Naruto chapter 32

Chapter 32

 

 

Wiping the sweet of his face as he left the treatment room Naruto looked at the crowd waiting for word on how Sasuke was doing, tiredly he looked at Shino, “Tell me again what happened to my apprentice.”

Pushing off the wall Shino spoke first, “Is he going to be alright?”

“Yes, whatever that seal was it had not had enough time to fully infect his chakra coils and set in, so while not easy to destroy, it was doable,” Naruto leaned against the wall very much tired, even with his enormous chakra reserves and stamina the demon cleansing ritual took a lot out of him. “I need something to drink…”tilting his head he chuckled as his stomach growled, “and eat.”

Nodding his head Shino motioned for him to follow as he started to explain, “It started with a meeting between the Hokage and my father and Tsume, I believe Sasuke was at the meeting. We were told to dust off your father’s evacuation plans so that we could get the loyal forces and their families to safety so Konoha could be retaken. After I had been brought into the meeting Sasuke and I left to get something to eat so we could continue to plan fall back positions within Konoha when we met this strange pale Shinobi. I believe he called himself Orochimaru, and he was very interested in trying to get Sasuke to join him.”

Stepping out of the hospital section Shino glanced around before finding the correct way to the kitchen, it was not until he had sat Naruto down with something to drink and he was cutting up vegetables for a quick stir fry that he continued, “when that did not work he got mad and started throwing around high power Jutsu’s, but as the Anbu rushed us he did something strange, he elongated his neck and bit Sasuke right above the collar bone. That is when a strange purple chakra and symbols started to appear on his skin, Orochimaru said something about he would come to him for power now that he left him that little present.”

“Once the Hokage and his Anbu arrived Orochimaru disappeared, the Hokage took one look at Sasuke and paled.” Shino tipped the vegetables from the cutting board into the hot wok and started to flip the contents around as he poured some flavorings in. “He called the seal…” looking up as he pulled two plates off the rack in thought. “He called it a curse seal of heaven, one that allowed Orochimaru to tamper with his mind. That is if he survived,” setting the plate in front of Naruto he sat down across from him and played with his food for a minute before finishing the story. “Luckily team Kodochi and Kiba were walking by so we used their emergency transport summons to bring Sasuke here, the Hokage ordered that we do it when Tora-san mentioned something about it looked like a simple enough seal to do away with.”

Taking his first bite he chuckled, “I thought he Hokage was going to pass out when he found out that Whirlpool’s Shinobi forces had to be seal masters to advanced past Chuunin. Tora-san’s shrug as if it was nothing special was priceless.” Playing back the memory in his mind he had to remind himself Aburame did not giggle.

Naruto stopped eating and stared at Shino with a troubled look on his face, “Konoha has more problems than you know about. Right before I was called to help with Sasuke I was in a meeting with my intelligence division. One of the teams I sent to Konoha for the Chuunin exam acme across Kabuto in the second phase of the exam and captured him, he was or is the second in command of Orochimaru’s forces.” Pushing his half eaten meal way he stood quickly, I need to see the old man.”

Dropping his chopsticks Shino stood too, “I think if we hurry we can slip into his office unnoticed, if you use one of the cloaks my family uses no one will notice you walking through the gate, not after I drop part of my colony on you to act as a diversion.”

“I can’t,” Naruto shook his head as he led Shino out of his house, “I’m stuck in the Caldera Valley until I have an heir. The law is very clear on this and even if I wanted to I couldn’t break it.” Shaking his head as he jogged across the yard to the bridge, “No you are going to have to go and bring him back here, I’ll help you use the Yondaime’s personal summons seals to get back to Konoha, and you can use them to return with the old man.”

Cutting his thumb on his tooth Naruto slid the bloodied thumb across a seal on the wall across from the door to the bridge and smiled as the wall dropped down revealing a small summoning circle engraved into the floor. Handing Shino two large scrolls he smirked at him; “Lay these out on the ground where you appear in the Namikaze forest. The counterpart to this seal is buried under the earth so it is not easily seen, since you do not know the activation hand seals these will act as the trigger to bring you and the old man back to my office.”

Taking the scrolls Shino looked at the seal on the floor and raised an eyebrow, “I would have thought you would have destroyed this summoning seal once you cut ties to the village.”

Kneeling down as he ran through the hand seals to activate this reverse summoning seal Naruto looked up at Shino and shrugged, “I promised your father I would not abandon my father’s plans. So I left this seal alone. It’s not like anyone but an Uzumaki can activate it anyway.” Finishing his hand seals Naruto slammed his hand down on the seal activating it and Shino was gone. Standing up he walked over to his desk and pushed the intercom button, “Jiga if you would send someone to the academy to tell Konohamaru to come to my office after class let out for the day, and If you can get someone to run to the barbeque place and bring something back for three I would appreciate it.” Pulling the platter over with the pitcher of water on it he poured a glass and sat back to wait, this was going to be a long day he thought.

 

 

Jiraiya laughed as he waved at the gate guards he had passes after throwing a couple of copies of his latest work of art at them as he walked into the village. Looking around he smiled as he took in the sights of his home village. Smile still in place he froze as he felt a sudden wrongness, the village seemed to exude the air of something seriously wrong. Ignoring the need to relax and continue his research, Jiraiya kept his eyes moving from side to side as he walked towards the Hokage tower. Even if he had not felt something was off, the fact of so many empty storefronts and the way everyone acted on edge would have let him know something was wrong. Walking up the stairs to the Hokage tower and making sure to keep an eye on the village as he walked up the stairs the feeling that something was wrong become a certainty.

Ignoring the startled cry of the secretary Jiraiya pushed the doors open to sensei’s office and stepped into the room with a smile on his face only to freeze mid step as four swords suddenly appeared around his neck. “Sensei?” Jiraiya stumbled as he looked at his old mentor sitting behind the desk with a frown directed his way.

“Jiraiya of the Sannin, you will disrobe immediately so you can be checked for signs of belonging to an illegal organization. The slightest movement contrary to exposing your skin or any hint of chakra buildup will result in your death,” the cat masked Anbu member stated coldly as he stared into Jiraiya’s confused face.

“Sensei? What gives…” Jiraiya trailed off as he saw the Kunai in the Thirds hand and allowed his coat to slide down his shoulders, eyes never leaving his mentors face.

Not seeing the Root tattoo the third sighed in relief as he put his Kunai away, “Sit down Jiraiya, we have a lot to talk about.”

Throwing his shirt on Jiraiya took the chair closet to the desk and flopped down into it, “Sensei what in the world is going on?”

Rubbing his temples before sighing, the Third pulled his pipe out of his pocket and stuffed the loose tobacco into it before lighting it, when he had it going he frowned as he answered, “For all intents and purposes we are in the midst of or on the verge of a hidden civil war.”

Shock was the only thing Jiraiya could think of, his body had gone numb, must be shock he thought. “How…I mean are you…” shaking his head he looked out the window before slumping in on himself.  Of course Sensei was sure he told himself. “My spy’s never even gave me a hint something was up here at home. How sure are you?”

“Very sure.” The Third sighed once more as he stood up to look out the window. “I have come to the realization that Minato should not have sacrificed his life for this village…they are not worth it.”

“SENSEI!!!” Jiraiya all but launched out of his chair, only to fall back into it when the Sandaime turned to face him and he saw his face.

Moving back to his chair behind his desk Sandaime’s body showed his tension by the way he moved, the over controlled way he moved had the Anbu move off the wall ready to attack. “I have recently come to the conclusion that shortly after I was elected Hokage, the first time, that the very village council that was supposed to help give the civilians a voice in fact set about creating the means for them to take control. To make the Hokage nothing more than a powerless paper pusher. And in my zeal to make Konoha the best Hidden Village I fell into their hands and gave them the means to gain more power. Almost to the point where they have a secondary Ninja force infiltrating my forces. A force that is loyal only to them.”

Glancing at the Anbu in the room and back to his coat on the floor Jiraiya suddenly realized why he was stopped. And now he was pissed, glaring out the window he took a deep breath before looking at the Hokage, “What do you need me to do Sensei?”

Drumming his finger on top of his desk as he thought about how to best utilize Jiraiya’s unique skills the Third stared at the long line of bugs walking across the table top. Following the trail back he saw the army of bugs traveling single file from the corner to the middle of his desk, the strange thing was after a few moments they started to move so two words were spelled out using their bodies.

 

RED 7

 

Fingers poised above his desk the Third acted. Jumping up causing his chair to fly back he motioned for his guards to follow as he threw the window open and jumped out onto the ledge before launching himself towards the next roof.

Confused Jiraiya looked down at the desk and wondered what the hell RED 7 meant as he followed the last Anbu out of the room, jumping as fast as he could to catch up.

 

Nodding once to himself after several of his scouts reported back Shino placed his hand on the chakra seal on the gate to open it. Standing in the gateway he kept it open so when the Hokage arrived he could enter quickly before anyone noticed.

Nodding once as the Hokage landed near him Shino waved him and his escort in through the gate, eyebrows rising above his glasses as the last member of the group landed in the street as he was about to close the gate, Jiraiya of the Sannin. “Hokage-sama do you wish this person to hear what needs to be said, or shall I deny him entry?”

Looking past Shino’s shoulder the Third sighed, he had a momentary lapse when the message appeared on his desk, he had forgotten Jiraiya was there and would follow him. On the other hand if this was the beginning of the war he was expecting he might be needed. “Let Jiraiya in Shino, he might be needed if the information is truly devastating.”

“HAI Hokage-sama,” Shino opened the gate long enough for Jiraiya to walk through before closing it.

Looking around Jiraiya had a funny feeling he knew what this place was. Looking over the grounds his eyes widened slightly as he saw the large bare imprint on the ground in the center of the clearing, “This is Minato’s clan house. How the hell did you get access to it? It would take someone of his bloodline to open it back up, someone like Naru…” head snapping a round to stare at the Third he snarled out, “Sensei, just when did you let my Godson know about this place? And why was I not informed?” glancing around the clearing again he pointed to the bare spot, “And where the hell is Minato’s house?”

Ignoring Jiraiya for now the Third replied as he started at Shino, “I never told him about his family’s estates, but he has known since he was six about this place and his parents. I only found out that he knew when he resigned from the Shinobi forces so he could leave.”

“WHAT…” Jiraiya rounded on his sensei in shock.

“Shino…Report,” Sandaime ignored the ranting of his old student.

“Sasuke will be alright. The curse seal has successfully been removed, from what I understood the seal had not had time to corrupt his Chakra core yet so was able to be removed using a demon cleansing seal set.” Shino tilted his head as he listened to several of his father’s scouts report after landing on his neck, “Hokage-sama, I have been requested to bring you to Uzumaki-sama. He has vital information you need to hear, information his people have taken from the mind of the traitor Kubota after his Gennin team captured him during the second exam.” Giving the Hokage a moment to digest the news he pointed to the scrolls on the ground near the edge of the woods, “Uzumaki-sama gave me the means to transport us to his office for the meeting so no one in the village will know you have left it.”

Frowning, deep in thought the Third looked around the clearing before finally nodding, “Jiraiya, Cat…both of you will join me. The rest of you will stay here and make sure no one tries to follow us, if anyone asks where I am tell them I am in the woods…discussing things in private.” Moving towards the spot with the two large scrolls on the ground he motioned Shino to join them.

Shaking his head as Jiraiya stooped to study the seals written on the paper Shino hit him in the back of the head causing him to be unbalanced, “Stand next to Hokage-sama inside the circle.”

“What the hell did you do that for Idiot, don’t you have respect for your elders,” Jiraiya snarled as he stood up and puffed his chest out.

“And you should have respect for other countries techniques,” Shino stared at Jiraiya blandly. “You do not have time or permission to study the seal array on these scrolls. We need to get moving; after all it is an emergency.”

Interrupting Jiraiya before he could begin his rant the Third glared at his old student, “We do not have time for childish behavior. Stand inside the circle so we can leave.”

Amused by the indignation he felt from the Sannin Shino knelt down as close to the others as he could, grabbing onto the Anbu’s legs to hold himself inside the circle before running through a string of seventeen nonsensical hand signs before molding chakra into his hand and touching the activation array.

 

“This is not possible,” Jiraiya ranted as he looked around the room they had been transported into. “Summoning scrolls are short range only, there is no way in hell we moved by summoning scrolls.”

Naruto looked up from the report he was reading when he heard the rant from the strange voice to see the old man along with two others step out of the alcove. Frowning as he looked at the weirdly dressed man he tried to remember why he looked familiar. He knew for a fact he had never seen him before, so why did he think he knew him. “Hey old man, we need to talk.”

Glancing over at the dumbfounded expression on his old student the Third chuckled as he walked over to the set of chairs near Naruto's desk and sat down, “I have a feeling I am not going to like what you have to say.”

Sitting back in his chair Naruto slowly nodded as his eyes flickered over to the Anbu and the strangely dressed person, “I am going to make several assumptions here. Like that Shino already told you that one of my Genin teams captured Kabuto during the second phase of the Chunin exams. Even though he was entered in the exam as a Konoha Genin he is in fact one of Orochimaru’s Jounin medics.”

Spinning around from where he was studying the marvelous map on the wall Jiraiya screeched out, “WHAT!” seeing the unreadable glare being directed his way he walked over and took the seat next to the Sandaime.

Glaring in annoyance Naruto turned to the old man and continued as if he had not been interrupted, “My mind walkers tore through his mind to find out everything they could. They pretty much know everything he did, he and his team have been spying for Orochimaru for nearly eight years now.” Waiting until the old man got a hold of himself Naruto pushed a folder over, “Orochimaru has been working with part of the village council for years towards the eventual downfall of the Hokage. This file has the names and details of all those involved that Kabuto knew about. The really troubling aspect is that the invasion Orochimaru has orchestrated is planned to happen during the last part of the exam in two days time. His new village of sound along with Suna, who does not realize their Kazekage has been replaced by Orochimaru months ago.”

“I see,” the Third said calmly as he picked up the folder and was not surprised to see the names of the council members listed. Almost all of them were those from the civilian side, with the exception of Danzou.

“What help are you and Whirlpool offering,” Jiraiya leaned over so he could read over the Thirds shoulder.

“None,” Naruto returned the scowl he received from eh stranger. “I have already agreed to my father’s evacuation plans and am honoring the agreement with the clans, but for the most part Konoha has already damned itself in my eyes and if I sent in my dragons it would be to destroy it not save it.”

“But…” Jiraiya rose half out of his chair before sitting back down from his sensei’s hand on his arm.

“Jiraiya be still, please sit. Naruto is going above and beyond what he should or needs to do to help us,” The Third pulled his student back down into his seat. “While he is not going to give us any of his forces, what he is doing for us is more important. It is because of Naruto that we can evacuate all the children and most of the civilians still loyal to the Hokage; of course that does not even touch on all of the families of our loyal Shinobi forces. That act alone will give us the ability to quickly counter the invasion without loss of time to get our civilians to safety.”

Hearing the old man identify the stranger it clicked in Naruto's mind, “Jiraiya…now I know why you looked familiar. You’re my father’s old Sensei,” grinning Naruto pushed the intercom button on his desk. “Jiga I need you in my office, it seems you can call of the search for Jiraiya of the Sannin. The Old man brought him with him this morning to the meeting I called.”

“Naruto?” the Third questioned as he glanced over at his old student who looked shell shocked.

Grinning Naruto tapped his desk with his fingers, “Jiraiya is supposed to have the best information network scattered through all the elemental countries. We have been looking for him because we have suspicions and need some information, not to mention that Whirlpool’s information network is pretty much nonexistent at the moment.”

Glancing over at the long side table where Shino had settled to listen in to the discussion the Third considered his words carefully, “Shino I need you to get with your father when we get back. I want all the children evacuated at eight thirty in the morning of the day of the third exam. Make sure the academy students are evacuated first. Then the third exam starts at ten, so I want all the civilians in the shelters no later than ten thirty, make sure you do it quietly. All our loyal people and their families need to be sent here, the rest can spend the time until the invasion is over in the evacuation tunnels.”

Looking over at Naruto who was watching and listening carefully the third asked, “Are your teams going to be there for the last exam?”

Nodding his head slowly Naruto caught sight of Jiga and several of his planning staff in eh doorway and motioned for them to come in. “Yes, we need to make sure that no one realizes we know what is about to happen. Though their orders will be to guard and evacuate the dignitaries when the invasion starts.’

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye the Third noticed Shino giving up his seat so the new group could sit down, “Alright I’ll leave Jiraiya here so your people can talk to him.” Standing up the Third felt all of his years weighing heavily on his shoulders right then, “Naruto, if the worse come to happen and the village falls or I fall my loyal Shinobi will be given orders to retreat to Whirlpool. It will be up to you and them to determine what to do about Konoha.” Pulling Naruto into a hug the Third looked down at him, “your father and your mother especially would be proud of the man you have become.”

Choked up Naruto smiled, “Thanks Old man. Hopefully it does not come to that.”

Nodding as he waved his Anbu captain over to the alcove he stopped before joining Shino and Cat in the alcove, “Maybe once the invasion has been crushed we can get together to determine when you will hand over Kabuto.”

Frowning Naruto looked confused for a moment, “Well we are still using him per say, but I suppose once you hand over Danzou we can exchange prisoners so to speak.”

Freezing, hand on the alcove the Third turned around with a grip of horror settling in where his stomach should be, “I gave the order to hand Danzou over months ago, you never got…” shaking his head he slumped, “So that traitor might have escaped justice…I’ll have to act as if he has escaped and is now with the rest of the civilian council that escaped.” Lowering his voice the Third looked at Naruto who was kneeling near the seal on the floor, hand glowing with Chakra, “I’m an old man. Way past the time I should be the Hokage, if the Council comes out during the invasion I will give the order to abandon the village. The clans will have to follow your Father’s plan to retake the village from hostile forces.”

Nodding his head Naruto stared at the floor a minute after activating the seal array to send the three back to Konoha. His mind a jumble of emotions and conflicted thoughts, it was almost as if the old man was saying he would not be around if things went wrong. And that thought left him with a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.