17 CHAPTER 17
Chapter 17
The world was a beautiful place to live in. He enjoyed doing what he loved and wanted to do. He liked it when everything worked out the way he wanted. When they did not, he would pull all his efforts into making sure that they went his way. Many might say that they hated the world for what it had become. Truly, the shinobi world had become evil, but he did not care. He was fine with it, as long as the evil did not disturb him.
If the evil were to stand in his way, he would have a problem with it. He would not mind doing anything to wipe it away. But because it did not stand in the way of his goals, he did not care for it. He simply chose to ignore it and continue with his own life. His life and his goals were what mattered the most to him.
Konoha was truly peaceful when one looked it over from the Hokage Monument. During his younger days, the spot had been his favorite. It gave him a chance to enjoy some peace. Despite what other believed, he sometimes wished for quietness and some peace. He did not always have to enjoy the music of a ''dance''. Sometimes it was good to relax.
These days it was more of a must for him to relax as much as he could. Doing too much chakra related work was not going to be benefiting to his health. His body was not operating the way he wanted. It had some unwanted guests that were trying to destroy it. He would survive though. What he felt was nothing permanent. Sooner, rather than later, he would forget about his unwelcome guests.
For now, he had to mind his steps. He would avoid battle as much as he could, to preserve the health of his body. Outside, it may look perfectly well, but it was anything but that.
He hated not being in control of certain things concerning his life - it did not dwell with him, especially when there was little he could do to change things. He knew though, that it would not remain as it was. Soon, he would awaken and his body would be at its full capabilities.
Naruto looked at the streets of Konoha calmly. 'Soon,' he thought. He would be leading this village to greatness. First, he had to get rid of a few ''germs'' that were trying to stand in his way. Konoha was no threat to him. Not even the elders, and Root-they were mere children that he had dance around for his amusement.
In all her greatness, Konoha would be for him to lead. The Uchiha will rise again to power. Perhaps even Karin would attempt to restore the Uzumaki. He would like it if she did. However, the girl did not seem to be serious enough to think about restoring the Uzumaki clan. Well, at least she would have fuinjutsu by her side to show that she was indeed an Uzumaki.
His own fuinjutsu needed more work. He needed to work on complex things. He had allowed it to remain the way it was though. Madara had introduced him to the art before he even fully matured his Sharingan. How long has that been? Had he given it more time, he would have been a master of the art now. What was done, was done, he just had to make time.
Naruto looked at his right as he sensed a familiar chakra signature coming towards him. 'Kakashi,' he thought. He really should have just told the man he was in no need of friends or anything.
''The view is quite lovely from here,'' the one-eyed jounin started things of slowly. He was forgetting; Naruto was not the one to beat around the bush. If Naruto remembered correctly, a moment like this had occurred before. Back then, he had to tell the jounin to get to the point.
Although he refused to comment, he had to agree that the view was indeed lovely. But he did not come here for the nice view. He had no need for such things. He simply came here because it secluded him from everyone else.
Kakashi sighed and sat down beside Naruto. He put his book away, ''you know, you don't make things easy for anyone,'' the famed jounin stated looking down at his home.
''I do not like easy things. And things are a bit more interesting when they are difficult,'' Naruto said.
''So you would make things difficult for the sake of having a brain teaser?''
''Don't you like a brain teaser, every now and then?''
Kakashi merely shrugged, ''sometimes,'' he said.
''What do you want?'' Naruto asked suddenly. He always had to do this, as people who spoke to him often try to water things before getting to the point.
Kakashi sighed again. He had been expecting Naruto to say something like that. He did wish the blond could be a little nice when asking the question though. Anyone would interpret it as if he was not wanted.
''When we were still in Team 7, I tried to befriend you. Each time I tried, you shot me down,'' Kakashi said recalling his failed attempts to getting close to the blond. ''I wondered what wrong I had done. I wondered if you simply just did not like my guts.''
Naruto shook his head inwardly. He really should not be talking about such petty things. There were far more important things he could deal with. Even if there was nothing, he would rather enjoy the peace than have a conversation like this. Here he was though, Kakashi was getting him into a conversation he did not like. He closed his eyes before opening them again. 'I should deal with this now,' he thought.
''I did not like to have people close to me,'' Naruto stated.
''Did not?''
''Still don't.''
Kakashi felt like his hopes were crushed by those words. But he did not let them put him down. ''You know, before I came here I asked myself this question; why did I want to make it up to you? You don't acknowledge sensei as your father, you don't even seem to like having friends...most importantly you don't seem to care about most things that have to do with emotions,'' Kakashi turned his head into the clear skies before looking back at the village. ''The only reason I wanted to be your friend was because you are sensei's son...regardless of how you view it.''
''What is your point Kakashi?''
''I have always looked for an opportunity to be your friend because I cared for you. Always have and always will,'' he paused and turned to Naruto. The blond though, was not looking at him. He smiled sadly, ''I also wanted to apologize for not doing much to be there for you when I had the chance. You went through so much in your childhood. I failed to protect you, even though when your mother was still carrying you, I protected you and her. However, once you were born, I failed to continue doing that.''
''Listen,'' Naruto started calmly. ''I will never repeat this again. I would not even care enough to have this conversation with you. I dislike talking about petty things from the past. Nevertheless, because you tried, I will say this once.''
''What do you think I think when I see Minato's face?''
Kakashi thought for a moment, ''the bastard who caused me misery?''
''I think nothing. I merely look away. It is not worth my time to think much of a dead man,'' Naruto stated. All Kakashi could do was to nod. ''What do you think comes to my mind when I see the villagers smiling at me?''
Kakashi shook his head. He really did not know. Nobody knew for sure how Naruto felt about the villagers for what they did to him. He already hated his father for making him a Jinchuriki. Why could stop him for hating the very people who made his life a misery?
''Nuisances, annoying - they are fools,'' Naruto stated.
Kakashi looked at him carefully, ''so you have not forgiven them for what they did.''
''Forgive? I do not know how to use such a word. They are mere nuisances to me, insects that I could crush any time I want. Therefore, I do not bother with them.''
Ironic, huh? He was going to someday lead the very same people. This would be a consequence of him being Hokage.
''What do you think comes to my mind when I see Jiraiya?''
Again, Kakashi shook his head. But he not did think that Naruto held Jiraiya somewhere in his heart, if their interactions revealed anything.
''Nothing - I care not for the man.''
Kakashi did not find that hard to believe - he believed the blond in all honesty did not care for Jiraiya. He had showed not to care not even the slightest about certain things others would find worth carrying for.
''There are many people I should watch die and not care, even the slightest. Even the villagers of this village could be killed in front of me, and I would never feel the need to get back at the one who killed them. But you are not one of them.''
Kakashi sighed in relief and smiled, ''you know, I thought for a second that-''
''Kakashi,'' Naruto cut off the copy ninja. ''I believe saying 'you are not one of them' has solved everything and banished some thoughts that might have been finding room in your head.''
Kakashi only smiled, ''you should lighten up sometimes Naruto,'' he said standing up. ''Thanks for the time, I will see you around.''
The jounin was about to leave when Naruto spoke again, ''I would appreciate it if you did not just drop by to see me without anything of importance to say.''
'Don't come to me to chat or relax with me, only come when you have something important,' that is how it read.
''Mah mah, Naruto. And here I thought you and I were going to be good friends,'' Kakashi said surprisingly calm about the whole thing.
Naruto gave the jounin a blank stare, ''stay away Kakashi. I have no need for trivial things as friendship - I have far more important things to do. Now go away, you have already disturbed much of my peace.''
Kakashi did not need to be told twice. He disappeared away from the Hokage Monument. Naruto sighed, he could never truly give 100% of his efforts to his objectives with people trying to invade his personal space. If he could not focus completely, then the results could come back imperfect - that would surely no satisfy him. He would be very much displeased.
''That was interesting,'' Zetsu stated as a part of him appearing beside Naruto.
Naruto looked at Zetsu at the corner of his eyes, ''you were here all along?''
''Did you not sense ne?'' Zetsu questioned after nodding.
''You know it is impossible to sense you.''
''I have always thought you could sense me because each time I appear you always look at my position like you knew I was going to show up,'' he did think that Naruto could sense him. No one could sense him. But Madara could sense him, as well as speak with him telepathically. Perhaps it was because he was connected to him.
''No, I cannot do that. I can however feel you when a small part of your body materializes from the earth's surface.''
Zetsu nodded, ''how are you holding up?''
Naruto held out his hand, ''So far, I am well. Nothing seems to be troubling me much. But I need something far stronger - something that can knock out anyone else.''
''Where are you going to find it?''
''Orochimaru's scrolls,'' Naruto said. ''I am sure that if you search, you can get something that will help us make a strong drug.''
Zetsu nodded, ''have you found out everything that is wrong?''
''No, I will have to do a thorough analysis of my blood sample and a full body scan.''
Zetsu nodded. It was best if they knew what they were dealing with. ''I left your medicine in your room,'' he said
That was good. ''If that 'thing' was still alive, I would make it suffer for all eternity. This condition is unacceptable - to depend on medicine.''
Oh his pride was hurt. He had been brought down to the ground. He needed medicine to use his power. He could not even activate his Sharingan without taking his medicine. How Zetsu wished the snake was still alive. It would definitely have been a show for him to watch what Naruto would do to him.
If he had the power, he would bring the snake back to life. Well...you did not always get what you want.
''Have you prepared everything for the Edo Tensei?''
''No, but the clones should have gathered everything before tomorrow.''
''Good,'' Naruto said. ''Everything else is in motion now. All the players are making their movements. The result should be exciting and we will surely have some fun along the way,'' he managed to smile as he said that.
''Indeed,'' Zetsu agreed.
There was surely going to be some great battles that would take place. He would be having the front row seat in all the battles. Naruto was right, there was going to be fun and he would surely enjoy it. At the end of the journey, he would have all the memories to review. He was definitely going to record everything he found to be his worth.
Later that day
The time had finally come for the ''date''. Yugao was quite excited about it - Her first date in many years. She had missed going out with a guy to have some fun or just enjoy the guy's company. Her job demanded her to focus, much of her time and efforts on it. She never had time to spend on other things. At least now it was better since things had cooled off a bit. There was not much trouble going about the village.
She was not expecting Naruto to be excited about the date though. If she expected something like that, she would be in for a disappointment. She knew him enough not to expect some things from him though. Still, she wished he could at least act differently for the night. It was a date. You had to act like you were on a date. It would not feel like a date if he just became his usually quite self. She did enjoy his company though.
She did not think it was odd that she was the one going to pick him up and was the one to have set up the reservations. She could not picture Naruto doing something like that. If he did, then she would not be surprised if Kakashi suddenly says that he dislikes Icha Icha paradise.
Meanwhile
Naruto was wearing his usually black attire, without the gloves though. He was sitting comfortably at the kitchen table holding a scroll from Orochimaru's hideouts and a cup of tea right beside him. He was interested in seeing some of the crazy experiments the snake had done. He was also trying to find something that would help him.
Sasuke was sitting across the table with a book in hand. They had been sitting for about an hour now, none had said a word to the other. It was odd for Sasuke because since Naruto returned, they had been talking ever since. And that was not even 2 days ago. Naruto did not seem like he would be speaking any time soon. He seemed like he had a few things on his head.
''Aren't you going out tonight?'' Sasuke asked suddenly breaking the silence in the room.
Naruto looked up to Sasuke for a moment before looking back to his scroll. ''I am,'' he said continuing to read the scroll.
''You are going out like that?''
''Is there a problem?''
''No...no problem...I am just surprised that you would go out wearing something like that. You have to wear something nice when going out on a date,'' the young Uchiha stated.
Naruto merely shrugged. He was not going to change his clothing for a date - if he did that, then he could as well join Jiraiya and Tsunade on one of their drinking nights. ''Did Tsunade give you the documents you needed?''
''Yes, she did,'' Sasuke replied with a small smile. ''She said she will give me files of registered shinobi in the next three days, so that I can choose who I want for the Military Police Force.''
Naruto nodded silently, ''Did you start making plans for the Police Force HQ?''
''No,'' Sasuke answered with a small smile, ''You can't expect me to do everything in a single day.''
''Hmm?'' He could complete all the required work in a single day if he had all the pieces and the time to do it. ''Did you not have the time?''
''I had it but I just decided to take a break and look into other things,'' Sasuke replied with a shrug.
Before Naruto could say anything, there was a knock at the door. Sasuke was first to speak, ''ah, it looks like your date has arrived,'' he smirked. ''Now don't stay late and don't do anything I would not do.''
He frowned when Naruto did not react to his words. He hit himself, he was acting way too familiar around the blond. He and Naruto were like partners. He should remind himself often that Naruto did not joke - it was why he did not even bother to comment on his joke. Not even a smile flicked through his impassive expression, not even a twitch of his eyebrows.
Naruto simply did a small Katon Jutsu and burned the scroll he was reading - it was not useful to him.
He stood up and walked away from Sasuke without any other word. He opened the door and raised a brow at the sight before him. Yugao wore a blue jean shaping her body from waist to right above her ankles. She also wore a dark purple T-shirt that gave a nice view of her sizeable bust.
Yugao actually thought Naruto would complement her, judging by the way he was looking at her. But he did not.
''Shall we?'' was all that came from his mouth.
She felt dejected. She might not have expected him to do anything different from what he normally did. But come on! A complement would be nice every now and then! He was a guy for god sake! Did not he think like any other guy?
She sighed and turned away from the door. ''Let's walk,'' she said.
Naruto obliged and walked calmly by her side. It would really be a long walk since the Uchiha compound was secluded from Konoha. They were secluded away from the rest of the villagers. He did not mind though. It would prove to be a pleasant experience. He did not dislike Yugao's presence.
''You know for once you could complement someone on their looks. I mean it is what normal people do,'' Yugao stated as the two made their way out of the compound.
''You expect me to say such things?''
''Well yes.''
''For what purpose?'' Naruto questioned looking at the road ahead of them. Their pace was relatively slow. They did not seem to be in a hurry or anything.
''It is just pleasant to hear when you someone tells you that you look wonderful,'' Yugao said. It just was. Everybody liked being complemented - every woman that is. She was sure that if a very wonderfully looking man complemented Tsunade on her look, the blonde Hokage would surely blush.
''Then if I simply tell you that your clothing does not suite you, what will you feel?''
''No so good, I guess,'' Yugao answered calmly. ''It depends on who is saying it. If someone like you said I looked good, I would be ecstatic about it. If you said I did not, I will be sad because I know you are being honest,'' certainly Naruto was not going to give anyone a fake complement. He was very honest in a harsh way. But she was kind of used to that. She understood that it was who he was. And she sort of liked him for it.
''But I don't think that any women would be happy if Jiraiya told her that she was beautiful.''
The Sannin would definitely cry if he had heard Yugao's words. The reason was obvious. And it was obvious why no women in her right mind would blush from Jiraiya's complement. The man was a pervert - something he did not deny and was proud of - and everyone knew that.
''Don expect me or other people to say something like that,'' Naruto said calmly. ''Know who you are and what you are. Take a complement as a complement. Don't let it influence how you think and feel about yourself.''
Yugao stopped and looked at Naruto for a moment before walking forward to catch up to him. ''I did not think you could say something like that.''
Naruto smiled slightly. Mei had said the same thing when he had complemented her on her strength. He took no offence on it though. He was who he was.
''You are acting normal now,'' Naruto said suddenly.
''Huh?''
''You seem confident and don't look uncomfortable close to me despite what the night has brought.''
Yugao smiled, ''I was comfortable with being close to you at first and then it happened. Maybe I just did not know what to think of you - that must have made me nervous.''
''Now you know what to think of me?''
''Yes,'' the purple haired ANBU said nervously. If she was hoping that Naruto would ask what she thought of him, she did not get that. Naruto did not say another. He did not seem to ponder her words.
From there, they continued to walk in comfortable silence. Yugao preferred it that way. She liked the silence, especially if it was with Naruto. She was comfortable and worry free. Perhaps it was because she felt safe around him and enjoyed his presence. She was not worried about whether Naruto was plotting on how to get under her pants at the end of the night. She did not think that he had any thoughts with himself and a woman. He would not even plot for something like that.
If he wanted some, he would say it that way. She liked him for that.
Yugao led the way as they made it to the restaurant she had made reservations. Odd, that she was the one who did that. Naruto did not mind though, neither did she.
Makai Four Stars Restaurant
Four Stars? She must have gone her way for the night to go well. Naruto thought. He would not have minded where he ate though. Even if it was under a tree or at the Ramen bar, he would not have minded.
''Name please,'' a smartly dressed man standing at the door of the restaurant said politely at the two.
''Uzuki Yugao, table for two,'' Yugao stated looking at the man. He had a nametag of Hachi and looked to be in his early twenties.
Hachi looked at his clipboard looking for Yugao's name. He smiled upon finding it, ''Follow me, madam, sir,'' he said.
Yugao and Naruto followed the young man into the restaurant. It was rather big in the inside and fashionably decorated. Naruto did not bother with such things though. Makai had three floors - they went to the third floor.
The third floor was dimly lit and had a theme of red in its color. They were about three to four tables that were occupied. Everybody seemed to mind their own business though. Nobody was giving them looks unlike in the first floor.
Perhaps people in the third floor were a lot more dignified.
The restaurant was not that of a shinobi - that much was obvious. Naruto wondered though, most civilian owned restaurants did not permit shinobi into their business mostly because of their destructive ways. With shinobi, there was bound to be a few broken tables and chairs. The expenses to fixing those was not what an owner was looking for if such things could be avoided.
Perhaps Yugao had pulled some strings.
They sat down at their table and it was not long before their food was served.
''You know most men would be thrilled with being on a date.'' 'Especially if they were going out on a date with a beautiful woman,' Yugao thought.
Naruto looked at Yugao for a moment. She never addressed him as a teenager. She always referred him as a man. Perhaps it was because she did not see a teen in him, but a man.
''I am not most men,'' Naruto replied. ''How are things with you at ANBU?''
''Well, I am thinking of retiring though.''
''Tired of the job already?''
''No, I just want to have more time to myself and do other things for myself. Being ANBU I never get to do anything personally,'' Yugao explained with a small smile. Perhaps if she retired, she would spend some time with Naruto.
Naruto nodded. ''So who is that girl living in your house?'' Yugao asked quietly and politely as she could. She was honestly curious how the girl was related to Naruto.
''Karin,'' Naruto gave a short reply. Yugao waited for him to give her more. ''She is family.''
Naruto saw Yugao smile at that. She also seemed to lighten up a bit despite her reply to his words, ''oh''
''Does it make you happy that Karin is family to me?'' the blond Uchiha questioned with a slightly raised brow.
''W-well yes,'' she was not going to deny it. Besides, it was no point in saying no. Naruto could see through her lie. His eyes were watching her carefully.
''You thought she was more to me than just family...and that made you sad. Interesting.''
Yugao swallowed nervously and decided to change the topic, ''I heard you had fun at the Council meeting today.''
''You heard...''
''Yeh, the ANBU who were guarding the meeting were talking about it at HQ. They said it was quite a show,'' she said smiling. She really wished she had been assigned to stand watch while the meeting took place.
''Hmmm...'' Naruto smiled slightly, ''it was amusing.''
Yugao let loose of a soft giggle, ''so you do admit that you were messing with the elders for your amusement.''
''Perhaps''
''Will you take me with you next time? I want to see the elders dance to your music,'' she said it like she was begging.
''I might,'' Naruto replied his impassive expression returning.
The rest of the night went smoothly. Yugao enjoyed herself. She might not have been able to make Naruto laugh, but she did manage to get him to smile a few times. It was not the ''ideal'' date that women always liked, but she had no complains over hers with Naruto.
They spent about three hours at the restaurant talking. Yugao got a better understanding of how Naruto viewed life. She had to say, it was unique. She was also surprised by the fact that his views did not puzzle her - she felt like she expected him to be that way.
Naruto had decided to call it a night. Those were not his words exactly. ''This was a pleasant experience. I find it intriguing that I would find such a thing pleasant. But...'' Yugao had stopped listening at that moment because she knew that whatever was going to come from his mouth, she was not going to like. She got the feeling from the blank expression he had.
Yugao led Naruto towards her house. She knew that if she did not, he would have walked away towards the Uchiha compound without so much as a good night.
''This is my place,'' Yugao said standing at her door. All of the sudden she became nervous for some reason.
''Come here,'' Naruto said.
Slowly, Yugao stepped away from her door and stepped towards Naruto who was standing calmly in the passage. ''Closer,'' he said. ''Closer,'' he said again, until her body was pressed against his.
''You are not annoying and your presence is tolerable unlike any other women I have come across,'' Naruto said looking straight at Yugao's eyes.
''You did not seem to find Mei's presence annoying,'' that came out of nowhere. Yugao had not thought of it - it just came out.
Fortunately, for her, Naruto merely smiled. ''You are different,'' he said placing his hand under her chin. ''Perhaps it is because of you are ANBU.''
He did not say anything again. He moved his hand from under her chin and placed it on her chest before pushing her away.
Then, he was gone. He did not give her a last smile, not even a good night kiss, he did not utter the words good night. After a date a guy should have done at least one of those. Naruto did none, and yet she smiled. Things had gone better than she had expected and she liked Naruto just the way he was.
That did not mean she would be sad if he started laughing.
The following day
The house of the Yondaime Hokage: The house was modest in terms if size and looks on the outside. But in the inside it was quite nice. But not enough for Naruto to leave the Uchiha compound and come to stay at the house. It was safe and secure. Although he would never tell Minato, the seals used on the house to protect it were very much complex and nothing short of the work of a genius.
He could find more use for the house though. First, he had to look into it and try to find useful things that would be beneficial to him. He might not like Minato but he would not forbid himself from using his things if he found them useful.
Karin was right beside him as they undid the security seals, he just need to draw out his blood to deactivate the barrier that would not allow anyone to enter. She was quiet, not saying much as they entered the house.
She only commented when she saw the mess the house was. It was not that things were out of order in the house. No, everything was in place. It was just that there was a thick dust covering all the furniture within the house and spider webs everywhere.
''Wow, nobody has been home for a long time,'' Karin exclaimed looking around the house.
''It had has been almost 17 years now since the house was last used. I doubt that Jiraiya has stepped inside since Minato died. And the Sandaime might have had better things to do,'' Naruto said with a shrug.
''Could not they even think of taking care of the house of their Greatest Hero?'' Karin questioned. She thought that Konoha would undoubtedly take care of the house of their former Hokage despite the man being dead.
''He was great when he was alive. It is no use to take care of his things while he is dead. Someone should just find use for them...in this case I will find use for his things,'' Naruto replied walking around the house with Karin closely behind him. He was looking for the library in the house. He was positive that it was build inside the house.
''Father Issues,'' Karin mumbled to herself. Lucky for her, Naruto did not hear her.
She suddenly squeaked as spider jumped on her. Naruto turned around and looked at her with an blank stare. ''You are afraid of spiders,'' he said stating the fact.
''They are creepy and give me nightmares,'' Karin said with a shiver down her spine. She managed to get the spider off her body on her own after seeing Naruto turn around again. He was not going to help her deal with the spider.
''You have lived with Orochimaru in his hideouts conducting all kind of weird experiments and yet you are afraid of spiders. He was a snake, literally. That should have been much more creepy than a harmless spider.''
Orochimaru did all kind of weird things - Things that other people would call inhuman. As his other scientist, she had to have witnessed some of the things the snake made. There was also the fact that Orochimaru hideouts were also creepy themselves because of their dark theme. Spiders had to be always present. Even snakes had to be crawling around.
Karin decided not to say anything on the matter. Spiders scared her; that was final. There was nothing more to add to that. Why and how, she did not care. The fact of the matter was that they freaked her out. She did not like them.
''What are you looking for?''
''The library...found it,'' Naruto said and opened a door he had walked to. He opened it and raised an eyebrow at the condition of the place. Unlike the other rooms, there was not a single spider web in the room. Perhaps a bit of dust, but that was just that. The room was in a lot better condition that the rooms he had seen.
''Wow, these are a lot of scrolls. I wonder if the owner read them all,'' Karin stated looking at the shelves holding many scrolls and books.
Naruto nodded, ''I highly doubt that all the scrolls were read,'' he said and walked towards the shelves. He browsed for a few minutes before he picked up a book. He threw the book at Karin.
''Fuinjutsu for beginners,'' Karin read from the cover page of the book.
''Go to the kitchen, clean it - there should be water available - after that, read the book.''
Karin nodded with a sigh. She walked away, carefully as she did, not to attract any spiders.
Naruto looked back at the shelves. He had much work to do with the scrolls. He was also looking for specific scrolls, nothing more. He walked towards the desk in the library and opened the drawers. There were a few notes but nothing interesting him. He found a three-pronged Kunai marked with the Hiraishin seal - it was custom made.
He flicked the Kunai with his right hand and held it firmly by its handle before studying it further. It was a kunai used for the Flying Thunder God Technique. This very much picked his interest. The jutsu would be very much useful. He always had places to visit. Without a defined and effective teleportation jutsu, he could not effectively go everywhere he wanted without having to travel long distances.
He could not use Zetsu's unique ability to travel through solid ground. Zetsu was much more effective in getting to places faster than he could; it was why he usually sent him to do things that required covering long distances.
Even Obito could teleport anywhere he wanted. All that was left was for him to learn space/time ninjutsu. Then things would much more easier for him to deal with. It was indigenous for Minato to create such a jutsu, even he would not have created something like that.
Naruto went back to the shelves selecting a few scrolls he wanted. It took him a few hours to get everything he wanted. He never realized how much time he had spent in the library searching for the things he wanted. He was doing so in a slow pace so not to miss anything. He would hate it if he missed something. Well, it would take some miracle for him to miss something though. His eyes were attentive even to the little details. It was hard for them to miss anything.
After nearly four hours, Naruto found some useful notes; the formula and notes to the Hiraishin, and some notes about the Rasengan.
It was really interesting when he read that Minato had created the jutsu after observing Bijuu's do their Bijuudama. It was surprising even so that it had taken him years to complete the Rasengan. He had never bothered to learn the jutsu because he was not interesting in learning it.
But the second part of the jutsu was attracting, very attracting. The Rasengan was an incomplete jutsu. Naruto felt a bit excited about what he would be able to create if he added a chakra nature to the Rasengan. A normal Rasengan was made of pure chakra. Minato wanted to add an affinity but he never got the chance to do it.
A small smile crept into Naruto's face as he thought about the possibilities.
He walked out of the house and stood outside. He used the back door to do so. ''Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu,'' about 200 clones puffed into existence.
He divided them into 2 groups. Each group would work on its own task. He already could manipulate each of his chakra affinity to a higher level than most, especially with the Fire element.
Group 1 had the task with 50 members would work on understanding the mechanism of the Hiraishin. He would make them each day. He expected them to have an understanding of the jutsu within a week. Each clone would be having a copy of the scroll.
Group 2 of 150 was to work on learning the Rasengan. He was expecting them to have already mastered the 1st and second stage of the jutsu before the end of the day. Then they could take about two or three days to complete the jutsu. After that, he would begin to do what he wanted; adding an element to the Rasengan.
''Go train at the Uchiha compound,'' Naruto said and his clones disappeared. The compound had a lot more space to train than this house.
''Naruto?'' he heard Karin's voice speak from behind him.
''Hmm?'' Naruto turned around to look at her.
''I was wondering what you were doing outside after sensing you move out of the house,'' she said.
''Have you finished studying that book?'' Naruto questioned.
''No,'' she said shaking her head. ''I have read most of the pages, but it will take me a few days to understand everything and be able to practice what I have read.''
Naruto nodded. He did not expect anything much more from her. ''Then come at me,''
''Huh?'' she did not understand that at all.
''Attack me,'' he said more clearly.
''Why?''
''I want to see which style will suite you,'' Naruto said. ''And I want to see how you fight.''
''Oh,'' Karin said. ''So you did not forget about training me,'' she was kind of hoping that he would have forgotten about the training thing.
''No,'' Naruto replied looking at the red haired calmly. ''Now attack me.''
Karin did ran towards Naruto in her best speed. Naruto almost thought of deactivating his Sharingan because he thought she was coming towards him in slow motion. When she came to him, she was trying to hit him like a girl, not a shinobi. It was pathetic. And he let her know that.
''Forgive me if unlike you I never had any training before. And you have your Sharingan activated. How am I suppose to hit you?'' was her reply when he told her that she fighting capabilities were pathetic.
''It would not have changed anything if my Sharingan was deactivated,'' Naruto said. ''But don't worry; I will shape you into a better fighter.''
''That is what I am afraid of,'' Karin mumbled under her breath.
''Come on,'' Naruto said. ''We will leave your training for some other time. First, you need to understand the basics of fuinjutsu.''
Karin followed Naruto into the house, ''what's next?''
''I activate the security barriers and go back to the Uchiha compound,'' Naruto replied.
''So I am free to do anything I want from now on?'' there was some hope in her voice as she asked.
''Yes.''
Karin smiled brightly. ''Finally, I can visit the hot springs and have some me time,'' she said happily.
''I do expect you to have grasped the basics sooner rather than later,'' Naruto reminded the Uzumaki girl of what he expected from her.
''Yeh sure,'' that was a mood killer. ''Hey Naruto...''
Naruto waited for Karin to say what she wanted. ''Can I have more money?''
''I just gave you money two days ago,'' he had given her a sizeable sum of money. She could not have spent it all now she? Money did not just fall from the sky. He had no love for it, but knew it was useful.
''Uh...well I spent it all,'' she had bought clothes, lots of clothes. She had also gone out to pay new furniture to bring in a more womanly touch to the apartment Naruto had given her - that had come at a cost.
Naruto was not going to ask what she had spent the money on. She had not interest in knowing that. ''Come with me to the Uchiha compound.''
''I have never been there before,'' Karin said. The day she came into the village, Naruto had taken her straight to his house. He had brought Sasuke to the apartment that day. She had never seen the raven haired Uchiha since then. Naruto did say she could trust him, but he seemed not to know everything about Naruto. She too, did not know much about him. Then yesterday, he only walked with her for a bit before leaving her. It was because he was looking for her that he walked with her. He had gone to the apartment and did not find her. He then found her walking within the streets of Konoha.
''I have never taken you there,'' Naruto reminded.
The two walked quietly towards the Uchiha compound. Naruto did not have a lot in his mind. He was simply pleased with the progression of things. He had not thought that he would get his hands of four potentially dangerous jutsu's on the day. He had expected to get his hands on the Hiraishin. But he got more than that.
There was also a few scrolls that would help him further his skills in fuinjutsu. Those scrolls, he would study them himself without depending on the clones to do that work for him. He knew that the clones would not hand him back anything less than perfection, but at times, he preferred doing things on his own.
A few days later, Iwagakure
''Tsuchikage-sama!'' a chunin yelled bursting into Ohnoki's office.
''What is it?'' Ohnoki asked with a hardened look on his face. He may have been old, but he was still strong and he did not permit his subordinates to enter his office in such a way.
''Yakushi Kabuto has disappeared,'' the chunin reported fearfully. He was afraid of what Ohnoki might do because he was one of the guards assigned to watch Kabuto while he was still unconscious.
''What?!'' Ohnoki yelled standing up from his large seat. He could not believe what he had been told. Kabuto was his key to unlocking certain things that he wanted.
''Kabuto disappeared, Sandaime-sama,'' the chunin repeated again to his leader.
Ohnoki raged silently inside his head. This was unacceptable. He could not have it. ''How did he escape? Wasn't he being watched?''
''We were watching him, but something like a vortex suddenly appeared and sucked him in before we could do anything,'' really there was nothing they could do. The vortex just appeared out of nowhere and sucked their prisoner. They could not stop it from happening.
Ohnoki gave the chunin a blank stare, ''say what?''
''A vortex appeared in the room and sucked Kabuto. We could not do anything to stop it. We don't know where it came from, but we did manage to see a red eye like that of a Sharingan before the vortex disappeared,'' the chunin explained.
''Sharingan? Are you positive about that?'' Ohnoki asked wanting to be sure about it before making any drastic decision.
''Yes...there is no mistake about it - it was a Sharingan,'' everybody had seen it. A lone eye appeared in the middle of the vortex as it disappeared.
''Was there any trace of Kabuto left behind, chakra or scent?''
''No,'' the chunin answered shaking his head. ''There was nothing left of him. We searched around the holding facilities before I came here. We did not find him anywhere.''
''You searched for him before you reported that he was missing?''
The chunin nodded not trusting his voice to reply. ''Go away, I will deal with you later for this failure.'' The chunin got away hurriedly from the office leaving Ohnoki to his thoughts.
There were only three Uchihas left running loose in the Elemental Nations. Two were at Konoha, the other was running loose playing international criminal for wiping out his entire clan. Ohnoki refused to believe that there was another Uchiha. Another Sharingan user other than the three Uchihas left, yes. There was Hatake Kakashi.
But he ruled out Kakashi for being responsible for making such a move. It did not fit the man's character to do something as this. He also ruled out Sasuke, the person had to be connected to be able to know that they had Kabuto. He had kept the knowledge a secret and only a few ANBU and the chunin guarding him knew of his presence. He trusted the men guarding Kabuto enough to know that they would not have betrayed him.
Ruling out Sasuke and Kakashi left Itachi and Naruto. He would not have put it past Itachi to do something like that. He could have been sent by the Akatsuki to abduct Kabuto for their use. Certainly, Itachi was a capable man. His mastery of the Sharingan was legendary, he could not deny.
But there was also Naruto. The blond could have done it to finish off Kabuto after knowing that he had survived his attack. The blond seemed connected enough to know certain things. He had been able to locate Orochimaru's hideout in the Earth country while he who has been alive for years was not able to do it.
Naruto seemed the most likely to have been the one to do it. He had been responsible for what happened to Orochimaru's hideout. There was also news spreading out that Orochimaru was dead. Putting two and two together, Ohnoki could say that Naruto was the one responsible for the Snake Sannin's death. That was likely the case, he had no doubt about that.
What could Naruto want though? He did not believe that the hideout could be have cleaned of its possessions by someone else. It had to be Naruto. That left a questions; did Orochimaru know something about Naruto? Did the snake have something that Naruto wanted? What is it that he wanted?
Kabuto was his key to getting some much needed Intel. He had no doubt that Kabuto knew of certain secrets from Konoha. He wanted to know them and use them. He wanted the snake Sannin no 2 to tell him everything he knew about Naruto. But that was not going to happen now.
Kabuto was gone and he could not get him back.
He had to find new means to get information he wanted. But he was not back to square one because of Kabuto's disappearance. He had something valuable. He now knew that someone with a Sharingan entered his village and abducted Kabuto from his holding. It may not look like much but it was something.
''Yoh gramps,'' the annoying voice of his granddaughter snapped him out of his thoughts. Ohnoki looked at Kurotsuchi. ''You are shrinking old man. What have I told you about thinking too hard? This job is not good for you. You should quit and just let me take over from you.''
''You are still a child,'' Ohnoki retorted. Why did he have to deal with this?
''When am I going to stop being a child to you?'' really to the old man she was always a child. He did not see a strong woman in her. He only saw a child that still needed to be guided.
Ohnoki did not answer the question. He got to more pressing matters. ''What do you have for me?''
Kurotsuchi sighed, ''…the report you wanted about Oto,'' she said.
''What did you find?''
''It is being rebuilt into a proper village.''
This intrigued the Sandaime Tsuchikage very much, ''by who?''
''A woman named Guren. She was one of Orochimaru's most trusted. She was only second to Kabuto.''
This was certainly interesting. The village was being rebuilt? Why would the woman rebuild the village instead of trying to find the killer of her master? As far as he knew, Orochimaru's subordinates were loyal to a fault. They would not lie down if someone killed their master. They would die trying to avenge their master.
Was it just a coincident that after Naruto killed Orochimaru, Oto starts to be rebuilt? He refused to believe so. There was no such thing as a coincident.
''I have a mission for you,'' Ohnoki said to his granddaughter.
''Let it be something worth my efforts.''
''Go to Oto and find out what is going on there. Your cover mission is to see if you can negotiate something with the village as Iwa is interested in helping rebuild the village.''
Kurotsuchi nodded.
Ohnoki smiled to himself. Soon he would have all the pieces he needed. First, his Jinchuriki had to return to the village.
Konoha
''You have been rather busy over the past days,'' Sasuke stated looking straight at Naruto.
They were at the Uchiha training ground. Naruto was sitting quietly under a tree with a few scrolls, ink and a brush. He had been doing like this over the past days. While he studied fuinjutsu, his clones were busy with their work.
''If you want something done, you have to do it yourself,'' Naruto responded not even taking his eyes off his scrolls.
''Don't you get enough of training?'' Sasuke questioned. Naruto's clones trained 6 to 6. The only time you did not find them was when they had dispelled after running out of chakra. But Naruto would make more clones after some time. And then the clones would get back to work.
It was unlike anything he did. Sure, he had some sparring sessions with Kakashi every now and then, but he did not dedicate the whole day into training and nothing else. Naruto even refused to be disturbed while he was busy studying seals.
An ANBU once came to the training ground to inform him that Tsunade wanted to speak him. ''Tell her I am busy,'' was what Naruto had informed the ANBU. He had not even thought of it before he responded.
The ANBU came back again and told Naruto that Tsunade did not care if he was busy or not. He had almost burst out laughing when Naruto simply said...nothing. He just gave the ANBU a blank expression and went back to his work. The ANBU left to report to the Hokage.
He came back again after a few minutes and said that Tsunade said there would be severe consequences if he did not report to her. The third time Naruto had already lost his patience with the ANBU. He explained that he could not get the perfect results with the ANBU annoying him.
When the ANBU insisted that they go, Naruto became cold. It was scary at how cold he became. Even he who was watching from a distance away felt the coldness touch him. When Naruto's eyes were cold, you really did not want to look at them. They were capable of freezing anyone.
Sasuke noticed the annoyed look on Naruto's face. He was far from pleased at being disturbed from his work. Just his eyes were scary, but when he spoke, Sasuke had felt like the death god himself was speaking. The ANBU did not fare any better. He had trembled when Naruto stood and took a few deathly steps towards him.
Luckily, for the ANBU, Naruto disappeared in a swirl of scotching black flames. He had not seen the Shunshine before. He guessed it was used when he was in a foul mood. Whatever it was that Tsunade wanted from Naruto, was quickly dealt with because it took less than two minutes for Naruto to return.
''What did she want?'' he had asked the blond after seeing that he was in a better mood.
''She wanted to inform me that she had given the title of Sannin since I was strong enough to be one,'' was the reply she got from Naruto. He got the idea that Naruto was not pleased to be summoned just so she could inform him that, especially when he was busy. He also thought he had told Tsunade just that.
Seeing that Naruto was not going to say anything, Sasuke sighed. ''I got the files for the shinobi I wanted and I have already picked the Shinobi I want,'' he said. Still Naruto did not take his eyes off his scrolls. ''I was wondering if you could help me with the training program.''
Naruto stopped writing complex things on the scroll and looked at him. ''How many?''
''45,'' Sasuke replied.
''That is a lot more than I had anticipated,'' Naruto said. ''It does not matter anyway. Go to Karin, tell her you want the scrolls I left her with yesterday. In the scrolls, you will find different training programs,'' he stated and then went back to his scrolls.
Sasuke nodded and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto did not react to that; he simply focused on deciphering the Hiraishin formula. He had taken the task away from the clones and decided to do it himself. Adding an affinity to the Rasengan was proving to much of a task than he had thought. He liked challenges though. He allowed his clones to do as much as training as they could.
He did not like any interruptions while trying to achieve perfect results. Anything less than perfect from his current activities would be unsatisfactory. He would not stop working his clones until he could say, ''perfect'' at their achievements.
He already understood a few things about the Hiraishin. He just needed to break down its formula and analyze each piece of the puzzle until he could have a depth view of the workings of the jutsu. Understanding its workings did not do it. He had to be able to recreate it and be able to apply it on solid objects using his chakra.
Later that Day
Naruto was again at the Hokage Monument. He had completed the training for the day. If he liked, he would have continued his work in the Hiraishin, but he did understand that his mind needed to rest after working so much of complex things all day. Everything needed to be rested after a day of heavy work. If not rested, they would function sluggishly and in the end, nothing satisfactory will be achieved.
He had not only seen Yugao once after their date. Not that he was wishing of seeing her more. He liked how things were progressing. The last time he saw her, she had come to him to inform him that she would be going out on a solo mission outside the village. He had simply nodded and said nothing further to her.
''Something you won't like happened,'' Zetsu stated as he appeared. It did not look that way by the expression on his face. He was relatively calm.
''What?'' Naruto asked quietly.
''Danzou has moved against Yugao and Karin,'' Zetsu reported. Now he was spotting something in the form of excitement in his eyes.
''Danzou did that?''
''Yes, he kidnapped them both. It turned out that the mission Yugao was sent to was nothing but a fuss created by Danzou so he could get her without much people knowing.''
Naruto was quite for a moment, ''I did not think he would do something this stupid,'' he said standing up.
''You may want to hurry, he plans to use Shisui's eye on them since they seem to be close to you.''
''So he wants them to be his loyal puppets so they could spy on me,'' Naruto said looking all but calm.
Zetsu knew better. Naruto was not pleased by Danzou's move. When he was annoyed, you could see it. But when infuriated, he was calm as any day. And when infuriated things tended to be exciting for him. It was why he was feeling excited right now. Abducting Karin and Yugao was crossing a line that no man in his right mind should cross. Naruto did not react well when that line is crossed. Things did not end well to those who went over the border.
Danzou had done just that - crossed a line that should never be crossed. You don't to what Danzou did to the handful people Naruto cared for and remain the same.
''I assume you did nothing against the captors because you wanted to see what I would do,'' Naruto stated looking at Zetsu. The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan was already activated. Zetsu almost grinned when he saw them.
He did not deny that it was what he wanted.
''Let's go,'' Naruto said. ''You will retrieve them while I punish Danzou.''
''Aren't you going to take your armour?'' Danzou would not lie down and say, 'I was a bad old man, punish me Naruto-sama'. The old war hawk was surely going to have his Root in all corners.
''If I wear my armour, I will become excited about punishing that fool. You know what happens when I am excited.''
''You release too much power. And in this case, if you did, you might end up destroying Root bases and alert people,'' Zetsu stated. ''Considering your condition something like that would not be good for your health.''
''Yes...but because I am not wearing my armour does not mean that I will not punish that fool severely.''
Zetsu nodded, ''I will see you there,'' he sunk into the ground. He would have to take Naruto's form because Yugao did not know him and he was sure Naruto wanted to keep it that way. He also was going to hurry so he could see what Naruto was going to do to Danzou.
Root base
A trail of corpses followed Naruto's path as he marched towards Danzou's location. The corpses were either being burned my black flames or they had wooded stakes piercing through the chest where the heart was located.
He had killed anyone he came across when entering the Root Base. He was also in no mood to play around. He was simply killing without any other questions being asked or word said to anyone. It was so much different when he entered Orochimaru's hideout in Kusagakure. He did not kill anyone there, but here he was killing each one of them Root he came across.
He showed no mercy as he did.
Another appeared in front of him and charged towards him blindly. ''Amaterasu,'' and then he was set ablaze. The unholy screams of pain followed suit. They seemed to be the music that had been playing into Naruto's ears since he entered the base.
''Wait!'' a Root stated to his comrades. There were four of them. ''We have to be careful. Danzou-sama said to be careful and that he wanted him alive.''
''How do we do that? Can't you see what he has been doing?'' despite the voice being monotone, it was obvious that the person was not very confident. Which itself was odd because Ne were trained not to show any emotions.
Naruto's left eye was bleeding rather heavily due to his overuse of Amaterasu in quick successions. He had not even bothered to wipe out the blood, which made a very disturbing view because his body was also pulsing with a chakra. The scene behind him was also not so pleasant. There were bodies everywhere and Naruto just walked past them without even sparing them a glance. He did not find it disturbing though.
He had this look on his face that said nothing about being pleased. The blood dripping from his face and the cold look on his eyes along with the bloody scene behind made something that you only saw in a serial killer movie.
Before the Root agents could make out their strategies Naruto stopped walking. He had been walking at a very slow pace. He looked at the blank masked man for a moment before he disappeared.
''Shit, let's retreat back to-'' he never got to finish as Naruto appeared before him. He held out his right hand, which transformed into multiple wooded stakes. The man tried running away, but the stakes shot at him from behind and pierced him allowing his blood to paint the walls.
Naruto retrieved his hand and move closer to the others who were now slowly backing away from him. He disappeared suddenly and appeared in the middle of the Root agents. His body produced sharp wooden spikes that sprout out from every part of his body. The spikes pierced through the men's bodies.
The blood continued to paint the walls and corpse continued to decorate the dimly lit passages as Naruto stepped closer to Danzou.
More nuisances appeared behind him. He allowed them to get close to him. They did not appear to be in need of using jutsu's. Perhaps it was because Danzou wanted him alive. Weapons were better at incapacitating him.
How foolish
As soon as they got close to him, his body again produced wooded spikes. But this time they seemed to have life in them. They did not just pierce the Root ANBU's, they tied themselves on their necks and moved them in front of Naruto. He looked at them for a moment.
How pitiful - to foolishly obey all orders even if it was suicide.
Before he could do anything to them, they all exploded. The explosion was contained, but dangerous nonetheless. He was close to it, and he was sent flying backwards where he had left a few corpses. He stood up surrounded by an orange rib cage that shielded him from the explosion. The rib cage disappeared. His front was spotting several slight burns.
He did not mind them. He continued to move on forward.
There was one thing on his mind; punish Danzou.
After walking for a few minutes, he finally reached the old war hawk. He did not encounter any other Root ANBU while on his way. He assumed they had gone back to their master. He did not think of it as troubling though. Whether they were there nor not, he would punish Danzou.
As soon as he stepped into the large hall that had Danzou's throne, he sensed them - there were about 150 of them in the hall. He walked calmly not minding them. And then they appeared before him surrounding him. He looked past them and looked at Danzou. He looked the Danzou's children for a moment.
''You are in the way,'' he said calmly.
The Root ANBU did not respond, but Danzou did, ''how brave of you to come down here knowing that I have those women in my possession,'' the old war hawk said calmly. ''You have impressed me, but you will not go any further than this. If you do so, I will kill those women.''
Naruto was not worried about their safety. Zetsu never disappointed him, he never did. The time it took him to reach here, Zetsu must have already reached cell Yugao and Karin were being held.
''Don't move,'' Naruto said his bleeding left eye targeting the space around Danzou. ''Amaterasu,'' he said. A ring of black flames was formed around, Danzou's throne. The flames surrounded the throne burning slightly on the ground. Naruto held a single hand seal and the flames burst upwards creating a dome around Danzou - a dome of black flames.
Danzou was trapped in a prison formed by the impenetrate back flames. The flames had formed bars that formed the dome leaving a viewing space. The old war hawk was calm as ever. ''Shadow,'' he called.
''Hai, Danzou-sama,'' the Root ANBU responded to his masters call.
''Go get them!'' Danzou stated.
''Don't bother,'' another 'Naruto' said coming from another entrance into the hall. ''I have already secured them.''
Danzou cursed, but he was not just going to believe it. A Root ANBU appeared beside Danzou's prison, ''Sir, they are not in their holding cell,'' the man reported.
Before Danzou could master any reply, Naruto spoke, ''Danzou, do not even attempt to unseal your right hand,'' he said knowing that as of now it was his only option. ''If you try to do so, that barrier will collapse on you,'' he did not have to tell Danzou what would happen if a barrier made of Amaterasu collapsed on him.
Danzou cursed but stayed calm.
''Should we try to free you out Danzou-sama? Or should we take care of him?''
''Take care of him, there is nothing you can do against this kind of barrier. I no longer care if he is alive or dead, but make sure the Sharingan is not damaged.''
''Hai Danzou-sama!''
Naruto knew he was going to have to use more of his chakra than he had already. Root were a bit more skilled than the regular ANBU. They were also fearless. He took out a small bottle from the pocket of his pants and drank half of what was inside of it. After that, he pocketed the small bottle.
He needed to strength himself. He was not going to use the full capabilities of his Susano'o or chakra. It would be dangerous to his health if he did that. He had to use much of his Mokuton.
'Naruto' grinned in a very sick way as he watched Naruto prepare himself. 'This is going to be fun,' he thought.
And indeed it was pleasant to watch.
It had taken much more time than he had thought it would, but he had no complaints. How could he complain if he was given a front row seat to watch Naruto massacre Root ANBU? His opponents this time were much more disciplined and coordinated. And Naruto was not using any high power jutsu, except for Amaterasu. But it did not matter how disciplined and coordinated their attacks were. When Naruto was in the mood to punish someone, he was a lot more focused and concentrated.
You could say it was when he fought at his best without enjoying the fight.
There was a lot of blood around the hall, given the way Naruto was fighting. He was not turning anything to ash in seconds. He was mercilessly killing, mostly with Mokuton. Susano'o was only used to defend against attacks he could not dodge.
When the bloody affair was completed, 'Naruto' smiled in satisfaction. It was worth it.
Naruto turned towards Danzou who was still sitting on his throne with a calm expression. There was nothing he could do. He was trapped inside a barrier made of black flames that could not be extinguished.
Naruto/Zetsu looked at the blond carefully. Despite his overuse of Amaterasu, his eye should not be bleeding the way it was. He would have been surprised if Naruto had not noticed it yet.
The barrier keeping Danzou in his place suddenly disappeared and 'Naruto' appeared behind him. He was soon lifted into the air by roots that strangled him.
Danzou looked forward at Naruto. The blond was taking giant steps towards him with a an orange rib cage surrounding him. It seemed darker than usual. Perhaps it was the wave of black flames that seemed to be following him slowly from behind that gave it a dark look. Or maybe it was the huge cold and lifeless Mangekyou eyes that seemed to be riding on top of the wave of black flames.
All in all, it gave a frightening view as Danzou looked at it. He was even more surprised when he felt his heart beat rate increased in speed. He did not remember the last time he felt fear.
''Shimura,'' Naruto said as he finally reached him. He was holding a sword with his right hand. He assumed it was taken from, one of his Root. The tone Naruto used was cutting deep into his very soul.
''I cannot believe that I find myself in this position forced by a mere boy,'' the old war hawk said trying to shake off the roots strangling him. However, he realized that when he struggled, they sucked his chakra. So he stopped trying to struggle; The roots were tight and felt strong, he could not escape them.
Danzou looked clearly into Naruto's eyes. There was a beast that caged within a cage - a beast that should not be let out to play no matter what.
''You thought you could take them and use Shisui's eye, right? You could have done that tonight and return them early morning before I could realize this. You were not going to hurt them, just manipulate them against their will,'' he was still calm as they came when he spoke.
Danzou kept a straight face after Naruto had spoken. He was not going to answer to a boy.
''What you have done warrants death, but for someone like you, death does not do it,'' Naruto said. ''What is it that you love the most Danzou, power, Konoha, yourself?''
Danzou remained quiet, ''Konoha and power it is,'' that was certain. There was nothing that Danzou loved more than Konoha and power. He loved the village in his own unique way. ''For your punishment Danzou, I will take away all your power, and leave you with nothing. And Konoha will never be yours.''
Ironic, he was going to be ''killed'' by a blade of one of his Root. Shinobi he had trained to be loyal to him to a fault.
''I will take your Sharingans,'' Naruto said, this time he got a response from Danzou.
''Do you think you can get away with this?'' the elder asked. He had already lost his Root, he was not going to lose his Sharingans. They were what made him who he was.
''Yes,'' Naruto answered.
''You cannot take away the Sharingan, I will not allow it!'' this time his voice was up. He was trying hard to get himself loose from his binds. But the roots held on strongly without wavering.
It was almost amusing to watch the calm and collected Danzou trying very hard to get away from his binds. Even so when his feet where dancing in the air as he tried with all his power to break free. 'Naruto' had robbed him of his chakra, thus making his efforts useless. He figured it would make things easy for Naruto. As much as he would have loved to see Danzou struggle to get loose while Naruto removed Uchiha property, Naruto was barely holding on.
''You have no say. You forfeited all rights to speak for yourself when you took Yugao and Karin,'' Naruto said as Danzou was lowered towards him. His face was brought first to him so he could remove the Sharingan on his right eye.
''I will not allow this!''
Naruto said nothing this time, he unwrapped the bandage on Danzou's forehead before driving his fingers into Danzou's eye socket and removed the Sharingan. He did it slowly, so that Danzou could feel everything. The old war hawk did not scream though. The process was surely painful, but he did not let loose of any signs of pain.
The roots binding Danzou, moved away from his right hand allowing Naruto to grab it. This time, Danzou stared at Naruto with his eye slightly wide. He had been robbed of his chakra to do anything. He felt weak to even attempt to struggle. There was also the fact that the roots were still binding him. Naruto channeled wind chakra into the blade and cut off Danzou's hand from the shoulder with one swift slash.
This time Danzou let loose of a pained scream. Naruto did not care though; he was not even bothered by it. He threw the hand with Hashirama cells and 10 Sharingans into the air before setting it ablaze with Amaterasu.
The roots binding the old war hawk freed him, but Naruto grabbed him by his neck, tightly, making it hard for him to breath. ''I know that if you died your body would have exploded because of that self destruct seal you placed on yourself so that no one could take that Sharingan. You did not believe that anyone would be capable of removing it while you were still alive because you had your Root,'' Naruto stated staring the elder. ''You faked being crippled, this time I will make sure that you will be crippled for real.''
The then slammed Danzou to the floor head first. He extended his right hand, and it transformed into a root. The root grabbed Danzou's left leg and tied itself around the leg; Then it bended it in no way that a human's leg should bend.
''Gah!'' Danzou screamed as he felt his leg break. Naruto proceeded to crush each bone in Danzou's leg making the elder scream even more.
Naruto grabbed Danzou by his neck again and kicked him hard on the gut, ''You won't die because of this, but I have left you with nothing. Hate yourself, because there is nothing you could do and can do. If no longer wish to live, kill yourself. And know that Konoha will belong to me, I will be Hokage one day and you will die being pathetic without achieving your one true dream,'' he whispered before throwing the cripple away from him.
''Take Shisui's eye to the hideout, it should prove useful in the future,'' Naruto said deactivating his EMS.
Since Danzou was out of commission, Zetsu changed into his real form, ''what about him? If you leave him like this he will die.''
''There is someone who will ensure that he does not die,'' he said.
''Oh,'' Zetsu smiled, ''you left one,'' but there was something else. ''He has seen me; don't you think he will tell Danzou about it?''
''No,'' Naruto replied. ''I have made sure that he ''loses'' all memory of the night in few minutes.''
Zetsu walked beside Naruto as the two headed out of the Root bases after a job well done. Zetsu disappeared once they made it out of the base. Naruto did the same via a swirl of black flames.
Uchiha compound
''Where did you take them?'' Naruto asked Zetsu after having placed the silencing seals.
''Karin's place,'' Zetsu replied looking at Naruto carefully.
''Good,'' Naruto said. ''I need something strong quick.''
''The medicine you are using now isn't doing it for you?''
''No, it's not strong enough. It weakens considerable when I activate Susano'o and I have a lot of pain on my left eye. Could have gorged it out.''
''That explains why it was bleeding a lot more than usual,'' Zetsu was indeed wondering it had been bleeding more blood than normal. The pain had to have been caused by the fact that he had overused it and his current condition did not favor him at all.
Naruto sighed and looked at himself; he needed a bath. ''Go to the hideout and bring me the Shinigami mask and everything else needed. I have to get Minato's soul from the death god's stomach tomorrow.''
With that being said, Naruto walked towards his bathroom to take a shower.
