Hey guys, Blaster the Hedgehog here.
I sincerely apologize for not updating this story in a while. I've been extremely busy with my summer class, my job, having writer's block, and just dealing with some stress that deals with the first two. As it stands, I'm basically trying to write as I go with these stories. I do write down plot points in a notebook for my stories, but in terms of actually writing them, I just try to go with the flow of Modern Warfare. Trying to combine it with an anime that focuses on ninjas with mystical powers isn't exactly easy.
So just a quick recap, Bravo Team extracts Nikolai and Team 7 out of Russia and the US invades Arabia to depose Khaled Al-Asad. We're gonna take a break from the action and take a look at what Naruto's been doing for the last 10 years.
"Explanations"
October 7, 2011 – 08:30:27
Hereford, U.K.
2nd Lt. Naruto "Fox" Uzumaki
22nd SAS Regiment
After dropping Nikolai off in the SAS safehouse in Hamburg, Germany, Bravo Team along with Team 7 head back to SAS HQ in Hereford. They had spent the day earlier to have a room set up for the shinobi to stay in while they were there, and to keep them from wandering around the base. It was now morning the next day. After having breakfast, they had gathered in a briefing room to get some answers.
"Alright," Naruto said, "you wanna explain to me what the hell you were doing in Russia in the middle of a civil war?"
"Like Nikolai said yesterday, we were tasked by the Fifth Hokage to investigate the Akatsuki's activities," Kakashi explained, "Recently, they've been interacting with foreign soldiers that have arrived in the Elemental Nations, and they've been causing problems not just for the Leaf, but the other Hidden Villages as well."
Flashback:
Team 7 was currently in the Hokage's office with the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade Senju, and her apprentice, Shizune Kato (AN: I don't know Shizune's real last name. But from what I read on the Naruto Fandom page, she's the niece of Dan Kato, Tsunade's boyfriend. So, for convenience, I gave her Dan's last name. Correct me if I'm wrong.). They were currently there for a new mission.
"I'm just gonna be blunt," Tsunade said, "Even though this mission is a B-rank, there's a possibility it could end up being A or possible S-rank. The Akatsuki have been seen interacting with soldiers from outside the Elemental Nations. From what little information we could gather, these soldiers are from Russia. We need to know what the Akatsuki hope to achieve by allying themselves with these soldiers. Normally we'd send other chunin or a few jonin, but as it stands, we are currently stretched thin. That's why, Kakashi, I'm assigning you and Team 7 to investigate."
"Understood, Lady Hokage," Kakashi said.
"One other thing," Tsunade said getting Kakashi and Team 7's attention, "While you're on away, you'll also be assigned to THAT mission, given by Sarutobi-sensei; find Naruto Uzumaki, and bring him back to the Leaf. I probably don't need to remind you that this mission is S-ranked, ranked personally by Sarutobi-sensei after Naruto left."
"Hmm," Sasuke scoffed, "That loser's been gone for ten years. He's probably dead."
"Shut your damn mouth, Uchiha!" Tsunade snapped, "If it wasn't for the damn council, I would've had you rotting in a cell after that little stunt you pulled trying to join Orochimaru! He's out there. I know it. I vaguely remember seeing a few of his features in a drunken haze when I was in mainland Japan a few years back, but I know he's out there. If you at least pick up a lead of where he might be, then let me know. Maybe it could finally give my old sensei some peace after the fuck-up ten years ago with the Academy. I know it would give Iruka some peace knowing Naruto is still alive."
"Yes, Lady Hokage," Kakashi understood.
"Very well. Shizune, you take it from here."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Shizune bowed before turning to Team 7, "The Akatsuki were last seen with these foreign soldiers in the Land of Tea. This is strictly a reconnaissance mission. You get in, find out what they're doing and get out. Defend yourselves from the Akatsuki if they discover you, but do not under any circumstances engage the soldiers. We don't know what they're capable of."
Shizune each handed them the mission details. They left the Hokage's office to prepare and depart for the mission. When they left Shizune turned to her master.
"Lady Tsunade," said Shizune, "pardon me for asking, but do you really think they'll find Naruto? Sasuke does raise a point. He's been gone for ten years."
"I've got a gut feeling this time, Shizune," Tsunade responded, "Do you remember a few years ago when we were in Japan laying low for a few months?"
"Oh yes, how could I forget?" Shizune grimaced. Years of running away from debt collectors because of Tsunade's infamous losing streak forced them to temporarily relocate to mainland Japan for a few months, only for Tsunade to go on another gambling streak there as well.
"Well while I was in a bar, I vaguely remember meeting with someone who looked like him, blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks on his face. It didn't hit me until I became Hokage and was given the details from Sarutobi-sensei. I've got a good feeling that this time, we'll find him."
Flashback ends:
"We eventually arrived at the Land of Tea, and we started investigating for any signs that the Akatsuki were there. Our findings led us to a remote island off the coast of the Land of Tea. That's where things went South," Kakashi explained.
"Let me guess," Naruto interrupted, "the last of the Uchiha clan over here decided that fighting a group of soldiers armed with assault rifles and machine guns was gonna be easy, right? The power of the Sharingan and a bit of Fire style Jutsu was all that you needed?"
"I could've handled it easy, loser," Sasuke boasted.
"Then how did you get captured, bastard?" Naruto jabbed.
"Don't talk to Sasuke like that, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Or what, you're gonna pound me like you did in the Academy? And yeah, I remember that. I also remember all the times you tried to get him to fuck you, but I'm guessing after all this time he still rejects your sorry ass, you pink-haired banshee bitch."
Sakura was about to snap when Kakashi told her to stand down. "I would appreciate it if you didn't insult my students, Naruto, but you're right. Because of Sasuke wanting to test the abilities of the foreign soldiers, he engaged when we had strict orders not to."
Flashback:
Team 7 arrived on the remote island where the locals had reported strange soldiers interacting with people wearing dark robes with red clouds on them. They arrived on the island under the cover of night. They snuck up on what looked to be a camp site. There they could see several Akatsuki members interacting with what looked to be the foreign soldiers they were briefed about. They were wielding some strange weapons.
"Looks like the intel was right," Kakashi spoke softly, careful not to give away their position. "The Akatsuki are interacting with Russian soldiers, but they don't look like any regular Russian soldiers."
"Kakashi-sensei, what are those soldiers carrying?" Sakura asked about the soldiers' weapons.
Kakashi got a look at some of the weapons the soldiers were carrying before answering Sakura, "Those are firearms. They're very popular weapons for militaries outside of the Elemental Nations."
"Tch," Sasuke spat in disgust, "They have no honor using these weapons to fight at a distance."
"Careful, Sasuke. Firearms can be extremely deadly in the right hands. I'm sure I don't need to remind you what happened to Mizuki ten years ago," Kakashi reminded Sasuke.
Sai took notice of several of the open crates that had several firearms in them. "It looks like the soldiers maybe selling those weapons to the Akatsuki."
"Maybe, but we need to find out more to be sure. Let's see if we can get closer and eavesdrop on what they may be saying," said Kakashi. The quietly moved up close enough to hear the conversation between one of the Akatsuki members and one of the Russian officers in charge.
"We'll make good use of these weapons," the Akatsuki member said.
"Good, and what of the preparations for our friend from the Middle East?" the Russian officer asked.
"He'll be well taken care of. Lord Pain has made all the necessary preparations."
"Good, we can't risk those ninja villages or Western militaries knowing. It could risk them getting involved in the struggle back in the Motherland."
"Believe me, comrade. With your help, we can achieve both of our goals. Your faction controls Russia, and the Akatsuki can achieve the peace that the Elemental Nations, and the world desperately needs."
"Da, a noble goal indeed," the Russian officer agreed, "Now let me give you a demonstration of how these weapons work."
The Russian officer lead the Akatsuki members to a makeshift firing range on the other side of the camp.
"So it is an arms deal," Sakura concluded.
"It might be something more," Sai noted, "They spoke as if they were in an alliance."
"That may be so. We have what we came for, so let's go before they notice us," Kakashi ordered before noticing one of his students was gone.
"Where's Sasuke?"
"He's over there," Sai pointed out to where Sasuke was, going towards the camp.
"Dammit Sasuke," Kakashi cursed, "what the hell is he thinking?" They went after him trying to stop him from doing something stupid, like blowing their cover and getting themselves killed.
'Hmm, if these Russian soldiers think they're weapons will make them stronger, then they've never seen the power of an Uchiha, an elite,' Sasuke thought.
He went over to the makeshift firing range where the Akatsuki were shown how the weapons worked. He could hear the thunderous bangs the firearms made when they fired their bullets. Sasuke was about to make the hand signs for a fireball Jutsu when the rest of Team 7 caught up with him.
"Sasuke," Kakashi spoke sharply, yet softly as to not reveal their position, "what are you doing?! Our orders were not to engage the soldiers. You're going to put us all at risk."
"We should take them out while we have the chance," Sasuke argued, "If we show them how weak they are, the Akatsuki will call off their alliance."
"That's a bad idea, Sasuke. You're going to get us killed with that sort of attitude. We still don't know what these soldiers are capable of. I sense there's something bigger going on," Kakashi retorted.
"All the more reason why I should see what they are capable of." Sasuke left the group and went through the hand signs to launch a fireball at the Russians. This unfortunately made the camp go on high alert.
"Well, what do you know? They took the bait," the Akatsuki leader said.
"Dammit Sasuke," Kakashi cursed as he, Sakura and Sai prepared for a fight. Sasuke's fireball got a few of the Russian soldiers, the Leaf ninjas were outnumbered and outgunned by the simple fact that they were assaulting soldiers armed with modern weapons with nothing more than kunai, shuriken, and the Jutsus with which they were armed. It was a one-sided fight that left the shinobi, including Kakashi injured and captured. The Akatsuki leader walked up to them and sneered.
"Well, well, what do we have here? Some pesky shinobi from the Leaf, and who better than Kakashi Hatake and Itachi Uchiha's little brother Sasuke."
Kakashi looked up, and the leader of the Akatsuki group revealed himself as Sasori of the Red Sand, a rouge ninja from the Village Hidden in the Sand.
"It seems that this camp site isn't as secure as I thought it was. Not only do we have to contend with ninjas from the Hidden Villages… but also traitors within our new allies."
The ninjas were confused until they saw the Russian soldiers drag out one of their own.
"Nikolai," the Russian officer said, "you didn't think we knew about you sending information to the British?"
The soldier, now revealed to be Nikolai responded, "Well, Al-Asad will be one nuke short."
"It matters not," Sasori said, "Everything is set in motion. I take it you will be taking this traitor of yours back to Russia?"
"Da," the Ultranationalist officer responded, "we will not tolerate those who betray Mother Russia."
"Very well. Why don't you take Leaf ninjas as well? Take them as far away as from the Elemental Nations as possible. I'll send four of my men to assist in securing them. A gift, if you will, in honoring our new relationship."
The Ultranationalist officer thought of it for a moment before getting on his radio to call someone. After receiving an answer, he turned back to Sasori.
"The chairman has agreed to the proposal. We'll interrogate them for what intel they possess after we dispose of the traitor."
"Very well," Sasori replied before turning to his subordinates, "Morechi, take three of your best men, and help the Ultranationalists secure the Leaf shinobi while they prepare for transport to Russia."
"Yes, Lord Sasori," the Akatsuki member named Morechi bowed. Sasori then turned to Team 7, "I hope you've said your goodbyes to the Hidden Leaf Village. And Sasuke, I'll make sure to tell Itachi you said goodbye."
Sasuke got mad at the mention of his brother, but he couldn't do anything as the Akatsuki restrained the ninjas as they were loaded onto an Mi-8 Hip helicopter to be taken to God knows where along with Nikolai.
Flashback ends:
"They took us to the village where you eventually rescued us. They interrogated us for any information we may have on the Akatsuki, but we didn't reveal anything. Once they realized the Ultranationalists lost control of the village, the Akatsuki had orders to eliminate us. That didn't happen of course," Kakashi explained.
"So the Akatsuki are working with the Ultranationalists," Price confirmed.
Naruto took in the information carefully. He then asked Kakashi, "Finding me was an S-ranked mission? I didn't think the Old Man would go that far just to try and find me. I'm surprised I didn't end up in the Bingo book as a rogue ninja, but then again, I never became a ninja in the first place."
Kakashi looked a bit down when he heard that statement. He wasn't expecting his sensei's son to turn out this way. He hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Soon after you left, there was a debate on the council to mark you as a rogue ninja, but since you didn't graduate from the Academy, they couldn't do that, at least not legally."
"Tch, and here I thought the council would be glad the 'Nine-Tailed brat' was gone for good," Naruto spat, "I can guarantee that Uchiha and Haruno were."
Sakura looked down feeling guilty since Naruto was right while Sasuke just grunted, but he didn't stop there. "And another thing, you said other mission was to find me and bring me back to the Leaf Village. Now, why the fuck would I want to go back to a village that practically hated my guts for something I didn't do? Why the fuck would I want to go back to a life where I'm constantly abused?! Why the FUCK would I want to walk away from the place where for the last 10 FUCKING YEARS I've had a normal life?!"
Naruto panted for a bit before looking at Price, "Sorry for going off like that, Pop."
"It's all good son," said Price. Team 7 just gawked at the two of them when they heard that.
"Captain Price took me in and raised me ever since he found me on the outskirts of the Leaf," Naruto explained, "He taught me everything that I needed to be a good soldier, way more than what the Academy taught me."
Kakashi hesitated before asking, "…And what did Captain Price teach you exactly?"
"He taught me how to shoot, stay hidden, survive in the wilderness, drive, and he even hooked me up with flying lessons in case I need to commandeer enemy aircraft."
"Like those helicopters that rescued us from Russia?" Sai asked.
"If the shit hits the fan, then yes."
The shinobi just looked at each other wondering how much Naruto had changed. Ten years ago, he was the loudmouth, dead last, class clown boasting about becoming Hokage, and now here he was a mature, strong, elite Western soldier. But there were a few things on Kakashi's mind that needed to be answered.
"Did you regret leaving the Village?"
"The only ones I regret leaving behind were Konohamaru, the Ichirakus, and Hinata. Everyone else can go fuck themselves. And no, the rest of my so called 'classmates' were never my friends to begin with."
Kakashi and Sakura flinched, Sasuke grunted, and Sai just sat there debating whether to be offended by Naruto's statement or not. Kakashi then asked the other question that was on his mind.
"While we were in escaping in Russia, why did Captain Price call you 'Fox?'"
"That's my callsign while I'm on missions," Naruto explained, "I earned the nickname because of my whiskers and how I track my targets. There's also another reason. You wanna take a guess?"
Kakashi hesitated before answering, "It's because of the Nine-Tailed Fox, isn't it?"
"Well give the man a gold star," Naruto said with a hint of sarcasm. There was something on Sasuke's mind as well, specifically why Naruto was wearing a forehead protector.
"What's with the forehead protector you wear, anyway?" Sasuke asked, "I thought you weren't a ninja."
"Oh this," Naruto pointed to his headband, "Pop gave it to me after I passed the Selection into the SAS. And you're right, I'm not a ninja. But ninjas aren't the only ones who can be sneaky. Now if we're done here, I've got some training to do, and then I'm gonna head to the tower."
Naruto was about to walk out of the briefing room, but Kakashi's voice stopped him. "If it's alright with your superiors, we would like to observe your training, see how strong you've gotten."
'He can't be serious,' Naruto thought.
"And why would you want to do that?" Gaz asked.
"Gaz is right," Price added, "For all we know, you could be trying study our training and tactics to use against us in the future."
"I swear by my honor as a jonin of Village Hidden in the Leaves, my team and I will be on our best behavior and will not use these observations in the event of war between your government and ours," Kakashi announced.
It was quiet in the room for a few moments before Price got on his phone to call his superior officers to get permission. A minute later he hung up and gave his answer.
"Alright, your permission to observe our training has been approved, but we're keeping a close eye on you."
"Understood," Kakashi responded. Naruto internally groaned but went along with it. They went to the firing range where they demonstrated numerous small arms that were used by the SAS from pistols to sniper rifles. Naruto was firing an MP5 submachine gun, Gaz was firing his G36C assault rifle, and Soap was firing an L96 bolt-action sniper rifle.
"Each of these weapons is used in different combat scenarios that the Special Air Service finds itself on the battlefield. The MP5 9x19mm submachine gun is primarily used in close quarters combat, such as hostage rescue. The G36C assault rifle is one many assault rifles in inventory. Good for engagements up to 400 meters. The L96 sniper rifle is used to take out targets at distances beyond 400 meters. If you think that it's better to be up close and fight with a knife, or in your case a kunai or shuriken, try doing that when you're pinned down by enemy troops armed with automatic weapons," Price explained to the ninjas. All they could do was nod as they, unfortunately, had first had experience dealing with an enemy armed with modern weapons. They moved on to an obstacle course with all sorts of obstacles, barbed wire, logs, ropes, etc.
"This is one of many obstacle courses we use to maintain physical fitness and combat effectiveness," Price explained. Naruto, Gaz, and Soap were running the obstacle course, balancing on one of the log obstacles, climbing ropes to get on the other side of a wall, and crawling under barbed wire while other SAS troopers fired live rounds above their heads. This made the ninjas concerned.
"Are those…"
"Live rounds? Yes," Price answered for Kakashi.
"Why would you train with lethal ammunition? Couldn't someone get killed?" Sakura asked nervously.
"Yes, but we're well trained," Price explained, "The SAS has years of combat experience. Each candidate that wishes to join the Regiment has at least three years of combat experience, though an exception was made for Naruto after he excelled in battlefield performance. Throughout Selection, the candidate's training becomes more intense and refined. Each recruitment class has, at most, a ten percent acceptance rate, but even then, the troopers who are accepted must go through further training. That would make it similar to your chunin and jonin exams, correct?"
"In some ways, yes," Kakashi confirmed. They were soon interrupted by Naruto cheering.
"Haha, 1st place," Naruto cheered as he finished the obstacle course first, Soap second, and Gaz third, "Gaz since you were in third, you gotta buy us drinks, believe it!"
"Bloody hell!" Gaz cursed as he was given a pat on the back by Soap. Sasuke and Sakura just stared at Naruto wondering how he was able to make it through the obstacle course without so much as a scratch and finish it so fast; 1 minute 25 seconds. This gave Kakashi an idea.
"If it's all right with you Captain, I'd like my team to run the obstacle course. I'd like to see how my team compares against yours."
Price thought about if for a moment before answering, "Alright, if they can handle it. However, they can only climb the walls using ropes; no wall walking."
"Understood."
Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai lined up at the starting line and proceeded off into the obstacle course. The didn't have so much trouble with the log balancing and log wall obstacles, but they did struggle a little climbing the walls using only the ropes. Apparently when a ninja is so used to climbing walls by concentrating chakra, they become complacent and forget about other ways to climb walls. What made the ninjas slow down was the barbed wire portion where once the bullets started flying, they stalled and were panicking. They only progressed then there were pauses in the fire, but they were still pissing their pants. In the end, Team 7 made it through the course, albeit with a finishing time of 3 minutes and 15 seconds. They glanced at Naruto who was holding in his laughing as he watched them scream like little bitches through the barbed wire portion.
"What are you laughing at, you idiot?!" Sakura yelled at Naruto.
"You crying while crawling under the wire, your finishing time for the course, you struggling to climb a rope, what else should I point out?"
Sakura was about to pound Naruto but was held back by Kakashi until she calmed down. After which they headed into the gym where they saw some SAS troopers boxing, lifting weights, running on treadmills, doing pushups, pullups, and bench presses. After getting some lunch in the mess hall, Naruto headed to the showers to not smell like a sweaty pig. Once he was descent, he prepared to get clearance to go off base to a certain place. On his way out he was met by Team 7.
"What?" Naruto asked them, "You saw us train, so what else do you want?"
"You said you were headed to a tower, right?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah, a clock tower in Stirling Lines."
"We would like to go with you."
Naruto hesitated for a minute, but Captain Price showed up and told them it was all right for them to leave the base as long as they were supervised. Naruto reluctantly said, "Fine, but you better not make asses of yourselves or your gonna be in deep shit."
Naruto walked in the streets of Hereford passing by numerous shops and stores, waving at the owners and neighbors who knew Naruto for the last ten years. They arrived at the SAS clock tower in Stirling Lines. Naruto walked up to it and put his hands together to show respect to it. The ninjas noticed this and were wondering why Naruto was doing this to a clock tower. Sure, there were shrines in the Elemental Nations that wondering travelers stopped by to show respect, but here, it was different.
Once Naruto was done, he explained, "Paulsen's name was added yesterday when we got back. I come here every now and then honor their names."
The shinobi then noticed numerous names that were engraved along the sides of the tower.
"Do you know what the names engraved on the clock tower are?" Naruto asked cryptically.
"Why does it matter, loser?" Sasuke scoffed thinking this was a waste of time.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi chastised Sasuke, who knew early on what this place was, but waited for Naruto to confirm it.
"No, what are they?" Sakura hesitantly asked.
Naruto paused for a moment before answering, "The names of the dead."
That's when it hit Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai. This clock tower was a memorial to all the fallen SAS troopers.
"When a trooper dies, his name is inscribed onto the clock tower," Naruto explained before humorously chuckling, "There's a morbid saying that they 'failed to beat the clock;' that death caught up to first. Ironic, isn't it? After which we try to honor the deeds they've done, even as their faces fade from memory. Those memories are all that's left when the bastards have taken everything else (foreshadowing)."
"I see," Kakashi said softly, "In a way, it's similar to the Memorial Stone in the Leaf, isn't it?"
"…yes," Naruto replied, "Paulsen and I entered the SAS together. It was absolute hell, but we pulled through. Even if we ended up in separate squadrons, we kept in touch and went drinking every chance we took."
The shinobi remained silent when they contemplated this. The clock struck 2 o'clock, and it was about time for Naruto to return to base. He turned to the shinobi and said, "Well, we should RTB. We don't want to miss afternoon teatime." They looked at him with raised eyebrows and confused expressions.
"RTB?" Kakashi asked.
"Afternoon teatime?" Sai asked.
"1. RTB means return to base," Naruto explained, "2. Afternoon teatime is a part of British culture. It's just a moment to relax and talk about stuff."
They made it back to base where they had their afternoon tea (the British love their tea), where Kakashi asked, "You mentioned earlier today the only ones you regret leaving behind were Konohamaru, the Ichirakus, and Hinata."
"Yeah," said Naruto, "…how are they?"
"Konohamaru is a chunin, now. He's intent on becoming Hokage so he can surpass his grandfather. When you left, he wouldn't talk to his grandfather for months. When he did start to talk him, Konohamaru would still be mad at him for 'making big brother Naruto run away.' The Ichirakus still have their ramen stand if that's what you're wandering. However, they either raised their bill on who talked bad about you or just kicked you out. They've slowly expanded business in the Elemental Nations, and we've had word that they opened a small shop in mainland Japan. Hinata was the most devastated. She almost ended up missing the genin squad assignment because of her being depressed that you left. As a coping method, she wore the orange jacket part of your old jumpsuit, but she's grown out of it now. When she heard someone talk bad about you, however, she would show absolute rage and even threatened to use the 'Gentle Fist' technique on them. She even threatened to hurt her own teammate, Kiba. This of course led to some issues within her clan, especially her father and her cousin, Neji. She's much more confident then when she was in the Academy, but at the same time, she's gotten somewhat colder," Kakashi explained.
Naruto just sat there as he took in the information, thinking of what would happen if they met. They finished their tea and continued training. They went to an area normally reserved for demolition and explosives training for a quick demonstration of Sasuke's and Sai's Jutsus. Sai demonstrated his proficiency to bring drawings to life and attack enemies. Sasuke demonstrated his fire Jutsus, and most importantly his Chidori. Naruto was impressed, but not much.
"Not bad," Naruto said, "But I've seen better."
This pissed off Sasuke, "Like what loser?!"
"This."
In Naruto's right hand was a Jutsu Kakashi only saw used by two people: Jiraiya the Toad Sage, and Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. Naruto demonstrated it on an old wrecked APC and it quickly penetrated the side armor. The shinobi were quite stunned.
"Is that… the Rasengan?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes it is. I learned it from my father's notes, and yes, I know the Fourth Hokage was my father. I've known about it for ten years," Naruto explained.
Team 7 just stared at the hole in the wrecked APC. One of the Fourth Hokage's legendary Jutsus, now in the hands of a Western soldier. If that wasn't a wake-up call for the Leaf Shinobi, they didn't wanna know what was.
After finishing up dinner and some light exercises, everyone called it a night. In their room, the Kakashi was having a meeting with his students.
"Well, what did we learn so far?" Kakashi asked.
"These Western soldiers are highly trained and professional warriors, able to rival a jonin," said Sai.
"While they prefer to fight at a distance, they can hold their own in terms of Taijutsu, if we can call it that," Sasuke admitted.
"And that Naruto is a very powerful, strong, and capable of performing up to A-rank Jutsus, despite not being a shinobi," Sakura concluded.
"My thoughts exactly," Kakashi said, "which will make our mission of bringing Naruto back to the Leaf much more difficult."
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said hesitantly, "Maybe we need to consider the idea that Naruto doesn't want to go back. On our way to the clock tower, we saw how the people greeted him. They didn't treat him like the pariah he was when we were kids. They treated him like he was another human being, even a friend. In a way, he's had a normal life."
"That may be so, but he's still a citizen of the Leaf," Kakashi retorted.
"Even if we did bring the loser back, who's to say he would stay in the village for long?" said Sasuke, "If we try to bring him back, he might just escape and make it back here. Besides, why would we want to have him as a ninja? He was the dead-last idiot in the Academy who couldn't perform a simple clone Jutsu."
"Naruto is a part of the Uzumaki clan," Kakashi explained, "They're known for their incredibly large chakra reserves. He never had any proper chakra control exercises because he was sabotaged in the Academy. Add to the fact that his father, the Fourth Hokage, wanted Naruto to be considered a hero for holding the Nine-Tailed Fox, yet he was scorned for his whole life. The only way we can truly make amends with Naruto is to bring him back to the village, give our sincerest apologies, and offer him a chance to be a shinobi."
"You're forgetting one thing Hatake."
The shinobi froze when they heard Naruto's voice from the other side of the door.
"I gave up on being a shinobi and Hokage a long time ago, and I'm never going back to that fucking village ever again."
Naruto just walked off back to his room. The shinobi just sat there as they contemplated whether they should continue with their mission or not.
And that'll wrap it up for this chapter. Again, I'm sorry this took so long to write.
So we have Naruto chewing out the shinobi on why he should even bother returning to the Hidden Leaf Village, how Team 7 got captured, and Team 7 witnessing how strong Naruto has gotten for the last ten years. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully I'll be able to write more chapters.
Next time:
"Shh, here he comes."
"Get to cover."
"Ok, what's so important that I had to-"
"SURPRISE!"