Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Son of the Sannin ❯ Prodigy of the Snake ( Chapter 1 )

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

Son of the Sannin
By: Drag-eart and Ld 1449
 
Chapter 1: Prodigy of the Snake
 
A cry was heard from the little form that lay in the middle of the room, candles lit in the four corners of its bedding showing the small visage of the young child. The small form rolled in its wake revealing three scars adorned on its porcelain cheeks, his fuzzy blond hair already sticking in different angles. The blond haired child wailed for its mother's warmth, for its mother's breast, but the room lay in silence. The black intricate ritual marks burned brightly on the belly of the child it burned upon. Around the basket another set of marks were drawn in blood beneath it in similar patterns that contrast with the infant's own. The marks on its belly began cease slowly to a dim after glow that was left on the child's belly receding back to the infant's complexion.
 
Golden Slitted-Eyes stared from the shadows.
 
In an instant the wind shifted the mood in the room; three of the candles were distinguished pulling the baby into the void of darkness it was encompassing. A single candle glowed in the entire room shedding light on the child that lay crying. Protecting him.
 
The slitted eyes slowly made its way attentively to small figure in its bed, the shadow of a man yielded in front of crying infant. He bent slightly letting part of his facial features shine in the fleeting light allowing the wailing child see part if his visage. The blond haired child reached out for the man. A smile crept on his pale features.
 
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“So it's finally done,” a man said to know one in particular, his face downcast his white trimmed hat hiding his visage from all to see, he interlaced his fingers looking through them. `You've done your job as leader of this village, and I've done my part to finish the Kyuubi sealing. But putting that aside you also left another ordeal, you left me to decide the fate of this child and our village,' he thought.
 
He breathed in a long sigh exhaling with ragged breath the man stood up from his chair. He walked around his desk and stopped abruptly taking one last glance at the portrait of his successor, the Yondaime before he departed. `Now I must issue that order…for the welfare our village.' He took an exasperated sigh pulling his gaze from the frame. The Sandaime stepped outside his office, his head slightly bowed covering his eyes, he walked the darken corridor of the hall. Shadows flickered by the moon, casting shrouded voids and illusionary beings, disturbingly more human than a mere shadow. It reminded him of the attack and deaths that came to pass more than ever. He made his away up the steps to the roof where his warriors awaited. The proclaimed Professor clenched his hand when reaching his destination, he yielded for a moment. He took one last glance behind him and peered ahead of him seeing the stars shine in this time of darkness. With renewed courage he continued on. He walked up the last steps and peered at his `family.' Jounin, chuunin, and gennin stood waiting at attention for their orders. The Hokage tilted his hat slightly to have better view of his shinobi. He began.
 
“I have been reinstated as Hokage once again, and I have come to give an order so all of you listen well. Now, you already know the crisis we have because of the Kyuubi we have many wounded and KIA more so in the Jounin rank, this why I have called you chuunin and genin to stand here. I'm sorry for the people that have lost in this struggle but we cannot grieve, it pains me of what we had to witness watching our children of leaf pass. But our time is dire, right now, the loss of the Yondaime and the deaths of many shinobi as left us prone to attack. We must protect our village from disintegrating, which is why I have called you all to answer that call.
 
“The Kyuubi no Kitsune has weakened our number of shinobi if rival nations have hint that we are at our lowest right now. They will attack with no hesitation. So I must have you take missions that are even beyond your class. Showing them we are fine and able to protect our own” The hokage stared mournfully at the fresh faces of newly instated genins trembling before him. It was as though he was sending them to their deaths.
 
“As of now all of you will take this kind of mission, listen to your rank. Jounin will take the majority of S and A-rank missions only. Chuunin you will occasionally take S-rank mission but in teams of two to three, A and B rank will be solo work. Genin.” He couldn't take it watching the horrified faces of children barely twelve years of age, he turned away and looked out at the Hokage monument. His hand wouldn't stop shaking. “Genin will take A-rank missions in a team with a chuunin, B rank will be paired with a team consisting of at least two to three at most, and the rest of them you are solo.”
 
The Sandaime looked once more across his shinobi some were pale and sickly, some strong and enduring, others emotionless and demure waiting to grieve when the time came, when they were home `alone.' He knew he should have given them the order in the morning, no, the week after; it would have been the better decision. Many lost families, a son, daughter, wife, husband, lover, friend nothing was forgotten when Kyuubi attacked. But precautions had to be taken immediately and protection Konoha was for most important matter.
 
“Now that this is said and done, you all have a duty and that is to secure and protect our village. You all have an order for the rest of the night am I correct.”
 
The Shinobi of the leaf stood upright and announced, “Hai, Hokage-Sama!”
 
“Report anything suspicious to your army commander or captain, do you hear me?” The Sandaime turned with a steely gaze towards the ninja.
 
“Hai, Hokage-Sama!”
 
“Very well, Scatter!” The warriors disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The Sandaime let a relief sigh escape him. His hand still shaking, he clasped his other hand over it. His clothes billowed in the cool night air. He stared up into the night sky, stars gleaming, and the moon shining brightly as though trying to give a shred of hope for the village.
 
He turned away from night making his way to the stairs. `Now for the child.' He stopped abruptly on his descent and called.
 
“Asuma and Kurenai”
 
“Hai”
 
“I need you to gather all clans as well as the council here. Tell them it's for the fate of the child. They must come at once. Now go”
 
“Hai,” both of them left leaving in their trek a steady wisp of smoke trailing in the midnight air. The Sandaime made his descent down the stairs, down the corridors, towards the Yondaime's Isan.
 
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“Wh….what happened here” a horrified shinobi of the leaf looked at dead faces of his comrades. “Who did this?”
 
The platoon stood over the fallen men; they had ghastly white faces adorning their features. Their mouth was a gaped in terror it seemed. As if they died of fear. Their weapons were clutched securely in their hands. No cuts, wounds, bruises, blood, and guts were whatsoever on their bodies. Who could have done such a thing? To take them out so discreetly, without so much a noise, a crash , anything at all to alert and call upon other comrades patrolling the walls. It was eerie and terrifying, these men were after all Anbu.
 
“These guys have been dead for at least an hour at most, so it can't have been the kyuubi, which leaves us with the conclusion we have an intruder in our midst. Right, Taichou?”
 
The captain of the group contemplated his choices and turned abruptly to the man with a dog-mask on.
 
“Kakashi you are the faster one out of the group head to Sandaime and tell him what we found.” The captain then turned fully to address his squadron. “Listen all of you lot. This part of my faction will head back and tell the rest of the Captains, it may be a full scale attack of a village or a vigilante trying to pick up on our time of weakness, so the rest of you cover Kakashi make sure you hang back from him. Protect him, if he falls make sure you get the news to Sandaime. Am I clear?”
 
“Hai, Taichou”
 
“Go with Haste,” the Shinobi of the Konohagakure no Sato scattered for their assigned duties.
 
They failed to see a snake protrude from the mouth of their dead comrades.
 
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“The Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune……my prodigy,” fingertips glowed, hand falling, descending, the infant looked at the figure above him gurgling arms outstretched.
 
When his fingertips hit its mark………
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