A/N: Welcome back! I apologise for missing out in July. It was due to me and GBAboy313 being confused whether to release the chapter amid the ongoing email notifications issue on fanfiction. We decided to go ahead with the publications in Guardian, but held back on One Year Early. Well, in any case, here we are, with a bit of delay but with a new chapter. As Hinata's recovery continues, we enter a new arc (not so action packed but still). And with that, without further ado, let's get on with the chapter.
CHAPTER 21: A FRIENDLY OLD MAN
"Hmm…this should be all that granny prescribed…" Naruto cross checked the medicines he had in his bag and the prescription. The medicines were mostly calcium and vitamin supplements which would help with his dear girlfriend's recovery and strengthening.
Even though Hinata's leg was no longer broken, it still ached a lot when put under stress and she needed calcium for the bones to be stronger and firmer at the place of the fracture.
"It's a pity that we don't see you that much nowadays Naruto." Ayame spoke up as she put a bowl of ramen before the Ichiraku ramen's favourite customer. "Can't be helped now that you have moved to the Nara compound."
"I mean…kinda…yeah…hehe…" The blonde rubbed the back of his head. "Ittadakimasu!" And he picked his chopsticks and got to eating.
Ayame definitely noticed that the blonde's eating had become a bit more refined than before.
"How's Hinata-chan?" She asked.
"Umm…*slurp* yeah Hina-chan's doing great! *slurp* she will be fit for missions *slurp* in a month!" Naruto responded while having his meal.
As that conversation was going on, Teuchi came up and put a bowl of ramen before an old man sitting by Naruto's side. Up until that moment the blonde had not paid much attention to the old man.
"Here is your miso-pork ramen sir." The owner of the Ichiraku ramen stated as he put the bowl before the man. "I am sure that this is your first time at our shop. But I can assure you, once you have eaten at our place, you will never be able to resist coming to us again!"
"Haha…you sound confident son." The old man spoke.
"Hey gramps! Teuchi oji-san's right! The food here is the food of gods! Dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. He could never stop praising the quality of Ichiraku ramen.
The old man turned to the young genin.
For some reason his face had a nostalgic look on it for a moment.
"You seem to be a regular here young man." The old guy stated with a kind smile. "And your words seem to have the confidence to back your claim up."
Saying that, the old man slurped some noodles.
He began laughing. "Haha. You are right kid. And you too, shopkeeper-san. This will definitely not be my last time coming here. The taste is incredible."
"Thank you for the compliment, kind sir." Teuchi stated humbly. "And to you too Naruto, you always shower my humble stall with praises."
"*slurp* Not a single word I spoke was an ex…exag…yeah…exaggeration!" Naruto proclaimed.
Teuchi then turned to the newcomer old man.
"If you don't mind me asking, but I feel pretty comfortable in assuming that you aren't a local of Konoha; so where are you from, stranger?"
The old man laughed again. "It seems that even common people in this ninja village have a keen eye, fitting for one of the great ninja villages. You are right, I am not from this village. I was recently hired to work on the construction projects going on in the village."
"Oh, I see. Then we must thank you for your hard work." Teuchi stated.
"No need to thank me, it's just my job." The old man then turned to Naruto. "What's your name young man?" He asked.
"Uzumaki Naruto." The blonde responded with a grin. He was not adding that bit of 'future Hokage dattebayo!' in his introductions anymore.
"Naruto huh? Well, my name is Genno. Seeing you and your mannerisms, I am reminded of my grandson."
"Grandson?"
"Yeah, I have a grandson of your age back home." Genno stated smiling, somewhat nostalgically.
"Wow. I wish I had a grandpa too. Well, I do have Hokage-jiji but he is always too busy." The blonde jinchuuriki said, smiling.
"What of your family then, Naruto?" Genno asked.
"Well, I have never seen my parents, heard that they died the day I was born…both of 'em. I was all alone, until Hinata-chan came into my life, so she's my family now. And my sensei, Hokage-jiji, and old man Teuchi and Ayame nee-chan…that's all…hehe…"
"Oh, I am sorry."
"Don't be Genno jii-san. I am happy now; I don't really have any complains with life." Naruto said grinning.
'My son also smiled and said the same things…' Genno thought to himself.
"You miss your grandson, right? I can tell from your face; you were just thinking about him."
"Ohoo…was I that obvious…well, on second thought, you are a ninja after all."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head at the praise.
Genno kept on speaking; "You are right, Naruto. I do indeed miss him. It's been a long time since we saw each other."
"Why don't you go home and see him then?"
"I will. I will. Once my work here is done, I am thinking of laying down my tools, retiring, and going back to my family…"
"Well, yeah, no offence but someone your age shouldn't be working in construction projects." Naruto pointed out.
Genno couldn't help laugh heartily. "Hahaha. Don't underestimate the strength of an old man, young Naruto. I might be an old lion, but I still have a lot of fight left in me. Hahaha."
"Jiji says the same thing when I talk to him about stop being the Hokage…looks like all old men as stubborn as hell." Naruto commented.
"True, true. Well, when you reach an age like mine, you just see too much of life and it just makes you stubborn and fearless, since nothing really surprises you anymore. Hehe."
"By the way, since you are new here, Genno-oji-san. Have you been around the village?" Naruto asked.
"Hmm…now that you mention it, this village is indeed a big place. I came here just two days ago and I have been working at the academy ever since, never got the chance to just go around the village and take in the sights."
"I see, in that case, want me to give you a little tour?" The blonde asked. He already felt somewhat attached to the old man and was already considering him a friend.
"You don't mind young shinobi-san?"
"Well, I don't have any missions so I can, how about tomorrow?" Naruto suggested.
"I will be grateful. I really want to see this place…it is likely that once I go back to my family, I won't have the chance or the strength to travel again…"
"No problem, what are friends for?" Naruto asked grinning.
"Friends huh?" Genno's expression for a moment became thoughtful. "Sure, sure, it is an honour to be the friend of a young and bright ninja like you, Naruto-kun."
"Great! Alright, then, lets meet tomorrow, here, same time!"
"You got it, Naruto." Genno responded with a smile. The friendly kid had just made his work much simpler with his act of innocent kindness. 'Too much like you, son…' The old man thought to himself as Naruto paid for his meal and left, waving goodbye to Genno and the Ichirakus.
*The next day*
Naruto and Hinata came to show the old Genno around Konoha.
They showed him the Hokage tower, the monument, the general hospital, some parks and basically everything of note for a visitor in Konoha before finishing off at the Hokage monument.
"Well, I am indeed aware of this one. Even among us outsiders, this monument is considered the symbol of Konoha." Genno commented.
"Yeah, it's an awesome place. The view from above there is spectacular as well. That's the place me and Hina-chan go to mostly, for our picnics." Naruto commented with a grin.
"Hehe…young love…I am easily reminded of my younger days…" Genno stated.
Hinata's cheeks became a little red at the compliments, she acknowledged it regardless with a slight bow and dignified smile.
"Have to admit little Naruto, your girlfriend is quite the dignified one." Genno commented.
"Of course, she is! She is an angel!!A goddess!!"
"N-N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata became even more flustered. Being praised and complimented by him in public was something she was still not used to, even if she had been able to wrap him around her little finger at home…
The three then returned to the Ichiraku ramen at the end of their trip for a meal and then headed back to their places, Genno to his work and our favourite lovebirds, to the Nara compound.
"He is a kind person…" Hinata commented as the couple were walking back to the Nara compound.
"I know right. We hit it off almost immediately…over a bowl of Ichiraku ramen."
Hinata couldn't help giggle.
"What happened Hina-chan?"
"*Giggle* Just that it is so 'you' to make friends over a bowl of ramen…"
"Well, yeah…I guess I don't know a better place to start from. Hehe." The blonde stated rubbing the back of his head.
Sometime after the two had come back from their little outing, Shikaku came to them. As the team was off duty for the time being, he was utilizing this time to have his students read about shinobi history and tactics.
"Hey sensei!"
"Good evening sensei." The two lovebirds greeted their instructor as he entered their abode.
"Good evening. I hope you two had a good day?"
"Yeah, we were just talking and walking around with an old uncle I met at the Ichiraku's yesterday."
"Hmm…an old man?"
"Yeah, he said he was hired for some construction project in the village." Naruto replied.
"Oh…yes, there is some routine maintenance going on at the academy and also several other renovation and new construction projects have been approved. We had to hire from outside since we were short on labour." Shikaku commented. "Anyways, today I want you two to read about the Kagero village."
"Kagero…never heard of it. You Hina-chan?" Naruto asked turning to his girlfriend.
The lavender eyed girl shook her head.
"It's unlikely that you two would ever hear of it. This village is not mentioned in the academy's history classes. It was a powerful but small ninja village that does not exist any longer, so probably nobody felt the need to mention it in the academy lessons."
The students nodded as Shikaku handed the book to Hinata.
Shikaku continued speaking.
"During the period between the Second and Third Great Ninja wars, the Kagero fought a long war with Konoha. And even if we had the Sannin, they still were able to resist our forces. Their shinobi were indeed capable, however their greatest strength, which allowed them to hold out against Konoha for so long was their chief strategist. Genno."
Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened at the mentioned. The two looked at each other in confusion and blinked for a few moments as nervousness washed over their faces.
"G-Genno…?" The two asked stuttering.
"Yes. Why are you two so surprised?"
"Umm…the old man we were walking around the village with, he said his name was Genno." Naruto said in a somewhat uncertain tone.
"What!?" Shikaku couldn't believe his ears. "The trap master is in Konoha as we speak! This is too troublesome…" He said in shock. "Are you certain that the man you met was named Genno!?"
The lovebirds nodded.
"Why would Genno come to Konoha? There is simply no way he came here with good intentions…" The Nara clan head mumbled.
"It didn't seem like he was…some enemy…he was so friendly and…kind…" Naruto said in a nervous tone.
Shikaku sighed. "Perhaps he is indeed a kind person by nature. But by profession he is a shinobi of a village that was at war with Konoha for a long time. And he most likely holds a deep-seated grudge and hatred towards us."
"Ano…we were able to be on relatively good terms with Kumo, when we met the Raikage, even if we had been at war with them in the past…" Hinata interjected.
"Well, that's because despite the conflicts, neither of us did any damage to the other that resulted the destruction of either village in its entirety. The Kagero village on the other hand, was destroyed entirely. Killed to the last man, woman, and child."
"What!?" Naruto and Hinata couldn't believe it. Their own village allowing such a massacre?
"I don't think Jiji would ever approve of something like that!" Naruto protested. Hinata nodded as well.
Shikaku shook his head. "It was not Konoha that did it. Yes, at the end of the conflict, my father, who was our chief strategist and jonin commander at the time was able to organize a sneak attack on Kagero, which weakened them drastically and irreversibly. We were expecting to get an unconditional surrender out of that in the next few days, so my father and Sandaime-sama only intended to keep pressure on them. There were no more plans or point to a direct attack. However, before Kagero could surrender, it was wiped out completely in a mysterious attack. Konoha was not involved, however if there was no any proof of that attacker's identity, due to the circumstances of that time, any survivor of that village would definitely consider Konoha to be the one responsible for the massacre…" Shikaku explained.
"No way…" Naruto and Hinata said collectively.
"Hmm…when Konoha's shinobi reached the remains of the village, the only person from Kagero who was not found among the dead was Genno. He was probably the only survivor. Most likely he survived by being elsewhere at the time of the attack. Surprising since, when Konoha carried out its sneak attack, Kagero recalled all its forces home from the front lines…perhaps Genno was on some sort of secret mission, too important to be called off. Troublesome…my father considered Genno to be his greatest nemesis. The old man never had any begrudging respect for any general of any of the great nations even. And if Genno was able to earn my father's respect and acknowledgement as a great strategist, then without a doubt he was excellent at his job. He was considered a legend due to his almost unrivalled skills in deception, espionage, trap making and strategizing. No wonder he evaded us for so long, managed to sneak into the heart of Konoha and not raise a single alarm, going so far as to even use his real name and still nobody knowing any better. This is dangerous. Extremely dangerous. And if what I suspect about the destruction of Kagero village is true, then perhaps his vengeance being directed at Konoha would not be entirely unfounded."
Naruto and Hinata couldn't help gulp. They couldn't believe that the nice, friendly and kind old man that they had met could be such a ruthless master of deception.
"B-but if Konoha didn't attack them, then why should his vengeance b-be not entirely unfounded?" Hinata couldn't help ask.
"That's something for further discussion Naruto, Hinata. I can't tell you, it's something that's too troublesome for young kids like you to know. But if we get Genno and question him and my suspicions are confirmed, I will tell you about it. Now, come with me, we need to alert the Hokage and discuss with the him about this situation immediately. And mentally recall every single thing you two have talked with him, the questions he asked and the answers you gave him…"
"Hai sensei."
And the three left for the Hokage tower immediately.
At the office, the two teens were questioned thoroughly. And not taking any chances, Hiruzen even summoned Inoichi and had him perform a mind walk on the two to detect any discrepancy in their statements or any forgotten or missed detail.
Nothing substantial came up. Genno had not given anything away.
All they obtained was a sketch, from Naruto and Hinata's recollections which conformed to what an older Genno would look like; so…all they had was that there was a cunning, deceptive trap master with a possible agenda of vengeance in the middle of Konoha doing kami knows what.
As Naruto and Hinata were allowed to leave, Hiruzen summoned some ANBU captains, handed them Genno's sketch from Naruto's recollections and had them dispatched to locate him and apprehend him, preferably alive before he would be able to do anything.
As the two left the tower,
"Hey, Hina-chan, he said he was also working at the academy, right?" Naruto asked.
"Yes. You want to check there?"
"Yeah, maybe he still doesn't know that we know who he is, so maybe we can get something out of him."
"I see…"
"But I want you to stay back, Hina-chan. This might devolve into a fight and you are still not allowed to…"
"No! I can't let you face Genno-san, all alone. He will be too much even for you." Hinata shot back.
"But I can't allow you to fight and screw up your leg again, especially considering what went down with Neji and Hanabi that day!" Naruto countered.
"But, Naru-kun, my leg is considerably better than that day. I can put up a fight and pull through, I am certain of that."
"No…we can't do that!" Naruto refused to budge; this was perhaps the only time he won't obey Hinata.
The lavender eyed girl sighed. "In that case, we need to call someone for backup, I will not allow you to face him alone either." The lavender eyed girl demanded, looking straight into her boyfriend's eyes and hardening her gaze. She was not to be argued with anymore, this was the maximum she was going to allow.
" *Sigh* Fine, let's ask Shikamaru for an opinion and see if he can do something." Naruto suggested.
"I am afraid that might be illegal, Naru-kun. Shikamaru-kun is still not an official shinobi, he is not allowed to join in fights."
"What troublesome fight do you two want Shikamaru to join?" A lazy voice asked from behind, startling the two lovers.
Turning back, they saw Shikamaru and Choji, the latter chewing chips from a packet as usual. Which humorously meant that Shikamaru asked about himself.
Naruto and Hinata both sighed. But they could use some advice at that moment, so they began recounting the events of yesterday into today to him.
-after some explanation-
"I see…that's troublesome for sure if dad says the man is as troublesome as he is and he's being this wary. But confronting him right now would be inviting trouble, he will find out immediately. It is late evening already. Probably he won't even be there in the academy. We can take a look, but only from a distance. If he is there, we shouldn't come into his view or let him detect us. Just sneak out and report to the ANBU." The Nara heir suggested.
"Hmm…I can summon weasels now, so maybe they'll be useful." Naruto wondered.
"Yeah, that's a good way of passing info, as for confronting, let's do that tomorrow. Doing so today will most likely end up in failure. He is smart, he will know that something is up if you two were to show up before him this late. Tomorrow, he might not suspect you immediately, so we probably will have a little window of opportunity to grab him, that is if you manage to surprise him. I can use shadow possession to immobilize him for maybe a moment. Or we can have Ino take over his mind if you can make him let his guard down for a second. That way we will not be physically involved in the fight. Also, we can count on another genin for help. Rock Lee." Shikamaru explained.
"Lee…that bushy brows?" Naruto asked.
Shikamaru nodded. Lee's eccentric appearance already had quite the reputation.
"He practices by himself at the academy's playground for three hours in the morning. And since his team probably doesn't have a mission right now, he is also volunteering to help out with the construction works…saying that it also helps with his training. And I can assure you, he is pretty good." Shikamaru stated.
Hinata nodded. "He is in Neji nii-san's team. I have heard that their jonin sensei is an excellent one and that Lee-san is strong as well."
"Let's ask him for backup then!"
"And I will inform Ino and ask her for assistance."
"Got it!"
"But for now, let's inspect the academy…see if he's there or not, but we have to be subtle. Especially you, Naruto." Shikamaru cautioned.
"Who do you think was the one that painted the monument in broad daylight and nobody knew until a smoke bomb went off!?" Naruto shot back indignant.
The pineapple headed boy rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, that's true as well…troublesome…"
And the group proceeded after Shikamaru had called up Ino as well.
To their good fortune, nobody was working at the academy.
They ran around and checked every classroom, store room, any room…
Nothing came out.
"Hina-chan…how about you…" Naruto suggested.
"Hai. Byakugan!" Hinata activated her dojutsu and began looking for anything, with utmost attention. They checked each and every floor.
And finally, behind a blackboard, they found what they were looking for…
"It seems like an explosive tag." Hinata commented.
"Whoa!" Naruto and the others were surprised.
"What! Someone planted explosives in the academy!?" Ino almost freaked out.
"Keep it down, will ya? Someone might hear us." Shikamaru cautioned. "Who knows if somebody is watching us from afar or not."
"But what do we do about this explosive tag?" Naruto asked.
"Hmm…we will have to remove it, and that too with extreme caution, there may be traps or triggers attached to it."
"I can cut the board with precision, Hina-chan, guide me." Naruto stated as he went through the hand seals of the wind blade.
Once his blade was formed, he tried to make a cut on the wall. It worked.
"Alright, Hime…let's do this!"
"Hai. Push the blade in slowly…"
Naruto followed her instructions.
"Just a bit more, bit more…stop! Don't go further!"
"Now to make the cuts…" Naruto carefully began pulling the blade down vertically, then he went to the left in a horizontal cut, then upwards and then finally to the right to meet with initial cut, making a square."
"Shadow Imitation!" Shikamaru called out as his shadow got attached to the piece of wall Naruto had cut, so as to remove it with care and caution.
The group did so very carefully.
Once they were done and no disaster happened, they looked at the explosive tag.
"This one surely doesn't look like the ones we carry." Naruto commented.
"Hai, the markings and the seal formula look different."
Naruto extended his hand to remove the tag. Just as he was about to touch it.
"Wait! This one might be rigged with others, who knows!!" Shikamaru cautioned.
"Hina-chan!" Naruto turned to his girlfriend who was already doing the scanning.
"Shikamaru-kun is right, this tag is connected with a wire, leading to another tag…and then…to the left…another…then downward…Oh kami…this is a whole linked array. If we remove one, we might risk triggering all of them!"
"Well, in that case, we will need to spot them all and remove them all at once!" Naruto stated. His friends all nodded in agreement.
Hinata scanned the whole building for them and one by one found each and every explosive tag attached in the academy's structure.
"Alright! Shikamaru, grab twenty radio pieces from the store room!" Naruto ordered.
"Troublesome." The Nara boy went to carry out the task. Once he was done, everyone spread out. Hinata in centre, protected by two clones. The upcoming Ino-Shika-Cho trio and nineteen more Naruto clones and the original. The clones cut off pieces of the wall behind which the tags were hidden, using their wind blade.
"Are we in position, Hime?" One of the Narutos asked over the radio.
"Hai. You all are correctly positioned."
"Everybody, take hold of your tags. Hina-chan, on your mark!" Naruto stated over the radio.
"Hai, everyone, take positions!" Hinata ordered.
She verified with her Byakugan as everyone was in position.
The Hyuuga girl took a deep breath. "Alright, three…two…one…NOW!" She ordered.
And everyone simultaneously removed the tags.
Silence…
Silence…
Nothing happened.
"We did it!!" Was the overwhelming shout on the radio.
Several minutes later, the group had gathered up again and were looking at the explosive tags they had managed to remove from the academy. Twenty in total.
"I wonder how powerful these were. But if this Genno is anything like what you said he was, it ought to have been enough to turn the entire academy into rubble. Good god who knows what could have happened if all of these were detonated when the school opened the day after tomorrow." Shikamaru commented.
"…No way…" Naruto said in a nervous tone. "I still don't think Genno is capable of this cruelty…"
"Listen brat. Your own father was considered to be a very kind man. But when he went to war, he slaughtered any enemy ninja that came before him without a second thought. So did your mother. And both were good people. One thing I have learned about your kind in my time is that there is truth to one of your sayings: War makes Monsters out of all of us." Kurama spoke from the mindscape.
"On duty, the shinobi suppress their emotions. They kill since it is their duty, your lot kill by profession. This old man might be kind for all intents and purposes, but he will kill his enemies without a shred of hesitation. That's his profession. From a certain point of view, all shinobi could be considered vicious monsters hidden in plain sight behind affable demeanours. Not necessarily an absolutely correct one but a somewhat truthful viewpoint; though all humans are fundamentally corrupt at their core and any who deny that are self-righteous hypocrites. Now let's see how you go about what your profession demands from you." The great fox challenged.
Naruto was put in a fix. Could he really bring himself to kill the guy that had been so nice to him.
'But I have to stop him no matter what. This might not be all the bombs he has placed. If he is not stopped by all means, a lot of people could die.' The blonde thought to himself.
"Let's head back now. If Genno comes here and checks, he will immediately find out that his plan has been discovered. So, we have to confront him before the working hours start. So… we need to…"
"No need for any of you to involve yourself."
An ANBU suddenly dropped before them and stated.
"We will keep watch on the academy and apprehend him if he comes to inspect during the night. And we will be at your backs, once you surprise him tomorrow morning, we will make our move. None of you kids need to involve yourself in this anymore. Good job removing all these explosives. I will notify the Hokage about your actions. You managed to surmise something that the rest overlooked." Saying that the purple haired ANBU woman vanished back into the trees.
"Well….so I guess we head back then." Naruto said with shrug.
The rest agreed and left for their homes, while leaving one collective thought unsaid. 'The ANBU are creepy.'
None of them knew though that they were being watched.
'Interesting kids. And even more interesting was their resolve…fine then…I will just have some fun with them instead, with the time I have left. This Naruto reminds me too much of my son. Too much for my own good. Alright, one last treasure hunt it is then.'
And with that the great trap master vanished into the shadows.
E/N: co-writer/editor couldn't help but slip in a Star Wars reference (From a certain point of view), I was beating my head against Castlevania Lord of Shadow's(which is basically Castlevania meets Devil May Cry's gameplay with Star Wars' story) final chapters and its infamous DLC final boss The Forgotten One for waaaaaay too long. (*Shudder* never again…)
A/N: And done! I hope the chapter was to your liking, dear readers. I know it was not so action packed and to be honest, this arc can't be as action packed as the one preceding it, so please hold on for the action packed one, which will come in the arc next of the next one, which means we will be doing two rather quiet arcs here with some fluff and fun to unwind from the action of the preceding one and prep for the upcoming one.
Last but not the least, I once again thank you all for your unwavering love and support towards my works.
See ya all in the next chapter. Cheers and peace.
RaNK001 and GBAboy313 out.