Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
Kakumei – Arc 3: Naruto Next Generation
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Chapter 67 - Ao and Denki
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Konoha's Team 1 and Team Konohamaru arrived at their destination, the border village of the land of Waves, a day ago. Since they've been kindly invited to, they settled in Inari's home. There, they were offered dinner and could spend a quiet night of sleep. In the evening, Konohamaru's students also had time for some spotting across the village while the others were planning the next day. Now, the next morning, the captain and his 6 subordinates split into two groups to begin their mission.
They approximately know the current location of the VIP and, in order to keep a closer eye on him, Konohamaru, Ao and Denki went undercover in the neighborhood to find out his exact position. Meanwhile, Mirai and Team 1 watch their colleagues' back, hidden in a pile of containers on a nearby workplace directed by Inari who insisted on helping as he could.
While they wait for their captain to come back, Izuna looks around to see the construction workers on duty. Inoue, discreetly focused on Izuna as always, thinks he's distracted by the workplace itself and tries to make conversation.
"It looks like they're building a hot springs bath." she comments. "And Mister Inari must be doing the cabins' frame."
"What did Hokage-sensei do for this man to act so welcoming in result?" Izuna asks, wondering more about the story of the place than the action.
"Oh?… I don't know…" Inoue answers, "Something that got the greatest bridge of the land to be named after him, I guess."
"It's surprising…" Mirai says to get in the conversation. "This bridge is 23 years old. Which means Lord 7th was only 12 at the time."
Boruto, sick of hearing once another discussion about his father, changes the topic and tries to make it about other people.
"Inoue, Izuna, did you know that Mirai's mother, Miss Kurenai, was my mom's sensei?" he says.
Izuna just quietly raises his eyebrows, as to show interest in a fact he didn't know. Mirai turns around, with a happy face, and looks at the three young ninjas. Inoue, who was aware of this, adds another fact to make the discussion go on.
"I knew that already." she replies. "But did you know that her dad was also my mom's sensei?"
Boruto now makes the same face as Izuna, and doesn't answer, like he admits defeat in this very short fact contest. Izuna, curious about this, looks to Mirai.
"Your dad?" he says. "Who is he? I don't think I ever met or heard of him."
Inoue makes an embarrassed face and looks away, as she knows the answer to this question. She silently hopes that Mirai doesn't feel sad or offended.
"Asuma Sarutobi." tells Mirai, with a smile on her face that slightly wears off for a moment. "He… died before I was born."
"Ah… I'm sorry about that…" says Izuna who didn't want to hurt anyone with his question.
"It's ok. Don't worry." answers Mirai. "I never knew him in person either, but I've been told everything there is to know about him."
Izuna doesn't say anything more, still feeling bad for what he just brought up. Inoue does the same. But Boruto, who clearly sees that Mirai wouldn't mind, tells more about her father.
"Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the 3rd Hokage." he says. "Shugonin of the Daimyo's guard, and leader of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation that includes Inoue's mom."
Mirai smiles again and looks at Boruto who got everyone's morale up with these few praising words. She inhales and goes on to tell about what she knows.
"That's it. He was mostly specialized in the use of Wind chakra and Fire release." she says before pulling out two hand blades from her pocket. "These two chakra blades belonged to him. With uncle Konohamaru, I mostly learn the same jutsus that my dad used and… kinda follow his path." she completes before happily grinning at the team.
Izuna smiles back, glad that Mirai keeps such a positive image of a father she never met in her mind. Inoue, willing to keep the discussion going on, asks about something that's been bugging her since they began this trip.
"Mirai, could you tell us about your teammates?" asks the young Yamanaka. "Ao and Denki, where are they from?"
"They're both immigrants, and kids from Konoha's orphanage…" she answers. "They both lost their families during the war."
"War orphans? Like Rebekka-sis?" comments Boruto, who tries to connect this with anything he already knows.
"Rebekka?" asks Mirai. "Isn't she that girl who failed the first year of the academy thrice?"
"Ha, yes that's her." answers Boruto. "So these Ao and Denki are from the same orphanage?"
"If they are immigrants without parents, how did they end up in Konoha?" adds Inoue, wanting to know more about where these two are from.
Mirai, before answering, looks at Izuna.
"Few years after the 4th war, your moms, Izuna and Inoue, worked together to open a great help center for war orphans. Some kids from other nations eventually were brought there, because Konoha offered to take care of them."
Izuna lightly nods, and looks at Inoue who does the same. They're both kind of proud of what their moms did together to help these kids. Inoue thinks that, maybe according to the timing, it's their birth that inspired this idea.
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While Team 1 and Mirai keep chatting, Konohamaru and his two students discreetly walk around a big restaurant in the neighborhood and inspect the place. They've already found out the VIP's location and situation at the current time, and are just looking for a way to get in, in case of an emergency.
Konohamaru, taking advantage of this situation where he's alone with these two of his students, decides to ask about something he noticed.
"Tell me, you two, I find you kinda distant with Izuna." he says. "Why's that?"
"Sasuke Uchiha's son?" says Ao, with a mean voice.
Denki turns around, and stares rudely at her sensei, like she's not happy about that question. This is enough for Konohamaru to understand what's going on for the white haired young man.
Ao Hyaku isn't actually an orphan because of the 4th war, unlike Denki or Rebekka. He is originally from the Samurai land of Iron. His mother died from illness when he was 3. And his father was a samurai who was part of the guard of the Samurai bridge. When a Kage council took place there after Konoha's destruction, Sasuke Uchiha and his allies crashed the event and Ao's father ended up being among the victims of this attack.
From his point of view, even though he lacks any specific details, his father was killed by Sasuke Uchiha in person. This event is what fuels his hatred for the former criminal, and more generally for the Uchiha clan. Konohamaru remembers all of this and finds half of the answer to his question. It very well justifies Ao's feelings about the son of the man who murdered his father, but how about Denki?
"Ok, I know about Ao's past and feelings about Sasuke, but what about you, Denki?" asks the sensei.
"My birth village was completely destroyed during the fourth war." she says. "The responsible for this war were the Uchiha clan. Is that enough of an answer to you?"
Precisely, Denki was born in a village of the Land of Hot water, Yu no Kuni. Her last name, Tatari, is indeed the name of a clan of this land, specialized in Juinjutsu and Jujutsu, curse based jutsus. This village she was born in was among the many who were destroyed by the Juubi's bombs, while the beast was under control of Madara and Obito Uchiha.
This fact is enough for her to consider the Uchiha clan and their tendency for hatred and destruction as the killers of her family. Konohamaru understands it again. His two students aren't the only people to still despise the Uchiha in Konoha. Actually, when Izuna was still a little kid, there were a few assassination attempts toward him by former Root members and ANBU fanatics, that Konohamaru even participated in interfering with.
However, Ao and Denki both were kindly welcomed to Konoha and taken care of by the War orphanage. This orphanage saved them, and did its best to give them a childhood as normal as possible. Do they know that this place was founded by Izuna's mother? Konohamaru sighs, and simply expresses his disagreement.
"I understand your hatred for the Uchiha clan, but it has nothing to do with this boy personally."
"He's no different." says Denki. "This clan gets stronger when exposed to hatred and pain. They crave for it, just as much as they crave for power. It's their nature… I find it really egoistic of Lord 7th that he tries to bring pardon upon these people."
"Izuna's not like them." replicates Konohamaru. "You'll see. He'll prove you wrong. He won't be consumed by hate like the others. The Hokage won't let this happen."
"Keep hoping, sensei." says Ao. "Still, if you were to leave me alone with him, I don't think I'd be able to stop myself from killing him. The urge to get back at Sasuke Uchiha would win on me."
Konohamaru stays looking at the two of them, and gets the message. He'll have to make sure these two and Izuna don't get to learn more about each other on their own. This situation is embarrassing, but understandable. The same way he doesn't think he'd ever be able to forgive Orochimaru for killing his grandfather, his students will never forgive the Uchiha. But if Orochimaru were to have a son, or relatives, Konohamaru wouldn't spread his hate to them…
"Listen to you… You're the ones being consumed by hatred…" quietly comments the Sarutobi before turning around and taking the lead to get back to Mirai and Team 1.
Ao and Denki, who just heard this quiet remark, look at each other, feeling exposed. They ease themselves and run to follow their sensei.
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Back to the workplace, they join Mirai and the genins between the containers. The 4 ninjas who were waiting there stand up and prepare for action. Izuna looks at Ao and Denki, feels intimidated, and quickly looks away. This time, they're not avoiding eye contact, but are rather staring directly at him in the eyes.
Boruto, who notices this quiet hostility, steps forward and comes to stand between the two chunins and his friend, to cover him. The two war orphans look away and get their minds focused back on the mission.
"How is it out there?" asks Mirai.
Konohamaru turns around and looks through a gap between the containers to see the neighborhood. He points his finger at the same building he was roaming around with his students.
"Our VIP is in this restaurant, with a bodyguard and some associates," he says. "He's simply doing his business."
"A bodyguard?" asks Inoue. "Does it mean he knows about the risk he incurs?"
"It could be… Maybe he just always goes around with a bodyguard." suggest the captain.
"It's a regular thing among the upper class outside of the hidden villages." adds Mirai, speaking to the genins, before she looks back at her cousin. "Anything suspicious?"
"Not yet." says Konohamaru. "We had to stay discreet. Going out there obviously looking for enemies would have chased them away."
"Well I found some." says Boruto, holding the tiger hand seal, with his Byakugan activated.
Everyone turns to look at him as he turns off his Dojutsu and gets nearer to the gap between the containers. He shows a duo of suspicious looking people sitting on a roof, watching over the entrance of the restaurant. Konohamaru watches, and thinks. A man in a silver coat, and a woman in a red and brown outfit. From where they are, they likely didn't see him inspecting the place earlier.
"Well done, Boruto." says the captain. "… Everyone, stay there. I'll go and check them out."
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In front of the restaurant, on the roof of the building in front of the public entrance, Seal Fire and Rock Breeze, or Yubo Kumi and Hachi in other names, are hiding and looking at the restaurant where Voodoo is currently taking care of the job.
"How does he intend to get the job done without anyone noticing?" wonders Yubo, asking his colleague.
"Shut up. He didn't ask us to question his methods." answers Hachi, who has no intention of socializing with a fellow bounty hunter.
"Seriously, there aren't even any ninjas on this land. We could simply get in, kill the dude, and leave."
"No we couldn't. There could be other hunters aiming for the same target… Or even ninjas from other countries…"
"Pff… Don't make me laugh." says Yubo who carelessly stands up to wander around on the roof. "This is an inside contract. Only the top class of the organization and trustworthy mercenaries know about this. There is no way any nation would send their ninjas here."
"Um… Excuse me?" says a stranger's voice that gets the two mercenaries' attention.
Yubo, standing near the border of this roof, looks down in the alley next to him and sees a young woman there, looking at him. A beautiful young woman with long brown hair, wearing nothing but a mini skirt and a crop top. Foolishly letting himself be seduced, the bounty hunter puts on his best smile and show-off face before answering.
"Yes, m'lady?"
"What are you doing on the roof?" says the woman. "You look like you're not from around here, are you?"
"Indeed… I'm a tourist. I came to this land to see some landscapes,… waves,… and other gorgeous things." he says, stressing the two last words while looking at her insistently.
"A tourist really?" says the woman, who smiles, lightly tilts her head and holds her cheek, acting like she's flattered by the man's compliment. "How did you get on that roof? Are you a ninja?"
Silent Killing
Before Yubo can naively answer again, Hachi who sneaked behind the woman slits her throat open and lets her fall dead to the ground. Yubo makes a shocked and disgusted face.
"What the hell?" he yells.
"Quiet, Idiot!" answers Rock Breeze who looks up to see him. "She was a witness. We shouldn't leave any witness. Voodoo is inside and about to get the job done any moment."
Suddenly, the corpse of the young woman agonizing on the ground disappears in a mist cloud. Konohamaru, who had sent a clone disguised with the good old Oiroke no Jutsu, simply waited for the two enemies to expose valuable intel.
Hachi looks down and makes a shocked face too. This woman was a shadow clone, which means that a chakra capable person, either a ninja or a rival mercenary has a look on them from somewhere around. Even if Seal Fire is the one who foolishly engaged in conversation, she's the one who just said Voodoo's name out loud.
"We're under attack!" she yells.
"The Hell?" says Yubo Kumi who goes to follow her.
Hachi runs away and jumps on the roof of the restaurant where she hurries to reach the top window above the target and Voodoo. There, she waits for the top class mercenary to notice her and alerts him of the imminent trouble.
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Between the containers, Konohamaru gets back the memories of his shadow clone and is especially marked by one detail. The name she gave: Voodoo. He already heard this. It is the pseudonym of one of the most wanted bounty hunters in the world. He is considered to be a threat that consists of an S-rank level mission. And he is apparently in the building with the VIP at this very moment.
"This is bad! Ao, Denki, with me. Mirai and Team 1, after these two!" he orders as he jumps out of the container lot.
His three students follow him, and the three genins follow Mirai. Once out, Konohamaru hurries to get around the building and reach the front door of the restaurant. Mirai, at the same time, throws one of her chakra blades at Hachi who's standing on the roof window. The mercenary woman sees the projectile in time and jumps away to dodge it.
The weapon hits the window, breaks it, and lands in the ground inside the restaurant. Everyone inside is alerted by the breaking window and the shards falling above them. They all panic and run out. Voodoo, playing the role of the target's bodyguard, hides his embarrassment and gets his prey to safety. On his side, the mission was going all as expected. Whatever happened to the two other mercenaries makes him regret his choice of not disposing of them when he had the chance.
Hachi sees the ninjas of Konoha land on the roof and hurries to run away. Mirai, who has to get her blade back, falls in the building by the window frame to go grab it. Izuna, who sees the enemy run away, hurries to go after her. Inoue sees her friend going alone and follows him. Boruto also prepares to come.
"Boruto, stay with Mirai!" yells the Uchiha. "Inoue, with me!"
The yellow haired boy stops, obeying his partner's command, yet confused about when Izuna became entitled to give him orders. Not bothering too much about it, he turns around and goes for the entrance of the restaurant.
In front of the building, Yubo Kumi sees everyone run out in panic and just stands there. Out of the crowd he sees a young woman wearing the Konoha uniform aim for him. After a short moment of realization, he takes to his heels and flees as quickly as possible.
Mirai sees him flee and goes after him. Voodoo, still by his target's side, contains his surprise and shock when he sees not only a ninja from Konoha, but also the 7th Hokage's son jumping over him. There are ninjas here to interfere with his mission.
This shouldn't be possible. This has to be a conspiracy against him. This contract was an inner mission. Nobody but the insiders of the mercenary organization are aware of its existence. The only way for ninjas to be aware and to be sent on a mission to interfere is for an insider to have warned them. But the only people who know about the details of the mission are the top class hunters and upper minds. He, who has always been so careful, wouldn't have accepted the contract if he wasn't sure of its safety. For this to happen, has to be someone's attempt to cause trouble in the organization, or simply to get him down personally.
However, he already did all he had to do by the target's side. He'll finish the job when he's alone. All he has to make sure of for now, is not to be seen by this man's side. As he discreetly walks away from his target and fills in the panicking crowd, he takes a while to notice the presence of the famous Konohamaru Sarutobi, right hand of the Hokage himself, inspecting the crowd. Presence of such a high graded ninja makes things way more complicated.
Hoping to quickly sneak away, he doesn't see Denki Tatari who's looking directly at him as he jumps away from the crowd and goes as far away as he can from the scene.
"Sensei! There!" Denki says to Konohamaru, who barely sees a silhouette pass behind a building.
Following his student's instinct, the captain and his two students hurry to go after this mysterious man.
Izuna and Inoue run after the woman, Rock Breeze, but make sure to stay out of her sight to get her by surprise when an opportunity comes. Mirai and Boruto are going after Seal Fire through the streets of the village. Konohamaru, Denki and Ao are running through the village, having already lost track of the man Denki saw, but keep searching for him.
Seal Fire is the first to get caught. Not well knowing of this village's streets, he gets lost and finds himself trapped in a dead end, between a wall and Mirai Sarutobi who blocks the way.
Katon – Haisekisho
The Sarutobi girl breathes out a stream of gunpowder upon the bounty hunter, just as Boruto lands on the roof next to them. Before he gets fully submerged by this cloud, Yubo Kumi puts on his hood and closes his silver cloak around his whole body to take cover. Once he's hidden in the cloud, Boruto activates his Byakugan to keep an eye on him. Mirai takes note of her colleague's move and smiles.
"Don't even think of trying anything." she tells the enemy. "If you make any move, I'll light this powder on with you in the middle."
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Hidden behind a water tank on top of another roof far away, but high enough to have a proper view of the scene, Voodoo watches as his two colleagues are being trapped by ninjas. Being faster, more experienced, and more careful, he managed to lose his pursuers and is now waiting to see the outcome for the other hunters. About the mission, he's not worried yet. He knows that as long as he makes it alive from this interruption, he'll complete the mission easily.
He sees Izuna and Inoue efficiently get around Hachi, ready to trap her.
"Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha's son, uh?" the bounty hunter thinks, before turning around to see Yubo Kumi's situation.
"The Hokage's son, and Asuma Sarutobi's daughter too… This has to be a trap… Who sent them after me?"
Wondering about how it got this complicated, Voodoo focuses on Mirai. The daughter of Asuma Sarutobi. The man that Hidan killed 16 years ago. The S-rank mercenary remembers his past for a moment. He recalls memories from 20 years ago. A time when he was still a ninja of the land of Hot Water. A time where he and Hidan of Akatsuki were still just sensei and students in a ninja village.
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End of Chapter 67 – Next Chapter: The Jujutsu Master