Rebirth of the Uchiha Chapter 5

Naruto found himself flying across the training ground, with a torn piece of cloth in his hand. Scrambling into a crouching position, he saw Sasuke get pushed back from a hastily blocked strike. Their opponent ran through hand seals, ending with both hands splayed out in front. "Chirigakure no Jutsu!" he roared, a gust of wind covering the area in a cloud of dust. The boys stood back to back, eyes darting around wildly.

"Any ideas, teme?" Naruto hissed. He hated having to defer to anyone but he was willing to admit that Sasuke was slightly-slightly- better at planning and stuff. At least, that's what the Academy teachers thought. Sasuke gritted his teeth before whispering back. "I'll use Gokakyu no Jutsu to clear the dust, then we hang back and keep him distracted until the ANBU arrive. Ready?" Not waiting for an answer, he readied the technique until a hand grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the ground.

"Damnit, teme! I thought you were s'posed to be a genius! If you send a fireball into this dust shit, it's gonna explode, and then we're both screwed!" yelled the blond. A sharp jab to his gut cut off his rant as the dust settled back to the ground. The enemy, satisfied that one annoyance was dealt with, turned his attention back to Sasuke.

"You fucked it up kid. Now I need to teach you a lesson." He grinned madly, pulling out a tanto. He charged the boy, sword flashing wildly. Sasuke jumped backwards, barely keeping ahead of the blade. He was so focused on the sword that he found himself blindsided by a leg sweep. As he fell, a hand shot out to suspend him by his throat.

Naruto pushed himself to his knees. "Damnit, the bastard's in trouble. Gotta... get... back... UP!" he thought desperately, trying to block out the pain in his side. Moving his hand away, he was shocked to find it bloody. "Shit! Asshole must have got me with the edge of a kunai or something. Doesn't matter, I've gotta do something!" As the boy painfully pushed himself to his feet, a memory struck him.

(flashback time)

"Jiji, what does the Hokage actually do?" asked a four-year-old Naruto as he leant over a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. The old man looked down in surprise. "Why do you ask, Naruto?"

"Cause you're always real busy, and cause you're really strong and I wanna be strong too!" chirped the boy, with all the logic of a child. The old man smiled sadly, taking a few moments before responding.

"Being Hokage means that you are responsible for the village. You take on the duty to protect everyone and everything. To do so, you have to be as strong as you can." Naruto's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "So, I don't get it. That sounds really tough. Why do you do it?" The conversation stalled for a minute as Sarutobi formulated an answer.

"Because it's the best way to protect the things important to you. If I didn't do this, someone else would, and it could be someone who didn't care... Remember this, Naruto, a leader's role is to protect his followers." Naruto looked down, steam rising from a fresh bowl. The two continued their meal in silence.

"Hey, Jiji?" muttered Naruto. "Someday, I'm gonna be Hokage!" A raised eyebrow was the first response. "Oh, really?" "Yeah! I'm gonna protect the village, just like you!" The two shared grins as they finished eating.

(now time)

The kidnapper laughed as Sasuke struggled in his grasp. "Hah! I was right, this is fun! I'm definitely gonna have to come back to this village someday. Maybe I'll take another crack at that little bitch that got away." A spike of chakra caught both their attentions. The kidnapper turned, and Sasuke stared past him at a distinctly feral Naruto. His eyes had narrowed to slits, his nails and teeth had grown longer and sharper and his whisker marks had thickened and deepened. Wisps of red chakra swirled around him as he snarled.

"You won't hurt ANYONE ELSE!" he roared, bursting forwards with increased speed, tackling the man and catching him by the collar. Sasuke dropped to his feet, staring at the source of vile energy in front of him. "Oh Kami, what the hell has Uzumaki been hiding? This feeling... it's like that night all over again..."

The sickly, evil chakra spread over the village. Civilians felt ill and weak, shinobi panicked at the reminder of the Kyuubi attack and in the Hokage tower, an old man readied himself for battle or rescue. However, no inhabitant of Konoha was more affected by the yokai than an ANBU rushing towards the training ground. "Damnit, is the seal breaking? Just hang on, boys, I'm coming!"

SCENE BREAK

Neko glanced out the window of the hospital as a wave of killing intent washed over the village. "The Kyuubi? No, not as strong... what the hell is happening?" he wondered as a pale-faced medic-nin came up to him, removing his surgical mask. "ANBU-san? We've managed to stabilise your friend. However, it seems his lung was severely damaged. He will likely have to retire from his shinobi career." Neko nodded gravely. "But he will survive, correct?"

"Y-yes. If you don't mind me asking, why did you not react to the Kyuubi's power? It was a-a nightmare trying to keep everyone focused in there." Neko stared at him, very unnerving with the mask. "If that sensation was the Kyuubi, we'd be dead already. I have faith in the Yondaime's sealing." The medic blinked before nodding in agreement. Neko turned back to the window. "Still... something must be wrong. I hope the kid is okay..."

SCENE BREAK

Naruto growled deeply as his opponent disappeared in a puff of smoke. Another dust cloud rose up around him before he lashed out catching something in a claw strike, flecks of red dripping to the ground. A haze flickered and the older man reappeared. "How the fuck did you find me? Nobody can see through my camouflage techniques!" Naruto gave a wild-eyed grin, before replying in a deeper voice than normal. "The nose knows, bastard. I could smell you a mile off."

"Shit! There's almost no smell-based genjutsu. How the fuck am I meant to counter that?" he thought, before flipping through seals and slamming a palm to the ground "Doton: Ishi Danmaku!" A swarm of small rocks rose up from the ground and flew towards the two boys. Sasuke leapt back out of reach as Naruto crossed his arms to block the worst of the attack. As he lowered them, numerous bruises and small cuts healing rapidly, he found himself surrounded by a wall of dust particles. Darting forwards, he was surprised to find himself knocked backwards forcefully.

"Ninpo: Sajin Kekkai. You won't get out of there anytime soon, brat." came the voice from outside as Naruto shook his head, his brief surge of power fading as quickly as it had appeared. The enemy smirked as he grabbed a kunai mid-flight, Sasuke's arm still outstretched from the throw. "Now to get back to you, Uchiha-sama." he drawled. Sasuke glanced over at the barrier, his unlikely ally barely visible through the floating grit. A... plan, for lack of a better term, began to form. "Hey Dobe!" he shouted, forming familiar hand seals. "You ready for a quick escape?" He could make out movement inside the dust and took it as agreement to his strategy.

"Gokakyu no jutsu!" he called, a fireball heading past the man towards the barrier, catching him off-guard. "Ha! Is that-" he began, before a burst of smoke enveloped him. The smoke was blown away by an explosion coming from the barrier, a distinctly bedraggled-looking Naruto flying towards Sasuke, riding the blast front. The dark-haired boy offered him a hand as they looked at the charred form of their opponent. He was then caught unawares by a blow to the jaw, courtesy of an irate blond. "What the fuck, teme!? You coulda killed me, 'ttebayo!" Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "You don't look dead to me." Naruto gazed blankly at him.

"Did-did you just make a joke?" he asked, bewildered. Any response was silenced as the supposed corpse pounced on them, pinning Sasuke to the ground under his foot and holding Naruto by the jaw. "You little pieces of shit!" he hissed, his face badly burned and covered in soot. "I was gonna kill you, but now? Now I'mma make you suffer." He drove his heel into the Uchiha's ribs as Naruto scratched his arm in an attempt to break free. "And when I'm done, then you're really in for it, 'cause then I'll hand you over to - the hell is that noise?" he barked, as the sound of birds chirping filled the training ground. "Those fucking birds, I-" he cut himself off, dropping Naruto and relieving the pressure on Sasuke's chest.

Inu grunted and pulled his arm out of the corpse. A pity, at least for Ibiki and Anko. Maybe the medics could find something. He turned to look at the two boys, who looked shocked at seeing a man killed in front of them. Sasuke was shivering, clutching his chest and staring at the ANBU's blood-coated hand. "Shit. Should have known he'd take that badly. Damnit Kakashi, you traumatised a pair of kids who really, really didn't need it." He called up a ball of water from a Suiton jutsu to wash his arm. "You two did well. I need you to come with me, the Hokage needs to be informed at once."

SCENE BREAK

"...and that's when Inu-san turned up and killed the other guy." concluded Naruto, as he and Sasuke gave a report to the Hokage. Mostly Naruto, with the other boy clarifying when necessary. They were accompanied by Inu, who had also picked up Rei and Hinata on the way. The younger girl was uncharacteristically quiet, sniffling as Inu and Sasuke tried to offer some comfort. Hinata, meanwhile, was glancing surreptitiously at Naruto every few minutes and blushing. The Hokage leant back in his seat as each of the four children squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.

"First of all, I have to say you all did extremely well. Naruto and Sasuke, you managed to hold your own against an enemy ninja. Based on what I've heard, I would guess him to be chuunin level at least." The two boys perked up noticeably at this little ego boost. "Rei, you didn't panic when an enemy attacked you, well done. Even I froze the first time I faced a stronger opponent." Rei nodded urgently, wiping her eyes. "Hinata, you went to find help when your comrades are in danger. All of you will make excellent shinobi in future. In fact..." he trailed off, scrawling something on a few sheets of paper. "Here you are, kids. I have recorded this as a C-rank mission completed by the five of you. You can hand these in to the mission office downstairs to receive your payment." Each of the kids took a form, Naruto cheering as they made their way out to meet Neko outside the office. "Alright, ramen's on me, you guys!"

As the children left with Neko, Inu removed his ANBU mask. "Hokage-sama, I heard about Hayate..." The old man sighed. "Yes, it's unfortunate. However, it seems he's likely to recover, though his health likely won't be the same again." The two remained silent for a few moments before Kakashi chuckled darkly. "What is it, Kakashi?" enquired the Sandaime. "I'm just... I trained with Hayate. He was one of the best swordsmen I've ever seen. Seems a shame to cut that short." The Sandaime nodded gravely. "He wasn't the only victim. ANBU Shishi was found dead in the forest. It appears he discovered our spy and had to be dealt with. In any case, I want you to accompany Neko to watch over the kids. They shouldn't be left alone right now." Replacing his mask, Inu nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

SCENE BREAK

Sasuke was conflicted as he accompanied the impromptu group to a place called Ichiraku Ramen. "You know what you have to do. An Uchiha always repays a debt. - But he's the dobe! - Yeah, a dobe who saved your student of the year ass. Now suck it up and do what you have to!" Gritting his teeth, he turned to Naruto. "Uzumaki." he muttered. "Mmph?" came the eloquent response. "I- I..." Sasuke huffed, steeling himself for what he had to do. "I want to induct you as a retainer of the Uchiha clan." The entire restaurant fell silent, except for the sudden thud of a trained ANBU falling off his stool. Naruto blinked and swallowed loudly.

"Sure." Their other companions dropped their jaws in shock as Naruto continued eating happily before turning to Sasuke in confusion. "Hey te- er, Sasuke? What's a retainer?" Sasuke resisted the urge to facepalm. "Oh, this can't end well."

SCENE BREAK

Orochimaru bit back a hiss of pain, clutching his freshly severed arm. Sharingan eyes stared down into yellow slits as the older man backed away. "Orochimaru. Did you really think you were worthy of the power of the Sharingan? You're pathetic. A worm disguised as a snake." Orochimaru took the speech as an opportunity to flee. Itachi smirked behind his collar. "No better than what you deserve, treacherous snake... nobody goes after the Uchiha clan while I'm alive."

A slow clapping caught his attention. "Very nice, Itachi. You showed him what being a true prodigy means." The speaker was an orange-masked man wearing the standard black and red Akatsuki cloak. "Tobi. Or are you answering to Madara at the moment?" The masked man approached Itachi, no fear visible in his stance. "Oh, don't think I don't know what you're doing. If those kids are interfering with your duties, I may need to... remove the distractions." A kunai flew harmlessly through the man's head. "Oh, well done. Truly, excellent reflexes. Just remember who you work for, boy." he chuckled as he disappeared in a swirl of chakra. Itachi clenched a fist. "Damn. If he's serious..." he glanced down at the blood in his palm. "Perhaps I should find some allies of my own..."