Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Who I am
The Enemy's Shadow pt. 1
1 reviewNaruto is 17 and life in Konoha is peaceful. As a Jounin, Naruto aims to become Anbu, to further prove himself to the village. But on the night of his birthday, a mysterious group comes and kidnaps...
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Chapter Four - The Enemy's Shadow -pt 1
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The day of October 10th was a day of both celebration and mourning. On this day, 18 years ago, the great nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi, was defeated. Many lives were lost in that great battle, including the life of the greatest Hokage that ever lived, Yondaime. He was the one who sacrificed his life to defeat the rampaging demon, and saving the village from total destruction. Thus a legend was created, and 18 years later, that legend was still remembered.
The festival lasted the entire day, though most of the activities and events didn't occur until nightfall. During the day, the marketplace was filled with excitement. The hustle and bustle of busy shoppers never ended, especially on a festival day. A special honorary monument was set up, with all the names of the fallen inscribed on it, so that loved ones and family may mourn and pray. The Academy was closed for the day, as well as the Hokage tower, as no missions were given out. Even the Hokage decided to give herself the day off, despite the mounds of paperwork that currently surrounded her.
Inside her office, the Godaime Hokage, was sound asleep. Oblivious to the outside world, Tsunade had her head rested on her arms which where folded on top of the pieces of paperwork she had been previously working on, before her sudden urge to take an afternoon nap. A slight knocking of her office door and a murmured voice on the other side suddenly woke the sleeping woman, and she mindless called whoever was on the other side to enter. Tsunade's medical assistant, Shizune, quickly entered, her hands filled with multiple folders and scrolls. The pig, Ton-ton, quickly followed Shizune in.
"What is it now Shizune? I'm busy, as you can see." Tsunade grumbled as she bit back the urge to yawn. 'What time was it?' She mentally questioned.
"I can see that...Tsunade-sama." Shizune sarcastically mumbled.
After working with Tsunade for so many years, she wasn't fooled. It was clear that Tsunade had been sleeping, which was visible from the drowsy look on Tsunade's face, and the fact that they giant piles of paperwork had yet to diminish from the last time Shizune checked up on Tsunade; 3 hours ago.
Clearing her throat, Shizune walked over to the Hokage's desk, and deposited all of the folders and scrolls which she had been carrying.
"Here are the current medical reports, and the new guard duty schedule, as well as the new mission requests, all of which need your review and approval." Shizune smiled innocently, internally laughing at Tsunade's current look of disgust and hate at the piles of paperwork. What Tsunade wouldn't give to just ignite the entire pile.
A second knock on the office door caught the attention of both women. Before Tsunade could even say 'Enter', the door swung open wide, and in came Koharu, one of the village's elder council members. Even though she was short compared to the Hokage, she had no problem with voicing her opinion rather loudly. A look of displeasure and annoyance was written across the old woman's face. Sighing, Tsunade gave a slight smirk and interlaced her fingers together, looking straight at council member.
"Good day, Koharu-san. What do I owe the honor of this sudden visit?" Tsunade smoothly spoke, with a hint of sarcasm. It took all her power to resist the urge to just leap out of her office window right then and there. Tsunade never liked, nor fully cooperated with the village elders, and used every tactic possible to evade them. To Tsunade, they were just a bunch of nagging old fools who loved to just hear themselves talk.
"Tsunade-sama, I was just informed that you will not be attending the dinner with the Fire Country Lord this evening. I certainly hope that this was a misunderstanding." the elder spoke with a quick tongue.
'So that's what this is about...Oh this is going to get ugly' Tsunade internally cringed.
"I'm sorry to say but that isn't a mistake. I have other things that I must attend to, and will not be able to join you for dinner." Tsunade gave the elder a wide and slightly over joyous grin.
Apparently that wasn't the answer Koharu was looking for. Her face continued to grow tighter and redder in her apparent internal rage.
"And what may I ask is more important than the traditional dinner with the Fire Country Lord?" Koharu insisted, taking a few steps towards Tsunade's desk, trying her best to look intimidating.
"There is another dinner which I agreed to attend, and that is the one I'll be going to." Tsunade was quick to answer.
"With who?" Koharu demanded, placing her hands on Tsunade's desk and bracing herself slightly, locking eyes with the Hokage.
"A good friend of mine." Tsunade chose to be vague in her reply.
"Who!?" Koharu demanded once again.
Tsunade didn't reply. She just stared back at the elder, with a blank expression on her face, telling Koharu that she had no intention of giving the name. Koharu internally seethed in rage, but kept her exterior expression calm...that was until she figured out who Tsunade was visiting.
"It's that demon-brat isn't it?" Koharu spoke through clenched teeth. It was Tsunade's turn to show anger. Slamming her fists forcefully onto her desk, so hard that small cracks began to appear, Tsunade rose from her chair and towered above the old woman.
"I do not want to EVER hear you call him that again, or so help me god, I will bring my full wrath upon your doorstep. Do you understand me!?" Tsunade threatened the elder.
Koharu didn't bother to reply. With a swift motion, she was storming out into the hallway, slamming the door behind her. Sitting back down in her chair with a heavy sigh, Tsunade rubbed her forehead slightly, feeling a headache coming on.
"That...went well." Shizune finally spoke, after watching the entire conversation. Her sarcasm wasn't missed by Tsunade.
"Those damn elders must get a kick out of making my job as difficult as possible." Tsunade turned her head and gazed out the window, looking at nothing in particular. After a brief moment, Tsunade began to chuckle to herself. "Remind me later to thank Sakura for giving me a perfect excuse to skip that dinner. I hate those formal events as much as I'm hating this pile of paperwork in front of me right now."
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The mid-afternoon sun settled high in the sapphire sky, causing an unnatural heat wave for an October day. Deep within the forest that circles around the village, the resident demon-vessel of Konoha was hard at work training his skills as a shinobi. With all the excitement going around in the village itself, Naruto didn't dare attempt to workout at the training grounds. He'd only attract unwanted attention. So he decided to find solitude in the nearby forests. He wasn't out far out from Konoha though. Just by a few miles. With the continuous threat of Akatsuki, Tsunade had forbidden him from leaving the village without permission, and especially alone. Plus, he had already promised Sasuke that he'd go to Sakura's house that evening, so he couldn't go far anyway.
Tossing his remaining kunai at the many targets he had set up, hitting all dead-center, Naruto jumped to the forest floor and leaned up against a nearby tree trunk, breathing heavily. He'd been out here all morning, and didn't even stop for lunch, not that he'd brought any with him. Wiping his brow and sighing heavily, Naruto closed his eyes and took comfort in the solitude of the forest. Whenever he felt suffocated and confined by the village, all Naruto had to do was seek the comfort of the forest canopy. It was one of his favorite places to be at true peace; the other being on top of the Hokage mountain.
A slight fuzzy sensation in the back of his head alerted him that a particular demon was trying to get his attention. Sighing, and letting his consciousness slip, Naruto retreated to the back of his mind.
A slightly too familiar setting appeared before him once again. "What do you want Kyuubi? It's not like you to harass me so early in the day." Naruto yelled into the steel cage.
"Shut up brat and listen to me." The demon snapped angrily, appearing in front of the blond shinobi.
Naruto immediately quieted. Kyuubi was acting far too strange. Kyuubi talking to him last night wasn't out of the ordinary, but the warning he had given Naruto was. And now here he was again, in broad daylight, standing in front of the Kyuubi's cage and facing his temper. If Kyuubi was this persistent, than something must be going on.
"Return to the village immediately. It's not safe out here." Kyuubi quickly spoke.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. It wasn't often that Kyuubi surprised him. Naruto looked at Kyuubi, waiting for an explanation.
"Now, I know this isn't exactly your favorite day of the year, but you need to trust me on this one. The woods aren't safe. You need to be in the village." The Kyuubi continued, though he was being stubbornly vague.
"Why?" Naruto persisted.
"It's out there...somewhere. I can't sense it, but I can feel it." Kyuubi muttered, his eyes focused off to the side, as if he was in mid thought.
"Kyuubi, you're not making any sense. You didn't last night, and you're not now. What is out there that you're so afraid of?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Kyuubi roared, his tails flailing out in irritation. "I don't know what it is, all I know is that something is out there. Something that is making me feel uneasy. Like something in the back of my head is whispering to me to be wary."
Naruto rubbed his ears in annoyance. "While you may have a whispering voice in your head, I have you in my head, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell." Kyuubi just flattened his ears and growled low.
"Ok, ok! I get it! I'll go back to the village. Though I hope this is nothing more than just you being paranoid." Naruto finally gave in, though he was pretty pissed that he had to go back to the place of his current distress.
Suddenly Kyuubi titled his head to the side and lifted on ear, as if something caught his attention. After a moment, he growled lowly.
"Kit, you have company coming this way." Kyuubi finally spoke.
"Hmm? Who?" Naruto asked, curious as to who could be coming all the way out here in the middle of the woods.
"Anbu, from the feel of their chakra. Two of them. Probably on patrol around the boarder." Kyuubi mumbled.
"Shit. I don't want to deal with them now." Naruto cursed loudly. Both Naruto and Kyuubi hated the senior Anbu members. They were the ones that remembered Kyuubi's attack 18 years ago, and they were the ones who still held the strongest grudge against him. During the attack, the Anbu were the ones who fought the demon the most, and they were the ones who took the most causalities. So naturally the surviving Anbu still held a vendetta against the demon-vessel.
"Don't bother trying to hide your chakra. They already sensed you, and are almost here. Just pack up your stuff and get back to the village." Kyuubi gave Naruto some parting words before he flung Naruto's consciousness back into reality.
'Yes Mother' Naruto sarcastically replied to Kyuubi's fussing. Even though the demon tried not to take any part in Naruto's life, there were times like this that Naruto found it odd when the demon showed a protective and almost motherly nature. Naruto snickered at this last thought 'A motherly Kyuubi.' Kyuubi's probably pissed at that comment.
"What are you laughing at, demon-brat?" A cold voice cut through the air, attracting Naruto's attention.
Two figures quickly appeared from the tree tops above. As Kyuubi predicted, they were Anbu. Both dressed in the traditional Anbu uniforms, and each wielding a katana strapped to their backs. The taller of the two wore a coyote-painted mask, while the other wore a rat-painted mask. The two Anbu walked over to the blond, and began to circle him slowly, as if he was prey.
"Well well well, what do we have here? A little fox-demon, lost in the middle of the woods?" The coyote Anbu sneered.
"Hehehe, he looks suspicious to me." The rat-masked one chucked.
"Listen guys, I was just out here training. I'm heading back to village now." Naruto attempted to make peace, holding up his hands showing he didn't want to fight.
"Sure you were. And we were just out for a picnic." The taller replied, stopping in front of the blond and stepping closer to him. The coyote Anbu was at least 4-5 inches taller than Naruto, so he used this advantage to try intimidate the blond. The coyote Anbu stared down Naruto, locking eyes with him. Naruto never flinched, nor backed down. After a brief silence, the coyote Anbu clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I don't get it. What is it about you that pisses me off so much? Is it that fact that the Hokage favors you so much? Or the fact that you're allowed to be a ninja? Or could it be the fact that YOU'RE STILL FUCKING ALIVE!?" In a flash, the coyote Anbu grabbed Naruto by the hair with one hand, and swiftly ground his knee into the blonde's stomach. Naruto doubled over in pain, his knees hitting the ground and his arms wrapped around his waist. Biting his lip to silence a cry of pain, Naruto lifted his head and glared at the Anbu who stood over him, laughing.
"How does that feel demon? You know what that is? It's called pain. Get use to it." And with that, the two Anbu began to beat on Naruto, kicking and punching him repeatedly. It's true, Naruto could fight back, he could run away, but he didn't. It would only lead to worse things. If tried to run, the Anbu would tell their friends, and they would come back in an even larger group. If he fought back, they'd report it to the council, saying he was violent and lost control. So Naruto took the blows, and the pain that came with it.
What seemed liked an eternity, the Anbu stopped finally. Naruto laid crumbled on the forest floor. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth, and his clothing was bloodied and torn. He was panting heavily, and his eyes remained closed. A bird flew over head, giving out a cry to the Anbu below. They both looked up momentarily, before standing straight and stepping back.
"You're in luck demon. The Hokage is calling for us." The two Anbu laughed, and swiftly departed.
Naruto laid there, slowly calculating his injuries. He was lucky, nothing appeared to be broken. His insides hurt like crazy, and it's possible he had a few bruised ribs. Sitting up, he rubbed his sides carefully.
'Shit.' he thought 'These will take a little while to heal.'
Standing slowly, his legs slightly shaking, Naruto began the slow painful walk back to his apartment. He sighed, and took note of the time. It was around 3 p.m. he guessed, which only gave him a few hours to clean himself up before he went to Sakura's. He absolutely couldn't let her find out that he was injured. If she found out, she'd start asking questions which he couldn't answer, and then things would just spiral downwards from there. He inwardly hoped that Kyuubi would heal him enough so no one would notice.
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Later in the village, two kunoichi were rushing about a mid-sized apartment, making preparations for an event later that night.
"Sakura! Where were those extra party ribbons? I thought you said there were in the cabinet." The blonde, Ino, yelled to her pink haired friend who was currently cooking in the kitchen.
"They are in the cabinet. Look in the box labeled 'sewing kit'." Sakura replied, while checking the multiple pots of food she had cooking on her stove.
"Ah ha! Found it! Why were they in a sewing box?" Ino appeared in the kitchen, holding a roll of bright multicolored paper ribbon.
"Long story. How about you set those up above the table and around the living room." Sakura pointed with the spoon she was currently holding.
"I can't believe that little ingrate, not telling us his birthday. I mean, Sasuke of all people had to find out, and tell us." Ino rambled on as she began stringing the ribbons above the table along the ceiling. "I wonder why he never told us. You'd think he'd be jumping up and down screaming to us that his birthday was coming up."
"Maybe he doesn't like his birthday." Sakura spoke aloud.
"Why would you say that?" Ino questioned.
"Well, obviously I've known Naruto since we were 12, back when we were on team 7. Now that I think back on it, not once do I remember him ever talking about his birthday. It's like he hates the day October 10th."
"Well, it is kind of a coincidence that he was born on the exact day the Kyuubi-demon was killed. I would think he would like having a festival on his birthday." Ino pointed out.
"Naruto's never even around during the festival. Every year I've tried to invite him to go, but he always just...disappears." Sakura's inner instincts tell her that there's some connection between Naruto's birthday, the festival, and the reason why he keeps it a secret. However, she was interrupted from further examining those thoughts when Ino came bounding into the kitchen, and peered over her shoulder.
"Jeez Sakura, how many people did you invite? There's enough food here to feed an army." Ino took note at the wide variety of food Sakura was preparing.
"Oh, you know, the usual people. Your team, my team, Hinata's team and Lee's team, as well as the senseis, Shizune and Tsunade-sama." Sakura slapped Ino's hand away when she tried to sample a small bit.
"So, pretty much everyone." Ino shock her head and smiled. She wondered if there was enough alcohol to go around. With both Kiba and Tsunade coming, there had to be liquor.
The doorbell ringing got both their attention, and Ino quickly went to the door. There stood Shikamaru and Chouji, each dressed in casual - yet stylish looking clothing. When Sakura began organizing the party, she specifically told everyone that ninja uniforms were banned, and anyone wearing one wouldn't be let through the front door.
"Ah, my two favorite guys! Good, you're early. You can help set things up." Ino smiled and lead them into the apartment.
"We're early!? You told us 5 p.m. was the start of the party." Chouji frowned, munching on a few potato chips.
"I know I did. This way you can help us move some furniture around, and get things ready." Ino inwardly applauded herself for getting the two here early just so they could help out.
"Tch. How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, as he was expecting Ino to pull something like this. Though he knew better than to try to skip out and come at the real time, as Ino would probably give him an earful. Women were so bothersome.
Over the years, the trio of team 10 continued to be close friends. Surprisingly, the laziest of the three, Shikamaru, was the only one to make it to jounin rank. Both Ino and Chouji were content enough to stay chuunin. When asked why he wanted to become jounin, when the missions were much more dangerous, Shikamaru would never give a real reason. He would simply give his typical response, that it was "too troublesome to explain.". Though everyone suspected that it had something to do with the sand jounin Temari. It was almost common knowledge that Shikamaru wouldn't let a woman get the better of him, while Temari seemed to get a kick out of motivating the notoriously lazy shinobi.
Ino had branched off from her family's flower shop, and recently built a small greenhouse of her own. However, flowers weren't her main business anymore. Instead. Ino specialized in growing special medical herbs. Tsunade was the one who brought the proposal to Ino, as Tsunade wanted someone who was very knowledgeable with plants to run a new project. Tsunade wanted a nearby source for fresh medical herbs, but also wanted to start experimenting with hybrid-grown medical plants for future use. Ino was more than happy to take on the task.
Chouji was...well, same old Chouji. He was a constant of the three, always there to lend a helping hand whenever needed. Though at the moment, Chouji had no real set plan as to what he wanted to do with his life, he had mentioned a few times that he was contemplating opening his own restaurant.
"Hey Shika, did you remember to tell Kiba and his team to come like I asked you?" Ino called from the kitchen where she was helping Sakura.
"Yeah yeah, and since you told me 5 p.m., I told them 5 p.m." Shikamaru grunted as he and Chouji pushed a couch to the far wall.
As if on cue, there was a light tapping on the door, shortly followed by a loud rapping.
"It's open!" Called Ino
The door quickly flew open, and in came Konoha's resident canine-trainer with a howl.
"Woo! Guess who's got booze! Let's get this party started!" Kiba howled, waltzing straight into the apartment while waving around several cases of various alcohols. Akamaru, now so big his head reached Kiba's waist, barked a greeting, while carrying in his mouth a plastic bag which appeared to be full of more booze.
"Good evening everyone. Please excuse Kiba's intrusion." The polite Hyuuga Hinata stepped in, giving a slight bow, while carrying several packages. She noticed Sakura and Ino inside the kitchen, and decided to join them.
A third figure quietly entered, and softly closed the door behind him. Not bothering to voice his arrival, the always silent Shino walked over to the howling Kiba and promptly took the bags of alcohol from him and Akamaru, before they got a little too excited and broke them.
Walking out of the kitchen to see how Shikamaru and Chouji were doing with rearranging the furniture, Sakura stopped in front of the bouncing tawny dog. "Now listen here, Akamaru, I see any kind of scratch, dig, or stain anywhere in this apartment, it's on your tail. Got it? And Kiba, this goes double for you." She firmly explained to the hyperactive duo. Kiba just gave her a sheepish grin and a salute, while Akamaru gave a whine of understanding.
"By the way, where is everyone else? I thought we were late." Kiba asked, noticing how there were still several people missing.
"Oh! That's my fault. I gave Shika the wrong time, so he told you the wrong time. It really doesn't start until six." Ino from the kitchen laughed. Shikamaru didn't even bother to respond, just simply rolled his eyes.
"Six! But..but...I don't think I brought enough booze to last an extra hour...guess that means I'll just have to go out and get some more." Kiba whined, immediately plopping down onto the love-seat that Shikamaru and Chouji were trying to move.
"Kiba, we're not even of legal age to be drinking, let alone buying alcohol. Dare I ask how you got it?" Sakura inquired.
Kiba just laughed sheepishly, while rubbing his hands together. "Let's just say...I have connections."
Sighing, Sakura checked the time before making her way back into the kitchen to see how the food was coming. After making sure nothing was burning or over cooked, Sakura returned to the living area to watch Shikamaru and Chouji try to convince both Kiba and Akamaru to move from the loveseat that they were suppose to move, while Kiba took a swig of a beer that had mysteriously appeared in his hand. Smiling, Sakura quietly thought to herself. 'This is all for you Naruto. We're all coming together for you.'
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Ok, this is only part 1. Originally, this was going to be one solild chapter, but then it started getting long...like really long. So I decided to split it up. The second past is about 75% finished, so it should be up fairly shortly. In another few days, I'd guess.
And thank you everyone for the reviews! They make me want to write even more ^_^
Chapter Four - The Enemy's Shadow -pt 1
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The day of October 10th was a day of both celebration and mourning. On this day, 18 years ago, the great nine-tailed fox demon, Kyuubi, was defeated. Many lives were lost in that great battle, including the life of the greatest Hokage that ever lived, Yondaime. He was the one who sacrificed his life to defeat the rampaging demon, and saving the village from total destruction. Thus a legend was created, and 18 years later, that legend was still remembered.
The festival lasted the entire day, though most of the activities and events didn't occur until nightfall. During the day, the marketplace was filled with excitement. The hustle and bustle of busy shoppers never ended, especially on a festival day. A special honorary monument was set up, with all the names of the fallen inscribed on it, so that loved ones and family may mourn and pray. The Academy was closed for the day, as well as the Hokage tower, as no missions were given out. Even the Hokage decided to give herself the day off, despite the mounds of paperwork that currently surrounded her.
Inside her office, the Godaime Hokage, was sound asleep. Oblivious to the outside world, Tsunade had her head rested on her arms which where folded on top of the pieces of paperwork she had been previously working on, before her sudden urge to take an afternoon nap. A slight knocking of her office door and a murmured voice on the other side suddenly woke the sleeping woman, and she mindless called whoever was on the other side to enter. Tsunade's medical assistant, Shizune, quickly entered, her hands filled with multiple folders and scrolls. The pig, Ton-ton, quickly followed Shizune in.
"What is it now Shizune? I'm busy, as you can see." Tsunade grumbled as she bit back the urge to yawn. 'What time was it?' She mentally questioned.
"I can see that...Tsunade-sama." Shizune sarcastically mumbled.
After working with Tsunade for so many years, she wasn't fooled. It was clear that Tsunade had been sleeping, which was visible from the drowsy look on Tsunade's face, and the fact that they giant piles of paperwork had yet to diminish from the last time Shizune checked up on Tsunade; 3 hours ago.
Clearing her throat, Shizune walked over to the Hokage's desk, and deposited all of the folders and scrolls which she had been carrying.
"Here are the current medical reports, and the new guard duty schedule, as well as the new mission requests, all of which need your review and approval." Shizune smiled innocently, internally laughing at Tsunade's current look of disgust and hate at the piles of paperwork. What Tsunade wouldn't give to just ignite the entire pile.
A second knock on the office door caught the attention of both women. Before Tsunade could even say 'Enter', the door swung open wide, and in came Koharu, one of the village's elder council members. Even though she was short compared to the Hokage, she had no problem with voicing her opinion rather loudly. A look of displeasure and annoyance was written across the old woman's face. Sighing, Tsunade gave a slight smirk and interlaced her fingers together, looking straight at council member.
"Good day, Koharu-san. What do I owe the honor of this sudden visit?" Tsunade smoothly spoke, with a hint of sarcasm. It took all her power to resist the urge to just leap out of her office window right then and there. Tsunade never liked, nor fully cooperated with the village elders, and used every tactic possible to evade them. To Tsunade, they were just a bunch of nagging old fools who loved to just hear themselves talk.
"Tsunade-sama, I was just informed that you will not be attending the dinner with the Fire Country Lord this evening. I certainly hope that this was a misunderstanding." the elder spoke with a quick tongue.
'So that's what this is about...Oh this is going to get ugly' Tsunade internally cringed.
"I'm sorry to say but that isn't a mistake. I have other things that I must attend to, and will not be able to join you for dinner." Tsunade gave the elder a wide and slightly over joyous grin.
Apparently that wasn't the answer Koharu was looking for. Her face continued to grow tighter and redder in her apparent internal rage.
"And what may I ask is more important than the traditional dinner with the Fire Country Lord?" Koharu insisted, taking a few steps towards Tsunade's desk, trying her best to look intimidating.
"There is another dinner which I agreed to attend, and that is the one I'll be going to." Tsunade was quick to answer.
"With who?" Koharu demanded, placing her hands on Tsunade's desk and bracing herself slightly, locking eyes with the Hokage.
"A good friend of mine." Tsunade chose to be vague in her reply.
"Who!?" Koharu demanded once again.
Tsunade didn't reply. She just stared back at the elder, with a blank expression on her face, telling Koharu that she had no intention of giving the name. Koharu internally seethed in rage, but kept her exterior expression calm...that was until she figured out who Tsunade was visiting.
"It's that demon-brat isn't it?" Koharu spoke through clenched teeth. It was Tsunade's turn to show anger. Slamming her fists forcefully onto her desk, so hard that small cracks began to appear, Tsunade rose from her chair and towered above the old woman.
"I do not want to EVER hear you call him that again, or so help me god, I will bring my full wrath upon your doorstep. Do you understand me!?" Tsunade threatened the elder.
Koharu didn't bother to reply. With a swift motion, she was storming out into the hallway, slamming the door behind her. Sitting back down in her chair with a heavy sigh, Tsunade rubbed her forehead slightly, feeling a headache coming on.
"That...went well." Shizune finally spoke, after watching the entire conversation. Her sarcasm wasn't missed by Tsunade.
"Those damn elders must get a kick out of making my job as difficult as possible." Tsunade turned her head and gazed out the window, looking at nothing in particular. After a brief moment, Tsunade began to chuckle to herself. "Remind me later to thank Sakura for giving me a perfect excuse to skip that dinner. I hate those formal events as much as I'm hating this pile of paperwork in front of me right now."
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The mid-afternoon sun settled high in the sapphire sky, causing an unnatural heat wave for an October day. Deep within the forest that circles around the village, the resident demon-vessel of Konoha was hard at work training his skills as a shinobi. With all the excitement going around in the village itself, Naruto didn't dare attempt to workout at the training grounds. He'd only attract unwanted attention. So he decided to find solitude in the nearby forests. He wasn't out far out from Konoha though. Just by a few miles. With the continuous threat of Akatsuki, Tsunade had forbidden him from leaving the village without permission, and especially alone. Plus, he had already promised Sasuke that he'd go to Sakura's house that evening, so he couldn't go far anyway.
Tossing his remaining kunai at the many targets he had set up, hitting all dead-center, Naruto jumped to the forest floor and leaned up against a nearby tree trunk, breathing heavily. He'd been out here all morning, and didn't even stop for lunch, not that he'd brought any with him. Wiping his brow and sighing heavily, Naruto closed his eyes and took comfort in the solitude of the forest. Whenever he felt suffocated and confined by the village, all Naruto had to do was seek the comfort of the forest canopy. It was one of his favorite places to be at true peace; the other being on top of the Hokage mountain.
A slight fuzzy sensation in the back of his head alerted him that a particular demon was trying to get his attention. Sighing, and letting his consciousness slip, Naruto retreated to the back of his mind.
A slightly too familiar setting appeared before him once again. "What do you want Kyuubi? It's not like you to harass me so early in the day." Naruto yelled into the steel cage.
"Shut up brat and listen to me." The demon snapped angrily, appearing in front of the blond shinobi.
Naruto immediately quieted. Kyuubi was acting far too strange. Kyuubi talking to him last night wasn't out of the ordinary, but the warning he had given Naruto was. And now here he was again, in broad daylight, standing in front of the Kyuubi's cage and facing his temper. If Kyuubi was this persistent, than something must be going on.
"Return to the village immediately. It's not safe out here." Kyuubi quickly spoke.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. It wasn't often that Kyuubi surprised him. Naruto looked at Kyuubi, waiting for an explanation.
"Now, I know this isn't exactly your favorite day of the year, but you need to trust me on this one. The woods aren't safe. You need to be in the village." The Kyuubi continued, though he was being stubbornly vague.
"Why?" Naruto persisted.
"It's out there...somewhere. I can't sense it, but I can feel it." Kyuubi muttered, his eyes focused off to the side, as if he was in mid thought.
"Kyuubi, you're not making any sense. You didn't last night, and you're not now. What is out there that you're so afraid of?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Kyuubi roared, his tails flailing out in irritation. "I don't know what it is, all I know is that something is out there. Something that is making me feel uneasy. Like something in the back of my head is whispering to me to be wary."
Naruto rubbed his ears in annoyance. "While you may have a whispering voice in your head, I have you in my head, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell." Kyuubi just flattened his ears and growled low.
"Ok, ok! I get it! I'll go back to the village. Though I hope this is nothing more than just you being paranoid." Naruto finally gave in, though he was pretty pissed that he had to go back to the place of his current distress.
Suddenly Kyuubi titled his head to the side and lifted on ear, as if something caught his attention. After a moment, he growled lowly.
"Kit, you have company coming this way." Kyuubi finally spoke.
"Hmm? Who?" Naruto asked, curious as to who could be coming all the way out here in the middle of the woods.
"Anbu, from the feel of their chakra. Two of them. Probably on patrol around the boarder." Kyuubi mumbled.
"Shit. I don't want to deal with them now." Naruto cursed loudly. Both Naruto and Kyuubi hated the senior Anbu members. They were the ones that remembered Kyuubi's attack 18 years ago, and they were the ones who still held the strongest grudge against him. During the attack, the Anbu were the ones who fought the demon the most, and they were the ones who took the most causalities. So naturally the surviving Anbu still held a vendetta against the demon-vessel.
"Don't bother trying to hide your chakra. They already sensed you, and are almost here. Just pack up your stuff and get back to the village." Kyuubi gave Naruto some parting words before he flung Naruto's consciousness back into reality.
'Yes Mother' Naruto sarcastically replied to Kyuubi's fussing. Even though the demon tried not to take any part in Naruto's life, there were times like this that Naruto found it odd when the demon showed a protective and almost motherly nature. Naruto snickered at this last thought 'A motherly Kyuubi.' Kyuubi's probably pissed at that comment.
"What are you laughing at, demon-brat?" A cold voice cut through the air, attracting Naruto's attention.
Two figures quickly appeared from the tree tops above. As Kyuubi predicted, they were Anbu. Both dressed in the traditional Anbu uniforms, and each wielding a katana strapped to their backs. The taller of the two wore a coyote-painted mask, while the other wore a rat-painted mask. The two Anbu walked over to the blond, and began to circle him slowly, as if he was prey.
"Well well well, what do we have here? A little fox-demon, lost in the middle of the woods?" The coyote Anbu sneered.
"Hehehe, he looks suspicious to me." The rat-masked one chucked.
"Listen guys, I was just out here training. I'm heading back to village now." Naruto attempted to make peace, holding up his hands showing he didn't want to fight.
"Sure you were. And we were just out for a picnic." The taller replied, stopping in front of the blond and stepping closer to him. The coyote Anbu was at least 4-5 inches taller than Naruto, so he used this advantage to try intimidate the blond. The coyote Anbu stared down Naruto, locking eyes with him. Naruto never flinched, nor backed down. After a brief silence, the coyote Anbu clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I don't get it. What is it about you that pisses me off so much? Is it that fact that the Hokage favors you so much? Or the fact that you're allowed to be a ninja? Or could it be the fact that YOU'RE STILL FUCKING ALIVE!?" In a flash, the coyote Anbu grabbed Naruto by the hair with one hand, and swiftly ground his knee into the blonde's stomach. Naruto doubled over in pain, his knees hitting the ground and his arms wrapped around his waist. Biting his lip to silence a cry of pain, Naruto lifted his head and glared at the Anbu who stood over him, laughing.
"How does that feel demon? You know what that is? It's called pain. Get use to it." And with that, the two Anbu began to beat on Naruto, kicking and punching him repeatedly. It's true, Naruto could fight back, he could run away, but he didn't. It would only lead to worse things. If tried to run, the Anbu would tell their friends, and they would come back in an even larger group. If he fought back, they'd report it to the council, saying he was violent and lost control. So Naruto took the blows, and the pain that came with it.
What seemed liked an eternity, the Anbu stopped finally. Naruto laid crumbled on the forest floor. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth, and his clothing was bloodied and torn. He was panting heavily, and his eyes remained closed. A bird flew over head, giving out a cry to the Anbu below. They both looked up momentarily, before standing straight and stepping back.
"You're in luck demon. The Hokage is calling for us." The two Anbu laughed, and swiftly departed.
Naruto laid there, slowly calculating his injuries. He was lucky, nothing appeared to be broken. His insides hurt like crazy, and it's possible he had a few bruised ribs. Sitting up, he rubbed his sides carefully.
'Shit.' he thought 'These will take a little while to heal.'
Standing slowly, his legs slightly shaking, Naruto began the slow painful walk back to his apartment. He sighed, and took note of the time. It was around 3 p.m. he guessed, which only gave him a few hours to clean himself up before he went to Sakura's. He absolutely couldn't let her find out that he was injured. If she found out, she'd start asking questions which he couldn't answer, and then things would just spiral downwards from there. He inwardly hoped that Kyuubi would heal him enough so no one would notice.
---------------------------
Later in the village, two kunoichi were rushing about a mid-sized apartment, making preparations for an event later that night.
"Sakura! Where were those extra party ribbons? I thought you said there were in the cabinet." The blonde, Ino, yelled to her pink haired friend who was currently cooking in the kitchen.
"They are in the cabinet. Look in the box labeled 'sewing kit'." Sakura replied, while checking the multiple pots of food she had cooking on her stove.
"Ah ha! Found it! Why were they in a sewing box?" Ino appeared in the kitchen, holding a roll of bright multicolored paper ribbon.
"Long story. How about you set those up above the table and around the living room." Sakura pointed with the spoon she was currently holding.
"I can't believe that little ingrate, not telling us his birthday. I mean, Sasuke of all people had to find out, and tell us." Ino rambled on as she began stringing the ribbons above the table along the ceiling. "I wonder why he never told us. You'd think he'd be jumping up and down screaming to us that his birthday was coming up."
"Maybe he doesn't like his birthday." Sakura spoke aloud.
"Why would you say that?" Ino questioned.
"Well, obviously I've known Naruto since we were 12, back when we were on team 7. Now that I think back on it, not once do I remember him ever talking about his birthday. It's like he hates the day October 10th."
"Well, it is kind of a coincidence that he was born on the exact day the Kyuubi-demon was killed. I would think he would like having a festival on his birthday." Ino pointed out.
"Naruto's never even around during the festival. Every year I've tried to invite him to go, but he always just...disappears." Sakura's inner instincts tell her that there's some connection between Naruto's birthday, the festival, and the reason why he keeps it a secret. However, she was interrupted from further examining those thoughts when Ino came bounding into the kitchen, and peered over her shoulder.
"Jeez Sakura, how many people did you invite? There's enough food here to feed an army." Ino took note at the wide variety of food Sakura was preparing.
"Oh, you know, the usual people. Your team, my team, Hinata's team and Lee's team, as well as the senseis, Shizune and Tsunade-sama." Sakura slapped Ino's hand away when she tried to sample a small bit.
"So, pretty much everyone." Ino shock her head and smiled. She wondered if there was enough alcohol to go around. With both Kiba and Tsunade coming, there had to be liquor.
The doorbell ringing got both their attention, and Ino quickly went to the door. There stood Shikamaru and Chouji, each dressed in casual - yet stylish looking clothing. When Sakura began organizing the party, she specifically told everyone that ninja uniforms were banned, and anyone wearing one wouldn't be let through the front door.
"Ah, my two favorite guys! Good, you're early. You can help set things up." Ino smiled and lead them into the apartment.
"We're early!? You told us 5 p.m. was the start of the party." Chouji frowned, munching on a few potato chips.
"I know I did. This way you can help us move some furniture around, and get things ready." Ino inwardly applauded herself for getting the two here early just so they could help out.
"Tch. How troublesome." Shikamaru sighed, as he was expecting Ino to pull something like this. Though he knew better than to try to skip out and come at the real time, as Ino would probably give him an earful. Women were so bothersome.
Over the years, the trio of team 10 continued to be close friends. Surprisingly, the laziest of the three, Shikamaru, was the only one to make it to jounin rank. Both Ino and Chouji were content enough to stay chuunin. When asked why he wanted to become jounin, when the missions were much more dangerous, Shikamaru would never give a real reason. He would simply give his typical response, that it was "too troublesome to explain.". Though everyone suspected that it had something to do with the sand jounin Temari. It was almost common knowledge that Shikamaru wouldn't let a woman get the better of him, while Temari seemed to get a kick out of motivating the notoriously lazy shinobi.
Ino had branched off from her family's flower shop, and recently built a small greenhouse of her own. However, flowers weren't her main business anymore. Instead. Ino specialized in growing special medical herbs. Tsunade was the one who brought the proposal to Ino, as Tsunade wanted someone who was very knowledgeable with plants to run a new project. Tsunade wanted a nearby source for fresh medical herbs, but also wanted to start experimenting with hybrid-grown medical plants for future use. Ino was more than happy to take on the task.
Chouji was...well, same old Chouji. He was a constant of the three, always there to lend a helping hand whenever needed. Though at the moment, Chouji had no real set plan as to what he wanted to do with his life, he had mentioned a few times that he was contemplating opening his own restaurant.
"Hey Shika, did you remember to tell Kiba and his team to come like I asked you?" Ino called from the kitchen where she was helping Sakura.
"Yeah yeah, and since you told me 5 p.m., I told them 5 p.m." Shikamaru grunted as he and Chouji pushed a couch to the far wall.
As if on cue, there was a light tapping on the door, shortly followed by a loud rapping.
"It's open!" Called Ino
The door quickly flew open, and in came Konoha's resident canine-trainer with a howl.
"Woo! Guess who's got booze! Let's get this party started!" Kiba howled, waltzing straight into the apartment while waving around several cases of various alcohols. Akamaru, now so big his head reached Kiba's waist, barked a greeting, while carrying in his mouth a plastic bag which appeared to be full of more booze.
"Good evening everyone. Please excuse Kiba's intrusion." The polite Hyuuga Hinata stepped in, giving a slight bow, while carrying several packages. She noticed Sakura and Ino inside the kitchen, and decided to join them.
A third figure quietly entered, and softly closed the door behind him. Not bothering to voice his arrival, the always silent Shino walked over to the howling Kiba and promptly took the bags of alcohol from him and Akamaru, before they got a little too excited and broke them.
Walking out of the kitchen to see how Shikamaru and Chouji were doing with rearranging the furniture, Sakura stopped in front of the bouncing tawny dog. "Now listen here, Akamaru, I see any kind of scratch, dig, or stain anywhere in this apartment, it's on your tail. Got it? And Kiba, this goes double for you." She firmly explained to the hyperactive duo. Kiba just gave her a sheepish grin and a salute, while Akamaru gave a whine of understanding.
"By the way, where is everyone else? I thought we were late." Kiba asked, noticing how there were still several people missing.
"Oh! That's my fault. I gave Shika the wrong time, so he told you the wrong time. It really doesn't start until six." Ino from the kitchen laughed. Shikamaru didn't even bother to respond, just simply rolled his eyes.
"Six! But..but...I don't think I brought enough booze to last an extra hour...guess that means I'll just have to go out and get some more." Kiba whined, immediately plopping down onto the love-seat that Shikamaru and Chouji were trying to move.
"Kiba, we're not even of legal age to be drinking, let alone buying alcohol. Dare I ask how you got it?" Sakura inquired.
Kiba just laughed sheepishly, while rubbing his hands together. "Let's just say...I have connections."
Sighing, Sakura checked the time before making her way back into the kitchen to see how the food was coming. After making sure nothing was burning or over cooked, Sakura returned to the living area to watch Shikamaru and Chouji try to convince both Kiba and Akamaru to move from the loveseat that they were suppose to move, while Kiba took a swig of a beer that had mysteriously appeared in his hand. Smiling, Sakura quietly thought to herself. 'This is all for you Naruto. We're all coming together for you.'
*****
Ok, this is only part 1. Originally, this was going to be one solild chapter, but then it started getting long...like really long. So I decided to split it up. The second past is about 75% finished, so it should be up fairly shortly. In another few days, I'd guess.
And thank you everyone for the reviews! They make me want to write even more ^_^
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