Author Note
Hi there and welcome to another chapter of Nidaime no Sairin.
I won't comment right now, so let's get
Please enjoy!
Nidaime no Sairin - Naruto Shippuden
Chapter 38 - King
Beta: Scheffinator
It has been some time since the mission to retrieve one Uchiha Sasuke finished and the village had interrogated the girl named Uzumaki Karin about valid intel regarding Orochimaru's whereabouts and also Sasuke's for that matter. The fiery red-haired girl has a temper for sure, but she wasn't stupid enough to push her luck in attempting to give out false information…specially once Naruto oh so casually explained it to her that Konoha has two rather specific lines of questioning:
Physical Pain (Anko) or Psychological Warfare (Ibiki).
Of course, the young Jonin was rather graphic in retelling a few experiences he had witnessed, leading up to Karin's throat getting dry and her forehead getting drenched in sweat at the mere prospect of trying her luck.
It doesn't mean that her intel alone would be enough for Konoha to get a jump on the snake's activities, however.
The man hadn't lived this long being who he is if he didn't have contingencies in place. Karin was the one responsible for securing a peculiar base strangely located in the middle of the ocean, on top of a small island. With the intel, Tsunade had ordered a reconnaissance mission to go there. The base was there alright…inside was nothing short of a horror movie, however. No documents were found…no Orochimaru…no Kabuto…no Sasuke or anyone alive for that matter. The two female Chuunin and one Jonin who went there all had to throw up at the stench and the sight of blood and organs splashed on the floor.
Karin had later explained that this particular base contained only subjects for Orochimaru's experiments to mix the cells of animals to mix with humans.
Other bases had proved to be more fruitful for Konoha. While in neither of them, the ones sent managed to find anything substantial, one of the shinobi happened to be a sensor and managed to sense the usage of a rather rare Kekkei Genkai…Shoton (Crystal Release). Karin was reluctant to divulge the identity of the user, but relented once Anko showed her a snake she uses to extract poison from…its venom runs through the prisoner's veins in seconds and the burning sensation begins in seconds. Within minutes, the organs begin to melt, unless Anko administers the antidote.
The name Guren was practically shouted by the red-haired girl, but not before comparing Anko to the likes of Orochimaru, which, of course, didn't bode well for her.
Naruto had to hold her down or else he would have lost his only alive relative.
Tsunade couldn't help but curse the Snake Sannin for this. The Crystal Release has been dormant in the Elemental Nations for quite some time now.
The last time she had heard about it was actually a rumor about a shinobi with the ability. She had placed Guren as an A-ranked criminal, immediately, with her known association to Orochimaru. With any luck, one of the hunter-nin could smoke her out and deal with her. Regarding Karin's situation, since her intel was solid, coerced as it may have been, the woman was allowed some amount of freedom at least with a small apartment near Naruto's of course. The blond Jonin had placed a tracking seal on her that would trigger ANBU response as soon as she set foot outside the village.
The possibility also existed of Orochimaru sending someone to capture her, so the tracking seal would trigger in case of dire stress on her part.
===In Kurenai's House===
Yuuhi Kurenai was hosting a small get-together in her place with Anko and Yuugao.
Normally, Anko and Yuugao much preferred to go outside for that, but on occasion, having this was quite nice.
They could be by themselves without the risk of being hit on in Yuugao's case. It's been some time since Hayate died and she has managed to cope better each day. However, it wasn't the same as saying that she was ready to date once more. After the mission to retrieve Sasuke finished, Takuma had found the courage to ask her out, but she politely declined. The Hyuuga wasn't offended, of course. He understood that it may take some more time for that.
Kurenai had also understood, saying that the sword user needed to wait a little bit more, before being comfortable with the thought.
Of course, Anko was of a different mind altogether.
"I still think you should get yourself some ass, Yuugao-chan. And a Hyuga ass for that matter. I have been with one once, you know, those Byakugan could be quite useful under the sheets, if you catch my drift." Kurenai tsked and kept turning her head in humor, while Yuugao deflated at her best friend's, let's say, advice. She would have rebuffed it by asking how much sake had Anko taken until now, but they had just started drinking.
"Anko, I am having doubts about accepting an invitation for a date. What makes you believe that I am ready to get into bed with someone else?" Anko snorted at the notion.
"That's the problem right there…getting laid can help you loosen up and move on, Yuugao-chan. Obviously, getting romantic with another man is out of the question, but there are other ways to do it, I am just saying." Kurenai poured some sake for everyone.
"Stop pushing her like this…After I broke it off with Asuma, I had also taken a long time before even considering being intimate with another man."
Anko was sipping her drink like a shot and released a sigh in dismay.
"Yeah and I kept pestering you to do it just like I am doing with our girl here. Was I wrong?" Kurenai rolled her eyes at that.
It happened to be the time when she was having second thoughts about going all the way with Naruto.
"No, you were not, but this is different, Anko-chan. Mine was a break-up." Yuugao had also taken her shot, before commenting.
"Not everyone can move on as fast as you, Anko-chan."
The snake Jonin could be quite hurt about the comment, but then again, for herself to be in either of her friend's shoes, she needed to have someone like that.
"Hey, that hurts you know, you make it sound like I don't have feelings…I am quite hurt, Yuugao-chan." The words appeared harsh, but it was clear that she was kidding. "It just so happens that I quite enjoy the under sheets activities and I really think you're missing out on it. I bet Hana-chan agrees with me." It was an unfair comparison to be honest. Someone highly attuned to her instincts and hormones, it was hard for Hana to consider a path away from the, let's say, physical activities.
"That's not entirely true, she has been heart-broken once and it took her a while to get over as well." Anko and Yuugao nodded, remembering it as well.
"Listen, I am not saying that I will ever be with someone like that, but I don't know…it still doesn't feel right." Anko deflated at that.
"Okay…okay…darn it…I will stop pestering you about it. I am just looking out for my girls' well-being."
Kurenai and Yuugao both knew that, despite the snake Jonin finding it hard to control herself.
"Despite the words you used Anko-chan, I appreciate the intention. And trust me, you will be the first one I will tell."
Kurenai laughed once Anko pointed straight at Yuugao's nose with the yell 'you better'.
With Yuugao's love life, or lack thereof, finished, the women moved on to other subjects, such as gossip going around the village. Of course, Anko circulating in and out of the Jonin lounges as well as some ANBU gatherings, got all the juicy intel to share. Problem was that both Kurenai and Yuugao were never that inclined to know much about it, or even comment on the subject. Kurenai, of course, wouldn't enjoy people gossiping about her life, so it made sense that she wouldn't want to pry on others and Yuugao, being an ANBU, was quite used to keeping secrets. Anko, however, wouldn't shut up about it and began to spill the juicy little gossip that has been going on, lately.
"You know, I hear that Shizune has been shirking her duties lately to hook up with Genma." Kurenai and Yuugao looked at one another in surprise.
"Really? Well, she always had a crush on him, but Genma never showed any interest, whatsoever." Anko nodded, confirming that to be the official story back and forward.
"Hmm, he was always the more philandering one, I just hope Shizune-chan knows what she's in for…if your rumors are true, Anko…"
The snake Jonin looked comically injured at Yuugao's comment.
"That hurts, Yuugao-chan….you know I am never wrong…I may exaggerate or miss a couple of details here and there, but I am never wrong. You can trust my snakes on that." Kurenai looked surprised at that.
"Wait, you sent your snake to spy on them!?" Anko looked surprised at Kurenai's surprise.
"Who do you think you're speaking to, Nai-chan…juicy gossip like that needs to be corroborated." Kurenai rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
"I just hope I never get on your wrong side, Anko-chan…you will spill my secret in no time, once that happens."
"Nonsense, Nai-chan…I would never do that to you two." Kurenai nodded in appreciation. "Besides, I get enough juicy intel from your and his expression alone…"
The illusion expert rolled her eyes to that.
"Heh…I won't even bother providing a response."
The women's conversation was put into a halt, once a fourth voice was heard inside.
"No…this just doesn't go there…damn it…stupid." Anko, Yuugao and Kurenai all turned to see the youngster in his casual Jonin clothes sitting on the floor with dozens of scrolls opened up and another scroll for him to scribble in. "This array here represents the yin release, but this one right here just doesn't fit…the chakra pathway needs to flow unimpeded throughout the kanji…this way it won't work…it just won't work!" Kurenai couldn't help but release a sigh in dismay at her hidden boyfriend. Once he comes up with a new side project, it was like he got inside a pocket dimension and behaved like this for kami knows how long.
Normally, she would just let him work on his own stuff unimpeded, but this time it was different, since it involved her area of expertise.
"Let me guess…another side project?" Kurenai turned to the smirking Anko, before nodding with her eyes closed and zipping some tea.
"Yes, though I can't even understand half of what he mumbles anymore. It's quite an interesting idea. He is attempting to use Fuuinjutsu in order to cast a Genjutsu on the opponent."
"Huh!?" Anko's response was much less eloquent than hers, but the end result was the same.
"Exactly, Naruto-kun is quite enthused about disorientation illusions. The general idea would be for him to apply a few seals around a specific area that once the enemy steps inside, he or she gets bombarded with different imagery of the land in question. He came up with the idea last night, after we…" Anko leaned in with a known smirk as soon as Kurenai hesitated in finishing the sentence and Yuugao only rolled her eyes at the snake Jonin. Still, Kurenai finished her own line of thought, while ignoring Anko's knowing look. "He has been scribbling different kanji patterns since this morning."
"Damn it!" Kurenai had quickly turned at hearing his curse.
"Naruto-kun, I have neighbors, you know. Hearing a male voice this late at night may spring some rumors." The person in question turned to her in surprise.
"Not to worry, they won't hear anything…I had placed silencing seals around the property a while ago. It stops inside sound from leaving and of course sound from outside coming in. Now, where was I…oh right…" He had returned to his study, oblivious to the fact that Kurenai, Anko and Yuugao had looked at each other in surprise after what he had said. The added privacy was indeed a bonus, but…
"…I don't remember asking you to do that…" This time, he didn't even bother looking away from his studies.
"It's been some time since you've last heard Anko's drunken stupor smashing on your door, doesn't it…"
At this, Yuugao had to laugh when the woman in question ejected from her seat and marched straight towards his position.
"You little shit…that was you!?" Kurenai had to release a sigh as she then heard Anko and Naruto bicker like brother and sister.
"You have to admit it was a nice touch…she does the same in my house on rare occasions."
Ignoring the discussion going on in her living room, Kurenai chuckled and turned to the former ANBU.
"…and here I thought that she had actually taken it down a peg from the excessive drinking…or at least decided to annoy someone else instead."
"You take that seal off this instant!" The brawling continued.
"You have to ask Kure-chan…if she wants me to take it off, I will. Now, if you don't mind, I am quite busy here."
That last comment earned him a fist to his head, before he used a quick substitution with one of the scrolls.
It wasn't fast enough, however.
"That hurt you know."
"Good!" The snake Jonin turned abruptly and marched back to the table, while Kurenai kept her eyes on him, before smiling as he smiled back at her.
"Aright, I guess that's enough entertainment for tonight. I have to get up early for some chores in ANBU HQ. Come on, Anko, let's go." Yuugao got up and the snake Jonin as well, but not before saying their goodbyes to Kurenai and ignoring Naruto's goodbye shout from the living room. Kurenai had quickly cleaned everything out, before turning to her boyfriend who was busy stretching his arms, before quickly rolling the opened scrolls and sealing them all away, inside his wrist seal.
"Shall we go to bed?" Kurenai nodded and followed him upstairs, after turning off the lights from the living room.
A quick change of clothes and some night cleaning, the couple had casually got beneath her sheets, before Naruto stretched his left arm around her neck and Kurenai accepted the invitation to cuddle on his chest slightly sideways. Her eyes felt heavy at the sake cups she had taken and before Naruto realized it, the woman was already fast asleep on his chest. He let out an amused chuckle, while merely observing her mouth slightly breathing in and out, followed by her luscious hair on his chest.
He then looked upwards for a short while, before sleep also caught up to him.
===In Kumogakure===
Meanwhile, in another part of the Elemental Nations, a blonde kunoichi with long hair tied in a ponytail and wearing dark blue pants followed by light blue shirt, appeared running through a never-ending set of corridors.
It was completely dark outside, but the moonlight could be seen penetrating throughout the windows that she passed by, illuminating the Kumogakure insignia on her headband. She was running in exhaustion while looking over her shoulders, to see where her pursuers were. Tonight would be just like the usual in Nii Yugito's playbook. She was sent alone on a regular B-ranked mission near the outskirts of Lightning Country. As soon as she got back, however, these two strangers began pursuing her, both wearing dark robes with red clouds. Even though she didn't know their identities, the outfit was a dead giveaway.
Raikage-sama had warned her about them…an organization composed of dangerous shinobi named Akatsuki who are after the Bijuu.
The Jonin's highly trained mind could not comprehend, however, how these two buffoons were waiting for her to appear, in the first place.
…If I didn't know any better, I would say that they were privy to my status…'
As soon as she entered into a wider room in which happened to be a large stream of water, she had to jump away from the three blade scythe that came in high velocity, promising to skewer her. She skidded on top of the water, before facing the hallway from which she was running, before seeing her pursuers appear, one with gray hair that happened to hold the scythe and the other with a dark looking helmet.
"Oh, so she's fast, huh…well, my attack speed happens to be the slowest in Akatsuki." Yugito narrowed her eyebrows.
"I knew it, so you're indeed Akatsuki…" The strong voice came from the man next to the one using the scythe.
"Hidan, she's the two-tailed Jinchuuriki…you'll die if you are careless." Hidan snorted in derision and turned to his partner in crime.
"Oh that's rich, as if that could happen." Yugito snarled briefly, seeing no other alternative here. Against these guys, making a break for it would be impossible.
As such, the only possible choice was to go all out.
"You all give me no choice, then…" Said the kunoichi, before letting the beast within loose.
Hidan and Kakuzu bore witness as from within the Jinchuuriki, the two-tailed cat emerged in blue fire energy and menacing yellow eyes.
Little did she know, however, that it would be no avail as her capture was imminent.
===With Naruto===
Oblivious to what happened with his fellow Jinchuuriki, Naruto had left Kurenai's house as soon as they got some breakfast together.
She had some errands to run with her former team and he had scheduled to meet up with Asuma-sensei. However, Naruto scratched his hair in embarrassment, since he had forgotten about where he was supposed to be, right now. Luckily for him, though, Konoha at this point became a map inside his brain with little dots sprawled around according to his sensor capabilities. As such, it didn't take long to find the bearded shinobi's location. However, strangely so, one Asuma Sarutobi was standing in front of the Fire Monument located in the village cemetery.
It didn't take long for him to arrive, as he saw the man presumably talking to himself.
"You sure took your time coming here, Naruto." The former Genin smirked.
"I apologize…I had forgotten that we were supposed to meet here for some reason. I apologize if I interrupted something, Asuma-sensei."
Asuma merely nodded, before placing a cigarette on his mouth and lighting it up, slowly.
"There is no need to apologize…It's been some time since I last visited here…it reminds me of a conversation I had with my father a long time ago." Naruto listened intently as Asuma chuckled in pure nostalgia. "You would think that with him no longer being Hokage, he would have more time to chat with his son, but It was wishful thinking on my part. So instead I come here on occasions to remind myself how naïve I once was and how much of a handful I was, back then." He chuckled humorously now, but back then, the humor just wasn't there…the look of disappointment in his father's eyes when Asuma complained about a lack of acknowledgement.
When Asuma turned to see his prodigy student, he was not surprised to see a serious look on Naruto's face.
"Sometimes, I am torn when I see how you portray yourself, Naruto…"
"What do you mean, sensei?"
"There are times when I look at you and wonder if you are growing up too fast…others your age are still searching for something…hell, even I was at your age. There is just no shame in making mistakes along the way. But seeing you…rather seeing the speed in which you became a full-fledged Jonin... it's just astounding. Others in the past had become Jonin even earlier, but back then, it was war time. " Naruto scratched his head in slight embarrassment at the praise and Asuma couldn't help but laugh at the display. "If I ask you a question, Naruto, can I trust you to give me an honest response?"
"Of course, what is it?"
Naturally attuned to having secrets and giving nothing away, Naruto kept his cool about the question, though already daring just what his sensei wished to know.
"For some reason, I know your answer to be the correct one, but in my role as a sensei, I am obliged to ask anyhow." The blonde nodded.
"If we are to compare the shogi pieces to the village shinobi, the King piece is the one piece the player must guard at all times. Do you know who the King is, Naruto?"
Naruto was never much of a fan of the game as his sensei and Shikamaru are. That doesn't mean that he was unfamiliar with it, though. And going through the question that Asuma gave him and working through the different types of shogi pieces there are, Naruto's mind worked a mile a minute, working through it all. The question was an insightful one, hence why he couldn't provide it right away. His first and foremost sensei, the man responsible for where he is now, came to mind as the mission he instilled in his students.
"Well, I am not much of a shogi enthusiast, sensei…" Asuma nodded with a smile. "However, and after considering everything I went through growing up, everyone I had ever interacted with in the past…my answer would be the village and all of its citizens, present and future, it's what we shinobi must protect at all costs." The bearded shinobi smirked in contemplation as Naruto cited Tobirama-sensei's mission to the man. Asuma remembered the same conversation he had with his other student, when the wrong but presumable response was given to the same question.
"Huh, like I said, you are quite an enigma, Naruto. I shall get going now. My nephew is quite pestering me to help him train."
Naruto merely watched Asuma pass him by with hands in pocket, before Asuma stopped walking.
He was staring at the village and giving his back to his prodigy student…well, not his student anymore.
"It doesn't seem like I have anything more to teach you, Naruto."
Asuma kept on walking, leaving a pondering Naruto, who for his part, felt a strange sense of unease as he heard Asuma's casual steps away.
===In Tsunade's Office===
News travelled quite fast as soon as the event happened, despite Kumo's attempts to stop it from spreading.
Despite these being peaceful times, the Hidden Village in the Clouds had never quite taken the feet off the gas, so to speak, when military might was concerned. As such, losing one of their two Jinchuuriki was not something A, the current Raikage, was comfortable with the Elemental Nations knowing. The man would pick himself for a mission or two in order to capture a special technique out there that could serve Kumo later on. Still, with Jiraiya's spy network in play as well as other players out there, there is no secret that could be kept under wraps for long.
Jiraiya had sent a message through his toad summons to Tsunade with what happened with the two-tailed Jinchuuriki, as well as the intel gathered by the locals in Lightning Country that two unknown Akatsuki members were seen heading towards Fire Country. Tsunade had contacted Nara Shikaku and Aburame Shibi in order to convey a quick response. Inuzuka Tsume would have come as well, if she wasn't occupied with a clan related emergency. As soon as both clan leaders entered the Hokage's Office, Shikaku picked up the intel coming from Jiraiya and then handed it to Shibi.
"Huh troublesome…I take it you wish to intercept them…whoever they are? I doubt that they are Itachi and Kisame, though. It's someone else."
Shibi finished reading and turned to ask before Tsunade could.
"What makes you so sure it isn't them? Why…they had already engaged against Naruto in the past two times."
Shikaku cleared his throat and provided them with a piece of his brain.
"Hoshigaki Kisame is a juggernaut and not particularly fond of keeping it subtle, but Itachi…his Sharingan alone could deal with most Jinchuuriki and none would be any wiser. The amount of chaos ensured by the attack on the two tailed Jinchuuriki suggests that the approach was many times more destructive than it needed to be and it called the attention of Kumo." Tsunade and Shizune looked at the Nara genius, wondering about his line of thought. It certainly matches what they knew of the Uchiha to prefer the heavy use of his eyes. When they approached Naruto, he was either with Jiraiya or Kakashi at the time, making it difficult to be caught in a Genjutsu and Naruto happened to be quite the expert in the field, for reasons that may be due to him training under Kurenai for long periods of time.
"Whoever these two are, indeed, Shikaku, I plan to intercept them, before they come here and come hunting for Naruto." Shikaku nodded.
"Okay, what do you have in mind, Hokage-sama?" Tsunade asked for a clipboard that was in Shizune's hand.
"To assemble teams of four and spread them throughout Fire Country in order to engage them, picking up the routes coming from Lighting Country."
Shikaku hummed in consideration.
"So far, we don't have much to go on, regarding their strength and even whereabouts for that matter. Jiraiya-sama said they are coming to Fire Country, but the question is…are they coming straight here to capture Naruto or for somewhere else entirely? For now, I would consider sending in sensor shinobi around key parts of Fire Country, to scout their whereabouts and then report to the heavy hitter squad. It would be much more effective, I would say." Tsunade pondered, before turning to Shibi.
"Shibi, if I were to consider sending in scouts first, your clan would be my favorite pick." The Aburame leader acquiesced.
"It does seem the most logical approach, Tsunade-sama…why…because the Kikaichu could spot their location from a distance, without necessarily risking the shinobi."
"Alright, then Shikaku and Shibi, feel free to devise the teams, Shizune shall help you. We are to place them in key areas around Fire Country, mixing our heavy hitters with tracking shinobi, preferably from the Aburame Clan." Shikaku and Shibi nodded and both turned to Shizune who nodded, before both moved to a different meeting room to draw potential teams and the possible routes Akatsuki may take, leaving Shizune alone with Tsunade.
"Send a message to the Fire Daimyo in advance, Shizune, to let him know about our operation. If not, then we risk the man having a heart attack and then I will never hear the end of it from those advisors of his."
Shizune nodded, but Tsunade could see that the woman wanted to converse some more.
"What's the matter, Shizune?"
"Tsunade-sama, it does seem that Akatsuki has begun their mission to capture the Jinchuuriki one by one, first with the Kazekage and now this Nii Yugito from Kumo. I keep wondering about Naruto-kun's safety."
Tsunade sighed and nodded.
"Unfortunately, it's not something neither he nor us can avoid…he had already dealt with the Akasuna no Sasori in Suna…an S-ranked murderer. There is also Itachi and Kisame, both S-ranked shinobi as well. I shudder to think about who the other members are and tremble even more to see who the leader of this organization is." Shizune took a long breath at that. "However, we also have powerful shinobi on our side. I won't be sending him without a proper backup at the very least."
"Okay, I will go and see about aiding Shikaku-sama and Shibi-sama. Excuse me." Tsunade kept on looking at Shizune's back, while sipping some tea.
Of course, she is worried just like the Hokage herself is as well. Having a bunch of S-ranked criminals on your back is not something trivial. And these shinobi have means of getting their way, despite the hidden village's supposed protection, or lack thereof. The first pair of Akatsuki invaded Sunagakure without anyone being the wiser, before it was known that one of the top councilors happened to be a spy for Sasori. Now, Nii Yugito in Kumogakure. Tsunade happens to know that the Raikage runs Kumo with an iron fist and no one would dare oppose him.
At the same time, two Akatsuki members had just attacked one of Kumo's top Jonin Kunoichi and she was all alone to fend off against the enemy.
Iwa also has two Jinchuuriki, but she knew that the damn Oonoki wouldn't lift a finger to protect them. Kiri also had two, before the Yondaime Mizukage got killed.
The Sanbi should manifest itself anytime now.
All in all, it wasn't a coincidence that Akatsuki has started moving now.
'Jiraiya will need to keep close tabs with the other Jinchuuriki…or else Naruto could very well be the last Jinchuuriki left standing…'
Author Note
Ok, that's it for now.
This chapter served as a bridge to begin the Hidan-Kakuzu Arc with some differences.
For those that caught on, I also plan on doing the Sanbi arc later on, but I shall focus on that later on.
I won't divulge much at this point, just that the events shall be different from the regular Arc.
Another thing, I am already going to wish everyone Happy Holidays…I still plan to update one more story before the end of the year, but if I don't make it until New Years, then I won't be able to update it until the end of January. Yep, it has been too long since I had taken vacation time from my job here in Brazil and I am quite looking forward to it. It's only a couple of weeks, but still it's a nice change of pace. Anyhow, Avalon Bond is going to be my next update, so please check it out, once it's done.
Lastly, I have recently created a P-atreon account for those who wish to follow my stories more personally, sending suggestions and occasional polls to help me.
Also for those who wish to make a pledge there, it will be highly appreciated.
P-atreon Account: Anime-Enthusiast
Next update: Avalon Bond