DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto.
"Common speech"
'Thoughts'
"Emphasis / japanese statements"
"Contained individual's speech/ significant jutsu"
'Contained individual's thoughts'
As you may have noticed since Chapter 5, this fic has slowly transformed into something slightly darker. I am trying to pass on the slow development of Naruto's way of thinking as he matures somewhat.
Naruto always possessed wisdom, he just unknowingly didn't show it. Also, I would recommend reading Death of a Kage Bunshin by Foxie-sama. It encompasses the emotions and thoughts that I am trying to convey to my readers.
Lastly, people keep telling me about the real identities of the faux Akatsuki leader and his female companion as Pein/Nagato and Konan. I know who they are. Do take note that this fic was published in 2006. The identity of Pein/Nagato and Konan were revealed late in 2008 and I have no plans in changing their names. They will remain as Arashi and Mariko.
Onwards…
Naruto: Chapter 12 – Exodus
He hated the darkness. And this is why he was always near the bars of what was formerly Kyuubi's prison, the torched flames on the other side waving to him lazily.
He never once thought about being caged before. That was why he was always outdoors during his youth.
He bore all the hated looks and the jeering. He loved the kiss of the sunlight and the wind's caress.
But it was gone now.
He reached out and touched the cold metal bars, feeling the finality of them.
Darkness…nothingness…emptiness…
With it came the fear and despair. The angel of his nightmares come to life; reveling in the shadows for its unsuspecting victim.
And when it rears its ugly head, all traces of hope will have left you.
He wondered why the Kyuubi had always delved in the darkness whenever he came to visit.
The veil that it was. The mystery that it was.
He had always associated the abyss with negative emotions.
Anger, hatred, despair, jealousy, and fear.
And as these emotions began to consume his being, the malignant chakra behind him danced and flickered about as the crimson haze drew closer.
He turned about and readied to draw on his own and repel it. But he soon realized that in this…zone…he had none.
He edged himself further against the metal bars, distancing himself, and still it drew nearer.
He lashed out on impulse, with fear fueling his veins. And at this command, the crimson chakra swirled about him and shot out along his outstretched arm at a frightening speed.
Had it just…obeyed his will?
Surprise. Surprise.
Life was just full of it.
If there had been a living object before him, it would've been decimated by the chakra's raw power.
He made another wave of his arm, stunned and slowly getting excited at finally finding something to do, as the chakra followed his command albeit lethargic this time.
He frowned at this and made another moving command, but the chakra did not move, and merely resumed its pulsating float before him.
A raised eyebrow was all that showed of his puzzlement. Now what the hell was wrong?
He recalled his recent activities, which…weren't much. Had he accidentally made a jutsu? Form a seal?
Yeah right…all he was doing was sitting down and being emo…
emo…
emotional…
Didn't Arashi mention something about emotions being the key to the seal or something?
He closed his eyes and concentrated on remembering what emotions he was feeling just before the chakra acted up.
He was feeling sad. Afraid. And angry because of his situation. Guess we'll have to go through them one by one.
Okay. So…how does one go about being sad? He recalled the burial of Sandaime-jiji, and how depressed he felt during the time and allowed himself for the sadness to encompass him. He opened his eyes, and feebly made an attempt. No dice.
Next. Fear. When was the last time he was really afraid? Well, just now, he guessed. But he couldn't quite capture the feel of it, so he tried another image in his mind's eye.
The villagers.
They were coming for him. The promise in their eyes for agonizing pain to come would always haunt him. He made the attempt. Close, but no cigar. The chakra made the slightest of movements but stopped immediately.
Last.
Anger. This should be easy. He remembered Orochimaru's laugh, as he taunted Naruto. He remembered the pale skinned abomination in the Forrest of Death. The way his neck elongated and aimed for Sasuke's neck. The cursed hand that held the Kusanagi sword to kill Sandaime-jiji…
He felt a stirring wind about him, and was not surprised to see the crimson chakra envelope his body when he opened his eyes. He had known instinctively that anger, unlike the other emotions, sharpened his focus. Anger made his thinking process flow with astounding clarity.
"Patience, Naruto…" he recalled Arashi saying.
Yes…patience was the answer. But anger was the enlightenment to which he had understood it.
To which he had understood harmony and balance.
The Demon Lord found it difficult to sleep, and restlessly explored the caverns, seeking…something. He would know when he came upon it. He came upon the door to his quarters, but resisted entering, and continued on at a brisk pace.
"What's the matter?"
'Should you not be sleeping?'
"I could say the same for you. A body needs rest."
'I am not tired as of the moment.'
"Even so. I recall Ero-sennin saying that bijuu are large masses of chakra, so I'm thinking that, you don't have bodies, right?"
'That is correct.'
"Then you wouldn't know about fatigue and how it can affect shinobi in battle, would you?"
'…'
The imprisoned blonde sighed then said, "Can you summon a me for me?"
'Why?'
"I think your sleeplessness has to do with that adrenaline thing. Sakura mentioned that it gives a temporary boost of euphery…euphoree…um…"
'Euphoria.'
"Thanks. Yeah, a boost of euphoria, making the body temporarily stronger and stuff."
'What makes you think I currently have this adrenaline symptom?'
"Well, back then, when I got too excited about a mission on the next day, I found it hard to sleep. So what I did was, I'd do exercises 'til I'm drop dead tired. I think your excited about something…just don't know what."
'So…you wish me to do exercises with your clone?'
"I wanna spar…"
The demon lord smiled. True, a fight between himself and the young jinchuuriki had been an unspoken promise if ever the opportunity presented itself. He envisioned the kage bunshin sealin his mind's eye and released the appropriate chakra.
"You know, that's pretty cool," stated the newly summoned clone.
"What is?"
"The way you can do jutsu just by imagining the seal. It could be handy when fighting against the sharingan. That way, they can't follow the seal sequence, and won't know what jutsu you plan to use."
"Yeah, he's right," observed the imprisoned Naruto.
"As a bijuu, I performed techniques by pure concentration. Your human act of performing hand sequences is actually an aid for mental focus."
"I'm sorry but I don't understand," replied the clone. "Me neither…"
The Kyuubi closed his eyes in slight frustration, but then continued, "The forming of a single seal by hand somewhat molds your chakra. An entire sequence molds it further along until it is properly…'formed' is the closest word that comes to mind…Each type of hand seal has an equivalent chakra 'shape' or 'form'. As you stack these molded chakra, your jutsu is internally made ready. The saying of the jutsu name is the final sequence to which you manifest it. But all this can actually be bypassed. Utilizing perfect chakra control renders hand sequencing unnecessary. The chakra of bijuu and humans differ in the sense that some of your chakra is derived from physical endurance. This link is excluded from bijuu. Ours is pure mental control for the formulation process."
"Can I learn this process?"
"Yes, you can learn it through extensive chakra control exercises," stated the Kyuubi aloud for the benefit of the clone.
"Can you train me now?" asked the clone.
"I thought it was your desire to spar?"
The clone smirked then said, "Bring it on!"
The clone quickly jumped back and readied himself while already forming the shadow clone seal.
Above.
The second clone torpedoed down as swirling crimson chakra solidified at the outstretched hand.
"Rasengan!"
The demon kitsune raised an arm, and from it gushed forth blue chakra forming into a deadly spear.
The second clone saw the immediate danger, summoned another clone behind the kitsune with his free hand and met the chakra spear with his rasengan.
As the two chakra manipulations met, an incredible grinding sound echoed throughout the walls and threatened to smash its very foundations.
Upon closer inspection, the chakra spear also rotated on its axis. In all the years the demon has dwelled within Naruto, he observed that the rotation of the rasengan was relative to which hand the jinchuuriki held it on. If it was held in his right hand, majority of the chakra in the sphere rotated counter-clockwise and on the left, clockwise; the chakra spinning inwards.
Seeing the right hand extended by the clone, Kyuubi manipulated his chakra clockwise to oppose the rasengan and increased the rotation frequency than that of a rasengan.
'The devil is in the details', he smirked.
"What does that mean?"
Not bothering to reply, the demon extended the spear's length to impale the clone above. The rasengan gave two seconds worth of resistance before succumbing to the fury of the spear.
Crimson eyes neither blinked nor looked away as the fierce blue chakra impaled the clone and continued on to drill the cavern's ceiling. Pain tinged his eyes from the dust, but his focus was total, and the imprisoned Naruto felt respect for the demon king. His focus was incomparable.
'A disturbance…from behind…'
The kitsune ducked and did a forward roll as the second rasengan passed overhead. He timed the roll to have access to the second clone's exposed belly. Once his head was tucked in, and his hands touching the floor, his feet kicked upward. The force of the kick to the abdomen immediately dispelled the second clone.
When he stood up, he heard labored breathing, and was surprised to find that it was his own.
He had laced the air around him with wind-natured chakra, which had a radius of three feet. Any foreign movement above ground within this radius notified the Kyuubi of impending danger.
"Almost caught ya…"
'Almost and having caught me is a large difference…where is the primary clone? Did he quit?'
"You know me better'n that…"
'Indeed…'
Meanwhile, the clone had flickered to the entrance of the cavern and hid around the corner. The knowledge he accumulated from the dispersed clones came to him, and was surprised to learn that the knowledge of the original Naruto was interspersed with that of the prior two.
'What the heck did he mean by the devil in the details?', he thought.
He didn't like the situation, especially with that aura around the demon. He realized that all his attacks were close-ranged and criticized himself for not learning more ranged attacks, but he was one to look the enemy in the eye and attacking from afar was definitely not his style.
He eliminated these thoughts since negative thinking was a waste of energy. He calmed himself down and revised his strategy.
Kyuubi discerned his surroundings and waited. The silence was heavy to bear, but soon enough, he heard footsteps from the entrance.
The clone had a determined look, and started molding chakra to his hands. The kitsune looked on, already molding chakra within to take the offensive. Kyuubi then formed a circle with his hands, and centered it over his abdomen to expel the formed chakra similar to Shikamaru's pose when formulating a strategy.
Suddenly, air bullets were sent towards the clone in astounding speed.
The clone dodged to the left and retaliated by throwing fiery balls of red chakra.
"Impressive. You applied what you learned from Jiraiya and Kakashi about chakra manipulation."
"Anything to get right back at you…chakra is chakra, right? My clone just reshaped your chakra into a rasengan."
"Yes, but you forget about elemental weaknesses…"
The Kitsune slammed both palms on the ground, and once the fireballs of chakra were about to hit him, a slender but powerful tornado tore up from the ground.
The two chakras collided with ferocious intent.
"What the…?!? Fire's supposed to trump wind! And isn't your hellfire stronger than regular fire?!"
'Yes, but you still have many to learn, boy…'
Both clone and imprisoned Naruto looked on with awed curiosity at the outcome of the chakra clash.
As soon as the red chakra hit the tornado, the whirling wind was engulfed in dark red flame and the fiery tornado continued its dervish dance between the two combatants.
"You forget the basic properties of the elements…tell me…why does fire trump wind?"
"Because wind feeds fire."
"Correct. Have you noticed that when you blow to a flame, it follows the direction you are blowing to?"
"Yeah…"
"When two jutsu of opposing elements clash, the outcome is decided by the stronger jutsu. My tornado simply had more power behind it than your hellfire rasengan. The flames engulfed my tornado, but I can then direct it back to my opponent…"
"Wakarimasu."
The clone and bijuu heard quick approaching footsteps and turned to see Kazama and Itachi approaching. With a wave of his hand, the demon lord dispelled the flaming tornado and turned his attention at the pair.
"Good to find both of you still here. We need to leave immediately," stated the Akatsuki founder.
"What is the matter, Kazama-san?" asked the bijuu.
"Itachi knows who I really am as well as the switch between you two. So you may call me by my real name in front of him," Kazama replied then turned to the clone. "Konoha is in danger. War is brewing among the five nations. We must leave immediately."
"What of the other jinchuuriki?" asked Kyuubi.
"We take her with us. We cannot afford another bijuu to fall on the hands of the remaining members."
"I will inform her."
"Thank you, Kitsune-san. We meet back here within the hour."
"Fire shadow, I would like a change of clothes. The ones on me are quite uncomfortable."
Kazama never noticed it before, but Naruto's body had grown surprisingly fast while in captivity. His orange pants were at mid-shin, and sported holes from all the strikes induced during his 'training period'. The jacket had lost an entire sleeve, and had burn marks all over.
"Itachi-san. See to it."
"Hokage-sama, what of Mariko-san?" asked Itachi.
Kazama hesitated a moment then said, "She need not be part of this."
"Hai, Hokage-sama. Kitsune-san, please follow me. Naruto-kun, please dispel yourself."
"Okay," replied the clone and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"I'm sorry to say I have a very limited range in terms of color. I believe Naruto-kun loves orange."
"He and I do not share the same taste," replied the Demon Lord.
"Will black be suitable?"
"It is preferred."
"…So…is it true?..."
"What is?"
"The Uchiha sharingan…was it really…a gift...from you?"
"Your question hesitates."
"I don't know if it is a gift or a curse."
"It is both."
"What did my ancestors do to deserve such a thing?"
"It was because of one man. In my final battle against my nemesis, Yamata no Orochi, the leader of a nearby village my nemesis kept terrorizing saw the opportunity of ridding the eight-headed snake. He distracted my nemesis by striking at his tail, which shortened the length of my battle at the cost of his life. His name was Uchiha Susanoo…"
"Su…Susanoo?"
The Demon Lord smirked and stated, "Yes. He is now immortalized as you well know, Itachi. Forever to help the Uchiha clan. I granted his heirs the gift of the sharingan, but like all great power, it comes with a cost."
"Over using it leads to blindness…"
"Correct. Then came…Uchiha Madara and him taking his brother's eye..."
"So the attack to Konoha…you were controlled by Madara?!"
"My own gift used against me. Quite ironic. He is very much alive…and in the guise of-"
"Yes. Hokage-sama suspected as much," interrupted Itachi.
"And what do you and Arashi plan to do about it?"
"We don't know if the two of us can take him on just yet. So we'll keep playing the charade that the Rinnegan is within his grasp."
"Do not underestimate Madara…"
"Don't underestimate the Yondaime…after all…he did beat you didn't he?"
"Insult me at your peril, child."
"My apologies," replied Itachi.
They'd arrived at Itachi's quarters, and the Uchiha proceeded to open a cabinet.
"Take your pick. And use this," said Itachi as he handed an Akatsuki robe over.
Yugito lay restlessly on her cot, a light sheen of sweat covering her body. The air was humid and clung to her and because of it, sleep evaded. She had chosen a decision for her earlier dilemma and she only hoped that this experience would not leave any scars.
She wasn't embarrassed of the physical scars that marred her body. Although few, she was quite proud of them. What she feared were the hidden scars imbedded deep within the depths of one's person. These were tribulations that only the self could solve.
She sighed deeply and clenched her eyes shut. They call out to her…haunt her…taunt her. These doubts of self claw away at her built defenses, and she trembles when alone in the darkness.
Someone knocks at the door.
All insecurities are forgotten, and Nii Yugito, elite kunoichi of Kumo, returned. "It's open."
There stood her would-be prey in a new set of clothes. He now donned the Akatsuki cloak, unbuttoned, and beneath it, he wore a gi similar to that of Itachi's. Time to begin.
She looked at him with slightly dazed eyes, implying want in a subtle manner. She emphasized her breathing to make the rise and fall of her chest more noticeable.
"Naruto-san. Come in…please."
"We are leaving. Come with me."
The abrupt reply stopped her momentum. With much surprise, she stood unsteadily and walked toward him.
"What do you mean? Are you escaping?" she asked while trying to sound indifferent, suspicious of a test from her captors.
"No. The two of us, together with Arashi and Itachi are leaving Akatsuki. Our villages are in danger."
The crimson eyes unblinkingly held her violet ones.
"Take these. It is cold out." He handed her a new set of clothes as well as another cloak with crimson clouds. "Be at the training cavern in half an hour's time," he said and began walking away.
For a few seconds, what she heard left her in a stupor. Getting a hold of herself, she quickly changed and followed him.
What was happening? And what did he mean by the villages being in danger? Kumo? Damn it. Now what?
She arrived at the cavern to see the three Konoha nin. "Kazama! What's going on?"
Arashi, still in his disguise, replied, "A situation has risen. Konoha, Kumo, and Suna are going to be attacked soon. We've received intel of a substantial force on the move. If they succeed, the precious balance between countries will deteriorate and we could well be seeing a new war that puts all shinobi wars combined to shame."
"Isn't that what Akatsuki wants?"
"We are no longer Akatsuki. We must leave. Not much time is left."
Arashi and Itachi did a complex series of seals and the ceiling above them slowly began to part. When it was wide enough for a body to pass through, Arashi beckoned Itachi to go first followed by Yugito.
"Fire shadow. A word with you before we join them," requested the demon lord.
"Yes?"
"When with Nii Yugito…call me by your son's name…"
Arashi raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Why?"
"I do not want her to know…what I am. She is a jinchuuriki…she will be spiteful towards bijuu. I do not want to complicate things."
"I understand. I will also inform Itachi of this. Thank you for the forethought."
The two quickly followed suit before the opening slowly closed its mouth and left not a trace of their departure.
The searing sunlight bombarded Yugito's eyes with a vengeance. She took her time to let her eyes adjust and breathed the wonderful fresh air deeply. She looked about and absorbed the endless plains of grassland that surrounded her.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"Water country," and as Arashi replied, his body transformed until all vestiges of the Akatsuki leader disappeared. His hair became golden and tamed slightly by a Konoha hitai-ate, and his black coat of the red dawn faded to white with flames at the bottom symbolizing the Will of Fire. Metal braces covered in navy blue cloth shielded his arms and proud kanji stood out on the back of his white coat, proclaiming him as the Yondaime Hokage.
Itachi discarded his slashed hitai-ate and replaced it with an unblemished one, the symbol of Konoha proud and clear. He attached ANBU arm and shin guards and donned the Akatsuki cloak once more.
Arashi faced his team and said, "We head for Wave country. Any enemy forces we encounter, we take out. From there we divide into groups. Kitsune-san, you and Yugito will head for Kumo. Itachi and I will head for Konoha, then Suna."
"Father, you forget that my name is Naruto," the Demon Lord corrected.
Arashi suppressed his chagrin while Itachi had raised an inquiring eyebrow and Yugito thought this family as very very strange.
"Er…Forgive me, my son." Arashi continued. "As I was saying, three massive armies will be attacking. The first army comes from Taki no Kuni consisting of disavowed samurai and missing-nin. They have further enlarged their army from Otogakure deserters after Orochimaru's death. Also, we've recently found out that the Hidden Waterfall Village and the Hidden Village of Grass have a strong alliance. This army will attack Kumogakure."
"Whoa! Orochimaru is dead? How?!?"
"Father, how did Orochimaru die?" asked Kyuubi.
Arashi glanced at Itachi then replied, "Itachi's younger brother, Sasuke, killed him. Naruto, I will fill you in later.
Meanwhile, the second assault will occur towards Suna. The enemy consists of Iwa shinobi, a samurai army from Bird Country, and Amegakure shinobi.
The third assault will be made against Fire Country. Ki…Naruto, you do know who Danzou really is, don't you?"
"Yes…"
"Good. Itachi and I on the other hand only found out recently. It seems Danzou made military negotiations with Tea Country. He promised the Tea Country's Daimyo that Fire Country would become part of Tea, and in return, Danzou gets to control the Hidden Villages in the new unified country. Tea country's army will make the external attack, Danzou makes the internal one. Him and his ANBU of the Root."
"Kumo and Suna will be attacked first and in the same time," added Itachi. "The Army responsible for Suna will do a slow march so that they will be noticed by Suna scouts, but this will only be a relatively small force, but enough to appear larger in size than Suna's shinobi army. Suna will then call for aid from Konoha, and once Konoha's forces have been mobilized, Danzou strikes Konoha. As Konoha shinobi head for Suna, the hidden bulk of Iwa's army will ambush them, and proceed to attack Suna."
"How'd you come by all this information? Surely rumors of such enormous military expeditions…word gets out," asked Yugito.
"It pays to be a famous missing-nin," replied Itachi. "Other missing-nin are more open to gossip with you. Also, Danzou of the root is a master of manipulation while cloaked in secrecy. Many ANBU Root operations in Konoha have been executed even without the knowledge of the Hokage."
Yugito held a frown and said, "But against such large masses…and with only the four of us…"
Arashi smiled at her and replied, "Two jinchuuriki can turn the tide for Kumo. And I think a sharingan and the Yellow-flash will do the same for Suna and Konoha. We will not attack head on. To do so only assures our downfall. Our aim is to buy time. Make the enemy lose momentum, inform our villages, and we will win. Now…move out."