บท 4: Chapter 4 part 1
Naruto was sitting on a clear field, just away from Tanzaku. He had an expressionless mask on his face, staring down at a couple of lines he'd drawn on the ground.
Sometimes he liked to keep up with sealing. He didn't need any more training. Manuals. Many seal structures and what they did, they were memorized inside his head. The Sandaime Hokage had made sure his mind was a field of seals. Sometimes it made him crazy. Sometimes whenever he closed his eyes, he could only see the marks, the tattoos. They were complex and he'd obsessed trying to untangle them.
At least spending hours each day just thinking about seals had driven away the demons: The laughter inside his head; the whispers from the villagers; those eyes that glared at him with nothing more than contempt. He'd forgotten about them. Even when teachers at the academy refused to give him anything good and actively tried to sabotage his grades, Naruto had found comfort in Fuinjutsu. His legacy. His savior.
Because of the role he has had to play as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, Naruto had been forced to forget about Fuinjutsu – practicing it and using it. But he didn't want to lose his touch. Yet, having a paper and a brush would earn him questions from Jiraiya. It was a dangerous situation. He avoided dangerous by abstaining from things whenever possible. But since the man had brought up the subject, it was safe to study.
Space/Time Ninjutsu: a rather delicate art. It was complex, yet very useful. Perhaps he would have never gotten this far without it: to be able to move from one place to another in the blink of an eye. It was a tremendous ability. His father had truly made himself famous by taking the Nidaime Hokage's jutsu into another level. People praised Minato for his genius, but Tobirama was the true genius. He created so many jutsus – Some now forbidden in the Hidden Leaf.
A Kunai flew towards him from behind; Naruto tilted his head to the left while raising his hand. He caught the kunai through his fingers and looked at it for a moment. Without even looking, he flung it backwards before stood up.
It almost never happened that he found himself a target of an attack by someone. Naruto hasn't gone around pissing off people within the Elemental Nations and his actions since he saw the result of Uzu's destruction have always been subtle. He never got too involved. His hands were free. It wasn't to say they had no blood in them. He was a shinobi. That was bound to happen.
Because there were few people who'd have something against him, Naruto concluded that this was Konoha's mischievous people. He wasn't too sure, so he would have to ask. He doubted they would talk, but he would still ask. There was no harm in asking, was there?
Naruto looked at the four masked men with an expressionless mask. He was being disturbed from his training. He generally didn't like it because now he would have to go again in reorganizing his thoughts.
One of them lunged towards him; having spared with Jiraiya for countless times, Naruto could see the masked shinobi coming all the way. He felt bored. But he could still use this as a training session. He hasn't had one were bones could be broken. He could do this. But they would still have to pay disturbing his time.
The masked man stabbed a kunai towards his face. Naruto side stepped the strike and twisted around swiftly. He lifted his right hand and slapped the man on his shoulder, sending him off balance.
"You're slow… You need to increase your speed." He stated calmly.
The man responded by twisted clockwise, while lifting his right foot. Naruto watched the incoming attack. If he stood still, he would be hit on his shoulder. He jumped back, slightly, avoiding the kick.
Only his left foot touched down the ground. He'd sensed more movements. A second after touching the ground, another masked man, flashed just above him, he swung his sword in a downward slash that was aimed at his right shoulder. Naruto leapt into the air, and twisted around. He slammed his foot on the man's shoulder, sending him flying away.
He then landed gracefully.
"Katon: Great Fire Ball!"
The fire ball was coming in from behind. It was a pathetic excuse for a fire ball. Naruto had seen something bigger from Jiraiya. Hell, even Sasuke did better than this. Almost lazily, swiped his right hand and then snapped his fingers. The flames just died down in the blink of an eye.
"You're all not very strong. It is quite pathetic really for shinobi who wear masks…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Come on, let me end this…" he said motioning for them to come.
Perhaps he was being too rough of them. He has been training with Jiraiya and he wasn't exactly weak. He was strong. Even so, it was quite disturbing to learn that they could not even touch him. He should have just broken them at first glance.
When they didn't attack him, Naruto took out kunais from his pouch. He held them all with just his left hand and then flung them towards the masked men while charging forward.
The man he was facing dodged the kunai by tilting his head to the side. When he saw Naruto coming, he threw a right hook, but slowed down, falling backwards slowly and watched the punch with both his eyes. He held out his right hand and channeled wind chakra, forming an invisible blade. He swung it and cut through the man's elbow, separating his arm from his shoulder.
There wasn't even a sound from the man when the sword struck. When the man attempted to run away, Naruto took out a kunai, channeled wind chakra through it and flung it. The kunai pierced through the man from the back of his neck and went through his throat before dropping dead.
Naruto fell on his back when he saw another masked man stomping downwards. He rolled to the side just once to avoid the blow. When the man's foot crashed into the ground, Naruto's right hand moved swiftly with his wind blade still activated. The blade cut through the man's left leg, just above his knee. He stood up and another swing cut through the right shoulder and blood gushed out as the man fell down.
Two more to go:
They both charged towards him: Naruto stood still and waited for what felt like eternity. They flanked both his sides, swinging their blades in horizontal slashes. The swings cut Naruto but he turned into a cloud of smoke.
Naruto flashed behind the man who'd attacked him from the left, he grabbed him by the back of his neck and pushed him towards his colleague. He shifted to the right when the other man pierced through his comrade's gut in order to get him. Naruto did the same, but his strike was marked towards the man's heart. It just pierced through and he dropped dead.
Naruto twisted the man he held and lifted him up into the air. "Foundation…" he uttered. "I find it convenient that after Itachi leaves, you guys appear. Is Itachi in contact with Danzo? Did he threaten your master with Intel? Are they working together?" He shook his head.
The man said nothing
"Can't talk…" Naruto said. "I really don't have the time to torture you. Take the pieces of your colleagues and go away. Do tell Danzo that I wish he not do this again." Naruto dropped the man to the ground and walked towards where he had been sitting.
He stood there for a moment before shaking his head and then settled down. What was he busy with, again? Ah, yes – space time ninjutsu.
The Jutsu he had in his position wasn't anything like what the Nidaime created. His jutsu wasn't for battle. It was purely made for travelling long distances. He still burnt a lot of chakra using it, and he needed to find a way to do it without burning as much chakra as he does when he uses it.
He couldn't test anything now because ever since he became a genin of the Hidden Leaf, he deactivated all seals he was attached to. He was playing a role. To be able to work on it, he would need to activate the seals. He couldn't do that now. It was dangerous and would attract too many questions.
Naruto shook his head and rubbed away all the drawings on the ground. He closed his eyes and decided to meditate.
After an hour or so, his eyes snapped open as Jiraiya walked into the field in a leisurely pace. "Something happened here…" the Toad Sage said calmly. His eyes glanced around before looking back at Naruto.
"Your timing sucks, sensei…" Naruto said. "I was still busy… do you also come early?"
It took a moment for Jiraiya to understand the meaning of Naruto's words. When he did, he grinned. "I knew you were no innocent. You act like you have no interest in women, but you are not so innocent."
"I never claimed I was innocent, pervert-san… I just have my days. I don't know what is with you. Maybe you are trying too hard to be loved because someone refused to love you or because you really are just a pervert…" Naruto shook his head. "Either way, you shouldn't read too much into my actions. For me, it really has to do with convenience most of the time than desire."
"I'm surprised you even have desires…" Jiraiya said. "You generally don't show any desire in anything aside from training. Even so, you are never too excited."
Naruto shrugged. "Everyone has a desire sensei. Everyone dreams of something. I have dreams… I just choose not to make them public…"
"What are those dreams?"
Naruto appeared to be thinking about a response for a couple of moments but he didn't respond to the Sannin's question. "Something did happen… masked men attacked… I think they might be from Konoha…"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed sharply. "Can you describe the masks?" And Naruto did so. The Toad Sage frowned. "They are indeed from Konoha… what do you know about the Danzo?"
"The Sandaime's former teammate and someone who considered himself to be his rival but still could never hold a candle to the Sandaime. He warned me: if someone called Danzo approaches you, come to me immediately and don't talk to him…" Naruto said. "I trusted the old man so I never asked too many questions."
"Danzo leads an organization called the Foundation. He has done many experiments with it and they are basically the dark horses of Konoha. Danzo says they live to protect Konoha and will do the dirty work that the Hokage cannot do. He has his own agenda of course. But sensei always thought he was useful and never got rid of him.
"When you were younger, he fought. He pushed and pushed for you to be given to him so that you could be trained as a weapon that would only live to serve Konoha. You see, Danzo teaches his forces to abandon all emotions. They are nothing but tools. The mission is important than their lives."
Naruto looked into the sky for a moment before responding. "This power within me does attract all kinds of vultures, doesn't it?"
"Well, the Kyubi is still the strongest Bijuu and control over its power means you have a powerful weapon…" Jiraiya said. "It has an unlimited supply of chakra."
That was an overstatement: as long as the Kyubi was a living thing, it could not have an unlimited supply of chakra. If it was a force of nature, then he could understand. The fact was that by human standards, a Bijuus chakra supply was enormous. You didn't have any human who could rival it in terms of pure chakra: this is the reason people even hunted them in the first place – for their chakra.
If was like that in this world, if you had too much power, you either joined them or you faced destruction – a corrupted world. But those with power controlled it and the weak could only complain about in their dark little corner of misery.
"Power… power… that is something people desire. Some will do everything for it… kill, betray, sell their souls. Power is everything… or at least fools think…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "I was being tested …"
"Probably…" Jiraiya said. "Did you give them a good spanking?"
Naruto shook his head. "No…" he said. "Are you going to warn the old hag?"
"Can you stop calling her that?"
Naruto stared for a moment before shaking his head. "When we arrive in Konoha, I will sweep her off her feet and call her princess, will that make you happy?"
Jiraiya painted the thought on his head, and tried to imagine just how Tsunade would react to it. "Try it…" he said with a grin.
"You're being mischievous…" Naruto said. "Then?"
"Of course I have to warn her…" the Sannin said. "Danzo is dangerous and bad news. I will step on his neck if he is trying something."
There had to be a reason the man was making a move now. It could not be that he was simply trying to examine if Naruto was learning something new or not. There was always something with the war hawk. Jiraiya really didn't like dealing with that extremist. It was never good for anyone.
"I guess he is also the dark force Suna was concerned about…" Naruto said in thought.
"You didn't say anything about that…" Jiraiya said to Naruto. "You never said Suna was worried about something happening in Konoha…"
"I didn't?" Naruto asked with a raised eye brow. "It must have slipped my mind because it was something that occurred when I was coming back. But if princess Tsunade is doing things, there shouldn't be anything to worry about… unless Danzo taps into the village's Council… Suna's council I mean…"
"I don't think he'd go that far…" Jiraiya said. "He could just plan for something to happen to Temari and then blame it or any other village."
"That sounds like work…"
"Danzo is work." Jiraiya said in a firm tone. "In the Third shinobi world war, he was pushing for Konoha to pin Iwa down and maybe take over. The village was willing to talk at that point but he didn't want it. He wanted Iwa destroyed. I wouldn't be surprised if he even tried to sabotage them…" the Sannin paused. "I thought you'd show some concern for Temari."
Naruto eyed the Sannin very carefully for a moment before shrugging. Temari: the blond sister of the Kazekage he'd come to know. She was truly a delightful person and to say he got along with her wouldn't be a lie. Still, Naruto wasn't going to stress over it.
"Perhaps… I have to believe that the people in Konoha are not ignorant of this and Suna seems to be aware, so it should be fine…" Naruto said.
Jiraiya shook his head: what did he expect? Did he expect Naruto to cry over it and think of rushing over to the blonde's side? At this time, Jiraiya even considered if Naruto was even really mad that Sasuke tried to kill him. He wondered if the blond was just perhaps mad that he allowed himself to get close when he had grown up distrusting people.
"Guess what?" Jiraiya said, trying to change the subject.
"Guess what?" Naruto responded.
Jiraiya frowned; positive he wasn't going to like Naruto's game. "What?" He forced himself to say.
"I don't want to play."
"The Tsuchikage's granddaughter is within the town, you have to go to her and speak with her." The Toad Sage in a serious tone, ignoring Naruto.
More schemes by Jiraiya… when it came to collecting information and data, the Sannin really went all out. But Naruto was certain that Jiraiya wouldn't have come to him if he could do it himself. Naruto really never bothered himself with Jiraiya's services of gathering Intel. He always made sure to keep a safe distance.
"Why can't you speak to her? Obviously you want to find something about her and Iwagakure…" Naruto said.
Jiraiya nodded his head before smiling. "Well, I don't want to go anywhere close to her. You know young girls sometimes don't like older and experienced men crawling up close to them…" he said. "Besides, it will be more interesting with you speaking to her."
"Ah, Minato wasn't a famous person in Iwagakure… they held a grudge for his actions in war but that should be over now… don't you think?"
Jiraiya nodded. "They won't have anything against you but when you keep your hair long like that, you turning into him…" the Sannin said with a slight shake of his head. "The outside world never knew of Konoha's Jinchuriki, and I don't think even now they know. But there were things happening and we need to know what is happening."
"I doubt I will get much from just speaking to her and you are obviously aware of this…" Naruto said with a stare. "Are you trying to fix me up with her?"
Jiraiya merely grinned, "What would be the problem if I was?"
"I don't find it amusing." Naruto said. "What is she doing here?"
"Well, you see one of my contacts is an Iwa spy… she is here to meet him…" Jiraiya said, he seemed really pleased with himself. "After meeting him, she will leave the town, so you have to speak to her today. I don't want to miss an opportunity."
"More like you don't want me to miss an opportunity…" Naruto said. "Are you sure my performance is that interesting?"
Jiraiya nodded. "I'll be watching."
"Don't…" Naruto said. "I will be uncomfortable knowing that a perverted hermit is busy giggling with his notebook while dreaming about a potential pairing and harems you'll create for me…"
"That wouldn't be a bad idea, you know…" Jiraiya said in thought. "I won't watch but I still want a detailed report."
"Since when have I given you a detailed report?"
Jiraiya frowned. "You will have to stop doing that…" the Sannin said sternly.
"We shall see…" Naruto said as he stood up. "When are we leaving?"
"We have to wait for Kakashi… he is coming here with something from Tsunade. After that, we'll disappear." Jiraiya explained lightly. "What were you working on?"
"Before I came here, I first stopped by somewhere to fetch my armor. I was preparing things and I want formalize myself with it. In our next sparring session, I will be wearing it."
About Two Hours Later
Kurotsuchi: The granddaughter to the Tsuchikage – a young black haired woman who was obviously very attractive. She was obviously a very capable Kunoichi, if given the way she carried herself meant anything. Then again, she was related to the current leader and was thought to be on the front seat to replace Onoki once he does retire from his position. The old man was currently the oldest Kage alive and active.
The Sandaime had made him learn everything about the Kages and their power – a bit of history about them. Information was always essential before you made a move. Naruto was certain though; none of the current Kages could be compared to Hiruzen in terms of strength. In his prime, the Sandaime had no one to rival him. It did make Naruto wonder just how the old man who stack up if he was pitted against the First Hokage or the Second.
Shaking his head; Naruto reminded himself of where he was – in a bar. Shinobi liked this place. Not for the drinks or the pleasures, but exchange for information. It was a good place to overhear conversations, to accidentally 'bump' into certain people. Or maybe to poison someone. Such places existed in another world, far away from the normal things that occurred in the streets.
Naruto picked up his bottles and walked over to the Kurotsuchi – she was sitting alone by a corner. She was obviously looking for someone. She didn't show it, but Naruto had observed people around this place that he could tell what they wanted judging by their body language.
Kurotsuchi looked up when the blond walked up to her. She stared at him, seeing the headband on his forehead – it was bit hidden by the wild blond air, but it was Konoha. She frowned. She wasn't looking forward to dealing with Leaf shinobi. Not now, not at a place like this. But this was the Fire nation, Leaf shinobi were everywhere, so it could not be avoided.
When did she last someone a picture of such blond hair and blue eyes? Oh yes, the Yondaime Hokage – a very famous man. Konoha worshiped the man while Iwa was a little bitter that one man had forced them into the negotiating table during the last war. She was well aware that if not for the Sandaime Hokage, the man would have done more damage than he did. At least that was what her grandfather told her. She didn't see it. She hadn't been born into the world, so the fame of the Yondaime was nothing but a story to her.
"You just didn't think of Konoha's yellow flash, did you?" Naruto asked in a light tone, a small smile on his lips. He was still standing.
Kurotsuchi blinked. "I just did…" she said with narrowed eyes.
"I bet people who have seen him will be thinking the same…" Naruto said with his smile. "Can I join you?"
"No…" Kurotsuchi quickly said.
"I won't take much of your time, Kurotsuchi." Naruto said, looking straight into her eyes. "Oh, and I will tell you a little secret that not even Konoha knows if you let me sit…" he said in a whisper, a sly smile in his lips.
Kurotsuchi frowned. He knew her name. He came here because he knew her. Well, there was no harm in letting him sit with her. She was getting bored alone and was even thinking of leaving anyway. She still had the rest of the day and tomorrow. "You can join me…" she said. "What is the secret?"
Naruto settled gracefully. He noticed, although she had a bottle before her, she wasn't drinking it. "Naruto Uzumaki, a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf…" he pointed at his forehead.
"Uzumaki?" Kurotsuchi asked. She was immediately interested in listening to that person. She was surprised to see someone from that clan here. Not to mention, as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. There were issues with the land of Uzumaki, so seeing another one of them here was a good thing for her.
"Ah yes… Uzumaki…" Naruto said with a smile. "My mother was Uzumaki, born in Uzu… but because of the friendship with the Hidden leaf, she moved there at a young age…"
Kurotsuchi nodded. "Why did you decide to join me?"
"You are a kunoichi of Iwa… and you are sitting here alone… it gives you away…" Naruto said with indifference. "Besides, you are a rather attractive woman. As a man, I can't ignore you."
Kurotsuchi snorted. "Easy pickings..?"
Naruto laughed. "Not at all," he said. "Do you think I came for that? If you want easy pickings…" he said, turning around and pointed at a woman was drinking heavily, "you go for that… you don't approach a woman who isn't even drinking her alcohol and her defenses are as tight as a seal holding back a Jinchuriki."
Kurotsuchi stared for a moment. "That is a funny way of describing someone's defenses…" she said. "But if defenses are not up, scums walk all over you… I don't have time for that…"
"I would think so…" Naruto said.
"Do you just perhaps enjoy the challenge?" Kurotsuchi asked. You could never be too sure when it came to shinobi. Some people were just suckers for punishment. She could never understand masochist.
Naruto smiled mysteriously. "Who knows?"
That smile: Kurotsuchi couldn't read it. She couldn't read a dam thing. She couldn't even read the blond. It made her uncomfortable. "What is the secret you wanted to tell me?"
Naruto smiled a bit sheepishly. "Well, the truth is, I really didn't have any secret. I just wanted you to let me sit with you." He said.
He would admit he lied with such a smile on his lips. She shook her head. "So you are Uzumaki, any connections with Uzushiogakure?"
Naruto took one bottle and put it on his mouth, he took a couple of gulps before putting it the table. "That hit the sweet spot…" he said smiling. "What were you doing alone? People come here with boyfriends, friend… to have fun… I came to drink… you are not drinking, and since this is far from home, we can rule out friends… found love with a man far away from home?" Naruto glanced around the place. "Now which one could be your type? I figure he has to be strong, good looking,… or do you perhaps like women."
"What?!" Kurotsuchi looked baffled.
Naruto laughed. "I'm just messing with you…" he said. "I wanted to see you reaction… but I am curious, do you have someone you love?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I said you were an attractive woman…"
"No…"
Naruto grinned. "Would you like to be friends with me or maybe more than that? Even a friend is better. I don't know you, but I want to know you. Isn't that wonderful? I'm sure as the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, you probably don't get a lot of friends and I'm sure 'boys' are intimidated by you to even come close."
The last one hit the spot but Kurotsuchi wasn't all that concerned with it. She didn't even spend her time thinking about such issues. There were more important issues in life.
"You must be thinking you don't have time for it because you have to think about your career… but I must ask, wasn't it the same for your grandfather? It is especially worse with him since he lived in the times of war. He still made time for family. He had one of your parents and your parents had you. It is only natural for you to continue with the cycle. But that alone isn't enough, it is happiness that matters the most. You should ask your grandfather why he had a family in a time of war."
Kurotsuchi was silent for a couple of moments. "What do you know about happiness? You seem rather happy gulping down the alcohol."
Naruto smiled a small sad smile. "I'm a miserable person who wants to bring happiness in his life…" he said. "What do you say to my offer for friendship? Shinobi want to benefit in everything… I will tell you this… I actually look a bit like Konoha's Yellow Flash because I'm his son… don't tell anyone about it – it's a secret…" he said in a whisper. "So, what do you say, don't you want to befriend someone like me?"
"Given the history with Iwa and the fact that you are Uzumaki, I'd rather kill you than befriend you."
"All the better… Become close to me and you decide whether I should be killed or befriended. You can do that easily while close to me…"
Kurotsuchi thought about it before smiling. "That makes sense…" she said. "You have deal."
Naruto tilted his head the side. His stare made Kurotsuchi uncomfortable. Before she could ask, he spoke. "You have a beautiful smile…" he said. "You asked if I have any connection with Uzu… I can't answer that… nor can I tell you if I can use my father's jutsu… we will talk when we meet again. We are going to be friends, right?"
Kurotsuchi frowned. That was disappointing. She had been hoping that he would start singing like a bird because he was drinking. Wait, if she let him continue, drinking, wouldn't he end up getting drunk? He didn't seem like someone who was fearsome. But you could never know with shinobi right? There was no harm in entertaining him for a bit longer to see if he would sing.
"So…" Kurotsuchi paused, trying to figure out what to say.
"I have said a couple of things about myself, you haven't, why don't you start? Or we can hit a battlefield if you think that is dull… a sparring session could be good… I hear some people understand each other better when they cross blades…" Naruto said with a shrug.
"You don't really believe that, do you?"
"If you close your heart, no one will get to it by fighting you unless you really want them to do so. If you, Kurotsuchi, don't want to be a friend of mine, sparring with me will only change if you find my skills acceptable…" Naruto said. "But I do believe a man and a woman can understand each other better when they do foreplay… you get to know your sensitive areas, and maybe when you hit the good spot, some secrets slip out…"
"You're pervert, aren't you?"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm merely stating what I believe…' he said. "What is it going to be?"
Kurotsuchi would rather have him continue drinking so he gets drunk and start talking. "I'll talk…"
Naruto nodded. "But I have a rule…" he said. "If you lie and I spot it, you take a drink…" he pushed a saucer towards her. "It wouldn't be fun if I got drunk alone, now would it?"
Kurotsuchi frowned. She was going to get drunk. There was a reason she wasn't even drinking in the first place. But Naruto was already way ahead of her and if she doesn't admit that she is lying, how would he tell? Of course, she had no intensions of telling the whole truth. "Fine."
Oh, she regretted that choice
Later
Naruto was sitting by the window, looking over at the streets of the town. Nothing was ever like Konoha. There was peace. There was freedom. Konoha had restricted his movements with its contempt for him and really made things difficult. He could have left any time he wanted. Uzu was his home –it was the home of his mother. But it was dangerous. The people in Konoha would have turned the world upside down looking for him. If they found out he was in Uzu, they'd raise hell.
People like Danzo would be at the forefront of the attacks. The man would be looking for his bijuu – the Kyubi. When it came to him, the only thing the man was interested in was the Bijuu. It didn't matter if Uzu and Konoha were technically still allies, Danzo would try to invade Uzu. If he could not, he would entice the enemies of the Whirlpools to do it for him. The war hawk was capable of doing something like that.
Being here was safer. And as long as he gained strength, it was more than enough. There was not even a need to rush things. He was growing. He needed to grow. They needed to be careful, lest they suffer another tragedy.
"Your ability to remain still for hours still amazes me…" Jiraiya said. He was standing next to Naruto, eyes glancing between the blond and the streets.
"I have been doing this since I was five…" Naruto said. "When you do something repeatedly, it becomes natural for you to do it."
"Well not all things…" Jiraiya said with a sly smile. "What did you to the Tsuchikage's granddaughter?"
"Nothing? Were you threatened by someone?"
Jiraiya shook his head. "No… but she was drunk…"
"Oh yes, we were playing a little game and she was a bit too confident in her ability to lie. Then again, I'd made her a little curious by telling her some things…" Naruto said with indifference. "She is an excellent kunoichi. Even though intoxicated, she didn't say anything. I just helped her to her hotel."
"You don't sound like you got anything out of her…"
"It wasn't my intention to get something out of her…" Naruto said. "I just wanted to lay the foundation for future relations. I'm sure tomorrow or when she wakes up, she will be very pleased that I was a gentleman despite there being occasions she felt compelled to ask if I was a pervert."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying that you will see her again?"
"Naturally…" Naruto said with a nod. "Who knows, we might be friends."
"Can you try to be a little enthusiastic about that?" Jiraiya said, seeing the indifference in Naruto's body language. "Kakashi will arrive tomorrow. After he leaves, we will depart. Do everything you need to do by the end of the day because we leave tomorrow."
"There isn't much for me to do…" Naruto said. "Some rest will do…" he said with a yawn. "I think I will sleep for the rest of the day. My mind is a little tired and I don't want to be seen by Kurotsuchi. A year later, she'll look at me and think, 'oh, this is the guy who I got drunk with and then walked me to my place, and laid me on my bed.' A bit of an embarrassing moment… if she tries to think of what if…"
"You're cruel…" Jiraiya said. "She is going to be thinking about that the moment she wakes up. You didn't leave any letter, nothing, you just left."
"That brings curiosity and the desire… sensei." Naruto said in a simple tone. "When you passionately kiss a woman, and then leave her with a hand on her lips, thinking 'wow.' She will think about that kiss when she wakes up, when she kisses another man."
"Speaking like a corn artist… you do that often?"
Naruto shrugged. "You jealous that I can do that? Well, I could understand, I don't see any woman chasing after you, saying they want more."
"I haven't seen any woman chasing after you either."
"Nice touch," Naruto grunted. "But you should be satisfied that we shall speak again, no? For better relations with Konoha and Iwa, that is suitable… I bet the creepy geezers in dark corners would be thinking about a political marriage."
Three months later
Jiraiya damn sensei; Naruto couldn't understand the Sannin at times. He really did like doing things at his own time and wouldn't allow anyone to interfere. He never really did like spending too much time at one place. They'd spent two months training together and the Sannin then suddenly said he was going and would return soon. He never returned. He left him and never returned for a whole month and now a letter came, saying they would meet in the Cloud so that Naruto could test himself against another Jinchuriki.
Naruto hadn't been afraid of being alone, but the he had been warned, don't use the Kyubi's chakra while I am away, just continue learning using the fire element. Of course, Naruto hadn't listened to those demands. He had promised, but he didn't follow through with it. Jiraiya couldn't force him to do what he didn't want to do. Besides that, Naruto had seals in place in case he lost control once more.
He was currently walking through the land of Hot of Water, coming all the way from the Land of Tea. It was a long journey but-
Naruto's thoughts came to a halt as he sensed something: he immediately twisted around. A large snake was hissing loudly as it slithered towards him in speed. Naruto stood still, watching it with indifference. The snake didn't stop; it continued to charge towards him. As it neared him, it lunged towards him, trying to smash him with its head. Naruto merely raised right hand, with its palm open.
The snake slammed into the hand, coming to a complete halt. Naruto didn't move, not even a muscle. He might look a bit slim, but he had conditioned his body. He might not be in the standards of someone like Gai, but he could hold his own in terms of physical strength.
Naruto ignored the hissing snake and looked up. "Orochimaru…" he said seeing the snake Sannin, standing atop of the snake with a wide grin, hands folded across his chest.
Naruto should be afraid of Orochimaru. There was no question that the Sannin was a powerful shinobi, and not someone who should be taken lightly. But Naruto wasn't afraid. He was merely curious. What did the snake want with him? He was getting guests these days. First it was Itachi and now it was this snake? It couldn't be any good if someone like Orochimaru had to come himself.
Their last encounter hadn't been a good one. He had nearly died after facing Kabuto.
Orochimaru looked at Naruto with interest. The blond's hair had truly grown and a bit wild. But that interested him was the way he dressed: it was a bit like Madara, but the armor didn't have shoulder plates, and the blond wore a crimson shirt, and with gloves that matched that color. You could hardly ignore the Uzumaki symbol on his chest and around the metal plates. "You have taken quite the transformation, Naruto-kun."
Naruto shook his head. "This has always been in design, Orochimaru… there was just never an appropriate time to wear it. As you can see, it does draw some inspiration from a rather infamous Uchiha." The blond explained lightly.
Orochimaru laughed. "I didn't take you for a history fan… not to mention Uchiha…"
Naruto shrugged. "But history is origins, Orochimaru. In some way or the other, our pasts are what shape our futures. I'm not a fan of the Uchiha but well, Madara had something I like about him…"
"Oh?" Orochimaru was immediately interested in what Naruto had to say. "What is that?"
"Nothing really, I was merely interested in your reaction…" Naruto said with indifference. "I hear you love yourself some Uchiha… the Sharingan to be precise. Well, to say 'love' is corrupting the word. Let us just call it a perverse obsession."
"Kukukukukukukukuku!" Orochimaru laughed hysterically at the response from Naruto. "I get the feeling that you have always been like this, Naruto-kun…"
Naruto raised an eye brow, "Well, that would certainly be an interesting development." He said carelessly.
"Yes, and it does draw me closer to trying to study more about you. I'd always dismissed you but when we first met you seemed rather mysterious, and you never stood out… but I'm beginning to think that was by design and dismissing you might have been an oversight on my behalf."
Orochimaru actively searching what he can about him? Now that was a dangerous development. Naruto didn't want that but he couldn't tell the Sannin to stop. "I'm certain I will have nightmares about this…" the blond responded calmly. "What can I do for you, Orochimaru?"
"Don't be so hasty to end the conversation; we were getting along just fine…" Orochimaru said with a laugh. "You proudly wear the Uzumaki crest but yet 'don't' have a connection with Uzu… that does set the mind racing. I'm sure the people in Konoha will be on guard if they see you boldly wearing the symbol of the Uzumaki."
"Well I am Uzumaki and anyone who says I can't wear the symbol of my clan is just being ridiculous. I doubt Konoha will even have a say about it when they also wear the symbol."
Once more, Orochimaru laughed. "So when are you going to Uzu to be with your people? Who doesn't love their clan?"
"If they invite me, I will surely be interested in seeing my fellow clansman…" Naruto said. "I see, you brought your little pet project with you. I was praying that you'd have consumed him by now."
"He is still training…" Orochimaru said with a grin. "You don't mind being a test subject do you? With that armor, you should be at least a good punching bag. Not to mention you have the Kyubi with you. I want to see how my Sasuke has grown."
"Sasuke isn't worth me using the Kyubi's power. He is just a little child with some mental problems. Well, you two suit each other well. You both have loose screws up in your heads. Perhaps Sasuke has been suffering from the mental effects of his brother's genjutsu…" Naruto said in a cold tone.
"I think I am beginning to like you Naruto."
Naruto shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't swing that way…"
Orochimaru frowned. The blond was mentally strong, unlike Sasuke. But truly, he was proving to be an interesting subject. If he does manage to survive here, Orochimaru wouldn't mind taking him back to the hideout. "Sasuke, you can come out…"
The Uchiha flashed behind Naruto. "You have trained your dog well, Orochimaru. I didn't think that you could train it better like this."
"Kukukuku…" Orochimaru chuckled lightly. "Sasuke-kun is more than that…"
"Oh, I am very much aware what he means to you, Orochimaru." Naruto said with indifference.
Sasuke stared at Naruto with an expressionless mask. This person had made him jealous of his growth. But he was here. He had trained hard under Orochimaru. He had abandoned all emotions and focused on his training. He was confident that he could beat him even with the power of the Kyubi.
"This is rather interesting, isn't it, Naruto?" Sasuke started in a calm tone, eyeing the blond. He had yet to even activate his Sharingan.
"I guess you can say that…" Naruto said. "You do mean the fact that last time we stood like this I was chasing after you and now you are the one who has run after me?"
"Yes…" Sasuke said.
Naruto shrugged. "Well, I have never been the one good on chasing people. Admittedly, I don't really care what you do. Even if you strip down and bend down for Orochimaru to screw you, that isn't my problem." Naruto said indifferently. "Nevertheless, Konoha has ordered that you be returned before you carry Orochimaru's children. And as a shinobi of the Leaf, I must follow those orders."
Sasuke didn't like those words. It was insulting to think of what Naruto was saying. But in the end, he ignored those words. "Let us hope that the armor isn't just for show and you can actually fight."
"And I hope that you actually learned something…" Naruto said. He clapped his hands together for a moment before, stretching his neck muscles. "Come Uchiha. Show me if you can really dance."
"That is some tough talk from someone I beat… you've never been able to beat me and there will be no change."
"In terms of arrogance, yes… you will win…" Naruto said. "Admittedly, you had more skills than I do… your sponsors liked you because of those skills and not to mention the Sharingan."
Sasuke smirked. "So you do admit that I was better than you…"
"Yes… painfully so…" Naruto said calmly. "I am not the one to fail to recognize someone's skills when they are better. But of course, that was the past."
"Are you saying you are better than me now?" Sasuke asked with narrowed eyes.
He always did feel superior but Naruto always had to undermine him. He always had to show that despite all his efforts, he could still get better. Sasuke had hated it. He had hated that someone without a bloodline could match him. Even when he was doing better, they'd always been a feeling that Naruto's wasn't really giving it his best. They'd always been a feeling that the blond could do better than what he showed he could do.
And that was always pissed him off.
Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Who knows? If you're still the same child who sees hatred whenever Itachi's name is mentioned, you can't defeat me."
Sasuke glared.
"Sasuke-kun…" Orochimaru called from the sides. "Don't kill him. He could prove to be a very useful subject."
"Laughable…" Naruto said, but he didn't look the least amused. The arrogance in Orochimaru to assume that Sasuke could kill him, it was mystifying. "Orochimaru, this arrogance of yours is the reason you actually believed that you could destroy the Hidden Leaf. What a miserable person you are. You lost the use of your hands in your arrogance and had to crawl to Tsunade looking for help… please don't incite Sasuke to do something reckless; I will gouge his eyes out, have them crystalized and then put them on display in my throne room."
"Kukukukukuku!" Orochimaru laughed. "Big words, Naruto-kun. I can see why sensei replaced me with you…" the snake grinned. "Do it, Sasuke."
A bit annoyed at being commanded like that, but Sasuke still dashed towards Naruto. The blond didn't move but just watched him with sharpened eyes.
Sasuke reached Naruto and unsheathed his sword; he swung it across Naruto's chest in blinding speed. Naruto took a step backwards slightly and watched as sparks flew with the blade running through his chest metal plate.
He held out his right hand and summoned the Sword of the Thunder God from a storage seal on a plate around his waist.
Seeing the sword, Sasuke encased his own sword with lightning and swung it towards Naruto. The sword clashed with Naruto's creating a huge spark of lightning. He attempted to push the blond backwards but Naruto didn't budge. Not even an inch.
Sasuke jumped back while flipping his sword to his sheath. The sound of birds chirping invaded his ears as he summoned lightning on his right hand. He pointed towards Naruto. "Chidori Eiso!" A lightning spear spread through quickly towards Naruto.
The blond reacted instinctively by shifting his body to his left while positioning his sword to block the jutsu. It managed to graze through his right shoulder before Naruto pushed it away with his sword.
Sasuke cancelled his jutsu and burst towards Naruto. He flipped several times as he neared and tried to slam his right foot above Naruto's head. The blond took a step back to avoid the kick. Sasuke managed to flip once more and touch the ground with his hands, his body positioned upside down. He quickly bent his arms before going airborne.
"Katon; Great Fire Ball no Jutsu!" Sasuke breathed in before exhaling a large fire ball. The flames sped towards Naruto quickly. Sasuke was left puzzled when the flames suddenly disappeared into thin air as if they had just burnt out.
When Naruto flashed in front of him while he was still in mid-air, Sasuke activated his fully matured sharingan and saw the incoming punch directed at his chest. He quickly flipped, twisted above the blond. He stretched out his hands and touched Naruto's shoulders before using them to propel himself further away.
He twisted around in flash and tried to kick Naruto on the back of his head. Naruto held out his right hand and gathered wind around the tip of his middle finger. He gathered enough chakra for the Uchiha to even spot the chakra build up.
"Wind Bullet."
Sasuke still couldn't react swiftly to avoid the bullet that sped through in the blink of an eye and collided with his chest. There was so much force behind it and Sasuke felt the air leave him for a moment before he was sent flying backwards.
He recovered quickly by flipping once before landing down. A second later, Naruto crashed in front of him, driving his fist towards his chest. Uchiha twisted anticlockwise while unsheathing his sword. He did not swing it but rather raised his left leg and tried slamming his right foot on Naruto's gut the blond caught his kick with his left hand.
Sasuke smirked before swinging his sword in a slash aimed just above Naruto's shoulders. The blond reacted by leaping backwards and then did a sudden pull on the foot he'd caught. The sudden movements made him lose his balance and just sword just flashed past Naruto's face.
Naruto pulled Sasuke towards him while still holding him. He slammed a brutal wind enhanced punch on the Uchiha's chest. Sasuke felt something crack before spitting out blood. His whole upper body ached as Naruto did a quick twist before hitting him on the forehead with a powerful kick.
Sasuke was sent flying backwards. He crashed into the ground and laid there for a couple of moments. He clutched his chest for a moment before getting up.
He cursed as he saw Naruto jumping into the air before kicking a dark orb of flames towards him. His Sharingan could see the wind around the blond's foot. The speed in which he kicked the ball was just ridiculous. More so the speed of the flames. Yet, Sasuke straightened his body and shifted to the right a bit. He felt intense flames burning his chest as the ball sped past him. It was only for less than a second and yet it managed to burn his shirt around his chest.
Sasuke didn't get to thank his Sharingan when he felt the tremendous explosion of the flames and the heat it produced; Naruto had appeared before him, stabbing his sword towards his chest. Sasuke managed to move his body a hit to avoid it but the lightning sword pierced through his shoulder.
Naruto didn't step there; he slammed a small Rasengan on Sasuke's chest, sending the Uchiha flying backwards.
'Shit' Sasuke mentally shouted after crashing. He was seriously hurting. At this point, Naruto was going to shatter his ribcage. He couldn't allow that to continue.
His eyes widened slightly as sensed a heat wave coming towards him. Sasuke gritted his teeth before activating his level 2 cursed seal. The flames touched him and exploded into a massive cloud of flames. The Uchiha burst out of the flames with wings behind him.
Seeing the Uchiha's form, Naruto shook his head. "How unsightly…" he said. "Then again, this is how far you are willing to go for power."
"I don't want to hear that from a Jinchuriki."
Naruto shrugged indifferently. "I didn't seal the Kyubi within me." He said.
"Doesn't matter…" Sasuke's wings flapped before he vanished from sight. He appeared behind Naruto and kicked the blond on his back. Naruto flipped several times before twisting around. He landed gracefully.
Sasuke was right above him, a Chidori on his hand. Naruto summoned a Rasengan and slammed it towards Sasuke's jutsu. When the jutsus collided, there was an explosion of chakra and lightning. Seeing that he was being pushed back, Naruto jumped backwards to create some distance between him and the Uchiha.
But Sasuke cut the distance in the blink of an eye. The Uchiha attempted to kick him straight on his face but Naruto crossed both his hands, and the kick hit the defense. Naruto's body slid through the ground considerably after being pushed back.
"Chidori Senbon!" Sasuke fired multiple senbons towards Naruto in quick succession.
Naruto frowned before summoning his lightning sword. His hands blurred through the air as the sword collided with the senbons but a couple hit him on his knees and left shoulder. While swinging his sword, Sasuke flashed below him. "Chidori!" The Uchiha slammed the jutsu on Naruto's gut. But the blond suddenly burst into hundreds of sharp almost invisible wind blades that cut through Sasuke's hand although his elbow. Sasuke cursed feeling that some chakra points had been damaged.
Naruto appeared on the Uchiha's left side with a wind blade on his right hand. The blade extended massively. "The Emperor's Cutter!" He swung it in a downwards slash and it cut through Sasuke's wings.
Sasuke cried out in pain as the stage two failed him. When he saw Naruto swinging his sword once more, in panic he released a jutsu. "Chidori Nagashi!"
Naruto didn't even wince when Sasuke discharged electrical currents that hit his body. It rendered him motionless for a moment and Sasuke used that chance to get away from Naruto.
The Uchiha cursed inwardly as he breathed heavily. He wasn't going to lose this battle. He would not lose it. Stage one of the cursed seal was still active. He could still fight.
"Disappointing Sasuke, I expected better from you…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "Oh, right, three months ago, I was with Itachi… he says 'hi' but at this point, I will be the one to kill him before you do. It will be sweet, isn't it? If I take away your precious revenge away from you."
Sasuke was angry. He was mad. He forgot about the pain and lunged towards Naruto but he was stopped from doing as a large snake appeared in the middle.
"We are leaving, Sasuke!" Orochimaru hissed while standing atop of the snake's head.
"No…" the Uchiha said. "I need to finish things with him."
"It is no longer possible…" Orochimaru hissed. "Come on now!" He almost shouted.
Too late, a giant Toad crashed into the scene. Jiraiya was standing atop of the Toad. "The legendary Jiraiya-sama has arrived!"
"Kukukuku…" Orochimaru greeted his former teammate with a laugh. "While I would like to play with you, Jiraiya, we were on our way."
"Oh?" The Toad Sage grinned. "Do you think I am going to let you escape? You just attacked my apprentice… and I know why you are in a hurry to leave. This is a good opportunity to take both of you to Konoha."
"Some other time.." Orochimaru said. "Sasuke!" He hissed and this time, the Uchiha listened. "It was a pleasure, Naruto-kun. We shall speak soon… perhaps next time; I'll be the one entertaining you…" Orochimaru bowed mockingly.
Explosions started to tear through the ground like a chain reaction. Massive amounts of flames and smoke covered the area for a couple of minutes. When everything cleared, Orochimaru was gone.
"Damn…" Jiraiya cursed. "Got away again. Thanks Gamabunta… we could have been late…"
The Toad chief didn't respond to Jiraiya and turned towards Naruto. He had kept his eyes on him. Even when that explosion occurred, he hadn't moved. Not a muscle. He just stood there without even shielding his eyes.
"Yoh…" Naruto said to the staring Toad Chief. "I'm not bleeding, am I?"
"No…" Gamabunta said. "Jiraiya…" the Toad said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Jiraiya landed gracefully and checked Naruto for a moment. He wasn't completely surprised to see that Naruto looked perfectly fine despite this encounter. Sasuke had used the cursed seal but Naruto still didn't use the Kyubi's chakra. There wasn't even a sign that jutsus had been thrown around the area. "Well that was close, I am glad that he didn't want to fight… we'd have been screwed."
Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. "You're a clone…" he said. "But I wasn't concerned about anything. Orochimaru would have taken me to one of his labs and molested me if I had lost nevertheless."
Jiraiya shook his head. "I'll be waiting for you in the Cloud… we'll talk about this… I'm almost out of chakra." When Naruto stare, "just do the obvious, book a place and I will find you…"
"And if I hide?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "You are going to wander through a bar one day… I'll find you…" he then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Naruto shook his head and looked at himself for a moment. He dusted himself up and then frowned. He needed to clean himself up. But he wasn't that much of a mess. He started walking slowly towards the Hidden Cloud.
He would need rest once he gets there; this fight wasn't something he'd wanted to do. At least he'd managed to save chakra and had Jiraiya not showed up, he would have been forced to use his ninjutsu arsenal to try to counter the threat the Uchiha posed in that form. Admittedly, he would have been in trouble.
After walking for a couple of minutes, Naruto's movements came to a halt. He glanced on his left: Itachi was sitting on a tree branch, watching him carefully. "Itachi, I thought you wouldn't show up…" he said. "But you are a clone…" Naruto started walking away again.
"You reached out to me and you are going to walk away?"
Naruto stopped walking and glanced over to the Uchiha for a moment. He realized that Itachi he didn't have his sharingan activated. But that wasn't the reason that made him turn over to the Uchiha. Naruto walked over and leaned against the tree trunk, folded his hands across his chest and then spoke. "I am listening."
Itachi started in a measured tone. "You have truly improved… but not surprising since you are being trained by Jiraiya."
"Why do you talk to me, Itachi?"
"You are a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf; was a teammate of my brother and you are Uzumaki…" Itachi explained. "Those things matter, more so than you are willing to admit or to show. But I am here because I am connected to all three parties in some way."
"How connected how are you to Uzumaki, Itachi?"
"Uzu… but I cannot get into those details. Perhaps I will never get to them with you." Itachi responded. "Let us talk about your connection with my brother and Konoha… tell me, although you are Uzumaki, you are still a Konoha shinobi… Should things come to a point in the near future that Sasuke tries to attack Konoha, would you stop him? Do you no longer care that you are more than willing to kill him if it meant protecting Konoha?"
Naruto glanced up for a moment before closing his eyes. "That raises questions, Itachi. Why would Sasuke even try to destroy the Hidden Leaf? He left it to gain power…"
"Sasuke is gullible and can easily be painted any color by anyone with the means. The fact that he left Konoha to join Orochimaru is proof of this. Orochimaru tried to destroy Konoha once and failed, if he has Sasuke and regains his strength, wouldn't he try to do it again?"
"Unlikely but for argument's sake, let us say he does… and Sasuke is with him… why are you talking to me specifically?"
"Because you were the only friend Sasuke was able to make. I realize that you are not going to try to talk Sasuke into returning to the Leaf. You didn't say a word about it when fighting him."
Naruto shook his head. "Just because I didn't talk to him about it doesn't mean that if I'd broken both his legs and clipped his wings, I wouldn't have dragged him to the Leaf. Despite my views about him, if the mission is to stop Sasuke by any means, I will do it."
"I see…" Itachi said silent for a couple of moments before speaking again. "I am speaking to you because I want to understand you and your motives. You want to get stronger, but for what? You haven't shown any desire for anything but I know you are not completely without any desire. You have hopes, you want something but I don't know what it is."
"And that makes you nervous of the Uzumaki's revival?" Naruto asked. "But what is my connection to this? Yes, I do have dreams, but I am not the one to share them a public knowledge. Still, that doesn't answer the core question to your interest in my dreams and the potential connection to the Uzumaki."
"I am a rogue shinobi of Konoha and wanted, but I don't want to consider you an enemy. However, I must know: where is your home, Naruto? Uzumaki is more than just clan politics, but it is home. It is the place where your mother was born… Is your home Konoha or Uzu?" Itachi asked. "You have always proudly worn the symbol of your clan and even now, you wear it. You are proud of being Uzumaki, which begs the question, why are you not in Uzu?"
"Whether we are enemies or not depends on my response to your question, Itachi. And although I do not wish to make an enemy out of you, I don't want to share anything with you. You are not my friend and your motives are unknown to me. You seem to concern yourself with where my loyalties lie, but how does that affect you in anyway?"
Itachi was silent for a moment. He really hoped that he wasn't wrong. Naruto was more than someone who was ranked a genin by Konoha. Itachi was almost certain of this but there was no evidence, and Naruto wasn't going to admit it. "Despite everything that has happened, I was a former shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and I do care for what happens in it. This is why I ask if you'd be willing to stop Sasuke and if you are loyal to Konoha."
"Sounds like Konoha's dark knight…" Naruto said with a shake of his head. "As long as I am a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, I will fight for it: I have already said this to you."
"And when you are not?"
"Who knows? We are not at that time yet." Naruto said calmly. "My life is simple. I have a simple way of doing things. I don't care about a lot of things. I'm not bound by hatred. But I am not a truly happy person. I do desire happiness, who doesn't?"
"What of what Konoha has done to you? Your life in Konoha has been nothing short of misery… I can understand why you'd be miserable. There has not really been any reason to be happy when Konoha hasn't made it possible for you."
"I was wronged, but no one will admit that. Should I just forget it, Itachi? Should I say that yes, those people made him miserable, they treated me with nothing but contempt. I was mocked for being an orphan… yet the very reason I became an orphan was that they could live. What would you feel?
"The Sandaime used to say that I should work hard to prove to them to that I am not the Kyubi but a hero. It was laughable. My parents sacrificed their lives, they sacrificed me… I am okay with that. But to treat me with contempt, for the wrong reasons, to blame me to the deaths of your loved ones when you really did nothing but just an innocent child – that, I cannot accept. They told their kids not to play with me… they isolated me. I was a danger, for 11 years straight and I must work to show that I am good? I have nothing to prove. And I will not accept people who loathed my existence for years and to suddenly shift and smile while ignoring the things they did to me.
To be forgiven, you must ask for it. You must work for it. There must be a balance. They were wrong, they must accept that. I was not wrong. I did not kill anyone. But I was used as a tool to stop the destruction, the killing, and yet, the hatred." Naruto said in an icy cold tone. "Those are thoughts Itachi, am I wrong?"
Naruto's tone was cold, it made Itachi uncomfortable, but he could not sense a bit of hatred, but there was anger, yet it wasn't in Naruto's tone. He was unnerved by it. How do you say such words without expressing anger and hatred?
"One who becomes a Kage is one that is recognized by the people. The people are Konoha. Perhaps I would have told you the same thing the Sandaime told you: To work hard to prove to Konoha that you are truly a hero, because if you really love Konoha, you would do that. People are emotional, they will always overreact. There will be bad apples, and maybe some times it is the majority, but we cannot let that define what Konoha is…"
"You sound like someone who does love their village and that is okay. I have nothing against that, you have to love someone, but my question isn't about the love for Konoha. Before we get to that, we must talk about what is right and wrong. If we simply brush aside that, we become fundamentally flawed." Naruto said. "There is the truth, right and wrong. I do not love blindingly. If something is corrupt and you love it, you will try to correct, but there will be limits. If Sasuke cannot be saved and attacks Konoha, he must be killed. That is what you are saying. But why must he be killed? If Konoha's Kage suddenly decides to invade another village for the simple reason of expansion, do you support it, or do you do the right thing and kill the Kage?"
"Those are my thoughts, Itachi. You decide what you think." Naruto said in a firm tone. "In the meantime, you have your issues to deal with. When I am in Tanzaku, we shall speak again."
"How were you even able to keep tabs on me?"
Naruto merely smiled. "You have your secrets, I have mine… perhaps in our next conversation, we shall share…"
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