Sorry for the late update but it's been a bit hectic at school. With our French teacher going mental with coursework I've been hard-pressed to update. I promise that they will be explanations as to whenever my updates are late or not.
On happier notices, CHAPTER FOUR HAS BEEN UPDATED! Yep, the Naruto/Sasuke fight is now 1000 words longer bringing the word count for that chapter up to 7000 odd.
In this chapter three more of the Elite Guard will be shown. Two of them will be OC's. Time for OC guessing again!
Oh and they won't be from FF or KH this time in case you thought I was going with a theme ;)
My beta has yet to reply to my email that I sent him. If he is reading this, please send me an email back replying to this one or I'll assume you're not after the job. If anyone else wants it email me, then reply to my email that I send you.
Final notice, I lost my entire Tekken: DR data for PSP. MY BRYAN IS NO LONGER A RAIJIN! SO CLOSE TO DIVNE FIST! Starts crying Anyway, apart from Bryan and King, has anyone got a decent char to play as in Tekkie? I need about two more for a team tournament. I prefer aerial juggles and grabs so if you got characters that work well with that, could you let me know? Cheers ;)
Onto the fic!
"Normal Speech"
"Flashback or thoughts"
"Demon Speak"
"Demon Thoughts"
"SHOUTING! SIMULTAENEOUS JUTSUS"
I do not own Naruto or anything pertaining to Naruto in the fanfiction. The OC's will have personalities based on popular personas but those personalities and descriptions will belong to their respective companies
Naruto woke up but kept his eyes closed. He could feel the surge of medical chakra entering his body's nervous system that had gone into overload when he was shocked. Kyuubi had got rid of most of the damage but the chakra was just finishing off the job. Giving it a polished finish in a way.
"You can get up now, I know you're awake."
That voice was familiar. Naruto gave a small smile, eyes still shut.
"And how did you guess that?"
"A person's eyes still move underneath their eyelids when they are asleep or unconscious. You stopped doing that about a minute ago."
"As I would expect from a medic Nin of your calibre." Naruto sat up, opening his eyes.
"Hokage-sama."
Yes, it was Tsunade, Hokage of Konoha, with a stern look on her face. She wasn't happy about something.
Uh oh…
BANG! A fist crashed down onto his head.
"YOU BAKA! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF STUNT YOU WERE TRYING TO PULL? YOU COULD HAVE USED KAGE BUNSHIN AND SHURIKEN INSTEAD OF BLOODY LIGHTNING BOLTS, YOU IDIOT!"
"Nice to see you too, baa-chan." Naruto absent-mindedly replied.
Tsunade calmed down with a small laugh from that remark. Just like the old Naruto.
"So what are you doing here in the rival village of Konoha?"
Naruto gave her a look that said 'Are you fucking serious?'
"Other than the…incident…" Tsunade looked away. She still couldn't look at him while being reminded of the banishment. Naruto saw the sadness in her eyes.
"Hey, don't worry about it. I was treated like dirt there anyway. I'm happy here."
A little confidence regained, Tsunade started to speak again.
"Naruto, you've changed. I saw how cold you were to Sakura and Lee during the tournament. I heard about your antics with Kiba in the bar. What the hell happened to you?"
Naruto sighed.
"Well, if you want to know the whole story, you might as well wait until after the tournament. But I can give you the basic outline of what happened. But first, we need to get out of here. Every Kumo Nin will know what has happened here after that massive lightning storm and some will investigate. Konoha ninjas may see you here too. Besides, a house is better than a training field for relaxation anyway."
Tsunade nodded and, with Naruto leading the way, they got to his apartment.
Settling down inside, Naruto brought out a bottle of sake for the both of them along with saucers. Setting them down on the table, he faced his guest.
"It all started six years ago after that incident in Konoha. For four days, I traveled without sleep, without food, until I collapsed from exhaustion. Gizoku was lucky enough to come across me there, at death's door. I suppose, you didn't order those hunter-nins after me?" At the shocked look of Tsunade, he continued. "As I thought. Anyway, after I proved myself to Kaitou-sensei, he trained me, along with Gizoku and Fait, to be his main bodyguard force for the assault on the Sandaime Raikage. It was kinda tough but I had two main people from my past that helped out." Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, the first was the baka kitsune in my head. Well he helped by healing my wounds and giving advice now and then. He says it's 'because he doesn't want a weak or dead container but I think it's because he's grown a soft spot."
"I heard that, you bastard!"
"Moving on, the second was…" Naruto glanced at his clock on the wall. "In fact, three, two, one…"
A massive puff of smoke erupted into the room. When it cleared, a desk-sized toad was standing in the middle of the room. On top of it was a white-haired man, dressed in outlandish robes. Three guesses who it was?
"IT IS I! THE GREAT AUTHOR OF ICHA ICHA PARADISE! EVEN SHINIGAMI HIMSELF THINKS TWICE BEFORE CONFRONTING THE GREAT TOAD SAGE, JIRAIYA!"
"Yeah, yeah whatever, Ero-sennin." Jiraiya face-vaulted.
"Gaki, I've told you enough times before. Stop using that stupid nickname?" Jiraiya then glanced at Tsunade. "Ah, Tsunade, I thought you would be here, what with the tournament and all."
"You knew about it?"
"Of course he did," Naruto interrupted. "In fact I invited him here to arrive and this exact time. A pervert he may be, but he's a punctual pervert nonetheless. It's good he's here actually, he can fill in a few blanks."
"Blanks on what?"
"Well, you say how I may have changed? It's because of a massive shift in personality. While utilising my three tail form, some of Kyuubi's second personality overwrote itself onto my own. Every time I go three tails or above, the second Kyuubi takes over my body and I go, in crude terms, 'bat fuck insane'."
"Wait, a second Kyuubi?"
Naruto gave a smirk. "You really need to update your history books baa-chan. Basically; Kyuubi gave me power every time I asked. He was only hostile the first few times because I hadn't gained his respect then."
"And you never will gaki."
Giving Kyuubi the equivalent of a mental glare, Naruto continued.
"Anyway, when I finally got to know Kyuubi, I found the reason why he attacked Konoha. Would you believe that the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Lord of all Demons, greatest of the Bijou…"
Tsunade leaned forward in her seat in anticipation.
"Suffers from Split Personality Disorder?"
Tsunade almost face vaulted. When she regained her composure, she had a serious face on.
"So Kyuubi attacked Konoha when his darker side was in control?"
"Pretty much yeah. Anyway, back to three tails. When I took on that form, Kyuubi's personality shifts to, as I like to call it, the Dark Kyuubi. He goes mad with power again, in the same state he was when attacking your beloved village 19 years ago."
Tsunade noticed the focus on the word 'your'.
"Now for my question."
Tsunade looked up, Naruto had a question?
"What's Sasuke doing back in the village? I'm pretty sure he ran off to go seek power to kill his brother but I'm not too sure on the details." Sarcasm dripped off every word.
"The Uchiha had been gone for about three years. He suddenly turned up at the gates of Konoha one day and proclaimed he had killed Orochimaru. He was able to provide his proof when he dragged Orochimaru's head out in front of us in a gory display. The council immediately welcomed him back, hit me with that damn loophole again and instated him as an ANBU commander. The only weird thing was that Sasuke had come back without a single scratch. Must have got Orochimaru while he was asleep or something."
Naruto meanwhile was in deep thought. "Without a scratch you say…"
Jiraiya picked up from the silence that ensued. His serious tone indicated no playing around.
"Naruto. Get Kaitou and the rest of the Elites. I have information that could prove deadly if not heard. Tsunade, you better come too. I'd bring your tournament representatives as your 'Guard', they need to hear this. I've already told Gaara. We need to meet at the Raikage office in half an hour." With that he Shunshin'd away.
Naruto smiled at Tsunade. "Well, it's been nice catching up Tsunade-sama but I'm afraid duty calls. See you at the meeting."
A bolt of lightning flew through the window and hit Naruto. When it disappeared, Naruto was gone. He had used the Inazuma Shunshin. Tsunade shook her head.
"Show off…"
A loud knocking was heard at the door. Gizoku groaned. He took a pillow and placed it over his head. He was still dressed from falling unconscious earlier and no way in hell was Naruto gonna undress him for his bed.
"Five more minutes… I don't wanna go to school today."
"Gizoku, no time for playing around. S-Class meeting in fifteen. Raikage Tower." Came Naruto's voice. Stupidity wiped away, Gizoku opened the door and nodded at Naruto, his face marred with a stern look. Both set off and warned the others of the elite Guard.
Eventually meeting back at the Raikage's office, Gizoku spoke up.
"So, what's the mission?"
"No idea at the moment should change when we receive this new information soon. Hopefully, this won't be about the tournament. I don't want civilians getting involved like back in Konoha."
They walked up the stairs in full official uniform. Entering the room they found Kaitou and most of the guard standing there.
Along with Kaitou, Fait, and Gizoku, Naruto had gotten to know the Elite Guard very well. Joui was standing there, his silver hair draped around his face like a curtain. He nodded in greeting to the two arriving.
The next along from him was Karuta. Originally from Cajun no Kuni, he was declared missing-nin for not obeying a treaty signed between the two rival ninja clans, the Settoudan and the Ansatsusha. His hair was a maroon colour and his eyes had red pupils and block irises, due to the harsh conditions on the eyes in Cajun no Kuni. No really understood why it happened but it was one of Karuta's defining features. Over his Kumo flak jacket he wore a brown trench coat and under it, he wore blue and purple body armour set. His legs were also covered in armour, making them look almost futuristic in appearance. His was nervously fidgeting in his way, by repeatedly shuffling a deck of cards. He also nodded towards them.
Reibou stood almost vertically. He was a well built man in his mid-twenties. He had a black Chinese style shirt on with ceremonial designs on the back in gold. He wore loose dark blue combat pants and two black wristbands on his arms. On his head was a large hat that looked almost like a sombrero. However, it was lined in the sharpest steel possible. He was also fiercely loyal to Kaitou, after the man, along with his three protégés, had saved his country from the fire being known as Hinote. It had taken nearly all five of their efforts but the creature had succumbed and Reibou had joined the growing Elite Guard.
The last one was more connected to Naruto than he had imagined. Her name was Yugito Nii. She had blonde hair, emerald eyes and a catlike face that grew more feline when she smiled devilishly. Her hair was currently tied back in a ponytail and she wore the standard Elite uniform but with the kanji for cat on the back of it.
She was also the container for the Nibi no Nekomata.
The day Naruto had found out it was quite an awkward experience. She had lured two members of Akatsuki into an unused sewer system and was planning on taking their lives with hers. Fortunately, Kyuubi had felt the Nibi's chakra release when the NFG trio were out patrolling nearby. Running to her aid by blasting open one of the walls thanks to a chakra enhanced punch from Fait, they had driven the two Akatsuki off. Or that's what they thought. In actuality, the masked one thought it prudent to go collect a 30 million bounty and the white haired one had claimed 'he had better things to do to please Jashin-sama'. Thanking the group, Yugito took up their recruitment offer and then travelled with them. Naruto had bluntly asked her about Nibi and after a few coughs and stutters, assured her that he was one too. They agreed to train each other demon-wise A tight friendship had evolved. Naruto could handle the demon chakra better than ever and Yugito had made the Nibi a close acquaintance. However, it didn't help that whenever Naruto saw Yugito, Kyuubi would act up. I fact the first time they met, Kyuubi had said:
"Oh so the beautiful Nibi has once again graced my presence. Make a damn good impression, kit. I don't want to lose her again because of some flesh bag like you."
Yeah, Kyuubi had romance issues.
Back to business, the seven members of the Elite Shinobi Guard stood behind the Raikage. A little after, Tsunade herself walked through the door, followed by the Konoha 11. Some looked at Naruto with nervousness, others with smirks and one was laced in killing intent. I'll give you three guesses as to who it was. Naruto nodded his head once in a manner of greeting, his face indicating that this was no time for screwing around.
Kaitou and Tsunade greeted each other.
"Hokage-sama"
"Raikage-sama. I assume you received the message?"
"That would be correct. He should be here by now."
A knock at the door was heard and Gaara walked in, flanked by Temari and Kankuro. A nod to Naruto and a formal greeting to the two other Kages and he was ready to begin. Naruto looked at the Sand Siblings, not having seen them properly for a while. Kankuro looked much the same as ever, with his black bodysuit and purple face paint. The two puppets on his back were replaced by three scrolls, an indicator that his collection had increased. Gaara looked plain badass in a black robe with the symbols for 'Kaze' and 'Kage' on the back. Temari had ditched the white and now wore a black kimono with a red trimming, with her fan remaining on her back. However, she kept shooting glances of to one particular Konoha shinobi. Naruto suppressed the urge to smirk well, but not without difficulty.
Shikamaru, you sly dog.
Jiraiya then opened the door, face also ready for business and not the type attributed to Icha Icha.
"Sorry I'm a little late. Just had to clear up a few details."
"No need to worry, Jiraiya. We're all here. Now what's this about a special meeting?"
Jiraiya looked at Kaitou with a grave look on his face then shot a glance to Gaara, Yugito and Naruto in turn.
"It seems that your jolly friends the Tsuchikage, Tamaishi and the Mizukage, Deshio have joined forces with Akatsuki."
The mood didn't improve much after that.
Apparently the whole story was that Iwa had still been bitter about the Third Great Shinobi War. The Yellow Flash had utterly decimated them into submission. They were forced to sign a treaty proclaiming all territories owned by Tsuchi no Kuni would be freed and given independence such as the Kusa no Kuni. This drastically reduced Iwa's power in the ninja world. However, Konoha had allowed the country to remain a strong ninja power, something that their allies, Suna and Kiri had greatly disapproved of. However, neither could match Konoha's might at the time when the Yondaime was the Hokage. Both accepted that Iwa would never be destroyed fully in this lifetime. However, when more negotiations had been played out, Kiri noticed it had largely been left out and not invited to a critical meeting. Taking this as an act of distrust, they signed a treaty with Iwa behind the other countries' backs promoting that whenever Iwa tried to achieve something in an act of war, Kiri would be right there beside them.
This had gone unnoticed for many years as Iwa had been mobilising its forces, making them ever ready to try for an invasion against Konoha. They had almost turned up at the Oto/Konoha War but heard news of their defeat before they reached and the allies were forced to retreat without detection. However, a couple of weeks ago, Akatsuki came to Tamaishi and gave him a very tempting offer. Hand over their resident Jinchuuriki and expect their aid during their next attack. Sealing the deal without a second thought, Tamaishi handed over the Rokubi no Tori Jinchuuriki to the missing Nins and made his intentions known to the Akatsuki leader that they would attack after the tournament when all Nins were less capable to fight back. Once Kumogakure had been taken, it would provide a northern site for troops. With Konoha trapped in between Kumo and Iwa, they would have to fight a war on two fronts, with Suna unluckily fighting three with Kiri attacking Suna because of it's proximity with the sea.
This had been thought through very well. It was by mere chance that Jiraiya's spy network picked up on it at all.
"And that's their plan." Jiraiya concluded.
"I see. Our course of action?" Gaara questioned.
"Well, if Iwa and Kiri are going to fight in this as well as Akatsuki, they'll be after you three thanks to your hosts. This needs to be dealt with quickly for your sakes." Kaitou said. "However, if they cotton on that we know about this, and then they may move the attack date up sooner, giving us less time to prepare. Conundrum." He scratched his chin in thought.
"How well armed are Kumo in terms of able bodied ninja?" Tsunade asked.
"Our SHOCK troops span about 150." Said Kaitou as if it was merely non consequential. However, that didn't stop all the non Kumo's jaws dropping simultaneously. 150 ANBU level ninja? How many Jounin were there?
"Unfortunately, we don't have many Chunnin and Jounin as the Chunnin Exams take place only every two years and getting this village back on it's feet was my priority. Turns out that the Sandaime Raikage had increased the quality of his ninjas a lot like Suna. Many of those turned against him but we still defeated many. We need those exams to be able to pass our Genin to Chunnin but since they are in short supply, we don't get many chances. Even less for Jounin status. Guess it's lucky that you don't need a test for SHOCK. And of course, my Elite Guard could probably bolster our ranks as much as ten SHOCK troops." Kaitou continued waving his hand behind him.
"And still not enough to match Iwa's army. They've been training their whole lives and as a major country in both size and wealth, they have amassed a literal army of ninja. It still wouldn't be enough." Jiraiya stated.
"I could get reinforcements here from Konoha." Tsunade spoke up. "I could get them here in less than two days if needed."
"Good idea. Maybe you could disguise them as senseis and fans for the Konoha teams left in the bracket."
"I could do the same with Suna troops, though it may take three days."
"Right, now we need to discuss tactics and how we are officially going to deal with this threat. We also need to get a treaty signed quickly because we've all signed non-aggression pacts but not alliances. We need to make this official. Naruto!" Kaitou barked.
"Yes sir?"
"Fetch pens and paper. We're getting a Alliance treaty signed."
Naruto groaned inwardly. This was getting political
Well there we go! Another chap done.
Please check out the revised Naruto vs Sasuke fight and give me your thoughts on the update.
Two new guys to guess:
Karuta
Reibou.
It turns out okan77 has forsaken his plot point in order to design Kaitou's nodachi. So expect to see a nodachi worthy of Auron's Masamune coming soon. Or so he told me .
Glossary
Inazuma Shunshin – Lightning Body Flicker
Cajun no Kuni – Cajun Country
Hinote – Blaze
Nibi no Nekomata – Two Tailed Cat
Kaze – Wind
Kage – Shadow
Tsuchi no Kuni – Earth Country
Kusa no Kuni – Grass Country
Jinchuuriki – Power of human sacrifice, demon container
Rokubi no Tori – Six Tailed Tiger
Previews always seem to lock my chapter before my ideas can fully grow. So instead of a preview…
OMAKE
Chouji groaned in frustration. This Sound nin wasn't giving up. He had already consumed the green and yellow pills and Jirobo was aiming another charge at him. Ducking the first elbow, he didn't see the knee until it was too late. He was sent flying backwards into a tree where a limb was sent hurtling to the ground thanks to the force behind the blow. Coughing up blood, he pulled out the final of the three pills, the red pill.
"Go ahead, eat your pill. By the time I'm finished with you, you won't have the strength needed to even lift a finger. Or the life needed to do so, trash!" The red skinned Jirobo cackled madly.
Growing a look of defiance, Chouji remembered what his father had told him about the pills.
"The Akimichi clan jutsus can be classified as a type of rabbit hole, with each jutsu leading us further down. Our full potential can only be achieved by consuming these."
Chouza held up the three pills in their glass case.
"You take the green and yellow pills. Your power will increase but your descent for power stops. You will stop your growth then and there. You take the red pill and it shows you how deep the rabbit hole goes."
Popping the pill into his mouth, Chouji swallowed it in anger. How dare this guy talk to him like this. There was a brilliant green burst of chakra. Jirobo had to shield his eyes because of the green. When he lowered his arms, he gaped in shock
Chouji was radically different. His normal weight had been reduced into a muscular build. His clothing attire now consisted of black trousers, shirt and trenchcoat. A pair of shades adorned his face. His chakra output was amazing.
"S-So what if you've grown a little stronger? You're still no match for me! Who do you think you are?" shouted Jirobo.
Chouji grabbed the fallen tree limb and twirled it around skilfully like a quarterstaff. Bringing it behind his head eventually in an offensive stance, Chouji answered his question form behind his shades.
"I am the One."
OMAKE FIN