Bab 69: Chapter 84
"One of my clones popped," Haru noted to himself as he reviewed the memories he suddenly gained. "I hadn't found Tsunade but I was attacked from behind. Someone is looking for me."
In his search for the future Hokage, Haru had narrowed down the list of gambling dens to a couple dozen likely spots. Unless something had happened back in Konoha, he should be well ahead of anyone from Akatsuki or Orochimaru's faction. He called back his clones and found a secluded alley in which to lean against a wall and meditate to top off his senjutsu chakra.
"Yo, kid, we've been looking for ya." Haru didn't bother opening his eyes. It was just a trio of street thugs. Less than genins. "This town belongs to the Shuei Gang. We hears you been making trouble. And we don't like that."
A chill wind spilled through alley, rippling the tail of Haru's coat. Without lifting his hood or removing his hands from his pockets, Haru asked, "How about I just leave quietly and no one gets hurt? Would you be satisfied with that?" Of course not, but it didn't hurt to ask.
"That's a pretty coat you got there. How'd you feel if…arggghghggh!" The threat ended suddenly when a pudgy dog wearing a Konoha headband flying-kicked the man in the head. The other two mooks were speechless.
The dog spoke in a deep, manly voice, "Oy, runt. The boss is looking for ya. Let's go."
Haru sighed and followed the canine summon to the familiar sight of his squad leader. "You're late, Kakashi-sensei. Did you have to attend a wedding or something on your way here?"
"I knew you wouldn't run from me, Haru. Now be a good boy and come back to Konoha."
Haru took his hands out of pockets and took a fighting stance. "I'm sorry, but I can't come with you, Kakashi-sensei."
"That's a shame." A near instantaneous roundhouse kick nearly caught the boy off guard. After blocking with his arm, Haru loosed his own kick at his latest teacher who disintegrated into a spray of water. From behind Haru, Kakashi spoke, "Ever since I first tested you, I thought you had potential." A pair of kunai connected by ninja wire whizzed by either side of Haru, wrapping around him like a bolas. "Maybe I shouldn't have let you take those bells from me," Kakashi taunted as he closed in on the boy.
From behind Kakashi, Haru spoke, "I know you let me win that day." The captured dummy scattered into a flock of crows. "I never liked that you went easy on your team. Sasuke and Sakura are not Obito and Rin."
A furious Kakashi turned slowly, whispering, "Stop talking about things you don't understand."
"I've already told you…" Haru started before needing to dodge a spray of shuriken. "Why don't you just accept that Obito is still alive?"
Kakashi threw his eyepatch onto the ground and whipped his fingers through a series of seals. "Multiple Lightning Clone Jutsu!" Half a dozen Copy Ninja with swirling Sharingan blazed toward Haru, flickering with currents of lightning where the chakra transformation was unstable.
"Rasen-fireball!" Haru shouted, spinning flaming death through the entire city street. Empowered by senjutsu chakra, the mass of fire pulled in everything that wasn't nailed down as it consumed all the nearby oxygen. The lightning clones where battered by debris and flares of plasma that arced around the rasen-fireball. Smoke began to fill the sky as the destructive technique ate its way down the street.
The real Kakashi countered with a wall of earth to hide behind as he dove into the ground. He reappeared underneath Haru and would have dragged the boy into the earth by the ankle if his target hadn't again dissolved into a flock of birds. Meanwhile, the fireball had changed course and was heading straight for the white-haired ninja.
Unable to find the real Haru, Kakashi flickered into the air to dodge the souped up Rasen-fireball. He flipped midair to stare at the orb of swirling fire with his red eye. The fireball again swung towards him. He grasped his own wrist and began to channel lightning chakra into his palm.
"Chidori!" he shouted, letting the electric current propel him out of the path of the fireball to land on a nearby rooftop. Trying to catch his breath, he watched the fireball about-face with annoying tenacity. At the same time, a dozen identical Haru appeared around him, each wielding a katana.
"Ring, ring, Kakashi-sensei. It's time to give it up," one of the Haru said smugly.
"Impressive indeed. If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have made you stay a genin," Kakashi retorted as he deflected a series of coordinated sword strikes from multiple angles using metal bracers on his forearms and heels. Meanwhile, the fireball barreled closer like a meteorite threatening to crater the city. "It's true then? Obito is really alive?" he asked seriously.
"Would I lie?" Haru answered grimly. Eventually there was only one Haru remaining. His hair flowed in the wind as a small inferno raged behind him. "You're going to have to get a lot stronger if you want to meet him again. Please protect everyone while I'm gone, Kakashi-sensei."
Using the massively increased speed and strength from sage mode, Haru smashed his sword into the man's chest, breaking ribs and stopping the jounin's heart with lightning chakra.
In the Hokage's office, Ino translated from the notebook Haru had left for her.
"Ino, can you water my plants? I will be gone for a long time and it would be a shame for them to die. I am sorry I left you behind. Can you tell Jiraiya something for me? It is hard to make him listen to me.
Yahiko is dead. Nagato and Konan are being manipulated. Akatsuki."
The Hokage asked, "Is that all?"
Ino spoke, "I don't know who those people are. The rest is…he promised to write me a story. He would tell them to Naruto and I wanted to hear one that Naruto didn't know. I didn't think he'd ever get around to it. I didn't know if he cared…"
Her tears fell onto the handwritten pages.
It was Danzo who spoke, "You may leave. If you find anything that seems important, report to the Hokage immediately."
When the girl and her father had left, Sarutobi sighed and spoke, "Well, that was disappointing. I suppose we should summon Jiraiya."
Danzo grunted. "Yes, but before that…" The retired ninja used his position behind the Hokage to impale his hand into the back of Hiruzen Sarutobi. A stream of snakes seemed to flow over Danzo's arm into the wound into the Hokage's spine. "We have some unfinished business, Sensei."
"Orochimaru…" Sarutobi sputtered.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!" Tsunade shouted at the only person standing in the ruins of the city street. "YOU! YOU COST ME A LOT OF MONEY! I WOULD HAVE WON IF IT WEREN'T FOR WHATEVER THIS IS!"
Haru vainly hoped that the killing intent was just a genjutsu because no human being should be able to be so fearsome. Haru returned the sakabato, a non-lethal reverse-blade sword, to his seal storage and hefted his teacher over his shoulder. "It was this guy. He did it."
That just seemed to make the blonde woman angrier.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone