Naruto: Chaos Theory 6/?
Title: Chaos Theory
Author: Ofphenwa
Rating: PG13
Summary: Namikaze Minato never expected that he would actually have a son and that his son, Uzumaki Naruto, was already an adult. Neither did he expect that his son would end up bringing so much chaos and trouble into his life like his namesake.
A/N: I'm really sorry about the lateness of this update. I've been very busy since returning from overseas and didn't get to write much. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. :)
Master Post 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Chapter 6
The ship was huge and stank of rotting fish as the unlikely pair carefully sneaked along the dim corridors. Minato was thankful that Kyuubi was helping him - she was easily able to bypass the security systems and gain access to the forbidden areas. He resolved to thank her once everything was over, though he wouldn't drop her case. As they penetrated deeper into the ship, Minato noticed that there were oddly very few people on the ship for its size - were most of them still out on the streets?
Finally, the duo reached the cargo hold. There were many crates in the large room but there was still no sign of any machine that could have produced the jamming signal. Minato pried open one of the crates and found enough weapons in there to fuel a small war. He frowned as he recognised most of the weapons to be illegal. How had this man Gato slipped past the notice of Mizu no Kuni's MIST? Nami no Kuni was now paying dearly for this appalling oversight.
"Minato, I think you should see this…"
For the first time, Kyuubi called him by his name and she sounded serious. Immediately going on alert, Minato walked over to Kyuubi's position and finally had a look at what she had found. His eyes widened before he slowly grinned, "Excellent. You've found the jamming device."
"Great, how the heck do we destroy it?"
Kyuubi's question was a good one. The machine was a huge metal construction that looked sturdy enough to withstand a bomb or two, but Minato was not deterred. He grandly gestured to the crates around them, "Kyuubi, do you know what's inside those boxes?"
"…Ammunition, I'm guessing, from your freaky smile. Are you trying to blow us all up to high kingdom come?! We happen to be in a SHIP, you know, at sea."
Minato smiled.
"Bingo."
"Dude. You're insane. But hell, it’s not like I've got a better idea, and I do like explosions…"
Minato responded in an off-handed manner as he began putting the ammunition around the jamming device, "You have to be a little insane to be in my line of work… but I could also say the same about you."
Kyuubi conceded Minato's point, "Touché."
x
In a matter of minutes, they had rigged enough explosives to the jamming machine to blow it apart to atomic particles, as well as a big hole in the ship to make it sink to the bottom of the ocean. The bombs were set to go off in an hour, during which they would fulfill their second objective of finding Gato and bringing him to justice. Naruto had been very tempted to leave him on the ship to die after seeing what his men had wrought on Nami no Kuni’s people while trying to catch up with Minato. But he wasn’t a killer and Minato had a hardened look on his face that made him shudder at Gato’s possible fate once his father got his hands on him. It would definitely not be pleasant.
Minato thought that it was highly likely that Gato would be in the Captain’s Quarters, which were usually on the ship-deck, all the way back up from the cargo-hold. Naruto also agreed with his logic and together, they carefully retraced their steps to the ship-deck. Sticking to the shadows, they cautiously made it across the open space away from the eyes of the guards, and were finally in view of the Captain’s Quarters. The door was guarded by three men with rifles. Naruto was about to sneak out there and drop a surprise attack on them when Minato pulled him back with a smile on his face, “Kyuubi, let me do the job this time. We’re partners now for the time being…”
That smile was quite different from all the other smiles Naruto had seen Minato give. This one was rather predatory and held a hint of bloodthirstiness that made him shiver. Wondering about Minato’s sanity and fearing for his life, Naruto asked, “Just how are you going to take them down without drawing attention to us?”
Minato smirked and it was a smirk that was full of supreme confidence. Naruto could almost see how this man, his father, was the Director of LEAF. Minato leaned in very close to whisper in his ear, “I’m not called the Yellow Flash for nothing.”
And quite simply, he was gone. Naruto quickly looked back at where the guards were in an attempt to see where his father had gone. And then BAM, the guards were all down in a blur of motion too fast for him to see clearly - at most he could only make out a yellow blur. He gasped in awe. HOLY CRAP. Minato was totally hardcore and badass. No freaking wonder he was the Yellow Flash and the Director of LEAF. He walked over to meet Minato and looked down at the guards.
“You didn’t kill them?”
“No. I just knocked them out. Kyuubi, can you unlock the door?”
Naruto ruefully shook his head at Minato and replied, “Yeah, I can. This lock is a simple one. Cover me while I do it, ok?”
At Minato’s nod, Naruto whipped out his lock-picks, crouched down and began to fiddle with the lock. He could feel Minato moving to stand closer behind him, covering him protectively with his body as he kept an eye out. It was rather distracting, but Naruto managed to keep his focus on the job. Soon, which was an unacceptable too many seconds later, the door was finally unlocked and he nudged Minato behind him to inform him that he was done. Then they stepped inside the Captain’s Quarters.
x
It was much bigger inside than the outside led them to believe; it was also quite dim. Minato could see a solitary chair ahead of them, backlit by the faint red glow of the distant fires that were wrecking Nami no Kuni. Aiming his gun at where he guessed the enemy's head would be, Minato cautiously stepped forward with Kyuubi staying behind to watch the door for any other enemies.
“You came here a lot faster than I expected, LEAF Agent. Did I interrupt your holiday by chance?”
Gato was a short and plump man with a ratty face and an unpleasant, cruel gleam in his black pig-like eyes that grated on Minato’s nerves. It was obvious that this man was utterly without morals and thought that he was above the law. Minato just hated those types of people. Narrowing his eyes at Gato, he sternly ordered, “Surrender yourself.”
“Hah, not a snowball’s chance in hell. Let’s see just how long a LEAF agent can last against a whole army of my men, shall we? I’ve heard so many stories of LEAF’s exploits.”
Gato mockingly laughed and Minato heard Kyuubi shout a warning before a warm body collided with his back, sending them sprawling to the floor. With a click, brilliant white floodlights came on and when his eyes finally adjusted to the bright lights, he sharply inhaled at the sheer number of opponents that surrounded them - so that’s why the ship had been so quiet and empty. Most of the men were armed with sharp blades of various shapes and length, like long katanas, broad parangs or even the archaic kunai Minato thought he saw. Kyuubi grunted as she got to her feet with Minato’s help and muttered, “Shit, I’ve never dealt with these kinds of numbers. You’re so letting me take the next jewel unmolested for this! You know that I’ll just return it anyway.”
“It sounds rather appealing but let’s discuss that afterwards, shall we?”
Kyuubi smirked devilishly at the men around them as she settled into an unfamiliar stance which Minato vaguely recognised to be from the martial art of Capoeira. Minato simply went for a textbook shooting posture - he still had two guns and some magazines that could last for quite a while if he aimed carefully. Right now, it was too risky to get in close combat with those bladed weapons in the way, especially with the sheer number of people - they had to thin out the crowd first. Kyuubi replied, “Hell yeah. We gotta defeat these bozos, grab Gato and get the hell outta here before the mountain of explosives down in the cargo blows in oh, 20 minutes.”
Minato smiled faintly.
“We should make it snappy then.”
Then he fired his gun at one of the nearest man’s kneecaps; shattering it in a bloody spray of bone and flesh with a thunderous crack in the air. There was absolute silence for a millisecond before the unfortunate man’s agonised screams spurred the rest of the enemies into action, surging forward like a tidal wave on the duo. The Captain’s Quarters descended into chaos.
x
Naruto’s heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest as he took down man after man with his fists and legs. Behind him, Minato was coolly and steadily picking off the opposition with frighteningly accurate shots to their kneecaps and hands - if he wanted, he could easily have killed them instead. Naruto realised that he was very, very lucky that Minato only used tranquiliser guns while trying to capture him in his heists.
Bullets were not infinite in quantity. Minato’s second gun finally clicked empty and sensing an opportunity, one particularly large goon recklessly swung his parang at him. Minato reflexively blocked it with his gun, the sharp metal edge of the blade digging deep into the barrel. While the parang was still being pulled away, almost jerking his gun out of his grip, Minato turned on his heel and launched a forceful torque kick into his stomach, propelling him into the wall with the momentum.
Minato swiftly did another head-count. Only about five left. Luckily, it seemed that these mercenaries weren’t very good at fighting and some had already fled earlier in fear - wait, Gato was trying to escape, having sneaked around them to the door. Minato shouted at Kyuubi who was closer to it, “Kyuubi! Gato’s getting away!”
Naruto heard him; turning, he saw Gato running towards the open entrance. Quickly, he dashed forward and tackled him to the floor, sending them flying out of the door onto the ship deck. Gato was struggling a lot and shouting for help - annoyed, Naruto punched his face and broke his nose as well as knocking him out. Minato soon came out of the door, having taken down the remaining men and smiled at him, “Good job. Let’s take him in.”
Naruto smiled back at him but before Minato could handcuff Gato, a gunshot rang out. Blood sprayed onto Naruto and Gato jerked, instantly dead from the bloody bullet hole in his head. Naruto immediately scrambled off the fresh corpse, nauseous at the gory sight. Minato whipped his head in the direction of the gunshot and saw two men in suits with a red-cloud pin on their lapels.
He instantly recognised them from the “Bingo Book”, an international data archive used by all countries as a record of all criminals - they were Hidan and Kakuzu, the notorious “Zombie Duo”. Hidan was a psychopath who enjoyed killing and had even killed children but he had never been successfully caught. Kakuzu was a notorious mercenary who would kill anyone for the right price. Minato warily asked, “Why did you kill Gato? Are you behind the attack on Nami no Kuni too?”
Hidan laughed and holstered his gun, “Why not? He had already done his job and he’s useless to us now.”
Kakuzu glanced at his watch and commented, “We better get moving. The ship’s going to blow soon. This is only the beginning, LEAF.”
With that parting remark, there was a loud explosion and the ship violently rocked, sending both Minato and Naruto sprawling on the deck. The vessel began to sink into the ocean. Both Hidan and Kakuzu had already gone once Naruto managed to get to his feet once more. He saw them disembark from the ship into a small speed-boat and escape into the distance. Bewildered by the sudden turn of events and knowing that he was running low on chakra reserves, Naruto said hurriedly, “I don’t know who the heck they are but they are bad news. Good night!”
With a cheeky wink, he jumped off the ship and disappeared in a burst of smoke. Minato cursed when he realised that there was no easy way out for him, unlike for Kyuubi and the mysterious duo. Casting a glance back at Gato’s corpse, he quickly dived off the sinking ship into the icy waters below. The mission was finally over.
x
It was only a week after that disastrous vacation but it felt like years ago as Naruto reclined in the sofa on the veranda of his house, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the early morning. It had been quite a jarring experience to be in a war, albeit a rather short one thanks to Minato’s quick intervention. Nami no Kuni was recovering quite quickly now thanks to the combined efforts of Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni, but Naruto decided not to steal the “Stone of Gelel” while they were still recovering. It was just bad manners and poor taste.
Minato was also quite busy these days, his desk flooded with the influx of new reports about a new terrorist organisation named “Akatsuki” that had struck many countries and causing billions of ryou worth of damage. Now that Naruto “knew” what he worked as, Minato started to occasionally tell him interesting and funny anecdotes from his job. It was refreshing that his father was being so open with him (though of course, there were still some things Minato could not talk about, like his actual rank for instance).
Naruto unconsciously bit his lower lip as his thoughts turned towards his secret career as Kyuubi. Minato still didn’t know that his son was she. This was a boon for Kyuubi, but as Naruto, it didn’t feel good to keep hiding such a big secret from him like Kushina had, including his existence from Minato for almost twenty years. But since Minato was also the Director of LEAF, Naruto was forced to keep his silence. Maybe, one day, he would eventually tell him… whether or not he found the Hoshitama.
x
Minato was perplexed as he stood in front of the display screen that showed all the records of existing Uzumaki Clan members in the world. All of them had red hair with either green or violet eyes (Minato briefly thought of the possibility of hair dyes and coloured contacts but it seemed unnecessary and unlikely as Kyuubi already hid her face and hair under her mask) and they were either too old or young to be Kyuubi. To put it simply, the supposed Uzumaki who was supposed to be Kyuubi did not officially exist...
Wait, there was still one more Uzumaki. Namely his son, Uzumaki Naruto, who was a perfect fit for the criteria, except for one glaringly obvious fact. Naruto was definitely not a woman (their embarrassing first meeting came to mind when he mused on that fact) and Kyuubi’s body was definitely real. He knew this through their frequent physical combat and Nami no Kuni’s fiasco. Unless Naruto had a secret ability to change genders and a predilection for stealing large gemstones that he was not aware of, it was totally impossible for his son to be Kyuubi. Minato wanted to scream in frustration but settled for an annoyed huff.
“A dead end. Fuck.”
But even so, Minato couldn’t help but see the obvious resemblance between Naruto, Kyuubi and Kushina. What a riddle! Switching off the display screen, he leaned back in his luxurious leather seat and watched the clouds out of the windows. His eyes caught the photos of his predecessors lined up on the wall and Minato got an idea. Urgently picking up his phone and dialling a number, he called, “Hello. Is he free today? I'd like to make an appointment…”
x
The Sarutobi residence was a quiet, little cottage tucked in a small forest enclave in the upper class district of Konoha. The gardens were quite pleasant and Minato was treated to high quality Long-jing tea as he waited for his host to show up. He hoped that he wouldn't have to wait long - his legs were already starting to cramp in the seiza position - he’d never quite mastered the art of seiza despite being an highly trained agent. Minato valiantly persisted and tried to distract himself by looking at the abstract calligraphy scrolls that adorned the walls of the airy traditional room lined with tatami mats and sliding doors.
His host Sarutobi Hiruzen finally arrived, moving with the aid of a gnarled wooden walking stick. Dressed in traditional robes and wizened with age, Sarutobi’s current appearance did not hint in the slightest that he had in fact, been one of the best secret agents in the world as the Professor and the Third Director of LEAF. Sarutobi was feared and remembered for his exploits in the Second and Third Secret Elemental Nations Wars, though now in present day, he preferred to pursue the esoteric arts of calligraphy, poetry and other traditional hobbies.
His back was erect and his eyes sharp with intelligence as he sat down in front of Minato. Sarutobi's wrinkles creased as he gave a friendly smile to his successor, “It’s been a long time since I last saw you. How have you been? Is LEAF running well?"
"I am fine and LEAF is running as smoothly as ever. How are you?"
Sarutobi poured Minato and himself a cup of tea. He sipped it and sighed blissfully, "Delicious. Life is really wonderful when you take it slow and simply enjoy yourself. Minato, you should consider taking a vacation soon - you've got more frown lines than the last time I saw you."
Minato's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at the memory of Nami no Kuni - that had been no vacation at all. Sarutobi was teasing him again because he surely knew what had happened recently - even if he was retired, it didn't mean he had become a hermit.
"Sir… I would rather not go on another vacation so soon. But anyway, I need your advice regarding a case."
"Right to the point, Minato? This case must be giving you quite a bit of trouble."
Minato slid the case dossiers across the tatami mats to Sarutobi with a wry comment, "You could say that."
"Hmm, give me a moment to read through these…"
x
"Wait. You want me to go with you to the Fire Festival as your date? Why?"
Naruto almost dropped his bag, unable to believe his ears. Did Sakura actually just ask him to be her date for the upcoming Fire Festival, the annual celebration of Konoha's founding? He cocked his head and eyed Sakura carefully. Her green eyes were blazing with determination and her cheeks were a fetching shade of red from her exertion - Sakura had rushed all the way from her classroom to the library on the opposite end of the campus to catch Naruto and impulsively ask him out. Catching her breath, her hands braced on her knees, she proudly drew herself up to full height and replied frankly, "Because I like you. Please be my date for the Fire Festival."
"I… Can you give me some time to think?"
Naruto was completely stunned. Haruno Sakura liked him? She hadn't shown any indication that she wanted to have a romantic relationship with him. Or, had he been too dense not to notice her feelings? Lost in his thoughts, Naruto didn't notice Sakura grow agitated with every passing second as he internally fretted over his new situation. Finally, Sakura couldn't take the silence any more and she exploded, "SHANNAROOOO!!! Just say YES or NO, damn it!"
*KAPOW*
Sakura's fist swiftly buried itself in the concrete wall beside Naruto's head, much to his shock, creating a small crater. Seeing the pink-haired med student in a new light, Naruto hastily replied out of fear, "Y-yes! I'll be your date!"
"Great! Thank you so much, Naruto!"
Sakura gave him a sunny smile and she cheerfully whistled as she walked away, a skip in her gait. Pale with shock, Naruto slid down the wall as his knees gave out on him. Holy shit, what crazy strength was this girl packing?! Then he smacked himself in the head and muttered to himself, "Aw shit. How am I going to steal the Fire Ruby from the Fire Temple Abbot at the Fire Festival at the same time...? Oh wait, I have Kage Bunshin! It just might still work…"
x
"Basically, the crux of your problem is that you can't find anyone in the records who could be this mysterious thief Kyuubi… From what you have told me, I am also convinced that Kyuubi must be an Uzumaki too. But there is no Uzumaki that fits, which means that either Kyuubi is not an Uzumaki or we simply haven't looked hard enough. Are you sure that these are all the Uzumaki Clan members that exist currently?"
Sarutobi stroked his beard thoughtfully as he flicked through the reports once more, seeking out any details that he might have missed. Minato hesitated before bowing his head and sheepishly replying, "There is another Uzumaki that exists. I took the liberty of withdrawing him from the list of suspects because there is no way he can be Kyuubi."
"…Minato, who is this Uzumaki?"
Sarutobi's voice was stern and his eyes suddenly sharp. Minato felt like he was back in Academy despite being the Director. A flush rising in his cheeks, he looked away guiltily as he admitted, "Uzumaki Naruto. He's… my son."
Sarutobi looked greatly surprised.
"…Your son? You don't mean he's Uzumaki Kushina's child? Tell me more about him."
"Yes, I was unaware that Uzumaki Kushina was pregnant with Naruto when she disappeared twenty years ago. Since her untimely death last year, Naruto has been living with me. He studies law at the Konoha University."
Minato took out his wallet and took out a photo of himself and Naruto recently taken in Nami no Kuni. He passed it to Sarutobi, "Here… this is what he looks like."
Looking at Naruto's grinning face in the photo, Sarutobi smiled indulgently, "He looks just like you and Kushina. I take it he's very much like Kushina in his personality, then? I recall that she was a very fearsome D.A., so feared that she was nicknamed, 'The Bloody Habanero' by her peers. I also remember that you didn't like her at first because she kept throwing your evidence out of the window in court. It was quite amusing to see you lose your composure around her for vastly different reasons later… Ah dear me, I'm rambling again in my old age! Do forgive this old man for wandering off topic."
"It's fine, sir."
Returning the photo to Minato, Sarutobi frowned disapprovingly, "But why did you remove him from the list of suspects? Even if Naruto is your son, it still does not remove the shadow of suspicion from him despite the gender misfit. As you should know better by now, there are ways in which a man can convincingly disguise himself as a woman - did you not have to do it once as Jiraiya's apprentice?"
Minato winced at the embarrassing memory he had worked so hard to blot out of his mind. But he got Sarutobi's blunt point and didn't like the implications. He muttered, "But he's so young and he hasn't shown any of Kyuubi's abilities… I can't really see Naruto as Kyuubi at all."
Sarutobi sympathised with Minato. It was not easy for anyone to have to think of a close family member as a criminal suspect. But no one was above the law, not even the Director of LEAF.
"Even so, because of your position, you especially have to uphold the law. Even if your son turns out to be a criminal... you must do what is right. Isn't that what you believed in and promised, when I chose you to be my successor?"
Sarutobi drew on his pipe once, puffed a few smoke rings and looked at Minato with his old, wise eyes. Minato bowed his head and nodded. He solemnly replied, "I understand. Thank you for your advice, Sarutobi."
"Oh, it was nothing, Minato. You needed help so there you have it. But really, you should come visit this old man more often. It's not good to let friendships fall by the wayside."
"Sorry. I'll come to visit more often. I'll be going now..."
Sarutobi laughed cheerfully, "Bring your son next time! I'm pretty sure that even if Naruto might turn out to be Kyuubi, he must have his own reasons for doing so. And, have you ever considered attending the Fire Festival that's coming up soon in October...? The Fire Temple's Abbot will be attending with that famous ruby. This is your chance to prove Naruto's innocence. Either he is Kyuubi or he is not."
"The Fire Ruby..."
Minato got a determined look in his eyes and he grew excited. Before he left the room, he exclaimed, "That's it! Thank you very much, Sarutobi."
Once Minato had left, Sarutobi smiled and puffed his pipe contentedly, "Minato has really come a long way since his days as a rookie…”
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Author: Ofphenwa
Rating: PG13
Summary: Namikaze Minato never expected that he would actually have a son and that his son, Uzumaki Naruto, was already an adult. Neither did he expect that his son would end up bringing so much chaos and trouble into his life like his namesake.
A/N: I'm really sorry about the lateness of this update. I've been very busy since returning from overseas and didn't get to write much. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. :)
Master Post 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Chapter 6
The ship was huge and stank of rotting fish as the unlikely pair carefully sneaked along the dim corridors. Minato was thankful that Kyuubi was helping him - she was easily able to bypass the security systems and gain access to the forbidden areas. He resolved to thank her once everything was over, though he wouldn't drop her case. As they penetrated deeper into the ship, Minato noticed that there were oddly very few people on the ship for its size - were most of them still out on the streets?
Finally, the duo reached the cargo hold. There were many crates in the large room but there was still no sign of any machine that could have produced the jamming signal. Minato pried open one of the crates and found enough weapons in there to fuel a small war. He frowned as he recognised most of the weapons to be illegal. How had this man Gato slipped past the notice of Mizu no Kuni's MIST? Nami no Kuni was now paying dearly for this appalling oversight.
"Minato, I think you should see this…"
For the first time, Kyuubi called him by his name and she sounded serious. Immediately going on alert, Minato walked over to Kyuubi's position and finally had a look at what she had found. His eyes widened before he slowly grinned, "Excellent. You've found the jamming device."
"Great, how the heck do we destroy it?"
Kyuubi's question was a good one. The machine was a huge metal construction that looked sturdy enough to withstand a bomb or two, but Minato was not deterred. He grandly gestured to the crates around them, "Kyuubi, do you know what's inside those boxes?"
"…Ammunition, I'm guessing, from your freaky smile. Are you trying to blow us all up to high kingdom come?! We happen to be in a SHIP, you know, at sea."
Minato smiled.
"Bingo."
"Dude. You're insane. But hell, it’s not like I've got a better idea, and I do like explosions…"
Minato responded in an off-handed manner as he began putting the ammunition around the jamming device, "You have to be a little insane to be in my line of work… but I could also say the same about you."
Kyuubi conceded Minato's point, "Touché."
x
In a matter of minutes, they had rigged enough explosives to the jamming machine to blow it apart to atomic particles, as well as a big hole in the ship to make it sink to the bottom of the ocean. The bombs were set to go off in an hour, during which they would fulfill their second objective of finding Gato and bringing him to justice. Naruto had been very tempted to leave him on the ship to die after seeing what his men had wrought on Nami no Kuni’s people while trying to catch up with Minato. But he wasn’t a killer and Minato had a hardened look on his face that made him shudder at Gato’s possible fate once his father got his hands on him. It would definitely not be pleasant.
Minato thought that it was highly likely that Gato would be in the Captain’s Quarters, which were usually on the ship-deck, all the way back up from the cargo-hold. Naruto also agreed with his logic and together, they carefully retraced their steps to the ship-deck. Sticking to the shadows, they cautiously made it across the open space away from the eyes of the guards, and were finally in view of the Captain’s Quarters. The door was guarded by three men with rifles. Naruto was about to sneak out there and drop a surprise attack on them when Minato pulled him back with a smile on his face, “Kyuubi, let me do the job this time. We’re partners now for the time being…”
That smile was quite different from all the other smiles Naruto had seen Minato give. This one was rather predatory and held a hint of bloodthirstiness that made him shiver. Wondering about Minato’s sanity and fearing for his life, Naruto asked, “Just how are you going to take them down without drawing attention to us?”
Minato smirked and it was a smirk that was full of supreme confidence. Naruto could almost see how this man, his father, was the Director of LEAF. Minato leaned in very close to whisper in his ear, “I’m not called the Yellow Flash for nothing.”
And quite simply, he was gone. Naruto quickly looked back at where the guards were in an attempt to see where his father had gone. And then BAM, the guards were all down in a blur of motion too fast for him to see clearly - at most he could only make out a yellow blur. He gasped in awe. HOLY CRAP. Minato was totally hardcore and badass. No freaking wonder he was the Yellow Flash and the Director of LEAF. He walked over to meet Minato and looked down at the guards.
“You didn’t kill them?”
“No. I just knocked them out. Kyuubi, can you unlock the door?”
Naruto ruefully shook his head at Minato and replied, “Yeah, I can. This lock is a simple one. Cover me while I do it, ok?”
At Minato’s nod, Naruto whipped out his lock-picks, crouched down and began to fiddle with the lock. He could feel Minato moving to stand closer behind him, covering him protectively with his body as he kept an eye out. It was rather distracting, but Naruto managed to keep his focus on the job. Soon, which was an unacceptable too many seconds later, the door was finally unlocked and he nudged Minato behind him to inform him that he was done. Then they stepped inside the Captain’s Quarters.
x
It was much bigger inside than the outside led them to believe; it was also quite dim. Minato could see a solitary chair ahead of them, backlit by the faint red glow of the distant fires that were wrecking Nami no Kuni. Aiming his gun at where he guessed the enemy's head would be, Minato cautiously stepped forward with Kyuubi staying behind to watch the door for any other enemies.
“You came here a lot faster than I expected, LEAF Agent. Did I interrupt your holiday by chance?”
Gato was a short and plump man with a ratty face and an unpleasant, cruel gleam in his black pig-like eyes that grated on Minato’s nerves. It was obvious that this man was utterly without morals and thought that he was above the law. Minato just hated those types of people. Narrowing his eyes at Gato, he sternly ordered, “Surrender yourself.”
“Hah, not a snowball’s chance in hell. Let’s see just how long a LEAF agent can last against a whole army of my men, shall we? I’ve heard so many stories of LEAF’s exploits.”
Gato mockingly laughed and Minato heard Kyuubi shout a warning before a warm body collided with his back, sending them sprawling to the floor. With a click, brilliant white floodlights came on and when his eyes finally adjusted to the bright lights, he sharply inhaled at the sheer number of opponents that surrounded them - so that’s why the ship had been so quiet and empty. Most of the men were armed with sharp blades of various shapes and length, like long katanas, broad parangs or even the archaic kunai Minato thought he saw. Kyuubi grunted as she got to her feet with Minato’s help and muttered, “Shit, I’ve never dealt with these kinds of numbers. You’re so letting me take the next jewel unmolested for this! You know that I’ll just return it anyway.”
“It sounds rather appealing but let’s discuss that afterwards, shall we?”
Kyuubi smirked devilishly at the men around them as she settled into an unfamiliar stance which Minato vaguely recognised to be from the martial art of Capoeira. Minato simply went for a textbook shooting posture - he still had two guns and some magazines that could last for quite a while if he aimed carefully. Right now, it was too risky to get in close combat with those bladed weapons in the way, especially with the sheer number of people - they had to thin out the crowd first. Kyuubi replied, “Hell yeah. We gotta defeat these bozos, grab Gato and get the hell outta here before the mountain of explosives down in the cargo blows in oh, 20 minutes.”
Minato smiled faintly.
“We should make it snappy then.”
Then he fired his gun at one of the nearest man’s kneecaps; shattering it in a bloody spray of bone and flesh with a thunderous crack in the air. There was absolute silence for a millisecond before the unfortunate man’s agonised screams spurred the rest of the enemies into action, surging forward like a tidal wave on the duo. The Captain’s Quarters descended into chaos.
x
Naruto’s heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest as he took down man after man with his fists and legs. Behind him, Minato was coolly and steadily picking off the opposition with frighteningly accurate shots to their kneecaps and hands - if he wanted, he could easily have killed them instead. Naruto realised that he was very, very lucky that Minato only used tranquiliser guns while trying to capture him in his heists.
Bullets were not infinite in quantity. Minato’s second gun finally clicked empty and sensing an opportunity, one particularly large goon recklessly swung his parang at him. Minato reflexively blocked it with his gun, the sharp metal edge of the blade digging deep into the barrel. While the parang was still being pulled away, almost jerking his gun out of his grip, Minato turned on his heel and launched a forceful torque kick into his stomach, propelling him into the wall with the momentum.
Minato swiftly did another head-count. Only about five left. Luckily, it seemed that these mercenaries weren’t very good at fighting and some had already fled earlier in fear - wait, Gato was trying to escape, having sneaked around them to the door. Minato shouted at Kyuubi who was closer to it, “Kyuubi! Gato’s getting away!”
Naruto heard him; turning, he saw Gato running towards the open entrance. Quickly, he dashed forward and tackled him to the floor, sending them flying out of the door onto the ship deck. Gato was struggling a lot and shouting for help - annoyed, Naruto punched his face and broke his nose as well as knocking him out. Minato soon came out of the door, having taken down the remaining men and smiled at him, “Good job. Let’s take him in.”
Naruto smiled back at him but before Minato could handcuff Gato, a gunshot rang out. Blood sprayed onto Naruto and Gato jerked, instantly dead from the bloody bullet hole in his head. Naruto immediately scrambled off the fresh corpse, nauseous at the gory sight. Minato whipped his head in the direction of the gunshot and saw two men in suits with a red-cloud pin on their lapels.
He instantly recognised them from the “Bingo Book”, an international data archive used by all countries as a record of all criminals - they were Hidan and Kakuzu, the notorious “Zombie Duo”. Hidan was a psychopath who enjoyed killing and had even killed children but he had never been successfully caught. Kakuzu was a notorious mercenary who would kill anyone for the right price. Minato warily asked, “Why did you kill Gato? Are you behind the attack on Nami no Kuni too?”
Hidan laughed and holstered his gun, “Why not? He had already done his job and he’s useless to us now.”
Kakuzu glanced at his watch and commented, “We better get moving. The ship’s going to blow soon. This is only the beginning, LEAF.”
With that parting remark, there was a loud explosion and the ship violently rocked, sending both Minato and Naruto sprawling on the deck. The vessel began to sink into the ocean. Both Hidan and Kakuzu had already gone once Naruto managed to get to his feet once more. He saw them disembark from the ship into a small speed-boat and escape into the distance. Bewildered by the sudden turn of events and knowing that he was running low on chakra reserves, Naruto said hurriedly, “I don’t know who the heck they are but they are bad news. Good night!”
With a cheeky wink, he jumped off the ship and disappeared in a burst of smoke. Minato cursed when he realised that there was no easy way out for him, unlike for Kyuubi and the mysterious duo. Casting a glance back at Gato’s corpse, he quickly dived off the sinking ship into the icy waters below. The mission was finally over.
x
It was only a week after that disastrous vacation but it felt like years ago as Naruto reclined in the sofa on the veranda of his house, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the early morning. It had been quite a jarring experience to be in a war, albeit a rather short one thanks to Minato’s quick intervention. Nami no Kuni was recovering quite quickly now thanks to the combined efforts of Hi no Kuni and Mizu no Kuni, but Naruto decided not to steal the “Stone of Gelel” while they were still recovering. It was just bad manners and poor taste.
Minato was also quite busy these days, his desk flooded with the influx of new reports about a new terrorist organisation named “Akatsuki” that had struck many countries and causing billions of ryou worth of damage. Now that Naruto “knew” what he worked as, Minato started to occasionally tell him interesting and funny anecdotes from his job. It was refreshing that his father was being so open with him (though of course, there were still some things Minato could not talk about, like his actual rank for instance).
Naruto unconsciously bit his lower lip as his thoughts turned towards his secret career as Kyuubi. Minato still didn’t know that his son was she. This was a boon for Kyuubi, but as Naruto, it didn’t feel good to keep hiding such a big secret from him like Kushina had, including his existence from Minato for almost twenty years. But since Minato was also the Director of LEAF, Naruto was forced to keep his silence. Maybe, one day, he would eventually tell him… whether or not he found the Hoshitama.
x
Minato was perplexed as he stood in front of the display screen that showed all the records of existing Uzumaki Clan members in the world. All of them had red hair with either green or violet eyes (Minato briefly thought of the possibility of hair dyes and coloured contacts but it seemed unnecessary and unlikely as Kyuubi already hid her face and hair under her mask) and they were either too old or young to be Kyuubi. To put it simply, the supposed Uzumaki who was supposed to be Kyuubi did not officially exist...
Wait, there was still one more Uzumaki. Namely his son, Uzumaki Naruto, who was a perfect fit for the criteria, except for one glaringly obvious fact. Naruto was definitely not a woman (their embarrassing first meeting came to mind when he mused on that fact) and Kyuubi’s body was definitely real. He knew this through their frequent physical combat and Nami no Kuni’s fiasco. Unless Naruto had a secret ability to change genders and a predilection for stealing large gemstones that he was not aware of, it was totally impossible for his son to be Kyuubi. Minato wanted to scream in frustration but settled for an annoyed huff.
“A dead end. Fuck.”
But even so, Minato couldn’t help but see the obvious resemblance between Naruto, Kyuubi and Kushina. What a riddle! Switching off the display screen, he leaned back in his luxurious leather seat and watched the clouds out of the windows. His eyes caught the photos of his predecessors lined up on the wall and Minato got an idea. Urgently picking up his phone and dialling a number, he called, “Hello. Is he free today? I'd like to make an appointment…”
x
The Sarutobi residence was a quiet, little cottage tucked in a small forest enclave in the upper class district of Konoha. The gardens were quite pleasant and Minato was treated to high quality Long-jing tea as he waited for his host to show up. He hoped that he wouldn't have to wait long - his legs were already starting to cramp in the seiza position - he’d never quite mastered the art of seiza despite being an highly trained agent. Minato valiantly persisted and tried to distract himself by looking at the abstract calligraphy scrolls that adorned the walls of the airy traditional room lined with tatami mats and sliding doors.
His host Sarutobi Hiruzen finally arrived, moving with the aid of a gnarled wooden walking stick. Dressed in traditional robes and wizened with age, Sarutobi’s current appearance did not hint in the slightest that he had in fact, been one of the best secret agents in the world as the Professor and the Third Director of LEAF. Sarutobi was feared and remembered for his exploits in the Second and Third Secret Elemental Nations Wars, though now in present day, he preferred to pursue the esoteric arts of calligraphy, poetry and other traditional hobbies.
His back was erect and his eyes sharp with intelligence as he sat down in front of Minato. Sarutobi's wrinkles creased as he gave a friendly smile to his successor, “It’s been a long time since I last saw you. How have you been? Is LEAF running well?"
"I am fine and LEAF is running as smoothly as ever. How are you?"
Sarutobi poured Minato and himself a cup of tea. He sipped it and sighed blissfully, "Delicious. Life is really wonderful when you take it slow and simply enjoy yourself. Minato, you should consider taking a vacation soon - you've got more frown lines than the last time I saw you."
Minato's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at the memory of Nami no Kuni - that had been no vacation at all. Sarutobi was teasing him again because he surely knew what had happened recently - even if he was retired, it didn't mean he had become a hermit.
"Sir… I would rather not go on another vacation so soon. But anyway, I need your advice regarding a case."
"Right to the point, Minato? This case must be giving you quite a bit of trouble."
Minato slid the case dossiers across the tatami mats to Sarutobi with a wry comment, "You could say that."
"Hmm, give me a moment to read through these…"
x
"Wait. You want me to go with you to the Fire Festival as your date? Why?"
Naruto almost dropped his bag, unable to believe his ears. Did Sakura actually just ask him to be her date for the upcoming Fire Festival, the annual celebration of Konoha's founding? He cocked his head and eyed Sakura carefully. Her green eyes were blazing with determination and her cheeks were a fetching shade of red from her exertion - Sakura had rushed all the way from her classroom to the library on the opposite end of the campus to catch Naruto and impulsively ask him out. Catching her breath, her hands braced on her knees, she proudly drew herself up to full height and replied frankly, "Because I like you. Please be my date for the Fire Festival."
"I… Can you give me some time to think?"
Naruto was completely stunned. Haruno Sakura liked him? She hadn't shown any indication that she wanted to have a romantic relationship with him. Or, had he been too dense not to notice her feelings? Lost in his thoughts, Naruto didn't notice Sakura grow agitated with every passing second as he internally fretted over his new situation. Finally, Sakura couldn't take the silence any more and she exploded, "SHANNAROOOO!!! Just say YES or NO, damn it!"
*KAPOW*
Sakura's fist swiftly buried itself in the concrete wall beside Naruto's head, much to his shock, creating a small crater. Seeing the pink-haired med student in a new light, Naruto hastily replied out of fear, "Y-yes! I'll be your date!"
"Great! Thank you so much, Naruto!"
Sakura gave him a sunny smile and she cheerfully whistled as she walked away, a skip in her gait. Pale with shock, Naruto slid down the wall as his knees gave out on him. Holy shit, what crazy strength was this girl packing?! Then he smacked himself in the head and muttered to himself, "Aw shit. How am I going to steal the Fire Ruby from the Fire Temple Abbot at the Fire Festival at the same time...? Oh wait, I have Kage Bunshin! It just might still work…"
x
"Basically, the crux of your problem is that you can't find anyone in the records who could be this mysterious thief Kyuubi… From what you have told me, I am also convinced that Kyuubi must be an Uzumaki too. But there is no Uzumaki that fits, which means that either Kyuubi is not an Uzumaki or we simply haven't looked hard enough. Are you sure that these are all the Uzumaki Clan members that exist currently?"
Sarutobi stroked his beard thoughtfully as he flicked through the reports once more, seeking out any details that he might have missed. Minato hesitated before bowing his head and sheepishly replying, "There is another Uzumaki that exists. I took the liberty of withdrawing him from the list of suspects because there is no way he can be Kyuubi."
"…Minato, who is this Uzumaki?"
Sarutobi's voice was stern and his eyes suddenly sharp. Minato felt like he was back in Academy despite being the Director. A flush rising in his cheeks, he looked away guiltily as he admitted, "Uzumaki Naruto. He's… my son."
Sarutobi looked greatly surprised.
"…Your son? You don't mean he's Uzumaki Kushina's child? Tell me more about him."
"Yes, I was unaware that Uzumaki Kushina was pregnant with Naruto when she disappeared twenty years ago. Since her untimely death last year, Naruto has been living with me. He studies law at the Konoha University."
Minato took out his wallet and took out a photo of himself and Naruto recently taken in Nami no Kuni. He passed it to Sarutobi, "Here… this is what he looks like."
Looking at Naruto's grinning face in the photo, Sarutobi smiled indulgently, "He looks just like you and Kushina. I take it he's very much like Kushina in his personality, then? I recall that she was a very fearsome D.A., so feared that she was nicknamed, 'The Bloody Habanero' by her peers. I also remember that you didn't like her at first because she kept throwing your evidence out of the window in court. It was quite amusing to see you lose your composure around her for vastly different reasons later… Ah dear me, I'm rambling again in my old age! Do forgive this old man for wandering off topic."
"It's fine, sir."
Returning the photo to Minato, Sarutobi frowned disapprovingly, "But why did you remove him from the list of suspects? Even if Naruto is your son, it still does not remove the shadow of suspicion from him despite the gender misfit. As you should know better by now, there are ways in which a man can convincingly disguise himself as a woman - did you not have to do it once as Jiraiya's apprentice?"
Minato winced at the embarrassing memory he had worked so hard to blot out of his mind. But he got Sarutobi's blunt point and didn't like the implications. He muttered, "But he's so young and he hasn't shown any of Kyuubi's abilities… I can't really see Naruto as Kyuubi at all."
Sarutobi sympathised with Minato. It was not easy for anyone to have to think of a close family member as a criminal suspect. But no one was above the law, not even the Director of LEAF.
"Even so, because of your position, you especially have to uphold the law. Even if your son turns out to be a criminal... you must do what is right. Isn't that what you believed in and promised, when I chose you to be my successor?"
Sarutobi drew on his pipe once, puffed a few smoke rings and looked at Minato with his old, wise eyes. Minato bowed his head and nodded. He solemnly replied, "I understand. Thank you for your advice, Sarutobi."
"Oh, it was nothing, Minato. You needed help so there you have it. But really, you should come visit this old man more often. It's not good to let friendships fall by the wayside."
"Sorry. I'll come to visit more often. I'll be going now..."
Sarutobi laughed cheerfully, "Bring your son next time! I'm pretty sure that even if Naruto might turn out to be Kyuubi, he must have his own reasons for doing so. And, have you ever considered attending the Fire Festival that's coming up soon in October...? The Fire Temple's Abbot will be attending with that famous ruby. This is your chance to prove Naruto's innocence. Either he is Kyuubi or he is not."
"The Fire Ruby..."
Minato got a determined look in his eyes and he grew excited. Before he left the room, he exclaimed, "That's it! Thank you very much, Sarutobi."
Once Minato had left, Sarutobi smiled and puffed his pipe contentedly, "Minato has really come a long way since his days as a rookie…”
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