Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Weapons of Old and New ❯ Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

Weapons of Old and New
Or, Not Another Super Naruto Story
(Really. It’s Not.)
By Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer: Oh, yeah. I SO own Naruto. That’s why I have to bust my ass working at minimum wage to pay for college. Psh. Sure.
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Kakashi continued to stare at the back of Naruto’s head as the newly reformed Team Seven leap through the trees at high speed. Sai, the ANBU assignee, was moving with his usual grace and blank expression. Sakura was watching Naruto with the same expression of worry and concern as she’d had for the last hour.
As for Naruto himself, he was still smiling, humming a soft tune under his breath as he moved, silently, a bit ahead of the group as they made their way through the foliage to their destination.
Kakashi shook his head, the only expression he’d allow himself outside his mask.
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“Okay everyone. Sakura and Naruto have gone through this before, but Sai hasn’t, so you’ll have to bear with me.” The old training field still had those three posts in the middle of a grassy clearing, the same field he’d had to go through this test years ago. The same Team Seven had had to go through before.
Sai stood at attention, clearly reflecting his ANBU training, in front of Kakashi. His blank eyes were on Kakashi’s hand as he withdrew two bells. Sakura, dressed in her now usual white skirt, red top, and gloves, groaned.
“Aw, Kakashi-sensei, do we really have to-?”
“Yes,” Kakashi said flatly. “Same rules as before-Grab a bell from me before noon, or you can spend the rest of the day without food. While we head for our first mission, which I might add is quite some distance away.” Kakashi’s gaze shifted to the last member of the reformed Team Seven, a frown under his mask developing.
Naruto didn’t wear a scrap of orange, aside from the shirt under his black jacket. Over that was that unusual vest Jiraiya had told him about, composed of some unusual material the blond had gotten from somewhere. Black pants, boots with steel-plated toes and heels, and naturally his forehead protector, apparently burnished to not appear shiny.
The most telling difference about Naruto from the last time Kakashi had seen him, was his body language. The old Naruto was an open book, his fidgets and shifts in weight revealing nearly everything he was feeling. His face would always show what was on his mind-Impatience regarding his lecture, frustration, maybe even resentment for having to go through this again.
No, on Naruto’s face was a calm smile, subdued yet with a hint of primal menace. His eyes never wavered, taking in the bell and Kakashi’s every word. Those clear blue eyes seemed to be penetrating Kakashi’s defenses with ease. That smile of his was almost laughing, ‘am I supposed to be intimidated by this? By you?’
The idea that Naruto could be unsettling to Kakashi, of all people, was rather frightening to the Copy Nin. Not that he’d ever admit it.
“Now then, when the timer starts,” Kakashi finished, his lone eye focused on Naruto, who continued to smile. “Begin!”
Sai and Sakura immediately leapt away, seeking cover. Naruto didn’t move, still smiling. Kakashi blinked.
“Naruto, I said ‘begin’.” Naruto nodded.
“Yep.”
“… So… Shouldn’t you be doing something about now?” Naruto stretched, yawned, and merely walked over to the central post with the timer sitting atop it. He switched it off, and turned around. Kakashi’s lone eye blinked… Then widened as Naruto reached into his vest and pulled out two bells.
“… How…?” Kakashi looked down at his belt, the two bells he had tied securely on.
“Simple. I got up really early, staked out your house, and when you weren’t looking replaced your usual bells with another set. These are your bells, while those are my bells.” Naruto grinned, crossing his arms across his chest. Kakashi shook his head, sighing.
“That shouldn’t count.”
“But it should. I anticipated what you were going to do when we got here in the morning. I replaced your bells with my own, but I did indeed get yours. In other words, sensei, I looked under the underneath. Why bother fighting you to get the bells when I can just grab them before the test even begins?” Naruto’s smile was positively vulpine by this time. Kakashi sighed heavily, noting that Sai and Sakura had already returned to the clearing.
“Naruto?! What the hell?” Sakura demanded. Naruto shrugged.
“What? The sooner we got this done, the sooner we can leave on our mission. Makes sense to me,” Naruto explained. Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead. Sai nodded to Naruto, and turned back to Kakashi.
“Shall we be off then, sensei?”
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Kakashi sighed. He shouldn’t be complaining, really. Naruto’s solution had been simple but brilliant. Apparently, the blond was far more perceptive than he’d given him credit for, if he’d anticipated that Team Seven would be facing the bell test once more. The old Naruto would have never conceived of such a tactic.
What the hell happened to you, Naruto? Kakashi mused, the enigma surrounding his most surprising student growing ever deeper and complex.
Following the same route, Sakura could not help but keep looking at the blond shinobi as well, biting her lower lip. Her thoughts, too, were on her changed blond teammate.
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“This mission is B-Rank at most,” Tsunade had briefed them. The Hokage had been extremely surprised when Team Seven arrived much earlier than estimated, Kakashi and Sakura gawking at Naruto as he strolled in, foxy smile in place. Sai, the third addition, followed dutifully, standing at attention before the Hokage’s desk.
“Ahem?” Sakura jerked her head to pay attention to her sensei, blushing sheepishly.
“S-Sorry, Tsunade-sama,” she replied, bowing in appeasement. Tsunade sighed and nodded.
“Right. As I said, this is an A-Rank mission. You are to proceed to the Land of Winds, to a small town on our border. Three missing nin have been sighted in the area, all wearing the symbol of Sound.” Tsunade pushed the files forward, and Kakashi took them, perusing through the data sheets lazily.
“Misa Hayami, Yun Orokite, and Rei Enkidu. Our information on them is sketchy at best, but they all seem to be around C- or B-Rank in strength. Now, to our knowledge there have been few defections from Hidden Sound, as Orochimaru’s paranoia has kept such activities to a minimum. These three escaped. I want you to find them, offer them asylum, and bring them here. By force, if necessary.”
“Don’t missing nin usually fall under the jurisdiction of the ANBU?” Asked Sakura, frowning. Tsunade nodded.
“Usually. However, there are rumors that Orochimaru has offered a large bounty on the head of Naruto Uzumaki. If they wish to redeem themselves before Orochimaru, these nin would try to kill you Naruto.”
“So, I’ll be serving as bait, more or less,” Naruto surmised. Tsunade sighed.
“Unfortunately, yes. However, if they are open to asylum, your presence may also draw them out. I doubt that they’re stupid-If they were they couldn’t escape the Hidden Sound. They’ll see you and recognize their chance to come to Konoha for their own safety.” Naruto nodded. Sakura and Kakashi gawked at Naruto again, before Tsunade leaned back.
“I think you’ll find the rest of what you need in that folder. You leave today. Good luck.”
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Naruto didn’t object to being bait, probably because if they found these nin, there was a good chance they could lead them to Sasuke. Still, Naruto had always been one to blurt out the obvious. And the obvious benefits from this mission being a success should have been shouted out by the blond shinobi.
Sakura sighed mentally. It wasn’t like a quiet, thoughtful Naruto was a bad thing, right?
Hell no! Inner Sakura announced. Besides, he’s gotten pretty cute over these three years, hasn’t he?
Sakura grimaced. Shut up! He is not cute!
Oh yes he is, Inner Sakura pressed. C’mon, that hair, that face, those whiskers…
I’m not into cats! Besides, if this mission is a success, we might be able to get Sasuke back and-!
Fuck Sasuke! And not in the fun way! Inner Sakura snarled. Sakura sighed, aloud this time. Her inner self had steadily begun to distance herself from Sasuke, expressing the anger and betrayal she felt over the Uchiha’s defection. The memories of the disappointment, the hurt feelings from Sasuke’s ignoring or rejecting of her advances and offers also stung, growing into resentment. Outer Sakura may still have carried a torch for the Uchiha survivor, but her inner self burned with hatred towards him.
He’s a traitor! He tried to kill Naruto! He left us, forsook us all, just for his revenge! And through it all, Naruto practically worshipped the ground we walked on! Now that he’s grown up, he’s not half bad at all!
Shut up! We’re going to succeed in this mission, then we’re going to get Sasuke back, and finally he’s going to be mine!
If even Ino-pig gave up on him, why are we still obsessing over Duck-Butt-Head?
Don’t call him that! Shut up! I hate Naruto!
Surrre you do, just keep telling yourself that, hun. When you’ve decided to sell that property on the riverfront of Denial, I’ll be waiting.
Sakura huffed. What did her inner know? She began to glare at Naruto, as though he were the source of all her troubles.
Naruto himself was still mentally cackling at the dumbstruck expressions of Kakashi and Sakura over his stunt. He’d missed pulling pranks, and this was just a plain masterwork if he did say so himself. Old Man Tusume’s lessons had, once more, come in handy.
Know your enemy as you know yourself, and victory will always be yours, Naruto recited silently, and the simplest solution is usually the best.
And all it had cost him were the ryo needed to buy the second set of bells.
The Uzumaki shook himself free of his glee for just a moment, deciding to rerun through the mission briefing he’d gotten after the rest of Team Seven had departed.
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Naruto blinked as a large, powerfully built man, easily in his 50s, emerged in Tsunade’s office. Half of his face was concealed in bandages over his messy brown hair, giving Naruto the impression of seeing Baki, Gaara’s jounin sensei, in a mirror with his head wrappings missing and a Konoha forehead protector.
“Naruto, this is Danzo, the head of ANBU,” Tsunade introduced him, the grimace on her face revealing just what she thought of her new ‘guest’. “He’s here to make an offer to you, regarding a commission in ANBU.” Tsunade knit her fingers together. “Section 6, I believe?”
Naruto blinked, as Danzo smirked slightly.
“So much for plausible deniability,” the ANBU head sighed. He crossed his arms over his black robes, looking at Tsunade in an almost imperious manner. Naruto bristled. His obaa-chan deserved more respect than that!
“You didn’t really think I wasn’t aware of your activities?” Tsunade sneered.
“You do understand the reasons for such secrecy, Hokage-sama,” Danzo replied. “Considering how easily Konoha has been infiltrated in the past…” Tsunade ground her teeth audibly, one of her fists tightening in a sound like steel cord being coiled. Naruto couldn’t help but glare at the man. He thought Tsunade knew! Sure, he hadn’t been told specifically that she was in the know, but still!
“For some reason, the council respects your decisions in these matters, Danzo, so I am powerless to disband Section 6, again.” Tsunade’s glare darkened. “For the moment.”
Naruto was pleased to see Danzo shudder, if only slightly, at the intensity of the woman’s glare. Danzo cleared his throat.
“I’m sure you are aware of what Section 6 was created for,” Danzo stated. “So I will not bore you with details. The secondary mission to the one already assigned is ranked A-class, possibly low S. It is an ongoing mission, to trace activities we believe to be funded and organized by Otokagure, the purpose of which we are unclear.”
Tsunade nodded. “If they are part of this plan, whatever it is, the missing nin will be vital to our efforts to curb Sound’s influence. You must take them alive, and get them back here alive, at any cost, save those covered by standard Rules of Engagment.” Danzo opened his mouth to protest.
“Hokage-sama, you cannot expect them to-“
“I will not have any embassies being shot up, or any towns being destroyed, or any murders done to implicate innocent people, Danzo,” Tsunade snarled. “If you don’t accept these terms, the mission is canceled.” Danzo glared back.
“Hokage-sama, you do realize how serious this is? If those missining nin go to another village, or are recaptured by Orochimaru-“
“I’ll have the regular hunter nin deal with them,” Tsunade stated flatly,” the intelligence loss be damned.”
For a moment, both Sannin and ANBU Head stared eachother down. Naruto was about ready to form Kage Bunshin to try and separate them if things turned ugly… When Danzo nodded, still glaring at his Hokage.
“Understood, Hokage-sama.” Danzo turned to Naruto, and tossed something over. Naruto caught the object and looked it over, blinking. It seemed to be a small patch, with a stylized upside-down V-symbol on a black background. A tiny ‘6’ in kanji was on the top of the symbol.
“What’s this?” Naruto asked, turning it over in his hands. Danzo smirked.
“This patch will identify you as a Six agent, should you fail in your mission,” Danzo said flatly. “Our undercover operatives will make every effort to assist you that they can. Six is still the best kept secret among the shinobi nations, and no one but fellow agents will know what this means. Welcome aboard, Zero Seven.”
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Naruto tapped the patch, hidden away in one of his vest’s pockets, as they continued their journey, before smiling ever so slightly. Sure, Danzo was an asshole (Tusume’s journals had said as much), but being part of ANBU, of the best of the best, gave Naruto an incredible sense of pride and accomplishment.
Sai watched from some distance away, and nodded to himself.
All is proceeding as planned.
His thoughts were echoed, unknowingly on both ends, by a certain fox demon also traveling with them…
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Sorry for the frequent cliffhangers, but it’s how the story is demanding to be written. Plus, it keeps me from stumbling on writer’s block.
Quotes from Sun Tzu’s Art of War and William Ockham’s Sentences of Peter Lombard.
Anyway, next time: The Uzumaki Chronicles make the Top Ten List, as more and more women find their interest in our favorite blond shinobi piqued. Meanwhile, Team Seven finds their quarry… or does their quarry find them?
Review please! It keeps me going when writer’s block rears it’s ugly head!