"As the Last Candle Burns" - Part (1/2) of B (3/?)
(1/2) of the enormous chapter 3: Rekindling the FIre Part B
Title: "As the Last Candle Burns"
Author: Falling Right Side-Up (idle_ramblingsx)
Genre: Action Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kakashi x Naruto
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the plot!
Status: WIP (3 Chapters; last updated 1/1/2009)
Summary: Naruto will do anything to save the future and the people in it, even if it means going back to the very beginning. "For all my precious people...for you, Kakashi. I'll do it for you."
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2221617/3/As_The_Last_Candle_Burns
Timeline has been switched and ages have been adjusted. Naruto returned to Konoha when he was 15 and became ANBU at 16. He never became Jounin; not b/c of lack of ability, but b/c of lack of time. Konoha was attacked a second time by the Sound when he was 19. Now he is 21, and it is 4 years before his birth.STORY NOTES:
Naruto’s ‘thoughts’
Kyuubi speech
(…Flashback scenes…)
!IMPORTANT AN!:
At some point you might think, why so much on this OC? Well, heehee, it's to introduce another character we all love to hate. But well, you'll see for yourself. I wonder if you'll like the twist? I haven't seen anyone else incorporate it before...
As The Last Candle Burns
By: Falling Right Side-Up
“Sweet Misery”
When Naruto didn’t report back from his solo mission one day during the first year since Konoha’s destruction, most didn’t think much of it. With his penchant for trouble, they’d merely brushed his tardiness off as a mild complication. After all, he always pulled through in the end.
But when one day became three, and there was still no sign or contact, people grew worried; they frowned and fidgeted, a restrained anxiousness growing steadily larger. Everyone dealt with the situation a bit differently.
Then when three became seven, Tsunade leapt up in anger, demanding an explanation from the other ANBU as to why they hadn’t spotted her wayward shinobi yet. Shizune was spared the worrying as she was away on a mission of her own.
Iruka, now advisor to the Godaime-Hokage, whittled away his pencils with his bare teeth, unable to focus or dictate anything being said in meetings.
Shikamaru sighed and asked why the blonde always had to be troublesome as he walked through the camp, but out of view he pensively scoured over the mission plan he himself had assigned his companion.
Sasuke scowled as usual, but now it was much more pronounced, and one could sense his less than friendly disposition from a farther distance than before. People didn’t bother trying to approach him then.
Injured shinobi in the medic tent quickly informed others that it was best to treat their own wounds for a time, as their two head medics both seemed out of sorts, distracted and generally aggravating wounds instead of patching them up.
Sakura was wound up like a tense coil, over-exerting too much strength, bandaging too tightly, stabbing the needle a little too deeply. And Hinata’s once trademark clumsiness, something thought to have been outgrown, had returned full force as the littered glass on the ground from countless broken bottles testified.
Neji was more closed off than before if possible, hardly saying a word as the days of waiting increased. But if one dared to look at him directly for a period of time, one could see the veins around his eyes bulging - the tell-tale sign of the Byakugan in action - a little more frequently than usual, always gazing towards the forest.
The rest of the “Rookie-Nine”, not generally accustomed to brooding in solitary confinement, chose to worry in a collective group.
Hotheaded as he was, Kiba showed an unusual amount of animosity, always a biting word ready to be said if aggravated. His partner, Akamaru, mirrored his master, fur bristling and teeth bared in a silent growl. Tenten usually stood a ways off from the group, steadily decimating whatever object unfortunate enough to be designated as her target as she worked off her anxiety. Lee was loud and outspoken as usual, but his speeches were a little too long and a little too bright, as if to make up for some unspoken doubt.
But no one was more worried and anxious than Hatake Kakashi. He often prowled the edges of the camp and unleashed his nin-dogs into the forest, frustrated when he ran out of chakra to support the summons and had to dismiss them. And when seven days became eleven, and the others began to reluctantly consider the idea that Naruto wasn’t coming back, the silver-haired man grew even more agitated and furious.
He staunchly refused to even humor the idea. Instead, he graced those who did with a stony gaze whenever they tried to coax him from his vigilant post at the camp’s outer perimeters. The only ones safe from his acerbic demeanor were Sasuke - who shared his conviction - and the Hokage - who was his superior and was decidedly neutral concerning what to think.
And so, to the rest of “Rookie Nine’s” private shame for doubting and Kakashi’s pleasure, if not a bit of vindictive triumph, they were absolutely relieved when they received news of Naruto two weeks later. ANBU squad 3 had found the blonde half drowning in a stream a mile off from the outer edge of Fire Country. Quickly, they carried Naruto back to base camp and into the medical care of Tsunade, Sakura, and Hinata.
Their diagnosis was succinct. The blonde was suffering from chakra exhaustion since his recovery was impeded by several severed chakra pathways, but luckily they could be healed given time. There were no signs of broken bones or bleeding wounds, not that the three women expected any, given Naruto’s special tenant. Their only cause for worry, really, was the apparent concussion and symptoms of asphyxiation.
Tsunade brushed a tuft of dirty blond hair from the young man’s face, a tender smile full of relief on her lips as she concluded, “He’ll be fine. The brat just needs some time to recover.”
To Kakashi’s relief, Naruto was discharged from the medical tent and into his care for the next three days, during which time the jounin did not leave his lover’s side unless it was unavoidable. It was on the end of the second day that Naruto woke up.
Sitting on a small cushion with his back resting against the cot occupied by Naruto, Kakashi was reading one of the last volumes of the “Icha Icha” series published before Jiraiya had fallen in battle. He was off duty, so he had replaced the ninja head-guard with a black bandana and had taken off the jounin flack jacket.
Absorbed in his reading material and memories of his sensei’s and student’s mentor, the jounin was unaware of his lover’s affectionate gaze until he felt gentle fingers thread softly through his silver hair.
By habit, Kakashi leaned into the comforting gesture before turning his face towards the hand and kissing it softly through his mask. Naruto smiled and tenderly traced the jounin’s lips through the thin black material. He fought off a blush as Kakashi turned around fully to face him, discarding the book on the floor and teasingly nibbling on Naruto’s fingers.
“Miss me?” Naruto smiled cheekily.
The nibbling abruptly stopped and Kakashi pinned him with a smoldering gaze, fastening a tight grip on the blond’s hand. Naruto’s breath caught.
“Naruto, you have no idea.” The words were mild, but the silver-haired man’s expression was clearly displeased and his eyes presented mild rebuke. A strong arm curled around the blonde’s slim waist, pulling him down into the jounin’s lap so that his back was against the older man’s broad chest.
They sat there in silence, their breaths synchronizing as they soaked in each other’s presence.
The blond fiddled with the sleeve of his yukata and Kakashi sighed wearily, resting his chin on Naruto’s shoulder. The younger man relaxed into the arms of his lover, sleep threatening to overtake him as the silence stretched on. Then, slowly, the jounin began to speak, his voiced measured and thoughtful.
“As shinobi, one of the first things we’re taught is to detach ourselves from our emotions. We’re taught to be tools to kill without remorse. But there is always remorse, there is always guilt. We merely bottle it up so we don’t have to acknowledge it. The same is applied to the loss of companions…of loved ones.”
Naruto leaned into Kakashi’s embrace, offering silent comfort and encouragement when the older man paused and slipped into a pensive silence. The blond waited patiently as Kakashi ruminated on his thoughts, gathering the right words to say.
“When someone dies…in reality there’s nothing more to it," the jounin began slowly, testing the weight of his own words. "No matter what you do you can never see them again, so there’s no use in pondering over what you could have done as opposed to what you can do in the future to prevent it from happening again. That doesn’t stop you, of course, from thinking - “What if” or “It’s my fault” - anyways. And you’ll always miss them.” Kakashi paused.
“With people who are alive - it’s different. You miss them and the knowledge that you can see them again if you can find them is empowering. But when you realize you can’t find them; that you can’t help them; that hurts more than anything else. To say it’s unpleasant is an understatement. People say there’s nothing more shameful than a helpless shinobi. A helpless killer, what a joke,” the silver-haired man chuckled, but it was dark.
Kakashi buried his face into the crook of his lover’s neck, and then softly, tenderly placed a kiss behind the blond’s ear. He whispered teasingly, “So, you know better than to leave me, right?” But the arm around Naruto’s waist tightened, an almost uncomfortable pressure that had the younger man holding his breath, and he could feel the slight tremor that ran though the larger frame molding against his back and the uneven shaking in Kakashi’s breath against his neck.
Naruto's breathe hitched, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Despite Kakashi’s casual words, the blond knew the deeper meaning implied by them; the infinitely more tender and vulnerable message that was being conveyed. Naruto could only imagine how hard it was for such a private man like Kakashi to vocalize his worries and his guilt, even in such a round-a-bout way to his own lover.
And the blonde felt all the more blessed for it.
Everyone knew Naruto as a happy, determined person. An outspoken goof-ball who wore his heart on his sleeve. Most of the time, it was no challenge for him to shout to everyone what he was thinking at any moment, whether it was the rare insightful thought or his musings of what flavor ramen to eat.
But Naruto left just as many things unsaid.
He wasn’t the type to want to burden anyone else, so he liked to boast that he was the best, that he would never give up, and that he didn’t need to lean on anyone even though he wanted them to lean on him.
So even when he ran around screaming about bonds and friendship, he rarely said anything about himself. He rarely admitted out loud that he didn't want to be alone. Like he used to be.
It was a deep seated fear that Naruto had harbored all his life inside of him. Hidden, but so painfully there. Undeniable and unbearable.
To those who looked closely, it had always been obvious in Naruto's valiant speeches and ruckus actions that he craved acceptance, understanding, and love. But there had always been few who cared enough to get that close.
He'd never said those painful words. “Don't go. Stay with me. I don't want to be alone.”
Because saying them would only have made the hurt and suffering seem more real.
Because once upon a time, there had been no one who would have listened.
It was moments like this that Naruto realized just how much he needed and admired the older man. It was moments like this that despite those times he cursed whatever higher beings existed screwing up his life, that he thanked them for allowing him this one happiness.
In a whirl of movement that caught the jounin off guard, Naruto deftly lowered his lover’s mask down and pulled him into a passionate kiss, pouring as much support, understanding and comfort he could into it. Kakashi responded with equal fervor, one hand trailing down the blond’s back and the other pulling Naruto even deeper into their kiss by a firm grip on his nape.
Neither of them protested even when their lungs burned for air. Their only actions were to press even harder and closer to one another, seemingly as if to do away with even the slightest separation between them. But even when their clothes were off and their bodies draped almost seamlessly against one another, the distance was still too great.
They wanted more. It was a desire closer to need than simple want. Desperation seeped into their passion, a strange mixture of bliss and devastating sorrow that both couldn’t help but love and curse.
Even so, it was moments like this that they were happiest. When they could pretend they were not two but one, unshackled from the duties and trials that faced them both. But even this happiness was tainted by the bitter sweetness of reality, because they knew this moment could not last, and soon they would have to plunge back into the grim truth of their dying home, dying companions, and dying hope.
But for now, just this short while, they would both pretend that there was no danger lurking just outside their camp. They would pretend that there was no looming shadow of uncertainty and doubt shrouding their future.
And as they pretended, they hoped that one day it wouldn’t be pretend anymore.
Chapter 1: Rekindling the fire
Part B
Grunting, Naruto collapsed against the base of a decimated tree with his legs sprawled out in front of him and his arms dead weight in his lap. Almost reluctantly, he made the effort to reach into the small pack he’d brought for a water canteen. Drinking just enough to quench his thirst, he dumped the rest over his head in the hopes of cooling off just a bit quicker. Ninja or not, the blond didn’t enjoy the sticky feel of sweat causing his clothes to suck onto his skin.
Naruto surveyed the area around him with a feeling of self-satisfaction and accomplishment. The small clearing in the forest - one he had set up for training - was now noticeably larger and in deplorable condition. A tangle of botched traps, fallen trees, enormous craters, and lingering scent of scorched organic matter were testimony to the long and vigorous training sessions he had held there.
‘Looks like I’ll have to relocate soon.’ Considering that the area had been used routinely in the last two months, it was no surprise that the clearing wouldn’t withstand much more abuse.
Since the day he’d woken up in the past, the blond had worked hard to establish a bond between himself and Tsunade, slowly working past the suspicion and painstakingly creating a niche for himself within her life; close enough to be trusted but always at arms length, for he could not afford for her to venture too close to his heart, too close to the still festering hurt that lay beneath the laid-back and welcoming persona he wore as much as for his own sake as hers.
That woman, that big-breasted woman with impossibly bad luck, freakish strength, pig-headed stubbornness and a temper to match, who hated diplomats, shirked all ceremonial duties and drooled on official paperwork…she was heart wrenchingly beautiful in his eyes. She always had been. She always would be.
He doubted she’d ever realize just how much she meant to him. Tsunade had been one of the few in his future-now-past that had seen in him something others did not. What she had seen in him Naruto didn’t know, but whatever it was it had been enough for her to care and that was enough for him. And now the younger, infinitely more stubborn, and substantially less wise Tsunade seemed to see something in him as well; that was a gift horse that he would not look in the mouth.
As the blond had expected, getting closer at first to Tsunade and Shizune had caused him pain by reminding him of what he’d lost or left behind. However, in a twisted sense of comfort, the anguish reaffirmed his determination to live his new life dedicated to everyone he’d let down, and that in turn soothed him; he could not allow himself to burn out, to lose conviction of his purpose.
He sighed heavily. Training, as beneficial as it was, would be fruitless unless he applied his skills in the war. Konohakagure’s struggle against Iwakagure was seemingly at a stalemate. Though Konoha’s nin were stronger - of course they would be, Naruto snorted, they had the freaking original “Yellow Flash” - Iwakagure outnumbered them in terms of sheer cannon fodder.
Naruto’s head fell back and hit the tree behind him with a “thunk” as he gazed at the stars in silence.
‘One more month and I’ll be done with the Tsunade’s crash course. Just one more month…and I’ll leave.’ But until then, he could still enjoy his time with his female companions, couldn’t he?
A month later…
“Shit! I thought this was only a FRIENDLY spar!”
At this point, Naruto didn’t really care that he was cursing in front of a minor. Besides, Shizune seemed to find his current predicament amusing, if the little cretin’s childish giggle was anything to go by. The harried blond spared the young girl sitting just outside the training area a peeved glance, to which she responded with a cheeky wave.
‘I can’t believe I thought she was cute!’
He grimaced and scuttled on the ground, barely avoiding a boulder that whooshed past his head. Without pause, Naruto propelled himself off the ground with an exaggerated handstand as a scalpel flew past his leg, flipped back onto his feet and dove into a large crater left behind from a previous attack earlier that day.
Taking a calming breath, Naruto racked his brain for a countermeasure against the full blown assault on his person, courtesy of the smirking woman who was currently trying to uproot a tree to use as a club. At the sound of a smug and heinous cackle, he peeked over the edge of the crater and groaned at the sight.
Tsunade’s eyes were lit with unholy glee, swinging the aforementioned tree back and forth in her arms like a child trying out a new toy, while she advanced towards his position.
“Come out, Sansai~! It’s almost been three months, surely you can stand a bit more pain after all this training with me,” the sannin cajoled.
The blond man rolled his eyes as he collapsed back into a sitting position inside the crater. Naruto shook his head exasperatedly as he replied, “No freaking way!”
“Freaking” being the operative word. He’d thought Tsunade had been scary enough when she was a granny, but knocking 26 years off her was like seeing her on Supped up Ninja pills. His whole definition of “freakish strength” had been redefined.
Sometimes, he wondered about the conundrum that was Tsunade. Being a shinobi required stealth and precision, like a sniper in the dark. The sannin was more like a runaway tank.
But even so, she was a damn good ninja, Naruto thought exasperatedly.
“How ‘bout this. I win, you buy me sake and Shizune ice-cream. And if, IF, you win, I’ll buy you that unhealthy crap you call food,” Tsunade wheedled. She smirked when she heard Naruto’s affronted gasp.
“One, Tsunade-san, that ‘unhealthy crap’ is called RAMEN. Two, I agree it’s unhealthy, but it’s not crap! And three…you’ve got yourself a deal!” A blond blur sprang towards the sannin from the crater in front of the grinning woman.
“Fool, what did I say about rushing at your opponent head on! I can easily overpower you!” Tsunade leapt to meet the other shinobi mid-way, drawing her arms back to deliver a quick and powerful blow with the tree in her hands. A second or two before impact, she neared her opponent enough to see his smirk.
Irked, she began to draw even more chakra, planning to release it in a precise burst, but frowned when she found that she couldn’t. In fact, Tsunade couldn’t even move. She collapsed to her knees, the tree falling away from her hands with a tremendous thud. The sannin searched through her memories for a technique that could cause her sudden immobility but came up empty. She looked up at Naruto with the fiercest glare she could muster.
“What did you do?” Tsunade demanded. The young man merely smiled and wagged a finger.
“Tsk, tsk, Tsunade-san. That would be telling, and a shinobi doesn’t just tell anyone his secrets,” Naruto teased with a small smile. “But, since it’s you, I guess I could make an exception.” His eyes softened momentarily, and Tsunade’s glare eased. “It was Shiatsu (pressure points),” he stated matter-of-factly.
“What!” the woman exploded, “You didn’t even touch me!” she cried out in frustration.
At this point, Naruto settled for a decidedly fox-like grin as he crouched in front of the sannin. “Oh? I didn’t?” He questioned innocently. Tsunade narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“No. No, you didn’t.”
“Hmmm, are you sure?” Her glare returned. She really wished she could move so she could slap the man in front of her upside the head. Instead, she struggled to control her temper and answered him.
“Yes. I’m sure.” He shrugged.
“Ok, I guess I didn’t then,” Naruto agreed. Tsunade smirked in triumph.
“So, it wasn’t Shiatsu,” she stated with glee, which quickly faded into confusion as he shook his head.
“No, it was definitely Shiatsu. And no, I didn’t touch you,” he spoke before she could protest. The sannin fumed and opened her mouth to yell but her bellow turned into a high pitched shriek of surprise as something teasingly tickled her sides.
“What the hell?!” Tsunade looked down at herself but saw nothing. Her gaze whipped back up at Naruto’s repressed snicker. He mockingly wiggled his fingers at her in a wave, and the invisible something suddenly felt like somethings. Surprised once again, the blonde woman could do nothing to stop her sudden explosive laughter as she tried futilely to squirm this way and that to escape. “Stop!” she screamed between breaths. “Sto-OOOP~!” the sudden increase in pitch only caused Naruto to fall back on his butt and choke on his own laughter.
When the blond man had seemingly had his fill of amusement at her expense, the tickling sensation stopped, leaving Tsunade red-faced and breathless, sprawled across the ground. Naruto snickered once again, idly wondering just how much Jiraiya would have paid to see the infamous Slug Sannin like this. ‘He probably would have had enough inspiration to write at least three more Icha Icha books,’ the blond shinobi mused, a lewd smile spreading across his face. Unfortunately, Tsunade chose that moment to speak.
“Okay. Wha-what was that?” Tsunade questioned breathlessly.
“Nihihihi!” Naruto cackled. “It’s my Super-Totally Awesome- Sexy Technique- Variation 3C!” He paused after the exclamation and leered at the blonde woman as he finished, “Zokutou Sansai’s Magic Fingers!” He wiggled the fingers of both his hands to add emphasis.
Shizune and Tsunade were both dumbstruck, faces slack with disbelief. Naruto continued to cackle, waving his hands with the wiggling fingers back and forth in front of the blonde woman’s face.
A twitch of one fine eyebrow and growing blush on the Slug Sannin’s face signaled the impending explosion. “Magic. Fingers. Magic. Fingers?” Her voice rose with each word. “MAGIC FINGERS?!” With a roar Tsunade leapt up, miraculously overcoming her paralysis, and slammed a fist into the still leering man’s face.
“Eergk~!” He went flying across the clearing and through the trunks of a couple trees. Shizune watched with wide eyes, frozen in her crouched position at the edge of the clearing.
Tsunade huffed, taking in deep breaths of air to calm her righteous fury. “YOU!” She screamed venomously while angrily jabbing a finger in the direction she’d sent the man flying. “I knew you reminded me of someone! At first I thought it was of people I tolerate, but no! It’s him! That infuriating, sorry excuse for a ninja PERVERT!”
A muffled voice responded from somewhere beneath the pile of destruction, “He’s not a pervert! And he’d be quite insulted to be called that!”
“Oh?” Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. “So you know who it is I’m talking about?” A hand burst out from the rubble and she watched as Naruto dug himself out.
“Of course,” the blond man grunted, bringing himself up on top of a fallen tree to look down at Tsunade. He took upon a condescending air and stance, hands on his waist. “The man of whom you speak can be only one person to evoke such strong reactions from a woman like you! He can only be the legendary JIRAIYA! The man -” A feminine scream of fury cut him off.
“I WAS RIGHT! You do know him! That PERVERT!”
“NO!” Naruto immediately rebutted, forming an “x” with his arms across his chest. “The man known as Jiraiya is not a pervert!” the blond man sneered. “He’s the greatest man ever to grace the shinobi lands, a SUPER-PERVERT!” Naruto exclaimed fervently, ignoring Tsunade and Shizune’s once again stupefied silence. “He is the only man brave enough to venture into the territory of the beautiful but dangerous and angry beauties in order to relieve that ailment that plagues all healthy males! Sexual frustration!” The blond man did a strange dance and finished with a flourish, voice seemingly filled with admiration and awe.
In truth, Naruto was nearly killing himself by holding in his laughter. Now he knew why Jiraiya had always done this disgustingly embarrassing introduction. It was fun, and the humiliation was well worth the shocked and pained expressions of his audience. But truly, he was only able to do this because he didn’t really believe it. After all, he was firmly of the male persuasion. Or should that be Kakashi-suasion? Absorbed in his own contemplations, Naruto didn’t hear the psychic screams of horror that rang across the ether from the Slug Sannin.
“Nihihihihi!” The blonde man cackled once more. “My aspiration to model Jiraiya aside, my technique is nothing to laugh at! After all, my ‘Magic Fingers’ were able to disable you, the fearsome Slug Sannin!” He pointed a damning finger in her direction, nose haughtily upturned in the air.
“Che!” Tsunade came out of her stupor at his statement, face turned down and away, an embarrassed blush stealing across her cheeks. Naruto smirked. “So, what exactly are your…your ‘Ma-Magic Fingers’?” Tsunade felt utterly ridiculous even saying the name of his technique and painstakingly tried to suppress the growing blush as she saw Naruto’s smirk widen from the corner of her eyes.
“Actually, the technique itself is quite simple,” Naruto spoke as he leapt down from the tree trunk to stand in front of her. Shizune brushed off her clothes and trotted over to the adults, also curious of his explanation. “To put it simply, they’re just extensions of chakra.”
“What?” The blonde woman’s head jerked up in surprise, round eyes full of curiosity. “Extending your chakra that far from your body? You must have an almost godly control of your chakra…” Tsunade trailed off in speculation. Naruto shrugged.
“No, not really. It’s more brute force and imposing my own will on them. You see, I have a great deal of experience with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, so I’m used to having to split and spread my own awareness around. So the extensions just feel like limbless, invisible Kage Bunshins that are still connected to me.” Tsunade blinked at Naruto’s casual mention of using a kinjutsu. But the blond man continued to speak, keeping her from dwelling on that fact.
“I haven’t put a lot of charka into them right now so they’re not in the visible spectrum. I think only a Hyuuga would be able to see them at this point.” Naruto rubbed his neck, tilting his head back to look at the sky. “But if I push all my chakra into them, they would visibly manifest to look kind of like tails.” Naruto was still looking up, so he missed the sudden sharp look Tsunade threw at him when he mentioned “tails.” It tugged on something in the medic’s memory, but she couldn’t quite grasp it.
“Tails…How many?” Tsunade questioned absently, still trying to remember what it was that was so important about “tails.” This time, it was she who missed the sharp glance thrown her way. Shizune watched both adults quietly but thoughtfully.
“Four,” Naruto answered cautiously, noting her preoccupation. Something told him it would be dangerous to let the woman think on it any longer. “Anyways,” he exclaimed with sudden cheerfulness, startling Tsunade from her thoughts, “it’s time to pay up Tsunade-san!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tsunade huffed.
Naruto grinned with an expression in his eyes that screamed “Praise me, I’m smart!”
“Alight already. You’re good, Sansai,” Tsunade acknowledged rather ungraciously. “Now let’s go,” she grumbled.
“Ah, ah. Remember our little wager, Tsunade-san~!” Naruto tsked, rocking on his heels.
“Aw shit. Fine. You’ll get your crap.” The woman rolled her shoulders and patted the dirt off her clothes, turning around with a grimace.
“It’s Ramen! RA-MEN!” the blond male protested vehemently to his companion. Tsunade ignored him, tugging a smiling Shizune along as she walked out of the clearing towards the town.
“Yeah, yeah, crap is still crap,” she retorted, smiling at the continued protests sounding from behind her as Naruto jogged to keep up with her.
Having coerced the two females into eating at a ramen stand for the eighth time in a row, Naruto sat quietly, feeling as if there was a great weight upon his shoulders. His chest felt constrained, his legs felt weak, and his thoughts were in chaos.
He could tell Tsunade was watching him curiously, but he ignored the inquiring gaze in favor of deciphering his wayward feelings. Scratching his chin, he turned around, resting his back against the counter as he appraised the quaint ramen stand.
It was time to go. Naruto had put off leaving for far too long.
Swiveling around, Naruto remained deep in thought as a large bowl of miso ramen was placed before him and mechanically said his blessings as he began to eat. Before he’d even begun to finish his silent musings, his food was finished. Appetite suddenly greatly diminished, he said a polite “thank you” and turned to the two females beside him.
Tsunade was done but Shizune was still eating, alternately staring worriedly at Naruto and her shishou, who was, in turn, gazing straight back at the blond male. And unlike the many times before when Naruto had put up a carefree front to reassure them, this time he couldn’t bring himself do anything but stare.
Stare and wonder just how he would survive leaving them behind again.
Tsunade knew that Sansai would be leaving. She knew because of the pained and uncertain expression on his face all through dinner. So, really, she wasn’t all that surprised when she woke up in the middle of the night to feel Sansai’s chakra getting further and further away from the inn. She sat up and stared blankly at the door of the adjoining room until she could no longer detect the other’s chakra. Slowly, wrapping the open sleeping robe tighter around her, Tsunade got up and opened Sansai’s door.
The room was empty except for the neatly rolled up bedding and a small package on top of it. Tsunade picked it up cautiously and sat by the open window of the room, where the full moon’s light shone through. She un-wrapped the coarse paper from the package while wondering what Sansai could possibly have left her.
It was a cherry wood box, beautifully stylized on the shallow lid. Tsunade appreciatively traced the artwork with her fingertips, paying close attention to the painstaking detail of the carvings and brush strokes depicting the many hundreds of individual leaves upon a great tree. Delicately, she lifted the lid off the box and peered inside.
There were four scrolls, three side by side on the bottom with a fourth on top, along with a small pouch. Tsunade picked up the fourth scroll on top and opened it.
Dear Tsunade-san,
If you’re reading this scroll, then I’ve already left to rejoin the Iwakagure and Konohagakure war. Truthfully, I should have left much earlier, but I was hesitant to leave your company. Though you may have only known me for three months, I feel as if I’ve known you for many years. Presumptuous as this may sound, you and Shizune have already become very precious people to me and I hope I have become the same to you.
She smiled a bit tremulously. No, it wouldn’t be presumptuous of you, Sansai, she thought. If she didn’t think it would be crazy, she would have thought she’d known him for far longer as well.
Thank you for the extra training and spars. It never hurts for an ANBU to have medical training. In fact, I would say it should be mandatory for most.
Tsunade grinned fiercely at that. At least one shinobi agreed with her, even if her own sensei hadn’t heeded her advice.
Forgive me for bringing up old wounds, but I know of your personal history with Konoha, and while I don’t condone your actions, I do understand them.
The sannin frowned. Sansai hadn’t mentioned her past at all during his stay. Why did he bring it up now?
Losing loved ones is a terrible experience, one that will never become easier with time. I know because I’ve lost many precious people, too.
She knew it! He was like her.
That’s why I have to go back.
What? Why? Her mind raced in confusion.
I have to fight to protect those who are still alive. And even when they’ve died, I will still fight so that those who are precious to others might still survive.
What have I done, other than give my enemy less opposition, if I turn my back on the fight? He’s gotten rid of two opponents by killing one. I’m not going give my enemy that kind of satisfaction.
I’ll fight until my dying breath and find a way to fight even beyond that. That way I can strike fear into my enemy’s heart and make him regret what he’s done. No enemy, however strong and numerous, will convince me to go back on my promise, my nindo, my very existence.
If I’m truthful, I know that I might not survive. But everyone dies sooner or later, and I would rather have a glorious, if somewhat bloody death with purpose than to just kick it in old age. However, it’s not my intent to preach to you or guilt you into anything. I just supposed you would have liked to know why I do what I do.
Yes, I would have, Tsunade thought solemnly.
I hope one day we will meet once again. Hopefully within the gates of our mutual home. And to that end, I present you with an incentive to come.
She cocked a skeptical eyebrow.
As I’m sure you’ve already realized, I have not been entirely truthful about myself or my circumstances, but rest assured that no matter what I’m still loyal to Konoha. I wasn’t lying about being an ANBU captain of Konoha. But if you asked the Hokage who I am, he wouldn’t even know of my existence. And I am not one of Danzo's ROOT pets. Interested yet?
“You bet your ass I am!” the woman hissed.
I assure you, my explanation is so wildly absurd, you wouldn’t believe it even if I explained in this scroll. That’s why for now I left you clues, so to speak, until a time we can talk in person again. The first scroll to the right in the box is your first clue. Of course, if you want to examine it you will have to brave your fear of blood, since it’s quite soaked from its last use. Good luck!
Once you’ve deciphered the meaning behind the first scroll, you’ll be ready to read the scroll in the middle of the container. The last, you won’t be ready for a while, but I’d appreciate it if you kept it safe for me.
Tsunade’s eyes darted to the three remaining scrolls in the container. Whatever it was that Sansai was hiding, it was starting to sound more ominous by the second.
And like any good mystery, what you find will probably give you more questions than answers. Answers you won’t receive unless we meet again in person. How’s that for incentive?
Until we meet again,
Zokutou Sansai.
Tsunade groaned as she read the last part. Hands shaking, she set the scroll aside and peered at the aforementioned blood soaked scroll in the container with trepidation. Positioning one of her hands to reach for it, she closed her eyes and snatched it out of the box. With all the speed she had at her disposal she whipped the scroll open with her other hand and set it on the floor before her. Tsunade wrung her hands together anxiously, trying to fight the psychosomatic pains from having touched the blood.
Time passed as she stared at it, first from the inability to decipher what was written underneath the stains of brown rusted blood, and then with growing disbelief. Her wide eyes sped across all the seals, unconsciously inching closer and closer to the scroll. It wasn’t until the sun was first making its arrival known through the window behind her that Tsunade sat back abruptly, mouth gaping and hands limp in her lap.
“No way,” she said breathlessly. “No way.” Tsunade’s eyes slid from the blood soaked scroll on the floor to the middle scroll in the container. Hurriedly, she grabbed the middle scroll and spread it out on the floor. Her fingers traced along the writing as she read and paused on one word.
“Tails.”
A bark of incredulous laughter escaped her. “Well, Sansai, seems like we’re going to be seeing each other very soon.”
As she stared out the window towards the morning sun, she never saw the strange shadow reaching out from nothingness like a blind snake as it licked the open, blood soaked scroll on the floor. And as quickly as it appeared, it dissipated like ephemeral smoke and left no trace, so that even Tsunade was unaware as she walked briskly through the very space it had been before.
Naruto flicked dripping blood off his kunai with a grimace as he leapt through the trees. ‘This is completely ridiculous,’ he growled silently behind his ANBU mask. The journey should have been relatively simple.
It was supposed to have been a quick half-day dash to the northern port of Tea Country, in order to secure a boat ride across the bay to Fire Country. Once inside the borders, a mad six day run should have been sufficient to reach Konoha. From there, he would meet the Hokage (Naruto was looking forward to meeting Sandaime oji-san again) and convince him of his authentic relation to Namikaze Minato (a simple blood test used within most clans would suffice), which would open the floor to the fantastic explanation of his existence, thereby reinstating himself as an official Konoha-nin once again.
At least, that’s what should have happened, if discord and strife weren’t bosom buddies who loved to stick to his ass like a prickly spur.
What actually happened was more like Murphy’s Law times a thousand, especially tailored to fit the Uzumaki Naruto brand of the “O-Shit-O-Meter.” His once brilliantly simple plan had turned into a convoluted monstrosity of the world’s greatest fuck-up, and he was still having trouble believing that he was in the middle of it all.
Looking back on the start of his journey now, Naruto could definitively say that everything had been shot to hell the moment he’d stepped onto old man Toji’s boat. The beginning had been alright, although he’d been nervous about the loud sound of the motor attracting unwanted attention.
Tense and alert, Naruto had been prepared for almost anything, like pirates and for other enemy-nin…not two boats of crotchety old men who were more of a danger to themselves than to him and a pissed off sea monster.
Naruto waited tensely for the boat ride to end. He was safely disguised as an unassuming civilian male under a henge (disgustingly normal brown hair and eyes in his opinion), but something told him that despite all his efforts that his day was about to get worse. His intuition was proven right when he heard the faint sound of other motor boats in the water.
Soon, the boats were close enough that Naruto didn’t even need to use his near supernatural eyesight to plainly see them catching up. The shinobi glanced at Toji to see what the old man made of it, but he seemed completely unaware and entirely focused on lighting the pipe in his hands.
“Excuse me, Toji-san, do you know them?” Naruto asked, pointing a finger towards the two approaching vessels. Toji continued to fumble with the pipe, cursing as he dropped a lit match, and did not bother to turn around and properly answer the young man.
“Do I know who?” he spoke around the mouth of the pipe, bending over to retrieve another match. The boats were close enough now that Naruto could see them brimming with old men, not unlike Toji in appearance, with scraggly beards and plain clothes fit for sailing… except for the fact that they were jerkily waving around what looked like harpoons and oars in a very, very angry manner.
‘Actually, perhaps savagely menacing would be a better description,’ Naruto thought with increasing alarm. The boats with the old men drew even closer, and now the shinobi could see the wild gleam in their eyes, coupled with their gnashing yellow teeth. ‘Okay, bloodthirsty as well,’ Naruto quickly amended. He didn’t bother being polite this time as he addressed Toji; besides, the old man had to be deaf and dumb not to notice the approaching boats by now.
“I’m guessing even if you know them that they aren’t your friends!” Naruto shouted and roughly grabbed the old man, forcefully turning Toji around to see the other boats.
Toji’s eyes widened, the pipe falling from his gaping mouth. “Oh, lordy, dey foun' me!”
“So you do know them! Who are they? Pirates?” the shinobi questioned, but Toji didn’t answer.
“Hold on, sonny, we gotta lose 'em!” the old man shouted. Naruto frowned.
“Exactly how do you expect to lose- erk!” the small boat swerved, knocking Naruto to the floor.
What followed was a wild race all over the bay, all three boats performing impossible maneuvers to evade and chase. Naruto had never been one to fall victim to sea-sickness, but at that moment he was sure he’d be capable of achieving projectile vomit.
Eventually, but not soon enough for Naruto, the chase ended when the two other boats managed to sandwich Toji’s boat from the front and back. Roaring, several angry old men came aboard, gesturing angrily at Toji as he pleaded innocence to whatever grievance they held against him. Naruto, repressing his urge to hurl over the side of the boat, could barely make sense of their incensed shouting coupled with atrocious grammar and thick accents. The boat’s rocking grew as the men argued, and the shinobi was getting sick of being sick.
“Stop, now!” he screamed almost hysterically, desperate to stop the rocking of the boat. Silence fell as the old men turned to the slightly green looking brunet boy. Unsteadily, Naruto stood up and sneered, although inwardly he was disgusted with himself that he’d succumbed to such a feeble weakness as sea-sickness. With an angry “Kai!” he dispelled the henge, revealing his blond hair and shinobi apparel.
Smirking at the surprised gasps from the group of old men, Naruto crossed his arms and put on his best “I’m a shinobi. An angry shinobi, and you’d best listen to me” face. Then the blond spoke, “Now, I don’t know what you-”
“You’ll nevah take me back alive!” Toji interrupted, seizing the chance to escape. The old man smacked the other old men off his boat with an oar and kicked the boat blocking the front away. Gob-smacked that a civilian had ignored his “I’m a dangerous shinobi” face, Naruto gaped at Toji’s sudden actions and didn’t register the fact that the old man was speaking to him.
“Sid’ down, boy!” Toji smacked the flabbergasted blond’s head with the oar. Naruto obediently sat down and had just enough time to grab onto the side of the boat as Toji started the motor. As they sped away, Naruto glanced back to see the other old men scrambling back into their boats to continue the chase.
“Git back ‘ere, you yeller belly!” screamed one particularly vicious looking old man.
Naruto’s head whipped back around to face forward. ‘No!’ the blond thought. ‘I am not doing this all over again!’ Toji and the pirates were driving him insane. Another nauseating chase and he was going to lose it completely, and Naruto couldn’t let that happen. He was a shinobi. He had a reputation to uphold!
‘I’ll- I’ll get them before they get me!’ Naruto stood up abruptly with a manic smile, his hands flying through numerous seals.
“Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Element: Fire Dragon Flame Blast)!” The blond drew in a deep breath, preparing to unleash his deadly attack-!
And choked on the flames as Toji smacked him with an oar again.
“Wha’ do ya think yer doin’ boy?! You can’t attack ‘em!” The old man screamed, eyes bulging. Naruto coughed pitifully, tears leaking from his eyes from the pain of his burnt mouth.
“Why the hell not?! Do you want those pirates to kill you?” The blond shinobi clutched his throat while staring at Toji incredulously.
“Pirates?! Wha’ do ya mean, pirates?” Toji spat. Naruto pointedly gestured at the two boats of old men.
“Do angry old men frothing at the mouth and shouting death threats at you while wielding many deadly weapons not mean anything to you?!” Naruto screamed. Toji looked back.
“Er, well-”
“That’s what I thought! Now, stop whacking me with the oar and let me get rid of them!” Naruto stood back up.
“No!” Toji grabbed the blond’s cloak, pulling him back down. “Dey look a bit rough, but dem geezers ain’t pirates!”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure they’re just harmless old men!”
“Don’ ye talk back like tha’ to me, youngin’! De’re jus’ a bit expressive, dey don’ mean no har-”
“TOJI! You lyin’ potbelly!”
“I’m a gonna kill you!”
Toji’s mouth snapped shut, but before Naruto had a chance to look smug and say “I told you so,” a harpoon sailed through the air and shaved a few hairs off the blond’s head. Naruto gaped a few seconds before his face flushed red with mounting anger. Toji gulped and laughed nervously at the blond’s darkening expression.
“Now, now, dey didn’ mean it!” the old man placated. “De’re me family! Brothers, the lot of us! You can’t ‘arm dem!”
The blond shinobi paused, quirked an eyebrow and peered at the old men in the boats for one long moment.
Okay.
So based on appearance alone he could believe there was some relation between all of them. That still didn’t explain the situation though, and frankly, Naruto didn’t have time to be dealing with it. He sighed, a mixture of exasperation and annoyance.
“Look, Toji-san, family or not, this can’t continue. I’m stopping this now.”
Naruto ignored Toji’s protests and killed the motor, letting the boat slowly drift and lose momentum. Then he stood up to face the two other boats, now barely a boat’s length distance away. Allowing the reservoir of Kyuubi’s charka to leak around him, he snarled viciously at the old men.
The blond knew he must have looked extremely frightening with glowing crimson eyes, wild hair and elongated canines, but at this point he couldn’t afford to have the old men not fear him. He awaited the thick scent of fear and the sight of their paling faces, but all he got were wide eyes and pointing fingers….that were not pointing at him. It was at that moment that he finally noticed Toji’s silent but earnest, almost frantic tugging at his cloak.
“What?!” he snapped. Toji whimpered and pointed up. Naruto turned half-way around to look and was not amused at all by what he saw. What he first thought was a strange solid blue wall, was a pale blue sea serpent/dragon, about half the size of Gamabunta, rearing out of the water and over the boat.
“You have got to be shitting me,” the blond deadpanned. The sea monster emitted a threatening hiss seemingly in response, the fins on the side of its head flaring open and its tail skimming the surface of the water agitatedly.
As if the sudden appearance of a giant sea monster wasn’t enough, Naruto could feel rapidly approaching chakra signatures from all sides. Quietly as possible, Naruto spoke to the petrified old men. “If you value your lives, don’t say or do anything.”
Silent shadows flit across the waters and converged towards the still boats, and only Naruto was unsurprised when black clad shinobi rose from the depths of the sea to stand on the waters. The old men remained quiet and had seemingly forgotten their quarrel with Toji as they huddled together, eyes wide with fright and confusion.
Naruto’s eyes narrowed as they took note of the twelve Iwa (Rock) and seven Kumo (Cloud) nin. Shinobi from two different villages working together meant they had an alliance, which meant Kumo was also involved in the war. And the only reason why such a large group would be so far from the main battle taking place on the borders of Fire and Rock country was if they were planning a pincer move by attacking the Konoha force from behind their own border.
Quickly, the ire he had felt towards the old men and the sea serpent faded as the more pressing issue of the war and enemy nin became evident. Naruto tensed, reinforcing his balance in the boat as it began to rock again due to the sea serpent’s agitation. The foreign shinobi tensed in response, drawing weapons and readying hand seals as they focused alternately on the giant sea monster growing steadily more incensed and the lone shinobi from Konoha. Neither the enemy nin nor Naruto were willing to make the first move, unwilling to draw the sea serpent’s undivided attention.
Suddenly, the beast lashed out with a roar, swiping its tail across the waters. Several of the enemy nin jumped out of the way, and Naruto quickly tossed Toji into one of the other two boats as the one he’d been in was instantly smashed to pieces. The blond pushed the two civilian filled boats away to a safe distance near the shores of Fire Country with a charka enforced foot as he stood on the churning water. Again, all the nin came to a standstill, unable to engage in battle with the raging serpent so close by, liable to lash out without warning.
‘At this rate, the fight will never finish,’ Naruto thought. The sea serpent had to be taken out before the blond could focus on dispatching the Iwa and Kumo nin, but he couldn’t do that safely without getting rid of the enemy-nin first. The only choice left was to get rid of them all at the same time. He hoped some of the enemy nin survived what he planned next, not out of mercy, but because he needed at least one of them alive from which to beat out information.
Naruto’s determination seemed to deepen his emotions and chakra like a dark abyss, whirl pooling down, down, down until a time it could hold no more and would have to explode out once again; the deceptive calm before the storm. But for now, the only sign of the growing danger was Naruto’s voice, a foreboding and serene, yet guttural dual tone as he raised a hand toward the sky and calmly announced, “Raiton: Ikazuchi no Kiba (Lightning Bolt Fang).”
No one had a chance to react as the sky darkened with dark, ominous clouds rapidly gathering overhead, and the very air shook with the rumbling of thunder. The old men flinched, the energy and static in the air so thick that it stung their skin. Then, after one tense moment of silence, the world exploded into a blinding vision of white, a solid column of lightning striking down from the heavens.
Continued in (2/2) of Part B
Title: "As the Last Candle Burns"
Author: Falling Right Side-Up (idle_ramblingsx)
Genre: Action Adventure/Romance
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Kakashi x Naruto
Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the plot!
Status: WIP (3 Chapters; last updated 1/1/2009)
Summary: Naruto will do anything to save the future and the people in it, even if it means going back to the very beginning. "For all my precious people...for you, Kakashi. I'll do it for you."
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2221617/3/As_The_Last_Candle_Burns
Timeline has been switched and ages have been adjusted. Naruto returned to Konoha when he was 15 and became ANBU at 16. He never became Jounin; not b/c of lack of ability, but b/c of lack of time. Konoha was attacked a second time by the Sound when he was 19. Now he is 21, and it is 4 years before his birth.STORY NOTES:
Naruto’s ‘thoughts’
Kyuubi speech
(…Flashback scenes…)
!IMPORTANT AN!:
At some point you might think, why so much on this OC? Well, heehee, it's to introduce another character we all love to hate. But well, you'll see for yourself. I wonder if you'll like the twist? I haven't seen anyone else incorporate it before...
As The Last Candle Burns
By: Falling Right Side-Up
“Sweet Misery”
When Naruto didn’t report back from his solo mission one day during the first year since Konoha’s destruction, most didn’t think much of it. With his penchant for trouble, they’d merely brushed his tardiness off as a mild complication. After all, he always pulled through in the end.
But when one day became three, and there was still no sign or contact, people grew worried; they frowned and fidgeted, a restrained anxiousness growing steadily larger. Everyone dealt with the situation a bit differently.
Then when three became seven, Tsunade leapt up in anger, demanding an explanation from the other ANBU as to why they hadn’t spotted her wayward shinobi yet. Shizune was spared the worrying as she was away on a mission of her own.
Iruka, now advisor to the Godaime-Hokage, whittled away his pencils with his bare teeth, unable to focus or dictate anything being said in meetings.
Shikamaru sighed and asked why the blonde always had to be troublesome as he walked through the camp, but out of view he pensively scoured over the mission plan he himself had assigned his companion.
Sasuke scowled as usual, but now it was much more pronounced, and one could sense his less than friendly disposition from a farther distance than before. People didn’t bother trying to approach him then.
Injured shinobi in the medic tent quickly informed others that it was best to treat their own wounds for a time, as their two head medics both seemed out of sorts, distracted and generally aggravating wounds instead of patching them up.
Sakura was wound up like a tense coil, over-exerting too much strength, bandaging too tightly, stabbing the needle a little too deeply. And Hinata’s once trademark clumsiness, something thought to have been outgrown, had returned full force as the littered glass on the ground from countless broken bottles testified.
Neji was more closed off than before if possible, hardly saying a word as the days of waiting increased. But if one dared to look at him directly for a period of time, one could see the veins around his eyes bulging - the tell-tale sign of the Byakugan in action - a little more frequently than usual, always gazing towards the forest.
The rest of the “Rookie-Nine”, not generally accustomed to brooding in solitary confinement, chose to worry in a collective group.
Hotheaded as he was, Kiba showed an unusual amount of animosity, always a biting word ready to be said if aggravated. His partner, Akamaru, mirrored his master, fur bristling and teeth bared in a silent growl. Tenten usually stood a ways off from the group, steadily decimating whatever object unfortunate enough to be designated as her target as she worked off her anxiety. Lee was loud and outspoken as usual, but his speeches were a little too long and a little too bright, as if to make up for some unspoken doubt.
But no one was more worried and anxious than Hatake Kakashi. He often prowled the edges of the camp and unleashed his nin-dogs into the forest, frustrated when he ran out of chakra to support the summons and had to dismiss them. And when seven days became eleven, and the others began to reluctantly consider the idea that Naruto wasn’t coming back, the silver-haired man grew even more agitated and furious.
He staunchly refused to even humor the idea. Instead, he graced those who did with a stony gaze whenever they tried to coax him from his vigilant post at the camp’s outer perimeters. The only ones safe from his acerbic demeanor were Sasuke - who shared his conviction - and the Hokage - who was his superior and was decidedly neutral concerning what to think.
And so, to the rest of “Rookie Nine’s” private shame for doubting and Kakashi’s pleasure, if not a bit of vindictive triumph, they were absolutely relieved when they received news of Naruto two weeks later. ANBU squad 3 had found the blonde half drowning in a stream a mile off from the outer edge of Fire Country. Quickly, they carried Naruto back to base camp and into the medical care of Tsunade, Sakura, and Hinata.
Their diagnosis was succinct. The blonde was suffering from chakra exhaustion since his recovery was impeded by several severed chakra pathways, but luckily they could be healed given time. There were no signs of broken bones or bleeding wounds, not that the three women expected any, given Naruto’s special tenant. Their only cause for worry, really, was the apparent concussion and symptoms of asphyxiation.
Tsunade brushed a tuft of dirty blond hair from the young man’s face, a tender smile full of relief on her lips as she concluded, “He’ll be fine. The brat just needs some time to recover.”
To Kakashi’s relief, Naruto was discharged from the medical tent and into his care for the next three days, during which time the jounin did not leave his lover’s side unless it was unavoidable. It was on the end of the second day that Naruto woke up.
Sitting on a small cushion with his back resting against the cot occupied by Naruto, Kakashi was reading one of the last volumes of the “Icha Icha” series published before Jiraiya had fallen in battle. He was off duty, so he had replaced the ninja head-guard with a black bandana and had taken off the jounin flack jacket.
Absorbed in his reading material and memories of his sensei’s and student’s mentor, the jounin was unaware of his lover’s affectionate gaze until he felt gentle fingers thread softly through his silver hair.
By habit, Kakashi leaned into the comforting gesture before turning his face towards the hand and kissing it softly through his mask. Naruto smiled and tenderly traced the jounin’s lips through the thin black material. He fought off a blush as Kakashi turned around fully to face him, discarding the book on the floor and teasingly nibbling on Naruto’s fingers.
“Miss me?” Naruto smiled cheekily.
The nibbling abruptly stopped and Kakashi pinned him with a smoldering gaze, fastening a tight grip on the blond’s hand. Naruto’s breath caught.
“Naruto, you have no idea.” The words were mild, but the silver-haired man’s expression was clearly displeased and his eyes presented mild rebuke. A strong arm curled around the blonde’s slim waist, pulling him down into the jounin’s lap so that his back was against the older man’s broad chest.
They sat there in silence, their breaths synchronizing as they soaked in each other’s presence.
The blond fiddled with the sleeve of his yukata and Kakashi sighed wearily, resting his chin on Naruto’s shoulder. The younger man relaxed into the arms of his lover, sleep threatening to overtake him as the silence stretched on. Then, slowly, the jounin began to speak, his voiced measured and thoughtful.
“As shinobi, one of the first things we’re taught is to detach ourselves from our emotions. We’re taught to be tools to kill without remorse. But there is always remorse, there is always guilt. We merely bottle it up so we don’t have to acknowledge it. The same is applied to the loss of companions…of loved ones.”
Naruto leaned into Kakashi’s embrace, offering silent comfort and encouragement when the older man paused and slipped into a pensive silence. The blond waited patiently as Kakashi ruminated on his thoughts, gathering the right words to say.
“When someone dies…in reality there’s nothing more to it," the jounin began slowly, testing the weight of his own words. "No matter what you do you can never see them again, so there’s no use in pondering over what you could have done as opposed to what you can do in the future to prevent it from happening again. That doesn’t stop you, of course, from thinking - “What if” or “It’s my fault” - anyways. And you’ll always miss them.” Kakashi paused.
“With people who are alive - it’s different. You miss them and the knowledge that you can see them again if you can find them is empowering. But when you realize you can’t find them; that you can’t help them; that hurts more than anything else. To say it’s unpleasant is an understatement. People say there’s nothing more shameful than a helpless shinobi. A helpless killer, what a joke,” the silver-haired man chuckled, but it was dark.
Kakashi buried his face into the crook of his lover’s neck, and then softly, tenderly placed a kiss behind the blond’s ear. He whispered teasingly, “So, you know better than to leave me, right?” But the arm around Naruto’s waist tightened, an almost uncomfortable pressure that had the younger man holding his breath, and he could feel the slight tremor that ran though the larger frame molding against his back and the uneven shaking in Kakashi’s breath against his neck.
Naruto's breathe hitched, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Despite Kakashi’s casual words, the blond knew the deeper meaning implied by them; the infinitely more tender and vulnerable message that was being conveyed. Naruto could only imagine how hard it was for such a private man like Kakashi to vocalize his worries and his guilt, even in such a round-a-bout way to his own lover.
And the blonde felt all the more blessed for it.
Everyone knew Naruto as a happy, determined person. An outspoken goof-ball who wore his heart on his sleeve. Most of the time, it was no challenge for him to shout to everyone what he was thinking at any moment, whether it was the rare insightful thought or his musings of what flavor ramen to eat.
But Naruto left just as many things unsaid.
He wasn’t the type to want to burden anyone else, so he liked to boast that he was the best, that he would never give up, and that he didn’t need to lean on anyone even though he wanted them to lean on him.
So even when he ran around screaming about bonds and friendship, he rarely said anything about himself. He rarely admitted out loud that he didn't want to be alone. Like he used to be.
It was a deep seated fear that Naruto had harbored all his life inside of him. Hidden, but so painfully there. Undeniable and unbearable.
To those who looked closely, it had always been obvious in Naruto's valiant speeches and ruckus actions that he craved acceptance, understanding, and love. But there had always been few who cared enough to get that close.
He'd never said those painful words. “Don't go. Stay with me. I don't want to be alone.”
Because saying them would only have made the hurt and suffering seem more real.
Because once upon a time, there had been no one who would have listened.
It was moments like this that Naruto realized just how much he needed and admired the older man. It was moments like this that despite those times he cursed whatever higher beings existed screwing up his life, that he thanked them for allowing him this one happiness.
In a whirl of movement that caught the jounin off guard, Naruto deftly lowered his lover’s mask down and pulled him into a passionate kiss, pouring as much support, understanding and comfort he could into it. Kakashi responded with equal fervor, one hand trailing down the blond’s back and the other pulling Naruto even deeper into their kiss by a firm grip on his nape.
Neither of them protested even when their lungs burned for air. Their only actions were to press even harder and closer to one another, seemingly as if to do away with even the slightest separation between them. But even when their clothes were off and their bodies draped almost seamlessly against one another, the distance was still too great.
They wanted more. It was a desire closer to need than simple want. Desperation seeped into their passion, a strange mixture of bliss and devastating sorrow that both couldn’t help but love and curse.
Even so, it was moments like this that they were happiest. When they could pretend they were not two but one, unshackled from the duties and trials that faced them both. But even this happiness was tainted by the bitter sweetness of reality, because they knew this moment could not last, and soon they would have to plunge back into the grim truth of their dying home, dying companions, and dying hope.
But for now, just this short while, they would both pretend that there was no danger lurking just outside their camp. They would pretend that there was no looming shadow of uncertainty and doubt shrouding their future.
And as they pretended, they hoped that one day it wouldn’t be pretend anymore.
Chapter 1: Rekindling the fire
Part B
Grunting, Naruto collapsed against the base of a decimated tree with his legs sprawled out in front of him and his arms dead weight in his lap. Almost reluctantly, he made the effort to reach into the small pack he’d brought for a water canteen. Drinking just enough to quench his thirst, he dumped the rest over his head in the hopes of cooling off just a bit quicker. Ninja or not, the blond didn’t enjoy the sticky feel of sweat causing his clothes to suck onto his skin.
Naruto surveyed the area around him with a feeling of self-satisfaction and accomplishment. The small clearing in the forest - one he had set up for training - was now noticeably larger and in deplorable condition. A tangle of botched traps, fallen trees, enormous craters, and lingering scent of scorched organic matter were testimony to the long and vigorous training sessions he had held there.
‘Looks like I’ll have to relocate soon.’ Considering that the area had been used routinely in the last two months, it was no surprise that the clearing wouldn’t withstand much more abuse.
Since the day he’d woken up in the past, the blond had worked hard to establish a bond between himself and Tsunade, slowly working past the suspicion and painstakingly creating a niche for himself within her life; close enough to be trusted but always at arms length, for he could not afford for her to venture too close to his heart, too close to the still festering hurt that lay beneath the laid-back and welcoming persona he wore as much as for his own sake as hers.
That woman, that big-breasted woman with impossibly bad luck, freakish strength, pig-headed stubbornness and a temper to match, who hated diplomats, shirked all ceremonial duties and drooled on official paperwork…she was heart wrenchingly beautiful in his eyes. She always had been. She always would be.
He doubted she’d ever realize just how much she meant to him. Tsunade had been one of the few in his future-now-past that had seen in him something others did not. What she had seen in him Naruto didn’t know, but whatever it was it had been enough for her to care and that was enough for him. And now the younger, infinitely more stubborn, and substantially less wise Tsunade seemed to see something in him as well; that was a gift horse that he would not look in the mouth.
As the blond had expected, getting closer at first to Tsunade and Shizune had caused him pain by reminding him of what he’d lost or left behind. However, in a twisted sense of comfort, the anguish reaffirmed his determination to live his new life dedicated to everyone he’d let down, and that in turn soothed him; he could not allow himself to burn out, to lose conviction of his purpose.
He sighed heavily. Training, as beneficial as it was, would be fruitless unless he applied his skills in the war. Konohakagure’s struggle against Iwakagure was seemingly at a stalemate. Though Konoha’s nin were stronger - of course they would be, Naruto snorted, they had the freaking original “Yellow Flash” - Iwakagure outnumbered them in terms of sheer cannon fodder.
Naruto’s head fell back and hit the tree behind him with a “thunk” as he gazed at the stars in silence.
‘One more month and I’ll be done with the Tsunade’s crash course. Just one more month…and I’ll leave.’ But until then, he could still enjoy his time with his female companions, couldn’t he?
A month later…
“Shit! I thought this was only a FRIENDLY spar!”
At this point, Naruto didn’t really care that he was cursing in front of a minor. Besides, Shizune seemed to find his current predicament amusing, if the little cretin’s childish giggle was anything to go by. The harried blond spared the young girl sitting just outside the training area a peeved glance, to which she responded with a cheeky wave.
‘I can’t believe I thought she was cute!’
He grimaced and scuttled on the ground, barely avoiding a boulder that whooshed past his head. Without pause, Naruto propelled himself off the ground with an exaggerated handstand as a scalpel flew past his leg, flipped back onto his feet and dove into a large crater left behind from a previous attack earlier that day.
Taking a calming breath, Naruto racked his brain for a countermeasure against the full blown assault on his person, courtesy of the smirking woman who was currently trying to uproot a tree to use as a club. At the sound of a smug and heinous cackle, he peeked over the edge of the crater and groaned at the sight.
Tsunade’s eyes were lit with unholy glee, swinging the aforementioned tree back and forth in her arms like a child trying out a new toy, while she advanced towards his position.
“Come out, Sansai~! It’s almost been three months, surely you can stand a bit more pain after all this training with me,” the sannin cajoled.
The blond man rolled his eyes as he collapsed back into a sitting position inside the crater. Naruto shook his head exasperatedly as he replied, “No freaking way!”
“Freaking” being the operative word. He’d thought Tsunade had been scary enough when she was a granny, but knocking 26 years off her was like seeing her on Supped up Ninja pills. His whole definition of “freakish strength” had been redefined.
Sometimes, he wondered about the conundrum that was Tsunade. Being a shinobi required stealth and precision, like a sniper in the dark. The sannin was more like a runaway tank.
But even so, she was a damn good ninja, Naruto thought exasperatedly.
“How ‘bout this. I win, you buy me sake and Shizune ice-cream. And if, IF, you win, I’ll buy you that unhealthy crap you call food,” Tsunade wheedled. She smirked when she heard Naruto’s affronted gasp.
“One, Tsunade-san, that ‘unhealthy crap’ is called RAMEN. Two, I agree it’s unhealthy, but it’s not crap! And three…you’ve got yourself a deal!” A blond blur sprang towards the sannin from the crater in front of the grinning woman.
“Fool, what did I say about rushing at your opponent head on! I can easily overpower you!” Tsunade leapt to meet the other shinobi mid-way, drawing her arms back to deliver a quick and powerful blow with the tree in her hands. A second or two before impact, she neared her opponent enough to see his smirk.
Irked, she began to draw even more chakra, planning to release it in a precise burst, but frowned when she found that she couldn’t. In fact, Tsunade couldn’t even move. She collapsed to her knees, the tree falling away from her hands with a tremendous thud. The sannin searched through her memories for a technique that could cause her sudden immobility but came up empty. She looked up at Naruto with the fiercest glare she could muster.
“What did you do?” Tsunade demanded. The young man merely smiled and wagged a finger.
“Tsk, tsk, Tsunade-san. That would be telling, and a shinobi doesn’t just tell anyone his secrets,” Naruto teased with a small smile. “But, since it’s you, I guess I could make an exception.” His eyes softened momentarily, and Tsunade’s glare eased. “It was Shiatsu (pressure points),” he stated matter-of-factly.
“What!” the woman exploded, “You didn’t even touch me!” she cried out in frustration.
At this point, Naruto settled for a decidedly fox-like grin as he crouched in front of the sannin. “Oh? I didn’t?” He questioned innocently. Tsunade narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“No. No, you didn’t.”
“Hmmm, are you sure?” Her glare returned. She really wished she could move so she could slap the man in front of her upside the head. Instead, she struggled to control her temper and answered him.
“Yes. I’m sure.” He shrugged.
“Ok, I guess I didn’t then,” Naruto agreed. Tsunade smirked in triumph.
“So, it wasn’t Shiatsu,” she stated with glee, which quickly faded into confusion as he shook his head.
“No, it was definitely Shiatsu. And no, I didn’t touch you,” he spoke before she could protest. The sannin fumed and opened her mouth to yell but her bellow turned into a high pitched shriek of surprise as something teasingly tickled her sides.
“What the hell?!” Tsunade looked down at herself but saw nothing. Her gaze whipped back up at Naruto’s repressed snicker. He mockingly wiggled his fingers at her in a wave, and the invisible something suddenly felt like somethings. Surprised once again, the blonde woman could do nothing to stop her sudden explosive laughter as she tried futilely to squirm this way and that to escape. “Stop!” she screamed between breaths. “Sto-OOOP~!” the sudden increase in pitch only caused Naruto to fall back on his butt and choke on his own laughter.
When the blond man had seemingly had his fill of amusement at her expense, the tickling sensation stopped, leaving Tsunade red-faced and breathless, sprawled across the ground. Naruto snickered once again, idly wondering just how much Jiraiya would have paid to see the infamous Slug Sannin like this. ‘He probably would have had enough inspiration to write at least three more Icha Icha books,’ the blond shinobi mused, a lewd smile spreading across his face. Unfortunately, Tsunade chose that moment to speak.
“Okay. Wha-what was that?” Tsunade questioned breathlessly.
“Nihihihi!” Naruto cackled. “It’s my Super-Totally Awesome- Sexy Technique- Variation 3C!” He paused after the exclamation and leered at the blonde woman as he finished, “Zokutou Sansai’s Magic Fingers!” He wiggled the fingers of both his hands to add emphasis.
Shizune and Tsunade were both dumbstruck, faces slack with disbelief. Naruto continued to cackle, waving his hands with the wiggling fingers back and forth in front of the blonde woman’s face.
A twitch of one fine eyebrow and growing blush on the Slug Sannin’s face signaled the impending explosion. “Magic. Fingers. Magic. Fingers?” Her voice rose with each word. “MAGIC FINGERS?!” With a roar Tsunade leapt up, miraculously overcoming her paralysis, and slammed a fist into the still leering man’s face.
“Eergk~!” He went flying across the clearing and through the trunks of a couple trees. Shizune watched with wide eyes, frozen in her crouched position at the edge of the clearing.
Tsunade huffed, taking in deep breaths of air to calm her righteous fury. “YOU!” She screamed venomously while angrily jabbing a finger in the direction she’d sent the man flying. “I knew you reminded me of someone! At first I thought it was of people I tolerate, but no! It’s him! That infuriating, sorry excuse for a ninja PERVERT!”
A muffled voice responded from somewhere beneath the pile of destruction, “He’s not a pervert! And he’d be quite insulted to be called that!”
“Oh?” Tsunade’s eyes narrowed. “So you know who it is I’m talking about?” A hand burst out from the rubble and she watched as Naruto dug himself out.
“Of course,” the blond man grunted, bringing himself up on top of a fallen tree to look down at Tsunade. He took upon a condescending air and stance, hands on his waist. “The man of whom you speak can be only one person to evoke such strong reactions from a woman like you! He can only be the legendary JIRAIYA! The man -” A feminine scream of fury cut him off.
“I WAS RIGHT! You do know him! That PERVERT!”
“NO!” Naruto immediately rebutted, forming an “x” with his arms across his chest. “The man known as Jiraiya is not a pervert!” the blond man sneered. “He’s the greatest man ever to grace the shinobi lands, a SUPER-PERVERT!” Naruto exclaimed fervently, ignoring Tsunade and Shizune’s once again stupefied silence. “He is the only man brave enough to venture into the territory of the beautiful but dangerous and angry beauties in order to relieve that ailment that plagues all healthy males! Sexual frustration!” The blond man did a strange dance and finished with a flourish, voice seemingly filled with admiration and awe.
In truth, Naruto was nearly killing himself by holding in his laughter. Now he knew why Jiraiya had always done this disgustingly embarrassing introduction. It was fun, and the humiliation was well worth the shocked and pained expressions of his audience. But truly, he was only able to do this because he didn’t really believe it. After all, he was firmly of the male persuasion. Or should that be Kakashi-suasion? Absorbed in his own contemplations, Naruto didn’t hear the psychic screams of horror that rang across the ether from the Slug Sannin.
“Nihihihihi!” The blonde man cackled once more. “My aspiration to model Jiraiya aside, my technique is nothing to laugh at! After all, my ‘Magic Fingers’ were able to disable you, the fearsome Slug Sannin!” He pointed a damning finger in her direction, nose haughtily upturned in the air.
“Che!” Tsunade came out of her stupor at his statement, face turned down and away, an embarrassed blush stealing across her cheeks. Naruto smirked. “So, what exactly are your…your ‘Ma-Magic Fingers’?” Tsunade felt utterly ridiculous even saying the name of his technique and painstakingly tried to suppress the growing blush as she saw Naruto’s smirk widen from the corner of her eyes.
“Actually, the technique itself is quite simple,” Naruto spoke as he leapt down from the tree trunk to stand in front of her. Shizune brushed off her clothes and trotted over to the adults, also curious of his explanation. “To put it simply, they’re just extensions of chakra.”
“What?” The blonde woman’s head jerked up in surprise, round eyes full of curiosity. “Extending your chakra that far from your body? You must have an almost godly control of your chakra…” Tsunade trailed off in speculation. Naruto shrugged.
“No, not really. It’s more brute force and imposing my own will on them. You see, I have a great deal of experience with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, so I’m used to having to split and spread my own awareness around. So the extensions just feel like limbless, invisible Kage Bunshins that are still connected to me.” Tsunade blinked at Naruto’s casual mention of using a kinjutsu. But the blond man continued to speak, keeping her from dwelling on that fact.
“I haven’t put a lot of charka into them right now so they’re not in the visible spectrum. I think only a Hyuuga would be able to see them at this point.” Naruto rubbed his neck, tilting his head back to look at the sky. “But if I push all my chakra into them, they would visibly manifest to look kind of like tails.” Naruto was still looking up, so he missed the sudden sharp look Tsunade threw at him when he mentioned “tails.” It tugged on something in the medic’s memory, but she couldn’t quite grasp it.
“Tails…How many?” Tsunade questioned absently, still trying to remember what it was that was so important about “tails.” This time, it was she who missed the sharp glance thrown her way. Shizune watched both adults quietly but thoughtfully.
“Four,” Naruto answered cautiously, noting her preoccupation. Something told him it would be dangerous to let the woman think on it any longer. “Anyways,” he exclaimed with sudden cheerfulness, startling Tsunade from her thoughts, “it’s time to pay up Tsunade-san!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tsunade huffed.
Naruto grinned with an expression in his eyes that screamed “Praise me, I’m smart!”
“Alight already. You’re good, Sansai,” Tsunade acknowledged rather ungraciously. “Now let’s go,” she grumbled.
“Ah, ah. Remember our little wager, Tsunade-san~!” Naruto tsked, rocking on his heels.
“Aw shit. Fine. You’ll get your crap.” The woman rolled her shoulders and patted the dirt off her clothes, turning around with a grimace.
“It’s Ramen! RA-MEN!” the blond male protested vehemently to his companion. Tsunade ignored him, tugging a smiling Shizune along as she walked out of the clearing towards the town.
“Yeah, yeah, crap is still crap,” she retorted, smiling at the continued protests sounding from behind her as Naruto jogged to keep up with her.
Having coerced the two females into eating at a ramen stand for the eighth time in a row, Naruto sat quietly, feeling as if there was a great weight upon his shoulders. His chest felt constrained, his legs felt weak, and his thoughts were in chaos.
He could tell Tsunade was watching him curiously, but he ignored the inquiring gaze in favor of deciphering his wayward feelings. Scratching his chin, he turned around, resting his back against the counter as he appraised the quaint ramen stand.
It was time to go. Naruto had put off leaving for far too long.
Swiveling around, Naruto remained deep in thought as a large bowl of miso ramen was placed before him and mechanically said his blessings as he began to eat. Before he’d even begun to finish his silent musings, his food was finished. Appetite suddenly greatly diminished, he said a polite “thank you” and turned to the two females beside him.
Tsunade was done but Shizune was still eating, alternately staring worriedly at Naruto and her shishou, who was, in turn, gazing straight back at the blond male. And unlike the many times before when Naruto had put up a carefree front to reassure them, this time he couldn’t bring himself do anything but stare.
Stare and wonder just how he would survive leaving them behind again.
Tsunade knew that Sansai would be leaving. She knew because of the pained and uncertain expression on his face all through dinner. So, really, she wasn’t all that surprised when she woke up in the middle of the night to feel Sansai’s chakra getting further and further away from the inn. She sat up and stared blankly at the door of the adjoining room until she could no longer detect the other’s chakra. Slowly, wrapping the open sleeping robe tighter around her, Tsunade got up and opened Sansai’s door.
The room was empty except for the neatly rolled up bedding and a small package on top of it. Tsunade picked it up cautiously and sat by the open window of the room, where the full moon’s light shone through. She un-wrapped the coarse paper from the package while wondering what Sansai could possibly have left her.
It was a cherry wood box, beautifully stylized on the shallow lid. Tsunade appreciatively traced the artwork with her fingertips, paying close attention to the painstaking detail of the carvings and brush strokes depicting the many hundreds of individual leaves upon a great tree. Delicately, she lifted the lid off the box and peered inside.
There were four scrolls, three side by side on the bottom with a fourth on top, along with a small pouch. Tsunade picked up the fourth scroll on top and opened it.
Dear Tsunade-san,
If you’re reading this scroll, then I’ve already left to rejoin the Iwakagure and Konohagakure war. Truthfully, I should have left much earlier, but I was hesitant to leave your company. Though you may have only known me for three months, I feel as if I’ve known you for many years. Presumptuous as this may sound, you and Shizune have already become very precious people to me and I hope I have become the same to you.
She smiled a bit tremulously. No, it wouldn’t be presumptuous of you, Sansai, she thought. If she didn’t think it would be crazy, she would have thought she’d known him for far longer as well.
Thank you for the extra training and spars. It never hurts for an ANBU to have medical training. In fact, I would say it should be mandatory for most.
Tsunade grinned fiercely at that. At least one shinobi agreed with her, even if her own sensei hadn’t heeded her advice.
Forgive me for bringing up old wounds, but I know of your personal history with Konoha, and while I don’t condone your actions, I do understand them.
The sannin frowned. Sansai hadn’t mentioned her past at all during his stay. Why did he bring it up now?
Losing loved ones is a terrible experience, one that will never become easier with time. I know because I’ve lost many precious people, too.
She knew it! He was like her.
That’s why I have to go back.
What? Why? Her mind raced in confusion.
I have to fight to protect those who are still alive. And even when they’ve died, I will still fight so that those who are precious to others might still survive.
What have I done, other than give my enemy less opposition, if I turn my back on the fight? He’s gotten rid of two opponents by killing one. I’m not going give my enemy that kind of satisfaction.
I’ll fight until my dying breath and find a way to fight even beyond that. That way I can strike fear into my enemy’s heart and make him regret what he’s done. No enemy, however strong and numerous, will convince me to go back on my promise, my nindo, my very existence.
If I’m truthful, I know that I might not survive. But everyone dies sooner or later, and I would rather have a glorious, if somewhat bloody death with purpose than to just kick it in old age. However, it’s not my intent to preach to you or guilt you into anything. I just supposed you would have liked to know why I do what I do.
Yes, I would have, Tsunade thought solemnly.
I hope one day we will meet once again. Hopefully within the gates of our mutual home. And to that end, I present you with an incentive to come.
She cocked a skeptical eyebrow.
As I’m sure you’ve already realized, I have not been entirely truthful about myself or my circumstances, but rest assured that no matter what I’m still loyal to Konoha. I wasn’t lying about being an ANBU captain of Konoha. But if you asked the Hokage who I am, he wouldn’t even know of my existence. And I am not one of Danzo's ROOT pets. Interested yet?
“You bet your ass I am!” the woman hissed.
I assure you, my explanation is so wildly absurd, you wouldn’t believe it even if I explained in this scroll. That’s why for now I left you clues, so to speak, until a time we can talk in person again. The first scroll to the right in the box is your first clue. Of course, if you want to examine it you will have to brave your fear of blood, since it’s quite soaked from its last use. Good luck!
Once you’ve deciphered the meaning behind the first scroll, you’ll be ready to read the scroll in the middle of the container. The last, you won’t be ready for a while, but I’d appreciate it if you kept it safe for me.
Tsunade’s eyes darted to the three remaining scrolls in the container. Whatever it was that Sansai was hiding, it was starting to sound more ominous by the second.
And like any good mystery, what you find will probably give you more questions than answers. Answers you won’t receive unless we meet again in person. How’s that for incentive?
Until we meet again,
Zokutou Sansai.
Tsunade groaned as she read the last part. Hands shaking, she set the scroll aside and peered at the aforementioned blood soaked scroll in the container with trepidation. Positioning one of her hands to reach for it, she closed her eyes and snatched it out of the box. With all the speed she had at her disposal she whipped the scroll open with her other hand and set it on the floor before her. Tsunade wrung her hands together anxiously, trying to fight the psychosomatic pains from having touched the blood.
Time passed as she stared at it, first from the inability to decipher what was written underneath the stains of brown rusted blood, and then with growing disbelief. Her wide eyes sped across all the seals, unconsciously inching closer and closer to the scroll. It wasn’t until the sun was first making its arrival known through the window behind her that Tsunade sat back abruptly, mouth gaping and hands limp in her lap.
“No way,” she said breathlessly. “No way.” Tsunade’s eyes slid from the blood soaked scroll on the floor to the middle scroll in the container. Hurriedly, she grabbed the middle scroll and spread it out on the floor. Her fingers traced along the writing as she read and paused on one word.
“Tails.”
A bark of incredulous laughter escaped her. “Well, Sansai, seems like we’re going to be seeing each other very soon.”
As she stared out the window towards the morning sun, she never saw the strange shadow reaching out from nothingness like a blind snake as it licked the open, blood soaked scroll on the floor. And as quickly as it appeared, it dissipated like ephemeral smoke and left no trace, so that even Tsunade was unaware as she walked briskly through the very space it had been before.
Naruto flicked dripping blood off his kunai with a grimace as he leapt through the trees. ‘This is completely ridiculous,’ he growled silently behind his ANBU mask. The journey should have been relatively simple.
It was supposed to have been a quick half-day dash to the northern port of Tea Country, in order to secure a boat ride across the bay to Fire Country. Once inside the borders, a mad six day run should have been sufficient to reach Konoha. From there, he would meet the Hokage (Naruto was looking forward to meeting Sandaime oji-san again) and convince him of his authentic relation to Namikaze Minato (a simple blood test used within most clans would suffice), which would open the floor to the fantastic explanation of his existence, thereby reinstating himself as an official Konoha-nin once again.
At least, that’s what should have happened, if discord and strife weren’t bosom buddies who loved to stick to his ass like a prickly spur.
What actually happened was more like Murphy’s Law times a thousand, especially tailored to fit the Uzumaki Naruto brand of the “O-Shit-O-Meter.” His once brilliantly simple plan had turned into a convoluted monstrosity of the world’s greatest fuck-up, and he was still having trouble believing that he was in the middle of it all.
Looking back on the start of his journey now, Naruto could definitively say that everything had been shot to hell the moment he’d stepped onto old man Toji’s boat. The beginning had been alright, although he’d been nervous about the loud sound of the motor attracting unwanted attention.
Tense and alert, Naruto had been prepared for almost anything, like pirates and for other enemy-nin…not two boats of crotchety old men who were more of a danger to themselves than to him and a pissed off sea monster.
Naruto waited tensely for the boat ride to end. He was safely disguised as an unassuming civilian male under a henge (disgustingly normal brown hair and eyes in his opinion), but something told him that despite all his efforts that his day was about to get worse. His intuition was proven right when he heard the faint sound of other motor boats in the water.
Soon, the boats were close enough that Naruto didn’t even need to use his near supernatural eyesight to plainly see them catching up. The shinobi glanced at Toji to see what the old man made of it, but he seemed completely unaware and entirely focused on lighting the pipe in his hands.
“Excuse me, Toji-san, do you know them?” Naruto asked, pointing a finger towards the two approaching vessels. Toji continued to fumble with the pipe, cursing as he dropped a lit match, and did not bother to turn around and properly answer the young man.
“Do I know who?” he spoke around the mouth of the pipe, bending over to retrieve another match. The boats were close enough now that Naruto could see them brimming with old men, not unlike Toji in appearance, with scraggly beards and plain clothes fit for sailing… except for the fact that they were jerkily waving around what looked like harpoons and oars in a very, very angry manner.
‘Actually, perhaps savagely menacing would be a better description,’ Naruto thought with increasing alarm. The boats with the old men drew even closer, and now the shinobi could see the wild gleam in their eyes, coupled with their gnashing yellow teeth. ‘Okay, bloodthirsty as well,’ Naruto quickly amended. He didn’t bother being polite this time as he addressed Toji; besides, the old man had to be deaf and dumb not to notice the approaching boats by now.
“I’m guessing even if you know them that they aren’t your friends!” Naruto shouted and roughly grabbed the old man, forcefully turning Toji around to see the other boats.
Toji’s eyes widened, the pipe falling from his gaping mouth. “Oh, lordy, dey foun' me!”
“So you do know them! Who are they? Pirates?” the shinobi questioned, but Toji didn’t answer.
“Hold on, sonny, we gotta lose 'em!” the old man shouted. Naruto frowned.
“Exactly how do you expect to lose- erk!” the small boat swerved, knocking Naruto to the floor.
What followed was a wild race all over the bay, all three boats performing impossible maneuvers to evade and chase. Naruto had never been one to fall victim to sea-sickness, but at that moment he was sure he’d be capable of achieving projectile vomit.
Eventually, but not soon enough for Naruto, the chase ended when the two other boats managed to sandwich Toji’s boat from the front and back. Roaring, several angry old men came aboard, gesturing angrily at Toji as he pleaded innocence to whatever grievance they held against him. Naruto, repressing his urge to hurl over the side of the boat, could barely make sense of their incensed shouting coupled with atrocious grammar and thick accents. The boat’s rocking grew as the men argued, and the shinobi was getting sick of being sick.
“Stop, now!” he screamed almost hysterically, desperate to stop the rocking of the boat. Silence fell as the old men turned to the slightly green looking brunet boy. Unsteadily, Naruto stood up and sneered, although inwardly he was disgusted with himself that he’d succumbed to such a feeble weakness as sea-sickness. With an angry “Kai!” he dispelled the henge, revealing his blond hair and shinobi apparel.
Smirking at the surprised gasps from the group of old men, Naruto crossed his arms and put on his best “I’m a shinobi. An angry shinobi, and you’d best listen to me” face. Then the blond spoke, “Now, I don’t know what you-”
“You’ll nevah take me back alive!” Toji interrupted, seizing the chance to escape. The old man smacked the other old men off his boat with an oar and kicked the boat blocking the front away. Gob-smacked that a civilian had ignored his “I’m a dangerous shinobi” face, Naruto gaped at Toji’s sudden actions and didn’t register the fact that the old man was speaking to him.
“Sid’ down, boy!” Toji smacked the flabbergasted blond’s head with the oar. Naruto obediently sat down and had just enough time to grab onto the side of the boat as Toji started the motor. As they sped away, Naruto glanced back to see the other old men scrambling back into their boats to continue the chase.
“Git back ‘ere, you yeller belly!” screamed one particularly vicious looking old man.
Naruto’s head whipped back around to face forward. ‘No!’ the blond thought. ‘I am not doing this all over again!’ Toji and the pirates were driving him insane. Another nauseating chase and he was going to lose it completely, and Naruto couldn’t let that happen. He was a shinobi. He had a reputation to uphold!
‘I’ll- I’ll get them before they get me!’ Naruto stood up abruptly with a manic smile, his hands flying through numerous seals.
“Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Element: Fire Dragon Flame Blast)!” The blond drew in a deep breath, preparing to unleash his deadly attack-!
And choked on the flames as Toji smacked him with an oar again.
“Wha’ do ya think yer doin’ boy?! You can’t attack ‘em!” The old man screamed, eyes bulging. Naruto coughed pitifully, tears leaking from his eyes from the pain of his burnt mouth.
“Why the hell not?! Do you want those pirates to kill you?” The blond shinobi clutched his throat while staring at Toji incredulously.
“Pirates?! Wha’ do ya mean, pirates?” Toji spat. Naruto pointedly gestured at the two boats of old men.
“Do angry old men frothing at the mouth and shouting death threats at you while wielding many deadly weapons not mean anything to you?!” Naruto screamed. Toji looked back.
“Er, well-”
“That’s what I thought! Now, stop whacking me with the oar and let me get rid of them!” Naruto stood back up.
“No!” Toji grabbed the blond’s cloak, pulling him back down. “Dey look a bit rough, but dem geezers ain’t pirates!”
“Oh, yes, I’m sure they’re just harmless old men!”
“Don’ ye talk back like tha’ to me, youngin’! De’re jus’ a bit expressive, dey don’ mean no har-”
“TOJI! You lyin’ potbelly!”
“I’m a gonna kill you!”
Toji’s mouth snapped shut, but before Naruto had a chance to look smug and say “I told you so,” a harpoon sailed through the air and shaved a few hairs off the blond’s head. Naruto gaped a few seconds before his face flushed red with mounting anger. Toji gulped and laughed nervously at the blond’s darkening expression.
“Now, now, dey didn’ mean it!” the old man placated. “De’re me family! Brothers, the lot of us! You can’t ‘arm dem!”
The blond shinobi paused, quirked an eyebrow and peered at the old men in the boats for one long moment.
Okay.
So based on appearance alone he could believe there was some relation between all of them. That still didn’t explain the situation though, and frankly, Naruto didn’t have time to be dealing with it. He sighed, a mixture of exasperation and annoyance.
“Look, Toji-san, family or not, this can’t continue. I’m stopping this now.”
Naruto ignored Toji’s protests and killed the motor, letting the boat slowly drift and lose momentum. Then he stood up to face the two other boats, now barely a boat’s length distance away. Allowing the reservoir of Kyuubi’s charka to leak around him, he snarled viciously at the old men.
The blond knew he must have looked extremely frightening with glowing crimson eyes, wild hair and elongated canines, but at this point he couldn’t afford to have the old men not fear him. He awaited the thick scent of fear and the sight of their paling faces, but all he got were wide eyes and pointing fingers….that were not pointing at him. It was at that moment that he finally noticed Toji’s silent but earnest, almost frantic tugging at his cloak.
“What?!” he snapped. Toji whimpered and pointed up. Naruto turned half-way around to look and was not amused at all by what he saw. What he first thought was a strange solid blue wall, was a pale blue sea serpent/dragon, about half the size of Gamabunta, rearing out of the water and over the boat.
“You have got to be shitting me,” the blond deadpanned. The sea monster emitted a threatening hiss seemingly in response, the fins on the side of its head flaring open and its tail skimming the surface of the water agitatedly.
As if the sudden appearance of a giant sea monster wasn’t enough, Naruto could feel rapidly approaching chakra signatures from all sides. Quietly as possible, Naruto spoke to the petrified old men. “If you value your lives, don’t say or do anything.”
Silent shadows flit across the waters and converged towards the still boats, and only Naruto was unsurprised when black clad shinobi rose from the depths of the sea to stand on the waters. The old men remained quiet and had seemingly forgotten their quarrel with Toji as they huddled together, eyes wide with fright and confusion.
Naruto’s eyes narrowed as they took note of the twelve Iwa (Rock) and seven Kumo (Cloud) nin. Shinobi from two different villages working together meant they had an alliance, which meant Kumo was also involved in the war. And the only reason why such a large group would be so far from the main battle taking place on the borders of Fire and Rock country was if they were planning a pincer move by attacking the Konoha force from behind their own border.
Quickly, the ire he had felt towards the old men and the sea serpent faded as the more pressing issue of the war and enemy nin became evident. Naruto tensed, reinforcing his balance in the boat as it began to rock again due to the sea serpent’s agitation. The foreign shinobi tensed in response, drawing weapons and readying hand seals as they focused alternately on the giant sea monster growing steadily more incensed and the lone shinobi from Konoha. Neither the enemy nin nor Naruto were willing to make the first move, unwilling to draw the sea serpent’s undivided attention.
Suddenly, the beast lashed out with a roar, swiping its tail across the waters. Several of the enemy nin jumped out of the way, and Naruto quickly tossed Toji into one of the other two boats as the one he’d been in was instantly smashed to pieces. The blond pushed the two civilian filled boats away to a safe distance near the shores of Fire Country with a charka enforced foot as he stood on the churning water. Again, all the nin came to a standstill, unable to engage in battle with the raging serpent so close by, liable to lash out without warning.
‘At this rate, the fight will never finish,’ Naruto thought. The sea serpent had to be taken out before the blond could focus on dispatching the Iwa and Kumo nin, but he couldn’t do that safely without getting rid of the enemy-nin first. The only choice left was to get rid of them all at the same time. He hoped some of the enemy nin survived what he planned next, not out of mercy, but because he needed at least one of them alive from which to beat out information.
Naruto’s determination seemed to deepen his emotions and chakra like a dark abyss, whirl pooling down, down, down until a time it could hold no more and would have to explode out once again; the deceptive calm before the storm. But for now, the only sign of the growing danger was Naruto’s voice, a foreboding and serene, yet guttural dual tone as he raised a hand toward the sky and calmly announced, “Raiton: Ikazuchi no Kiba (Lightning Bolt Fang).”
No one had a chance to react as the sky darkened with dark, ominous clouds rapidly gathering overhead, and the very air shook with the rumbling of thunder. The old men flinched, the energy and static in the air so thick that it stung their skin. Then, after one tense moment of silence, the world exploded into a blinding vision of white, a solid column of lightning striking down from the heavens.
Continued in (2/2) of Part B