章 1437: 28
Naruto: Shifts in Life
Chapter 28: The Search Begins
Naruto stared out at Konoha from his spot on top of the Hokage Monument, his mind completely blank as he felt an emptiness he had not felt since Haku's death engulf him. It had been about four days since the battle for Konoha had ended, and the council had taken stock of the situation and all the reports on how much damage and casualties Konoha had suffered. And it had been three days since word spread that the Sandaime was dead, having been killed by Orochimaru during the invasion. One day since the funeral for Sarutobi had occurred, and three days since Naruto had been able to get any sleep.
Like the time when Haku had died, the blond had been unable to get a moment's rest, since whenever he had, even if only for a few moments, the images of those he had lost replayed in his mind. Only now they were images of both Haku and Sarutobi, letting him know just how badly he failed. The thoughts of if only, played in his mind. If only he had been stronger, if only he had been there, if only he had been able to kill Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, then none of this would have happened. He knew that such thoughts were pointless, that these kinds of thoughts would not, could not, change the past. Yet it was these thoughts that seemed to be the only ones that had been running through his head for the past three days.
Thoughts on his failure brought him to thoughts on just how wrong Sarutobi's death felt. He may have always joked about the man being old, and needing to give him the Hokage titled before he died, but a part of Naruto had never really thought the old man would die. Sarutobi had been around since almost the beginning of the village's founding. He had seen all three of the wars, was the Hokage for two of them, and had ruled Konoha through its most turbulent times, even taking the title back after the Yondaime died to seal the Kyuubi. To Naruto, the Sandaime had always seemed eternal, a figure that would never die.
Yet he had, the man who had the longest reign of any Hokage, and in Naruto's opinion, one of the most successful, was gone. He would never hear the old man speak of the past, or berate him for some prank, offer him a piece of advice, help him through any of the hardships he faced. He would never get to see the old man's pride as he gave him the Hokage hat and title. There were a lot of things he would never get to do with the old man again.
It was odd, the pain he had felt was just as intense as it had been when Haku died, and so was the feeling of failure. And yet, for some reason, Naruto could not find it in himself to cry like he had when Haku had died, even when he had been at the Sandaime's funeral he could not cry.
Flashback…
Naruto watched with a sense of detachment as Sarutobi's two teammates spoke on behalf of their now dead comrade. He couldn't really hear the words that were being spoken, it was like there was an odd buzz in his ear that kept him from hearing anything, and it had been like that since he had heard of the Sandaime's death.
He looked over to his left and saw Konohamaru crying his eyes out, with Iruka placing a protective arm around the young Sarutobi. He could see the boy's lips moving, but like with the speeches, his mind could not pick up what was being said. As he continued to let his eyes travel, he found them coming to a stop right next to the figure on his right. Tenten was holding onto his arm, clutching it in between hers and had her head leaning on his shoulder.
He could see the tears in her eyes, and a part of him wondered if she had been close the old Hokage. Probably not, He shook his head. I spent a lot of time with jiji and never saw her with him, Still, that did not make her sorrow any less, he knew. The Sandaime had been a constant of the village for a long time, nearly seventy years or so, and Naruto knew that he was friends with Kaito, having seen the Sandaime in the shop on occasion when he had gone in.
A little while after the speech, people began to walk up to Sarutobi's coffin and set a white rose on it, a tradition that had been passed down in Konoha when grieving for the dead, it was supposed to be a symbol of rebirth, or something like that.
As the people continued moving and passing their flowers onto the coffin it began to rain. Naruto looked up at the sky and let the drops fall down onto his face, closing his eyes for a moment. He was glad the rain had come, because for some reason, no matter how hard he tried, his eyes could not work up the ability to produce tears. At least this way, he could pretend that the water now on his face were his tears.
When it was his turn Naruto gently pulled himself from Tenten's grip and made his way over to the coffin. He found himself staring at the picture of Sarutobi, one taken in his earlier years, showing a head of full spiky brown hair much like Konohamaru's and a wrinkle-free face. Naruto could easily recognize that he was in the Hokage office, having visited there as many times as he had in his life time Naruto could recognize every inch of that office.
A part of him wanted to say something, to have one last conversation with the man who had given him so much. A place to call home, taking him out to ramen, offering him advice, a shoulder to cry on, giving him encouragement when he had failed at something, or even a break from the glares he received in the village by offering him sanctuary in his office.
Naruto's mind replayed some of the times he had spent with the elderly Hokage. Like when he had done his first prank of putting itching powder in the entire collection of a clothing store's stock. Rather than be angry the old man had laughed almost as soon as the ANBU left, and had asked him how he had managed to pull it off. Or the many times when Naruto would come visit the man in his office, and they would have tea and these odd little cookies that tasted really good. And more recently the aid Sarutobi had offered him, informing him of the uses of the Kage Bunshin No Jutsu, of helping him cope with learning he had a demon sealed inside of him, of the time when Naruto had been lost due to an amalgamation of using said demon's youki, killing nearly a hundred bandits in less than an hour and losing someone he was honestly positive he had wanted to spend his life with.
Sarutobi had done so many things for Naruto, and it was only now he realized that he had never done anything to thank the man for all he had given him. Naruto felt that the least he could do now was offer his thanks for helping him as much as the elderly Hokage had.
Yet when he opened his mouth, no words came out, and Naruto found that in the end, all he could do was place the flower on Sarutobi's coffin and walk back to where he was standing.
After that he just watched as the other people put there flowers down, until all the people had finished and left. The only person who had stayed with him after that was Tenten, yet even she left eventually. Naruto stayed there for what felt like hours, letting the rain hit his form. It was not until the rain had stopped and the sky began to clear that Naruto left.
Because with the rain gone, he could no longer pretend that he was shedding tears.
Flashback end...
It had been after this that Naruto had cut himself off from everyone much like he had done after Haku's death. Even Kyuubi could not reach him, though not for lack of trying. He knew it was not something he should do, and that he was going to get an earful from both Anko and Tenten later. But right now he did not want to deal with anybody; he knew what he would get when he met them. And he did not want their pity, or any form of platitude. It just wasn't him; he was not one for receiving pity from others. He had never had it when he was forced to grow up on the streets, and he would not have it now.
Jiraiya could not repress the sigh that escaped him as he looked out over the village from where he stood, leaning against the rail from on top of the Hokage Tower. The village had taken quite a lot of damage, but considering it had a Bijuu in the middle of it for a while, it was far less than most could have hoped for.
The gaki really did pretty good, Jiraiya mused to himself as he scratched his chin. Gamabunta tells me the kid;s one of the ballsiest people he's ever met, and with what he told me of the fight I'm more than inclined to believe him.
Naruto really had impressed him, not just in this battle, but ever since they had met. The reports he had received when he had been out of Konoha hoping to gain information on Orochimaru had told him that Naruto was nothing but an idiot, someone who had been the dead last of his class and barely managed to scrimp by. Hell, he had heard that the only reason the boy passed was because he had managed to learn the Kage Bunshin in one hour. A feat only made possible by the boy's ridiculously large reserves.
Yet when Jiraiya had found the kid at the hot springs, it was not the idiot he had expected. Sure he was loud, that he had at least expected, and the boy had a tendency to run off his mouth. However, he also spoke far more fluently than he would have expected, the boy had a sharp tongue that could shoot shit with the best of them. His investigation of the boy afterwards had shown him at least parts of the reason he was so much more intelligent than he had expected. That still didn't change how impressed he was with the kid.
"Ah Jiraiya-kun! There you are!"
Jiraiya turned around and suppressed a groan when he saw Homura and Koharu, two of the three elders on the Konoha Council. They were the teammates of Sarutobi, and had served Konoha for a long time, Jiraiya liked to think of them as Konoha's fossils. However, Jiraiya really did not like the two since, more often than not, they chose to side with Danzo, the last of the three elders, on the man's pro-war like policies.
"What can I do for you old toadies today?" asked Jiraiya in a tone that said 'I really don't care what you have to say'. And truthfully he really did not care about what they wanted. Part of the reason he was up here was because he had left the council chamber half an hour ago so he did not have to listen to the arguing they did.
Arguing about what to do with Naruto, Jiraiya thought to himself. The blonde's feats of strength had not gone unnoticed by the people of Konoha and he had been the talk of the town, almost as much as the Hokage's death. Some of it was good, some of it was bad. Naruto was starting to gain respect, at least from the shinobi population.
However none of that mattered to the council, or at least the civilian council. With the Hokage dead many of them were weary of the blond shinobi. While they would not do anything like banish him, especially now that they had irrefutable proof that Kumo had two Jinchuuriki with full control over their Bijuu, they wanted to place restrictions on him, or give him to Danzo.
Jiraiya had been able to put a stop to that by claiming the boy was his apprentice, but he knew without a Hokage they may very well get what they want. He just hoped they did not choose Danzo, or they would get what they want Hokage or not.
The two frowned for a moment before brightening up. Homura cleared his throat as he began to speak, "Since you do not feel like speaking right now, we will get straight to the point. As you are well aware, Konoha is without a Hokage. In order to make Konoha seem strong despite our current state, we need to have a strong leader who will-"
"Not interested," Jiraiya interrupted, already knowing where this was going to go.
"Now Jiraiya-kun, we need a strong leader and it was decided that only a Sannin could take up that position," Koharu said, hoping to let the man know just how important this was.
"Like I said, not interested," Jiraiya turned away from the pair and looked back out at the village. "I have absolutely no desire, nor the ability to be Hokage. Not to mention I have my spy network to keep up, and then there's my research. So as you can see I have no time to become some kind of paper pusher." Before the two could attempt to make a rebuttal, he held up a hand. "However, I do have someone in mind that would make a great Hokage."
"You can't mean 'her' can you Jiraiya!" Hamura asked in surprise, having realized who he was talking about, "She hasn't been in the village in years!"
"That is true," Jiraiya nodded his head. "However, unlike me, she has the heritage, and the ability to be a good, strong leader."
"That is true…" Koharu murmured, "But the question is, can you find her?"
Jiraiya grinned, "Don't worry about that, I may not know where she is, but my spy network can find her. I'll set out in a little while to begin my search."
Hamura nodded, "In that case, we will select a group of ANBU to escort you and-"
"That will not be necessary," Jiraiya said, the last thing he needed was a bunch of fogies following him around.
"But Jiraiya-kun! You can't go alone; at least let us send Kakashi-kun!"
Jiraiya shook his head, "All those people would only slow me down…" Then he blinked for a second before smiling, "Actually, there is someone I know that I would like to take with me. An interesting kid I met a while ago who really seems to grow on you."
Yugito frowned as she left the Ichiraku Ramen stand. It had been three days since she had last seen Naruto, and she was honestly starting to get worried. No one had seen the blond since news of Sarutobi's death had spread, barring the funeral procession itself, and she had not been there to see him. It was because of that, as well as the fact that she was leaving soon that she wanted to find him one last time, and see if she could help him in some way.
She was thankful that she remembered Naruto's love of the ramen shop, since she was not sure where to get any information on the blond other than there. Not that there wasn't enough information going around as it was. Rumor of Naruto defeating the Shukaku-possessed Gaara had somehow spread across the village. How, she was not sure, since the only people she knew were there besides herself and Naruto were currently locked away. Yet somehow that information had spread.
Then again not many people could have missed the giant toad in the center of one of Konoha's parks.
Not that it was all a bad thing. She had noticed a small but definitive improvement in the general populace's demeanor when speaking of Naruto. Oh she could see that a few of the people did not believe the stories and still hated his guts, but there were more than a few who had begun speaking of the blond in hushed whispers of awe. Of course she also noticed that it was mainly from the younger generation, those who were Naruto's age and below, who Naruto had told her were unaware of the Kyuubi anyways.
Aside from that, there was also the talk of how all of the Naruto clones had ran around the village, helping civilians escape the attack. That in of itself had earned the young blond teen quite a few brownie points it seemed. And then there was also the news that Naruto had saved the students at the academy.
Yugito shook her head as she made her way towards where she had been told Naruto was most likely to be, grateful that the ramen stand owner and his daughter knew the blond so well.
Like they had said, Naruto was on top of the Hokage monument, sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, and his head resting on top of that. She had actually cursed herself for not remembering that he had told her how often he would come up here when the villagers' hatred became too much. Yugito walked up to the boy and took a seat right next to him, leaning back against her hands as she seemingly admired the view.
For a while no words were spoken, and Yugito had to wonder if the younger blond was ever going to speak. Finally-
"Can I help you, Yugito?" he asked in a soft voice, his disuse of the nickname or affectionate suffix letting the young woman know he probably did not appreciate her coming up here. Not that it would stop her from trying to help in some way.
"I just came to see how you were doing," Yugito said as she looked at him. "I didn't get to go to the funeral service, being a foreign ninja and all, but I had heard you had disappeared, so I wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Oh…" Naruto said before going silent.
Yugito looked at the blond for a moment, before looking back at the village, "You know, I remember when I was only three years old. It was when the Sandaime Raikage had started training me to be his secret weapon. Every morning I would wake up and then be asked to recite what my purpose was, 'to be a weapon in the service of Kumo and the Raikage' and after that I would be trained in the arts of combat. It was often very brutal, even though I was only three, barely even old enough to walk, my instructors never went easy on me and I would often go to sleep with bruises, cuts and occasionally broken bones all over my body. I knew nothing else other than that. The Raikage for the most part kept me in confinement. I would wake up, start my routine, and then pass out after a long day of training. The few times I had been in the village, people would often look at me in fear or hatred, and I always had to be with one of my handlers."
She watched out of the corner of her eye as Naruto turned to look at her, "When I was five, the Sandaime Raikage had determined it was time for me to learn how to control my Bijuu's youki. It was hard, possibly even more difficult than the combat training. They kept making me draw out the Nibi's youki; I remember many times I would get chakra poisoning and was forced to stop. A few times it had been so bad that I would be put into a coma for nearly a week. I had to work for nearly four years before I could even use one tail. And then, they had deemed me ready to do missions for the village."
Yugito held in a snort, "Really it was just suicide missions that they could not send other ninja on. They would send me on assassination mission for high profile targets, fighting off B and then later A-ranked missing ninja. I was the Raikage's weapon, that was my lot in life and I knew nothing else other than that."
"What about the Yondaime Raikage, or that Kirabi person you spoke of?" asked Naruto after the blond woman had paused.
"They were not in my life at the time," Yugito sighed. "Raikage-sama was a member of the council, and was too busy trying to help his brother, who had life far worse than I did in the village, to help me. I never even met them until after A became the Raikage."
A smile came onto Yugito's face, "However there was one person who actually looked after me. It was one of my 'handlers' that made sure I never went out of control. His name was Takodama Kenichi, a Jonin of Kumo. Unlike the other handlers he did not keep me at arm's length. I could tell he still had a fear of me, but he was at least there for me, teaching me things that did not have to do with a ninja's life." She rolled up the sleeve on her arm and unsealed her Shamisen and began to play a small melody, "He was actually the one who taught me how to play a Shamisen."
Naruto looked at Yugito as she began to play, she really was good, the melody had Naruto sub consciously relaxing his tensed muscles, "So what happened to this Kenichi guy?"
A sad smile crossed Yugito's face at the question.
Flashback…
A nine year old Yugito sat in the chair next to Kenichi's bed in the hospital, trying her best not to look at all the tubes and equipment that was attached to him. She had just come back from one of her first S-ranked missions and had found out that the only man who had ever been kind to her was dying. Not of wounds suffered at the hands of enemy ninja, nor of old age or any kind of ailment that could be considered honorable. He was dying of a disease.
She did not know the kind, Yugito was not a medic, but she did know that it was eating away at his muscles, slowing making them deteriorate. Whatever inflicted him was obviously painful, the man, though unconscious had been letting out small whimpers of pain, and considering that he was actually well known for having gone through torture at the hands of enemy shinobi during the third war without so much as letting out a grunt that was saying something.
As she sat there, doing her best to tend for the man who had done what he could for her, she heard a small grunt, "Yugito…"
She blinked for a second as she looked down to see Kenichi's eyes had opened just a little, "Kenichi-sensei! Are you alright?"
The man let out a soft laugh, only to grunt in pain seconds afterwards, "Alright is not quite the word I would use, but considering the circumstances, I am fine."
"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Yugito asked, feeling a small sting at the corner of her eyes at seeing the man she had admired looking so pitiful.
"Actually, there was something I wanted to tell you," He paused for a moment so that he could turn his head, an amazing feat when one took into consideration that all of his muscles were practically useless. "I wanted to say, I am sorry."
Yugito blinked in confusion, "Sorry for what sensei?"
"For not doing more for you," Kenichi said, he saw Yugito about to speak and interrupted her. "I could have been there for you more, treated you more like a human being. I should have treated you more like a human being."
"How could you say that!" Yugito asked in shock, "You're the only one who's treated me like a human being! You're the only person who's ever shown me any kindness!"
"Thank you for that, but I know I could have done more to help you." Kenichi rasped out, "I could have treated you better; I could have shown you more wonders of the world than just the things you can play with when not on missions… I could have shown you a father's love…"
"What…?" Yugito asked, her eyes wide.
Kenichi, despite the pain he was obviously feeling smiled, "I should have shown you, told you, I wanted to tell you. You are the daughter I never had. And if I were to have a daughter, I would want one just like you."
Yugito grit her teeth as she tried to hold in the tears that were now really threatening to spill out.
"It's okay to cry you know," Kenichi said softly.
Yugito shook her head, "No matter what happens, true shinobi must never show their emotions."
Kenichi let out a sigh, "Right now…you are not a shinobi Yugito, you are a human, a young girl. There is no mission to complete; there is just you and me. You can cry here."
The flood damn broke and Yugito began to cry.
Flashback end…
"He died when I was nine years old."
Naruto winced, "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Yugito gave him a soft smile. "It happened a long time ago, and though I still miss him, I always carry him where it matters most. Just you like you will always carry the people you love where it matters most."
Naruto blinked in confusion, "Where is that?"
Yugito smiled as she poked him in the chest, "Right here."
Naruto looked down towards his chest, where her finger was still poking, before looking back up to see her smiling at him. Unconsciously a smile came to his face as well. He looked back at her hand, which he noticed with some amusement was still poking him.
He grabbed onto her hand as he moved himself down in the cross legged position, "Thank, Yugi-chan."
Yugito blushed a bit, a small light pink tint coming onto her cheeks at the heartfelt thanks, "Your welcome."
She gave him a smile as she brought their hands into her lap and began to rub her thumbs against his hand. A second later she smirked, "As I said before, you know I'm always willing to help a cutie like you."
"Not cute…" Naruto mumbled with a pout, causing Yugito to laugh.
They stayed that way for a few more minutes before Yugito had to leave and meet the Raikage at the gate so they could go back to Kumo, it was a rule set down among all hidden villages that foreign dignitaries could not be present in the village without a Kage or at least an acting Kage. The only reason they had been allowed to stay as long as they had was because of the help they gave during the battle.
Naruto sighed as he looked back down at the village, "What do I do now…" He tapped his chin a few times before smiling, "I think I'll go get some Ichiraku's."
"Oi. Teuchi-Ojisan, how about some ramen," Naruto shouted as he sat down at his reserved spot.
Teuchi came out of the back and, spotting Naruto, gave a grin, "Well what do you know, the missing ninja is back. You know Ayame and I was worried about you, we haven't seen you since the funeral and you haven't come here in three days."
"Sorry about that," Naruto scratched the back of his head as he gave a sheepish grin. "I was dealing with some…personal issues."
The old ramen stand owner nodded in understanding, "I got'cha! Well the ramen will be right up, so just sit tight!"
Naruto nodded and let his mind wander until his food was brought to the table. Naruto grinned as he snapped a pair of chopsticks and dug in. as he continued to inhale the food as if he had not eaten in months, which was sort of the truth as he had not eaten ramen in, well at least three days, a familiar man with white hair stepped into the bar.
"J-Jiraiya-sama!" Teuchi exclaimed in surprise, "To what do I owe the honor!"
Jiraiya laughed, "Now there's no need for formalities like that today, I just came to pick up the gaki for a mission."
Naruto blinked as he realized the man was talking about him, not that it wasn't obvious from the way he had placed a hand on his shoulder. Sighing Naruto slurped up the last of his broth before setting it on the table and looking at the white haired man, "So you need me for some kind of mission Ero-sennin?"
Jiraiya's right eye twitched. "What have I told you about respect gaki?"
"Hmmm…" Naruto tapped his chin in thought, "You know, I don't really remember." He grinned as he saw the man's eye twitch more. "Not that it would matter, if Sarutobi-Ojisan couldn't get me to show respect, there is no way you could get it from me."
"I swear the youth these days…" Jiraiya mumbled.
"So what is it you need from me?" asked Naruto, standing up.
"I need you to help me find a certain person." Jiraiya said elusively, "An old friend of mine."
Naruto frowned, "You know even though I have enhanced senses, I'm not much of a tracker. Wouldn't an Inuzuka be better for this sort of mission?"
Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "I don't need a tracker gaki. I have plenty of experience in finding people."
"Then why are you asking me to come along?" asked Naruto in confusion, "I mean, wouldn't I only slow the great Ero-sama down?"
Jiraiya gained several tic marks on his head, "I swear, you and your stupid nicknames. I'm not doing this so I could have help, and this is going to be a little slow, since the person I'm looking for is pretty elusive."
"Well then, why do you want me to come?"
Jiraiya rolled his eyes, "I was getting to that, don't be so impatient. Anyways, as my apprentice, I was plan on teaching you a jutsu while we travel. One that makes the Chidori look like child's play."
Naruto held in a wince at hearing the name of the jutsu that killed Haku, right before he registered the rest of what the man said.
"A new jutsu?" When the man nodded Naruto grinned, "You've got yourself a deal Ero-sennin! Just let me go home and grab my equipment!"
Jiraiya shook his head, "No time, we've got to hit the road now or the trail will get cold."
"But I thought we were taking it slow anyways," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Wouldn't that sort of imply that it wouldn't matter if we left a few minutes later? Besides, what if we run into some missing ninja? I only have a limited amount of equipment on me."
Jiraiya snorted, "First off, when I said we would be taking it slow, I meant we were not going to be running all over the country. Second, the chances of us running into missing ninja are zero to none. And third, even if we did run into missing ninja it wouldn't matter. Don't forget that you are going to be with the great and gallant Jiraiya-sama."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Right, whatever…"
Jiraiya pouted at the way Naruto brushed him off. He cheered up a second later, "Alright then! Let's hit the road!"
Naruto blinked at the man's enthusiasm as he began walking away, before shrugging a second later and following the white haired pervert.
Gaara blinked a few times as he continued staring at the ceiling of the jail cell he was in. it had been four days since his and his siblings capture at the hands of Naruto and that blond woman he had been with. Four days of doing nothing, and since he could not sleep it had given Gaara plenty of time to think, something he had been doing since his talk with Naruto.
"That's easy. I'm strong because I don't fight for myself. I only fight to protect my precious people, my friends and those I've begun to consider family."
Fighting for others…does it really make you that strong?
The words Naruto had spoken had been on his mind for a while now. The blond had beaten him. A feat that no one had been able to accomplish before, but one he had done twice. His strength was obvious, yet Naruto said he fought for others, not himself. If I fight for others, could I gain that kind of strength?
He looked around his cell, he walls were not very thick and he knew that both his siblings were with him. Unlike the other two he had been conscious when they had been taken into custody, so he knew they had been placed in a jail cell next to his. Could they become his precious people? They were family, though he knew they were afraid of him. Yet at the same time they were the only ones who had stayed near him, even after he had threatened to kill him. Besides that, if he wanted the kind of strength Naruto possessed he had to start somewhere right?
"Temari, Kankurou?"
There was a short pause before Temari answered in a surprised voice, "Yes, Gaara?"
"… I'm…sorry, for the way I treated you two." Gaara apologized. The words felt foreign, but at least he had said them.
"…Don't worry about it Gaara," Replied Kankurou, though from his voice it was obvious he was shocked.
Gaara sighed, realizing this would be harder than he thought. Still Uzumaki had never given up; he had lived a life like Gaara's. If the blond could do it, then maybe he could too.
"Kakashi!"
Said ninja blinked as he looked up from his porn, "Asuma, Kurenai." Kakashi greeted the two ninja with an eye smile, dutifully ignoring the way Kurenai wrinkled her nose at his precious book, "What brings you two here?"
"Oh you know, just in the area," Asuma replied.
"Really?" Kakashi went back to his book, "I thought you two would be on a date or something."
The pair blushed a bit before Kurenai seemed to get a hold of herself, "What about you? What are you doing here?"
Kakashi sighed, "I'm just waiting for Sasuke to show up."
Within the dango stand behind the trio one of the two figures, both of whom were wearing straw hats and black cloaks with red clouds, who were sitting there shifted at the mention of Sasuke, an action which did not go unnoticed by the three Jonin.
"This must be a novel experience for you then," Asuma joked. "Having to actually wait on someone for a change."
Kakashi just gave an overly dramatic sigh, "Things like this do tend to happen on rare occasion."
"Kakashi!"
The three Konoha ninja turned to see a scowling Sasuke walking up to them. He took one look into the restaurant to see it empty, before turning back to his sensei, "You know I hate sweets. Now what did you want? I have to get back to my training, so unless you're going to help with that, speak up."
Kakashi and the two other Jonin frowned at the boy's attitude. Ever since he had woken up after the battle for Konoha, the kid had been in an almost permanent bad mood. It had only gotten worse after he had heard of Naruto's victory over the demon Shukaku. In truth, Kakashi was worried that the boy might have once again become a flight risk; something that he had felt would not happen since he had at least for a time, been getting along decently with Naruto.
Sighing Kakashi looked over at Asuma and Kurenai, giving them a nod and receiving one in return before they took off. He turned back to Sasuke, "Well, I do have a scroll with some jutsu on it. I have to report to the council, but I'll give you that to work on and come by later to see how much progress you've made."
Sasuke scowled at the thought of learning jutsu from a scroll. Why should he do that, when he could just copy a jutsu with his Sharingan? Still, it was better than nothing so he supposed he would have to take what he could.
The two mysterious people who had been in the restaurant were now walking in one of the many parks of Konoha, one of the few ones that had not been destroyed by the battle between Gaara and Naruto. As they did they were stopped, by Asuma and Kurenai.
"You know, you two don't look like you're from around here," Asuma spoke as he took a drag of his cigarette. "Seeing as how there's not much to do, what with the invasion and all, I have to ask…what are you two doing here?"
The smaller of the pair stepped forward, keeping his hat down so that it did not show his face, "It's been a long time Asuma-san, Kurenai-san."
"You seem to know us," Asuma spoke, and though his tone was lazy, there was an underlying edge to it. "And yet, we don't know you. Who are you?"
The shorter man said nothing, instead choosing to raise his hat, revealing a pair of red eyes with three tomoe in each.
Asuma sucked in a breath, "You're…Uchiha Itachi. You've got some nerve coming back here…after what you pulled."
"Well these people seem to know you quite well, ne Itachi?" The larger figure spoke up in an amused voice. "I guess it would only be right for me to introduce myself as well." The man removed his hat to reveal blue skin with three gills on each side, shark like teeth and eyes. "The name's Hoshigaki Kisame, a pleasure to meet you."
Both Asuma's and Kurenai's eyes widened. Kurenai looked at the two of them in surprise as she spoke, "You're a missing ninja from Kiri, wanted for the murder of Kirigakure's Daimyo, and the destruction of several minor countries. What are two S-ranked criminals doing here?"
"If I had to go by their outfits, I'd say they've got some kind of purpose." Asuma said, "Well? Why are you back here? You know that after the incident you caused, you were listed in our bingo books with a kill on sight order."
Itachi seemed to ignore the pair's question, "I would like to ask the two of you two step aside. We've got no quarrel with you, and I would prefer not to have to kill my former comrades."
Asuma snorted, "That's rich coming from you."
Itachi narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.
"Ne, Itachi? Can I kill them?" Asked Kisame as he stepped forward, grabbed onto the large bandaged object behind him and pulled it off, slamming it on the ground. Most would probably find it odd that Kisame was actually asking Itachi for permission to do something, but they had decided that Itachi was the brains of this operation. And Kisame respected the younger ninja's skills and tactical expertise.
Itachi closed his eyes before speaking in the monotone he was so well known for, "It seems that they will not let us leave without a fight…however, try to keep it down. Your fighting style tends to attract too much unwanted attention."
Kisame grinned as he hefted the large object back up, and then charged at Asuma. Said Konoha Jonin took out a pair of trench knives in response and blocked the attack. Meanwhile, Kurenai began going through several hand seals, right before her form wavered and vanished.
A genjutsu, Itachi thought as he found himself bound to a tree, he knew this genjutsu, one of the ones that Kurenai had made famous.
A little ways away, Asuma was struggling to hold the giant object, which he now recognized as Kisame's sword, Samehada, back. What ridiculous strength. He can pressure me with just the tip of his sword!
"You should know," Kisame started with a toothy grin as Samehada landed on Asuma's shoulder. "That my sword Samehada doesn't cut, it shaves!"
The bandages unraveled as scaly protrusions stuck out of the sword, sinking into Asuma's skin. Kisame grinned as he dragged the sword along the Konoha Jonin's shoulder, watching in satisfaction as it tore off a good chunk of flesh.
Asuma grit his teeth as he held onto his wounded shoulder, "Damn…Kurenai, I need you to hurry and finish up."
Itachi looked up as Kurenai appeared above him, holding a kunai in her hand. "It's over," She said as she got ready to slit Itachi's throat.
"Nice genjutsu," Itachi said, and Kurenai was shocked to find their positions were now reversed. "But you should know that level of genjutsu doesn't work on me."
He countered my genjutsu! Kurenai thought in shock, before she bit her lip and used the pain it brought to override the genjutsu's affects. She was just in time too, since Itachi had already sent a swipe at her with his kunai. She managed to duck under it, however, Itachi had already known she would do that and sent a kick at her. Kurenai saw it, but realized she would not be able to dodge. So she did the only thing she could do in such a situation, crossed her arms and hoped to lessen the blow as much as possible.
"Kurenai!" Asuma shouted as he saw the raven haired beauty get sent flying. However, he ended up having other things to think about when he was forced to dodge a sword wing from Kisame.
"You don't have time to be worrying about others," Kisame said with a grin, before he started swinging his sword again.
Kurenai coughed up some water as she breached the surface. She was about to stand up when the voice of Itachi sounding behind her made her freeze, "Your genjutsu is most impressive Kurenai-san. However…"
"This is the end for you…Itachi," A new voice spoke up.
Asuma grunted as he dodged another slash from Kisame, sidestepping the attack. It was then that he saw an opening. Moving in, Asuma aimed one of his trench knives at Kisame's head. Seeing this, Kisame smirked and moved his head just a little to the side, letting the blade pass mere inches from him. However, he became surprised when he felt a cut appear on his cheek.
"What?" He looked at Asuma's trench knives and saw that they were glowing a bright green, allowing the blade to be extended by several inches. Growling he jumped back and went through a set of hand seals.
"Suiton: Suikoudan (Water Release: Water Shark Projectile Jutsu)!" Came a twin cry. Water shot out from the river in two different places, both of them were launched and ended up taking on the likeness of a shark. The first one came at Asuma, only to be intercepted by the other one. The second shark shaped water missile drilled into the first one, cancelling them both out.
"Hatake Kakashi," Itachi looked behind him to see Kakashi standing next to Kurenai. He looked over to see the real one near Kisame, his hand still in the hand seal he had done when copying the shark man's jutsu.
"Well, Hatake Kakashi," Kisame grinned. "I hear you and Zabuza-chan got into a little tussle a while ago. I've been wanting to fight you ever since I heard about it."
However, before Kisame could actually start fighting, Itachi cut him off, "No, I'll handle this. Your fights tend to take too long, and you have already given us a lot of unwanted attention. Remember our mission."
Kakashi looked at Itachi with his Sharingan eye. "Your mission? And what's that?"
"Nothing you need to be concerned with," Itachi said, right before he flung several shuriken at Kakashi.
Said copy ninja went through several hand seals, "Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)!"
Water from the river shot up around Kakashi, blocking the shuriken as well as a Suiton: Suigadan that Itachi had managed to launch without Kakashi even seeing it.
When the water wall fell back down, A Kage Bunshin of Itachi appeared behind Kakashi and stabbed him with a kunai. However, Kakashi merely turned into water, revealing him to be a Mizu Bunshin.
"Mizu Bunshin eh?" Kisame smirked, "He seems to be quite skilled with Kiri's jutsu."
"You are most impressive in the use of that eye of yours," Itachi complimented. "Despite it only being an implant, you wield it like a true Uchiha."
Kakashi's eyes widened as he pushed Kurenai down, "Get down!"
BOOM!
The Itachi who had appeared behind the pair exploded, causing Asuma to shout out as he rushed onto the water to make sure the two were alright. Luckily, Kakashi had managed to Kawarimi him and Kurenai away, however it had been a close call and the silver-haired Jonin was breathing rather heavily.
"It is truly remarkable, how you are able to use that eye of yours so well; however even if you can wield it like an Uchiha, you are not of Uchiha blood and some things will forever be out of your reach." Itachi looked at Kakashi with his impassive eyes. "And now I will show you just why we are known as the strongest clan…I will show you the true power of the Sharingan."
"Kurenai! Asuma! Close your eyes and don't open them until I say so!" Kakashi shouted frantically, "Only those with a Sharingan can defeat another Sharingan!"
"You are correct," Itachi said as the two other Jonin closed their eyes. "Only a Sharingan user can defeat another Sharingan user when it comes to genjutsu. However, that is only in the context of a full blooded Uchiha…and you are not an Uchiha. Now allow me to show you the power of Tsukuyomi."
The tomoe in Itachi's left eye transformed into a pinwheel shape before everything went black.
Kakashi found himself hanging on a cross in what looked like an inverted realm. The sky was red with black clouds and the Konoha Jonin could see that his skin was an odd bluish pigment.
"Welcome, Kakashi." Kakashi turned his head to see Itachi standing in front of him with a katana, "Welcome to the world of Tsukuyomi. Within this world, I am Kami. Here I control everything, space, time, everything. And for the next seventy-two hours you will be subject to feel the pain of this katana stabbing you."
Without further speaking Itachi stabbed the Katana into Kakashi's abdomen, with said man letting out a pained grunt. A second later it was over, and now there were two Itachi's, both of whom stabbed their katanas into the silver-haired Jonin.
This continued on and each time Kakashi was stabbed, the number of Itachi's stabbing him increased. And when Itachi ran out of room to stand, another Kakashi appeared and began doubling the amount of punishment the silver-haired Jonin took. When it was over Kakashi could scarcely breathe due to the pain he was in.
"I see you are still conscious," Itachi commented. "That is good. After all, we still have seventy-one hours, fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds to go."
Three seconds later within the real world Kakashi had dropped to his knees, panting hard as he tried to stay conscious. It fortunate that Itachi also seemed to be having a small problem, a trickle of blood was running down his left eye.
"Ho, you're still alive eh? That's quite impressive," Kisame commented at seeing Kakashi still conscious. "That jutsu is quite devastating I hear, capable of breaking people's spirits very easily. I'm surprised you used it though Itachi. You know it's not very good for you to use too much."
"Are you…after Sasuke?" asked Kakashi as he tried to catch his breath.
"No," Itachi closed his eyes and let his left one reverted to its normal Sharingan state. "We are after the legacy of the Yondaime."
Asuma and Kurenai felt their eyes widen, wondering what they meant. Meanwhile Kakashi was also surprised, but it was because he knew what Itachi was talking about, as well as the truth about Naruto's parents, "I see…so you're after Naruto. Or perhaps I should say you're after what's locked inside of him."
"That is correct," Came Itachi's emotionless response.
"So it's true then. You along with nine other S-rank criminals are collecting the Bijuu for some sort of purpose," Kakashi said.
Itachi was surprised but hid it well, "So you know. I wonder where you learned that information…it doesn't matter in the end. Kisame we need Kakashi alive, but you may kill the rest."
"Hehehe, I'm going to enjoy this," Kisame grinned.
The shark like man charged towards the three Jonin, however he was halted as a shout came out of nowhere. And then, just like the shout, Kisame received a kick in the face that came out of nowhere and sent him skidding backwards. As he stopped skidding across the water, Kisame looked up to see what had to be the creepiest looking man he had ever seen.
"Who the hell are you?" The shark-like man asked.
"I am Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast! Maito Gai!" The man proclaimed.
"Heh, what an odd looking man. It looks like I'm gonna have to pay you back for that hit you gave me," Kisame shouldered his sword.
"Kisame, do not take this man lightly," Itachi said.
"It's okay you two, you can open your eyes now," Gai said to Asuma and Kurenai. It was at that moment that Kakashi fell over unconscious, causing Gai to lift him up in a fire man carry.
"What about Itachi?" Kurenai asked, "Kakashi said we can't look him in the eyes."
"Do not worry. I have trained myself to defeat the Sharingan, I find that so long as you look at the feet, you should be safe and still be able to follow your opponent's movements. So when you open your eyes just look at the feet."
"Gai, we don't have your level of training," Asuma stated.
"Well then just try your best," Gai replied. "Kurenai, I would like you to take Kakashi to the hospital." The green spandex man gave the silver-haired Jonin to Kurenai. "Asuma and I will deal with these two."
"You've got a lot of guts, thinking you can take us on," Kisame said with a grin.
"Kisame," Itachi stopped the Swordsman in his tracks. "We cannot afford to make this a war, and I sense ANBU on the way. We will retreat for now."
Kisame sighed as his hand left his sword, "That's too bad; I was so looking forward to a good fight." The two S-rank criminals soon disappeared within a Shunshin, letting the Jonin of Konoha breathe a sigh of relief.
"GGGAHHHH!"
The scream tore from Orochimaru's throat before he had the chance to stop it. He had never been in so much pain before, not only did he have to deal with the pain from his now dead hands, he also had to deal with the pain from Kabuto re attaching the nerve endings of his recently sown on legs.
His fight with Sarutobi had been a complete disaster, he had not been counting on the Raikage and his brother to be there but even with them he had been confident he could have won in the end. However his over confidence had been his down fall. Not only had his arms been sealed by that old fool but both his legs had been cut off by Kirabi. He had only managed to escape thanks to Kabuto, Kimimari and the sound four helping to cover his retreat. Even then he had lost both Sakon and Jirobo to the Raikage and his brother.
"Damn them! Damn them!" Orochimaru wheezed as he grit his teeth to keep himself from screaming again.
Kabuto stood up as he finished his work, "I've re-attached your legs, you should have full use of them by tomorrow. However I can do nothing for your arms, that type damage is beyond my expertise." The silver haired spy paused for a moment, "shall I prepare someone for the transfer."
"…No," Orochimaru gasped out, "I will not transfer into anyone other than Sasuke-kun."
A worried look crossed Kabuto's face, "Orochimaru-Sama the damage to your arms is extensive and we have no idea how long it will take to get Sasuke-kun, it may be prudent to transfer now."
"I said no!" Orochimaru hissed, "I will not transfer my soul to anything other than one who has the Sharingan."
"But what about your arms?"
Orochimaru took a deep breath as he began to think, he would definitely need his arms, otherwise he would be incapable of using jutsu. If Kabuto could not heal them he would need someone else who could, someone better.
A slow smile spread across the pale man's face, "ku ku ku, Kabuto-kun, we will be going on a journey tomorrow to find the best medic in the elemental nations."
And cut!
Let me know what you think.
I'll be right here… waiting.
…waiting for the time I can gain enough support to take over the Naruto franchise through fan fiction…
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット