Startled by a cry of pain, Naruto rose from his bed. The shifting sheets, drifting slowly from his form, in a way that a lover may implore one to stay, dropped to his bedroom floor, as he approached his living room door. In his groggy state the door seemed to warp and pulse with every scream that desperately squeezed its way through the obstruction.
Peering at his hands he could see the dried blood caked there, its crusty skin giving way to fresh blood spreading slowly up his arm. Why was he bleeding, he hadn't been in any fights, no near death experiences. He was safe, at home in the protective cage that was his village. That could only mean, it wasn't his blood.
Another scream, and the room shook, crying its sorrow to him in a violent hum.
The door, now close enough for him to touch lurched with another scream, pink tendrils of hair clawing their way through the keyhole.
Another scream.
Looking back down at his hands, Naruto witnessed the now flowing blood morph and contort. Lips forming from coagulating fluid, stretching, wrenched apart, into a silent scream. They whispered something to him that was lost in the stagnant air of the room.
The screaming from beyond the door turned to muffled begging. Pleads for help or mercy. Cries for him to just stop. Cries that he knew would not be answered. Reaching for the door knob, he began to open it.
"I HATE YOU!"
Naruto woke with a start, sitting up jet straight. He watched as rivulets of sweat poured down his chest, beading at his naval, before continuing their journey southward. His breathing was haggard and shallow, starving his lungs of the oxygen they craved. His head felt like it would crack open at any moment, pried apart by unseen hands.
"I fucking hate that dream." he whispered, the words so quiet that one could mistake them for a breeze on the wind.
Rubbing his clammy hands together, trying to wring the non existent blood from their surface, he sighed and made his slow journey from the comfortable linen to the shower.
shaky uncertain hands slowly, carefully twisted the shower knobs. The hiss of steaming hot water drowning the silence that permeated the room. One foot tested the heat of the shower before the body followed. He needed to wash away the blood.
Not that he believed he ever really could.
"You're doing better than you did yesterday Naruto."
Earth style: crag blades
A semicircle of long earthen protrusions burst around Naruto aiming to skewer the third hokage, merely having the effect of forcing the man a couple steps back.
Once again closing the distance between them faster than what naruto thought fair, Hiruzen clip him in the right shoulder opening his body up for a sickening punch to the sternum. Retaliating, Naruto took the momentum of his now twisted and contorted torso, to line his left shoulder and barge the man backward. The ground cracked below him as he sent Hiruzen tumbling to the edge of the clearing.
'Hiruzen' burst into a cloud of smoke.
"Fine, I yield." Naruto grunted as he gingerly removed the kunai from his neck with his index finger.
My god did this man earn any and all praise that he had been lauded over the years. Simply put, the guy was a monster. He was faster than Naruto. He was more flexible than Naruto. The old guy had a knowledge of ninjutsu and taijutsu that made it look like Naruto was still just an academy student freshly learning the introductory intricacies of the ninja arts. About the only thing that Naruto had up on the man was his strength, though the only person he knew of that could match him in that department was Tsunade really.
"You ship back out tomorrow, is there any sage knowledge that you would like me to impart before you go." Hiruzen asked, a seriousness to his eyes that Naruto had not witnessed, to his recollection, the entire time he had known the man.
"shoot."
"Never eat any fungi that you do not know the property of, they can be quite harmful, especially out in the field." Hiruzen laughed mightily, before clapping him on the shoulder.
"Wonderful, thank you for your mighty wisdom, oh great professor." Naruto drawled.
Honestly he was rather glad to be away from the man. He had been a pain in the ass the entire time he had been back in the village. Sure he was an excellent teacher, the best really, but the man could be absolutely insufferable when he wanted to be and he had gotten enough of that from his brief tutelage under Kakashi.
"Am I permitted to leave?" Naruto asked. The small amount of desperation in his voice surely gave the aged man tremendous satisfaction.
"Am I permitted to leave?" Hiruzen responded, letting the end of the sentence hang for longer than was needed.
With a groan." Am I permitted to leave sir, your eminence, oh great one, mighty lord of all that is good?"
"A little lackluster on the titles, but i suppose it will do, you may leave." he waved a hand in dismissal. Looking more haughty than the daimyo himself.
Leaving as abruptly as a startled cat, Naruto made his way back to the village as quickly as he could without causing any distress to the anbu that were patrolling the outskirts and open areas of the leaf.
He wanted to pack and prepare for his departure tomorrow, he had things he very much needed to buy before the day was out. That way he was left with just enough time for a happy little session with Yugao before he needed to leave in the early hours.
Slowing his run down to a light jog as he approached the outer districts of the industrial area of the leaf village, Naruto scanned the area for what he was looking for. There were so many shops working out of manufacturing warehouses that it was a little hard to discern one from another without taking the time to actually read the signs.
He could see the sealing supply store, the quietest of the lot. It really was a dying art. There was the weapons store, more young ninja bleeding into it than veterans. Young shinobi were always so enamored by weapons, never realizing that you had to dedicate even more of your time to training if you wanted the things to be of any use.
Clothing, clothing, clothing, weapons, repairs, clothing, Ah there it is.
Walking up to the armory, a little shop attached to the smallest warehouse in the district. with no traffic in or out, Naruto was half expecting the place to be closed down. Why was it that more ninja didn't wear armor, most of the shit that was made was light weight and could really protect you from kunai and or the lighter end of a jutsu.
Opening the door, he almost jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise of the bell above him. Stupid things. Didn't they realize that at least half of their clientele were highly deadly assassins riddled with ptsd and other mental health problems.
Glancing over the counter Naruto saw what was possibly the shortest old man that he had ever seen. The guy had to be 4 feet tall on a good day, how did he reach anything higher up on his shelves.
If I have to go around rustling through his wares to find what I want, I'm going to be rather miffed.
"What can I do for you sonny, you looking for anything in particular, or are you just here to peruse the wares?" the old man asked. Naruto noted his accent, Northern if he was correct. He'd have to drop a note to Danzo sometime to keep an eye on the man.
"Something, or some things in particular I should say." Naruto rummaged through the catalog
On the front desk to see if he could find what he was looking for. Finding his model of gauntlet there, he tapped his finger against the picture a couple of times. "My gauntlets were shattered a little while ago and I was looking to replace them. Also while i was here i was also wondering if you had some mid calf length boots that you could add some metal plating to the shin area. The boots need to still be slender though, anything too bulky and it's going to cost me some much needed maneuverability."
The man hummed a melodious tune as he rounded the desk to rummage through a messy tub of metal and leather in the far back corner of the shop. Why didn't he keep the place tidy, wouldn't it make his life easier. Maybe he didn't get enough customers to even worry about it.
With a tiny grunt of victory, he pulled a slender chocolate brown pair of boots, laced at the sides all the way down to the heel, from the tub. Holding them out for him to inspect, the old man's self satisfied smirk brought a smile to Naruto's face.
"They're perfect old timer, I just need about one inch thick chakra metal attached to the front of them in a way that won't impede my movement." Naruto said, more than happy with the boots, these boots looked to be of much higher quality than his last pair.
"For the gauntlets, the ones you want are fine, a good quality ware, but they're a wee bit on the bulky side. The lowered dexterity can't possibly be good for your hand signs." he shuffled his way out to the back of the shop. This hiss and scraping of metal grinding against metal met Naruto's ears, making him flinch back in a cringe. "I have a new model out here i've been working on, a tad more slender. The index on the chakra metal in them is A one as well, a good bit better than the last model. New shipment from Iron country came in a little while ago and we all know they save the good stuff for when there's a war, so they can jack up the price tag. Damn jackals."
Catching the gauntlet thrown at him from the other room, Naruto ran an appraising eye over them.
They were gorgeous.
The leather component was the same brown of the boots, looking like they would come about three quarters of the way to his elbow. Five separate areas of plate. One for the forearm, the back of the hand, the knuckles, and two more for each of the first two segments of his fingers, leaving the tips free for more careful tasks. Each plate of metal was covered in a swirling pattern visible only from certain angles.
"They're amazing old man." Naruto all but shouted. With a brief cough into his elbow, he composed himself. "But the metal might be a little too thin, they're going to have the hard task of being repeatedly beaten against hard objects. Are you sure they'll be able to maintain their shape?"
The man almost looked offended at the question, not quite all the way there though. He huffed, roughly snatching the gauntlets from Naruto's hands before he waddled back behind his desk at a pace that was infuriatingly slow.
"Those gloves that you've been using are made from an index B three chakra metal, sure it's worlds stronger than normal steel, but it still has its limitations. These beautiful things right here, they're A one." he raised his hands toward the ceiling in a mock of reverence. "The difference between B three and A one is like the difference between a B-rank ninja and the hokage. Quite frankly these will make your old finger warmers feel like wet tissue paper."
Naruto chuckled good naturedly along with the man after his little tirade, the guy sure was emphatic about his armour. But who was he to judge the guy anyway, he had just given him some of the greatest news he had heard for quite some time.
"That's excellent, you've made me quite the happy young shinobi." Naruto gave the man a little bow, before straightening and reaching for his wallet." How much my good sir?"
An hour later, equipped with his shiny new toys, Naruto was strolling down the main road of the village grumbling to himself about highway robbery and the woes of now being broke for the first time since he was a genin in the reserve forces. Still though, they looked beautiful. Worth every penny.
Taking a quick look at the money left in his wallet, he sighed and resigned himself to going to see Teuchi for some ramen.
Opening the stall flaps he granted the man a quick hello before taking a seat at one of the uncomfortable stools.
"Ah Naruto, how has it been?" Teuchi asked tersely.
"Good, good. And you?" God this felt awkward, he hadn't seen the man in years. Naruto wondered if the man had decided to forgive him yet. "And how is Ayame?"
"I've been good. What'll you be having ?" he replied, the intensity of his stare begging Naruto to bring attention to his omission. Anything to cause a scene and kick him out without it giving the impression to potential customers around them that he was just being rude.
With a sigh, Naruto asked for a singular bowl of miso ramen. It'd have to do to get him through the day. Once he was back on the front line his meal stamps would be more than enough to stave off any hunger he'd developed. Why did the gauntlets have to be so damn good?
Looking to his left, he eyed a fresh genin no more than 10 years old, having dinner with what he assumed were his parents. The child was all smiles and rapid fire talking, saying some nonsense about becoming a legendary ninja on the field of battle, completely ignoring the wet, teary eyes of his parents, their voices periodically catching as they responded to him with empty platitudes. Supporting him outwardly as a good parent should, but like him they knew. Deep in their souls.
The kid would be butchered like so many of the others.
Behind him the tent flap opened with a gentle swish, the newcomers steps silent against the ground. The slight vibration against his stool, the only thing giving them away as they walked up behind him.
"Well if it isn't 'the mighty red death of the leaf village'." came the new arrivals sing song voice. "We've been blessed by the company of royalty amongst the leaf's elite."
He felt his blood run cold in his veins as the kid's ears pricked up at the stranger's comment. Probably having heard fairy tales about his ventures whilst in the academy. Wildly exaggerated and censored versions of the truth.
Fuck i dont have time for this guy right now. Arrogant prick.
"I'm very pleased to see that you're doing well Kiba."
"Oh I'm just excellent Naruto, just finished paying my respects, the gravesite is lovely. You should really go and see it sometime." Kiba said, voice as cheery as ever. The dog man leaned in close to his ear before whispering. "If I had my way you'd be there instead of them."
"We can't all have what we wish for Kiba, life's just not that fair." Naruto responded, tone level and careful.
Suddenly not feeling very hungry. Stood and made to leave the stand. Pausing at the last moment, he turned and shouted over the counter to Teuchi. Still slaving away at the burners.
"The sudden appearance of a rancid smell has made me lose my appetite. I've left the money for the ramen on the counter. Give it to the dog."
Saying nothing more, he left.
He was sweating, his breath heavy as he thrust forward. The sound of Yugao's moans a symphonic chorus in his ears. Constantly changing in pitch and tempo. Could anything honestly be better than this. Straightening his back, never once breaking his rhythm, he glanced down at the beauty below him. The strong curve of her hips. The lean muscles along her abdomen, coiling and releasing, dancing to the rhythm of her groans and gasps. The valley between her tits collapsing and expanding as they moved with every grasping thrust he made into her. The sweat beading down her neck and pooling along the line of her clavicle.
The stark look of worry and fear on her face, accompanied by the sudden loss of the sweet music of the room?
"Naruto, stop. Somebody's here." she said, voice still trembling from the building orgasm she had only moments ago lost.
Quickly removing himself from what could only be described as heaven on earth, he shot across the room to frantically tug his pants back on. Succeeding just in time to watch as a shadowy figure made their presence known under the frame of his bedroom door.
"Get dressed and leave Yugao. I have need of your companion." Danzo said, no inflection in his voice. Nothing to even suggest that he had just walked in on a private moment of a young man and woman caught up in culmination of their lust.
Yugao quickly scrambled to grab her strewn clothes, leaving the apartment without putting on even so much as one article of clothing as she did so. She had chosen to risk being seen by others completely nude, rather than invoke even an ounce of Danzo's ire.
Naruto sat down at the foot of his bed. His breath was only just now coming back under his control. The drum of his heartbeat pounding heavily in ears slowly faded into the background. A retreating reminder of the joyous night that had just been stolen from him. Yugao would not be back.
Stealing himself and subduing any anger he felt toward the man for ruining his evening, Naruto spoke.
"What do you need of me sir?" he did pretty well, his tone was only that of simmering anger rather than full blown rage.
"Talk to me with some respect, you're a tool of the village, and your handlers may use you as such at any time they wish." Danzo said. His voice held no offense. It held nary any emotion at all.
"I have another mission objective for you." He continued, holding out a small note to Naruto.
Taking the note from his hand, Naruto ran his eyes over it. The dim light of the room not affecting his ability to read at all, he still wasn't confident that he had read it correctly.
"Whose orders?" Naruto asked, voice almost trembling at the prospect of carrying this mission to fruition.
"Mine." Danzo responded. Pausing for just a moment, he added. "With the hokage's approval of course. Cross examination of his anbu's and my ROOT agent's confirmed that the suspicions hold true."
"And I'm carrying it out because?"
"Why else, you're our normal go to for this. Your missions take them out to areas that minimize pretty much any and all collateral damage." he eyed Naruto's face, apparently seeing something there that he most certainly did not like. "Just get it done boy."
And with that Danzo took his leave, the shadows embracing his form like the arms of a lover.
Naruto shook gently. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He guessed a lot. Giving up was never really his way was it? Still everybody had their limit. Hopefully this war would come to an end soon.
He'd rather not find out where his was.
