Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Misplaced Timing ❯ Weariness all around ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The first clone looked toward the second who nodded his head in agreement.

Naruto watched them do so and as one the trio thrust their attacks forward... and than upward at the last moment toward the ceiling overhead rather than at the other man.

Danzo had tensed in preparation to evade but watched instead as the swirling spheres shot up and collided and exploded against the rock above.

The shock-wave from the unknown jutsu almost knocked him off his feet and it dispelled the two clones entirely as rock collapsed in places and fell to the ground loudly.

Adjusting his footing he noted a few specs of yellow on the floor before him amid the upraised dust and followed the trail with his eyes. It revealed that a ray of light from outside was shining down via a fairly good hole and Danzo's mouth slipped open in minor disbelief as he realized just what the jinchuriki had done.

After a moment he spoke.

"Outsmarted by a fox... <i>how insulting</i>." He stated flatly. "Mark my words, boy, this isn't over yet."

Burning away the remnants of his arm-shield and the bandages left on the ground, Danzo shunshined to the entrance leading back out into the forest around Konoha- and effectively abandoning the ROOT base.

Naruto watched him go with anger etched onto his features.

He had heard much about the skills Danzo possessed before getting thrown back here and the fight was not one he wanted to undergo in enemy territory while paralyzed and susceptible to the Kyuubi's will.

Now he just had to suppress the tails and try to come up with a reasonable excuse when someone noticed the hole outside and came to investigate.

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"...And that's it." Kakashi finished explaining what all he had gotten out of Sasuke.

The young Uchiha looked uncomfortable to be in the Hokage's office, glancing around at everything even though he had already seen much of it a several months ago when he was brought here following that one night.

Sarutobi grimaced. "Do you think you can identify the ANBU member based off of what details you have?" he questioned.

Kakashi closed his normal eye in thought. <i>Not many choose a fox mask for obvious reasons. Dog masks on the other hand... </i>after running through those he remembered from a few years ago when he left the group, Kakashi nodded his head.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Unless you've promoted any other Jounin to the ANBU squad since I left it should be possible." He stated.

Sarutobi nodded his head and gestured to the child at his side, an inquiring look in his eyes. Kakashi nodded his head again in understanding. "The Uchiha heir has agreed." He said in a neutral tone.

The Hokage returned the gesture. "Very well. As I said before, dredge up the paperwork and bring it here. But that must take a back-seat to confirming which ANBU has kidnapped Naruto." He said seriously.

Kakashi glanced down at Sasuke and recognized the body language he was using with a frown.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," he agreed without turning toward him. "Do you wish to remain here or follow me and help confirm the mask features, Sasuke?" he asked the child.

Sasuke hadn't expected the question and started, looking up at him.

"Do I have to?" he asked softly.

Kakashi shrugged.

The boy frowned but nodded his head, wanting to get this whole process over and done with and get away from the place where he had been taken so soon after losing everything.

Kakashi reached down and snagged the boy again. "With your leave, Hokage-sama?" he asked.

Sarutobi waved a dismissal at them and turned to go back to his desk and stack of unfinished paperwork waiting to be signed and dealt with. Kakashi nodded and dashed off toward ANBU headquarters.

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Approximately two hours had passed.

Naruto hadn't been expecting someone to show up immediately, not really, but <i>two freaking hours</i> after the fact and <i>still</i> no one had cropped up? Were they <i>really</i> that far out of Konoha that exploding a piece of the presumable mountain around them attracted literally no one's attention?

The answer, so it would seem to him, would be a very firm yes.

If Danzo had felt like returning to finish him off the old man could have succeeded and been done with him a dozen times over before any one discovered his long rotten corpse.

An image of the boy partially decayed floated to the surface of his mind via the Nine-tails.

<i>Gee thanks, Kyuubi-sama.</i> Naruto thought back sarcastically. Rather than respond directly the fox floated another image forward, this time of Naruto trussed up like a turkey over a spit-fire before the salivating demon.

Naruto made a face and scowled. <i>Bleh! Come on, give me a break would you?</i> he demanded.

A low roar echoed up from the Kyuubi in response and the boy sighed.

<i>Whatever.</i> Looking down at his still stiff form he felt his agitation grow again at being stuck in the same uncomfortable pose.

Ever since Danzo had fled and his chakra vanished from the area the fox had sealed it's own chakra out of Naruto's reach and left him with only his own natural energy and Sage Mode, which was quickly becoming too much of a drain on his younger body than he had expected after the Rasengan expenditure.

Without two of his primary sources of power to push through the Dojutsu it's grasp on him sank deeper into place.

Finally resolving to just drift off and hope for the best Naruto closed his eyes to try and get some rest- even if he was out of it the Kyuubi would just take over and slaughter whatever decided to try and harm him and than Yamato would come along and...<i> Oh yeah... well then crap! Why'd you have to go off and betray me like that, Yamato-taicho?</i> he thought irritably, opening his eyes back up.

To his surprise the ray of light was gone and glancing up revealed someone's shadowed head looking in on him from overhead. "Yep, that's orange alright," a tired voice exclaimed and pulled back.

A moment later and a kunai shot toward the ground a few feet away from the jinchuriki and sunk into the surface solidly.

Another moment after that and a flare of smoke obscured the kunai from view as the Jounin in question swapped positions with it.

The dark mass of tied-back yet spiky hair, facial scars, and goatee would have left him mystified over who his potential rescuer was if he hadn't added, "What a drag. Looks like I've got to yank you along with some shadows."

<i>Shikamaru?</i> Naruto thought, and then,<i> No, no, that's stupid! How could he possibly be so old since he oughta be about my age right now? Maybe a family member?</i>

Before his musings could go onward the Jounin performed a brief set of hand-seals and Naruto felt his body rise upward a few seconds afterward.

"C'mon, kid. Hokage-sama wants a few words with you." the Jounin stated in a lazy tone of voice, turning toward the large tunnel entrance to their side and walking.

Naruto followed stiffly behind him. "Oh, yeah," the man added as if just remembering it. A few strands of his shadow slid off of Naruto's to wrap up pieces of wood and deliver them to the Jounin's waiting hands. "Lets go."

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Sasuke had proven fairly accurate in his description.

The gathered dog-masked and one or two fox-masked ANBU had been observed from several angles and dismissed one by one as the target until at last arriving on one Kakashi recognized rather more so then the others.

"Are you certain?" he had asked and Sasuke had confirmed it.

Sighing the Copycat Ninja gestured for Tenzo to come forward.

He remained silent as he obeyed his sensei's command, though he cocked his head to the side again at the sight of the young Uchiha boy. "This is fairly awkward, you know." Kakashi began.

Tenzo returned his attention to the Jounin.

"The Hokage would like to know why you decided to kidnap Uzumaki Naruto," he said plainly. Tenzo's body tensed as he felt the seals placed by Danzo come into effect and paralyze his body.

Kakashi interpreted the motion a little differently and reacted accordingly, drawing a kunai instantly and sliding into a guarded position before Sasuke's form.

When the other made no motion to escape from the situation Kakashi tentatively approached him closer and drew the mask aside. Tenzo's face was locked into a rigid mask of pain.

The Copycat Ninja sighed. "This is going to take a while." He stated quietly.

"Four of you drag him along to the interrogation chambers and another two go alert the Hokage. The rest are dismissed." He said aloud.

They murmured softly but obeyed his orders nevertheless.

"As for you and me, we have some paperwork to handle." Kakashi said to Sasuke.

The child nodded.

"Lets get a move on, then."

As before the Jounin scooped up the youngest Uchiha and carted him off at top speed.

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When Nara Shikaku rather literally dragged Naruto in by his shadow, the Hokage was sitting at his desk with his forehead pressed against his interlocked hands in a show of weariness.

"Please tell me you have good news." Sarutobi pleaded in such a tone of weariness that Shikaku felt a sign of guilt for taking his sweet time getting back here and over his own usual lazy attitude toward things.

"I retrieved the boy. He was holed up in a hidden passage beneath the Hokage Monument." Shikaku stated quietly, walking forward and finally stopping before the desk.

Sarutobi wearily raised his head. "How did you locate him?" the elder shinobi questioned without glancing upward yet. <i>Good news. I really need to hear some good news, Shikaku. Please have some good news,</i> he thought silently, and his tone was almost in prayer.

Shikaku grimaced. "A section of the mountain had collapsed near the First's chin. Since we regularly ensure the stability of the mountain I figured it might have been something to look into after noticing it," he explained.

Sarutobi nodded his head slowly and reluctantly. He motioned the Jounin onward with one hand before returning it to the previous position.

"After scaling the mountain I looked in and saw a large room with a figure resting against one wall. My investigation showed it to be clad in orange and I entered to confirm. That would be where I found him paralyzed by an unknown jutsu." Shikaku concluded.

A long and slow sigh escaped the Hokage as he murmured "<i>But of course.</i>"

"Er... is there anything else you require, Hokage-sama?" the Jounin asked.

Sarutobi shook his head and motioned the other shinobi to head out. "At your will, Hokage-sama," he said respectively and exited quickly.

"Naruto, Naruto, Naruto..." Sarutobi bemoaned. "<i>Why</i> did you feel the need to rend a hole in the side of the Hokage Monument?" he questioned quietly.

"Ah, yes. You can not answer." He added a few moments later after no response came. Lowering his hands and staring at where the boy was standing stiffly, Sarutobi rose to his feet and snapped his fingers sharply.

Tenzo walked in from the balcony with a stiff left leg, stumbling slightly on every step. He was no longer wearing the armor of an ANBU member but that of a simple Jounin-instructor. "Your official duties from this day onward will be the safeguarding and overseeing of Uzumaki Naruto's upbringing," he began in a tired tone.

Tenzo did not answer. "As you are aware, you and he were fairly close in the timeline he originated from. It is no doubt the reason you were even able to entrap him in the first place, not knowing your history or perhaps not knowing the difference between the two time lines," the Hokage stated.

"Regardless, now knowing of the future as you do, your unofficial mission is thus: Aide him as required in attaining his goals if the end result of refusing would see another repeat of today's events. Stick to him as a fly does to glue."

Tenzo merely nodded his head, striding forward to stand beside the Hokage.

"Your ANBU title is rent to shreds from this day forward." Sarutobi added as if an afterthought, "You will be known by the name you would yet be, Yamato."

Again, silent nodding.

The elder shinobi sighed tiredly and turned to Yamato. "It is dearly unfortunate that naught could be done for your tongue, Yamato-san. You have my apologies in that regard," he said sincerely.

Yamato merely stared ahead at Naruto without responding in any way- how can you forgive the measures they had taken to unbind such secrets as he had kept? He doubted it would be possible.

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Far from the village of Konohagekure and now in the Land of Wind, a small contingent of shinobi worked their way through the desert sands on the way toward Sunagakure.

True to his word, Shimura Danzo intended to deal with the One-tailed Beast and it's jinchuriki. It would be some time before his ROOT members were ready to take on the child-rebel of Ame and it would also be some time before they could return to Konoha given the Kyuubi's jinchuriki's likelihood to have alerted the Sandaime Hokage.

If the words about of the Hidden Village of the Sand were true, than an assassination attempt was to be expected on a daily basis, yet the fact that they continued to crop up showed just how little thier people valued their jinchuriki.

A lax security would mean an easier task.

<b>End Chapter Four.</b>