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Welcome to Chapter 17: Aiko’s Recovery Team

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy



Flashback Start:



Her eyes wandered over to Naruto, who Shizune and Jiraiya were now helping up. Aiko narrowed her eyes in anger and, most of all, hurt. Aiko shook her head and back to run back to the village, leaving a bewildered Tsuande behind. "What happened to her?" Tsunade questioned. As Aiko ran back to the Village, she had a painful realization. Call it her just being a child, but she couldn't trust anyone in the village anymore, not even Naruto. The only person she could trust more than Naruto was a snake she never wanted to work with again.



Flashback End:



Aiko ran through the forest of the Fire Country, not even stopping for a second. But after running non-stop for hours, her body was screaming at her to stop. She halted on a tree branch and steadied herself by placing her hand on the trunk of the tree. Aiko panted as she recalled the events that were still fresh on her mind. She gritted her teeth and tightened her hand into a fist. She slammed her hand into the tree and destroyed it in the process, sending woodchips flying everywhere. 

"Damn him," Aiko cursed. "He only loved me just to keep an eye on me," Aiko muttered before she leaped off the branch and began her way to the village. "You don't know that, Aiko" Yuna's voice rang throughout Aiko's mind. Aiko scoffed at the statement. "I do know that Mama," Aiko protested, "Orochimaru showed me proof of the mission!". "Orochimaru's a slimy bastard who manipulates people to get what he wants, and right now, the person he wants now is you," Yuna said, trying to reason. 

"I know that!" Aiko shouted. "Then why do you believe what he said?" Yuna questioned. "That's the thing! I don't know if I can believe what Orochimaru said! I don't trust him, but I can't really trust Naruto right now. I thought we had something real, something that would last our entire lives, but I was a fool to believe that". Aiko landed on the ground and slumped to the ground against a tree branch. "The only person I can trust right now is you, mama," Aiko muttered. 

Yuna felt nothing but pity for Aiko. "I know what it's like to not be able to trust anyone," Yuan started, gaining Aiko's attention. "This is around where I was first created. My brothers, sisters, and I would play these games and dare each other to do these crazy things. One day my sister Matatabi dared me to go near one of the villages that started to pop up. Being the oldest of the ten of us, I accepted the dare. I used my special ability to manipulate my size and transformed into a large wolf. I wandered near the village that would one day be known as the Village Hidden in the leaves. When I got close, a man clad in red armor jumped in front of me. I was intrigued by him and introduced myself as the Eleven Tailed Wolf. We chatted, and he eventually asked me if I had a family. I said I did and brought him to where my family and I were living. When we got there, he immediately started to capture my family. I only escaped because his wood Jutsu could not affect me. I trusted that man, and he betrayed me".

"How come you don't hate the village?" Aiko asked. "I don't hate Konoha because they weren't the ones that were capturing my family. The man in red armor was," Yuna explained. "What should I do then?" Aiko asked Yuna. "You should trust in your ability to make the right decision," Yuna said. Aiko nodded her head. "I'll just have to tolerate being in the village right now," Aiko said. "All I can do is support your decision, my little pup," Yuna said with a kind tone. "Thank you, mama," Aiko said with a smile before she shot off again.

When she got back to the village, she saw Naruto, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune standing there. She landed right in front of Tsunade, not even sparing a glance towards Naruto. "Hello, Sensei," Aiko greeted. "You had us all worried, Aiko!" Tsunade said sternly. Aiko flinched and bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Sensei, it won't happen again," Aiko apologized. "It better not. Now, why did you run off in the first place?" Tsunade asked. "If you don't mind, Sensei, I rather not say," Aiko said, making everyone standing there raise their eyebrows. 

Tsunade looked at her student before looking at Naruto. "We'll discuss this later in private. For now, I have something to discuss with you and two other Genin," Tsunade said before turning around and marching towards the Hokage tower. Naruto moved towards Aiko, but she sent him a glare and ran to her Sensei's side. Naruto looked on at Aiko in confusion. "What happened, Brat?" Jiraiya asked as they began walking behind Tsunade. "Aiko just gave me the cold shoulder," Naruto said with a confused tone. 

"Haha, 'cold shoulder' good one," Jiraiya chuckled. "I'm serious, Pervy-Sage; something about Aiko has changed. She's acting differently towards me. I barely remember when I was just waking up after fighting Kabuto that before she left, she gave that cold glare that she would give an enemy," Naruto said, voicing his worry. Jiraiya placed his hand on his pupil's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Naruto; every couple fights now and then. Just let some time past, pull a smooth move, and bam, she's back in your arms," Jiraiya explained. Naruto looked at Aiko's back with a sad look. "I hope you're right, Sensei."

As the group of five walked through the streets of Konoha, crowds of civilians and a few shinobi gathered around the returning group. Cheering for both the return of their Slug Princess and the Fifth Hokage. As they walked through the streets, Aiko felt Naruto's stare on her back. Whenever her mind wandered to moments that they shared, they were shattered with the fact that they could have all been fake or been real. Aiko tightened her fist, willing her tears to not fall and not to worry her Sensei anymore than she already had. 

Eventually, they made it up to the Hokage and to the roof, where someone was waiting with the Hokage's hat. Tsunade accepted the hat, placing it on her head, and stepped to the roof's edge while everyone else stood back. Tsunade looked out across the citizens that had gathered before grabbing her hat and throwing it into the air. "My name is Tsunade Senju, and I am the Fifth Hokage," Tsunade declared. Cheers erupted throughout the gathered civilians and shinobi. 

Aiko cheered for her sensei, and as she did, Naruto etched his way closer to her. When Aiko let her hands fall, Naruto tried to hold her hand, but she ripped it out of his grasp. "Don't do that," Aiko said with a warning tone. Naruto's eyes widened before he bowed his head and stepped away. When Tsunade stepped away from the ledge, she whispered to a nearby shinobi before walking towards Aiko and Naruto. "Will you two meet me in my office, please" Tsunade ordered. 

Aiko and Naruto nodded their heads and before they disappeared. One in a yellow flash and the other in an Ice Shunshin. They appeared in the Hokage's office and waited for a few minutes. After those few minutes of waiting, the door opened and revealed Tsuande followed by Shizune and Shikamaru. Tsunade took her seat in the Hokage's chair while Shizune stood next to her with TonTon in her arms. Shikamaru stepped up and stood in between Naruto and Aiko. 

"I've called you three here for a specific reason," Tsunade started, crossing her hands, "The Chunin exams were interrupted, and therefore, you were never informed of who gained a new rank." "Did you call us here to tell us that we're Chunin?" Shikamaru asked with a bored tone. "Yes, I did Shikamaru. As of this moment, Shikamaru Nara, Naruto Uzumaki, and Aiko Yanaka, you are all promoted to the rank of Chunin of the Village Hidden in the Leaves". Shizune bent down and picked up three packages that held the standard Chunin vest. She placed them on the desk and put the Chunin certificates on top of the vests. 

Shikamaru and Naruto took the vests and put them on while Aiko just took hers and her certificate. "This just means more work; how troublesome," Shikamaru complained. "Come on, Shikamaru, it's not that bad," Naruto said to his Nara friend. "Maybe," Shikamaru yawned. "You are all dismissed, except for Aiko here. I need to discuss something with her in private," Tsunade ordered with a serious tone. Shikamaru and Naruto nodded their heads. "I'll be at the apartment," Naruto said before he left the room. 

When the two new Chunin left the room, the atmosphere gained a serious feel to it. Aiko looked right up to her Sensei's eyes and saw that the whiskey-colored eyes were staring at her, expecting answers. "What happened between you and Naruto?" Tsunade questioned. "I'm sorry, Tsunade-Sensei, but I can't tell you," Aiko stated. "I'm ordering you as Hokage. You need to tell me what's happening between you and Naruto. From what I could see before, you two loved each other, but now you won't even spare him a glance. I can't have this between two of my Shinobi; it may affect the way they work in the field," Tsunade stated. 

"You want an explanation?" Aiko asked. "Yes," Tsunade answered curtly. "It's simple; I can't trust him anymore," Aiko answered. Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened in surprise at Aiko's words. "Why can't you trust him anymore?" Tsunade asked, more in concern now. "You can't truly love someone that you were ordered to keep an eye on," Aiko said, shocking the two others in the room. "If that's all Lady Hokage, I'll take my leave. I need to continue my Medical-Ninjutsu training," Aiko said before she turned to the door and left the room. "What did she mean by that Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked, concerned for someone she considered as a little sister. " I don't know, but I have a creeping suspicion that this is Orochimaru's doing," Tsunade said angrily, her fist hitting the desk and slightly cracking it. 

Aiko wandered around the village for a little bit before she disappeared in an Ice Shunshin. When she reappeared, she was in the Uchiha district of Konoha. She walked under the warning tape that stretched across the compound entrance and headed towards their private training ground. When she arrived on the training grounds, she ran her hands through a few hand signs before slamming them onto the ground. There was a poof of smoke, and a small snake appeared. 

"Lady Aiko!" The small, red-colored snake exclaimed, "It's been a while since you summoned me." Aiko smiled towards the small snake and crouched down in front of it. "Hey Manakichi, I need you to send a message to Orochimaru," Aiko said. "What is it?" The little snake questioned. "Tell him that my time in Konoha has come to a close. If I can't trust the ones close to me, then I can't trust the village. Tell him that I'll be waiting for him in the Uchiha Clan's training grounds," Aiko said. The little red snake nodded their head before they poofed into smoke. 

Aiko sat down on the ground and crisscrossed her legs. She began to meditate and focus on increasing both her reserves and sensing range. When Aiko arrived at the training field, it was noon, but it soon turned night with the moon rising high into the sky. The next thing Aiko heard was a pair of feet landing behind her. Because of her sensing, she knew that the one that landed behind was her female teammate, Hinata Hyuga. "Hello there, Hinata," Aiko said in a cool voice. 

"Naruto's been looking for you, Aiko-chan," Hinata said. "Why would I care if that traitor is looking for me?" Aiko scoffed. Hinata flinched at Aio's words but pressed forward and stopped right behind Aiko. "Because he loves you, he wouldn't betray you," Hinata said as she tried putting her hand on Aiko's shoulder. Aiko grew furious at Hinata's words and jumped away from her. "He doesn't love me! He loves the village more than he does me!" Aiko claimed loudly. "What do you mean, Aiko-chan?" Hinata questioned. 

"He took a mission to keep an eye on me, admit! He came up with the plan to be in a false relationship with me just to make sure I didn't lose control of my mother's powers!" Aiko yelled with fury. Hinata took a step back before she shook her head. "I don't believe that. Naruto would never do anything like that. What he feels for you is genuine. He would rather die than do something that would harm his friends," Hinata stated. "If you feel that way about him, then go be in a relationship with him!" Aiko spat. 

Hinata had hurt visible in her lavender-colored eyes. "I can't do that to my best friend. I won't betray her trust!" Hinata shouted. A figure landed next to Aiko, and Hinata's eyes went wide at who she saw. "Orochimaru..." Hinata said, barely above whisperer. She put two and two together and looked at Aiko with an alarm. "Are you leaving the village?" Hinata said, taking a step back. Aiko appeared in front of Hinata in an instant with her Sharingan activated. "I can't have you warning anyone. I guess this is goodbye, Hinata," Aiko said before she chopped Hinata's neck, knocking her out cold. She turned back towards Orochimaru and saw the smirk on his face. "Don't get me wrong, Orochimaru, I still don't trust you, but I can't stay in this village," Aiko said. "That's quite alright, but we must hurry. When Tsunade discovers that you left the village, she'll send Shinobi after you, and we need a good head start," Orochimaru stated. "Then let's go," Aiko said. They two gathered chakra under their feet and were off.

Hinata woke up to a headache and someone shaking her just a few hours later. When she opened her eyes, she saw that it was Naruto alongside her Sensei Kakashi. "Hinata!?" Naruto said as he shook her body again, "What happened. Did you find Aiko?". Hinata could see the worry in his deep blue eyes. "Aiko-" Hinata started as she sat up, Naruto helping her, "-She...she left the village, she left the village with Orochimaru". AS soon as those words left Aiko's mouth, Naruto tightened his hand into a fist and punched the ground. 

"Dammit! What the hell did that slimy bastard tell her? What lie has he spun to get her to lead the village" Naruto ranted. "Whatever it is, we have to inform Lady Tsunade," Kakashi said as he placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "If we hurry, we might be able to send out a team and get her back," Kakashi suggested. Naruto looked behind him and nodded at his Sensei. "Then we can't waste time," Naruto said with an air of seriousness as he teleported the three of them into Tsunade's office. 

Tsunade was slightly startled but quickly regained herself. "Report Naruto, what have you found three found?" Tsunade said worriedly. She crossed her hands together as she nervously awaited the information. "Kakashi-Sensei and I found Hinata knocked out in the Uchiha Clan's private training grounds," Naruto reported. Tsunade nodded towards Naruto and then turned her attention to the only other female in the room. "What did you see, Hinata?" Tusande urged. "I confronted Aiko, and we exchanged words before Orochimaru landed next to her. By the time I figured out what she was doing, she appeared in front of me with a fully matured Sharingan activated and knocked me out. She planned on leaving the village," Hinata reported. 

Tsunade rested her forehead on her still folded hands. "Lady Tsunade, with all due respect, we have to go after her right now. We can't just stand here doing nothing!" Naruto exclaimed. "I know Naruto, I know," Tsunade said, not lifting her head from her hands. "Then what are we going to do?" Naruto questioned. "I'm putting you in charge of a team. I need you to gather members for this squad and head out as soon as you can," Tsunade ordered. "Right away, Lady Tsunade!" Naruto said without hesitation, grabbed Hinata's shoulder, and teleported them out of the office, leaving Kakashi and Tsunade. 

"Why am I not leaving with them?" Kakashi questioned. "Because Konoha's forces were weakened during the invasion, and I need every available Jonin at my disposal right now," Tsunade stated. Kakashi nodded his head before leaving the room. A single drop of water fell from Tsuande's hand. She didn't move her head from her hands because she didn't want anyone to see her on the verge of crying. She felt a lump form in her throat when she heard the Aiko left the Village. "Please, Aiko," Tsunade pleaded as other tears followed and other ones after that, "Please return home." 

Aiko and Orochimaru had a good head start on Konoha by at least a few hours. They ran through the vast forest of Konoha, leaping from one branch to another. Orochimaru suddenly stopped, which caused Aiko to stop on the branch inform of him. "What are you doing? Shouldn't we be on the move? Konoha could be right behind us," Aiko pointed out.  "Calm down, Little Aiko; Konoha is nowhere near us. Besides-" Orochimaru said as four different figures appeared around Aiko, "-I need you to meet your new team." 

Aiko took a look at each and every member of her supposedly new team. "These people are supposed to be my new teammates?" Aiko questioned as she looked at them with narrowed eyes. "Yes, they are, and you are their team leader," Orochimaru instructed as he jumped next to Aiko's side. "I'll be needing to go now; I trust you four know what to do next?" Orochimaru said, pointing his question to the Sound Four. "Yeah, we fucking know what to do!" The Red-Haired and only Kunoichi of the group shouted. "Watch your mouth in front of Lord Orochimaru and Lady Aiko Tayuya," A large, plump man said cooly. 

This apparently only enraged the redhead. She whipped her head towards the plump man. "Shut it, fatso!" Tayuya exclaimed. "Good luck," Orochimaru said before he disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Of course, he sent a clone," Aiko muttered before she turned her attention on the Sound Four. "So, what are you supposed to do?" Aiko questioned. "Simple," said a man with light blue-grey colored hair and two heads said. "You have to die First," A dark-skinned shinobi with black, shaggy hair tied into a ponytail said. 

Aiko whipped out a kunai in both her hands and glared at the members of the Sound Four. "I like to see you try and kill me," Aiko said as the temperature around them started to drop, and her slitted eye became more narrow. "You misunderstand us. For Orochimaru to be able to use your body as his next vessel, he needs your curse mark to be at stage 2," Jirobo explained. "So you have to fucking take these," Tayuya said as she brought out a small glass container with tiny black pellets. 

"What are those?" Aiko questioned as she slowly put her Kunai away. "Those are Mind Awakening Pills. IT's a drug created by Lord Orochimaru to speed up the development of the Curse Mark," Kidomaru explained as Tayuya landed next to Aiko and gave her two of the pills. "I assume these things are going to kill me from your earlier statement?" Aiko stated. "If you take the pills, they will kill you. But you won't die if we seal you inside of this thing," Jirobo said as he places a large cylindrical box thing next to him, "We'll use the Four Black Mists Formation to sell you. It will put you in a death-like state so that your curse mark will spread," Jirobo explained. 

Aiko looked at the box before looking at the pills she had in her hands. "There's no turning back now," Aiko said to herself as she popped the pills into her mouth and swallowed. She felt the effects immediately as she clutched her chest as began to tighten in pain. "Quickly, place her in the container!" Aiko heard Jirobo shout. She felt herself be picked up by two people and placed in the wooden container before the group performed the Jutsu and closed the lid to the container. 

A mere few minutes after Naruto and Hinata left the Hokage's office, they had their team. Naruto and Hinata collectively gather Shikamaru, Choji, Neji, Kiba, and his nin-dog Akamaru. "Alright! We have one mission and one mission only, to return Aiko Yanaka to the village no matter what!" Naruto stated with a serious tone. "If we have to get Aiko back, then why are we just standing here? She's our friend; we have to get her back!" Kiba exclaimed. "Because we need a plan if we are to return her successfully," Neji explained. 

"Which is why Shikamaru will be the one to come up with the plan," Naruto said as he gestured to Shikamaru. Shikamaru sighed before he walked up next to Naruto and stood in front of the squad. "This is troublesome to explain, but here it goes. Kiba and Akamaru will lead the group, tracking Aiko's scent and using their familiarity with the Land of Fire's terrain to spot booby traps. Naruto will be right behind Kiba and give orders as the mission will go on. I'll be right behind Naruto to advise him and be on the lookout for surprise attacks. Choji will be behind me to deliver the final blow during a surprise attack. Neji and Hinata will be the back to watch our backs," Shikamaru explained. 

"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto exclaimed. Kiba and Akamaru quickly found Aiko's scent, and they began to run through the forest at fast speeds to catch up to Aiko. 



 Timeskip:



The Recovery Team caught up to the Sound Four but was captured by Jirobo. Hey eventually escaped, with Choji staying back to fight Jirobo. As they kept encountering opponents, both teams lost members to fight the other team. The second to go was Neji fighting someone named Kidomaru. The Third to go was Kiba and Akamaru against Sakon and Udon. Fourth to leave was Shikamaru as he faced Tayuya. The final ones were Naruto and Hinata against an old member of the Sound Four, Kimimaro. 

Kimimaro stood in his stance just as Naruto and Hinata settled into their own. Naruto started by creating Shadow Clones and making them all charge towards Kimimaro so that Hinata could get close and end him. Kimimaro quickly dispatched the clones of Naruto and nearly impaled Hinata had Naruto not flashed her out of there in time. Naruto set Hinata down and closed his eyes before he opened them. He was engulfed by a Yellow-Orange cloak of chakra that flickered like flames over his body. 

He charged at Kimimaro with more power than before and kept him in the defense. He kept throwing punch after punch towards Kimimaro and eventually jumped back and held his hands out. Three large chakra arms extended from his body and hovered near Naruto's hands. Both Hinata and Kimimaro looked at Naruto in curiosity as he tried to use a Jutsu. Soon after trying to perform the Jutsu, a small, condensed ball of chakra started to form in Naruto's hand.

Naruto then extended his arm forward, and an arm made of pure chakra extends towards Kimimaro. Realizing the danger of the Jutsu that was coming his way, Kimimaro tried avoiding it. Still, while he was distracted by Naruto's Jutsu, Hinata had snuck up on him and paralyzed him. She leaped out of the way just in time to be able to avoid the massive explosion that came from Naruto's Jutsu. Naruto exited his mode, no longer able to safely use it, and started to look around for Aiko. 

That's when purple smoke started to emit from the coffin-like container that held Aiko. Naruto and Hinata looked at the container cautiously until it exploded. After the purple smoke cleared, Naruto and Aiko were meet with a welcome sight. Aiko stood up from the remains of the container and looked at her hands. "I feel...I feel so much stronger," Aiko muttered as she tightened her hands into a fist. "Aiko-chan!" Aiko's head whipped up and glared in the direction of the voice that called her. 

"Come on! We can go back to the village now. You had everyone worried, especially me," Naruto Asia as he took a step towards Aiko. Aiko took a step back. "I'm not going back to a village where I can't trust anybody!" Aiko shouted. "That's not true, Aiko, and you know it! You can trust the village; you can trust Naruto and me," Hinata said gently. "Lier!" Aiko yelled at Hinata. Aiko's Sharingan flared to life as she activated a Genjutsu on Hinata, making her fall unconscious. 

Aiko sent chakra to her feet as she shot off towards the border of the Land of Fire. Naruto ran off after Aiko but only after he quickly checked on Hinata and released her from the Genjutsu. By the time he caught up to Aiko, he was on top of the head of Hashirama Senju. Aiko was onto the head of Madara Uchiha. The two looked at each other as the breeze came through the valley...the Valley of the End. A place that will decide both Naruto and Aiko's fate. 



 (A/N)

The next chapter will probably be short because I'm just going to cover the battle between Aiko and Naruto and the conversation Jiraiya has with Naruto afterward in the hospital. 



Published: Tuesday - December 14th, 2021 - 3:33 P.M.