Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mended Hearts ❯ Betrayal ( Chapter 19 )

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did, but I don't.

 

Original Summary: AU Naruto hides many secrets from Konohagakure no Sato. As time continues, Naruto's precious people learn the hard way that many secrets are best left untouched, and that Naruto is not at all what they believed.

 

New Summary: AU Beginning and ending with his name, Naruto's past is veiled in mystery. Even as Kakashi teaches him the meaning of affection and love, Naruto's secrets come into the open, and it falls to Naruto's precious people to protect and support him as his father's name and legacy threatens to crush him and destroy the Hidden Village of the Leaf.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter 19: Betrayal~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Kakashi returned to his apartment to change and found a Hunter seated on the windowsill. Naruto cocked his head toward Kakashi and took off his mask, watching him with pale eyes.

 

“Was it necessary to frighten the children like that?” he said softly.

 

Kakashi blinked, and his sole visible eye curved in a smile. “Of course!”

 

Naruto smiled fondly and shook his head. “You're incorrigible.”

 

“Aww…” Kakashi grabbed the Hunter and placed a chaste, cloth covered kiss on the blonde's lips. “You know it's what made you fall in love with me.”

 

Naruto snorted. “You wish.” He wrapped his arms around his neck. “But it's a part of your charm.”

 

Kakashi smiled and his arms tightened around Naruto waist. “You said something earlier about a genjutsu?”

 

“There is a genjutsu on Tsunade. It's a very well made one, I barely detected it, but it seems that it's been there for a while.”

 

Kakashi frowned. “Was there no way to dispel it?”

 

“Its roots have sunk pretty deep,” Naruto answered. “Without knowing what it is and what is does, neither Jiraiya nor I were willing to attempt to remove it incase there is a subliminal failsafe that could be activated.”

 

“An unknown genjutsu on the Hokage,” Kakashi murmured, “If the caster is from another village, it could be cause for war.”

 

“If they aren't already dead,” was Naruto blunt reply. He shook his head as the Hunter Emblem warmed. “I have to go. Tsunade's calling.”

 

Kakashi sighed and pulled down his mask, capturing Naruto's lips in a heated kiss. They parted quickly, and Naruto smiled, gently tugging Kakashi's mask back into place as Kakashi took the Hunter's mask from Naruto's hand and slipped it over the blonde's face.

 

“Be safe,” Kakashi whispered. Naruto nodded, and he vanished in a plume of smoke.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The Hunter crouched on the branch, cerulean eyes cool and blank as he stretched out his senses. There! He leapt off the branch and landed quickly on a second and pushed off. Time was of the essence, he shifted slightly, and a kunai flashed past his face. His prey swerved to the side, and the Hunter smoothly changed direction to follow.

 

He swerved off to the side once more as a series of explosions went off around him and leapt off the branch as several kunai and shuriken flew toward him. Cerulean eyes narrowed behind the mask as the Hunter leapt back onto the branch and surveyed the area. Annoyance sparked in his eyes as he realized that he would have to seek out the tracks of his prey once more.

 

Silently, he vanished into the shadows.

 

Time passed slowly in the forest, and the Hunter patiently slipped from shadow to shadow, stalking the footsteps of his prey. He paused and glanced off to the side and slipped wordlessly into the branches of the tree. His sharp gaze found him lounging at the foot of the tree, sipping from his water bottle and consuming a ration bar. The Hunter reached into his pouch and drew out a roll of wire and swiftly began to unwind it.

 

Below him, his prey rested, unaware of his danger. The Hunter smirked behind his mask, and leapt off the branch. His prey gasped as the noose around his neck tightened and drew him from his seated position to dangle among the foliage. The Hunter slipped a kunai from his holster and with a flick of his wrist the knife was embedded in his prey's forehead. The Hunter allowed the wire to draw taut, then released it, dropping the corpse to the floor. He ran through a series of seals, and breathed out a jet of white hot flame, destroying the body.

 

Moments later, a charred and smoking spot at the base of a majestic oak was the only sign of the presence of either Hunter or Prey.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I want to announce your heritage to the village,” Tsunade said.

 

Zeiguwa's shoulders stiffened and he said, “I do not think that is necessary, Hokage-sama.”

 

Tsunade smiled, and behind his mask, Zeiguwa's eyes narrowed as his senses picked up the faintest shifting of chakra.

 

The genjutsu is taking effect, he thought. So she is acting under its influence! Jiraiya, find out who the hell cast the genjutsu in the first place and what it does, and do it quickly before the genjutsu brings our village down around us!

 

“Nonsense,” Tsunade said, “Your name is your birthright, and you should not have to hide it.”

 

“That's not the best of ideas,” Naruto protested, “Father had many enemies, and the only reason why Konoha hasn't been overrun by assassins out for Kazama blood is because my identity was hidden!”

 

“Shinobi don't hold grudges,” Tsunade said, “It isn't professional to hold a grudge against an enemy, especially if they were simply following orders.”

 

Zeiguwa raised an eyebrow. Something is seriously wrong here… Unless the genjutsu radically alters her thinking and logic, Tsunade would know that unprofessional or not, shinobi are still human and will hold grudges. This is dangerous… I can't just leave the genjutsu on Tsunade, but I can't rip it off either. Shit.

 

“Nevertheless,” Zeiguwa said, “We're draining nin and resources on the chase after the remaining members of the Akatsuki. It's not a good idea to invite trouble at this point. By revealing my heritage, any Stone or Cloud Ninja in the village would think that you're baiting them. It could be cause for a war, one that Konoha can't afford at this point. Even after all of these years, we're still rebuilding after Orochimaru's last attack. Hokage-sama, please reconsider!”

 

Tsunade studied him and said softly, “It was the will of both your Father and the Sandaime that your heritage be revealed when you were old enough to defend yourself against your father's enemies. Also, the Sandaime noted that it would be a lovely revenge for you to reveal to the village how poorly they were doing in respecting Arashi's last wishes. The Sandaime noted it, and I agree.”

 

“Why do you speak of revenge?” Naruto said softly, “I have not considered revenge in so long… After seeing what revenge had reduced Sasuke to, I lost any and all desire for it. Please, Hokage-sama, do not put Konoha into a difficult position by baiting the Cloud and the Stone simply to gain me a revenge that I don't want! Don't risk Konoha's well being over so silly a thing revenge over my treatment by the villagers when I was a child! Konoha cannot afford another war!”

 

“The chances of Stone and Cloud taking offense over such a little thing are relatively small. I do not think there will be a war.”

 

“Hokage-sama! Please, think this over! There is still that chance, however small!”

 

“I have made up my mind!” Tsunade snapped. “As of tomorrow, the village will know of Kazama Kazuki, and his alias as the Hunter Zeiguwa and Uzumaki Naruto!”

 

“With all due respect, I think you are making a very big mistake.” Naruto said, and he vanished without waiting to be dismissed.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“What?!”

 

“Hush!” Naruto murmured, covering Kakashi's mouth with his hand. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, and removed his hand and said softly, “Considering what has happened, it may have been better if we had torn away the genjutsu, and screw the consequence.”

 

Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temples. “This won't be good. Konoha hasn't been on good terms with Cloud ever since the Hyuuga Incident. Stone won't be much trouble, considering that you spent a year in Hidden Stone with your heritage out in the open, but Cloud… Cloud isn't known for being very forgiving.”

 

“Has Kurenai found anything?”

 

“No. Neither has Sasuke, Neji, or Hinata. There doesn't even seem to be a genjutsu on Tsunade, not even a flicker of chakra, but then again, Tsunade constantly wears a cosmetic genjutsu that we can't even detect, so its possible that we won't notice it if it's under Tsunade's genjutsu.”

 

“In which case, the culprit would have had to have been near Tsunade when she dropped the genjutsu and applied their own genjutsu just before Tsunade reapplied her genjutsu.”

 

“That puts Shizune under suspicion,” Naruto murmured. “It's possible, but Shizune…” He shook his head and leaned against the log that he had been tied to, once a long time ago. “I'll keep an eye on her, just in case. Now tell me about your new brats.”

 

Kakashi grinned. “I'm hoping that they'll turn out as well as my last team.”

 

“Are they that similar to us?”

 

“Not quite, but you can draw a few parallels. I doubt they'll turn out the way you lot did though.”

 

Naruto snorted, “I should hope not. I remember that we gave your headaches headaches.”

 

“Maa… You weren't that bad.”

 

“We were little monsters, admit it.”

 

“The three of you could get a little overenthusiastic sometimes…”

 

“Spare me. I know I gave myself headaches.”

 

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. “You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

 

“I enjoyed watching Sasuke get flustered while you read him passages out of that book.” Naruto glanced at the sky noting the position of the sun and straightened. “I have to go. I promised Mizuhebi that I'd strike the fear of kami into his newest apprentice today.”

 

Kakashi grabbed Naruto as he passed, pressing him against the log. “You're too busy,” the jounin whined. “We barely spend any time together.”

 

Naruto's eyes softened and he brushed a lock of hair away from Kakashi's visible eye. “We chose this life,” he murmured. “I'll spend the night when I finish up, hmm?”

 

Kakashi pressed a chaste, cloth covered kiss to Naruto's lips. “I'll look forward to it.”

 

Naruto smiled.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I am pleased to announce that we found the Yondaime's heir!” Tsunade announced.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Tora leaned against the wall, staring out the window at the dark sky. Pale eyes glittered angrily.

 

“I can't believe it…” she whispered. “I've been helping to protect his son… I'd always known that he was his legacy, but I didn't think that he might have been of his blood.”

 

She straightened. “I'm sorry, Naruto, I hold no grudge against you… Don't hate me for what I am about to do… If you must hate someone, hate your father for leaving you to bear the burden of his legacy!”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Shizune stacked the folders on the table and shook her head at Tsunade's outbox.

 

“Oh, Tsunade,” she said tiredly, and picked up the files. She turned and gave a soft cry of surprise, nearly dropping the files. As her racing heart calmed, she smiled and said, “Oh, Tora… If you're looking for the Hokage, she went out for a while.”

 

Tora nodded. “That's nice to know.”

 

Shizune smiled and walked past the Huntress. Tora drew her Katana and said, “Shizune.”

 

“Hmm?” Shizune turned, and her eyes widened as Tora lunged forward.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Tsunade returned to the office and opened the door to find Shizune sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood, several files lay around her, and kunai, senbon, and shuriken were scattered around her.

 

“Shizune!”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Naruto turned to find a blood splattered Tora behind him, a bloody katana clutched lightly in her hand. His eyes widened behind his mask. “Tora-san!”

 

Tora flicked her wrist, and Naruto was thrown into the wall, several kunai buried in his legs and arms. He looked up, cerulean eyes filled with hurt and betrayal behind the mask.

 

“Tora-san…” he said, winching at the pain, “Why?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CSA Version 7 Mended Hearts What Are You Hiding?