Eye to Eye
By: DJ Rodriguez
(Author's Notes: Hey everybody! It's sudden, I know. But, this little songfic goes out to everyone there for Thanksgiving! Consider it a bonus for all who wanted me to continue this fanfic.
Darien: This song inspired DJ, since it came from a fave Disney film of his, A Goofy Movie. So, sit back and enjoy this little Thanksgiving treat!
I do not own Naruto or "Eye to Eye" from A Goofy Movie.)
It was nighttime in Greenery Country, and the moon was shining down brightly on the beautiful piece of land. The lights were burning brightly in the home of Naruto and Tenten Uzumaki, who were at the moment entertaining their guests from Konoha. Dinner was on, but was a bit amusing thanks to the antics of one Mouko and Hayabusa. The two young ones were mostly playing with their food instead of eating it, which amused the women greatly.
"So gaki, how are things here in Greenery Country?" Tsunade inquired just to make small talk. Naruto shrugged and said it was good and that he had a job as the main Head Ninja of sort at the newly built Shinobi Academy, as well as doing missions for the princess. Thanks to his influence and connections to Princess Haruna, the school was vibrant and alive with promising young shinobi and kunoichi.
"However, I train them to be more like warriors then shinobi. Despite that it is a ninja school, I try to teach the young ones a sense of honor and integrity that many shinobi lack." Naruto put in. Tenten also said that she worked at the school as well, teaching the girls on how to properly be a kunoichi rather then a fan girl. That got Sakura and Ino's goat somewhat, but the two remained calm.
Hinata asked, "Naruto-kun, how did you manage to beat the Akatsuki? From the reports we heard some time ago, they were composed of ten S-Class missing nins of the highest caliber from all parts of the Elemental Continents. We all know of the Kyuubi inside of you, thanks to the Council repelling the Third's law and all, but we believe that just using the demon's chakra was not enough to defeat them all." Sakura and Ino agreed with her, saying that Naruto's body and mind had a limit and could not handle that much power at once.
Mr. Uzumaki smirked and answered, "You're right Hinata-san. Just using Kyuubi's chakra was not enough to defeat the Akatsuki. Oh, and for the record, Kyuubi is not a 'demon' as one would lead to believe." This got everyone's attention good, and Shizune was about to ask why when Tenten stepped in. The beautiful and talented wife of Naruto explained that Kyuubi was actually the fusion of two powerful beings, the Celestial and Shadow Void fox. It was like the Yin and Yang symbol, two different entities coming together to form a Chaotic beast.
"At any rate, me and Tenten-chan managed to find the headquarters of the Akatsuki. Even Ero-Sennin came along for the ride. Only five members remained in that base, they were the toughest out of the other Akatsuki members we've faced. We were about to go in and see what we could do, but… well, we got sidetracked. But it was for the best." Naruto explained.
Tenten continued, "We got sidetracked due to receiving help from nearly all parts of the world. Rock, Cloud, Wave, Ami, Mizu, Suna, you name it. Nearly all of the people we helped out over the past years came to our aid, without even telling us beforehand. We were surprised, let me tell you." Tsunade was listening intently at this piece of info. According to her, such a gathering of allies like that unexpectedly on a large scale was nearly unheard of before.
Flashback: Two years ago
Naruto and his girlfriend Tenten were at the border of Ame no Kuni (Land of Rain) and Kaze no Kuni (Land of Sand). Along with them was Jiraiya, who was being serious for a change. The two had spotted the base of the Akatsuki, a large mountain range that divided itself evenly surprisingly, thus allowing access for the members to go in any direction they pleased. However, the mountain range was treacherous and deep. Anyone who did not know the paths to follow could either get lost or die from avalanches, traps, etc.
"Well Ero-Sennin, your spy network did the job. We finally located that damn Akatsuki's base!" Naruto exclaimed. He really wanted to get revenge on the bastards because of what happened some time ago. He and Tenten barely rescued Gaara some time ago when his demon Shukaku was extracted from him by some of the members. The Kazekage was alive, but just barely and most of his abilities were gone. It was close, too close for Naruto's taste.
"Calm down, brat. It ain't going to be easy to infiltrate the base. Hell, it's only three of us against five S-class or higher missing nins! The odds are going to be against us, like a wave bashing against a weathered rock." Jiraiya stated seriously.
"Then how about we even up the odds a bit?" a voice came out from behind them. The three former warriors of Konoha quickly turned around, and saw a sight that was just too wild for them to believe. Standing in front of them was Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. However, that was not all. Beside them were Inari, Sasame, Chiyo, Tazuna, Tsunami, Matsuri, Yukie Fujikaze, and more. Nearly every single person that Naruto and Tenten helped out since their exile from Konoha was here!
"Gaara?! Inari?! What are you all doing here?!" Naruto exclaimed. Despite that the fact this was a stealth mission, he was surprised to see his friends. Tenten was also surprised to see them as well, Jiraiya also bugged-eyed in shock.
Gaara smiled, which was rare on occassions, and answered "Me and my siblings have come to help you and your woman aid in the destruction of the Akatsuki. However, some caught wind of our mission and decided to come on their own accord. Hence the extra people here." He then gestured to Inari and the rest of them.
Inari smirked at Naruto's surprised look and stated "Hey, what do you expect bro? You've done a lot for us, so its high time we returned the favor. Besides, you ain't going to get this party started without me!" The young teen was carrying all sorts of weapons, as was everyone else but it varied.
Jiraiya snapped out of it and exclaimed "You should go back. This is too much for you to handle! This is serious stuff that…" He was silenced by stern glares from the group, especially from the ladies. Naruto was going to agree with his sensei, as was Tenten, but he saw a fire in them all. It was a burning passion and determination… something that he saw in himself long ago. The Princess of the Snow walked up to Naruto and stared into his eyes, hers gleaming with a fiery spirit.
"Naruto Uzumaki, Tenten. You have helped us in the past, as well as rekindling in us a flame in our souls that we thought to be extinguished long ago. We needed your help to erase evils in our world, and now you need ours to help erase this evil." she said firmly.
Tenten put in "But, Princess! We really do appreciate the help, but these five ninjas are serious business! It'll probably take an army of well-trained…" She was silenced when all of them smirked widely, just like foxes. It was quite eerie, especially for Naruto and his group considering that he was thought to be the only one to pull off such a move. Gaara and Yukie indicated with their thumbs to look behind them, over the small hill.
Naruto, Tenten, and Jiraiya went over to see what they were indicating at, and their eyes nearly popped out of their skulls. In a wide plain stood about 5,000 people! The majority were ninjas from the Sand, but many from their respective lands have come! Shinobi, soldiers, warriors, and even ragtag civilians in armor were on the scene. Once they saw Naruto and his two companions, they let out a shout that rang throughout the land.
Temari smirked at the gobsmacked look on the three and said "Many are not skilled or seasoned fighters, and some are medics, but they all know the risk they are taking. I know no one from the Leaf is here, but have faith in us. We know what we're fighting for, and its high time we acted." Naruto looked at the friends he and Tenten made over the years, and then back at the group of people waiting for him to say something.
Looking at Tenten, he saw the look and small nod she gave him. The beautiful young adult smiled a little, and that was all the answer Naruto needed. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the small army and shouted out "Okay folks, this is it! You all know what is at stake, and also the dangers that await you should you choose to go with us. But… seeing you all here knowing that and still coming into this fight, you have more guts and bravery then I have seen most in my life."
Tenten stood by him proudly and added "So let's go and show the rest of the Akatsuki what we're made of! This is our world, and we're not going to let them turn it into a wasteland! Let's fight to protect the ones we care about! Our families, our homes, our loved ones… and our future." She then looked pointedly at Naruto, and the message was clear. She wanted to have a world where it would be much secure then the one they were living in now, a world to raise a family.
Jiraiya sighed, but made a little defeated motion with his hands in the air. "Heh, well this is surprising. Alright, let's get this party started then. Its going to be dangerous as Hell, but… who wants to live forever anyway?" he said. Naruto smirked widely at him, then turned to see his friends standing behind the Toad Sage. With a thumbs up, they started to work out a plan on what to do.
End Flashback"And that's what happened. The rest is history." Naruto finished up. Tsunade and the rest were amazed. They have heard about an immense attack on the border, but most of the Council and the ninjas disregarded the scene as something non-Leaf related thus to ignore it. The Godaime really thought otherwise, and felt that somehow the action involved her little adoptive brother and Tenten.
"We heard from some of the visitors to Konoha that place you were talking about was a literal war zone. Many claimed that hundreds of bodies littered the ground and that most of the mountain range was nearly reduced to rubble." Hinata said. The young Hyuuga girl realized that to do such a feat, a power on a scale unimaginable was required. Ino and Sakura also remembered hearing rumors such as that, but just chalked it up to exaggerated tales.
"It was a war zone. We lost many good people, but thankfully all of our friends survived the encounter. The Akatsuki is totally gone, and whatever plans they had in store for the world went down along with them." Tenten put in. It was a very tough fight, and it would have been impossible to win had not the others come in to aid them.
I got myself a notion
One I know that you'll understand
To set the world in motion
By reaching out for each other's hands
Maybe we'll discover what we should have known all along
One way or another, together's where we both belongDinner started to wind down, and Naruto started to put up the dishes and also clean up a bit. Using his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) to speed things up, he was done with the kitchen in about fifteen minutes. Dispelling the clones mentally, the Uzumaki lad led the ladies outside to the patio. Once they were situated there, and the babies securely tucked in their parents laps, the group looked on out to the night sky.
'Naruto has changed, in many ways. Even though I'm still a bit bitter towards him ending Sasuke-kun's life, I'm sorta glad that he's changed for the better.' Sakura and Ino thought. Scrapping together what little information they had on the blonde warrior, they automatically assumed that he was foolhardy enough to try and take on the Akatsuki by themselves. Now they see that he and Tenten were not fools, and also big enough to admit when they needed back up.
If we listen to each other's heart
We'll find we're never too far apart
And maybe love is the reason why
For the first time ever we're seeing it eye to eye'Naruto-kun… he's more of a man then any I dreamed of.' Hinata thought. Even though she was married to one Kiba Inuzuka, she had always dreamed from time to time on how Naruto was doing. In her fantasies, he was a fully-grown man that was handsome and dashing. Now, it seemed her fantasy became a reality only with more substance. The powerful sun-kissed hair warrior had matured and grown with age and experience, more so they he had when he was with the Leaf.
Looking up at the stars, Hinata ever wondered if she ever regretted her decision to leave the Leaf and join with Naruto and Jiraiya like Tenten did. 'I love Kiba and our daughter, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. But… if I had the chance to make the same decision over again back then, would I change it?' she thought. Apparently, the Hyuuga Heiress was not so sure about the answer she held in her heart.
If all wall should come between us
Too high to climb, too hard to break through
I know that love will lead us
And find a way to bring me to you
So don't be in a hurry
Think before you count us out
You don't have to worry, I won't ever let you drownSeeing a shooting star pass by, Tsunade and Shizune were looking up and wishing that they could have played some part in Naruto's life during his exile. They had tried to in the past, but the Council had always blocked or intercepted any kind of aid the two would try to sneak out of the village for Naruto. "My little brother is all grown-up now, in more ways then one." Shizune said softly. After hearing his tale, she believed that his exile was actually for the better but that did not lessen the pain of her not being able to help him or Tenten out.
Tsunade thought 'Those Council fools… they let a perfectly good man out of their grasp, and all for the sake of one spoiled brat!' But now when she looked at the scene of the present, she came to the conclusion that Naruto was just too good for the Leaf. He and Tenten were smart, powerful, adaptive, but more importantly had honor and integrity. Something that most shinobi nowadays did not adapt to, and that was a crying shame.
Repeat
Tenten was holding Hayabusa securely, looking at the stars but in between also gazing at her husband. 'I'm very happy that we've come this far, baby. I just hope that it continues until the end of our days.' she thought. Her mind then drifted to her friends scattered all over the world. She hoped and prayed that their fortunes were right and fulfilling. Of all the things that held them all together during the fight was the love they had for each other and also for the ones they were fighting for.
There are many types and kinds of love, friends. Brotherly, sisterly, family, romantic, platonic, the list goes on. But in the end, love is what brings out the best and worst in people. In the battle, it brought out the best and thus was a good factor in the victory for Naruto and his friends.
If you're lonely, stop
You don't have to be
After all is stolen, I'll beat a way from you to meRepeat
As Naruto gazed onward, he remembered all that he went through. Looking down at her little girl, he hoped and vowed that she would not go through what he did. He would train her, but in the way he felt was right. 'Man, its still unreal on what's happened even at this point. Still, its good to have a family of my own. And I promise on my own blood and soul, I'll protect them in any way I can.
(Author's Notes: So, what do you think? I hope it wasn't too over the top.
Darien: We all hope you all have a good Thanksgiving and when the time comes, a wonderful Christmas! In any case, the song shows that with love, people can do things they could never even dream of as well as have an equal view with their significant others.
R&R, no flames, enjoy, and leave long reviews!)