章節 69: Chapter 23: Fated Encounter
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Chapter 23: Fated Encounter
Naruto jumped through the tall trees, the sky was beginning to elucidate as the darkness faded to reveal the light. He continued on his path, it had been over 6 hours since he left Konoha and sure enough, Jiraiya was right in his assumption.
The jinchuuriki could easily identify the clues left behind to lead him to where he was currently heading. The Akatsuki attack was just a ploy to make him leave the village but he wondered whether they thought he would know.
He jumped onto the floor preferring to walk since he could see the end of the forest ahead. The birds were singing as they rose from their slumber and signalled the rising of the sun. Walking past the last tree, Naruto entered an extremely large plain which he was familiar with.
The sound of the great waterfall crashing into the water below resonated throughout the colossal valley. He walked forward as the memories of his and Sasuke's battle surged through his mind. He continued to the edge of the rock, capable of seeing the two magnificently carved statues in the distance.
The Kyuubi vessel leapt from his position to the bottom of the valley descending rapidly as the air rushed past him. Landing hardly on his feet, he caused the dust to rise around him. He paid no attention to the irritating particles and walked forwards to the edge of the calm water in front of him. Smirking, he faced straight across the large span of water into the darkness, "There's no point in hiding if you're not going to conceal your chakra completely."
He waited a few moments before two people stepped out of the shadows of the huge rocks behind them, revealing the trademark Akatsuki cloaks. Deidara grinned, "What took you so long yeah?"
Naruto kept a staid demeanour as he gazed into the remorseless eyes of the S-class criminal, "When you know where to go…why pressure yourself?"
Tobi scratched his head as he saw his partner and the genin exchange words. "You knew to come here?" He tried to sound as ignorant as possible.
Naruto shook his head, "If you're going to leave tracks, at least make it seem like it was accidental. For a group of S-ranked criminals, you suck at planning."
Deidara raised an eyebrow looking at Tobi who was the one that left the tracks leading to their location. Tobi on the other hand, stood still, not displaying any backlash at the insult, "It got the job done, that's what counts."
Naruto smirked, "You won't live to regret this move."
Deidara began to laugh before withdrawing a kunai from inside his cloak. He twirled the three pronged kunai on his finger looking at the special seal wrapped around it, "I was wondering why what you did back there seemed so familiar yeah." He stopped spinning the kunai, grasping it tightly in his hand, "Then I realised. The stories I was told as a child, this technique was feared by so many of Iwagakure's shinobi; the jutsu which single-handedly helped that pathetic piece of crap turn the tables of the war in Konoha's favour yeah."
Naruto seethed with anger as he heard the criminal insult the deceased Yondaime, "You're the one who's pathetic, running like a coward."
Deidara smirked, "You've been training but don't be so confident that you can beat us. I know from your execution that you haven't mastered this technique yeah."
Naruto laughed at the art appreciating criminal much to his dismay, "Unlike you, I don't rely on only one form of attack, dumbass."
Tobi looked on intrigued by the heated confrontation. Deidara's eye twitched, "What the hell did you call me yeah?"
Naruto stayed silent getting ready for whatever the criminal might do whereas Tobi continued staring indifferently. Deidara was about to make a move before a loud voice reverberated through the valley, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"
Deidara halted his actions upon hearing the commanding tone whereas Naruto followed the trail of sound to the top of the valley. Naruto stared wide eyed as he realised that there were 3 of the shinobi's present. He initially thought that it would only be Deidara and one other after what Jiraiya told him. This didn't worry the jinchuuriki since he believed that he still stood a good chance of winning but with another one of them present, the odds changed drastically. He looked at the newest company taking note of his commanding aura. His orange hair was spiked and flowed with the wind. His masculine face and the small goatee from his chin showed signs of wisdom however the nose plugs running from the side of his nose to underneath his eyes sent a menacing vibe.
The leader of the Akatsuki stared directly towards Naruto locking eyes with the alert shinobi. He smirked before jumping towards the ground. Landing silently he rose to address the other 2 criminals, "I see the plan went well."
Naruto clenched his fists wondering whether they would all attack him. He felt some of his confidence leave noting the gravity of his predicament. He remained valiant listening to the criminal's converse.
Tobi gave a laugh, "Yep, we were awesome."
Deidara smacked his partner around the head, "What do you mean we? I was the one who attacked their crappy village. You had to leave tracks and you even made that too obvious yeah."
The leader of the Akatsuki turned to face the genin ignoring their antics, "Return to the base. I'll take care of this."
Naruto raised an eyebrow as he heard the command. He began to wonder how confident this new arrival was if he was willing to let the other two depart. Deidara nodded not bothering to add anything. He formed another one of his sculptures in the form of a bird before it transformed into a larger size. He boarded the newly made transport as his black haired partner followed suit, still rubbing his head. They took off into the air before their figures became indistinct in the horizon.
An uncanny stillness loomed over the valley, only the sound of the waterfall thrashing making its way to the jinchuuriki's ears. Naruto stared at the orange haired criminal across him who was yet to make even the slightest of movements. "You're the one who's behind everything aren't you?"
The criminal didn't respond instead walking towards the edge of the small plot of land and onto the river. Naruto took a defensive stance as the leader of the Akatsuki continued walking until he reached the middle of the clear water. The orange haired criminal paused momentarily before taking a battle stance. He waved his hand in front of him before settling.
Naruto glared in his direction, perfectly ready for anything he might attempt. He waited cautiously but his eyes widened as he saw the sky slowly become red and the river in front of him distort. 'Genjutsu…when he waved his hand.'
He was broken roughly from his thoughts as a sharp pain entered his stomach making him buckle over.
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Neji slowly walked up the steps leading to Naruto's apartment, his mind dwelling on what he had seen of the Uzumaki's coils the previous day. He didn't get the chance to approach Naruto since he was occupied with handling a few reports on the attack by Akatsuki.
Reaching the platform at the top of the stairs, he walked towards the apartment but stopped when he saw the door was open and partially broken. He had never been in this part of Konoha before and it was his first time ever going to Naruto's home. He wondered whether the door was always like this. Slowly pushing it open to make enough space, he walked into the small abode.
He instantly recognised its plain appearance compared to his own home. There were a few pieces of rugged furniture and the boards across the floor were visibly in terrible shape. He looked around as he walked towards the kitchen. The scene in front of him was something that he didn't expect to encounter.
Jiraiya was uncomfortably positioned in one of the chairs at the table while his head rested on the rough surface. It seemed as though the frog hermit was the only other occupant in the residence apart from himself. He moved forwards to the legendary sannin, "Jiraiya-sama."
The legendary sannin began to stir as his grogginess relieved itself. As he became aware of his consciousness his eyes shot open before he rose as quickly as he could. Unfortunately, the effects of the drug Naruto had slipped into his sake had not fully disappeared causing him to fall to the floor.
Neji watched awkwardly, aware of the strange state, "Is there something wrong?"
Jiraiya sat down on the floor looking up at Neji when he realised there was someone else present, "Who are you?"
Neji didn't mind the obliviousness as he introduced himself, "Hyuuga Neji."
Jiraiya struggled to his feet trying to become accustomed to his condition. He realised that he must be the Hyuuga prodigy that Naruto had told him of on their training trip. Jiraiya stared at the scroll and book on the table for a few moments.
"Forgive me, I didn't want things to end like this."
Jiraiya let out a heavy sigh before placing the two items inside his red vest. 'It's not going to end like this gaki. I'm not going to let you do this.' He turned to face Neji with a serious expression, "I need you to take me to the Godaime's office right now."
Neji asked his own question thinking Jiraiya would know, "Where's Naruto?"
Jiraiya shook his head, "I'll tell you on the way there. Stop wasting time."
Neji nodded noting the hint of imperativeness in the frog hermit's voice. Jiraiya followed the jounin outside using the wall to support himself. As they exited the simple dwelling, Neji put Jiraiya's arm around his shoulder before taking off in the direction of the Hokage's office. Both shinobi failed to recognise another presence walking up the stairs and witnessing them leave. The strangers black hair swayed with the wind as he walked to Naruto's apartment.
As Neji jumped across the rooftops, he voiced his question, "So where is he?"
Jiraiya watched the buildings fly by, impressed with the speed at which they were travelling. He could tell by the small display that the shinobi was definitely close to the higher level jounins in Konoha, "No longer here."
Neji continued looking ahead as they neared the Hokage tower, "What do you mean?"
Jiraiya was thinking about the situation whilst answering Neji, "You'll learn soon enough. I don't have time to explain everything."
Neji didn't say anything but wasn't satisfied with the limited information that he had received. They landed near the window of the Hokage's office before Jiraiya began to walk on his own towards his preferred entranceway. He looked back momentarily, "Follow me."
Neji coughed slightly, knowing full well what kind of consequence interrupting the Hokage in such an unruly manner could hold. Jiraiya waved off his concern as the Hyuuga followed him inside the office.
Tsunade looked up from her paperwork at the two new people in her office. She was used to having Jiraiya interrupt her however she didn't expect to find the Hyuuga prodigy by his side. She glared at Neji before speaking, "What are you doing here? And why aren't you using the normal entrance like everyone else?" She raised an eyebrow as Neji looked away from her scrutinising gaze.
Jiraiya walked across the room before taking a seat in the chair across Tsunade's desk, "I told him to follow me. There are more important matters at hand."
Tsunade looked at her ex-teammate enquiringly, "Explain."
Neji spoke quickly stopping their conversation from picking up, "If you don't mind me asking." The two sannin looked in his direction, "I needed to know something about Naruto."
Tsunade was late to answer as Jiraiya spoke first, "Go ahead."
The Hokage glared at Jiraiya as the Hyuuga began to speak, "Yesterday, when I had my byakugan activated, I saw the condition of Naruto's inner coils." Tsunade inwardly hoped he wasn't able to discover anything about Naruto's secret, "Such a thing is not normal and there were two chakra's inside of him. One of them seemed to have a mind of its own. I wanted to know whether you were aware of this and if you have an explanation."
Jiraiya closed his eyes, "You're as observant and as clever as Naruto said you were." Neji waited as the frog hermit resumed, "Gather all his friends and return here. Everything will be explained to you."
Tsunade's eyes widened, "Jiraiya, it isn't our place to tell any of them!"
The frog hermit sighed, "Fine, bring all your previous team leaders as well. They will determine whether you are fit to hear this news or not."
Tsunade once again protested, wondering how that made anything better, "That still doesn't make it right!"
Jiraiya opened his eyes locking them with the busty blonde. The expression on his face was one that was extremely rare. The last time the Hokage had seen this type of demeanour was when the frog hermit and Naruto had came to convince her to become the Godaime. "The only person whose place it was to decide might not be coming back."
Tsunade sighed disliking what that insinuation could mean. She looked at Neji deciding that the quicker he left she would know, "Do what he said…but there's no need to involve Team 7."
Neji nodded as he made his way find the rest of the rookie 9 and his own team. Opening the door he knew that whatever was going on was very important. The door closed behind the jounin leaving the former team mates alone. Tsunade looked back at Jiraiya, "Where's Naruto?"
Jiraiya leaned back in his chair, "He's left Konoha."
Tsunade's worst fears came to fruition as she felt her heart overcome with worry, "What the hell do you mean left Konoha?"
Jiraiya closed his eyes trying to focus his mind in order to counter the effects of the drug, "He's gone after Akatsuki."
Tsunade spontaneously rose from her seat, "That baka! This is exactly what Homura and Koharu needed."
Jiraiya folded his arms, his eyes remaining closed, "…He's only doing this to protect Konoha."
Tsunade sighed not letting any tears escape as she feared for the worst consequence, "We can protect Konoha with him here." She sat back in her seat as she began to think of the next best course of action. "We've got to go after him…but if I deploy any shinobi now, they'll get suspicious. I can't let them know that he's left."
Jiraiya opened his eyes feeling a little better, "The only way they'll know is if too many go. I'm leaving as soon as I've regained all my chakra. The drug caused a lot of damage."
Tsunade looked at him, "He drugged you? How were you stupid enough to let him do that?"
Jiraiya looked at the floor aware of his mistake, "He told me he was becoming a father…I let my guard down."
Tsunade quieted down as she heard him. She could tell by his appearance that he was deeply affected by his momentary slip, "At best, we've got three days. When the finals finish, his absence will become visible."
The perverted hermit nodded, "That's more than enough time. The attack was made to lure him away. That means they must have left some signs for him to follow…as long as I know where to go, I can catch up to him fast."
Tsunade stared at her desk as she thought of the jinchuuriki, a range of emotions flowing through her, "You're going to need someone to go with you."
Jiraiya ran a hand through his hair, "I've already thought of who I'm going to take."
Tsunade rested her chin on her hands as she thought of what she would have to tell all of Naruto's friends in a short while, "Do you think they'll understand?"
Jiraiya looked up at the blonde Hokage, "Naruto had faith in all of them…we'll now know whether they had it in him."
Tsunade continued looking at the wooden desk in front of her that was brought in earlier in the morning. Her mind drifted to the boy that was the closest thing she had to a son. 'Please be safe, Naruto.'
Outside of the Hokage's office, a few feet away from the window, a jounin stood with a familiar orange book in his hand. His white hair became ruffled as the silent but strong wind blew. Closing the novel, he placed it in his pouch contemplating all the information he had just heard.
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Naruto closed his eyes instantly as the pain subsided. Focusing his mind, he quickly spoke, "Kai!" As he opened his eyes, he found the effects of the genjutsu had been lifted. He didn't have time to think for too long as a foot rapidly approached his head attempting to stamp him into the ground. He turned to the side barely avoiding it before flipping backwards out of the way.
The leader of the Akatsuki remained expressionless as he saw the jinchuuriki jump backwards in order to build distance between the two. He straightened up turning in the direction of the genin.
Naruto jumped back across the river making a few splashes as the water jumped up each time he contacted with it. Settling down once he had made a fair amount of distance between himself and his opponent, he stretched his arm, "You're eager to start."
The wind blew noiselessly, only making its presence felt as it contacted against the shinobi's skin. Naruto looked into the eyes of the orange haired criminal; the fierce red eyes pierced him and showed great knowledge behind them.
Naruto took a battle stance of his own, "Why are you after the bijuus power?" He anxiously waited for the calm shinobi to speak.
The head of the notorious organisation grinned before uttering his response, his tone callous and solid, "My reasons are my own…and you won't live to see the result."
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票