Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Way of the Jinchuuriki ❯ Arc 3, Chapter 23 - A Critical Blow ( Chapter 23 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Zagger the Bloody Angel 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Angst / Suspense / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.19.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 213 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Angst / Suspense / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.19.2011 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 213 | Status: Completed
"Her scent is gone…" Hana growled having followed Kushina's scent with her squad behind her and narrowed her eyes. "Her scent is thick here but that is due to the amount of blood that stains the ground."
"What?" Itachi narrowed his eyes, having come after making sure Anko was safe and having the chase approved by the Hokage. "That shouldn't be possible. If she was here her scent would have to lead to another direction and even if she doubled back there would have been at least two scent trails back there."
"She didn't double back. What I'm saying is here scent stops here. There is no more trace of it. It is like she vanished off the face of the earth." Hana snapped at Itachi for doubting her and her canines' sense of smell.
Frowning at this for scent just didn't simply disappear; Yamato slipped his mask from his head and ran his fingers through the blood. "It still warm. She was here at least a few hours ago but with the amount of blood she had lost she could not have flickered away very far without causing severe damage and possibly killing her."
"What? But if that is the case… No." Miko started, being under Yamato's command for he was her unit's leader. "If that is the case someone must have bent time and space…"
Everyone's eyes went wide for a moment at that revelation before Itachi cursed. "And if a time and space jutsu was use that means… We're aborting our mission. We do not have the strength to current deal with the threat at hand."
"What?!" Yamato almost yelled before he slid his mask on and nodded once he realized the situation. "You're right… We'll be heading back immediately. This is out of our hands now."
Hana and Miko could only nod, ignoring the other Anbu's confusion. They knew how deadly time and space jutsu truly were and knew that they could do nothing here.
After all… They were team mates to the second flash.
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Team seven, excluding Sasuke, couldn't help but blink at the scene they had walked in on. Everyone had agreed on meeting for dinner before starting the day and Kerlya would be taking over for Sasuke at watching Tsunade and would rotate daily with the next day falling upon Sakura. But what they walked into surprised them more than anything else.
Tsunade gleefully flaunting dozens of bags of ryo, paying for each drink she ordered before she noticed them. "Oh hey! Everything is on me and my newest best friend!"
At that very moment Sasuke was drug into a deathly hug by the slug sannin, firmly planting his face into her breasts. Despite how adamant he had been about being twelve and not sexually active… This was simply too much for the young Uchiha. She had the largest set he had ever seen and now he was getting a close up view of them and her…
His face went bright red before he suddenly passed out due to lack of oxygen to his brain. Tsunade noted this before gently shaking him. "Hey what's wrong? I thought we were going out to win some more today? Don't you die on me now! I need a couple hundred thousand more!"
"A couple hundred thousand… Son of a…" Jiraiya's mouth opened in horror when he had realized how much ryo was held in each bag. "How in the world did you win that much?! That amount is half of what I make every book I release! The world must be ending if you had that kind of luck!"
"There world isn't ending idiot… I found my newest lucky betting charm!" Tsunade grinned and hoisted Sasuke in front of her, who was still passed out from his view of Tsunade's cleavage. "No matter what the game I won with him at my side! We stayed up to five until I got to five hundred thousand!"
"Oh Shizune!" Tsunade snapped her fingers before tossing two bags over to her apprentice. "That should cover up all our problems with debt collectors! We're no longer in debt!"
At this Shizune passed out along with Jiraiya. Naruto could only blink at the insanity unfolding before him before gazing at Sasuke and sighing. "So I would guess that Sasuke is now your permanent guard for our duration…"
"Yep! I won't accept anyone else! And if it keeps going like this I will have to permanently steal him from you!" Tsunade grinned ecstatically as for the first time in her life Tsunade was rich. Filthy stinking rich!
Rubbing his right temple, Naruto could only mentally groan at this turn of events. Now that apparently Sasuke was her lucky charm at gambling… It was going to be even harder to convince her to return home until he forcefully took the Uchiha from her. And right now…
He wasn't even going to bother. Maybe having Tsunade win tons of money would make things easier for him…
Kicking the toad sannin awake and helping Shizune out of her shock, he sat at the table and ordered the breakfast special before turning his attention to Tsunade. However his gaze soon found its way to his two female gennin. Both still had tears were ready to fall and they sat a table away, not wanting to even look at him.
Naruto sighed at this. The last thing he wanted was to tear apart the bonds he had built with his unit but at the same time he felt strongly against taking the title of Hokage. He felt justified in his reasoning's but from what Shizune said… He was the same as Tsunade. The only difference was he hadn't run away from everything.
And he did not want to have anything in common with the sannin.
Still twitching at his student for kicking him, Jiraiya sighed and rolled his eyes for he got no respect from any of his closest friends. Just what did he have to do to earn their respect?!
Shaking that from his head for he would never give up writing his series, Jiraiya glanced at his old team mate. "I know you are acting out, Tsunade… What is it that is bothering you so? You can talk about it to us. It isn't like we're going to tell anyone else."
Suddenly being knocked out of her happy-go-lucky mood, Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously at the perverted sannin. She knew he wouldn't have been fooled but still… She did not want to let anyone else know about what was going on. "There is nothing wrong. I'm just excited about winning so much money."
"Oh, is that right?" Jiraiya's eyes sparkled for a moment before drawing forth a deck of cards. "Then a propose a bet then. If you win I'll give you stipend of a hundred thousand ryo for each of my novels that come out. But if I win you have to tell me what is going on."
Tsunade twitched. Oh the perverted hermit knew how to press her buttons and there was none bigger than her raging gambling problem. But that one hundred thousand ryo for each published novel sounded so tempting! Damn him for know her greatest weakness!
"I would like to join that bet." Naruto suddenly stated with his left eye twitching at the pervert before his gaze turned to Tsunade. "For if you I would give you access up to half of my father's account and I want the same thing he does if you lose. Ero-sensei… If you win I won't kill you for the third volume. If I win both Yugito and I get every damn cent you made from that book!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened for a moment before he cursed. He should have never encouraged either of them to ever read his series and if Naruto knew about it meant… Yugito read it and connected the dots for he was sure Naruto, and his sealed mother, would have just read it and enjoyed it for what it was.
A smutty adventure.
Despite knowing it was best to back out, Jiraiya deeply sighed and nodded his head, noticing that Tsunade seemed to be gleaming and gripping Sasuke by the collar to keep him next to her. Dealing out five cards to each, Jiraiya grinned at his hand. "Alright… Poker is the game and only jokers are wild. Tsunade, ladies first."
Doing her best to keep a poker face, which was a feat for she had a decent hand, she slid one card to Jiraiya and nearly screamed out for she had nearly the perfect hand.
Next Naruto went and took three cards, his face completely void-less of emotion. The slug sannin twitched at this fact because the prince gave nothing up but she doubted his hand would be better than hers. Finally Jiraiya took two cards and was the first to reveal them. "Full house; jacks high!"
"Ha! Straight flush in diamonds, take that!" Tsunade slammed her cards down in victory, enjoying the look of horror on Jiraiya's face knowing he was going to lose. "Now hand me over those checks boys…"
"I win." Naruto lightly commented leaving both the sannin to look at him with wide eyes before he revealed his hand to their horror. "Royal flush in spades. I believe that is the best hand in the game."
Tsunade's eye widened to an unmentionable size, ignoring Jiraiya's grumble for he lost more money than what he would have if Tsunade won but still at least won what he wanted to know. She lost…
She hadn't lost since she gained her lucky charm and kept him close. Did something happen last night that suddenly drained his luck? Suddenly turning to Sasuke with a critical eye, she poked the now awake boy in the head. "Hey! Did you lose your luck or something?! I just lost a serious bet!"
"Don't blame me! Sensei never loses a bet unless he's up against Yugito. The one time he beat her was because Yugito said she would give him a surprise and purposely lost so she could kiss him!" Sasuke grimaced and hoped that he didn't earn her wrath somehow and be leveled by her legendary strength.
Groaning at the Uchiha, dropping him on his bottom for he didn't tell her this before and thought the luck he provided for her would prevail, Tsunade rubbed her temples. She didn't mind telling Jiraiya so much for she knew he would simply log it away and send it to the Third and have a hunter team dispatched.
Naruto on the other hand…
"She visited me the other day… A few days before you got here and told me what she was planning on doing" Tsunade softly stated gazing towards Naruto before she shamefully turned away. "I failed to even stop her… For she knew of my condition and used it against me."
Just as Tsunade had predicted, Naruto's eyes dangerously narrowed and he began seething in hatred. She could practically feel the anger rolling off of him and that was due to the killing intent that was actually coming from him. This would not be pretty…
Beginning to worry, she was about to say exactly what happened when Naruto beat her to the punch, hatred evident in his voice. "Why did she come see you?"
Sighing, wishing she never had agreed to the bet in the first place, the slug sannin sadly glanced into her fellow blonde's blue eyes. "It was a brief meeting. She wanted me for a particular reason… And I cannot tell you it because I will not be the omen of bad news."
Catching the sudden shock and grimace on Jiraiya's face, Tsunade ignored the hiss from Naruto. She wanted to reach over and rip her white haired team mate's throat out for this. They should have told the boy when he learned of his parents!
Violently fuming in his seat, it took all of his self control to keep from ripping the place apart. "I know she's part of the Akatsuki if that's what you mean! And I swear if she is coming after me…"
"Ha! They didn't keep that a secret from you but they kept her one!" Tsunade ominously chuckled before her brown eyes darted to the toad sannin. "You know… I'm actually beginning to consider taking up your offer brat. Your village leader and his advisors are out of their fucking minds not to tell you about what they've been truly hiding."
All of Naruto's rage seemingly began to evaporate. No, it was still there he simply had bottled it up while his curiosity peaked. There was something the Third and some of his closest friends and family haven't been telling him? What was it they weren't telling him?
"Tsunade…" Jiraiya growled knowing what Tsunade was about to tell Naruto and wasn't going to let it happen.
"You can't stop me, Jiraiya… Naruto." Tsunade glared straight at Jiraiya with as much hatred she could muster before she deeply sighed and turned her attention to the blonde. "On the night you mother attempt to assassinate you, she did something else."
Sakura and Kerlya gasped at this revelation while Sasuke's jaw hung limply from his jaw. The mere thought that a family member, one's own mother at that, attempted to kill him was startling. But the fact that it was indeed his mother… It was something they could not wrap their minds around.
Looking down, unable to even look Naruto in the eyes as she said this, Tsunade grimly finished what she had to do. "Naruto… You have a sister. And on that night everyone just stood by and let her take Karin from your side and escape the village… They simply covered it up saying she kidnapped her."
"That is why she came to me… She wanted me to confront Orochimaru and take Karin from him as he kidnapped her from your mother and she can't get her back." Tsunade glumly admitted before leaning back in her chair, though she stayed on guard for the eventual eruption that would come.
But after a full minute… It did not.
Forcing her gaze back at Naruto, Tsunade's eyes narrowed at how he seemed to be taking this. His face to be devoid of all emotion and even his eyes lost any glint they had. This was the worst possible reaction she could think of. An emotional eruption would have been far kinder but this… This was bad.
Jiraiya already knew how bad this could get and was the main reason he had never said anything. He had to admit it that he should have told Naruto about Karin after the Cloud exams but… This is what they feared and were trying to avoid at all cost! For if Naruto knew they just stood by…
Naruto didn't even bother for confirmation from the toad sannin. His attempt to threaten Tsunade to keep her from telling him this to his current expression told him what he needed to know. It was true… He had a sister and they just let that woman leave with her.
Simply sliding out of his chair, Naruto turned to the exit and walked. At this Jiraiya stood up to chase before Naruto turned on him and without hesitation his fist slammed into Jiraiya's face and sent him through the kitchen, destroying a lot of equipment in the process.
Without even bothering to see what happened to him the blonde turned around and walked out of the restaurant, seething in a furious rage.
Tsunade sighed in relief seeing the anger Naruto showed. Not that she was relieved by any means but it was better that he was infuriated then having his mind shatter and reverting into a mechanical state.
Anger would subside and eventually waned into resentment for Jiraiya and the others that were involved and having a good view on the blonde he wouldn't let that carry on in other aspects in his life. He would simply not give a damn about those that were involved about it, however.
Still it was the best possible outcome really. If his mind had shattered and he truly became emotionless… He would simply be a killing machine… A true weapon for the leaf for he would not question any order. Then again if he had shattered yet kept his emotions… Well that could still be the case…
Groaning and rubbing her temples, Tsunade stood from her seat and didn't even bother with the sake. "Shizune… Pack our things. We're heading out in the morning… I can't sit and watch this any longer. Kids, tell your sensei we won't be returning no matter what. I will not return to that hell hole of a village."
With that, Tsunade sealed away her money before turning and walking out, not even going to bother with anything else today but drink her sorrows away.
No… Not only hers. She would drink his away too.
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This trip couldn't get any worse for him. After all the turbulence of the last night mixed in with all the distress he was going through lately… This was not a great time to break down.
He had a sister… And she had been taken away by his mother before he even knew about her. That was unforgivable on its own for if she was with him… Who knew? Maybe he would have been much happier than he was now or possibly be an emotionless droid out for the revenge of his sister's death.
But what hurt was the fact that the old Hokage and his master had known about this and never told him. There was ample time to tell him but they never did. They could have said it when they told him of his mother and father but no… They remained silent and didn't say a word about her.
And that truly angered Naruto… Something that only happened when that woman's name was mentioned. They kept this from him and who knew who else knew about this and didn't say a word about it. For all he knew a lot of those close to him knew about it.
He immediately knew Kakashi had known about this. Mikoto and Tsume also were probably in the know for they were close to Minato, being an ex-girlfriend and team mate respectively. That would also lead to Itachi and possibly Anko knowing of his sister but they were still doubtful for he knew Itachi held no secret from him and Anko would have said something about it once she knew.
Still… What if they all knew about it? Sure Yugito shouldn't because she didn't arrive till he was six and the others had been around for a while but she could have easily been told…
"Naruto…" He heard his mother's voice from within. "Don't doubt your family or friends. I'm sure a few knew but they didn't tell anyone else. You know for a fact that Anko, Itachi and Yugito would tell you the moment they found out. …And don't forget that. Each and every one of them loves you. Those that knew… were afraid of telling you and what could happen."
"Afraid?" Naruto spoke out loud for there was no one near and he really couldn't keep his opinion in his head. "I don't understand… Why would they have been afraid to tell me? They told me about her…"
"It isn't the same… You had your humanity stripped from you and if they told you about her when they informed you of that witch it was highly probable you would have lost it. Just the shock of hearing what she did shattered a lot of the progress you had made at the time." Kyuubi responded with a soft voice.
"Compare yourself now that you know to what it would have been like five years ago if you were to know… You are stronger both physically and mentally. You are now capable of taking such a burden and not snapping and retaining your humanity." The vixen continued in a gentle tone.
Frowning for a moment as he thought about what he it would have been like if he knew then, he had to give them credit. That most likely would not have been a pleasant outcome… But still. "I just can't forgive them for keeping something like this from me so long… If I had known I had a sister…"
"You would have gone after her… And who knows where she is now if the snake has her? For all we know she could be in that group too… They could have raised her to hate your very being and have her prepared to kill you. Maybe that is why they didn't want you to know." Kyuubi countered with a hiss, not going to take the gentle approach any longer to get it through her son's head.
Scowling at that thought, Naruto shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "I doubt it… Something tells me that she above all else would not be swayed so easily… After all even if I don't like it… I did inherit that woman's stubborn streak and it is difficult to change my mind once I've made it up. Who could say it wouldn't be the same for her."
Kyuubi couldn't disapprove that but how easily it was to sway a young child's mind. She of course didn't when she had the chance but she could have easily manipulated Naruto if she had wanted to. "It still goes without saying it is possible. They feared your safety… Your sanity and were waiting until you were strong enough to handle it for you were barely strong enough to handle learning of that whore."
"You're right… But I won't forgive them. That will come in time… After I find her and bring her back home." Naruto firmly stated and allowed no room for Kyuubi to say otherwise. "She may have been swayed by her words… But I will bring her back with the truth."
Biting back a frown and forcing a smile, Kyuubi kept her sigh silent. Her child had made up his mind and she could not tell him otherwise. For all they knew…
"That chakra!" Naruto suddenly broke out of his meditative position before narrowing his eyes. "There is a massive chakra signature near Jiraiya and Tsunade… This looks bad. And that smaller one…"
Naruto froze. He wasn't sure why but that signature felt… Felt so familiar. But he had never had felt it before so why would he…
He only froze momentarily before his eyes narrowed dangerously. So that was the game they were playing?
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"Ts unade…" Jiraiya came upon the slug sannin in an open bar, slowly sipping on what seemed to be the tenth bottle of sake that was in front of her.
"Shut it! I'm in no mood to put up with your shit. …Especially not after seeing what I saw today. That is just more reason for me not to go home." Tsunade viciously cut her fellow sannin off, her brown eyes narrowed at the sight of the perverted sage.
Not caring in the least, letting her words cut into him, he took his seat next to her before ordering a few bottles of his own. "I won't defend my actions or the Third's… We should have told him sooner but we feared what his reaction could be. …We've all failed him too many times."
"No shit!" Tsunade growled at him, her eyes narrowed for despite the amount she had drank hadn't even begun to fade away the pain. "If you had half an inkling of how the human mind works you would have told him everything before any of the shit he went through! All you are doing is putting nails in the coffin!"
"You are wrong… Tsunade." Jiraiya stated before downing an entire bottle with little effort. "If he knew everything he does now then… He would have snapped after the first few beatings and there would have been nothing left of him except an emotionless shell… One controlled by the will of Kyuubi."
"He's stronger than any of us truly know I'll admit… But he is also very fragile. We didn't tell him that we had let Karin get kidnapped by his mother for all we knew he could break completely and who knows what would happen if that were the case." Jiraiya slicked his hand through his hair, his eyes on the verge of tears.
"It's still unforgivable… You hid his life from him for twelve years of his life. For that reason I will not be going back to that village. It is no longer my home." Tsunade declared before swallowing the last of her drink and putting down the amount she owed. "We're done here…"
"Actually we're not." A familiar voice echoed from behind them.
Both immediately turned at recognition of the voice and were filled with rage… Only for it to slip away seeing the sight before them. "Ah. It seems you know the situation at hand."
"Damn you Kushina!" Tsunade roared and stepped towards Kushina only to stop in fear of retaliation.
Kushina could only grin at the two motionless sannin before her, knowing they were putty in her hand now. "I wouldn't take another step if I were you… After all you wouldn't want to give my boy over here a reason to rip her throat out would you?"
"Lady Tsunade… I'm so sorry." A beaten Shizune uttered in the grasp of Kisame, Samehada held tightly at her throat so that a few of the scales drew blood. "Please… Forget about me! I…"
Driving her elbow into the nurse's gut, Kushina shook her head before place her hand over her mouth and placed a seal on her lips to keep her from speaking. "I can't trust you to speak now can I?"
"What do you want Kushina? You can't capture Naruto through using us as hostages!" Jiraiya snarled at feeling so helpless in this situation. Even with his skill level he wouldn't be able to do anything fast enough without it costing Shizune her life… And he could not suffer such a burden.
The red haired priestess only smirked at the two sannin before pointing her kunai towards them. "Whoever said I was holding her hostage for my son? I need Tsunade to repair the damage left from my wounds. My medic was good but… No one is better than Tsunade and I'm going to need to be at a hundred percent for this."
"And you three! Don't think about using that kunai or I'll have Kisame here rip out her throat before it can even touch the ground." Kushina announced loudly, feeling their presence just a few buildings down and attempting to mask their presence. "Now march over here like good little hostages."
Growling at their predicament, Sasuke cursed and put up the kunai for it was useless now. Standing, the Uchiha slowly walked over with Kerlya and Sakura flanking him nervously. They had no choice… Each and every one of them was a hostage now in this situation.
"Good… Now that all of you are here and accounted for this will make things easier." Kushina stated before gazing over at Kisame. "If any of them move while Tsunade is healing my wounds or if she tries anything rip her throat out and get out of here. We stand no chance against them without her."
The swordsmen could only grin at the tactic Kushina was using. Sure he wouldn't have normally used this kind of tactic being strong enough to handle mostly anyone one on one, sometimes two on one, but Jiraiya was out of the question. He may have fought Itachi to stall the Uchiha but the sannin had far more battle experience and could easily put him away.
"Now Tsunade… If you would. If you cooperate we'll let Shizune go without a fuss." Kushina motioned to her stomach, which she had cleared of blood to avoid Tsunade panicking and being unable to heal her.
Biting her lip for she rather see Kushina burn, Tsunade tightened her fist. Shizune's life was at stake and she couldn't let her down… She couldn't lose her. Shizune was all that she really had left and without her she wouldn't have a reason to cling to life any longer. "I'll do it… But you must promise to release her soon as I'm done."
"As soon as we are out of harm's reach." Kushina reprimanded for letting go of Shizune too early would be disastrous. "I will promise you we will let her go without another hair harmed but I need you to finish recovering my wounds."
"Fine." Tsunade growled out before she motioned for Kushina to sit on a nearby stool, a little away from the others.
Sitting in the seat, keeping her eyes closed to focus on any tricks they may be up to, Kushina couldn't help but frown at the situation. She had sworn Naruto was within the vicinity, just on the outskirts of town. Only Zetsu could momentarily mask his signature from her and that was because he blended his in with the surrounding.
Keeping her eyes closed, almost focusing solely on trying to find her son's signature. Yet she couldn't find it… This bothered her. She could see all within her range and even read her opponent's movements just from their chakra alone. For little did people know that their body naturally flowed chakra through their body for every single movement and this allowed her to track her opponents…
Something she heard boy had learned how to do on his own. If it wasn't for the demon corrupting his mind she would have been proud of him. She would have been proud of everything he had accomplished. But since that demon control his will… She couldn't let her baby go through it any longer.
Tsunade could see that Kushina was in heavy concentration, most likely keeping her eye on Naruto's position. Normally she would take care of this but because of the situation she had no choice but to focus on the rather nasty wound. It was mostly healed but there was still some damage to the muscle structure altogether and that was what she was mending.
But if she was focusing on Naruto… Maybe she could get this signal to Jiraiya somehow so he could pounce. She knew the man had the skill to successfully save Shizune. The only reason he hadn't done so was because of Kushina's presence for she could react before he could do a thing.
Half tempted to slow the pace of her healing, to give Naruto more time to get to them, Tsunade mentally groaned. That wouldn't work for she was working on Kushina and the woman was the most powerful sensor for her time if not currently. Only Naruto could challenge her for that supremacy.
Suddenly Kushina's eyes opened and focused onto Shizune. Her eyes narrowed for a moment for she could see nothing was wrong but it was weird. A strangle flicker had crossed her senses and it was confusing. She swore she felt a faint trail of chakra pass by her but…
"Kisame slit her throat!" Kushina screamed out, jumping away from Tsunade right before she gave the order.
The crimson elixir splattered onto the ground below. Tsunade froze in horror at what she had seen but she wasn't the only one.
Shizune fell safely into Jiraiya's grasp, rushing out to secure her, before looking up to see his apprentice with Samehada lodge into his collar bone.
The monster of the mist couldn't help but be surprised. He had never seen such a technique. He was able to move so quickly that even Kushina could not tell where he was until the very last second. And he knew this wasn't the flash for there was no marker and the signature golden flicker was no where in sight.
Did he know something more then the legendary Hiraishin?
Still despite all these thoughts in his head, Kisame ripped his sword through the teen's collar bone. He was somewhat upset that all he received from the blonde was a grunt. A collar bone injury was one of the most painful, not to mention deadly, injuries one could receive…
"RASENGAN!"
He had no time to counter or dodge this attack. There no distant between them. His opponent allowed himself to be caught by the blow to ensure that his own attack landed. That was why he allowed him to do the damage he did. He would survive it thanks to his demon. The same could not be said the other way.
A hole tore through Kisame's gut in a flash of an eye immediately after the orb had made contact. His eyes widened but he did nothing more than fall back. The agony he felt from the blow was indescribable. His entire gut had been ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds leaving only a blood splattered and organ fragments that surrounded him and covered the face of the nine tail vessel.
Kushina's eyes widened in horror. This was something new altogether. She was always able to track Minato when he used the flash and while countering using it was difficult it was possible since she knew where he was going to be. Even Itachi and Madara's she was able to track down and knew she could counter them if she must.
But this… This was something new altogether. She had only felt him a microsecond before he had arrived and taken Shizune's place and nearly broke free of Kisame's grasp. The flicker she had felt had must been a shadow to cover his own entrance… A feint. And she could not see through it.
And that frightened her.
Without another word she dispersed into a swirl of leaves. Kisame's lost hurt but there was nothing she could do. She would mourn once she got far enough away.
Naruto knew it was pointless to pursue Kushina and in his condition it didn't even matter. Taking that blow had severely wounded him and blood was still freely pouring from it. Falling to one knee, stabbing his ninjato into the ground, he grimaced. Not only was that blow bad but he had not expected any side effects from his newest creation, one to force the Akatsuki to take a step further back from him and Yugito.
Shizune didn't hesitate despite her condition. Thankfully they had only roughed her up and hadn't done any serious damage to her outside a few kunai and shuriken cuts. However she quickly growled at extent of the damage. "Dammit! Why did you do this?!"
"Because… I was necessary. It is what my old man would have done." Naruto grimly grinned despite the anguish he now felt tear through his entire body. "And I have to say… I'm not going down the same path as her. I will do what I need to do."
"Tsunade… There is only one request from the Hokage now. …All he wants you to do is to return to the village." Naruto gasped, his vision slowly fading, he gazed towards the sannin and did everything in his power to keep his eyes from closing. "I will take the burden from him."
"I will become the Godaime."
Soon as those words left his mouth, he hissed out in a cry of agony feeling Shizune trying to reconnect the blood vessels and Sakura quickly joining over to help. They were making it very difficult for him to stay awake…
"You mind… Anesthetic maybe." Naruto growled out at the two, not wanting to be awake during this. He was already in a good amount of pain but the feel of his vessels being mended was not a pleasant one.
"Don't!" Shizune barked out at Sakura, keeping her focus on the task at hand. "Putting him to sleep now will send him into shock and kill him. Focus on mending the bones if you can. I'll keep… Tsunade?!"
Forgoing her fear of blood, Tsunade knelt down besides Naruto and placed her hands on the wound, her eyes never wavering once. "Shizune, focus on keeping his heart stable. Girl, watch me and tell me if you see something strange."
Not hesitating, Shizune moved her hands straight to Naruto's chest and placed her hands over his heart and nodded for she was ready. Sakura was a little hesitant at first but moved her hands away to let the legendary medic get to work.
Soon after Tsunade's hands began to glow. The vessels quickly mended, far quicker then what Shizune was capable of, and were reconnected in only a matter of moments before she focused on the bone itself.
It was no means simple but it was much easier in comparison. While chunks were missing bone she simply stretched out what was left, knowing that it would harden back to its full strength naturally thanks to how the boy healed. The fox might not be in the picture anymore but her presence still helped guide his own chakra to naturally mend his wounds.
Once that was finished all that was left was the flesh. While it presented no problem it was just taxing. Once she finished, Tsunade sighed and swept the sweat from her brow. "That should do it… How is his heart doing Shizune?"
"Fine… It didn't even skip a beat…" Shizune responded with a troubled expression, somewhat frightened at how easily he endured the pain the healing process had brought onto him.
While Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this, Naruto simply sighed before leaning forward, almost slumping forward due to exhaustion. "Use to… much worse pain."
"Sensei…" Kerlya shyly spoke, still stunned at what had transpired, but more so by what he had said before Tsunade took over healing him. "Why did you…"
"One… reason." Naruto interrupted, struggling from breath and to stay awake, for he wanted to give her and his team an explanation. "It is for… My true nindo… My one to you… Perverted fuck."
Despite the tense situation, a very faint smirk appeared on Jiraiya's lips. "You can't let your family or friends down… Can you?"
"I'll take that as a no." Jiraiya quickly responded to his own question when Naruto fell into Tsunade's grasp, his limit catching up to him. "I'll take him and get out of your hair… I'm sure you have things you need to do."
Looking at Naruto, ignoring what Jiraiya said for a moment, Tsunade almost wanted to cry. She had seen them all within him soon as he said those words. Nawaki… Dan… Her grandfather and uncle… Minato… She had seen them all shadow around him. The tears finally began to fall freely.
At that moment… She believed there was still hope left for her home. And without hesitation she gripped her necklace and with a tug pulled it from her neck and tenderly laid it on Naruto's chest. It belonged to him… The next Hokage.
Lifting Naruto in her own arms, Tsunade shook her head and ignored the stunned shock on Jiraiya and Shizune's face. "No… I'm going with you. He's going to need me watching over him if this is how he deals with Konoha's problems… Just deal with the corpse."
"Hey… I'm still alive here… Barely." Kisame groaned, being unable to move due to the lack of blood lose, surprising everyone there. "I don't have much time… left so I'll be blunt."
Coughing heavily and spitting out the blood that he was choking on, the monster of the mist simply grinned. "Tell the kid… To kill Madara for me. He's… The only one that can. …And tell him… To use Samehada to do it. …So I can pass on peacefully… To the next life."
Frowning at what the shark man had to say, Jiraiya looked at the man for a moment and took a deep breath. "For your last words… Fine. But I will not take the sword…"
"You have no choice… Samehada has made up its mind." Kisame grinned, feeling his blade crawl directly under Tsunade and whimpering at her feet which in turn almost freaked her out in the process. "Two of the legendary seven… to one Konoha ninja… Ha. Zabuza will have a laugh… At this."
"Now finish me… I don't want this life prolonged any longer." The monster of the mist stated, his breaths becoming more ragged by the second.
Simply sealing the sword away for now, not wanting to deal with an annoying sword with its own mind, Jiraiya motioned for the others to take Naruto and go. Once they were far enough away, the toad sage went through the proper seals before taking a deep breath and blowing a stream of fire onto Kisame.
The Monster of the Mist did not utter a cry. He welcomed the pain for soon he would be no longer.
There would be nothing left of him for Madara to us.
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"Mommy&# 8230;" A young girl with light brown hair spoke up holding the hand of a woman with long purple hair. "Why are we here so late? Doesn't daddy get off soon?"
Yugao could only chuckle lightly at her little girl and shake her head. "He does but I've come here to see Naruto's nee-chan. She was hurt badly yesterday and I couldn't get in to see her so I'm dropping by now for they've let down her guard. Is that okay, Kihana?"
Kihana simply nodded her head. She liked her big brother and didn't want to see him or anyone he cared for her. "Is she okay?"
"She should be doing fine… I heard she was making a fuss last night about not being let out." Yugao bit her lip to keep from laughing for she knew it was more thin a little fuss when it came to Anko.
The Anbu that were guarding her room weren't really there for her protection… More like the medics' protection. Once she threw a fit she was a very dangerous person to be around.
Shaking her head, smiling softly at a nurse that passed by, she turned the corner with Kihana and froze. Unsealing a katana from her scroll faster than her daughter could blink; she softly pushed her back in the other hallway and looked straight into her brown eyes. "Kihana… Baby I need you to stay right here okay? I'll be back in second, okay?"
Not sure what was going on for this happened to quickly, the young girl simply nodded seeing her mother's worried face.
Smiling, trying to reinsure her daughter, Yugao stood before sprinting to the door where two unconscious members of Anbu now laid. This was Anko's door but… She wouldn't do this to them. They would still be standing and just a little bloodied…
Breaking down the door, her eyes widened seeing a silver haired medic standing at Anko's side, the snake mistress currently unconscious, and pulling out a syringe from the side of her neck. "Oh… Hello. You got here earlier then I expected."
"What have you done?!" Yugao roared and slashed her katana out at Kabuto but he was too quick and easily jumped back to avoid the slash.
Bringing out a kunai of his own, he easily countered the next slash but wasn't expecting the girl to lower herself below her blade and ram her shoulder into his gut. The momentum took him clear out of the room and shattered the window. Using this to his advantage, he used a few of the shards of glass to cut into Yugao and pushed off the former Anbu member and allowed himself to plummet to the ground below.
Before Yugao could pursue she growled at seeing him use the seals of the Body Flicker and dispersing. Cursing at this, she barely had time to notice the kunai that he threw just before he flickered away. However it was horribly thrown and she was easily able to catch it.
At first she thought the paper attached to it was an explosive tag but it wasn't. Deciding to take a chance, she stripped the paper from the weapon to see it was simply a note. But it was what that note had said froze her.
In the very next second Itachi burst through the room seeing the guards out too, he noted Yugao's state and was quickly at her side. "What happened?!"
Yugao couldn't find her voice to speak so she simply handed the message to Itachi, who immediately read it and cursed. "Kabuto… He was a spy from Orochimaru all this time and he had her poison Anko… Wait. What is this last part about? How could he know you were coming?"
"Hayate…" Yugao felt on the verge of tears saying her husband's name while her hand clenched tightly around her katana. "Hayate has been Danzo's spy this entire time. …He was the one that brought forth the depression because I told him everything and he let the snake now!"
Itachi's eyes nearly bulged out at this Yugao's declaration. There had to be some sort of mistake. Hayate was a good friend of his… There was absolutely no way he had been a spy this entire time. …However it was the only thing that made sense. Who else would have known Yugao would be here to check on Anko? And outside of the top jounin and certain clan heads and elders, only Anbu captains knew of the upcoming war against Oto.
"I'll… I'll deal with this." Itachi grimaced before turning to the multiple medics that followed after him, seeing him bolt towards this direction and worried that something was wrong. "Report!"
"It is no good sir! Whatever poison that was used we can't remove. It is a chakra specific poison and it is focusing on… The seal. It's trying to force it to activate." The medic responded, for at the moment he was in charge because Mikoto was currently unable to perform her task. "We'll do our best to seal it away but if it activates…"
"I know!" Itachi hissed, clenching his fist tightly and drawing blood from his palm before using it to summon a small raven. "Go to Naruto and tell him he needs to return immediately and with Tsunade if he can! It will take both of them to deal with this."
The small bird simply nodded and flew out of the broken window; Itachi narrowed his eyes before turning to Yugao and sighing. "Kihana is outside waiting for you… Go to her. …I will deal with this."
Yugao could only nod, sealing away her katana, before rushing out and embracing the young girl, who was just now a few feet outside the door. The said girl was surprised that her mother came out and was worried that she was going to get punished for not staying put. But now… "Mommy… Why are you crying?"
Choking, not being able to answer, Yugao's cry doubled. She couldn't control it any longer… She had loved her husband so much and to find out… To find out in such a way that he was a traitor… And that he could possibly be the reason her friend might not make it…
She couldn't stand it.
Itachi watched Yugao out of the corner of his eye, letting her grief consume him for only a moment and allowing his eyes morphing into their ultimate form, before dispersing into darkness. He had a job to do…
And he would make Hayate pay for hurting Anko and Yugao.
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"What?" Itachi narrowed his eyes, having come after making sure Anko was safe and having the chase approved by the Hokage. "That shouldn't be possible. If she was here her scent would have to lead to another direction and even if she doubled back there would have been at least two scent trails back there."
"She didn't double back. What I'm saying is here scent stops here. There is no more trace of it. It is like she vanished off the face of the earth." Hana snapped at Itachi for doubting her and her canines' sense of smell.
Frowning at this for scent just didn't simply disappear; Yamato slipped his mask from his head and ran his fingers through the blood. "It still warm. She was here at least a few hours ago but with the amount of blood she had lost she could not have flickered away very far without causing severe damage and possibly killing her."
"What? But if that is the case… No." Miko started, being under Yamato's command for he was her unit's leader. "If that is the case someone must have bent time and space…"
Everyone's eyes went wide for a moment at that revelation before Itachi cursed. "And if a time and space jutsu was use that means… We're aborting our mission. We do not have the strength to current deal with the threat at hand."
"What?!" Yamato almost yelled before he slid his mask on and nodded once he realized the situation. "You're right… We'll be heading back immediately. This is out of our hands now."
Hana and Miko could only nod, ignoring the other Anbu's confusion. They knew how deadly time and space jutsu truly were and knew that they could do nothing here.
After all… They were team mates to the second flash.
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Team seven, excluding Sasuke, couldn't help but blink at the scene they had walked in on. Everyone had agreed on meeting for dinner before starting the day and Kerlya would be taking over for Sasuke at watching Tsunade and would rotate daily with the next day falling upon Sakura. But what they walked into surprised them more than anything else.
Tsunade gleefully flaunting dozens of bags of ryo, paying for each drink she ordered before she noticed them. "Oh hey! Everything is on me and my newest best friend!"
At that very moment Sasuke was drug into a deathly hug by the slug sannin, firmly planting his face into her breasts. Despite how adamant he had been about being twelve and not sexually active… This was simply too much for the young Uchiha. She had the largest set he had ever seen and now he was getting a close up view of them and her…
His face went bright red before he suddenly passed out due to lack of oxygen to his brain. Tsunade noted this before gently shaking him. "Hey what's wrong? I thought we were going out to win some more today? Don't you die on me now! I need a couple hundred thousand more!"
"A couple hundred thousand… Son of a…" Jiraiya's mouth opened in horror when he had realized how much ryo was held in each bag. "How in the world did you win that much?! That amount is half of what I make every book I release! The world must be ending if you had that kind of luck!"
"There world isn't ending idiot… I found my newest lucky betting charm!" Tsunade grinned and hoisted Sasuke in front of her, who was still passed out from his view of Tsunade's cleavage. "No matter what the game I won with him at my side! We stayed up to five until I got to five hundred thousand!"
"Oh Shizune!" Tsunade snapped her fingers before tossing two bags over to her apprentice. "That should cover up all our problems with debt collectors! We're no longer in debt!"
At this Shizune passed out along with Jiraiya. Naruto could only blink at the insanity unfolding before him before gazing at Sasuke and sighing. "So I would guess that Sasuke is now your permanent guard for our duration…"
"Yep! I won't accept anyone else! And if it keeps going like this I will have to permanently steal him from you!" Tsunade grinned ecstatically as for the first time in her life Tsunade was rich. Filthy stinking rich!
Rubbing his right temple, Naruto could only mentally groan at this turn of events. Now that apparently Sasuke was her lucky charm at gambling… It was going to be even harder to convince her to return home until he forcefully took the Uchiha from her. And right now…
He wasn't even going to bother. Maybe having Tsunade win tons of money would make things easier for him…
Kicking the toad sannin awake and helping Shizune out of her shock, he sat at the table and ordered the breakfast special before turning his attention to Tsunade. However his gaze soon found its way to his two female gennin. Both still had tears were ready to fall and they sat a table away, not wanting to even look at him.
Naruto sighed at this. The last thing he wanted was to tear apart the bonds he had built with his unit but at the same time he felt strongly against taking the title of Hokage. He felt justified in his reasoning's but from what Shizune said… He was the same as Tsunade. The only difference was he hadn't run away from everything.
And he did not want to have anything in common with the sannin.
Still twitching at his student for kicking him, Jiraiya sighed and rolled his eyes for he got no respect from any of his closest friends. Just what did he have to do to earn their respect?!
Shaking that from his head for he would never give up writing his series, Jiraiya glanced at his old team mate. "I know you are acting out, Tsunade… What is it that is bothering you so? You can talk about it to us. It isn't like we're going to tell anyone else."
Suddenly being knocked out of her happy-go-lucky mood, Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously at the perverted sannin. She knew he wouldn't have been fooled but still… She did not want to let anyone else know about what was going on. "There is nothing wrong. I'm just excited about winning so much money."
"Oh, is that right?" Jiraiya's eyes sparkled for a moment before drawing forth a deck of cards. "Then a propose a bet then. If you win I'll give you stipend of a hundred thousand ryo for each of my novels that come out. But if I win you have to tell me what is going on."
Tsunade twitched. Oh the perverted hermit knew how to press her buttons and there was none bigger than her raging gambling problem. But that one hundred thousand ryo for each published novel sounded so tempting! Damn him for know her greatest weakness!
"I would like to join that bet." Naruto suddenly stated with his left eye twitching at the pervert before his gaze turned to Tsunade. "For if you I would give you access up to half of my father's account and I want the same thing he does if you lose. Ero-sensei… If you win I won't kill you for the third volume. If I win both Yugito and I get every damn cent you made from that book!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened for a moment before he cursed. He should have never encouraged either of them to ever read his series and if Naruto knew about it meant… Yugito read it and connected the dots for he was sure Naruto, and his sealed mother, would have just read it and enjoyed it for what it was.
A smutty adventure.
Despite knowing it was best to back out, Jiraiya deeply sighed and nodded his head, noticing that Tsunade seemed to be gleaming and gripping Sasuke by the collar to keep him next to her. Dealing out five cards to each, Jiraiya grinned at his hand. "Alright… Poker is the game and only jokers are wild. Tsunade, ladies first."
Doing her best to keep a poker face, which was a feat for she had a decent hand, she slid one card to Jiraiya and nearly screamed out for she had nearly the perfect hand.
Next Naruto went and took three cards, his face completely void-less of emotion. The slug sannin twitched at this fact because the prince gave nothing up but she doubted his hand would be better than hers. Finally Jiraiya took two cards and was the first to reveal them. "Full house; jacks high!"
"Ha! Straight flush in diamonds, take that!" Tsunade slammed her cards down in victory, enjoying the look of horror on Jiraiya's face knowing he was going to lose. "Now hand me over those checks boys…"
"I win." Naruto lightly commented leaving both the sannin to look at him with wide eyes before he revealed his hand to their horror. "Royal flush in spades. I believe that is the best hand in the game."
Tsunade's eye widened to an unmentionable size, ignoring Jiraiya's grumble for he lost more money than what he would have if Tsunade won but still at least won what he wanted to know. She lost…
She hadn't lost since she gained her lucky charm and kept him close. Did something happen last night that suddenly drained his luck? Suddenly turning to Sasuke with a critical eye, she poked the now awake boy in the head. "Hey! Did you lose your luck or something?! I just lost a serious bet!"
"Don't blame me! Sensei never loses a bet unless he's up against Yugito. The one time he beat her was because Yugito said she would give him a surprise and purposely lost so she could kiss him!" Sasuke grimaced and hoped that he didn't earn her wrath somehow and be leveled by her legendary strength.
Groaning at the Uchiha, dropping him on his bottom for he didn't tell her this before and thought the luck he provided for her would prevail, Tsunade rubbed her temples. She didn't mind telling Jiraiya so much for she knew he would simply log it away and send it to the Third and have a hunter team dispatched.
Naruto on the other hand…
"She visited me the other day… A few days before you got here and told me what she was planning on doing" Tsunade softly stated gazing towards Naruto before she shamefully turned away. "I failed to even stop her… For she knew of my condition and used it against me."
Just as Tsunade had predicted, Naruto's eyes dangerously narrowed and he began seething in hatred. She could practically feel the anger rolling off of him and that was due to the killing intent that was actually coming from him. This would not be pretty…
Beginning to worry, she was about to say exactly what happened when Naruto beat her to the punch, hatred evident in his voice. "Why did she come see you?"
Sighing, wishing she never had agreed to the bet in the first place, the slug sannin sadly glanced into her fellow blonde's blue eyes. "It was a brief meeting. She wanted me for a particular reason… And I cannot tell you it because I will not be the omen of bad news."
Catching the sudden shock and grimace on Jiraiya's face, Tsunade ignored the hiss from Naruto. She wanted to reach over and rip her white haired team mate's throat out for this. They should have told the boy when he learned of his parents!
Violently fuming in his seat, it took all of his self control to keep from ripping the place apart. "I know she's part of the Akatsuki if that's what you mean! And I swear if she is coming after me…"
"Ha! They didn't keep that a secret from you but they kept her one!" Tsunade ominously chuckled before her brown eyes darted to the toad sannin. "You know… I'm actually beginning to consider taking up your offer brat. Your village leader and his advisors are out of their fucking minds not to tell you about what they've been truly hiding."
All of Naruto's rage seemingly began to evaporate. No, it was still there he simply had bottled it up while his curiosity peaked. There was something the Third and some of his closest friends and family haven't been telling him? What was it they weren't telling him?
"Tsunade…" Jiraiya growled knowing what Tsunade was about to tell Naruto and wasn't going to let it happen.
"You can't stop me, Jiraiya… Naruto." Tsunade glared straight at Jiraiya with as much hatred she could muster before she deeply sighed and turned her attention to the blonde. "On the night you mother attempt to assassinate you, she did something else."
Sakura and Kerlya gasped at this revelation while Sasuke's jaw hung limply from his jaw. The mere thought that a family member, one's own mother at that, attempted to kill him was startling. But the fact that it was indeed his mother… It was something they could not wrap their minds around.
Looking down, unable to even look Naruto in the eyes as she said this, Tsunade grimly finished what she had to do. "Naruto… You have a sister. And on that night everyone just stood by and let her take Karin from your side and escape the village… They simply covered it up saying she kidnapped her."
"That is why she came to me… She wanted me to confront Orochimaru and take Karin from him as he kidnapped her from your mother and she can't get her back." Tsunade glumly admitted before leaning back in her chair, though she stayed on guard for the eventual eruption that would come.
But after a full minute… It did not.
Forcing her gaze back at Naruto, Tsunade's eyes narrowed at how he seemed to be taking this. His face to be devoid of all emotion and even his eyes lost any glint they had. This was the worst possible reaction she could think of. An emotional eruption would have been far kinder but this… This was bad.
Jiraiya already knew how bad this could get and was the main reason he had never said anything. He had to admit it that he should have told Naruto about Karin after the Cloud exams but… This is what they feared and were trying to avoid at all cost! For if Naruto knew they just stood by…
Naruto didn't even bother for confirmation from the toad sannin. His attempt to threaten Tsunade to keep her from telling him this to his current expression told him what he needed to know. It was true… He had a sister and they just let that woman leave with her.
Simply sliding out of his chair, Naruto turned to the exit and walked. At this Jiraiya stood up to chase before Naruto turned on him and without hesitation his fist slammed into Jiraiya's face and sent him through the kitchen, destroying a lot of equipment in the process.
Without even bothering to see what happened to him the blonde turned around and walked out of the restaurant, seething in a furious rage.
Tsunade sighed in relief seeing the anger Naruto showed. Not that she was relieved by any means but it was better that he was infuriated then having his mind shatter and reverting into a mechanical state.
Anger would subside and eventually waned into resentment for Jiraiya and the others that were involved and having a good view on the blonde he wouldn't let that carry on in other aspects in his life. He would simply not give a damn about those that were involved about it, however.
Still it was the best possible outcome really. If his mind had shattered and he truly became emotionless… He would simply be a killing machine… A true weapon for the leaf for he would not question any order. Then again if he had shattered yet kept his emotions… Well that could still be the case…
Groaning and rubbing her temples, Tsunade stood from her seat and didn't even bother with the sake. "Shizune… Pack our things. We're heading out in the morning… I can't sit and watch this any longer. Kids, tell your sensei we won't be returning no matter what. I will not return to that hell hole of a village."
With that, Tsunade sealed away her money before turning and walking out, not even going to bother with anything else today but drink her sorrows away.
No… Not only hers. She would drink his away too.
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This trip couldn't get any worse for him. After all the turbulence of the last night mixed in with all the distress he was going through lately… This was not a great time to break down.
He had a sister… And she had been taken away by his mother before he even knew about her. That was unforgivable on its own for if she was with him… Who knew? Maybe he would have been much happier than he was now or possibly be an emotionless droid out for the revenge of his sister's death.
But what hurt was the fact that the old Hokage and his master had known about this and never told him. There was ample time to tell him but they never did. They could have said it when they told him of his mother and father but no… They remained silent and didn't say a word about her.
And that truly angered Naruto… Something that only happened when that woman's name was mentioned. They kept this from him and who knew who else knew about this and didn't say a word about it. For all he knew a lot of those close to him knew about it.
He immediately knew Kakashi had known about this. Mikoto and Tsume also were probably in the know for they were close to Minato, being an ex-girlfriend and team mate respectively. That would also lead to Itachi and possibly Anko knowing of his sister but they were still doubtful for he knew Itachi held no secret from him and Anko would have said something about it once she knew.
Still… What if they all knew about it? Sure Yugito shouldn't because she didn't arrive till he was six and the others had been around for a while but she could have easily been told…
"Naruto…" He heard his mother's voice from within. "Don't doubt your family or friends. I'm sure a few knew but they didn't tell anyone else. You know for a fact that Anko, Itachi and Yugito would tell you the moment they found out. …And don't forget that. Each and every one of them loves you. Those that knew… were afraid of telling you and what could happen."
"Afraid?" Naruto spoke out loud for there was no one near and he really couldn't keep his opinion in his head. "I don't understand… Why would they have been afraid to tell me? They told me about her…"
"It isn't the same… You had your humanity stripped from you and if they told you about her when they informed you of that witch it was highly probable you would have lost it. Just the shock of hearing what she did shattered a lot of the progress you had made at the time." Kyuubi responded with a soft voice.
"Compare yourself now that you know to what it would have been like five years ago if you were to know… You are stronger both physically and mentally. You are now capable of taking such a burden and not snapping and retaining your humanity." The vixen continued in a gentle tone.
Frowning for a moment as he thought about what he it would have been like if he knew then, he had to give them credit. That most likely would not have been a pleasant outcome… But still. "I just can't forgive them for keeping something like this from me so long… If I had known I had a sister…"
"You would have gone after her… And who knows where she is now if the snake has her? For all we know she could be in that group too… They could have raised her to hate your very being and have her prepared to kill you. Maybe that is why they didn't want you to know." Kyuubi countered with a hiss, not going to take the gentle approach any longer to get it through her son's head.
Scowling at that thought, Naruto shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "I doubt it… Something tells me that she above all else would not be swayed so easily… After all even if I don't like it… I did inherit that woman's stubborn streak and it is difficult to change my mind once I've made it up. Who could say it wouldn't be the same for her."
Kyuubi couldn't disapprove that but how easily it was to sway a young child's mind. She of course didn't when she had the chance but she could have easily manipulated Naruto if she had wanted to. "It still goes without saying it is possible. They feared your safety… Your sanity and were waiting until you were strong enough to handle it for you were barely strong enough to handle learning of that whore."
"You're right… But I won't forgive them. That will come in time… After I find her and bring her back home." Naruto firmly stated and allowed no room for Kyuubi to say otherwise. "She may have been swayed by her words… But I will bring her back with the truth."
Biting back a frown and forcing a smile, Kyuubi kept her sigh silent. Her child had made up his mind and she could not tell him otherwise. For all they knew…
"That chakra!" Naruto suddenly broke out of his meditative position before narrowing his eyes. "There is a massive chakra signature near Jiraiya and Tsunade… This looks bad. And that smaller one…"
Naruto froze. He wasn't sure why but that signature felt… Felt so familiar. But he had never had felt it before so why would he…
He only froze momentarily before his eyes narrowed dangerously. So that was the game they were playing?
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"Ts unade…" Jiraiya came upon the slug sannin in an open bar, slowly sipping on what seemed to be the tenth bottle of sake that was in front of her.
"Shut it! I'm in no mood to put up with your shit. …Especially not after seeing what I saw today. That is just more reason for me not to go home." Tsunade viciously cut her fellow sannin off, her brown eyes narrowed at the sight of the perverted sage.
Not caring in the least, letting her words cut into him, he took his seat next to her before ordering a few bottles of his own. "I won't defend my actions or the Third's… We should have told him sooner but we feared what his reaction could be. …We've all failed him too many times."
"No shit!" Tsunade growled at him, her eyes narrowed for despite the amount she had drank hadn't even begun to fade away the pain. "If you had half an inkling of how the human mind works you would have told him everything before any of the shit he went through! All you are doing is putting nails in the coffin!"
"You are wrong… Tsunade." Jiraiya stated before downing an entire bottle with little effort. "If he knew everything he does now then… He would have snapped after the first few beatings and there would have been nothing left of him except an emotionless shell… One controlled by the will of Kyuubi."
"He's stronger than any of us truly know I'll admit… But he is also very fragile. We didn't tell him that we had let Karin get kidnapped by his mother for all we knew he could break completely and who knows what would happen if that were the case." Jiraiya slicked his hand through his hair, his eyes on the verge of tears.
"It's still unforgivable… You hid his life from him for twelve years of his life. For that reason I will not be going back to that village. It is no longer my home." Tsunade declared before swallowing the last of her drink and putting down the amount she owed. "We're done here…"
"Actually we're not." A familiar voice echoed from behind them.
Both immediately turned at recognition of the voice and were filled with rage… Only for it to slip away seeing the sight before them. "Ah. It seems you know the situation at hand."
"Damn you Kushina!" Tsunade roared and stepped towards Kushina only to stop in fear of retaliation.
Kushina could only grin at the two motionless sannin before her, knowing they were putty in her hand now. "I wouldn't take another step if I were you… After all you wouldn't want to give my boy over here a reason to rip her throat out would you?"
"Lady Tsunade… I'm so sorry." A beaten Shizune uttered in the grasp of Kisame, Samehada held tightly at her throat so that a few of the scales drew blood. "Please… Forget about me! I…"
Driving her elbow into the nurse's gut, Kushina shook her head before place her hand over her mouth and placed a seal on her lips to keep her from speaking. "I can't trust you to speak now can I?"
"What do you want Kushina? You can't capture Naruto through using us as hostages!" Jiraiya snarled at feeling so helpless in this situation. Even with his skill level he wouldn't be able to do anything fast enough without it costing Shizune her life… And he could not suffer such a burden.
The red haired priestess only smirked at the two sannin before pointing her kunai towards them. "Whoever said I was holding her hostage for my son? I need Tsunade to repair the damage left from my wounds. My medic was good but… No one is better than Tsunade and I'm going to need to be at a hundred percent for this."
"And you three! Don't think about using that kunai or I'll have Kisame here rip out her throat before it can even touch the ground." Kushina announced loudly, feeling their presence just a few buildings down and attempting to mask their presence. "Now march over here like good little hostages."
Growling at their predicament, Sasuke cursed and put up the kunai for it was useless now. Standing, the Uchiha slowly walked over with Kerlya and Sakura flanking him nervously. They had no choice… Each and every one of them was a hostage now in this situation.
"Good… Now that all of you are here and accounted for this will make things easier." Kushina stated before gazing over at Kisame. "If any of them move while Tsunade is healing my wounds or if she tries anything rip her throat out and get out of here. We stand no chance against them without her."
The swordsmen could only grin at the tactic Kushina was using. Sure he wouldn't have normally used this kind of tactic being strong enough to handle mostly anyone one on one, sometimes two on one, but Jiraiya was out of the question. He may have fought Itachi to stall the Uchiha but the sannin had far more battle experience and could easily put him away.
"Now Tsunade… If you would. If you cooperate we'll let Shizune go without a fuss." Kushina motioned to her stomach, which she had cleared of blood to avoid Tsunade panicking and being unable to heal her.
Biting her lip for she rather see Kushina burn, Tsunade tightened her fist. Shizune's life was at stake and she couldn't let her down… She couldn't lose her. Shizune was all that she really had left and without her she wouldn't have a reason to cling to life any longer. "I'll do it… But you must promise to release her soon as I'm done."
"As soon as we are out of harm's reach." Kushina reprimanded for letting go of Shizune too early would be disastrous. "I will promise you we will let her go without another hair harmed but I need you to finish recovering my wounds."
"Fine." Tsunade growled out before she motioned for Kushina to sit on a nearby stool, a little away from the others.
Sitting in the seat, keeping her eyes closed to focus on any tricks they may be up to, Kushina couldn't help but frown at the situation. She had sworn Naruto was within the vicinity, just on the outskirts of town. Only Zetsu could momentarily mask his signature from her and that was because he blended his in with the surrounding.
Keeping her eyes closed, almost focusing solely on trying to find her son's signature. Yet she couldn't find it… This bothered her. She could see all within her range and even read her opponent's movements just from their chakra alone. For little did people know that their body naturally flowed chakra through their body for every single movement and this allowed her to track her opponents…
Something she heard boy had learned how to do on his own. If it wasn't for the demon corrupting his mind she would have been proud of him. She would have been proud of everything he had accomplished. But since that demon control his will… She couldn't let her baby go through it any longer.
Tsunade could see that Kushina was in heavy concentration, most likely keeping her eye on Naruto's position. Normally she would take care of this but because of the situation she had no choice but to focus on the rather nasty wound. It was mostly healed but there was still some damage to the muscle structure altogether and that was what she was mending.
But if she was focusing on Naruto… Maybe she could get this signal to Jiraiya somehow so he could pounce. She knew the man had the skill to successfully save Shizune. The only reason he hadn't done so was because of Kushina's presence for she could react before he could do a thing.
Half tempted to slow the pace of her healing, to give Naruto more time to get to them, Tsunade mentally groaned. That wouldn't work for she was working on Kushina and the woman was the most powerful sensor for her time if not currently. Only Naruto could challenge her for that supremacy.
Suddenly Kushina's eyes opened and focused onto Shizune. Her eyes narrowed for a moment for she could see nothing was wrong but it was weird. A strangle flicker had crossed her senses and it was confusing. She swore she felt a faint trail of chakra pass by her but…
"Kisame slit her throat!" Kushina screamed out, jumping away from Tsunade right before she gave the order.
The crimson elixir splattered onto the ground below. Tsunade froze in horror at what she had seen but she wasn't the only one.
Shizune fell safely into Jiraiya's grasp, rushing out to secure her, before looking up to see his apprentice with Samehada lodge into his collar bone.
The monster of the mist couldn't help but be surprised. He had never seen such a technique. He was able to move so quickly that even Kushina could not tell where he was until the very last second. And he knew this wasn't the flash for there was no marker and the signature golden flicker was no where in sight.
Did he know something more then the legendary Hiraishin?
Still despite all these thoughts in his head, Kisame ripped his sword through the teen's collar bone. He was somewhat upset that all he received from the blonde was a grunt. A collar bone injury was one of the most painful, not to mention deadly, injuries one could receive…
"RASENGAN!"
He had no time to counter or dodge this attack. There no distant between them. His opponent allowed himself to be caught by the blow to ensure that his own attack landed. That was why he allowed him to do the damage he did. He would survive it thanks to his demon. The same could not be said the other way.
A hole tore through Kisame's gut in a flash of an eye immediately after the orb had made contact. His eyes widened but he did nothing more than fall back. The agony he felt from the blow was indescribable. His entire gut had been ripped to shreds in a matter of seconds leaving only a blood splattered and organ fragments that surrounded him and covered the face of the nine tail vessel.
Kushina's eyes widened in horror. This was something new altogether. She was always able to track Minato when he used the flash and while countering using it was difficult it was possible since she knew where he was going to be. Even Itachi and Madara's she was able to track down and knew she could counter them if she must.
But this… This was something new altogether. She had only felt him a microsecond before he had arrived and taken Shizune's place and nearly broke free of Kisame's grasp. The flicker she had felt had must been a shadow to cover his own entrance… A feint. And she could not see through it.
And that frightened her.
Without another word she dispersed into a swirl of leaves. Kisame's lost hurt but there was nothing she could do. She would mourn once she got far enough away.
Naruto knew it was pointless to pursue Kushina and in his condition it didn't even matter. Taking that blow had severely wounded him and blood was still freely pouring from it. Falling to one knee, stabbing his ninjato into the ground, he grimaced. Not only was that blow bad but he had not expected any side effects from his newest creation, one to force the Akatsuki to take a step further back from him and Yugito.
Shizune didn't hesitate despite her condition. Thankfully they had only roughed her up and hadn't done any serious damage to her outside a few kunai and shuriken cuts. However she quickly growled at extent of the damage. "Dammit! Why did you do this?!"
"Because… I was necessary. It is what my old man would have done." Naruto grimly grinned despite the anguish he now felt tear through his entire body. "And I have to say… I'm not going down the same path as her. I will do what I need to do."
"Tsunade… There is only one request from the Hokage now. …All he wants you to do is to return to the village." Naruto gasped, his vision slowly fading, he gazed towards the sannin and did everything in his power to keep his eyes from closing. "I will take the burden from him."
"I will become the Godaime."
Soon as those words left his mouth, he hissed out in a cry of agony feeling Shizune trying to reconnect the blood vessels and Sakura quickly joining over to help. They were making it very difficult for him to stay awake…
"You mind… Anesthetic maybe." Naruto growled out at the two, not wanting to be awake during this. He was already in a good amount of pain but the feel of his vessels being mended was not a pleasant one.
"Don't!" Shizune barked out at Sakura, keeping her focus on the task at hand. "Putting him to sleep now will send him into shock and kill him. Focus on mending the bones if you can. I'll keep… Tsunade?!"
Forgoing her fear of blood, Tsunade knelt down besides Naruto and placed her hands on the wound, her eyes never wavering once. "Shizune, focus on keeping his heart stable. Girl, watch me and tell me if you see something strange."
Not hesitating, Shizune moved her hands straight to Naruto's chest and placed her hands over his heart and nodded for she was ready. Sakura was a little hesitant at first but moved her hands away to let the legendary medic get to work.
Soon after Tsunade's hands began to glow. The vessels quickly mended, far quicker then what Shizune was capable of, and were reconnected in only a matter of moments before she focused on the bone itself.
It was no means simple but it was much easier in comparison. While chunks were missing bone she simply stretched out what was left, knowing that it would harden back to its full strength naturally thanks to how the boy healed. The fox might not be in the picture anymore but her presence still helped guide his own chakra to naturally mend his wounds.
Once that was finished all that was left was the flesh. While it presented no problem it was just taxing. Once she finished, Tsunade sighed and swept the sweat from her brow. "That should do it… How is his heart doing Shizune?"
"Fine… It didn't even skip a beat…" Shizune responded with a troubled expression, somewhat frightened at how easily he endured the pain the healing process had brought onto him.
While Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this, Naruto simply sighed before leaning forward, almost slumping forward due to exhaustion. "Use to… much worse pain."
"Sensei…" Kerlya shyly spoke, still stunned at what had transpired, but more so by what he had said before Tsunade took over healing him. "Why did you…"
"One… reason." Naruto interrupted, struggling from breath and to stay awake, for he wanted to give her and his team an explanation. "It is for… My true nindo… My one to you… Perverted fuck."
Despite the tense situation, a very faint smirk appeared on Jiraiya's lips. "You can't let your family or friends down… Can you?"
"I'll take that as a no." Jiraiya quickly responded to his own question when Naruto fell into Tsunade's grasp, his limit catching up to him. "I'll take him and get out of your hair… I'm sure you have things you need to do."
Looking at Naruto, ignoring what Jiraiya said for a moment, Tsunade almost wanted to cry. She had seen them all within him soon as he said those words. Nawaki… Dan… Her grandfather and uncle… Minato… She had seen them all shadow around him. The tears finally began to fall freely.
At that moment… She believed there was still hope left for her home. And without hesitation she gripped her necklace and with a tug pulled it from her neck and tenderly laid it on Naruto's chest. It belonged to him… The next Hokage.
Lifting Naruto in her own arms, Tsunade shook her head and ignored the stunned shock on Jiraiya and Shizune's face. "No… I'm going with you. He's going to need me watching over him if this is how he deals with Konoha's problems… Just deal with the corpse."
"Hey… I'm still alive here… Barely." Kisame groaned, being unable to move due to the lack of blood lose, surprising everyone there. "I don't have much time… left so I'll be blunt."
Coughing heavily and spitting out the blood that he was choking on, the monster of the mist simply grinned. "Tell the kid… To kill Madara for me. He's… The only one that can. …And tell him… To use Samehada to do it. …So I can pass on peacefully… To the next life."
Frowning at what the shark man had to say, Jiraiya looked at the man for a moment and took a deep breath. "For your last words… Fine. But I will not take the sword…"
"You have no choice… Samehada has made up its mind." Kisame grinned, feeling his blade crawl directly under Tsunade and whimpering at her feet which in turn almost freaked her out in the process. "Two of the legendary seven… to one Konoha ninja… Ha. Zabuza will have a laugh… At this."
"Now finish me… I don't want this life prolonged any longer." The monster of the mist stated, his breaths becoming more ragged by the second.
Simply sealing the sword away for now, not wanting to deal with an annoying sword with its own mind, Jiraiya motioned for the others to take Naruto and go. Once they were far enough away, the toad sage went through the proper seals before taking a deep breath and blowing a stream of fire onto Kisame.
The Monster of the Mist did not utter a cry. He welcomed the pain for soon he would be no longer.
There would be nothing left of him for Madara to us.
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"Mommy&# 8230;" A young girl with light brown hair spoke up holding the hand of a woman with long purple hair. "Why are we here so late? Doesn't daddy get off soon?"
Yugao could only chuckle lightly at her little girl and shake her head. "He does but I've come here to see Naruto's nee-chan. She was hurt badly yesterday and I couldn't get in to see her so I'm dropping by now for they've let down her guard. Is that okay, Kihana?"
Kihana simply nodded her head. She liked her big brother and didn't want to see him or anyone he cared for her. "Is she okay?"
"She should be doing fine… I heard she was making a fuss last night about not being let out." Yugao bit her lip to keep from laughing for she knew it was more thin a little fuss when it came to Anko.
The Anbu that were guarding her room weren't really there for her protection… More like the medics' protection. Once she threw a fit she was a very dangerous person to be around.
Shaking her head, smiling softly at a nurse that passed by, she turned the corner with Kihana and froze. Unsealing a katana from her scroll faster than her daughter could blink; she softly pushed her back in the other hallway and looked straight into her brown eyes. "Kihana… Baby I need you to stay right here okay? I'll be back in second, okay?"
Not sure what was going on for this happened to quickly, the young girl simply nodded seeing her mother's worried face.
Smiling, trying to reinsure her daughter, Yugao stood before sprinting to the door where two unconscious members of Anbu now laid. This was Anko's door but… She wouldn't do this to them. They would still be standing and just a little bloodied…
Breaking down the door, her eyes widened seeing a silver haired medic standing at Anko's side, the snake mistress currently unconscious, and pulling out a syringe from the side of her neck. "Oh… Hello. You got here earlier then I expected."
"What have you done?!" Yugao roared and slashed her katana out at Kabuto but he was too quick and easily jumped back to avoid the slash.
Bringing out a kunai of his own, he easily countered the next slash but wasn't expecting the girl to lower herself below her blade and ram her shoulder into his gut. The momentum took him clear out of the room and shattered the window. Using this to his advantage, he used a few of the shards of glass to cut into Yugao and pushed off the former Anbu member and allowed himself to plummet to the ground below.
Before Yugao could pursue she growled at seeing him use the seals of the Body Flicker and dispersing. Cursing at this, she barely had time to notice the kunai that he threw just before he flickered away. However it was horribly thrown and she was easily able to catch it.
At first she thought the paper attached to it was an explosive tag but it wasn't. Deciding to take a chance, she stripped the paper from the weapon to see it was simply a note. But it was what that note had said froze her.
In the very next second Itachi burst through the room seeing the guards out too, he noted Yugao's state and was quickly at her side. "What happened?!"
Yugao couldn't find her voice to speak so she simply handed the message to Itachi, who immediately read it and cursed. "Kabuto… He was a spy from Orochimaru all this time and he had her poison Anko… Wait. What is this last part about? How could he know you were coming?"
"Hayate…" Yugao felt on the verge of tears saying her husband's name while her hand clenched tightly around her katana. "Hayate has been Danzo's spy this entire time. …He was the one that brought forth the depression because I told him everything and he let the snake now!"
Itachi's eyes nearly bulged out at this Yugao's declaration. There had to be some sort of mistake. Hayate was a good friend of his… There was absolutely no way he had been a spy this entire time. …However it was the only thing that made sense. Who else would have known Yugao would be here to check on Anko? And outside of the top jounin and certain clan heads and elders, only Anbu captains knew of the upcoming war against Oto.
"I'll… I'll deal with this." Itachi grimaced before turning to the multiple medics that followed after him, seeing him bolt towards this direction and worried that something was wrong. "Report!"
"It is no good sir! Whatever poison that was used we can't remove. It is a chakra specific poison and it is focusing on… The seal. It's trying to force it to activate." The medic responded, for at the moment he was in charge because Mikoto was currently unable to perform her task. "We'll do our best to seal it away but if it activates…"
"I know!" Itachi hissed, clenching his fist tightly and drawing blood from his palm before using it to summon a small raven. "Go to Naruto and tell him he needs to return immediately and with Tsunade if he can! It will take both of them to deal with this."
The small bird simply nodded and flew out of the broken window; Itachi narrowed his eyes before turning to Yugao and sighing. "Kihana is outside waiting for you… Go to her. …I will deal with this."
Yugao could only nod, sealing away her katana, before rushing out and embracing the young girl, who was just now a few feet outside the door. The said girl was surprised that her mother came out and was worried that she was going to get punished for not staying put. But now… "Mommy… Why are you crying?"
Choking, not being able to answer, Yugao's cry doubled. She couldn't control it any longer… She had loved her husband so much and to find out… To find out in such a way that he was a traitor… And that he could possibly be the reason her friend might not make it…
She couldn't stand it.
Itachi watched Yugao out of the corner of his eye, letting her grief consume him for only a moment and allowing his eyes morphing into their ultimate form, before dispersing into darkness. He had a job to do…
And he would make Hayate pay for hurting Anko and Yugao.
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