"This is the first time I've ever made a speech like this, and hopefully I won't have to make another anytime soon..."
X
Naruto patted Konohamaru on the shoulder as he cried. There wasn't exactly much else to think of doing to comfort the boy, so he smiled. Konohamaru looked up at him and wiped his eyes.
"Hey, Konohamaru."
"Y-Yeah, Boss?"
Konohamaru sniffled as Naruto's smile grew softer.
"I know what it's like. The old man was like this whole village's grandpa. I bet that's how everyone thinks. And he would want us all to stay strong and keep protecting the village. Do you think you can do that for him?"
Konohamaru stared at Naruto for a second before turning back to the picture of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, and nodding.
"I-I can do it. I'll protect this village. It's what grandpa would've wanted."
Naruto nodded along with Konohamaru and turned his head to face the picture as well.
X
"We all knew what he was like... Caring, selfless, protective... There's so many words to describe him that I won't bother listing them off. Well, except for one. He was like a parent. Not just to his clan, not just to his ninjas, but to everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village. Now, losing him, it feels like... like our guiding light went out..."
X
Adrik stared blankly at the portrait of the Hokage. The images of the fight with Orochimaru raced through his mind on an endless loop. But they all stopped right as he saw the life leave the old man's eyes. For once, he was grateful that he forgot what happened afterward. Perhaps he shouldn't try to remember either. If just seeing the Hokage's picture was enough to make these terrible memories run through his head, then maybe...
Adrik looked down when he felt a hand grasp his bandaged left hand. He looked to his left to see it was Haku. She gave the teen a reassuring yet solemn grin. He returned the grin before he went back to staring at the picture, holding tightly onto the girl's hand.
X
"But I think we'll find a way through these dark times. We always have. We always will. We endure. We keep fighting for another day. That's what he did, that's what we should strive to do. We will continue to protect what he loved. That is what our village was built on. That is the Will of Fire."
X
The people of the Hidden Leaf bowed their heads silently in appreciation of Jiraiya's speech. With his words said, he headed off of the small stage to join the crowd in mourning the loss of the Hokage.
Everyone looked up when the skies parted, allowing a single ray of sunlight down through the dark clouds. It shone on the picture of the Third Hokage. The people who weren't crying yet had a few tears fall. The people who were crying cried harder. And the people who had already cried enough smiled in remembrance of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
X
Adrik looked back as the window to the mission room opened.
"Ah, Lord Jiraiya, how can I be of service?"
Jiraiya waved to Iruka who spoke before turning his head towards Adrik.
"You'll do. Follow me."
Both Iruka and Adrik raised their eyes before the man jumped right back out of the room as fast as he entered.
"Uh... Well, go follow him, I guess."
Adrik nodded wordlessly before jumping out of the window after Jiraiya.
X
Naruto sat up from his bed as he heard a tap on his window. He raised his eyebrows when he saw it was Jiraiya. Opening the window, he spoke.
"Uh, hey, Pervy Sage. Need somethin'?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"Get ready for a month long trip at minimum. We're heading out of the village on a mission."
Naruto nodded in surprise before going to get ready. Luckily, he already had some storage scrolls prepared for longer missions in the future.
X
"We've been walking for a while, now. Are you going to tell us what we're doing out of the village so soon after an invasion?"
Jiraiya glanced to his left at Adrik. He shrugged as he continued walking.
"I heard you're a good tracker."
Adrik raised an eyebrow as he nodded.
"So, it's a tracking mission, then?"
Jiraiya shrugged again. Adrik's eyebrows furrowed.
"Seriously, if you're taking me out of the village for something stupid, I'm heading back. There's people there that don't have homes anymore thanks to Orochimaru, you know."
Jiraiya nodded.
"I know. That's why we're on this mission."
Adrik grit his teeth.
"Again, what mission? You haven't told me anything."
Jiraiya looked back at the teen.
"How do your sensory skills work?"
Adrik was momentarily taken out of his frustrated state by the question.
"I... I can sense people in the form of chakra signals from long distances, but it hurts if I try to sense any further than about... four hundred meters, depending on how crowded it is. If I mark someone with my ashes, I can sense them from a lot further away while being able to see, feel and hear out of it. My unmarked senses get foggy when the person is underground or behind a bunch of thick walls. The tracker usually fades after a day or two."
Jiraiya nodded, reaching into his pocket and bringing out a picture. In it was a blonde woman with honey gold eyes and a small, blue diamond on her forehead. Her hair parted down the middle, the bangs on either side framing her face. She wore a dark green haori over a grey blouse. The sash around her waist matched her pants that went down to her ankles. It was rather hard to ignore her larger than average chest, which made the two teens question the motive behind the photo.
"This is Tsunade Senju. Our mission is to find her and bring her back to the village to become the Fifth Hokage."
Both Naruto's and Adrik's eyes widened, both for very different reasons.
"Senju? You mean like the First and Second Hokage?"
Jiraiya nodded with a small grin.
"She's actually the granddaughter of the First Hokage."
Naruto looked up at his teacher with surprise.
"Does that mean she's related to my clan?"
Jiraiya thought for a second before nodding.
"Yeah, actually. I haven't really thought about that before. The First Hokage's wife, Mito, was an Uzumaki. So, I guess Tsunade is a quarter Uzumaki."
"Well, why didn't you say so, Pervy Sage?! Let's go find her and bring her back!"
Jiraiya smiled as Naruto ran ahead of him and Adrik.
"Well, I guess we'd better catch up, then."
He patted the teen on the back. Adrik, however, wasn't smiling. He followed his friend and the Sannin wordlessly.
X
"Is it true Itachi Uchiha entered the village and is looking for Naruto Uzumaki?!"
The four jonin, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Guy all looked over at the door as a chunin entered Kakashi's hospital room. The Chunin immediately realized his mistake when he looked over to see Sasuke standing off to the side, now looking as if he had seen a ghost.
The jonin in the room reached for Sasuke but he was already rushing out the door.
"Shit. Guy, you're the fastest here. Get Sasuke and bring him back before he gets into any trouble."
Guy nodded with a frown.
"Of course. And what of Jiraiya? Should I head to inform him of Itachi and the other one?"
Kakashi thought for a second before nodding.
"Understood."
Guy headed out of the room in the blink of an eye. Sasuke, however, was already long gone.
X
"We'll stop here for tonight. We'll get right back on track first thing in the morning, alright?"
The two teens nodded as Jiraiya walked them towards the motel. Entering the main lobby, his eyes widened as his jaw dropped. A woman with dark hair and dark eyes wearing a rather revealing dress walked out the door, giving him a wink on the way by.
"Uh... Change of plans, you two. Go get a room. I'll be back soon."
Naruto reach out a hand to stop his godfather but he was too late. He yelled after the man angrily while shaking his fist in the air.
"Damn pervert!"
Adrik watched the interaction with an unimpressed stare. His eyebrows twitched when Jiraiya turned back and stuck his tongue out at Naruto.
Adrik sighed as he dragged his angry companion towards the front desk.
"I don't know how the hell someone like that is your godfather."
"Hey, he knows what he's doing!... Most of the time..."
X
Naruto tapped his foot as he watched Adrik pace back and forth in front of the two beds in the room.
"Seriously, I don't know why I'm even here. He seems like he already knows where he's going. I could be helping rebuild the village right now, but instead of I'm chasing some runaway who hasn't been to the village in years!"
Naruto sighed as he laid down on the bed he sat on.
"I know. I mean, we haven't even had time to get that stupid seal off of Hinata yet. For all I know, those pieces of shit in her clan are probably hurting her right now. I thought we'd be done with this mission a lot faster. Why the hell does Pervy Sage wanna take his time?"
"I don't know, but it's fucking annoying."
Naruto raised an eyebrow as he sat up.
"Since when do you curse?"
Adrik sighed as he stopped and leaned against the wall opposite of the beds.
"I don't know. I've just been really... out of it, I guess. The constant training, Orochimaru... the old man... It's just..."
Naruto raised his eyebrows as Adrik paused, flinching slightly.
"Just... what?"
Adrik put his hand up and motioned to his friend. Naruto immediately understood, unsealing his katana and drawing it. Adrik reached back and drew his daggers silently.
X
He knocked politely once again.
"Are ya' sure they went in here?"
The shorter of the two figures nodded in response to the taller one. They both wore high collared, black robes with a pattern of red clouds on them.
"I traced his chakra to this room. But, I can't trace the other one, for some reason."
The tall figure raised an eyebrow beneath his large straw hat.
"Weird."
The shorter figure knocked on the door once more, making the taller figure sigh.
"Itachi, just lemme bust the door down. It won't even take a second."
The shorter figure, Itachi, shook his head.
"If we're doing this, we will do it my way. And I do not know for how long Jiraiya will be distracted for. One slip up and we could be dealing with a Sannin, Kisame."
The taller figure, Kisame, sighed again as he nodded. The two figures looked down when they saw black smoke coming from the cracks between the door. Itachi and Kisame jumped opposite ways down the hall with the door between them and waited.
The door to the room opened after a moment, revealing yet more black smoke that filled the hallway.
"I don't know who you think you are, but I'm not in the fucking mood for this shit. Leave."
The two figures raised an eyebrow each as they heard a voice come from the smoke, followed by minor levels of Killing Intent.
Itachi looked down the hall, at least he believed he was looking down the hall, as he heard someone slam into a wall. The smoke dissipated, revealing a masked teen facing down Kisame, who's hat had dropped to the floor. It revealed he had pale blue skin with gills and dark blue hair with black eyes and white pupils. He grinned widely, revealing his sharp teeth, like that of a shark's.
"Look, Itachi! I've got myself a new little friend."
"He's not our target, Kisame. Remember, the Jinchuriki is who we must capture."
Kisame nodded.
"Welp, looks like yer off the hook, brat. Now, run along. We've got some business to take care of here-"
Kisame cut himself off as he ducked, avoiding a dagger that planted itself firmly in the wall behind him. It was retracted back to the teen's hand by a thin, black string a second later.
"Heh, feisty little critter, aren't ya'?"
Itachi frowned as Kisame grabbed the object on his back by its hilt.
"Kisame."
Kisame grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just lemme have a bit o' fun with this brat first."
Itachi sighed as he turned to enter the room the teen had come out from. He stepped out of the way of another teen and his clone as he slammed a spinning ball of chakra into the wall.
"I don't care who you are, I ain't acceptin' visitors!"
Itachi watched as the clone of the blonde teen disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
"You must be Naruto. How convenient. Do you mind coming with us for a while?"
Naruto was about to shout when Itachi revealed his crimson eyes. They held the pattern of a small, black, three point shuriken with a tiny red dot in the center of his pupils. Naruto's expression went blank as he stared into Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan.
Adrik looked back at his friend only to be batted into the wall by a swing of Kisame's weapon that pinned him.
"While, Itachi's dealing with the Jinchuriki, lemme tell ya' a bit about this blade here. Ya' see, Samehada is special. Unlike other swords, it doesn't cleave. It shaves!-"
Kisame stepped back to avoid a swipe from the teen's left dagger. She smirked widely as he swung his blade, Samehada, downward, breaking the floor slightly. The teen rolled to the side to avoid the attack before jumping up. He bounced off of the ceiling, carrying his momentum into a kick to Kisame's cheek. The shark-like man, however, didn't bother blocking the attack. He simply took it unflinchingly. He frowned, however, when he was hit.
"Huh. Weaker than I thought. With the way yer hidin' yer chakra, I'd thought ya'd be one of those Anbu guys or somethin'."
Kisame looked back towards Itachi as he noticed it was taking a rather long time for the man to capture the Jinchuriki. His eyebrows rose when he saw the hall was full of Shadow Clones of their target.
'So the first one was a fake...'
Kisame turned back to the masked teen.
"Looks like we'll be spendin' a bit more time together, brat."
He smiled widely as he rushed towards the teen with Samehada at the ready.
X
Itachi stared blankly at the dozens of clones now blocking the hallway.
"Your chakra reserves must be larger than I first thought. Making so many clones and replacing them as they dispell would be a hard task for any jonin. You are quite skilled, Naruto Uzumaki."
The clones all pointed at Itachi.
"And you're the guy who hurt my friend!"
At this, Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"I do not recall hurting anyone close to you."
The Naruto's all lowered their hands slightly. The one at the front of the crowd spoke.
"I mean, we weren't really close at the time, I guess. And he kinda always hated me until we got out on the same team. But still, I'm not gonna forgive you for hurtin' Sasuke!"
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So, he has foregone some of his hatred towards me. You are a fool, Sasuke. To become so weak that you would let another tamper with your revenge... It's embarrassing."
"Shut up!"
A shout came from down the hall from around the corner as a new figure made himself known.
Sasuke glared at Itachi with his Sharingan blazing.
"The hell do you want with Naruto, Itachi?"
Itachi turned to face Sasuke with a blank stare.
"That look in your eyes... You are angry, but I see no hatred."
"I asked what you wanted with my friend, damn it!"
Itachi's eyes widened an unnoticeable degree as he heard Sasuke speak.
"Tsukiyomi."
Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan spun slightly as a small stream of blood trailed from the bottom of his left eye.
X
Sasuke blinked and immediately found himself in a new location. He looked around only to see a black field under the red light of the sky. Sasuke flinched when he heard a voice from behind him.
"This is the world of the Tsukiyomi. It is a genjutsu only usable with the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan."
Sasuke spun in place and reached for his tanto. He scowled when he realized it was no longer there.
"Sasuke... Do you truly lack that hatred of me you swore to grow stronger by?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes towards Itachi who stood a few meters away.
"So what if I do?! It doesn't matter right now, I'm here to help Naruto!"
Itachi stared at the younger Uchiha for a few more moments.
"So, I take that as a yes."
Sasuke's only response was getting into a fighting stance. Itachi shook his head slightly.
"You have already given me your answer, Sasuke. I am not here to fight you."
Sasuke shrugged.
"Yeah, but my friend is out there fighting you and that other guy. I'll be damned if I let you hurt him."
Sasuke raised his hands to go through hand seals only to realize he couldn't use his chakra. He cursed as he realized and stared down Itachi.
"You truly do want to protect him..."
Sasuke grit his teeth.
"I thought I made that clear, already!"
Itachi nodded.
"I just needed to be sure."
Sasuke grew confused as he assumed Itachi would have attacked him by now. He flinched when the older Uchiha snapped his fingers. His eyes widened when he saw Itachi, now younger in the outfit of an Anbu, kneeling towards a shadowy figure.
"What... is this?"
Sasuke looked around to see the real Itachi standing next to him watching his younger version.
"The truth."
Sasuke stared at Itachi for a few seconds before looking back to the scene before them curiously.
X
"Thank you, Itachi. With the information you have gathered, I believe we will be able to plan accordingly. You are dismissed."
Itachi, still kneeling, nodded his head.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The shadow revealed itself to be the Third Hokage with a very serious expression. His eyes softened slightly as he put a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"I am sorry, my boy. You must continue your mission for a while longer."
Itachi nodded again without saying a word. He disappeared in a Body Flicker shortly afterward, reappearing at the door to his family's house with a fake smile.
X
"Mission? What mission was he talking about?"
Sasuke looked up at Itachi for an answer. The older man shook his head and motioned for the teen to continue watching.
X
"By order of the Hokage, you are to don your mask as Weasel for this mission."
Another shadowy figure, this one with a deeper voice than the last, spoke to Itachi who was kneeling with an animal mask over his face.
"Tonight, you are to eliminate the Uchiha Clan in its entirety for the threat it poses to the Hidden Leaf and its people. Let no one see you or else you risk the integrity of the mission. And remember the price you will pay should you disobey."
Sasuke's eyes widened as he immediately understood what was happening. Itachi was about to show him the night that his clan was massacred, just as he had done so many years ago. This time, however, he had a new perspective.
"You... were ordered? You killed our whole clan... on the Hokage's orders?"
Itachi shook his head.
"You were only eight at the time, so I didn't expect you to understand then. The morning of the night of the massacre, I was ordered by Lord Third to kill a large group of Uchiha Clan members who were plotting to overthrow the Hokage and destroy the other clans to take the village for themselves."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly as he pointed to the shadowy figure that the man's younger self was kneeling before.
"Then who is this?! Who the hell told you to kill our entire clan?! Why did you go along with it?!"
Itachi closed his eyes as the shadowy figure revealed itself. It was an old man with the right side of his face bandaged, along with his entire right arm. His dark grey robes were slightly loosened to allow him to rest his bandaged arm on the fabric. He held a cane in his other hand, though it didn't seem necessary.
"Danzo Shimura. Even now, I do not know much outside of what he himself has chosen to reveal. He was Lord Third's teammate when they were your age. While he was initially jealous of his friend being chosen to be the Hokage, he grew to appreciate being left in the shadows. He operates a small section of the Anbu known as Root, his own order being the highest there is to them. He is an extremist when it comes to protecting the village, often seeing the most brutal option as the most effective."
Sasuke glared at Itachi.
"So you were one of this guy's subordinates?"
Itachi shook his head.
"Initially, he had no influence over me whatsoever. But, on that day, he ordered me to carry out the massacre under the threat of indoctrinating you into his Root program as nothing but an emotionless weapon for him to use as he fancied."
Sasuke's eyes widened as he listened to Itachi. He looked back at the still image of his brother kneeling to the man with shock. He blinked and another image appeared before them.
X
"Tsukiyomi."
An eight year old Sasuke opened his eyes wide as he screamed. He fell to the ground unconscious moments later. Right before he fell unconscious, however, he heard his older brother whisper to him.
"Let your hatred strengthen you. When you have grown strong enough, come find me. Kill me and restore honor to the Uchiha Clan."
Itachi stood up as Sasuke fell limply to the cold wooden floor, his lifeless mother and father lying before him.
Itachi took a step back. He stared blankly at the bodies around him before leaving what used to be his family's house. He stepped outside and looked to his left and right. In the streets were corpses of Uchiha Clan members, some elderly, some children.
Itachi wiped his eyes as he hopped onto the rooftops. Blood leaked from his left eye while tears fell from the right. Itachi, however, didn't waver, speeding towards the village walls.
X
Sasuke wiped his eyes as he watched the scene. At the very least, he hadn't been forced to see Itachi slaughter his clan one by one like last time. He looked away from his older brother with his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Why the hell did you show me all of this? I already told you I stopped hating you."
Itachi nodded before he put a hand on his brother's shoulder. Sasuke looked up at his brother and was surprised as the older Uchiha smiled. Itachi tapped Sasuke on the head with his right index and middle fingers, making him flinch.
"That's exactly why I showed you. You've matured, Sasuke. You found people you care for and discarded your hatred. You stopped chasing after revenge to protect those you care about. I vowed that I would tell you the truth when one of two things happen. You defeated me, or you overcame your hatred. I can honestly say I'm proud it was the latter."
Sasuke stared at his brother for a second before his lower lip began to quiver. He tilted his head down as he sniffled, wiping his eyes repeatedly.
"Damn it... You stupid... stupid piece of shit older brother..."
Itachi merely smiled as Sasuke wrapped an arm around him, bringing him into a hug while wiping away his stray tears with his other hand. The older of the brothers patted his younger siblings on the back repeatedly as he cried.
"Sasuke. Do you... forgive me?"
Itachi frowned as he looked down at Sasuke. Sasuke sniffled once more as he wiped his eyes again. He smiled up at the older Uchiha.
"Hell no. But it's a start, I guess."
Itachi's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he nodded with a small grin.
"I guess that'll do. I hope you understand this later, then."
Sasuke looked up at Itachi as the older Uchiha's grin dropped to a frown.
X
Naruto's eyes widened slightly as Sasuke fell to the ground a few moments after Itachi used his technique.
"What the hell did you do to him?!"
Itachi looked back at Naruto as he wiped the blood from beneath his left eye.
"Do not worry, he is perfectly fine. At least, physically."
Naruto grit his teeth as his eyes narrowed. He ran forward with his fist held back, ready to strike the older Uchiha.
"You're gonna pay for that you-"
Naruto cut himself off as Itachi grabbed him by the wrist. He leaned in close to the teen as he whispered.
"Sasuke will go through immense hardship in the near future. As you are his friend, I ask that you and whoever else he is close with be there for him."
Naruto stared at Itachi, his anger vanishing as it was replaced with surprise and confusion.
"What?"
Itachi looked down the hall as Naruto's clones dispelled.
"Kisame, we are leaving."
Kisame looked back down the hall at his partner.
"Huh? But I was havin' fun!"
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I sense Jiraiya is near-"
Itachi cut himself off as the hallway transformed into a fleshy corridor. A voice rang out from the end of the hall next to where Sasuke had collapsed. There, Jiraiya stood in front of the dark haired teen protectively.
"It seems I was a bit late."
Itachi wordlessly jumped back, landing next to Kisame. The masked teen who was being held by his throat was thrown down the corridor at Jiraiya. Naruto caught the teen before he and his teacher had to duck lest they be hit by the black daggers that Kisame had thrown at them.
With the distraction provided by Kisame, Jiraiya and Naruto didn't see how they had escaped. Jiraiya ran down the corridor after the two ninjas and was surprised when he saw a hole in the side of the corridor. Seeing the black flames around the edge of the opening slowly beginning to burn the flesh of the corridor, he acted quickly. In an instant, the black fire was sealed away in a scroll with a flame symbol on it.
X
Naruto dragged Adrik over to lay him down next to the unconscious form of Sasuke. The teen breathed heavily as he had used up most of his strength just trying to defend against Kisame's attacks.
"Alright, lemme go get your daggers."
Naruto stood up to look around the fleshy corridor but stopped when Adrik shook his head. He raised his right hand and two black strings shot out of his palm.
Naruto watched as the two strings flew down the corridor. They stopped, apparently grabbing something, before receding back. A moment later, Adrik was sitting up and sheathing his daggers.
"I could've gone and gotten them for you, man. You need some rest after fightin' that fish guy."
Adrik shook his head as he held his remaining dagger, showing it to his friend.
"These things will sap your chakra faster than you can say 'ramen'. At least, that's what the owner of the Higarashi shop said."
Naruto nodded as he looked at the dagger. Adrik sheathed it and the two teens looked up as Jiraiya approached them.
"Did they get away, Pervy Sage?"
Jiraiya nodded with slight confusion.
"Yeah. But it's strange. We're in the mouth of a firebreather toad. Whatever technique they used to get away was one that used black fire. I'll have to see what I can find out later."
Naruto and Adrik nodded. Jiraiya made a few hand seals and they were all transported back to the hotel they were in before. Adrik stood up, grunting in pain, and took his mask off, clipping it to his utility belt.
"For now, we should rest a bit. We'll need to take Sasuke back to the village and-"
Jiraiya was cut off as he narrowly avoided a kick from a green blur.
"Dynamic entry!"
"Guy, what the hell?! You almost took me out with that kick!"
Guy stood up from his position and looked around. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly before bowing to Jiraiya.
"My apologies, Lord Jiraiya, I was moving too fast to see who I was aiming for!"
Jiraiya huffed as he crossed his arms.
"Whatever. Now that you're here, go report back to the village. We encountered Itachi Uchiha and his accomplice, Kisame Hoshigaki. Naruto and Adrik held them off until I got here. We'll give you more details when we get back. Take Sasuke with you."
Guy nodded and turned around to pick up Sasuke. He smiled and gave a thumbs up to Adrik and Naruto.
"Good on the two of you! Keep up the good work, Adrik, my youthful student, the Infernal Beast of the Hidden Leaf!"
The two teens stared at the jonin as he left without another word, hopping back out of the hole he made in the roof.
"Infernal Beast?"
Adrik sighed as Naruto looked to him for an answer.
"He's been calling me that ever since I woke up after the invasion. I think it's his way of trying to cheer me up."
Naruto nodded and the two teens turned back to Jiraiya.
"Alright. Looks like we're getting back on the road. We'll have to set up a camp for tonight. Adrik, do you think you can continue?"
Adrik nodded silently. Jiraiya nodded in response and motioned for the two teens to follow him. They left behind the damaged hotel without looking back.