dark blue mask. Dark yet intelligent eyes gleamed underneath the full moon whose shine flittered into Naruto's bedroom. Despite his earlier restlessness, Naruto could feel a grin forming on his face.
"Am I late, Naruto?"
"You know it, Kakashi-sensei."
End of Chapter
Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait! I was really busy in real life, but hope you all like the update! There are a lot of hidden hints in this chapter for the upcoming arc. Obviously it deals with Danzo, but it will have a lot of twists and turns that I hope you all like! Also a little of background and lore to what happened to Naruto is present in the starting of this chapter, and I wonder if anyone caught on to the hidden meanings! And like always, don't forget to review, review and review!