468Knock, knock
Pausing from her work of chopping a radish, Tsunami wiped her hands on her apron and walked over to the front door, when she opened it though she let out a gasp. "Naruto?!"
"Long time no see, isn't it?" He said with a huge grin on his face.
Tsunami pulled the whiskered blonde into a tight hug. After all he had done for the village and the people she loved, he was practically family. "Welcome back. This isn't for business, is it?"
"Sort of, but not entirely." Naruto said before getting free of her embrace. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Hyuuga Hinata."
"You've got a girlfriend?" Tsunami said with surprise and excitement, her eyes lighting up when Naruto stepped aside and she saw the white-eyed girl. The girl looked lovely, though Tsunami could not help but feel a little surprised, as she thought Naruto still had a crush on that pink-haired girl he was with when he first came to her village. Still, Naruto clearly liked this girl and she should be supportive.
"My, aren't you a cute one. I hope you make Naruto happy." She said with a smile.
"Oh yes, he just makes me scream with happiness." Hinata said in a teasing way, sensually rubbing her fingers down his arm.
If Tsunami understood the implication, she chose to not draw attention to it. Instead, she invited them inside so they were not just standing in her doorway.
"So, what brought you two together?" She asked a little later as she poured tea. They were sitting around the table, with a plate of rice balls in the center.
"For me, it started when I was just a little girl. Some nasty boys were picking on me, calling me ugly and a privileged brat. Naruto-kun jumped in to defend me, telling them to pick on someone their own size." Hinata said as she gazed dreamily over at Naruto, remembering the moment as if it had happened just yesterday. "They had ganged up on him and weren't nice, but he took it all so I wouldn't have to."
She then reached out her hand and Naruto took it with his own, holding it tightly. "Then my caretaker showed up and the bullies ran off. I tried to check on Naruto-kun and thank him, but rather than being grateful for coming to my aid, my caretaker decided to be a jerk and told me to leave him. He even tried to spin it as Naruto-kun being the one who assaulted me, but the Hokage didn't believe it and refused to punish Naruto-kun. Especially when my caretaker couldn't explain why he had been absent at the time of the altercation in the first place."
Naruto nodded, having been reminded more of that day already thanks to Hinata. He vaguely remembered that day, though at the time he had not realized that it was the 'princess' of the Hyuuga clan he had helped. All he had known back then was that some bullies he did not like were picking on a little girl who did not deserve it.
In all honesty, he was beyond touched that it had such an effect on her, For him at the time, it had simply just been the right thing to do. But he was glad it had been her he had defended, because had it been anyone else, he was positive that they wouldn't have been anywhere near as grateful as Hinata had been. Not to mention he was now angry at Koh for getting in the way of them having a friendship earlier, and he was angrier at Hiashi because he just knew the Hyuuga head had a hand in this. Just imagining Hiashi, with that smug superior smirk and that arrogant look in his eyes, made Naruto's blood boil. But the soothing touch of Hinata kept his anger from spilling over.
"Oh my, that must have been rough for you both." Tsunami said as she sipped her tea, trying to picturing Naruto much younger at the time instead of the thirteen-year-old she remembered him best as.
"Not as bad as how her father reacted when we got together. He actually tried to murder me in broad daylight." Naruto commented dryly.
Tsunami winced, remembering the days when Gato had ruled their village with an iron fist, and how anyone who had even dared speak against him were killed out in the open, to serve as a warning to others. It was hard to believe that such a thing could happen in a ninja village like Konoha. Weren't they supposed to be more discreet than the criminals?
"Well, fathers are known to be protective of their little girls." Tsunami said, trying to lighten the conversation, though she clearly failed as Hinata responded with a frown.
"Did yours try to kill any of your boyfriends right in front of you? Or threaten to literally enslave you if you didn't do as he told?"
Tsunami looked worried. "This isn't based on real events, is it?"
Hinata chose not to answer, and that didn't comfort the older woman, nor did the cold look in both Naruto and Hinata's eyes.
"If that is truly the case, then you need to get away from him if he's actually like that, dear." Tsunami warned.
"I've already got emancipated."
"That's a start." Tsunami said. "Enough dour talk, what brought the two of you together officially?"
"Well, after I did a ninja test to move up in rank, things went downhill and I had to go to a hospital." Naruto started, pausing when he saw the worry on the single mother's face. "Oh, these things happen. Technically a ninja test isn't a good one unless there's a risk of having to go to the hospital after it."
Hinata nodded. "This is a dangerous career after all."
"Anyway, Hinata-chan stayed in my room to look after me and be there for me when I woke up. I got some bad news but I went home, she came with me, we talked about a few things and in the end, we decided to stop holding back and just kissed each other." Naruto continued with a grin. "I don't think we've been apart from each other since."
"If we have, it hasn't been worth remembering." Hinata added, leaning into him affectionately.
Tsunami slightly squealed. "Well as long as you're staying in Wave, feel free to stay here. Our home is always open to you Naruto, though I must insist that the two of you keep your pants on while you're under my roof."
Naruto put his arm around his girlfriend. "I guess we'll have to find a hotel then, won't we Hinata-chan?"
Hinata grinned. "Or we could just go outside in the woods. That's not under her roof."
'Teenagers.' Tsunami thought, unable to really be mad at them. In truth she envied them and found their relationship to be rather adorable. So, she decided to let them go and have their fun. 'What could go wrong?'
Swords. The very word conjured images of warfare. Of warriors wielding them in battle against bitter enemies or of killers using them to shed blood. To many, swords were simply weapons. But to others they were so much more, they were works of art.
For Yabu Isurugi, a sword was both. A sword represented both power and status. And there was no type of sword that garnered either as much as a ninja sword. For these were the swords that in this world sometimes possessed special, almost mystical powers.
Isurugi was a stout man, barrel-chested with a tanned complexion from years of working under the sun. In his youth he had started as a simple fisherman trying to earn money just so he could have options besides free entertainment on his days off, but as he grew, so had his ambition. He became a merchant and through sheer determination, guile, and shrewd business acumen, he eventually became one of the wealthiest traders in silks, spices, and other less than legal delicacies.
He had discovered early on that money was useful at attaining power but that there was another power. Anyone could have money and something to offer, but there were always those that could resist or still look down on you. But people who had a legacy to their name, such as a reputation or an icon, they had a power over people that even money couldn't compete with. After all, clerics or monks had little to no authority over anyone and even less money, and yet the average person treated them as if they were untouchable and obeyed them without question. But even so, if you took the monk out of his robes and made him wear a farmer's clothes, no one would tell or have any reason to treat him as anything but a farmer.
Therefore, Isurugi concluded, there was a power to symbols and ideas, as well as the objects attached to them. Symbols made people see things in a new way. The insignia on a headband often was the lone thing that determined if a shinobi would treat another as a friend or a foe, and a slash against that insignia was deemed a horrible offense to those with unmarred ones. Money came and went, jobs flourished and faded, but symbols had power that even though claiming to be above temptation could not scoff at without pause.
And the ultimate symbol was the weapon. They were symbols of strength, fortune, authority, skill, and more. The samurai valued their swords as if they were their souls, the berserkers would never die without an ax in their hand if they could avoid it, and a pirate wouldn't dream of setting foot on their ship without their iron. Weapons gave you courage and your enemy's fear, they made people take you seriously, they ended threats of all shapes and sizes, they got results when words or money did not.
To that end, Isurugi had used his wealth to gather up a collection of swords. He did not care for the basic mundane swords that one could find at any weapons shop, no he focused instead only on blades of high quality, the ones that had been wielded by the most powerful and dangerous individuals in history. Only swords of legendary reputation found a place in his collection.
And his collection was an impressive one. Through a multitude of methods, some legal and others illegal, he had obtained over a hundred swords that had been used by powerful shinobi, samurai, and more from ages past gone or forgotten. He had a long katana from a demon-slaying mercenary that used fire and water jutsu to win his battles. He had a broken blade that story said belonged to the leader of a band of ronin, said leader nicknamed the Wrathful Dragon. He had an uchigatana with poison embedded in the steel, guaranteeing that any cut from it would result in death. And he had a broadsword rumored to have been made from the fang of one of the infamous bijuu, though it still couldn't be confirmed if that were true, or what bijuu it had come from, if it were.
The cost in both money and lives to obtain all of these symbols had been significant, but the end result had been worth it.
His most recent addition had been Kubikiribōchō, one of the legendary weapons used by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Known as the Severesword it had the ability to reform itself using the iron harvested from the blood of its victims. This regenerative process takes place almost instantaneously and is capable of bringing the weapon back to its original condition no matter how severe the damage once suffered was, from a simple chip or nick to a complete separation of over half the blade. Truly, it was a marvel of a blade beyond compare.
And though the blade was worth a daimyo's ransom in gold, it had cost Isurugi less than most of the swords in his collection. It had only cost a bribe for information on where to locate it, a boat to retrieve, and the service of a few men who were not afraid of superstitions to desecrate a grave.
Of course, even one of the infamous swords from the Village Hidden in the Mist, paled in comparison to the crown jewel of Isurugi's collection. That would be the one and only Tenbatsu, a slender straight blade with a double edge and a long hilt, meant to be held with two hands. The grip was fiery gold and the pommel a brilliant red, the metal of the blade was dark and smokey, with distinctive patterns of banding reminiscent of flowing water. It was said that the blade possessed the power to fell a hundred enemies in a single blow.
The history that surrounded this sword was so long that it was nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction. The origins of the blade were obscure. Some said that it was forged from the metal of a fallen star, maybe even the one in Hoshigakure. Others said that it had been fashioned from the scales of a dragon. And there were some who whispered that the metal had been tempered in the fires of hell itself. It was said that the wielder of this sword could not be defeated in battle. That those who held it would possess strength of 1000 armies and gain access to the power of the devil himself.
While its origins and abilities were shrouded in legend, Isurugi did know that the list of individuals who had possessed the blade was a long and bloody one. Be it their own blood or their opponents.
The names included warlords, ninja, conquerors, assassins, and even a few odd samurai. Each of them possessed dark reputations, each of them filled entire graveyards, and each one of them had possessed this blade… up until the moment of their death. It was said that the blade was cursed and that the wielder would inevitably meet a terrible fate after sending others to one as well.
This sword truly could do nothing but bring death to all who were around it.
Isurugi had traced the history of the Tenbatsu back over generations of holders, and he could not deny that each one had met with a tragic and often bloody end. The last known owner had been an infamous corsair who had turned the seas red with blood before perishing in a freak storm, making the sword lost to sea presumably forever. That is until Isurugi had paid a treasure hunter brave enough to risk the depths of shark-infested waters to pluck the sword from the carcass of a sunken ship. And even that treasure hunter, after bringing Isurugi his purchase, had met with an unfortunate death. They had been robbed and stabbed to death in an alley, mere hours after delivering the sword to Isurugi.
While the collector did not believe in superstition, he did not get as far as he had by tempting fate. So he made sure to take certain precautions now that the Tenbatsu was in his collection. First, he had made sure to never personally hold the sword. And rather than keeping it mounted on his wall like all the others, he kept it safely inside a case of tempered glass, wrapped in silk and prayer beads that had been blessed by Shinto priests.
Isurugi would never sell the Tenbatsu, not for any price. However, he could not deny a feeling of unease whenever he got near the sword. Many of his subordinates, from ones that cleaned and maintained his collection to those who stood guard outside the room that housed his trophies, had reported 'strange occurrences' ever since the sword had been added. Some had said that they had seen the sword vibrate from within the case while others claimed to have heard incomprehensible whispers coming from the direction of the sword when their backs were turned.
Isurugi dismissed these people from their posts and dismissed their concerns. If anything, their fears served to prove his point. These swords held power, to both inspire awe and instill fear in those who saw them. Which made him, the owner of these blades, the most powerful person around. And there was no one to stop him.
Akamaru let out a long howl and raced through the woods with a speed and grace that could only come from being partnered with a ninja.
"Come on Akamaru, good boy." Kiba shouted encouragingly as he, Shikamaru, Shino, and Kakashi followed the large white dog deep into the forest.
The mission that they been assigned to accomplish by Tsunade had hit a brick wall. They had searched and searched but had come up with no more evidence than they had the first time they had attempted to locate where Naruto had been held a prisoner. They had almost been willing to throw up their hands in defeat and return to their village, when suddenly Akamaru had detected a scent and ran off with a fervor.
They had followed the dog until they finally reached a clearing and Akamaru came to a halt, the ninja-dog whimpering and digging at the ground with his paws. Kiba went up and petted his companion, scratching him behind the ears. "Akamaru says he can smell something here...something bad."
With that Kiba lifted his head and took a deep inhale, his nose wrinkling up a bit as he did. "I smell something too. It is faint but I can smell it."
"What exactly do you smell?" Kakashi asked his good eye scanning around the seemingly normal clearing.
Kiba turned and looked at the cycloptic ninja, a serious look on his face. "Death. I can smell the odor of decaying flesh and cold blood."
"Step aside." Shino said as he walked forward, Kiba and Akamaru moving aside. The entomologist ninja knelt down and placed his palms on the ground. He was silent for several moments, remaining as still as a statue, then finally he let out a deep exhale and stood up slowly. "My insects communicated with the ants and worms in the soil. They report that there is a large structure approximately fifty feet beneath us."
"A base that deep underground and this far out in the forest." Kakashi said aloud while he mentally berated himself, he had an 'all seeing eye' but he could not see this. "No wonder no one found anything."
"Okay, so if there is a base down there how do we get to it?" Kiba asked as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You and your dog like digging don't you? I would say this is an opportune moment to showcase your skills." Shino said dryly. With him it was difficult to tell if he was joking or being serious.
"Hey, watch it bug boy." Kiba growled, not liking the implication either way. "Or those maggots you love so much will be eating your dead body."
Suddenly there was a sharp whistle and the three men plus Akamaru turned their head towards Shikamaru.
The brilliant but lazy shinobi had been walking along the edge of the clearing since they had arrived there. He had tapped on each of the trees with his knuckles and listened, moving on from one to another before he finally stopped in front of one. He circled around a seemingly normal oak tree, paying close attention to the width of the tree trunk as well as the layering of the bark. Which was when he noticed a particular knot in the tree that seemed out of place. He then looked down at ground beneath the knot, his keen eyes examining the slightly different shades of color for the grass he was standing on and the sections of grass around it.
It was at that moment he whistled loudly to get the attention of his teammates. Then holding up one finger he reached up to the knot in the tree and pressed into it. There was a loud mechanical clicking sound, and then a square section of the ground beneath the tree swung upwards, revealing itself to be the covering for a hidden hatchway.
"Shikamaru sometimes you scare me with how smart you are." Kiba claimed.
"Maybe you should try it sometime."
Before the dog-using ninja could take offense, Kakashi held an arm in front of him. "We have our way down. Shino and I will go first in case there are traps with you and Akamaru taking the rear in case anyone tries to get us from behind. Remember, we're here because someone hurt a close comrade of ours and this place could shed some light on how we can help him recover."
"Just what is Hokage-sama afraid of? Naruto seems healed enough to me." Kiba asked.
Kakashi frowned and moved his hitai-ate for a moment, exposing his sharingan but not using it. "Do I seem healed enough to you?"
Kiba looked nervous. "Well, you can still see, right?"
Kakashi covered his eye again. "Naruto is most likely suffering from a wound that Hokage-sama cannot treat on her own. If there's any clues as to what that caused it or how to fix it, those clues will be down here."
'Naruto with PTSD, that's got disaster written all over it.' Shikamaru thought. The last thing Konoha needed was the whiskered blonde having even more in common with Gaara.
After a day of work Tazuna and Inari came home and were surprised to see Naruto in their house. Both expressed joy and appreciation seeing the hero of their country back in their home, and were as welcoming as Tsunami had been. Inari was eager to hear about all of Naruto's accomplishments, and Tazuna asked the whiskered blonde if he was willing to contribute a few clones for an upcoming project. Naruto said he couldn't promise anything until his main objective here was complete, though afterwards if he had time he'd be happy to help.
The two shinobi stayed to have dinner, but being young and adventurous and new in town, they didn't want to call it a night or spend the rest of it catching up on even more good times. Especially when Naruto was the only one who had them. So the two went out to see what the local night life was like.
"You're not still hungry, are you?" Hinata asked when he came by a ramen stand.
"No, but I did tell those girls I'd stop by and say hi. We don't have to eat." He assured her. "Besides, we might as well start looking for the fun places around the restaurants. It makes sense that the two are close by, right?"
Seeing no reason to disagree, Hinata submitted. Naruto had given his word after all, and she was not going to argue his principles. So the two went into the stand, moving a curtain to do so.
"Sorry, we're... Naruto! You made it!" Yuki said, seeing the whiskered blonde come in.
"I told you I would, though I did already eat. Sorry."
"That's okay, we're closing up anyway. Still it was good of you to show up."
From the back Kumiko came out, her hands wet so she must have been washing something. "Naruto, nice to see you again."
"Hi Kumiko."
"You know, this is actually good timing. We were thinking of going to the club after we finished up here. You two should go there too." Kumiko added.
"I've never been to a club before. What do they have?" Hinata asked.
"Music, dancing, drinks, the usual. It's great for letting off stress or meeting guys. Or in your case, keeping the girls away from your man." Yuki said with a giggle.
"Oh, that reminds me, I saw Megumi earlier. She didn't seem too terrible to me." Naruto added.
Yuki and Kumiko looked at each other as if unsure what to say. Hinata raised an eyebrow, wondering what they knew.
"Good, then there's nothing to worry about." Kumiko said, looking back at the shinobi. "Give us about fifteen minutes to finish up, then we'll show you to the club."
Naruto nodded. "Thanks. We'll wait outside."
"Go ahead Naruto-kun, I want a moment of girl talk." Hinata requested. He nodded and kissed her before leaving the stall.
Kumiko went back in the back while Yuki remained, looking uncomfortable. Hinata leaned on the counter, trying to mimic how Kurenai looked when pressing someone for information.
"What do you know about Megumi that you don't want Naruto-kun to know?"
Yuki sighed. "Back when this town was dying, we all did things we weren't proud of to survive. Megumi resorted to stealing and selling what we could to Gato's men in exchange for food. We can't really be mad at her for that, she wasn't the only one and we all did crazy things. Kumiko and I... well, that's not the point. The point is..."
She hesitated to continue.
"I'm assuming that Naruto went to that grave his team made here for that swordsman, right?"
Hinata nodded. "Yes, he was not happy to see someone had stolen the sword."
"That someone... was Megumi."
Hinata gasped. "Are you sure?"
"I can't prove it, nobody I know can. But I did see her go into a forest empty-handed and then come out carrying something large and wrapped up. Not only that, beforehand her boat was falling apart and soon afterwards she had the money to fix it up. If you can explain that as anything other than her taking the sword and selling it, well, you're the ninja and I'm not."
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Hinata asked.
"I thought Naruto wouldn't take it well. And like I said, I can't prove anything."
"But now I know where to start looking. Any ideas who she could have sold it too?"
Kumiko leaned in closer to the white-eyed girl. "I might know someone who can point you in the right direction." She whispered, prompting Hinata to do the same. "Tell me, have you ever been pearl diving?"
"No."
"Go to the dock tomorrow and ask for Mikira. And bring your swimsuit. If I'm right, you should get some clues from her."