"Speech"
'Thought'
Naruto X
Chapter 18: Alone
By Suiiren
"What have I gotten my self into?" questioned Hiko to herself as she looked at the level of destruction that was in front of her. In front her laid the waste of what was once the business district of Konoha: where there once stood buildings brimming with new clothes, there stood fire; where there used to be colorful signs and banners showing various advertisements, there stood broken pieces of frames and kindling wood; and where there stood tall buildings, nothing but ruins. No doubt there had been a massive fight here and that is was still going on. The hard part was trying to find where the fight was continuing and finding her way there. As there were thousands of people who were running through the streets in panic and various ninjas out there who tried to get some bearing of order in the panicked mob of people.
'No doubt this was caused by the one named Kisame and some ninjas.' she thought as she slowly jumped from ruined building to building. She hated to see the chaos as she jumped from roof to roof and she was getting tired of it all . . . the chaos. It seemed she thought that wherever she went that there were people, chaos would occur. Trouble loved her company, and she surely did not enjoy its company. She then quickly hurried and headed towards the Hokage Tower as that was where she was told Naruto was at.
Hokage Tower:
"Damn!" yelled Asuma out loud as he finally realized that they were heading towards the Hokage Tower. 'He's been toying with us all along.' thought Asuma angrily as he felt the tremendous force of Kisame and the chakra that was leaking out of him.
'He has to be a monster to be leaking out this much chakra and fight at the same time. This is absurd, an opponent like him is beyond any ordinary S-Class Criminal and those who are S-Classed are no ordinary push-overs themselves.' thought Asuma frustratedly as he desperately blocked and parried slash after slash of Kisame's swing with Samahade.
"Bah, this is starting to get boring." grunted Kisame in a bored tone as he stopped momentarily to look at both Gai and Asuma. "Maybe its time that I should be lopping your heads off by now but on the other hand that used to be Zabuza's preferred way of killing." said Kisame with a sadistic smile as he scratched his chin in a deadly playful manner and as he continued waiting. "No, it is still too early to kill you two yet, besides I will not be able to kill anymore after you two since I have more 'pressing' matters to attend to. So please, don't die yet, for my sake. Go ahead, I will even let you guys have a head start, go and bring more friends!" strutted Kisame as he gave a child-like gesture towards Gai and Asuma to run away towards the Hokage Tower.
"Gai, he's been toying with us the entire time." said Asuma tiredly as he took a look over at Gai who was in worse shape than he was. Although both of them managed not to get hit with Samahade, they were not able to dodge every single punch and kick that Kisame had thrown at them. Now, Asuma was looking towards Gai hoping that Gai would back down this time instead of letting his pride get the better of him and continue fighting. If need be, Asuma was almost ready to abandon Gai if he were to stay . . . almost.
"Asuma," said Gai solemnly as he looked towards him, "let's retreat for now. Regroup at the Hokage Tower." And as soon as he Gai had said that he had soon disappeared, heading towards The Hokage Tower.
'Damn,' thought Gai as he swiftly leapt towards The Hokage Tower. He never liked retreating but at the rate that things were going now it looked like things would come down to a last stand at the Hokage Tower. He never liked to run away from battles but he knew that there was more at stake than just his pride this time, it was Konoha. He knew that if he failed this time, the dream that was Konoha would come to an end and besides, if things were really going to end, he wanted to die with those he cared for most. 'If I am to fall, then let it be with my comrades . . . fighting.' thought Gai one last time as he leapt ever closer to the Hokage Tower.
Inside the Hokage Tower, Top Level:
"Kakashi!" yelled Rin as she saw him and Kurenai being carried in by a giant salamander and as soon as he was put she had ran towards his side, examining him. 'Who could have done this to them?' thought Rin as she realized that there was only one person who was capable of doing it. "Itachi." said Rin angrily as she made her way to Kakashi and Kurenai to examine them.
"From the looks of it, he used a powerful Genjutsu technique that attacked Kakashi's mind. Both his mind and body are in a state of shock . . . and from the looks of it the same thing happened to Kurenai." explained Rin as she placed both her hands on Kakashi, trying to heal his mental and physical injuries at once. "This is going to take some time, the wound he has on his shoulder is deep and the extent of his mental trauma is unknown. All that we can count on is his will to live . . . and that goes the same for Kurenai."
"Better hurry up." said Oosanshuuo with a raspy voice as he looked around the room only seeing a handful of ninjas. 'A few Jounin and Chuunin guards and one team of ANBU, this much can not handle Itachi. Even hurt, he still is stronger than them all combined. Plus, Kisame is still out there.' thought Oosanshuuo grimly. Seeing the sparse defense only worsened his fears as he felt Yuri's chakra gone and his link to this realm growing shorter.
"Is this it? Itachi and Kisame will reach here shortly and I am about to return back . . . it seems Yuri has been defeated." declared Oosanshuuo more than as if he were asking a question. "With this many you will not last long against those two."
"Yuri? Yuri-san was defeated?" asked Naruto fearful of what the answer would be as stared upon the large salamander that was clinging on to the outside of the Hokage Tower.
"She's not dead." replied Oosanshuuo quickly a small cloud of smoke started to appear around him. "Watch out for the one named Kisame, I can feel something unnatural coming from him . . . as if he wer-" started Oosanshuuo but before he could finish a –poof!- was heard and he was gone.
"This is a grim moment for Konoha, with so many of our ninja away from missions and many more being treated from the last battle a few days ago. We do not have the sufficient amount to stop Itachi." mused the Third slowly as he walked towards Naruto and patted him on the head.
"But Hokage-sama, you are the strongest ninja in Konoha . . . surely you can do beat Itachi." replied a Chuunin as spoke aloud but with his head lowered in respect of the Third.
"That would be true if I were stronger than him." said the Third more to himself than to those that were present.
"What do you mean Third?" asked the same Chuunin as he lifted his head in disbelief at what the Third had just said.
"Simply put, I and surpassed by Itachi by a large margin. He is a genius that has even greater potential than I ever had and he also has the Sharingan. I do not know how strong he is now but there is a good chance that he has even surpassed the Three Sannin." proclaimed the Third darkly as all the lower ranked ninja in the room stared on in disbelief. Those that did not show any signs of emotions were the ANBU who were present. No matter who it was, they would protect the Third to the death. Even if it meant their own deaths.
"Is it all because of me that people are going to get hurt again?" asked Naruto painfully as he looked at the Third feeling the tense emotions that were present in the room.
"Of course it is!" yelled another angered Chuunin as he pointed towards Naruto. "You are probably the only reason that they are here! What else would they be here for! They're here for you, YOU MONSTER, and because of you we are all going to d-!" screamed the Chuunin as he had stood up fear and anger apparent on his face but before he was about to finish Rin appeared in front of him.
"One more word and you're dead." said Rin in deadly finality as her kunai was next to his throat, a small speck of blood could be seen as the kunai licked his exposed neck as if taunting him to speak one more word. The Chuunin only stood there, speechless as he felt the cold piece of steel so close to his neck.
"Rin stop it immediately and let that Chuunin go, I will not allow the ninjas of Leaf to kill each other." ordered the Third sternly as Rin slowly retracted her kunai and returned back to Kakashi and Kurenai. The Chuunin on the other hand slowly backed off and simply sat down, disgrace and shame was apparent on his face.
"Please forgive me Third." said Rin emotionlessly as she knelt down on one knee with her head down.
"Forgiven." replied the Third as he looked upon Naruto with a smile. "Naruto, now do not worry, we here at the Leaf will protect all those who are Leaf. Even if it means that we do so with our lives . . . like the Fourth before us who did so without hesitation in his heart." said the Third as he eyed every single Chuunin and Jounin that was in the room hoping that what he said would be enough to keep everyone calm in an already tense situation.
But Naruto at this point had realized that it was him who was the cause of this once again. Once again people would become hurt or even die for his sake again and that was one thing that he did not want. He felt that it only confirmed their accusations of him being the root of all their problems.
"It's your fault that the Fourth is dead!"
"You demon, because of you I will never see my parents anymore! Just go die!"
"It's your entire fault that my brother died! Just disappear!"
"You took my husband away from me! Give me back my husband!"
"Things would have been better if you had died instead of the Fourth."
"Go away! We don't need a demon like you around here!"
He remembered many similar remarks more too, much more than he could have kept track. Each time he heard those comments it only made him more determined to prove them wrong but now in this situation. When he had to rely on those who would rather not defend him but were rather ordered too, it made him feel small, insignificant, and guilty.
"Sorry." blurted out Naruto as tears started to well up in his eyes. "Sorry, it is because of me that things like this are happening . . . because of me people have been hurt and because of me even Uzumi-ojiisan is dead. Sorry, sorry, sorry . . .." mumbled Naruto persistently as he cried on, arms rubbing against eyes that did not stop streaming tears of pain.
"Now, now, Naruto, don't cry." comforted the Third as he knelt down and started to clear away Naruto's tears. "You are Leaf, Naruto, and the tree known as Konoha will always be here to shelter you from whatever fires that may wish to burn you. You are part of our family and it will always be like tha-"
"Not necessarily!" interrupted a voice as everyone in the room stared their eyes towards the entrance as several members of the Council of Elders appeared. "Uzumaki Naruto, as of this day, you are no longer part of the Leaf and we no longer have any obligation towards you any longer. You are hereby exiled." came the voice prominently as Naruto's eyes shifted from sadness to betrayal.
"Exiled? What is that?" asked Naruto aloud to everyone as he looked around, fear and confusion apparent in his eyes.
"Off all times why do you choose now!" yelled Sarutobi out of anger as he eyed the few members of the Council that did not evacuate. "Why choose now to tell the boy when Konoha is in enough danger as it is! What are you trying to accomplish by saying that now!"
"Simply put, to save Konoha." snickered one of the Elders as he moved forward. "At this very moment, the population of Konoha is currently evacuating because of the threat of this boy. From the information provided by Yuri, it is apparent that the seal on the boy is broken now and add to that the fact that Itachi and an accomplice has appeared only leads to one thing. The boy is about to revert back into the Kyuubi and somehow Itachi is the one who is causing all this!"
"What? What do you mean?" asked the Third as he eyed the Elders in disbelief.
"Naruto has become a threat once again . . . I'm sorry but you knew that someday something like this would happen. Not only has he put this village at risk for too long but now he has attracted the attention of a powerful organization known as Akatsuki. It is time to do what should have been done ten years ago." came the voice of the Elder like poison as every ninja in the room listened.
'They are planning to abandon him and give him to Itachi . . . or worse yet, kill him.' thought the Third, knowing in his mind that Naruto was not even seen as human in the eyes of the Elders and most of Konoha.
"And what are you proposing that we do with him?" asked the Third grimly as he stood there, knowing what the answer would be.
"As we all know it is apparent that Naruto is no longer a stable container for the Kyuubi anymore. Since things have gotten so out of control, we will have to ki-"
"One more word out of you and you will die where you stand, Elder or no Elder!" interrupted Rin as she stood up unsheathing her nihonto-short sword. "Those who abandon others only to save themselves . . . are better off dead." spat out Rin in a deadly tone as she looked at the village Elders that were present and all the other ninjas in the room. "I will not allow you to do whatever you please towards the last link we have to the Fourth. He sacrificed his life for the village; have you no shame trampling on what little he left behind!"
"His sacrifice would mean nothing if that demon is unleashed once more, do you want that nightmare to reoccur in Konoha ten years ago!" screamed the Elder angrily as he pointed his fingers accusingly towards Naruto. "Are you saying that the life of that monster is greater than that of the entire village?"
"Enough!" interrupted the Third as he ushered Naruto behind him. "We do not have time to be arguing amongst ourselves . . . the one known as Kisame is here. While you two were arguing Asuma and Gai has informed of the situation." said the Third as he pointed towards the newly arrived Asuma and Gai who were kneeling behind him.
"We do not have enough the time now to argue. We must make haste and defend ourselves before-!" but before the Third could finish a large explosion occurred and in its wake came Kisame walking in.
"Well, well, I was wandering what all the noise was about so I came smashing in. Looks like all the fish are here together, this will make a great meal." snickered Kisame as he reached for Samahade. "Since you've all seen me, I'll have to kill you all."
"Your entrances are too rough and well pronounced Kisame." came a voice behind him as another person appeared beside him. "Whatever happened to your shark-like stealth and cunning?"
"Heh, you know when I get near a school of fish I can't help myself. Besides that, what took you so long Itachi? I would have figured that you would be here before me and finish the job." retorted Kisame as he gave him a wry smile.
"Unforeseen difficulties." replied Itachi as he looked at the Third. "Now, if you please, Hokage-sama, please hand over Naruto. If possible, I do not wish to have to kill you all but I will if I have to."
"Teh, why are you letting them go?" asked Kisame annoyed as he looked at Itachi.
"It is already apparent that they know of our existence already Kisame. I am merely saving us time by offering them their lives in exchange for Naruto-kun." answered Itachi as he continued to gaze at the Third. "Besides, it's not as if anyone really values the life of Naruto-kun except us."
"Itachi . . . how dare you show yourself after what you pulled." said the Third threateningly as he jumped up and threw off his Hokage cloak revealing him in ninja gear. "And I will definitely not give Naruto to you."
"Hokage-same, please let us handle this." said Rin as she and her ANBU team appeared beside the Hokage.
"No, this man," said the Third as he stared upon Itachi. "Is even stronger than one of the Legendary Sannin and could probably defeat me right now if he wanted to . . . just look at what he did to Kakashi. No, in order for us to fight him evenly, we must all work together as a team and overcome him as one."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" came the voices of Rin and her team as they all got into offensive stances.
"You will refrain from such actions, Third! We of the council who are present will not condone any more violent actions if there is a peaceful solution possible." came the voice of the same Elder who had earlier come in. "Enough chaos has been caused already. Please refrain from any hostile activities . . . it may be best that we negotiate."
Itachi looked smug as he enjoyed the surprise that appeared on the Third's face and several other ninjas that were present. 'Pathetic fools, hopelessly clinging onto their dream of 'peace' and sacrificing whatever is needed to achieve it. How malicious.' thought Itachi as he gazed at Naruto. 'And you Naruto-kun will become the world's catalyst for change. You and those like you that is.'
"What! Are you serious?" asked the Third surprised as he quickly looked at the few Council members that were present. "You are willing to throw Naruto to the wolves!"
"If that keeps the peace in Konoha and prevents us from losing another Hokage." replied the shadowy Elders as they stood there in the shadows. "Things are a bit different now there is more at stake here than just Naruto, now it concerns the village! What will we do if we lose you! We have no other who can replace you at the moment. The Sannins are somewhere wandering the world and there is no one in the village that is near the knowledge, skills, and wisdom that you possess. Without you, Konoha will lose its support and fall. Are you willing to give up all this over one person? Which is more important: the life of one individual or that of the entire village?"
" . . . I understand." replied the Third slowly as he stood solemnly where he was, not wanting to do what he had to do to ensure the safety of his village. He knew what it was, to do it . . . he had to betray Naruto and give him up.
"I'm sorry, Naruto." said the Third slowly as he turned his back towards Naruto and walked away slowly. "But I can not turn my back on the people of Konoha. Please forgive me."
"Hokage-sama! You are not thinking about-!"
"There is no thinking involved Rin, it has already been done." interrupted the Third angrily as he turned to face her. "This is also a part of what a ninja is and you should know it well! In order for us to survive, sacrifices must be made."
Rin stood shocked as she heard the words that were coming out of the Third's mouth.
'Is he serious? Is he really giving up Naruto? Was the old man really going to betray the memory of the Fourth and let Naruto be most certainly killed?' Rin thought in desperation as she looked at Naruto who was now positioned in between the two sides. She stood there in shock as her mind momentarily froze up, caught between saving Naruto and betraying the village or forsake Naruto and betraying the memory of the Fourth.
Naruto all the meanwhile had stood there as feelings of hopelessness and sadness entered him. The Third had abandoned him . . . one of the first bonds that he ever had had been shattered. He always thought that of all people, the Third was one of the people that cared for him most; he thought he could count on the old man Hokage no matter what but now as he saw the back of the very same man made him feel even lower.
"Why? Aren't I also a part of the Leaf . . . didn't you say that yourself-!"
"Shut up brat!" cursed Kisame loudly as pointed towards Naruto. "You were nothing but extra baggage to this village. All that stuff about being a part of this village was just sweet talk because they feared you so much . . . because of what you had inside you. They just filled you with trash so that one day they hoped you wouldn't go crazy like Itachi here." grinned Kisame sadistically as he pointed a small finger at Itachi.
"What . . . what do you mean?" asked Naruto quietly as he stared at Itachi.
"Naruto-kun, the weak will always fear the strong, no matter whom they are . . . and you, Naruto-kun, have the possibility of becoming stronger than anyone else in the entire history of this village. All because you are a monster." explained Itachi as Naruto stared into his, entranced with how Itachi spoke as if it were the truth of the world. "They forced you to live in a miserable manner alone, the hate, the stares; it must have been excruciatingly painful."
"But that can all change. Come with us." said Itachi slowly and deliberately as he outstretched his hand towards Naruto. "Come with us and become strong."
"Come with you?" mumbled Naruto to himself as he looked upon the outstretched hand of Itachi not knowing if he should accept or not.
A/N: Thanks to all those who have read so far and I am sorry; I promised a Kisame/Hiko showdown but it has to be delayed towards the next chapter and I am sorry for the delay in sending this chapter out.
And I also have one more request to all those who are about to review this fic. Can you guys give me a general synopsis of how this fic is doing, is it getting better, worse, boring, etc. What needs improving, tips on how to spruce up things a bit, and the like. Basically I just want to know how and what you, the reader, think of the fic so far. Thanks and I hope you guys are enjoying reading this fic as I continue to enjoy writing it.