Naruto Future Lost II

[Meinos Kaen]

Alright. Let's see where this second and better version of this AU is going to bring us. For now, into familiar territory. Enjoy!

Future Lost
Chapter 2: The Fire Temple Crisis​

"No, Naruto."

"Oh, come on, sensei!" Naruto whined, resisting the impulse to also stomp his feet by a hair's breath. "The village is secure! Reconstruction is complete! Don't you think it's high time someone went out there and find out what's going on, since it seems like the rest of the country knows what's going on in our village?!"

"And that's exactly why we can't afford to have people leave the village." Iruka said, his brow furrowing. After Kakashi's attack, it had become clear to him that there was a security problem in their village, unsurprisingly. All their focus in the last few years had been on reconstructing and strengthening, preparing themselves for any attack. Direct ones.

They didn't have the luxury to also invest into intelligence, not the way the old Konoha did. Right now their focus was to analyze their forces, see who could be relocated. Strengthen themselves further. A village-wide evaluation of skills and he needed everyone in the village for that. "Right now we have to re-organize ourselves. With the village's reconstruction, we're going to have a number of people with a lot of free time on their hands. That includes you, by the way."

"Good! Then send me! Just me!" Iruka shook his head. Naruto gasped. "Why?!"

"Because you're one of our most powerful shinobi, Naruto. I need you here. Also, you're not exactly trained for recon, are you?" An insult and a compliment in the same sentence. Naruto pondered what to say for a few more seconds before pouting, his arms crossed.

"And what would you have me do, then, Iruka-sensei?" Iruka smirked. Naruto didn't like that.

"Something you have been skipping on because of your reconstruction efforts, Naruto..."

-FutureLost-​

"Gate. Patrol. Duty. Inari fuck me in the ass." Naruto said as he let his head fall on his arms, leaning on the wooden fence of the wall.

"Oi, Naruto. Don't slack off!" The blonde genin pouted but acquiesced, focusing on the dark surroundings of their village which, after years of trimming just the necessary and not making maintenance on the roads leading to the village, had really earned the name 'hidden in the leaves'.
Naruto smiled as the stray thought of being on top of his first creation. The walls had been the very first construction Naruto had planned all by himself. At first glance it was just your average colossal wooden palisade but anyone trying to take a shot at it would get one hell of a surprise.

“Naruto, last I checked not slacking off doesn’t mean ‘gloat internally about your handiwork’.” The young ninja rolled his eyes at the comment from his partner.

‘Relax, furball. I can multitask. Everything’s under control.’ He shrugged the comments off, only to earn a dry chuckle.

“Really, now. Then I guess you didn’t miss the figure stumbling through the trees at 4 o’clock?” Naruto paused. No, he had definitely missed that. And he couldn’t see it even if he focused. Then he remembered his partner’s unfair advantages.

‘Bite my human senses.’ Focusing, Naruto summoned a bit of his partner’s chakra and focused it on his eyes and ears. A fox’s night-vision and superior hearing were sure useful to have. Now he could see what Kurama was talking about, and he realized that when he said ‘stumbling’, he had meant it literally.

He could make out a distinct lack of hair, ragged breathing and a staggering pace. Also, there was a continuous drip, like liquid dropping to the ground continuously. It was either sweat or blood. The smell confirmed the second hypothesis. He turned to his companion. “Hey, there’s someone incoming from 4 o’clock.”

“Is there?” The ninja asked, focusing on the direction Naruto was pointing at. “I can see something, but not clearly.”

“It’s a person, on foot. Probably male, and from his pace I think he’s injured.” Naruto told the older nin. "What should we do?"

"Wait, for now. Let him come to us." The shinobi raised a hand and signaled to their companions in sight to be ready. "Be ready for anything. Could be a ruse."

"Got it." Naruto crouched and went for his pouch, fishing out a kunai, keeping his enhanced eyes focused on the forest.

After a few more seconds, a figure stumbled out of the forest and one of the other ninjas turned on the spotlight mounted on the wall. Naruto regressed his minor transformation. The man they had ‘lightened up’ was, as he had seen, bald, and injured. He was wearing black and white robes, stained red around his midsection. He was breathing heavily, his gaze dazed. Then, he raised his head and laid eyes on the spotlight... Then, he fell forward and passed out.

“I’ll check it out.” Naruto said, and promptly created two Kage Bunshin who vaulted over the wall and landed in a crouch a couple meters from the passed out person. While one stood guard, the other approached the man and checked out his vitals.

‘The pulse is very weak. And from the amount of blood he’s lost...’ He couldn’t detect any trace of chakra being used on him, so no Henge. ‘Kurama, you pick up anything?’

“Nah. No malicious intent coming from the man or anywhere nearby.” That settled it for Naruto. The Kage Bunshin picked up the man bridal style and turned to the top of the wall.

“Alert the hospital! We have a wounded person! Have them prepare for a transfusion!”

-FutureLost-​

“How is he, Ayeka-san?” Naruto asked as he watched the nurse wheel away the stretcher with the man he had brought in fresh out of surgery. Ayeka, the head surgeon and also the person who had attended to TenTen’s injuries a few days before, was currently removing her blood-stained gloves and head-cap, letting short cropped grey hair free.

“He found us just in time.” The woman answered as she walked to the lavatory, Naruto right behind her. “He lost a lot of blood because of a heavy injury to his abdomen. A couple more minutes and it would have been too late to help him.”

“What kind of injury? Ah, sorry.” Naruto turned around as the older woman went to remove her hospital gown.

“A large horizontal cut, delivered with some kind of cutting weapon. From experience, I’d say it was a second-hand katana held by someone who treats it like a club.” Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn’t turn around. “I have been in this profession a long time.”

“Okay... So, someone attacked him.” ‘Well, until he wakes up there’s not much we can do with that information. We don’t have many details.’ “Anything else?”

“His clothes.” The woman walked past him, now fully clothed again. She pointed at a plastic bag resting on a nearby table, containing the man’s garments and other possessions found on his body. “They’re sealed and prepared for the analysis team, but one thing I can tell you for sure. This man is a Fire Monk.”

“A Fire Monk?” Naruto squinted his eyes. Iruka had talked about something like that during his lessons. Fire Monks, Fire Monks, Fire Monks... No, didn’t ring a bell.

“Oh, for the love of-The Fire Temple, baka!” His partner gently suggested.

“Oh, right. The Fire Temple.” Naruto voiced out loud. “... Wait, what is that?” An animalistic groan echoed in Naruto’s head.

“It’s a monastery located in the northern part of the Fire Country. They practice a particular kind of religion based on the Will of Fire, and the usage of a particular kind of chakra. Haven’t seen one in years.” Ayeka continued, her gaze moving to the direction of her latest patient’s room. “For one to appear so far from the temple, with that kind of injury too... I fear something bad may be happening at the monastery.”

“... Then, let’s hope he wakes up soon.” Naruto sighed. Once again, their inability to know what was happening outside of Konoha’s walls was really irking him.

-FutureLost-​

"Come on! Push onwards, you fools!" They had tried another tactic, this time. They had tried attacking by night but they had still found monks waiting for them, and again, they were pushing them back.

The monks were powerful. To take down one of them, they needed to sacrifice thirty of their men. Luckily they used non-lethal strike while they had no such compulsion, otherwise they would have been slaughtered days before. "The baldies can't keep this up forever!"

"Just who..." Suddenly the leader of the attacking group of bandits tensed when he felt a hand grasp the back of his head. He then knew sweet unconsciousness when that same hand slammed him face first into the ground. "Are you calling baldies, ahhh?!"

"C-Chief!" One of the aids of the leader noticed the predicament of his boss and turned to the perpetrator with rage in his eyes. "You bastard! You... Huh?" That's when he noticed that this monk was much younger than most of the others, and also that he had head full of long hair. "You're not bald... Guh!"

"So what?!" The young monk kneed the bandit in the face, rendering him unconscious on the spot. Then he turned around with a swerve, sending chakra to the metal claw he wore on his right arm. "I'm still a Fire Monk!" He swung his arm, releasing a gust of wind chakra that turned into invisible blades that hit another four bandits around him, injuring them and destroying their weapons. Landing back on his feet, he turned his eyes on the now remaining and retreating ones. He charged his chakra again. "Don't run, you-"

"Sora! Enough!" The young monk suddenly felt a hand gripping his shoulder. He turned around to see a 'normal' monk only a few years older than himself, sporting a vicious scar on his scalp. "They're leaving."
"But they will be back, Sentoki! You know they will!" Sora obeyed, letting go of his chakra, but he couldn't help but resent the orders they had been given. "If we don't take them out-"

"We don't have the numbers to take them all on our own, especially in their own territory." Sentoki replied, admonishing his younger companion, but not being able to hide a little anger himself. "I don't like it more than yourself, but we can't do anything else but let them go."

"... Damn it." Sora calmed down, and this convinced Sentoki to let go of him, finally. "We've been doing this for weeks, and we've already lost companions to them. They're tiring us out and you know it. Stragglers penetrate our ranks every day."

"We have no choice but to endure... And hope that Zenza finds someone willing to help us.” The young monk tsk-ed. If the fragmentation of the country had brought him anything good, it was an opportunity to prove himself to his fellow monks, but he would trade it all away for a bit of peace, by now. Also, to have to ask for help from the same people who brought them to chaos? It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

‘Damn you, Konoha ninja. Damn you for breaking this country!’

 

[AJ_Katon]

Holy crap, you're bringing the Fire monks into this? This bodes well. I can't wait to see your take on the Fire monk's beliefs and structures.

Plus with Sora around that's a quasi container there to help Naruto out.

 

[zeebee1]

I think you just forgot who Sora is if you think it will be that easy.

 

[Cooltony101neo]

now this is getting good and shit is starting to happen

 

[Druid]

Indeed it does look good. This story continues to intrigue me.

 

[datakim]

The idea of Naruto who has befriended Kurama meeting Sora from the filler arc is actually quite interesting. I don't think I have ever seen it used in a fic before. If I recall correctly, Sora and Naruto did not exactly become best friends to start with. How bad would their meeting go then, with Sora viewing Kuramas chakra as something evil, while Naruto has learned the truth about Kurama and views him as a friend and comrade. Add to this Sora hating Konoha and blaming the village for everything bad and yikes!

Also, I think in that filler arc, Sora basically got leftover chakra that had spilled from Kurama sealed into him by some random bad guy (I recall correctly right?). Would Kurama not want that chakra back, given that the spillover chakra would be both Yin and Yang natured (since it would have come from before Minato used Shiki Fuujin), whereas the Kurama in Naruto only has Yang now thanks to Minato and Shiki Fuujin ripping out the Yin part. Getting the "seed" of Yin from Sora might allow Kurama to fully regenerate to his normal self, so thats another potential disaster in the making, if Kurama convinces Naruto to try and take back the chakra sealed in Sora (which from a certain POV does belong to Kurama) in order to heal himself.

This whole story is getting rather interesting. I do kinda wonder how Naruto managed to make friends with Kurama so early though. I feel thats something that should be elaborated on, though I guess you will eventually?

 

[Cooltony101neo]

during the filler naruto got it back

 

[datakim]

during the filler naruto got it back

I am pretty sure that at the time of the Sora fillers, it had not yet been established that Minato actually took every last drop of Yin chakra from Kurama with him to the shinigami, and left Kurama permanently crippled as a result. Back then, the fact that Sora got his Kurama chakra from leftover chakra that spilled from Kurama pre-Shiki Fuujin was pretty meaningless. Storywise, Soras chakra back then was just leftovers, and mostly meaningless compared to the full bijuu that Naruto had.

However the Sora filler was a long time ago, and in the manga we have indeed since discovered that Kurama did lose every last drop of his Yin-chakra, and presumably without any left, he cannot generate more. Infact in the recent chapters, Minato is using that Yin-chakra he took in the form of KCM, and strongly implied that he would gift it back to Naruto&Kurama eventually. If Kurama was in a position to regenerate that Yin-chakra, then Minatos gift of that chakra would be utterly meaningless. So in a nutshell, Kurama desperately needs atleast some Yin-natured Kurama!chakra, so he can start producing more and eventually fully recover from Minatos use of Shiki Fuujin.

As a result, Soras pre-SF Kurama chakra which contains atleast a little bit of yin!Kurama-chakra should be a treasure trove to the current Kurama, since I do presume that if Kurama got atleast some Yin-natured chakra, he could use that to create more (he has been shown to mostly run out of chakra, and then do that meditation thing to create more in recent chapters, implying that so long as he has atleast some chakra left to use as a "seed", he can create more as needed).

And since Kurama is apparently allied and friendly with Naruto (and by extension Konoha aswell in a way), I would atleast expect Kurama to bring it up or something. Maybe even convince Naruto to demand the Kurama chakra in Sora as payment for helping with their problem or somesuch. It should atleast be acknowledged.

 

[Meinos Kaen]

Zenza had been maybe foolish. Maybe he had let Sora get through to him. But, if you asked him, he would have done everything the same, up until the point he was stabbed.

The young Monk in training was right. They were fighting a war of attrition and they were going to lose in the long run, because their principles prohibited them from taking lives. Their enemies were attacking them from two fronts, and largely superior in numbers which the monks couldn’t deplete. As much as it pained Zenza to admit it, there was no other choice but to seek for help, from either the Uchiha or the Senju.

When Zenza had volunteered, he knew he would have to cross through the entire territory of the bandit lord Moshiro, and he had almost succeeded in doing so without being discovered.

Almost. On the last night, he had been discovered by a patrol. He had managed to dispatch them, but one had gotten a deep hit in. Disoriented, he had walked in a single direction until he had passed out.
The last thing he remembered was an artificial light shining on him from above.

As he opened his eyes, he found himself in a light breeze, warmed up by the natural light of the sun coming in from a nearby window. He blinked, taking in his surroundings. ‘A hospital?’

“Ah, good. You’re finally awake.” He turned to his right, finding a nurse in the doorway. She got inside the room immediately, and he saw her activating some kind of device tied to her waist. Then she gathered a glass and a pitcher which were laying on a nearby table. “The doctor will arrive immediately. Please, drink this. You must be terribly thirsty.”

He was. He slowly raised his hands, and accepted the offered glass, emptying it in seconds. “H-How long was I...”

“You were out for 32 hours.” Zenza nodded, and then the other question which pressed on his mind came through.

“Where am I?” The nurse smiled brightly at that question.

“You’re in Konohagakure.” Zenza’s eyes widened. Konoha! He had done it! He hadn’t failed his fellow monks! He had found the Senju!

-FutureLost-

“Y-You’re not the Senju?”

“I’m afraid the Senju left Konoha years ago, as did the Uchiha. We’re what was left behind.” Iruka answered. He had taken upon himself the task of interviewing their guest. “You’re a Fire Monk, right?”

“Yes, my name is Zenza, and... I was looking for help.” Iruka nodded while the monk lowered his head.

“Care to explain for what? You must understand that we have no knowledge of what is going on behind the walls of the village.” Iruka explained. “These last few years have been spent on rebuilding.”

“... The Fire Temple is under attack. I... Do you have any paper?” Iruka motioned to the nurse to bring something for Zenza to write on. The Fire Monk accepted the parchment, ink and brush and started drawing on it. What he presented was a rough map of the Fire Country, split into three areas. Two large ones at the left and right and a third smaller one which broke it down the middle. “After the first phase of the civil war, the Uchiha and the Senju retreated to their ancestral headquarters and started building up on their territory. This is the current state of the country.”

“I see.” Iruka observed as he took in the size and names. The territory on the left belonged to the Senju, the one on the right to the Uchiha. “What about the territory in the middle? That’s where Konoha and the Fire Temple are in, right?”

“That’s called... The Lost Zone, by outsiders.” Zenza continued, taking another parchment and making an outline of said zone before starting to split it into smaller territories. “This area is the one that was ravaged by the initial fighting between the two factions. When the Senju and the Uchiha retreated, bandit lords turned smaller areas into their personal reign.”

‘That was why there was that much bandit activity in the past years.’ Iruka thought back at the many raiding parties that they had repelled during reconstruction. They had been trying to make their stake on Konoha, thinking it abandoned.

“The only areas which weren’t taken by one or the other bandit lord were the area under the protection of the Fire Temple, the capital, yours -which we thought it was because of the Senju-...” Zenza started, pointing at each of the outlined areas with his brush, ending with one even smaller than Konoha which was a few kilometers to the east of the village. “And... This small one. No one knows why, but every bandit you ask will tell you that no one has ever come back alive from there.”

‘... That area reminds me of something. I will have to search the archives later.’ “It seems like a pretty stable situation.”

“It was. The various lords figured that there was no use in fighting for more territory... But, something changed.” Zenza pointed to the northernmost territory. “This territory belonged to the bandit lord Nanashi. It suddenly fell silent.”

“Fell silent?” Iruka inquired.

“No more patrols. No more bandits on the border. This sent its neighbours in a frenzy, to the point of making the lords Moshiro and Takeda join in an alliance. A couple weeks ago, they started attacking the territory under our protection, demanding that we relinquish the temple.”

“... They want a place where to hole up into.” The scarred ex-chuunin commented. He doubted that bandits had ever given much thought to the need of a fortress. Whatever had taken the territory directly to the north of the Fire Temple had spurred them into banding together and finding a place where to better defend themselves in case of attack.

“Yes. We’re currently under prolonged siege.” Zenza admitted, lowering his head. “Our supplies are about to run out because we took inside the temple all the people under our protection, and these same people were the ones who cultivated the crops to sustain our territory. We’re outnumbered, and our precepts forbid us from taking lives.”

“So, you needed the help of someone without such inhibitions.” Iruka snorted. It seemed that no matter the age, the world would always need someone willing to dirty its hands.

“Yes. It’s... Disgusting, but, we had no other choice. We were... We were forced to look for help from... From the ones who destroyed this country.” Zenza admitted, gripping the sheets of his bed. “And I even failed to find them.”

“... I’m sorry.” Iruka sighed, lowering his head. He understood the man’s plight, but they couldn’t spare the men to help with such a situation. ‘I guess we will help him recover and then send him on his way. But still...’ Iruka froze. Something had happened while he wasn’t looking.
The maps Zenza had drawn were gone.

In place of the two parchments, on the monk’s lap, now laid two cups of uncooked home made ramen. ’Motherf-!’ “NARUTO!”

-FutureLost-

“Help from the Senju? Fuck it!” ‘We just chased those bastards out and now someone wants them to get over here?!’ Naruto had been having a conversation with Mizuki, mostly ranting about Iruka being unjust when another villager had walked by the silver-haired ninja’s office, heading for Iruka’s.

He knew that Iruka had instructed to let him know when the monk woke up, because he wanted to be the one to question him. As such, he had followed the older ninja to the hospital and, hanging just outside the monk’s window, had listened to the entire conversation.

It had made his blood boil. It wasn’t just their village, those bastards had left a third of their country ravaged and at the mercy of bandits. He’d be damned if he allowed them to take a foothold again!

’Hey, hey, hey. What do you think you’re doing, Naruto?’ Naruto ignored his partner’s voice as a Kage Bunshin he had created handed him his backpack, which he had collected from his apartment. Naruto sprinted across the village’s roofs, wearing only his baggy brown pants, a white sleeveless jacket and a brown sash slung diagonally across his chest. ’You can’t just leave the village.’

‘Why? There isn’t a direct ban.’ Naruto retorted, slinging his backpack across his shoulders. ‘Iruka-sensei only forbid me from going out there as a scout. This is a rescue mission.’

’Semantics. Naruto, if you act directly against these bandits, you’re going to bring their attention on Konoha.’

‘Are you seriously suggesting that we should be afraid of a bunch of spear-wielding idiots who can’t use chakra?! They’re going to lose against our walls! And no one knows of us. They’re going to think I’m a Senju, or an Uchiha.’ Naruto snorted in laughter, accelerating as the village walls came into sight.

’… Okay, granted. But still, are you really going to do this alone?’

‘Alone? You’re staying, partner?’ Naruto grinned. ‘Why, I’m hurt. I thought that we always did everything together.’

’Smartass. Like I can leave your body, anyway.’ Kurama growled, before chuckling amusedly. ’Well, I guess this may finally be a chance to put all our training to good use.’

‘You know it! We’re going to-’

“NARUTO!” The blonde flinched as he turned around. Iruka was in pursuit, rapidly gaining on him with the most pissed off face Naruto had ever seen on him. “GET BACK HERE IMMEDIATELY!”

‘Damn, he’s pissed.’ “Sorry, Iruka-sensei! No can do!” The blonde turned around mid-jump. “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” Twelve other Naruto appeared in puffs of smoke, scattering in different directions. ‘That’s going to put him off-Huh?’

“You idiot!” A punch in his face sent him crashing towards the ground. As he fell he saw twelve other Iruka serving the same treatment to his copies. He had forgotten that Iruka had, indeed, learned all the techniques in the Forbidden Scroll. Also, the training seemed to have increased his chakra reserves considerably. He twisted and landed in a crouch, Iruka landing in front of him. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Oh, come on, Iruka-sensei! Are you serious?!” Naruto stood up, suddenly ticked off. “Are you seriously going to allow the Senju to come back?!”

“That won’t happen, idiot!” Iruka retorted, earning a look of confusion from Naruto. He exhaled, calming down. “If the Senju haven’t retaken this territory before, it’s because it would put a strain on their resources in the fight against the Uchiha. Do you really think a begging monk will make them change their mind? At best, they’re going to refuse him.”

“... I hadn’t thought about that.” Naruto admitted, lowering his head. The scarred teacher sighed, patting the blonde’s right shoulder.

“I know you didn’t. That’s-”

“That’s even worse, Iruka-sensei!” Only to be taken back by the Jinchuuriki’s sudden outburst. Naruto seemed to be as pissed off as he was a few seconds before. “You’re saying that we’re going to abandon innocent people to their destiny, allow them to be slaughtered, because it’s convenient!”

“Naruto, you have to understand-”

“Understand? Understand what?!” Iruka was cut off again, stupefied by the venom in his ex-student’s voice. “That we’re going to blatantly ignore a request of help because you want us to stay hidden from the world for the rest of our lives?!”

“Naruto, we have to think about the village’s survival!”

“At what cost, Iruka-sensei?!” Naruto retorted, gritting his teeth. “If we do this, if we turn our heads, if we leave those people to die because we’re too caught up in ourselves, how are we better than-”

“Iruka-san!” The altercation was interrupted as another ninja appeared in front of the two. He seemed to be quite in a hurry, judging by the way his glasses had fallen out. "Naruto-san."

"Yakushi-san." Iruka acknowledged the bespectacled ninja as he stood. "You seem shaken. What is it?"

"You have to see this."

-FutureLost-

"We know you got him! The trail of blood leads right here!" Iruka cursed. Kabuto observed. Naruto showed a shit-eating grin.

A posse of twenty variously armed/armoured bandits was standing at the gates of the village. According to what Kabuto had told them, they had requested that they hand over the monk. "Hand over the baldie!"

"Who's asking?!" Iruka calmly answered, raising his voice to make himself heard from his elevated position.

"The Moshiro band!" The leader of the band shouted. “We know he’s in there! Hand him over and we’ll leave your pretty little village alone! Otherwise, we’re going to take him ourselves!”

“... That’s an empty bluff if I ever heard one.” Iruka said, shaking his head. The man who had been addressing them flinched. “You have your forces thinned out already trying to take the Fire Temple. Are you suggesting you’re going to dedicate a part of them to attack our village?”

“... Well, then, after we take the temple, we’ll come for you!” Iruka facepalmed. There really was no reasoning with such people, was there? And he could feel Naruto’s grin behind his back.

“Sir, are you seriously threatening to attack our village?” That was the last chance. For the bandits, and for them.

“You know it, nose-scar!” That was it. No turning back. Also, his scar was a sensitive subject.

“I see.” Iruka raised his right arm.

A shower of steel skewered the war-party, ending their lives before they even understood what had happened. Iruka didn’t even wait for the last body to fall before addressing the shinobi around him. “Destroy the bodies. Clean the area. Search for any tracks in the immediate range and destroy them. That should buy us enough time.”

“Enough time for what, Iruka-san?” Kabuto Yakushi asked, even if he had a pretty good idea.

“To strike first.” Naruto kept himself from cheering. It wouldn’t do.

 

[Nasuren]

Oohh! This finally updated!

Is it me, or do all idiot thugs have death wishes?

 

[Meinos Kaen]

“So... Iruka has grown in strength.” The Sandaime commented as Kakashi gave his report to the war council. The Jounin just nodded.

“Yes. That's also why a retrieval of the scroll and its copy would be pretty much useless.” The grey haired ninja continued, keeping his hands crossed behind his back, his recently patched up ribs giving him some discomfort but bearing it nonetheless. “If Iruka actually memorized and refined every technique on the forbidden scroll, and I have no reason to believe he was lying...” He glanced briefly in the direction of Hiashi as he said this, knowing that the Hyuuga patriarch was doubtful at best. “The scroll is currently obsolete and destroying it to prevent anyone from knowing its techniques would just be meaningless.”

“... Well, there’s only one solution, then.” Danzo voiced his opinion, and everyone knew what he meant. If the storage device had become a person instead of an object, the mission would be one of retrieval and assassination both.

“Is that possible, Kakashi?” Shikaku asked. Kakashi stared back at the Nara head and shook his head slowly, earning an outraged face from Hiashi in particular. “Why is that?”

“During our brief confrontation, Iruka deliberately let me witness the clues I needed to discern his current level of power. I'm positive that if I were to be assigned on his assassination, I would have to go all out for that to be possible.” That earned surprise from everyone in the room but Shikaku, who just closed his eyes.

“I understand. Assassination is impossible, and sending a contingent would be detrimental.” The Nara head's declaration ticked off Hiashi, as the white-eyed man stood up from his chair violently.

“Hokage-sama, let us just send a team. My clan...”

“Will do nothing and would likely be obliterated even if we decided to send someone.” This time it was Danzo who voiced his opinion, and earned an outraged glare from Hiashi as well. Before he could go on a tirade, he continues. “If Iruka has reached that level, killing him silently will be impossible. Your team would suddenly have a whole village of ninja after them. Also, consider this.” Danzo stood up and turned his posture so that he could be facing the whole room at the same time, at least theoretically.
“We left that village in ruins, bringing with us almost every single ninja left after the first ten days of fighting, thousands of dead civilians and no one stronger than a Chunin behind us. And yet, in eight years they've rebuilt the village back to the size it was before. If Iruka, a simple Chunin academy teacher, has turned himself into an S-Class ninja... Well, I got a feeling that he wasn't the only one strengthening himself in that village.”

“Even if we succeeded, we would just make another enemy and we can't afford that. The Uchiha are enough of a threat to face.” Shikaku continued for Danzo. “I suggest we leave the matter alone... For the moment.”

“... If Hokage-sama is fine with this...” Hiashi sat down again, and turned in the direction of the old shinobi, who seemed lost in thought.

“... Has Naruto grown as well, Kakashi? How was he?” The Professor asked, earning surprise from the ones who didn't know him that personally. Kakashi nodded.

“Yes. From what Mizuki told me, he has been rebuilding the whole village on his own. He’s a master of the Kage Bunshin technique. And...” Kakashi put a hand to his right side. “He was the one who gave me this. Simple chakra manipulation, but... He seemed fine.”

“... Good.” Choza had been silent the whole time, not really having anything to add, but he almost gasped when he saw the shadow of a smile appear on the Hokage's face. “I trust your judgement, Shikaku. I don't think we will have to worry about demon problems any time soon. Let's just leave our old village alone.” The Fire Shadow stood up from his seat, put his hat back on and walked out of the room. “We owe them that much.”

-FutureLost-​

Scattered through the elemental countries there are many abandoned cities, relics of a faraway past, before the time of chakra and ninjas. No records are left of that time, nor anybody knows why these many cities were suddenly abandoned and left to the dust and time and how they had managed to leave just the structures behind, no objects or bodies discovered, ever. Like vanished in thin air.

What people knew was that many of these abandoned cities were used. Some from bandits, other from nukenins, other were under archaeological care, others yet were subject to other uses. That's the case of the abandoned city in the southeastern part of the Fire Country. A protectorate of the Uchiha clan, after the civil war it has become their new home and headquarters.

“So the last clash ended up as another stalemate?” He slammed his right fist into the mannequin and then followed up with a cutting blow to the neck.

“Yes... No losses on both parts, but it just shows just how much of a stalemate we've reached.” The older man, the current head of the Uchiha clan and subsequently their faction, observed as his youngest son kept on laying blow after blow on the mannequin, observing his form and speed. “No one wants to risk losing any forces uselessly so they just build up on supplies and wait... For something to happen.”

“Are we that cowardly...” The young Uchiha charged his right hand with elemental chakra and delivered another chop to the neck of the mannequin, cutting its head off cleanly. “Father?”

“It's not cowardice, but strategy, Sasuke. Logic.” Fugaku pushed himself off the wall and walked to his son, seeing that he had finished his training. “Once we win this war, we will have to deal with the other countries. Seeing us as weak, they could think of attacking us, to wipe the Uchiha off the face of earth forever. Not even our clan is invincible, Sasuke. Remember that.”

“... So, we wait? For what?” The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular, only to feel his father put a hand on his left shoulder.

“No. We build up our strength. As I'm sure they're doing so as well. There are a number of things we can do to strengthen our forces, Sasuke... Missions to accomplish for the good of the clan.” Sasuke raised his head to look straight in the eyes of his father. “Be assured... Soon we will need your strength too.”

“... At last.” The Uchiha smiled. He had waited eight long years for a chance to prove himself, and soon he would get it. Soon he would prove to the clan that they had lost nothing but a traitor when Itachi left.

-FutureLost-​

“I assume all of you have heard about what happened this morning. A posse of bandits threatened us with retaliation if we didn't hand over an injured man currently under our protection." Iruka was addressing a group of all the assigned heads of the sections which made up the new Konoha. His brow narrowed. "We do not take lightly to threats. The posse was dispatched, their trails destroyed. That gives us time to plan for a pre-emptive strike."

"What intelligence do we have on the enemy?" A gruff man with a bald scarred head and a thick white moustache asked. "What equipment? Numbers?"

"Between six hundred and a thousand enemies. Equipped as well as you'd think two groups of bandits in a country basically isolated from the rest of the world would be. Not that well." Ayeka answered as she read the information provided to them by Zenza. When they told him what they needed it for he had prostrated himself in front of the nurse. Suffice to say, that had been an embarrassing experience for the nurse. "How many are we sending?"

"A single well prepared team will suffice, with the assistance of the monks." A man around Iruka's age interjected, long blonde hair gathered in a top knot over his head, a senbon in his mouth. "Four people."

"A medic, a heavy combat specialist, a tracker and an infiltrator." Iruka put a hand to his chin. "One should be a person with actual mission experience from the old days."

"Let's make that the infiltrator, then. Please, make that the infiltrator." Ayeka pleaded, her whole body shuddering. The rest of the room showed various expressions of sympathy. Iruka nodded. She sighed in relief, already relishing what would be a period of blissful mental stability for the hospital. "And for the medic, make it Yakushi. Who knows how the Monks and their people are faring. Better send one of my best."

"For the tracker... What do you say we give the poor disgruntled husbands of Konoha a bit of respite?" Genma’s comments earned amusement from the table, and no objections. “That only leaves the heavy combat specialist.”

“Uhhm, how about we send that nice lad? Uzumaki Naruto, was it?” That comment, made in a squeaky falsetto, caused all the occupant of the rooms to turn to the small Iruka-shaped puppet currently peeking over the table. “Why, yes! Uzumaki Naruto! Such a strong, eager young man!”

“And don’t forget handsome!” Another puppet, this one a female one with long blonde hair and huge red lips appeared.

“Oh, yeah! How can I forget? Handsome!”

“Oh, Naruto-kun! What is your secret?! How can you be so cool and brave and-“

“Okay, Naruto. You can go.”

“YES!” As Iruka approved, the puppet went flying because of the strength with which Naruto jumped high in the air, pumping a fist. He then latched onto his teacher and hugged him tightly. “Thanks, Iruka-sensei! Going to pack, bye!” Then he launched himself out of the nearby open window.

“You meet in three hours with the rest of your team at the front gates!” The pseudo-leader of Konoha shouted after him, which earned him an echoed ‘Ooookaaaaay’ as an answer. He groaned, palming his face while the room shared a laugh at his expenses.

-FutureLost-​

"... An actual mission." He'd never think there would come a day when he would again be presented with a scroll like the one currently in his hands.
"Don't make it sound so official-like. You can refuse, you know. We'll send someone else." Ayeka explained, shrugging her shoulders. That earned an amused smile from the bespectacled medic.

"Of course. I'm sure we have lots of people with my same level of skill that could replace me." The woman rolled her eyes. "Want me to tell-"

"Please do." Ayeka cut him off, and went as far as bowing to him. He sighed, waving her off as he turned to leave, his labcoat swinging behind him.

As he walked down the hospital's corridors, he couldn't help but think about how people liked to exaggerate on his friend's antics. Sure, she was eccentric and didn't actively dissuade any of the impressions they built of her, but she wasn't that bad, rea-

"Okay, let me tell you how this is going to work, brat." Or maybe he was biased in his opinions because they were friends. He stepped in a room to find her, in the standard pink nurse uniform, towering over a terrified child cowering in a corner. "You either stop squirming around and let me give you your god-damn shot, or..."

A slithering shape suddenly shot out of her right sleeve, standing at attention in front of the now screaming little boy. "Or I use one of my little friends here to restrain you and then you get your shot like a little pussy. What will it be?" The child whimpered and slowly offered his arm. The purple haired woman smirked. "Good choice."

Kabuto shook his head, waiting as his friend finished administering the shot and then sent the little boy packing with a pat on his back, a giant lollipop and a heightened fear of snakes before making himself known with a wave. "Another satisfied patient, Anko."

"Laugh it up, glasses. I bring results. Hospital's record for the quickest shot!" The woman grinned, giving the silver haired man a victory sign.

"Well, hope you're fast at preparing yourself. We leave in two hours and a half." His declaration was met with a raised eyebrow. He threw the scroll, which she caught swiftly and opened. Her jaw dropped. "Can't leave without our-!" He barely grabbed his glasses in time as she ran past him, the air dislocation flapping his labcoat and shaking many other objects in the room. Her nurse cap fluttered to the ground on the spot where she had been standing just a second before. "... Leader."

-FutureLost-​

"I must go." The woman sniffled, reluctant to release the hold she had on his shirt.

"Why do you have to leave? Can't we spend a little more time together?" He shook his head, long flowing black hair swishing with the motion.

"We cannot, my love. I'm sorry, but..." He gently raised her chin with a single finger, his vacant irises meeting chocolate. "Fate has decreed as such."

"FATE CAN HEAR YOU THROUGH THIS FUCKING DOOR! FATE IS GOING TO KILL YOU THE MOMENT I RAM IT DOWN! RAAAAAAH!" The door to the woman's bedroom shook as her husband threw himself against it again. She pouted.

"That man... Why can't he leave us alone?"

"Well, it is his house too... I can tell when I'm no longer welcome." The teen sighed. "Farewell, my love." He leaned down and kissed the much older woman on the forehead, before leaping for the window just as her husband finally remembered he could use chakra. As he landed in the street below, a stray lightning bolt shattered the window's glass. He could hear a number of colorful curses headed his way as he jumped for a nearby rooftop.

He sighed. He would have liked to spend at least a couple more nights in the woman's company but alas, fate had deemed that it was not to be. Sometimes he wondered if he would ever find his one true love... And if maybe he wasn't helping his case by only going for women forty and older only. He dismissed that thought. He just hadn't met his fated one true love yet. ’Still there aren't that many women left in Konoha, and most are sadly afraid to open their hearts to love…’

"How old was this one, Neji? 47?" He stopped in his tracks once he landed on a roof neighbouring a tall tree, upon which branches a man sat.

"For your information, she was a lovely dark haired dove of 49, Genma-san." The Hyuuga straightened himself, dusting his clothes as he stood. "To what do I owe your presence?"

"Would you like to be away from the village for a time?" Neji blinked. Away from the village? He caught the scroll with one hand as it was thrown to him, and started unfurling it. He read it carefully, his eyes widening slightly as he absorbed its contents. His lips settled in a satisfied smile.

Fate had just provided him with greener pastures.

-FutureLost-​

"Okay, niichan. I will take care of your Amarilla for you."

"Thanks, Moegi. And say hi to Ten-chan for me, too." He would have liked to say hi himself, but his friend was currently working in the forge. And after a certain incident, he knew better than to try and bother her for ANYTHING while she was handling sharp objects and molten metal.

"I will... And, Naruto-niichan, you look so cool!" He grinned, rubbing his nose as he stood again. He had made up an outfit out of some of the garments he had received for his birthday. Baggy orange pants with large pockets, a black t-shirt with a white leaf motive and an orange vest with a big collar. Accessories: black wristbands, sandals, weapon pouch around the left thigh, toolbelt, backpack, and a long black headband with the white Kanji for 'Carpenter'.

"Don't I? Best birthday presents ever!" He grinned and then threw a glance in the direction of the clock tower. Meeting time. "Gotta go, Moegi-chan." He bent forward and kissed the young girl on the forehead. "Be good, alright?"

"Good luck, Naruto-niichan." He winked and then leaped away. A couple rooftops later, a group of three people were in his sights.

He landed in front of them in a crouch. "Sorry! I'm not late, am I?!"

"No, Naruto-san. We just arrived ourselves." The bespectacled man answered. Naruto had seen him at the hospital before. Kabuto Yakushi. Even if he had forgone his usual attire for baggy white pants and a long sleeved cheongsang, white and purple. Also, he carried a wooden staff.

"Well, actually, Mitarashi-san has been here for the good part of an hour, according to the bystanders." Neji Hyuga, one of the Hyuuga branch members who stayed behind in the aftermath of the Battle of Konoha. He remembered him from the academy, and some wild chases around the village. All from jealous boyfriends/husband. He was clad in long flowing blue and white robes, which covered most of his body but, strangely enough, left his chest exposed.

"Well, I'm excited! Eight years of playing the nice little nurse and now it's finally time for action!" Mitarashi Anko cheered, throwing her arm upward. He wasn't that well acquainted with the ex special Jounin -except the horror stories from her shifts at the hospital-, but he already liked her attitude... Also, her violet armoured top did some nice things to her exposed cleavage as she threw her arms upwards. Her ensemble was completed by black skin tight pants coming down to mid-calf, a brown jacket. Also, a choker. More than a mission, she looked ready for a night on the town.

"I know, right?! Time to show the world how real Konoha ninjas do it!" Naruto grinned and raised his right arm, asking for an high-five.

"Hell yeah, brat! That's what I'm talking about!" She returned it with gusto. Neji sighed and Kabuto rolled his eyes.

"May I remind you that we're supposed to go about this the sneaky way if possible, miss leader?" The medic advised, strapping his backpack over his shoulders, mimicked by Neji.

"The trip is going to take us a full day." Neji estimated, considering the distance and the necessity to avoid enemy patrols. "Will we stop for the night?"

"Nah. Not enough intelligence, and I would like to get there as soon as possible. From what we heard from the monk, the temple is on its last ropes." Anko shook her head, strapping her backpack as well. "Every minute counts, we're their only hope, etcetera. It's a full fledged rescue mission."

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?!" Naruto punched his open left palm and walked ahead of its companions towards the gate. "Mission start!"

 

[KurokamiDG]

Wow. Neji has become a playboy.


And Anko a nurse...not sure how that works but why not? :snigger:

 

[Nasuren]

...anybody else think that this team is overkill?