Chapter 30
NARUTO UZUMAKI
Naruto Uzumaki stared at the trees as he was running through the forest. Their pace was not very fast but still, they were making good progress. A small portion of Naruto still missed the old man. The Third Hokage had died proudly as a Hokage. He had sacrificed himself in protecting the village. Throughout the village, there was a sense of collective loss. The old man had held such reverence and significance to so many people. Naruto's fists clenched with determination as he remembered the love and reverence attained by the old man. One day, he declared deep in his heart.
Naruto clenched his fists as he remembered all the scenes of the invasion. The Betrayal. This was the term that was now used for it. A betrayal by an ally. A betrayal by a student. Orochimaru. That name was now cursed by every person in the village.
Naruto looked straight ahead at the back of a man who had once called him a comrade. Jiraiya, The Toad Sage. He had asked Iruka sensei about the mysterious man. Iruka sensei had been a little miffed about Naruto not remembering his lessons but had told him the details after some time. A man who was part of perhaps the greatest team the village had ever produced. The San.
And now that man had offered Naruto a chance to become his apprentice. Naruto could feel that there was more to the offer but he could not just quite understand it. He let go of these thoughts as he looked to the side and found the form of a red-haired kunoichi jumping alongside him. She had introduced herself as Karin Uzumaki. Uzumaki. It was the same last name as him.
"Hey. Psssh." He spoke up and tried to get her attention. He had been running along them with that somewhat grim look on her face. She was a bit startled but looked at him.
"Umm. Yes, Naruto san," she asked politely. And Naruto was a bit embarrassed about the suffix. He rubbed his head and said with a large grin.
"You can call me Naruto. No need for the san. I had a question I wanted to ask you?" he asked being a little polite. The red-haired girl nodded, so Naruto asked out.
"Who-umm- gave you your name?" he asked a bit sheepishly. The girl's expression hardened for a moment and Naruto felt as if he was staring at his own reflection with those emotions. Though she did reply in a small voice.
"It was my mother," she replied. And Naruto nodded his head and then he asked again.
"But why did she name you an Uzumaki?" he asked again. He could see the girl's surprise at his words.
"Umm, well it is because of our heritage. Uzumaki is our clan name." And Naruto just frowned at that. Was he a part of a clan? He tried to remember the various clan names he had learned in the classes.
Senju, Uchiha, Nara, Yamanaka, Aburame…. But he couldn't remember anymore. He just frowned at that. And then he remembered that they were not alone.
"Hey, ERO SENIN!" He shouted ahead. And he saw the white-haired old man look back at him with an annoyed look.
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO NOT CALL ME THAT!" and Naruto could not react in time as a fist descended on his head.
"OUCH!" Naruto hissed out in pain.
"Disrespectful brat," the pervert said derisively. Naruto rubbed his head, as he glared at the huge form of the pervy sage. Then he asked, his head still aching.
"Ero Senin, do I also belong to a clan? She says that Uzumaki were a clan. Am I also an Uzumaki?" he asked the old man. The old man had a thoughtful look on his face. He seemed to be in deep thought as he closed his eyes.
"Hmmm," the man replied after some time.
"I do not know." And Naruto was just left perplexed by that response.
"What do you mean, you do not know!"
"Well. I could probably find out. I will have to look into it," the man replied and Naruto could feel them slowing down as they approached the city. And all three of them land in front of the gates.
And then they entered the city to search for the fifth Hokage. The Slug Princess. The Princess Tsunade of Konoha.
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TSUNADE SENJU
There were several facts about life that you only ever understand after experience and age. It had taken her years to understand those truths. Yet she had understood them. Even if this understanding had come quite late.
She sat on a chair at a restaurant in the capital, an empty sake cup in front of her. Her body leaned back on the chair as she tried and recalled all the familiar faces. Another face appeared besides those that had always occupied her consciousness. Her teacher. A man who had been her hero once upon a time. Yet the truth was often cruel. For there were no heroes in this world. None. For all of them were just flesh, blood and bone held together with such fragility. She opened her eyes and stared at her hand. So poorly built.
She clenched her hand into a fist. It was now her time. Time for her to do her duty. A duty that she had ever wished to avoid. Yet it seemed that the world was not quite done with her. She had left the village, for she could not stay in it anymore. The streets, and the buildings would haunt her. When she opened her eyes to it, she saw the cracks and darkness hiding underneath its foundation.
A part of her had wanted to help. To rebuild. To build back better, yet at the time she was in a dire state herself. Alone. Broken. Hurt. So, she had sought an escape. Maybe she had been wrong, but there was no time to dwell on what-ifs anymore.
CREEK.
The door of the shop opened once more and an imposing figure walked in. The familiar white hair and red clothing gave her heart a much-needed sense of familiarity. Behind him two more forms entered. A yellow-haired kid, with a radiating orange jacket. His face and blue eyes reminded her so much of another person she had met years ago. Namikaze. The man had been a ray of hope for her village. But he had left this world too early as well. A tragedy she thought.
She could see Jiraiya approaching her table. She spotted the other person and her eyes widened slightly. That distinctive red hair. Uzumaki. Another name lost to the ravines of the time and wars. Uzumaki. Senju. Uchiha. Powerhouses. Legends. That would have once shaken the foundation of this world. All of them lost and battered. Nothing but a shell of what they used to represent.
Jiraiya took the seat opposite her. He poured a cup of sake for himself. She could see the amazement and shock on the face of the blonde kid, as she stared at her. Jiraiya drowned the small cup and placed it back on the table.
"So, are you ready to return to the village, Godaime sama?" he added with a smirk.
She looked straight at him. The blonde kid was now frowning at her. And she opened her mouth to reply, making the blonde kid speechless.
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Jiraiya- The Toad Sage
It was late now. Night had started to set in. Both Tsunade and him were sitting on a bench in a secluded park. Tsunade had refused to become in front of Naruto and the Uzumaki girl. But it was more to check their resolve. She was challenging them. Both of them to show her their resolve.
"I still believe that you should take the hat." She spoke lightly from the side. And Jiraiya replied in a serious tone.
"You know, I can not do that. You know about the organization I am investigating right?" and she nodded at that.
"They are on the move. They took sensei's and Orochimaru's bodies. I do not know what they are planning but it cannot be anything good or small. So many S-ranked shinobi gathered in a single organization. From my sources, they are planning to capture the tailed beasts. The last time someone did that they created the five great villages."
And wasn't that a huge dilemma? The last person to do that had been the Shodaime. Hashirama Senju. The God of Shinobi. The man had gathered the tailed beasts. Yet he had distributed them in an effort to maintain peace. It had not gone according to plan. Yet Jiraiya suspected the intentions of this Akatsuki were not so inspiring.
Besides him, Tsunade clenched her fists. And then she spoke up once more in a very serious tone.
"And what about him? With you out of the village, I will need someone from within the village to tackle those certain elements from within the village."
And Jiraiya understood her concern. There was a reason every after the First had been a teacher. Their team would be their arms and legs within the village. The people they could entrust the most important and sensitive tasks to. The first had had his brother. The second his team. The third had chosen his friend. The same friend that had allegedly planned an assassination for him. A friend for whom there was a severe suspicion of treason.
"You could use Kakashi and his batchmates. All of them are clean. Plus, if you are looking for someone exclusive, I might have a suggestion."
He handed her a file, that he had brought from the village. It was the last gift of their sensei. And it sent a pang of sadness through him. Yet his sensei had found quite a talent. A talent that was going to help them correct his biggest mistake.
Tsunade was reading the file with great interest. She closed the file and then asked him once more.
"Are you sure he has no links to him. How did he miss such a find?" she asked him with a bit of surprise n her tone.
Both of them were aware of ROOT's recruitment practices. And the truth was that it truly was a miracle how the kid had gone under the radar.
"Yes, he is clean. I was extremely thorough. He was saved because the matron grew quite fond of him. And from what I could gleam over, he is also aware of the darkness within the village. And he is not fond of it. More so after he becomes aware of the plot against his wife-to-be?"
Tsunade smirked at that.
"Plus, with his skill set, I do not think there is anyone better to guide him forwards. He will be perfect for what you plan to do. And as you saw from the file, he can be extremely ruthless." He added. And he could see the gears turning in Tsunade's head. And the silence permeated between them for quite some time.
"So, will you be leaving with the blonde from here?" she asked him once more. And Jiraiya shook his head at that.
"No, you should return to the village with the two kids first. I have to make a detour. I need to make an impression. Then he stood up as he began to walk towards the bustling market once more.
"But don't worry I will make it to your inaugural ceremony!"
0000
On the other side of the continent. In a dark and abandoned cave, a masked man stood besides the frothing form of a man with white skin. The sole red Sharingan spun in the masked man's eyes.
"Well, you are quite a stubborn man." The man spoke with a deep voice. There was no response from the limp body of Orochimaru.
"But no matter, we have no shortage of time." And with that, the masked man began to walk away and after some time his body vanished with a swirl. Sometime after that, a small snake emerged from the neck of the limp body. It emerged and began to slither into the darkness.
Ten shadowy forms could be made out in a certain cave. A man with an imposing chakra stood in the center. The purple of the rinnegan shone and overwhelmed everyone else present in the cave. He then spoke in a grave tone.
"It seems that we have been gifted an opportunity."
The man with the rinnegan then turned to a certain man. This one with red instead of purple in his eyes.
"I have a new mission for you!"
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