Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Three ❯ Chapter 7 ( Chapter 7 )

Disclaimer: Naruto? Mine? Nope, it's not, gomen.

Translations:

baba: old woman / hag

mou:  a word, I guess, of compliancy.  sort of like 'now, now' or 'there, there' or maybe even 'hey, hey'...err...well, I suppose it's something like that.

hahaue: mother

kage bushin no jutsu: shadow clone skill

uzumaki naruto rendan: uzumaki naruto combo

subaku kyuu: desert coffin

subaku sousou: desert funeral

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&nb sp;

Three

by: Lostlily

Chapter 7

It was another bright and beautiful day in the peaceful Hidden Leaf Village.  The people on the streets were going on with their daily lives doing the things that needed to be done.  Very few noticed the silver-haired jounin, known as Kakashi, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.  He's finally returned from his mission and now he was on his way to report to the Hokage. 

As he went, he thought about his subordinates.  He hoped that they didn't cause any trouble while he was away.  He remembered the fight Sasuke and Naruto had a couple of months ago. 

They had almost killed each other at that time.  For two weeks after that fight, they didn't say a single word to each other and both Kakashi and Sakura thought it would be a hopeless situation.  Then, all of a sudden, things seemed to go back to the way they used to be before the Chuunin Exam.  They would insult each other and train tirelessly trying to be better than one another.  Kakashi didn't know what happened, but whatever it was, he was glad it did because those two seemed to reach some sort of understanding.

Things appeared to be alright with his team, but Kakashi was a bit worried about Naruto.  The blond genin seemed to be upset about something, but what, the jounin didn't know.  Whatever it was, he hoped it won't be a big problem because there was already enough problems for the Leaf to worry about right now.

Kakashi paused on top of telephone pole just to watch the people move about below.  His team was strong and he knew they could take care of themselves, but lately he's been experiencing a lot of bad omens.  Just this morning, the strap on his kunai pouch tore in half.  It took him an hour just to fix it.  That's why he was running late.  Speaking of being late...he continued on his way.

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Tsunade was sitting at her desk, staring down at the crystal ball before her.  She wondered how The Third ever fought the temptation to spy on everyone all the time.  The possibilities were just endless. 

She tapped her chin thoughtfully, 'This thing would be a big help during a poker game...'

Just then, Kakashi decided to appear in front of her desk. He gave a small bow, "I have the information you wanted, Hokage-sama."

The older woman cringed slightly.  She didn't know if she would ever get used to being called that. "Well?  What did you find out?"

"First off, the rumors about Gaara were true; he was gone for about ten days.  But it seems that he returned to the Hidden Sand village and apparently requested for a leave of absence from his shinobi duties.  He was gone again by the time I received this information."

"Hmm...I see.  And the other?"

"From what I gathered, the Raikage has something to hide.  There are rumors of a monster in the Hidden Cloud Village."

"A monster?"

"Hai.  A dangerous one.  One of our spies asked around and he informed me that the rumors circled around one person."

"And that person is...?"

"One of the young genin.  A fourteen year old girl.  To be more specific, the Raikage's daughter."

"Daughter, eh?  I didn't know he had one."

"It's a fact that many don't know about."

"Well, if the rumors are true and she's anything like Naruto or Gaara, then there's bound to be some sort of trouble.  Especially if the Cloud are keeping quiet about it."  Tsunade went back to staring at her crystal ball, deep in thought.  "Kakashi, good work.  You've done well.  This matter will have to be discussed among the elders.  We will announce our decisions to all the jounin and chuunin soon."

"Well, if that is all you require of me, Hokage-sama, I need to go and check on my subordinates now."

"Ara?  That reminds me...Naruto left this note at my door about three days ago," Tsunade said as she handed a piece of paper to Kakashi.

The jounin quickly scanned the note which simply said:

Got bored.  Went to go find and train with the Ero-Senin.  Don't know when I'll be back, but when I am, watch out, baba.  I just might challenge you for the title of Hokage!

Uzumaki Naruto

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly, "So he left?"

"Hai.  Such arrogant little brat about it too.  Challenge me again?  Humph!  I'd like to see him try-" Tsunade broke off as she noticed the slight look of worry on the jounin's face, "Don't worry.  He may be arrogant, but he's strong and once Jiraiya hears about Naruto looking for him, he'll find that little brat and take him under his wing again.  Naruto will be fine.  Now go home and get some rest or read that hentai book that baka Jiraiya authored."

Kakashi nodded as the Fifth Hokage made shooing motions with her hand, then he poofed away.  Tsunade continued to stare at the crystal ball.  She didn't want the silver-haired jounin to know that she was a bit worried about the blond genin herself.  She lost the ability to see the boy in the crystal ball since the day he returned from his last mission and she didn't know why.  She could only hope that Jiraiya was with the boy now.

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Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.  He slowly gazed around, trying to figure out where he was.  It appeared that he was in bed inside he own room.  He glanced at his window.  Afternoon.  He never slept this late.  And then it hit him.  That girl and....sand...iie, Gaara! 

He quickly sat up, then braced himself slightly as a wave of dizziness crashed over him.  Suddenly he heard a voice call out from the doorway, "Sasuke-kun!! You're awake!"  Then he found himself being tightly embraced by his pink-haired teammate, Sakura.

Squirming out of her tight grip, Sasuke asked, "Sakura? What are you doing here?"

The young kunoichi reluctantly lets go him, then kneels by his bed as she explained, "I came here to find you when you didn't arrive at Naruto's apartment like we planned.  I knocked, but you didn't answer, so I decided to go talk to the Hokage about Naruto.  But just as I was on my way, I noticed your window was open.  I knew you wouldn't be careless enough to leave it open, so I climbed up the wall and got into your apartment through the window.  It was then that I spotted you in the middle of the floor, sound asleep.  I tried and tried to wake you, but you wouldn't wake up.  I would've gone for help, but you might've been still in danger, so I managed to drag you into bed and stayed by your side as you slept."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Two days."

"Nani?!  Two days?" Sasuke exclaimed with surprise.  This wasn't good.  He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"Sasuke-kun!  What are you doing?"

"We have to hurry and talk to the Hokage.  Naruto's in trouble."

Green eyes widen, "Naruto?"

"Hai.  I was attacked by that girl we saw with him and by Gaara."

"N-Nani?!  Gaara was here?!"

Sasuke grabbed Sakura's wrist and briskly headed for the door, "Come on, we don't have much time.  They probably took him away already..."

'Naruto...'  Sakura thought to herself as they both dashed out the door.

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"Can you see it?"  Yuri asked Gaara as he used his 'third eye' to scan the mountain ahead of them.  Their little group had reached a mountainous area in a small country between the Fire Country and the Earth Country.  They were in a small clearing about two kilometers away from the base of a mountain.  Yuri told them that Akuma wanted them to wait for him in a cave on this mountain, but she wasn't quite sure where its exact location was, so Gaara decided to use his 'third eye' and search the mountain for the cave.

The eye returned and changed back into sand, then went back into gourd.  Gaara placed the cork back in as he said, "I saw a cave about halfway up the mountain.  It's partially hidden by some large boulders."

Naruto squinted at the mountain then pointed at it, "Ano sa, ano sa...we have to climb halfway up that mountain to reach some cave?"  He crossed his arms, "Hrmm....it's sooooo far!"

Gaara glared at the blond, "You complain too much."

Naruto took a step towards the sand-nin as he glared back, "Nani?!"

Yuri quickly got in between them, smiling nervously, "Mou, mou, there's no need to argue.  Gaara didn't mean anything by that comment."  Naruto turned his back on them and pouted.  Gaara looked away, fighting the urge to let his sand out.  Yuri sweat dropped, then said, "Naruto-kun, just think of the climb as a part of training.  You'll be stronger once we reach the cave." (--;)

Naruto's ear twitched, "Training?"

"Hai.  Training."

The leaf-nin turned around with a grin on his face, "Yosh!  Let's go then!"  Then he started marching towards the mountain.  About two seconds after he stepped out of the clearing, Yuri and Gaara heard the rustle of leaves, then a THUMP, followed by a, "AHH!"

They walked towards the commotion and stared at the picture before them.  Naruto was dangling on a rope by his foot, swinging back and forth.  Yuri blinked, then covered her mouth, hiding her smile.  Gaara just muttered, "Baka."

"Oi!  Don't just stare at me!  Help me down!"

Suddenly, Yuri frowned, her amusement disappeared quickly as her blue-violet gaze darted to the left.  Gaara's pale green ones did likewise.  Some one was watching them. 

Without a word, Yuri quickly threw a kunai at the rope holding Naruto, cutting him free.  The blond genin promptly fell to the ground, then mumbled, "Itai...."  Naruto glanced at his companions, "Ara?  What's wrong?  What are you two lookin' at?"

Before they could answer the blond shinobi, a shower of kunai came raining towards them.  Yuri jumped off to the side, deflecting any kunai coming her way with her own weapon.  Naruto let out a startled shout, narrowly dodging the deadly weapons, though he still got slashed many times.  Gaara just stood there with his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face as his sand automatically shielded him from harm.

"Well, well, well...it seems like three little ninja have stumbled upon our territory," A voice drawled with faint amusement as Naruto leaned against a tree, his clothes torn in various places and his body covered with many minor wounds.

"Hai, maybe they got lost looking for their hahaues, " Another voice suggested.  Gaara's cold, green eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Aww...I think the blond one is going to cry fro-" This voice was cut off as Yuri threw several shuriken towards it.  A man jumped from one of the trees, holding on to his bleeding shoulder where one of Yuri's shuriken had found its mark.  He wore a pair somewhat dirty brown pants and a worn out green jacket.  His tanned face had black slash marks painted under each of his dark browns eyes and his dirty, brown hair hung limply around his face, but what caught the attention of the three young genin was the stone forehead protector that he wore.

The stone-nin glared at Yuri as he growled, "You little brat!! You're going to regret doing this to me..." 

The cloud-nin moved closer to her companions as she tightened grip around her kunai, her hand shaking slightly.  Naruto straightened and moved away from the tree as four more men jumped down from the trees to stand by their angry friend.  They all wore the sign of the Hidden Stone.

Gaara studied the shinobi before him and he judged their age to be at least three years older than himself, maybe even older.  He was sure the one Yuri hit was the oldest, so he was probably the leader of the group.  From the look of their dirty and worn clothes, he would say that they were missing-nin.  That would explain why they were around this small, remote country.  From the level of chakra he could sense, they didn't seem very strong.  They were probably genin like them. 

Naruto gritted his teeth with anger, then pointed at the stone shinobi and yelled out, "Who the hell do you think you are to threaten Yuri-chan like that?!  Your reflexes must be crappy if you got hit by her shuriken!!"  He had completely forgotten about his own condition.

With a shout filled with fury, the leader ran straight for Naruto, his kunai in hand.  The other four stone-nins went for Gaara and Yuri.  Three of the stone-nin attempted to attack Gaara, but red-haired boy just continued to stand there, the same bored expression on his face as his sand protected him.  Yuri found herself locked in close combat with the other stone-nin, though she was surprised that none of them had thought to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu attacks.

Naruto and the stone-nin leader exchanged a series of punches, kicks, and slashes from their kunai.  Naruto jumped back and quickly formed some seals, then yelled out, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"  Four shadow clones appeared next to the leaf nin.  The stone-nin leader was surprised by such a high level jutsu that he didn't react in time to stop the blond's attack.  The Narutos surrounded their opponent, then a clone punched the stone-nin in the face as another jumped off the clone's back, spinning  into the air as three others attacked, sending the stone-nin flying, "U-Zu-Ma-Ki..." The Naruto in the air sent his leg in a downward arc, bashing the stone-nin in the back of the head with his heel, which made him plummet into the ground face first, "Naruto Rendan!!"

Satisfied that his opponent was down for the count, Naruto turned just in time to watch Gaara attack his own opponents.  The sand-nin held out his open hand to the side and calmly said, "Sabaku Kyuu..."  Sand quickly snaked up the bodies of the stone-nin, encasing them in three separate 'coffins' of sand.  Ignoring the looks of terror upon the stone-nin, Gaara squeezed his hand into a fist, saying, "Sabaku Sousou."  Before they could even scream, the three ninja were pulverized instantly.

The shinobi fighting Yuri stood in horror as he saw his companions killed.  Yuri took advantage of his lack of attention and swiftly sent several needles flying into his neck, giving him a quick, painless death.  She looked down at his body and whispered, "Gomen ne."

Naruto had seen Gaara use that jutsu against Rock Lee and he knew it was a deadly attack, but he never knew how deadly it was until that moment.  He almost died by that attack himself.  He was extremely glad that they weren't enemies anymore. 

The stone-nin leader had gained consciousness in time to watch Yuri kill the last of his comrades.  Feeling that he had nothing to lose, he quickly got to his feet and ran towards Yuri's unprotected back, his kunai ready to slash at her.  Naruto spotted the stone-nin and threw a kunai at him, aiming for his shoulder, but at the very last moment, the ninja shifted his body due to the sand that he noticed coming towards him.  That slight shift in position caused Naruto's kunai to find itself embedded in his chest instead of his shoulder.  With surprise, the stone-nin looked down at the weapon in his chest, then he fell over, his eyes staring sightlessly into the sky.

For a moment, it seemed as if time stood still and the world had gone quiet.  Then Yuri looked from the dead stone-nin to the trembling blond boy whose face had gone pale with shock.  Naruto looked down at his shaking hands.  He killed someone.  Only twice in his life had he ever attempted to take the life of another, but each time he didn't succeed.  Deep down, he knew he was glad he never succeeded, but now, he had taken the life of another.  Even if it wasn't his intention, it was done.  There was no going back.  Feeling the bile rise in his throat, he fell to his knees and let out the contents of his stomach.

Gaara watched the other boy with slightly narrowed eyes.  'This was his first kill.'

Yuri looked at the leaf-nin with a bit of sadness as she said softly, "Naruto-kun..."

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A/N: Gomen nasai.  It took me so long to update.  I've been pretty busy with the holidays and stuff.  Also caught a bit of a cold.  Oh well, I'm off to Las Vegas tomorrow for a couple of days...woohoo!!  I'm glad I got this chapter done.  I pretty much glossed over the battle scene, but hey, I'm just not good at writing about battles.  Besides, the battle itself wasn't the important part.  My next chapter probably won't be out till a little after New Years.  Oh and I'm so happy for the reviews I received, keep them coming....they're a great inspiration to me.  Well, I gotta get some rest now (still a little sick *cough, cough*) since it's getting pretty late.  'Til next chapter, ja ne and a Happy New Year!!!