Ok... Sooo I'm going back through the Chapters I have done already
and tweaking them... finally read one the the AC books on Altair's life
and refreshed my memory on Naruto's... Sooo, if it doesn't make sense
to peoples who are new to reading this I'm srry... I'll fix them as
quickly as I can Thanks for the patience and for the faves for the
story!
~:~
Kakashi raced back to the village, his mind racing in light of the new information he had just gathered. "
What the hell is Naruto involved with? Who is this 'Akatsuki' that they mentioned?"
It took him almost no time at all to get back to the village, what with
that pill still having effect on his stamina. He was sure the Hokage
would be more than interested with the news he had, especially after
what he had Sasuke and Sakura tell him.
Moments later he knocked
on the Hokage's door, waiting until he heard Saratobi's muffled reply to
enter. "What have you discovered?" he asked as soon as the door closed
behind Kakashi.
"Naruto is in some sort of organization. They were
talking of their targets, a new organization called the Akatsuki and
those involved with Orochimaru. They referred to them as 'Templar'."
Kakashi debriefed, his breath becoming regular again as he awaited
Saratobi's next move.
"Hm…" is all that Saratobi answered him
with. His eyes closed in thought and his weathered face emotionless.
"Your students have told me about the meeting the three of you first
viewed between Naruto and this man he called 'brother'." He mused after a
few moments of silence, making sure he was up to date on the situation.
"Yes
sir" was Kakashi's response "by the way, do you know where those two
have run off to?" he asks, making a quick scan of the room to make sure
he didn't overlook them somehow.
"Yes, I sent them to their homes until further notice." Saratobi states absent-mindedly. "You're free to leave now Kakashi."
And with that Kakashi bowed, as was custom, and left the room. Still both mused over what Naruto could possibly be involved in.
'Naruto, why are you keeping secrets from us?'
Kakashi questioned as he approached the memorial stone, wanting to talk
to his old team-mate, Obito, hoping that somehow an answer would just
materialize from the stone.
~:~
The
Sisterhood had apparently just finished up their briefing as well.
There were clusters of women everywhere, listening in on what's new,
Naruto gathered that they were chatting of everyday life. The
prostitutes where chatting of their clients; sharing secrets on who was
good/bad in bed and generous/cheap with tips, who was a drunk, who the
beaters were and who would bring gifts for them. While on the other hand
there were some merchant wives who swapped stories of their lives; sons
and daughters who were learning the trade of either Assassin or the
normal business, and politics.
"Safety and Peace sisters" came an
all too familiar voice from the left, a small smirk lifting the edges of
his lips as he turned to see his Bina waving goodbye to her friends and
headed his way.
"Naruto! It's good to see you.." came her cheerful greeting as she gingerly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"It's
good to see you again as well, Bina." He replies, taking on Altair's
signature smirk as he did so, the slight irritance at his pet name for
her evident in her lavender eyes.
"Why do you insist on calling me
that?" she questioned while taking a step back, a hand now gently on
his chest denying him that lingering embrace he so desired.
"Because
I can." He states, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly as a
slight blush dusts his cheeks. Secretly he's thankful he kept his hood
up like old times.
Finally Hinata just rolls her eyes and embraces Naruto, sighing in content at how right this felt.
"What briefing did you get?" he asks into her hair, taking a deep breath and just enjoying the moment.
"Hm…
getting a heads up on the two new Templar groups, the plan Malik has
created and how we can gather information on them, while following the
creed of course. We don't want another mishap, now do we 'Altair'?" she
states, chiding Naruto for his ancestors mistake.
A flash of
regret and sorrow crosses Naruto's features, his body tensing ever so
slightly as the memory of Salmons Temple comes to mind.
Hinata,
noticing this difference in demeanor leans back to look into his face,
the beautiful rich blue eyes that she had come to know and love slightly
dull with grief "You should not blame yourself for what happened that
day. You have grown, matured so much since then. Look at what you have
accomplished with the Assassins now…" she coos to him realizing the
mistake she made in bringing that up.
"Yes, well…" he says, a
small smirk wanting to play on his lips as an idea pops into mind "I
have a few ideas of how you can apologize." A mischievous glint in his
eyes, and that smirk turning into a full on devious smile.
"Oh?"
Hinata replies, a mischievous but weary look in her eyes as well. "Well,
we can't really do that now… we have a few problems to deal with."
Hinata says, her ancestor Maria taking over the situation.
"And
that would be?" Naruto says, seductively breathing the words on her neck
before leaving butterfly kisses to her lips. A small grumble of
disapproval escaping his lips as she gently pushes him a way,
determination in her eyes. Sighing he gives up, this was one of the
reasons Altair had fallen in love with Maria.
"These new groups,
we suspect them to possibly come to the village. How are we going to
hide the order if that happens?" she asks, her voice lowering so that
the others can't hear of her worries.
"The village will have no
reason to know of us. Only that they are enemies to them, that is all."
He replies, already getting ready for what is possibly become an
argument. "If you are so worried they will find out go discuss this with
Malik. He will know what to do." He adds a few seconds later, his voice
uncaring and slightly bored.
With this she gives him a look of anger, her lavender eyes holding his blue ones firmly. '
Oh shit, I screwed up…' Naruto thinks, his features giving no hint to his worry, instead becoming cold and distant like the arrogant Altair.
"Naruto,
this is a concern you should share as well. After all, our friends live
there. Have you grown soo cold as to abandon them and not worry for
their safety?" she questions, hands on hips and that mother chiding look
on her face.
Now it was Naruto's turn to get outraged. "Have you
forgotten how they treated me? And besides, they won't find out of the
Brotherhood, we take precautions in this… or have you been slipping on
your end?" he practally growls at her.
~:~
Back
at the village Saratobi was still pondering over the information that
Kakashi and his two students had told him. "Templars…" he mumbles,
taking a break from his usual work of signing papers and what's not.
"Naruto, what are you involved with…"
After some time at the
memorial stone, Kakashi finally starts home Icha Icha Paradise in hand.
However, he can't really concentrate on the book, his mind keeps
drifting back to Naruto, and with those thoughts more and more questions
plague him. '
Why did he change clothes, and what the hell kinda
outfit was that? His personality as well, I've never heard him talk like
that… he was more… serious, dangerous even.' He mused, finally putting the book away in favor of watching where he was going.
'Naruto
is never like that. He's the number one knuckle headed trouble maker of
the village… then there are these 'Templars' that they spoke about…' his thoughts were interrupted by one of his students calling out to him.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
Sakura called, pink hair bouncing as she made her way to him. An
un-happy Uchiha being dragged along "Sensei!" she calls again, a little
more than half way to Kakashi.
"I think he heard you the first time…" growls Sasuke, slightly wincing as it turned out she was shouting in his ear.
"Hey
you guys." Kakashi greets, acting as though nothing had changed. "Soo,
did you guys train at all today?" he questioned in all honesty.
"Um…
you're joking, right?" states the Uchiha while giving Kakashi a funny
look. "We have bigger things to deal with right now, or are you going to
take this like everything else?" he questions, slightly sweating as he
realizes how disrespectful he sounds. To his surprise, Kakashi just
sighs.
"Your right Sasuke." After a moment, he ads "Let's go to
Naruto's apartment, maybe we can find some helpful information there."
And with that they were off, not so much in a hurry seeing as the
Hokage, Saratobi, had given Naruto a week off for 'training' on his own.
Upon
entering Naruto's home Kakashi immediately told his two remaining
students what to do and what to look for. "Okay you two; remember to put
EVERYTHING back like you found it. Sakura, you look in the
kitchen/dining area. Sasuke, you take the living room and porch area.
I'll be in the bedroom and bathroom." He says already headed that way.
Sasuke and Sakura just glance at each other, quickly nodding and walking
to their designated areas.
Entering into Naruto's room, Kakshi
found it different than he imagined. Instead of being messy, it was
neat, clean and close to O.C.D. He had a poster of the village's
insignia just above his bed but that was just about the only sort of
decoration, if you didn't count the bed, drawers and nightstand of
course. Kakashi started his search with the drawers; taking out each one
at a time with such care. Taking out the contents and search them he
did with even more care so not to disturb the folding or layout. "I
don't know how much attention he really pays to detail… better safe than
sorry." He mumbles to himself, not really believing he has to take such
care and precautions with one of his own students. Each drawer he did
like this, making up the three at the top. The top drawer contained
small weapons like shrunken and kunai along with the supplies to keep
them sharp and clean. The second drawer contained his underwear
(boxers), Kakashi was genially surprised at how neatly folded Naruto
kept these. Not even he was like this. The third drawer contained close
to nothing, a few supplies for darts, a few vials of something and again
the supplies to maintain the weapons. Taking out the last vial however,
he found that this drawer had a false bottom. Lifting it up he
discovered that there was something missing, there were two what were
either gauntlets or bracers once rested. '
Odd…' Kakashi thinks as
he gently picks up one of the neatly folded clothes, inspecting it
before folding it and gently replacing it and returning the drawer back
to the way it was. Next was the bed, scanning the blanket in hopes of
finding a hole Naruto could use to hide a small note or something he
throws it back when nothing is found. He does this with the pillows,
sheets, mattress and frame as well. Each time he found nothing.
Replacing everything he calls out "Sasuke! Are you finding anything in
there?"
"No, just normal stuff the dobe would ha…" his words got cut off when he opened a drawer to find a single drawing.
"What
did you find?" Kakashi asks, walking into the living room area, curious
as to what made Sasuke stop his sentence so short. Walking over, he
leans forward to peer over the Uchiha's shoulder into the small drawer.
There sat an old looking drawing of a stone fortress somewhere in the
mountains. The attention to detail mesmerizing, gently Sasuke picks up
the drawing. His fingers gently running over it before slowly turning
the page to see the back, there they were surprised to see Naruto's
handwriting.
'Masyaf1176
I wish I could return home… '
Kakashi and Sasuke were amazed and confused. "You don't think
he
drew this… do you?" Sasuke whispers, turning the page back to look at
the drawing. The building's high walls looked cold and strong, Sasuke
could see the small windows and some flags at the top. The building
looked old, weathered, fierce, and yet loyal and somehow comforting.
"Sakura,
have you found anything?" Kakashi calls, effectively getting Sasuke out
of the trance he was in with the drawing. Glancing back he watches as
Sasuke gently puts the page back slowly and heads to search the couch.
"No
Kakashi-sensei… the dining area had nothing we could use at this point.
I'm checking the kitchen now." She states back, already rummaging
through the drawers.
"Okay, I'm going to go and finish checking
his room and bathroom." Kakashi states, Sasuke was still working on the
couch, searching every inch of it only to find nothing.
Standing
he looks around the room, it was rather dull for Naruto's high spirits
and energy. He actually expected his team mate to have the place a wreck
or to reflect his annoying personality. Yet it wasn't, instead it
looked more like an O.C.D person lived here, clear tan walls, modest TV
set and a somewhat antique couch. Barely any decorations of any kind,
well now that he thought about it he didn't suppose you could count the
two or three lamps as decorations.
When finally done searching the
house Kakashi was surprised to know a few new things about his team,
like the stash of Icha Icha books hidden in the closet and how well
Sasuke and Sakura were at snooping. Kakashi, taking one more glance
around to make sure everything was back in its proper order, nods in
content and approval at his remaining students before closing the door.
'I would have never pegged Naruto as the O.C.D type…' he thinks as he trudges back to his own apartment, his two remaining students already gone, probably training.
~:~
"Orochimaru-sama,
our intelligence says that the Assassins are already on to us." States
Kabuto, disgust dripping from his voice as he merely mentions the name.
The dark, damp room barely light by candles which were reflecting in his
glasses, he can hear the sound of Orochimaru's 'pets' from deeper in
their layer. The key to Immortality was in these 'pets' he said,
"Just look at them Kabuto. Isn't it wonderful how far we've come?" he had said with a sadistic grin.
"Hm…
We'd better keep an eye on them then." Orochimaru reples, pre-occupied
by the body lying on the table in front of him, blood seeping to the
floor in small rivers as its occupant slightly moans, their screams for
mercy, help, and death finally silenced with time.
"How do you
propose we do that sir?" Kabuto asks curiosity as to what his Master is
doing slowly growing. The soft moans of that poor soul drifting to his
ears, slowly making him smile ever so slightly.
~:~
"Naruto,
we have to think of those innocents." Hinata protests, her lavender
eyes growing in ferocity and intensity as Naruto just glares at her.
"Plus, have you forgotten my family is there, Neji and the rest of the
Hyuga clan?"
"They can fend for themselves. We MUST follow the
creed at ALL times. Go and speak with Malik if you're so worried for
their safety… Maria." He growls her name with such anger and irrtance
poorly hidden behind Altair's façade; this earned a squeak from some
nearby courtesans. Quickly glancing in their direction he slowly bows,
hoping that with the gesture is apology is recognized. They just glance
back, nodding their heads in acknowledgment and walk away, realizing
that the two assassins were indeed in a private conversation. Looking
back at Hinata he is greeted with a slap. His head snapping back and
eyes wide with shock, the sound of it ringing in the ears of those
closest to them, their eyes wide as well as they glance back and forth
between the two fully expecting Naruto to be enraged.
"Altair, you
will be wise to remember to keep your tongue bound when speaking to
me." She growls, eyes as sharp and deadly as her short sword. Slowly she
takes in a deep breath, calming herself, fully expecting Naruto to
retaliate. However, he did nothing but glare, flex his jaw muscles and
walk away, presumably to vent and rant to poor Malik.
"That woman!
How dare she do that to me… she will get hers during training, when
Malik can do nothing against our sparing." He seethes, breathing deeply
to control his anger. The trees around Naruto rustling in the slight
breeze, the air carrying along with it the thought of his village, his
friends… sighing he realizes her concerns are his as well reluctantly.
"Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi…" he whispers.
"When I get back I should figure out how to teach to better notice our enemy." He thinks before entering the his own camp. '
I hope my face isn't still red from that slap…" he thinks as he makes his way to the river first to wash his face and hopefully wash the slap away.
~:~
"Bring
team seven back, minus Naruto of course." Saratobi orders the black ops
shinobi standing before him. The masked man bows, emotionless eyes
ready for any order the Hokage so wishes for him to complete.
"Yes
Hokage-sama." He replies, voice stern showing he is a seasoned soldier.
Then he's gone, running in search of team seven composed of Hatake
Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura. He found them moments later
in the training field.
"Hatake Kakashi. The Hokage wishes to see
both you and your team." He states, slightly bowing in respect to his
comrade. Kakashi just stands there, staring at his book not
acknowledging this man in the least bit.
"Okay. Hey, you guys,
trainging is done for the day. Go to the Hokage's office at once." He
tells his team, his usual laid back attitude still in place as he
continues to read his book. Sasuke and Sakura just stop what they're
doing to look back at their sensei finally noticing the anbu.
'
When did he get here?' Sasuke thinks, putting his shuriken back in his pouch.
"What
is it about?" asks Sakura, her voice pitching in curiosity while Sasuke
just looks on with disgust as her too high voice reaches his ears.
"Doesn't
matter, we'll find out when we get there." Replies Kakashi, already
walking towards the Hokage's office, Sasuke following suite affirming
what he just said with his signature 'hn'. Sakura, seeing the two
already leaving her behind, runs to catch up. Walking by Sasuke's side
she attempts to walk with pride, hoping with all her being the 'girls'
were showing and that it would in turn catch Sasuke's attention.
~:~
"Malik,
we must speak." Naruto states entering into Malik's tent, not even
waiting to be welcomed in like all the others. Had he done so, maybe
then he wouldn't be so surprised to find Malik already talking to Hinata
about her concerns.
"Yes, Altair… just the person I wanted to
see." He states, his good arm welcoming him in. "Maria was just telling
me of her concerns for the village the two of come from."
"That
village is not mine, or have you forgotten where we hail from in your
old age?" he states, teasing Malik of his age as he always did when he
found the opportunity. Malik just furrows his brow, as if in thought.
"Ah,
yes… I do believe I remember where it is you are speaking about… Masyaf
correct?" He taunts back, smirk in place. "I do find myself missing
home more and more each day brother."
Hinata just looks between the two men, she remember Masyaf… that place where she died all those years ago.
"Malik,
what I am to do about this? The village shinobi are strong, but if the
enemy gets a hold on the artifacts…" she trails off, not wanting to say
her thoughts out loud in fear of jinxing the village.
"Yes, that
is the issues I have been thinking about as well." States Malik, cupping
his chin with his one arm. "Altair, what do you think of this?"
Naruto
is just silent, Hinata giving him death glares, daring him to speak
against her concerns again. "We should take care of these enemies before
the village has to deal with them." He states after a moment more of
silence.
"Yes, that is what I was thinking as well." Muses Malik,
walking back to his table to review what intelligence they have on these
new Templar organizations. "Altair, you are to go back to the village
immediately after the this meeting is over. We will send you and your
team to the Hidden Mist village; it will be under cover o fescorting and
protecting a bridge builder. The details will be given by the villages
Hokage. While you are there, you will deal with multiple targets. The
first being a rouge shinobi who has killed several of our brothers and
sisters, his name is Zabuza and his partners name is Haku. The second
target you need to just gather information on. His name is Hoshigaki
Kasame, he's in the Akatsuki as well. We know that he is one of the
seven great swords men, other than that we have nothing." He states
looking into Naruto's blue eyes, he sees that the man's ancestor is
excited to finally get some work done. "And Altair, you MUST protect you
team. Just as well, remember the Creed's tenants."
"Yes, yes I know." Naruto states, eager to get on his mission after so long. "Do we have contacts in this village?"
"Just the rafiq, you will be doing the gathering on your own."
"Perfect."
"Hinata,
you may leave now. Altair and I have much to discuss." Hinata looks
back and forth between the two men, obviously suspicious of them both
before turning on her heels and leaving. Once she left Malik questions
"You do know that there were some leaf nin who followed you?"
"Yes.
It was my team. I thought it would further provoke their curiosity if I
confronted them. What would you have me do should they have learned
more than they should have?"
"I know they have, one of our look
outs says they spotted the one named Hatake Kakasi not to far away
during our meeting. They don't know how much he heard, but they say
after a while he ran off. In the direction of the village no doubt,
hopefully he has learned nothing of consequence. As for what you should
do… act as if nothing has happened. If they question you.."
"Act as if I do not know what they are talking about." Altair interrupts, finishing Malik's sentence.
"Yes." Malik says after a pause, a small smirk on his face. "So, already you and Maria are fighting?"
Sighing,
Naruto takes a seat across from his old friend. "What am I to do Malik?
That woman is very outspoken…" he says while rubbing his face, the
presence of his ring finger feeling odd on his face.
Laughing
Malik replies "That is why the two of you are so good together my
friend. She is one of the few people either stupid enough or brave
enough to cross you. It's also one of the reasons why you fell in love
with her I believe."
Glaring at his friend he sighs yet again in defeat "You are right…"
"Now… fix it…"
"How? She is still mad at me, you saw…"
Laughing yet again Malik wags his head "Try some 'private' training…"
"Fine…" and with that Naruto got up to leave.
"Oh,
and one more thing… I always wanted to know. Why is it that you always
keep your hood up?" Malik questions, smile on his face.
Altair just laughs as he walks out of the tent, leaving Malik with a smile on his face, slightly wagging his head yet again.
~:~
"Enter" Saratobi states, taking a long deep breath from his pipe.
"You wanted to see us?" States Kakashi as his team walks in, the door quietly closing behind them.
"Yes,
it's about Naruto. Until just recently, the three of you haven't
noticed anything different about him?" he asks, his tone patient and his
body relaxed as he just watches the people go about their daily
routine, unaware of this new situation that has yet to become a problem.
The team remains silent for a moment, thinking back on Naruto and his actions. "No sir" they answer in unison.
"Very
well, keep a better eye on him from now on. Take note of his habits,
even if you think it's nothing. Don't give him any sign that you are
aware of him and this 'organization' that he's in. Either we'll find out
soon enough by either force or because he's ready to tell us."
'Hopefully Saratobi waits for him to tell us on his own…'
Kakashi thinks, worry growing in the pit of his stomach as this meeting
continues. "Yes sir" they reply yet again, Kakashi's students having
more courage this time around.
"Sasuke, Sakura as his peers I want
the two of you to get closer to him. Know his secrets; share his pain,
become like a family to him. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir" they say, Sakura's voice wavering slightly while Sasuke's seems like he could care less.
"If the two of you don't do this there will be dire side effects for your team." He warns, affectively catching their attention.
"Yes
sir" they both reply yet again, this time with more enthusiasm.
Saratobi just smiles, underneath his harsh exteriors he's really a nice
man; his own grandson is a great shinobie, a teacher in fact much like
Kakashi, and his great grandson is just starting out, learning the ropes
to become a great shinobi.
'
I swear, if that dobe gets me in trouble I'm going to kill him." Thinks Sasuke as he awaits the Hokage to continue.
~:~
"Leader-sama,
I have gathered all the rouge shinobi you have requested. They await
you in the foyer sir." States a woman with blue hair and a labret stud
her almost yellow eyes uncaring as the leader gets up and heads towards
the door.
"Very well, let's go meet the new members of the Akatsuki, Konan." Is all that he states before entering the foyer.
Upon
fully entering it, all eyes are on them; the leader with orange colored
hair, multiple piercings and Rinnegan eyes. Looking around the room he
notes that Konan did a good job in gathering everyone he requested. "I
will pare you with your partner. You will stay with them until either
one or both of you die." He proclaims, pausing to let that sink in and
for the affect. The power in his voice reflecting everything about him;
"Deidara and Sasori, Kukuzu and Hidan, Itachi and Kisame, Zetsu will be
our intelligence."
"What about Tobi?" Asks Tobi, raising his hand
as if he's in grade school, in doing so he earned a few odd glances from
his comrades.
"Tobi, you will be with Konan and myself until further notice." And with that, Pein leaves.
"Your
rooms have been prepared. Rest today, tomorrow we assign you missions."
And then Konan left as well, the room growing quiet as this new
information set in.
"So, what are we supposed to do in our free
time, un?" Deidara asks no one in particular. The mouth on his hand
chewing on some clay, a very bored look plastered on his face as he
glances to his new 'partner'. '
I wonder what's up with that guy… he doesn't look like he can do much.'
~:~
Back
at the Brotherhood camp, Naruto was busing himself, being a firm
believer in 'Idle hands are the Devils play things'. And besides that,
he had already caused enough mischief as it was. Earlier he had switched
Malik's favorite ink with some invisible ink he had found in a nearby
village. While Malik was busying himself trying to figure out was wrong
with the ink, Naruto had stolen some rather important scrolls from him,
hiding them in Faheem's tent.
Later during lunch he had taunted
Malik. With him having only one arm and Naruto having two, he attempted
to hand feed Malik his lunch, stating "It has to be difficult for you to
eat with only one arm." Malik had responded by throwing anything and
everything he could get his hand onto at the man. It was then that
Naruto was heard screaming "I was only trying to help!" as he ran away
as quickly as he could finally hiding behind Hinata, knowing full well
that Malik couldn't hurt her. To this, Malik warned "Altair, if I catch
you when she's not around there will be Hell to pay!" before stomping
back to his tent where he was heard yet again yelling "And someone find
me those scrolls dammit!" Altair just laughed at this, Faheem looking at
him suspiciously before asking "Altair, what did you do?" With this,
they found a reason to fight. They fought over almost everything it
seemed, from why the sky was blue all the way to if Altair had anything
to do with Faheem's saddle being too loose today causing him to fall off
his horse while riding through a fairly deep river. Of course Altair
was the culprit, but he would never admit to it so he fought for his
'innocence' in the matter. All the while Hinata just watched, amused but
at the same time wondering if she should do anything to stop it, it was
Malik who stopped the fight, sending them off to the training arena
like children. There he caused even more trouble, beating each and every
opponent without even trying, until that is Hinata entered the ring.
With her slap still fresh in his mind he set out to teach her a lesson.
The two fought, matching each other blow for blow. The crowed had grown
rather large; bets had also made its way into the fight. Most betting
that Hinata would win the others saying it was Altair who would be
victorious.
Him and Hinata had traded insults in the fight, Hinata
favoring "You fight like a woman Naruto, maybe you should be training
more in the village." While Naruto responded with "If I can fight like
you, I have no worries then, I do believe I taught you well all those
years ago."
The crowd new he was in the dog house, so they
couldn't help but laugh a little as the fight continued. Naruto stealing
kisses and whispering sweet nothings until Hinata was clumsy and
flustered enough in her attacks for Naruto to disarm her.
The rest of Naruto's 'Private' training was much like that first. On
Tuesday while Malik was bathing Naruto decided that it would be fun to
steal his clothes. At first he had planned to leave him women's clothing
but after some thought, he decided to leave poor Malik with nothing.
While Malik was still bathing Naruto had managed to slip a harmless
snake into Faheem's tent while he was still sleeping, his reasoning?
"That lazy, good for nothing novice needs to be taught to wake up
earlier." Then he went to cause more suffering for Faheem and Malik,
first Malik. In Malik's tent sat a set of scrolls, unused and he was
sure uncounted. Stealing one he wrote a 'love' letter to Malik from
Hinata still holding that grudge from her slap. Plus, he knew Malik had a
thing for her. He left this note in plain sight, making his hand
writing so close to hers you could barely tell the difference.
As
soon as this was done, he pocketed some ink and a brush returning to
Faheem's tent to add a few adjustments to his old friends sleeping
habits. As soon as he was done he heard Malik's cry of rage
"AAAllttaiiirrrr!" that was when Faheem woke up, the snake slithering
right beside his face and it's tongue flicking in and out tasting him,
looking for fear. Faheem sprang to his feet, screaming as he did so. He
knew exactly who was behind this, Altair. With a grunt of anger he
stomped out of the tent, still unaware of the drawings on his face.
There he caught a very guilty Naruto trying to act natural as he walked
away. Suddenly there was laughter to his right, his comrades falling
over and pointing at him, "What are you laughing at?" he asks through
bared teeth. "Your face!" one of the Assassins replies through his
laughter "Altair! What did you do?" he yells running for the river to
view his reflection.
Altair was dying of laughter as soon as he
was out of sight of Faheem, forgetting all about an enraged Malik who
had come stomping through the camp uncaring on all the stares and
whispers. Before Naruto knew it Malik stood before him, daggers in his
eyes "Give me back my clothes Altair."
"Oh, hi Malik why aren't you wearing any clothes?"
"Altair if you don't give them back right now…" Malik was stating until he was interrupted by two familiar voices.
"Malik!" came a timid voice from behind him, his face paling as he heard Hinata's voice he could almost hear her blush.
"Altair,
I know you're behind this, give him back his clothes." Then as if an
afterthought "You were right Hinata, we should have come sooner…"
"I didn't do anything!" Naruto stated, trying to convince them he's innocent.
"Oh?
Then who took his clothes, snuck a snake into Faheem's tent as well as
draw in his face?" Colombina stated as she saw the snake finally
slithering out of Faheem's tent then went to Malik's side with arms
crossed over chest to stare Naruto down with a still fuming Malik.
"…fine. I'll go get your clothes…" he states in defeat trudging back to his tent.
Hours
later Faheem could be heard yelling out for Altair to show himself,
finally washing off all the ink that Altair had painted on his face.
~:~
When
lunch came around Naruto attempted to feed Malik once again, the only
difference this time was that Malik had added chasing and cussing Altair
out as he threw anything and everything at him. Once again Naruto could
be heard screaming "I was only trying to help!" Before he hid behind
Colombina yet again who just sighed.
"Malik, now calm down, you
shouldn't expect so much from Naruto right now. You know better than
anyone that Altair is just anxious to get back to his village now that
you have told him that he's got some missions." Colombina chided Malik, a
soft smile on her face as Naruto's grin just grew. He knew Colombina
would always have a way to get him out of trouble. "And besides that,
you of all people should know that Naruto isn't exactly the brightest
crayon in the box…" she added with a sly smirk.
"Yea, listen to my
Bi… wait…" after a few moments of silence Naruto was storming off in
the direction of the make shift stables while Malik was laughing his
heart out and Colombina with a mischievous smile on her face.
"How
dare she! She's supposed to be on my side… not his…" Naruto seethes as
he finally comes to his horse. A toffee colored mare with a white spot
on her muzzle. Altair had yet to name her, especially after his more
favored stallion had died years ago. Those damn Templars, he had made
them pay for what they did to his horse. That was when the idea struck
him, seeing Faheem's horse tethered there and seeming ready to ride.
~:~
When
training came around Altair took it upon himself to teach the novice's
how it was done. He had instructed them in throwing knives and fighting
with a sword as well as the Assassins signature fighting stance. That
was when Hinata was about to try her hand again at beating him, but she
was too late and Faheem had taken the opportunity.
"What happened
to you Faheem? You look like you didn't quite make it to the restroom."
Mocks Altair, Faheem's pants were soaked and his shirt wasn't all that
far off.
"You loosened my horse's saddle stronzo!" Faheem yelled,
pointing an accusing finger at Naruto who kept his head down to hide
this guilty as sin grin.
"Now, now Faheem it's not nice to say
such mean things." Naruto chided, mocking a parent's stance as they
discipline a child. That was when Faheem started the fight.
Altair
ultimately won, Faheem giving him a run for his money. "What is wrong
'Altair', growing old after all these years?" Faheem baits a smirk on
his face; the rage of what Naruto had done now gone in light of some
healthy competition.
"Not me my brother but you. You look like your
about to fall over dead." Laughs Naruto as Faheem pants, attempting to
catch his breath. A ghost of a chuckle escaping both men's lips Faheem
opening his mouth for a witty response only to be interrupted.
"Enough of this, we are to meet now." Sounded one of the Rafiqs dispatching the fight instantly.
~:~
"Everyone
is to go back to their respected villages, we will call everyone back
together when we have more information on these groups." States Malik,
his voice loud and strong like that of their former master Al Mualim.
"These groups are shrouded in mystery still, we can't take action. Just
as well, we have lost the location of the Apple… again. Orochimaru's
lackey's killed the last informant we sent in search of its whereabouts.
We have already given each of you your assignments, go with safety and
peace my brothers and sisters." Malik states stepping down from the
platform and heading to his tent once again. Briefly Naruto wonders if
he had found the 'love' note he, or rather, Hinata had left for Malik.
Once Naruto was sure Malik was no longer going to announce anything he
dragged Colombina away for private 'training'.
~:~
"Kakashi,
Naruto will be back soon. What are you planning to do?" Saratobi asks,
taking in a deep breath of fresh air. The sun was bright, and hung high
in the sky. The town's people were bustling all over the town, un-aware
of what might become of that nuisance they had come to know and love.
"We're
going to go on as if nothing has changed. Training will resume as
normal that includes missions. Sasuke and Sakura will get closer to him;
we're all hoping that he will tell one if not both of them his
secrets." Then as if it's an after he adds "We went to search Naruto's
apartment, he had nothing unusual however we did find a picture of a
girl around his age named Colombina."
"Hm… and you left everything
as you found it?" Saratobi asks; this little bit of information doing
little for their situation right now.
"Yes sir."
"Where did you find this picture?"
"It was in a small drawer in his TV cabinet in the living room, bottom left hand side."
"Hm…
You're free to leave; I'll arrange a mission for your team as soon as
Naruto is back." Then he was alone, the soft click of the door closing
being the only sound that disturbs the silence.
~:~
"I
talked to the Hokage this morning. He said they got word from Naruto
that he's coming back early." Kakashi states, his two remaining students
stopping their training to look at their sensei expecting more from
him.
"Okay, what's the plan for training when he comes back?" Sakura asks wanting to impress Sasuke with thinking ahead.
"Yes,
we'll be assigned a mission." Kakashi replies, Sasuke just grunts in
response to this. "We'll try to get Naruto to show his true self, or
this other side of himself on this mission. Which means we need to do
anything we can to provoke him somehow."
"What is our mission going to be?" Sakura asks green eyes innocent and full of curiosity.
"He hasn't assigned one yet." Kakashi replies, finally looking away from his book. "Why aren't you two training?"
~:~
"There you are Naruto, Malik wishes to see you."
"I'll be there in a moment." Naruto replies, giving Colombina a quick hug and kiss "I'll see you later."
"Safety and Peace brother." Naruto states, walking into Malik's tent yet again without calling out for permission.
"Your
presence here denies me both." Malik sighs "You need to head out now,
go back to Konoha and get some rest. You are to be sent out on a mission
tomorrow."
"Yes of course."
"And one more thing, you
wouldn't happen to have anything to do with this… would you Altair?"
Malik states, holding up the note 'Hinata' had left for him.
"What is it?"
"Never mind, just go." Malik states, a sigh escaping his lips as he shoos Naruto out.
~:~
"I
need you to go and find something out for me." Saratobi states his back
turned once again to the ANBU he had called back to his office.
"Who may I ask am I seeking information on?" asks the ANBU member taking in all the information without even thinking.
"Her name is Colombina. She's all we have in connection to Naruto and this organization he's in."
"Yes sir. May I know what she looks like or a last name?"
"This is all I have to go on. Her picture is in Naruto's apartment, in a small drawer in his living room."
"Yes sir. Is that all?"
"Yes, you may leave."
~:~
"Art should be spontaneous!" yells Deidara, his face shinning as he explains his views of art.
"No,
it should be eternal, so that all generations can look onto it with
aw." States Sasori, a somewhat amused look on his face. Deidara on the
other hand was getting irritated with his new partner's views on art.
"If it's eternal then it'll fade in meaning and looks." Deidara retorts,
his one eye shinning with a fire.
"Those two are already
fighting?" Kisame asks no one in particular. Itachi just watched them,
face expressionless, fighting back the emotion that was welling up in
him. Watching Sasori and Deidara fight reminded him of his past, how
Sasuke and him would 'fight' over small things as well. "Their
annoying." Is all that he states, voice flat and onyx eyes hollow.
"Hiidaann!"
yells Kukuzu from somewhere in the hideout just as Hidan ran into the
foyer where the others where now sitting. "Hey you guys. If Kukuzu asks,
I never came through here." He states before running off again, his
maniacal laughter echoing back to them as yet again Kukuzu calls out his
name in a fit of rage.
Moments later he was storming into the
foyer, interrupting Sasori in his explanation of art and its meaning.
"Where did he go?" He growls, eyes throwing daggers at everyone in the
room. "Tobi knows where Hidan went!" Tobi practically yells seeming to
come out of nowhere affectively scaring Deidara who then proceeded to
yell at him not noticing a deadly and pissed off Kukuzu stomping towards
him.
"Quiet Deidara! Tobi, where did he go?" He yells, affectively catching their attention.
~:~
"Zetsu,
go and gather information on this object called the Apple of Eden."
Pein says, eyes searching Zetsu's eyes for any hint of either defiance
or betrayal. "We need to know where it is before our enemy does."
"Who
is this enemy?" White Zetsu asks timidly, not wanting to over step his
boundaries. "It doesn't matter who our enemy is you idiot. Only that we
have them." Replies black Zetsu, Pein looking on with amusement as the
two half's of Zetsu argue it out.
"The last known place it was
located was in Nami no Kuni. Sources tell us it may have been moved from
there." Konan says, eyes scanning over the letter that had been sent
from one of their contacts, her amber eyes looking over at her companion
as she informed Zetsu of what was last known of its location.
"And what does it look like?" he asks, curious as to why they are making such a big deal of this one item.
"Like
this." Pein says, holding his hand out in Konan's direction as she
shows him a picture of the Apple of Eden. Its rustic gold colors
reminding Zetsu of Konan's eyes and its size that of an apple though why
they called it an apple he couldn't figure it out. It seemed to have
some kind of writing or map on it as well. It was definitely an odd
looking artifact.
~:~
It was
already late noon when Kakashi finally decided that it was a good time
to stop training. "Well, I'll see you guy's tomorrow six o'clock sharp."
Kakashi states already turning to leave them and go talk with his old
team yet again.
'
What is he talking about? He'll be late as usual, might as well sleep in until about eight.'
Sakura's inner self states, rolling her eyes she glances back at the
Uchiha in hopes of finally catching his attention. "So, Sasuke-kun, do
you want to grab some ramen or something?" she asks, hope in her eyes.
"No." is all that he said after a moment of looking at Sakura as if she was crazy. Then he turned to train yet again '
If I stay at this pace, I'll never be able to kill Itachi.'
~:~
"Tobi, where did Hidan go?" Kukuzu yells once again at a cowering Tobi.
"He
went that way." Replied Sasori, already tired of Kukuzu's yelling, he
pointed down the hall that Hidan had only recently ran down. With this
knowledge Kukuzu went storming down the hall, screaming profanities at
Hidan and talking of how he was going to kill him once he was in his
grasp.
"Do you think that was a wise decision?" Kisame asks amusement evident in his face and voice.
"I
don't really care if it was wise or not, as long as it shuts him up or
gets him away from me." Sasori replies, closing his yes and already
enjoying the peace and quiet left in Kukuzu's wake.
"You're all so
annoying." Complains Itachi, his emotion finally under control he
stands and starts to his room. Kisame following shortly after, wanting
to know more of his new partner and give a piece of advice on how to
stay on his good side.
"What do you want?" Itachi questions, onyx eyes changing to his Mangekyo Sharingan, a warning sign to Kisame to tread carefully.
"I just wanted to see if you wanted to train." Kisame sweats, lying through his teeth and Itachi could tell.
"If
you dare try to cross me Kisame, I will kill you." Itachi reassures,
crimson eyes changing back to his normal onyx ones. "Go away, I wish to
be alone."
~:~
At the end of the
day, Naruto had gone back to the training grounds. That is where Hinata
challenged him yet again, losing multiple times and each time
challenging him yet again. Once, Hinata had almost beaten him, Naruto
getting distracted as he heard Malik calling his name. It was brief, but
Hinata saw and took that opportunity. Taking her short blade she
attacks, staying low to the ground as she was taught. But Naruto saw
this opening and adjusted moving out of her way just in time. Coming up
behind her he releases his hidden blade, holding it to her throat daring
her to move.
"What is it Malik? Can't you see that I'm busy?"
"Yes,
yes I can see that. I need to have a word with you brother. Come to my
tent immediately… and let Hinata go. You two have trained enough for the
time being." Malik states waving his hand in front of his face as if to
clear a stench, turning, he walks back to his tent fully expecting
Naruto to follow. Slowly Naruto puts his arm down and takes a step back
from Hinata. "Safety and Peace my friend" he states holding his hand out
for her to take. She just stares at him, lavender eyes full of either
hate or envy, he can't decide. "You know, you should wear your hood more
often."
"Why?" she asks, completely lost as to the sudden randomness of his statement.
"That
way, if you give people dirty looks they can't see it. It's going to
get you killed one of these days… Dama Rossa." He states a smirk on his
face as well as in his voice. Hinata's face in shock at his insolence,
Altair new she didn't like to be called that anymore. Just as she was
about to retort however she found Altair already walking away, her anger
boiling up inside her, she grabbed for a throwing knife aiming for his
back, she was about to throw it when Colombina got in the way.
"You
shouldn't do that Hinata. Altair is just anxious to start on a mission;
you know how he hates to stay in one place for too long." She reminds
her, eyes full of compassion and sympathy for Hinata. With a sigh she
putts the knife away "You're right, I guess it's just something I have
to get used to… again." To this Colombina just laughs, her old friend
ever present even in this form.
"Come, we should go and start
packing, we leave for our villages tomorrow." Colombina states, walking
back to the women's area. "Oh, and I have one more curious story to tell
you that happened only recently."
"Really? It doesn't involve
yours and Naruto's private 'training' does it?" Hinata asks cautiously
seeing her friend blush she lightly laughs. "Don't be so surprised, it's
not that difficult to figure out."
"No, it doesn't involve that… It involves Alexander, Assassin leader in Cyprus. Or as he's called now a days 'Sai'."
"Hm…
I know Alexander from way back when but this Sai… I can't say I know
him." So Hinata listened patiently to her friends retelling of the
event, growing ever curious as to why Malik would wonder about such
things.
"Malik, you wished to see me?"
"Yes, why are you not headed back to the village?"
"…"
"I
thought as much. Go back to your village immediately Naruto. I will be
staying there for a few weeks, while you are in the Hidden Mist on your
missions."
"Yes Malik, I will head out shortly. I just…"
"Your things are already packed and ready to go. Now, leave."
~:~
'
Well, at least I'll finally be busy.'
Naruto thinks as he grabs his things and heads back to the Village,
already changed to that orange outfit he hated so much, Colombina
waiting for him at the outskirts of their camp, a sad smile on her face.
"I'll miss you Naruto." She states, standing on tip toes to give him a kiss.
"I'll
miss you to." Naruto replies once they pull apart, his eyes are kind
and gentle as he looks down at her. "My missions are taking me to the
Hidden Mist Village, I'll write to you whenever I get the chance."
"I'll be looking for you letters…"
~:~
"
Ghaa! Why do I have to come back to this dump?"
Naruto thinks as he walks into the room, his eyes quickly searching
over everything to make sure nothing was disturbed. Satisfied he goes to
his room, dropping his bags he goes to rummage through his drawers for a
clean set of pajamas. Opening them he found that some of his clothes
looked as if they had been moved recently. "
I wonder who was going through my stuff… ah it's probably nothing…" His sleep was restless; dreams of Altair's life flickering through his mind as yet another DNA sequence is synced.
His
alarm went off at five a.m., rubbing the sleep from his eyes he
switches the alarm to off. Yawning he stretches, crawling out of bed he
strolls over to the bathroom.
Looking in the mirror before heading
to the living room he decides to splash cold water on his face.
Groaning he walks away from the mirror, not bothering to dry his face.
His morning routine hadn't changed since Altair's time; still consist of
sit ups, pushups, pull ups, and stretching. The only that did change
was how much of each he does, almost doubling now with Naruto's body.
Once his workout is done he moves to breakfast, he had taken a liking to
ramen some time ago it was fast and easy to make. Malik knew exactly
how bad of a cook he could be, each time poor Malik had sampled his food
he sat in bed vomiting his stomach out. Colombina has yet to try his
cooking, Malik keeps sparing her from the pain and suffering that he has
gone through so many times. After breakfast, he takes a cold shower.
Letting the water fall over his body he can't but help think about his
mission, how good it'll feel to have his hidden blade in use once again.
Putting
on that dreaded orange suit yet again he spends time meditating,
reading his psyche for that facade he has to wear while here. He hated
the Uchiha and his insolent tongue, despised Sakura and her attitude
towards him and then there was his 'sensei' Kakashi, how he loathed that
man. Always teaching him useless lessons, the latest are his 'teamwork'
emphasis. Altair was always a loner type; he preferred solitude over
any type of teamwork unless of course it was Colombina.
~:~
"So,
this is where Altair has been staying…" mumbled Malik as he strolled
through the village luggage strung over his shoulder. '
This is a nice place… Altair should be grateful he's living here. I wonder where he lives anyway…'
"Hey, you guys! Wait up!" yells an all too familiar voice, Malik could already feel a headache starting.
"Well,
hurry up Naruto! We don't have all day, Kakashi sensei will there any
minute now." Scolded another voice, this one female, looking around
Malik finally catches Naruto almost tripping at the feet of a girl with
pink hair. '
That must be Sakura… wow, Altair was right her voice is annoying.' Malik chuckled at the thought as much as from the idea of finally agreeing with Altair on something. '
I
wonder then where the other two are… what were their names? Sasgay? No…
um Sasuke? Yea that was it… and the other one… was Kakashi? Yea, I'm
pretty sure those are right…' Then he caught sight of an irritated
child with what looked like dark blue hair annoyingly awaiting his team
mates to catch up already. Yet, he never did catch sight of Naruto's
superior here.
Moments later they were walking down road, side by
side like a team. Naruto his hyperactive self, yelling something about
how he was going to become Hokage and then 'Believe it!' while fist
pumping. At this Malik almost busted out into a fit of laughter, he had
never seen Altair act like that.
Naruto hearing what sounded like a
familiar stifled laugh stops to look around in search of its source.
That's when he caught a glimpse of Malik, a goofy grin plastered on his
face. Looking back at his team to make sure they didn't notice he had
stopped he looks back at Malik, flipping him off and mouthing the words
'Fuck off'. Once again Malik was fighting off fits of laughter.
~:~
Once
the first mission was complete, catching a cat which by the way
scratched the hell outta Altair's face and left him seething, they went
back to the office. The only ones the Hokage was willing to give were
simple tasks such as babysitting some three year old, shopping with some
lady and digging up potatoes. With these Naruto threw a fit,
complaining that they were too easy and weren't even real Ninja
missions. As a reward, he got hit on the head by Kakashi this time. Yet
again, Altair was seething.
'
What is wrong with these people?
Everyone was thinking it, I was just saying it. That's no reason to hit
me! I swear the first chance I get I'm going to kick their ass'!'
That was when the Hokage thought it was his duty to lecture him on the
ranks and how missions were arranged, he should have saved his breath.
Naruto was more interested in talking about a ramen he had the night
before.
Once the Hokage had established that Naruto really didn't
care he decided to see if he can teach the kid a lesson, sending them on
the mission Malik had stated; protecting the bridge builder. Now,
Altair was smiling in victory.
~:~
While
everyone else slept on the way to the Hidden Mist Village, Naruto was
up contemplating and running through his missions from Malik. Kill
Zabuza and Haku while protecting his 'team', find information on this
Kisame character. '
I wonder if this Kisame is even in this village…'
When
they had finally arrived Naruto was struggling to keep his composure
with the old man. Sakura had already knocked him upside the head
multiple times. Altair's persona was cussing like a sailor all the
while.
~:~
"Orochimaru-sama, the
Akatsuki are on the move." Kabuto says, keeling in front of Orochimaru
who seemed to be more interested in the cup he was holding. His left
hand propping up his head as his eyes dimly reflected the cup in the
damp, moss smelling room. The walls were lit with only candles every
yard or so, the halls being the same way. The screams and moans of the
poor souls that were now his test subjects were no longer heard;
apparently Orochimaru had finished his 'test'.
"Is that so… well
then looks like we'll have to start working for our goal as well." He
practically purrs, taking a sip from the cup he moans slightly as the
taste awakens his taste buds. The rich liquid reminding him of blood,
only this was a concoction he had made to try and make his current body
last longer. Who knew how long it would take to find a new vessel, let
alone to prepare that vessel once they had chosen a suitable one.
Kabuto
then stands up; a smirk on his face because he knows all too well what
his master has in store for this world. "Are we going to need new test
subjects?"
"Yes, I believe we are…"
~:~
"You're
lucky you can't die Hidan." Kukuzu says a devilish look on his face as
yet again hating that he got stuck with him, of all people.
"Why
did you have to so mean Kukuzu." Complains Hidan, scratching at the
stiches Kukuzu had given him after he had finished venting. "Why are we
going out… that bastard Pein hasn't even given us a mission yet."
"Stop
complaining, if we're going to be traveling we need money. Therefore we
bounty hunt people on this list." He states while holding the book up
for Hidan to see.
"Fine, but you better let me do my ritual when we get into a fight. Jashin is getting anxious for another sacrifice."
"Alright, just don't take long."
"Hahaha
that wasn't very nice! It really hurt!" Yelled Hidan as their target
just stares in awe as he just pulls the sword from his chest.
"Who are you?" they cry out as Hidan's scythe lashes out barely cutting their flesh drawing the smallest bit of blood.
"I
am a worshiper of Jashin. If you convert maybe then Jashin will spare
you!" he cries out again, a maniacal almost animalistic look in his eye.
"But I suppose you're too late now!" he grins licking the blood from
his scythe and drawing his gods symbol of the ground in blood. The
victim just watching in horror as his skin changes, their eyes darting
to Kukuzu almost expecting him to jump in the fight looking back to
Hidan they get ready for another attack never expecting him to wound
himself.
~:~
Altair had a wonderful idea, try to scare the crap out of his employer. It was brilliant! '
This has to spice up this stupid mission.'
It was settled, mischief was now Altair's middle name. Looking around
as if he had heard something he throws a kunai in the direction of some
rustle in the nearby shrubs. He knew it was nothing but a rabbit or
something but it was just what he needed. With his back still turned to
his comrades he smiles, judging by the sounds of it his plan worked. His
excuse when nothing happened? "Hm… it was just a mouse I figured as
much." Again, it was all Altair could do to not laugh as Sakura started
yelling at him and then the old man. Kakashi reminded him that these
were deadly weapons, he should be more careful with them but Naruto
didn't listen, he was too busy trying not to laugh.
Woot! Sooo I realize I'm early in putting this one up, I was kinda
surprised when I got all those messages saying soo many peoples had
faved or watched this series so I wanna thank everyone who did either/or
and whats not. Reviews and critiques are always welcome, don't be shy, I
would love to hear from you (: oh and one more thing... I re-wrote the
ending of this... haha I'm very picky with my writings haha
Aannywaayy
back to the story! (Okay, so I went back and fixed he Hokage with
Mizukage, if you find some that I missed please let me know)
~:~
The
mission was pretty simple so far, at least the one that was handed out
by the village. The only problem was when the old man lashed out at him,
God in heaven knew Altair would have killed the man in an instant for
his insolence. But Naruto kept his cool, spazing out every now and then
as a response to something the old man said. When Sakura hit him hard
over the head that was when he almost lost it, rage boiled in his
stomach and heart. How he would have liked to teach her to have respect.
Seconds later they were ducking to try and avoid a sword; Naruto fell flat on his stomach eyes sharp looking for its source. '
How the hell did they sneak up on us?' Naruto
thought as he slowly got up, he could feel his comrade's eyes on his
back. When he looked the sword over yet again he saw a man standing on
the hilt. His body language saying he was a deadly ninja. After a moment
of silence Kakashi spoke up, introducing the rouge ninja as Zabuza. '
So, this is my target.' Naruto
thought as he looked the man over, trying to determine how skilled the
man might be. Naruto knew he couldn't do anything, at least not in front
of everyone '
If I can just isolate him and keep these nuisances away…'
Kakashi
then took charge, telling his students to keep their client safe, so
Naruto and his team mates fell back forming a triangle. Naruto preferred
the hidden blade, having mastered and preferred it over all the others
at his disposal. But now, he's forced to use a kunai knife, so small and
inconsequential compared to all his other weapons. It would hardly do
him any good in a fight like this, he briefly wondered if those who had
assigned it to combat usage had really thought it through. Once his mind
was back on the task at hand, his face stern and emotionless, so much
so it rivaled if not surpassed the Uchiha's, this little fact wasn't
lost on his team. As Kakashi raised his headband Naruto took special
note of the red eye hiding beneath it. Altair finally swallowed his
pride and asked what the Sharingan was, Sasuke and Zabuza replied
explaining what it does and that it's a bloodline trait for the Uchiha
clan. Naruto not only took great care at remembering this but also that
little fun fact about Kakashi being on this villages Bingo book, not
only that but he was known as the man who copied over a thousand jutsu.
So it didn't really surprise Naruto when he said Kakashi's nickname was
the Copycat ninja. Looking around Naruto noticed that he had to cover
for Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura looked like she was in a whole other world
staring in awe at Kakashi. Sasuke wasn't far behind, staring Kakashi
down, completely obliviant of his surroundings. Naruto briefly wondered
how he could have gotten stuck with such a stupid worthless group.
His
team was surprised when Zabuza suddenly vanished and re-appeared on the
water. His hands formed for a jutsu. It was all Altair could do to stay
in Naruto's persona and not snap at Sakura and Sasuke when they stated
the obvious. His irritation building up to a boiling point when Kakashi
just stood there, letting their enemy accomplish whatever jutsu they
started instead of taking advantage of their blind spots. Being the
'sensei' Kakashi took control, saying it would go after him first.
Somehow Naruto doubted that since the old bridge builder was his target.
While
Zabuza was still missing from their view Altair was weary, eyes darting
using Eagle vision every now and then to try and get an idea of where
this Zabuza was hiding. Kakashi took note of the slight difference in
Naruto's eyes when he used Eagle vision; he knew the boy didn't have a
bloodline trait like the Hyuuga's or Uchiha's.
Sasuke took note of
the stance Naruto took, it was different. They hadn't gone over stances
like it in the academy nor had he ever heard of any shinobi using one
that even resembled this. The way he held the kunai, it was like he had
done this a thousand times over many, many years. This was definitely
not the annoying knuckle headed Naruto he had come to know and tolerate.
Sakura on the other hand was more concerned with their enemy to notice
anything strange with Naruto who thought she resembled a deer caught in
headlights. It seemed that Altair was getting most of the information he
needed here, although some of what he was learning was about this man's
past… he needed to know relevant things like fighting style and why
this man deserved to die. He had learned from Al Mualim that it wasn't
good enough to do something simply because you're told to but because
you have come to the same conclusion.
For now though he's learned
that Zabuza was fast, when he killed, his victims didn't realize they
had died until they stood in the afterlife. At this little bit of
information he could hear the fear in his comrades intake of breath,
Naruto did nothing but tense reading himself for anything and
everything. "Fail and we only lose our lives." Kakashi says, Naruto
almost laughed at that, a smirk forming on his lips as Sakura replied
"How can you say that?"
Naruto took note and expressed his
thoughts as to the mist "It's getting thicker… keep a sharp eye you
guys." His voice surprising every one including the bridge builder with
its authority and strictness, Kakashi just taking Naruto's advice and
scanning the area yet again and the old bridge builder explaining the
layout of the mist village and informing him that the mist is an ever
present thing. When Naruto lost sight of Kakashi he picked up on
someone's presence. He couldn't tell just yet who it was until he heard
the voice of Zabuza; he was naming off all the instant kill points as
well as the fatal injury spots. There were eight that he mentioned, he
was trying to decide where he wanted to strike.
Naruto could tell
that Sasuke was starting freak out, his posture and breathing had become
sloppy. Kakashi had cleared the mist with some jutsu technique that
Naruto didn't really care for; all he cared for was killing this blood
thirsty enemy before he killed any of them. When Kakashi promised to
protect them Naruto hardly paid attention, when he said he wasn't about
to let his comrades die Naruto made a noise of agreement. '
I won't allow what happened at Solomon's temple so many years ago to happen again.'
Altair swore scanning the area once again with Eagle vision. However
despite this his enemy still managed to get inside their triangle,
Naruto acting quickly turned and using the kunai knife stabbed him in
one of the areas he had stated earlier only to realize that it was just a
water clone. Kakashi stood and watched as Naruto then grabbed another
kunai, the one still in the clone and turned to throw that one out of
the way and strike the one that appeared in front of Sasuke hitting in
the shoulder. He could tell that both Sasuke and Sakura were terrified
at this point; they were no good to him only more work.
"Don't be shy." Naruto taunts him welcoming him forward with a smirk on his face. Kakashi just watches in shock '
Is Naruto really doing this?'
"Don't
mock me boy…" Zabuza growls when he got hit from another one of
Naruto's kunai this time in another one of the vital areas of the body
only then did Naruto realize it was another clone. Gritting his teeth he
scanned the area, slowly turning in a circle. Trying to help, Kakashi
ended up getting himself caught in some sort of water jutsu, rolling his
eyes Naruto stood and watched to see what new trick was going to happen
now. The mist was back, Naruto's Eagle vision doing most of his seeing
this time around when he gets a kick to the stomach, his comrades still
doing nothing but being a burden to protect. Finally Sasuke comes alive,
Naruto grunting in irritation as the Uchiha just runs directly at the
enemy throwing kunai at him. "Sasuke no, stand back and let me handle
this." Naruto says, taking his jacket off and putting one of the hidden
blades on. He knew this was reckless but he needed to make sure his team
stayed alive and how things were going so far he wasn't sure that would
happen if he didn't act now. When Sasuke finally got out of the way
Naruto took the fight, dodging the sword and landing blows with enough
force to break or fracture bones. Finally he struck Zabuza's neck
releasing the hidden blade as he did so. His team in shocked silence as
Naruto stood from his crouch over the water that had made up the clone,
danger and death in his eyes. Making his way to the real Zabuza he calls
out "Are you okay Kakashi sensei?"
"Y-yea I'm fine Naruto…"
"Release
him now if you want to live." Naruto warned his tone of voice deep with
anger and death. He could hear his comrades behind him take in a sharp
breath of air in surprise or fear, he couldn't quite place it.
"I think I'll hold on to him just a while longer." Zabuza taunted, not taking Naruto's threat seriously.
Pulling
a kunai out from his pouch Naruto charged the enemy, staying low to the
water like he was taught, throwing the kunai at the man's shoulder he
had hoped it would prompt him to release the jutsu. While Zabuza was
distracted with the kunai Naruto jumped in the air and like old times
the last thing Zabuza would have seen was Naruto's crouched jump
resembling an Eagle as it attacks its prey. Unfortunately someone else
had beaten him to it, it wasn't Kakashi's doing either but instead
someone in a mask. When Kakashi saw them he said something about him
being ANBU, however Naruto wasn't really buying it but he couldn't
really risk drawing any more attention to himself like that again.
Walking away he grabs his jacket and stands next to the bridge builder
who was looking a little uncomfortable at the proximity, taking a deep
breath Naruto asks "Can we go now?" as if nothing had happened in the
past two to two and a half hours.
When night finally came around
and everyone had fallen asleep Naruto walked off, when he thought he was
far enough from 'base' he changed into his Assassin outfit. Latching on
his hidden blades he stretched a few times, making sure the throwing
knives and short blade on his upper back weren't going to bother him in
any way. This simple action gave a sense of relief, a sense of security
that he hadn't felt for some time while in the village. He finally felt
like himself yet again, when he finished hiding his things; clothes,
head band and pouch containing his ninja weapons and a few extra
luggage, he started off in the direction of the rafiq that cares for
this area. He needed to learn more on his targets.
Unknown to him
Kakashi had followed; Naruto's confidence was always going to be his
downfall. Staying close enough to see what Naruto was doing but far
enough not to get noticed, he found it odd that he would go into the
city. What was even stranger was how he chose to make his way through
the place; it was like he had been here before. He ran on the roof tops
instead of going through the streets, jumping distances while using
barely any chakra if any to do so. Once he almost fell but caught the
ledge in time.
A couple of times a guard or two had spotted
Naruto, as a reaction he threw kunai at him. Or at least that's what
Kakashi thought they were until further examination showed them to be
nothing more than throwing knives from the Middle East somewhere. The
deadly precision of his accuracy made Kakashi wonder exactly who Naruto
really was, and what he was up to.
Catching back up to Naruto,
Kakashi found him surveying the area on top of a building. That's when
he got caught red handed, with nowhere to hide and Naruto's keen Eagle
eye marking him glow yellow. With a walk that showed power and
superiority Naruto made his way to his 'sensei'.
"I suggest you
leave and forget this." Naruto hisses, eyes sharp and so very different
somehow compared to how Kakashi normally sees them, maybe they contained
a hint of danger or death.
"Naruto, what are you doing?" Kakashi
asks, seeming to ignore Naruto's piece of advice. His concern for the
tone of voice Naruto had used hidden under the idea that he could take
Naruto down in a fight.
"Work, now leave." With a shove Naruto
sent Kakashi reeling backwards, barely catching himself he stares at
Naruto in disbelief. When Naruto took a step forward he took a step
back. He didn't know all that he was capable of, or what weapons he had
on him as well. He could see a sword of some sort on his hip, knew he
had throwing knives somewhere and what looked like a hunting knife on
his back but what else could he have? Kakashi wasn't sure he wanted to
find out like this.
"Naruto, as your superior I demand that you
tell me what this is all about. What organization you're in and what are
these 'Templars'." Kakashi states, squaring his jaw and taking on the
look of an ANBU, a kunai knife dangling in his right hand. He was
utterly shocked when Naruto just laughed, it was short and surprisingly
deep but still.
"You think I listen or answer to you?" Naruto
spat, humor and attitude dripping from his words, Kakashi could hardly
see his face. Naruto's hood was still up; he preferred it that way just
like Altair. The only thing Kakashi could make out barely was Naruto's
eyes. "If you don't want to die then leave… 'sensei'." Naruto says in
mock respect. That is when Kakashi took Naruto's bait and attacked. He
was not about to tolerate being talked to like that, especially by one
of his own students.
With a steady and skilled hand Naruto had
Kakashi beat in no time at all, he barely broke a sweat. "If you follow
me again I won't hesitate to kill you." Naruto says, death flickering in
his eyes as he releases one of his hidden blades and holds it to
Kakashi's face to make his intentions loud and clear. Gulping Kakashi
just nods, for the first time he's actually scared of Naruto, his palms
sweaty as he drops the kunai and holds his hands up in a show of defeat.
With
a smirk on his face he pulls Kakashi up with him, shoving him in the
direction of 'base' he waits to make sure he was actually going back.
When Kakashi was out of sight Naruto turned and jumped down into the now
open Bureau.
"Safety and Peace brother." Naruto announces as he
enters the office, his heart light as memories of the good old days
flood this thoughts.
"To you as well brother," replies the rafiq
bowing his head slightly "Malik has sent word that you would arrive here
soon enough. Tell me, who is it that you intend to kill this time?"
"Their
names are Zabuza Momochi and Haku, as far as I know he doesn't have a
last name. What can you tell me of these men?" and so the night went on,
the rafiq retelling what he heard or knew of about Naruto's targets,
informing of the best places in the city to gather more information on
them as well.
"You are right my friend, Haku is his only name. If
you want more information on them go to the eastern part of the village,
the poor district. There are rumors floating around there of your
targets that I have yet to hear. Just as well check out the scrolls that
the Mizukage keeps in the office in the middle of the city. You might
find some useful information there as well. And one more place you might
as well look into, in the market there are story tellers. One in
particular seems to know things about these men that no one else does.
These are the places you should go to, when you have done this come back
and tell me all that you have found. "
"Very well, I must be
headed back, safety and peace brother." And so Naruto was off, happy
with the progress he had made tonight but also somewhat concerned about
Kakashi having followed him. Not only was that a wrong move and showed
that they were on to him but what if Zabuza had taken the chance to
strike at the home? He had left them vulnerable, his comrades weren't
good enough to protect themselves against this opponent let alone
protect the family. With these thoughts, worry started to work its way
to his heart, before he changed back into his hideous orange clothes he
rushed back to base, scouting out the surroundings to make sure
everything was safe then checking the innocent inside. He found everyone
fast asleep save Kakashi who was sitting on the roof staring up at the
moon. With a satisfaction that everyone was safe he finally went back to
change, when he entered the home Kakashi had finally fallen back asleep
and dawn was almost there. For the few hours that he had he slept he
was like a rock, hidden blade covered by the orange sleeve just in case.
~:~
When
morning came Naruto found he wasn't the first to wake up like he had
wanted, instead Kakashi was already ready and busying himself with his
morning routine. So Naruto took this time to see exactly how much he
knew, walking out the house he goes to where Kakashi was training. '
This is just as important as the missions I was given, if Malik finds out before I do… I don't think he'll go easy on.'
Naruto thinks as he starts to undo his jacket until he remembers the
hidden blades are still on his forearms. Though he unzips the jacket he
leaves it on, slowly he takes in a deep breath of the cool pre-dawn air.
The slight fog and dew giving this land an enchanting look he hadn't
seen for some time. "Kakashi, why did you follow me last night?" Naruto
starts, not wanting to bead around the bush keeping his voice low though
just in case Sakura or Sasuke should walk outside. He started his
training as well as he awaited a reply from Kakashi, dropping to the
ground to do pushups not really caring to count.
"Curiosity, I
wanted to know where you had learned to fight like you did from."
Kakashi states simply, his breath slightly irregular as he throws
another kunai, missing the center by centimeters.
"Hm… and where do you think I learned all of that from?" he asked again, his pushups now being one handed.
"I don't know, you tell me…" Kakashi says, stopping to look down at the blond haired boy.
"If
you start digging I promise I'll have to kill you. Don't make me do
that Kakashi, just let me be." Then there was a stretched silence
between the two, Kakashi remembering his encounter with him last night
and Naruto thinking of home and what training was like in Masyaf.
Later
on during the day when everyone had woken up Naruto had made up some
excuse to go off and train on his own. It was time to start gathering
information on his targets. He had changed once again into his Assassins
outfit, hiding his clothes in the rafiqs bureau this time around.
When
he had made it to the poor district he found some group of men talking
in hushed voices by the tavern. Sitting on a bench nearby, he listens in
on the conversation.
"I heard he's back." Says one man with a head band of where he works on.
"Who?" asks another, this one wearing a vest with the kanji symbols for fight.
"Zabuza, oh man this is bad." Answers the one with the head band.
"Yea, I heard he's one of the seven swordsmen of the mist." Says a third guy.
"I heard that his broad sword can fix itself."
"Yea, it takes the iron from the blood of its victims. Or at least that's what I've heard. "
That
is all Naruto learned from this place, everyone else was talking about
how the prices for goods had gone up or that they can't wait for the
bridge to be built.
Next up was the middle of town where the story
tellers are. He needed to find this person and question him. But first
he needs a view point, to get a feel for the city, once he had found the
spot he makes his way to the top, climbing and jumping from place to
place. Reaching the top, the town below him is laid out like a map.
Gathering which way he needs to head he looks for somewhere he can jump
to. Seeing a cart of hay he does a leap of faith, moments later he's
crawling out of the cart dusting the hay from his clothes.
Making
his way to the story tellers he keeps an ear open for any stories that
sound like they might be who he's looking for. When he finally he finds a
man near the Mizukage's building who is telling rather odd stories.
Listening he finds that the man does know something about his targets.
When the man starts to move to another location Naruto follows, far
enough behind to keep suspicion away but close enough to keep an eye on
him. When he finally walks down an alley that's when Naruto makes his
move, interrogating the man Naruto found that Haku's choice of weapon
was senbon and that this can not only cause instant death but temporary
death as well. '
I knew there was something wrong with them showing up like that.'
Naruto thought as he finished hearing this detail. "What else do you?"
he growled making the man cower near the wall of the building.
"He
has a special ability. He can make Ice instantly and use them as
weapons. Also, he can use a technique with demonic ice mirrors…" The man
continued to describe this technique to Naruto finally at the end he
begged for his life. Naruto ignored him and killed the man using his
hidden blade, muttering for him to rest in peace now. "I'll have to do
the Hokage's office tonight, when the building is empty." Naruto mutters
walking away from the dead body.
~:~
Upon
returning back to the house Naruto had found the group talking about
Zabuza and that other one that showed up. He had arrived just in time to
hear that Zabuza was still alive and come to the conclusion that that
masked person was Haku. Naruto knew he should have gone through with his
attack.
When Kakashi stated the saying amongst Shinobi 'Encountering
suspicion the Ninja prepares quickly, hesitating leads to disaster',
Naruto countered with "Nothing is true, Everything is permitted." This
statement caught everyone's thoughts.
"That's stupid, its
self-defeating Naruto." Sakura says, pointing her finger to the roof as
if she's reciting something to the teacher. Naruto just growls and
glares at her before walking back outside leaving everyone to look in
the direction he had gone.
Later on in the day Kakashi had thought
it was a good idea to train them in walking up trees. Naruto of course
had already mastered it; however he wanted to have some fun while he
could. "I bet I can learn this faster and better than anyone else!" He
yelled Sasuke takes on his challenge.
When they had started
training Naruto had purposefully mismatched the chakra needed for this,
while he watched Sasuke struggle to get the hang of it only to fall
Naruto would laugh. Slowly however he finally tired of this game and
showed that he could do it, reaching the highest branch he called down
to them asking if he could do something else now. Looking up Kakashi
could just see the orange from Naruto's outfit "Um, yea sure thing
Naruto!" He calls up to him, when Naruto did the leap of faith into a
rather large pile of leaves nearby Kakashi practically had a heart
attack. Getting out from the pile of leaves Naruto just walks away not
bothering to explain what had just happened to the group who are now
just staring at him in disbelief.
~:~
When night fell Naruto set out to get those papers he needed, this time taking extra care that his team doesn't try to follow.
When
he arrived at the building he made his way to an open window, sneaking
up the building and into the room was a no problem. "Yes, just the room I
needed to get into." He says when he starts to look around, finally
finding a file on Zabuza but not Haku. "Hm… so… Zabuza is a master at
water style…" and with that he replaced everything where he had found
it.
Running on the rooftops Naruto made his way to the bureau,
jumping down he could hear the rafiqs 'Safety and Peace brother' from
the other room. When he entered the room Naruto replied with the same
phrase.
"So, what have you learned about your targets?"
"That
they both specialize in a form of water style, Zabuza uses water in its
natural form being able to create a thick mist and use multiple
techniques at once while Haku mainly deals with ice. Zabuza's sword is
capable of fixing itself from the iron in blood and he killed his entire
class at the graduation ceremony. Haku, its unknown where he came from
only that he is now with this monster, he uses senbon as a weapon."
"Hm…
very well here are the feathers. Come back when the deed is done. For
now though rest." And with that Naruto headed into the foyer area and
fell asleep on the stack of pillows near the water fall adjacent from
the door.
In the morning Naruto headed back to the house.
"Where have you been?" Kakashi asks once he sees Naruto walking into the house.
"I
went out training last night and fell asleep in the woods." Naruto
replies, looking Kakashi in the eyes daring him to question him further.
When he didn't he went to find his comrades to make sure they were
alright. He found them out side of the house, Sasuke training and Sakura
with her feet dangling in the river. Sakura took notice of Naruto first
"Hey Naruto, you here to train to?" she asks in a cheerful voice.
Naruto could see slight fear in her eyes when she looked at him, when
Sasuke looked at him Naruto saw curiosity in his eyes.
"Yea, might as well… So, what do you guys think of this Zabuza character?"
"Their
strong…" is all Sasuke said before returning to his training. Sakura
looks between the two, a dumb smile on her face. If only they knew what
he knew, maybe then they would stand aside and let Naruto do his job.
Naruto just got started on training, first fighting an invisible
opponent then sparring with Sasuke.
~:~
A
couple of weeks passed and things were quiet, Naruto and the gang
explored a couple of the areas in the forest and Naruto had run into
Haku once. During this time he was unprepared, he talked to Haku and
decided that the kid was innocent, just mislead. However he knew he
would have no choice but to kill him when the time came. Later on that
same day Sasuke and him had had an eating contest which resulted in both
of them barfing their guts out and Sakura yelling at them. Kakashi only
sighed and asked the family to forgive his students behavior.
Later
on the gang went to the village minus Naruto who decided this was a
good time to go off and train like a true Assassin. After a couple of
hours he decides to go back to the house, wanting to at least clean up a
little before heading to meet up with the others. Once he got there
though, he knew instantly something was very wrong. Gritting his teeth
he creeps up to a window, when he looked inside he saw the daughter of
that old bridge builder cowering near the sink screaming slightly when
some intruders made a movement towards her. One had white hair and
makeup that made Naruto think of a mime while the other had a series of
pony tales scattered along with an eye patch. On this one Naruto could
see tattoo's spiraling up one arm and a couple of scars on his chest.
They had some weapons but Naruto doubted they knew how to really handle
them, however he wasn't about to take that chance with them having
hostages.
Creeping to the roof Naruto entered the house through the
back, sneaking around and finding the daughters little boy peeking
around a corner, crying. Without trying to get the boys attention he
moves behind the kid tapping his shoulder and putting a finger to his
mouth he switched places with him. When the two intruders had their back
turned Naruto made his move, releasing the double hidden blades he was
still wearing he stabbed both in their stomach instantly killing them ,
"Are you alright?" he asks the woman, holding his hand out to help her
up.
"Yes, thank you." Then she walks to her son, crying. Turning to
thank Naruto and express her gratitude once again she finds that he
disappeared.
'
I need to get to them now…' Altair thinks as
he quickly changes to his Assassins outfit, the two feathers the rafiq
had given him snuggly tucked away in the folds of the belt.
~:~
When
Altair arrived at the bridge his gut fell as he realized he was late.
The mist was still alright, Kakashi was tied up with Zabuza and Sasuke
had gotten himself trapped in Haku's Demonic Mirrors. '
Shit! Okay… Sasuke is in more danger than Kakashi, save him first.'
He thinks, scanning the area for a way to get into the fight without
being seen right away. Looking down the side of the bridge he notices
that running along the side are some cracks that he can use as foot and
hand holds. Silently he makes his way to Sasuke using these holds,
making sure no to look down. Swimming wasn't exactly a talent of his, so
falling was out of the question.
Peeking up from his spot moments later he finds he's already in front of Haku's mirrors, '
Good thing I'm already here… no more footholds to use beyond this point.' Sasuke
was defenseless, cowering in the middle of the circle as senbon rained
down on him. Altair noticed that Sakura came running towards him, trying
to throw him a kunai knife. Before it even passed the mirrors though
Haku caught it, the look of defeat on Sasuke's face made Altair
desperate to go to his aid. He knew though that he couldn't just jump in
there without a plan no that was a suicidal idea. No, he had to think
of a plan.
Hey everyone! Sooo, I'm absolutely sorry that I'm extremely late
in updating this story, I've had collage homework and then laptop
problems but things are going smother now thankfully.
Okay,
so if you read the last ch. Before I went and fixed its ending I'm srry
'bout this if it's a hassle. I just really didn't like it all that
much. I do like how it came out now though haha, I hope you guys do to
(:
Anyway, Thanks to everyone who faved the story, added
it to their watch list, added me to fav and/or watch list and so on.
Please, don't forget to comment. Criticism is always welcome! It helps
us writers grow and get better at this… I would really love to hear from
everyone about what they thought of the Ch. Or story so far, whether
it's good or bad I don't care. I'll learn from anything! If u got
questions or something I'm happy to answer them if I can, I don't bite….
Much haha jk jk Anyway, srry for the long prologue thing on to the
story!
~:~
Sasuke was
drifting in and out of consciousness, fighting it with all his might.
Altair could see him struggling to stay standing, this was a tough
situation. He knew he's been in worse and escaped with his life, but the
difference here is that he isn't alone.
Climbing up and over the
side of the bridge he sits on his heels, staring at Sasuke motioning him
to stay silent. "You're too soft Haku." Zabuza states, his voice
slightly irritated when he looks back to see that Sasuke was barely
seriously injured. Altair found this odd, twice already he had a barrage
of senbon rain down on him. "Quit playing with your target and kill him
already. I swear Haku, sometimes I think your more twisted than I Am."
"Sorry Zabuza, I'll finish quickly then." Haku replies taking his time to walk out of one of the mirrors. '
This is my chance, just need to get a little bit closer."
Altair thinks as he inches closer, staying low and quite, his mind
totally focused on his target. Unfortunately Sakura saw him and started
cheering him on. With a growl of frustration he glares at her, the hate
in his eyes making her shut up instantly. When he glances back to Haku
it was too late, his fist was coming down fast and landed hard on
Altair's temple sending him reeling back. When he managed to catch
himself he was met with a swift kick to the gut which landed him in the
circle of the mirrors with Sasuke.
"It's nice of you to join us
dobe." Sasuke mutters as Altair gets up, quickly he turns on Sasuke
grabbing his collar and dragging him in close.
"Call me that again
stronzo." Altair growls, the hate in his eyes making Sasuke close his
mouth to any retort he was about to spit out. "It's because of your
girlfriend I'm stuck in here with you. If she had kept quiet I would
have killed this figlio d'un cane in an instant." He states as he shoves
Sasuke away from him. Taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes
Altair calms himself, when he opens his eyes again he scans the mirrors,
Haku was in every single one of them. "Sasuke, try using your fire ball
jutsu."
When Sasuke had gotten over his shock he replies while
making the hand signs "She is not my girlfriend… Fire style, Fire ball
Jutsu!" When the fire cleared Altair and Sasuke were disappointed to see
the mirrors still there.
"It's going to take a lot more heat than
that to melt these mirrors." Haku almost gloats, his voice sickeningly
calm and peaceful.
Gritting his teeth Altair gets himself ready
for the fight, he can feel Sasuke's fear growing slowly as he stands
there beside him. The poor kid was practically shaking with fear, his
breath erratic.
"Calm down Sasuke, I won't let you die."
"I feel
so much safer now that you've said that." Sasuke says sarcastically.
"So, what does stronzo mean?" he asks, scanning the mirrors both boys
try to find the real one.
"It can mean a number of things, like
prick, asshole and things like that…" Altair replies, his eagle vision
not doing him any good in finding his target, so far all the reflections
were red. Not a single gold aura to signify his target.
"So, how are
we going to get out of here?" Sasuke asks trying to mask the fear of
death with pride and over confidence, feigning irritation at the meaning
of the word stronzo.
"We do nothing, I protect you and you stay out of my way as much as possible." Altair states in a matter of fact tone.
"Sasuke! All you alright?" Sakura yells from the sidelines, her voice high pitched because of fear.
Growling both boys turn on her, Sasuke just giving her death glares and Altair fighting the urge to cuss her out.
"Go back to protect the bridge builder!" Altair yells to her while turning his attention back to the fight in front of him.
"Why?
There has to be something I can do to help you guys!" She replies,
desperation in her voice. Looking back at her Altair sees the need to be
useful in her eyes. He had seen this look before, in the eyes of Kadar
when he had tagged along with Malik and him so many years ago in the
tomb of Solomon when things had gone so very wrong.
"No, if you
stay here you'll cause nothing but problems for us. We cannot protect
you out there and no, you may not come in here with us." Altair replies,
pulling his mind from the memories of that God forsaken day. Hoping
with such grief and urgency that history doesn't repeat itself.
"Alright,
Kakashi Sensei will try to help you guys out as soon as possible." She
says, turning to head back to the bridge builder.
Scanning the
mirrors again Altair decides that it's about time he learns some of the
tricks and what makes this technique work. Forming the hand signs for
shadow clones he dispenses then to try and escape. Almost immediately
though Haku destroys them, during this Altair was glad to see glimpses
of a gold aura, it was brief but still there.
So when the falling
water finally settled Altair started to question Haku on his jutsu.
"What sorcery is this?" Altair demands, his voice ringing out loud and
clear like a true leaders, like an Assassin. Sasuke blinks a few times,
still not used to hearing this tone from Naruto of all people.
"It's
my clan's geki genki. The mirrors reflections allow me to transport
from one to another." Haku explains voice calm not knowing that this
information was valuable to Altair in how to defeat him.
With a
smirk on his face Altair strode to the middle of the circle, confidence
dripping from him as he said "Is that all it does? Why don't you come
out and face me like a man!"
With a grunt of frustration Haku
sends a barrage of senbon down on Altair. Keeping an eye on the glass
mirrors he shields himself as best he can. The sting of the senbon
digging in deep on his back, arms and legs, the warmth of his blood was
starting to give him pause in this plan, but when he saw the glimpses of
gold become a solid almost fully visible form he knew this was the
right thing to do. That is until he heard Sasuke yell out in pain.
Looking
back he saw that the idiot had followed him, senbon we're deadly close
to the points needed to kill him. Now blood was flowing freely from
Sasuke's wounds. Seeing this sight made Altair's breath catch in his
throat. Only one thought was screaming itself in his mind 'No, I can't
let this happen again.'
When the senbon had finally stopped he
straightened himself, turning around he helps Sasuke stand. When Sasuke
pushed him away he still felt that nausea that comes with the sight and
memory of a friend's death.
Pulling out some of the senbon he harshly whispers in Sasuke's ear to stay behind him and do exactly as he says.
Not wanting to face whatever wrath Naruto had up his sleeve Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"Do you think you can stay with me long enough for me to kill him?" Altair whispers to Sasuke.
"Yea, what do you have in mind?" Sasuke asks in return, blackness starting to crowd in on his vision.
With
a smirk still plastered on his face Altair let's go of Sasuke and takes
a few steps in front of him "Sasuke! I'm going to need you to do your
fire ball jutsu again." Altair says while starting to enjoy himself now
despite Sasuke's injuries. It had been such a long time since he was in a
fight like this, or at least one as challenging. The only thing he
didn't like was that company was here and in danger.
"Why? You saw
that it had no effect on the mirrors the first time I did it." Sasuke
replies, the hope for an escape gone from his voice.
Altair knew
without a doubt that Sasuke was ready to die here and now, "Are you
really going to question me now, or are you just ready to die so early?"
Altair taunts, knowing full well that Sasuke would take his bait and do
the jutsu. Unfortunately he had done so without Altair telling him the
full plan. With a grunt of frustration at his juvenile 'partner' he
quickly lies on his stomach to dodge the attack.
When the fire
died down Altair stood, glaring daggers at the Uchiha who was doing the
same back while cradling his left shoulder. "If we don't work together
we will die."
"Fine."
"Okay, when I tell you to do that
jutsu again you do it, no hesitation even if I'm in the way." Altair
says while getting a glimpse of gold from the corner of his eye. When he
realized what Haku was doing he ran straight for Sasuke, knocking him
down and shielding him with his own body. The senbon still weren't that
deadly, just barely missing vital points, but the intention was there
loud and clear. Grunting in pain Altair grits his teeth and breaths in
deep, trying to calm his body from the tremors this pain was causing,
clenching his eyes shut.
The demon inside Naruto was starting to
become a nuisance. Speaking of him needing his power, Altair just
laughed at it. "Why do you laugh at my proposal? You know you need me."
"I need no one."
With a dark evil laugh the demon says "How do you plan on killing this opponent then? You can hardly see him."
"My
blade sees for me… It cuts through the darkness." And with that
Altair's hidden blade is released, blood red chakra dripping from its
tip. Turning Altair heads into the darkness of his subconscious, the
demon roaring in anger behind him.
Opening his eyes he sees
Sasuke's pale as death face staring up at him. When he goes to stand
some of the senbon fall to the ground "Stay down Sasuke" he says as he
turns to face the mirror he had last seen Haku enter.
Altair's
eyes had become dangerous Haku noticed. Before they were clear blue and
hand hints of amusement in them. But now, this stare was striking fear
in his heart. His eyes were red like fire with hints of gold dancing in
their flames. His face had become stone, hate, anger, and death
screaming from his expression that they want Haku's blood. His stance
was that of a battle hardened warrior not this juvenile child standing
before him.
With a flick of his pinky Altair releases the hidden
blade, with another flick it's retracted back into place. Altair knew
his anger was starting to get out of control but didn't try to stop it.
"Why do you do this? Hunting down innocent people and robbing them of
their life!" He calls out unaware of the red chakra that is starting to
glow around him. "Why do you worship a demon like Zabuza?"
Taking
in the scene before him Haku's breath quickens slightly, fear and
adrenaline pumping in his veins. "Because he saved me, gave me purpose.
He didn't reject me, didn't try to kill me but gave the option of life.
He is all the family I have now, and for that I love him. I hold him
precious to me so much so that I would die for him, do you have such a
thing that you hold so precious that you would die for them?"
Staying
silent Altair takes in a couple of deep breaths, understanding that
desire all too well. "Yes, I understand your desire. If we had met under
different circumstances I believe we could have become friends." He
replies solemnly.
"If only that were the case." Haku replies,
senbon ready in his hands to deliver the fatal blow. Starting to jump
out the mirrors he notices his opponent making the hand signs for shadow
clones while running back to Sasuke.
If any time were a better
time to attack, now was it. As soon as Altair saw the gold aura he made
shadow clones, sending one back to Sasuke in his place. This one clone
was yelling for Sasuke to do the jutsu now, Altair could feel the heat
of the flame at his back but stood his ground, headed directly for one
of the mirrors, hoping that his plan would work in his favor.
Luckily
it was working, Haku in an attempt to dodge the flames changed
directions last minute and charged at the real Altair unknowingly.
Catching
a glimpse of gold behind him Altair turns just in time to dig the
already released hidden blade into Haku's neck. As the fire started
dying down it seemed as though time was standing still for the two
airborne opponents.
"I don't think I can rest in peace now." Haku
says while spitting out blood with each word. His intake of breath
gurgling as blood starts to poor into his windpipe.
"Why do you say this?" Altair asks, holding his enemy's head in his hand as looks down with no emotion to Haku's surprise.
"I
couldn't protect that which was precious to me." And with that he died,
his last breath carrying his soul to the afterlife and seeming to
restart time.
Landing with hardly a sound Altair gently lays down
Haku, running his hand over the dead enemy's eyes to close them.
"Requieste De Pace" he whispers as he dips the feather into the blood
pooling around the neck wound.
Standing he looks over at Sasuke,
seeing his fallen form on the ground he smirks. This was going to make
the clean up later on that much easier. Now all he had to do was kill
Zabuza without getting noticed by anyone else.
~:~
"Sakura,
can you see anything with Naruto and Sasuke's fight?" Kakashi yells his
full attention focused on Zabuza now. He had gotten some serious wounds
in this fight, the right side of his torso was bleeding and he was
pretty sure he had gotten some fractured bones. This was one fight he
was not expecting when they were assigned the mission.
"No sensei,
I can't see or hear anything from over there." Sakura replies jogging
slightly out to see if she can gather any information. Finding none she
heads back to their client, face pale and grave fearing the worst had
happened.
"It would seem that my boy has killed two of your
students, Kakashi." Zabuza gloats, the mist getting thick to prevent
Kakashi from using his Sharingan. Zabuza's evil, psychotic laugh echoing
in the quiet making Kakashi's and Sakura's stomach churn in dread.
~:~
Taking
Sasuke to safety was Altair's first priority. If Zabuza were to find
him like this during their fight he could be held as leverage. Altair
doubted he could take much more than this, after all those senbon which
for the most part missed vital points he doubted he could make it
through a prolonged fight with the Demon of the Mist. So he jogged off
to the woods nearby, Sasuke limp in his arms and breathes shallow with
death.
Putting him down gently he scans the area, this was a good
spot hidden with shrubs and low trees. He would be well hidden and out
of harm's way.
Jogging back to the fight Altair uses eagle vision
to locate his target. He first spotted the bridge builder as a gray
form, in front of him was Sakura he aura white to show she was a
friendly. Going out wide he avoided her line of vision.
Going a few more feet ahead he found Kakashi's white form, the smell of blood strong as he got closer. '
Looks like I finished the fight with Haku just in time.' Altair thinks as he sneaks up on Kakashi, fully intending to know him out before proceeding on to kill Zabuza.
Unfortunately
Kakashi had gotten the idea of using dogs to find Zabuza. Sending them
on their task Altair is left standing there with nothing to do, just to
stop and see what Kakashi had in mind. Seconds later he could hear
Zabuza cry out in pain. Running over there he kills him before Kakashi
has a chance to do anything to clear the mist or kill Zabuza. His hidden
blade sinking deep into the man's neck as he gently lays him back;
staring into his eyes he sees that he truly was a demon. No soul was in
him before or after Altair had killed him. Dipping the feather into the
freshly spilled blood he pockets it and runs for the edge of the bride.
Jumping over it and hanging there he listens for the que that they had
left.
Unfortunately the bridge builder had a higher price on his
head than any one of them had expected. The man that had hired Zabuza to
kill their client had crossed them and hired a small group of men to do
the task instead.
Kakshi was badly wounded Altair noticed as he
peeked over the edge of the bridge. Sakura was useless to begin with and
hadn't really changed in that so far.
Sighing Altair starts to
crawl to the group of men, his feet slipping only once or twice thanks
to the mist that had made the walls slick with water. When he finally
got there the leader had just finished explaining that it was cheaper to
higher all of these men than Zabuza.
Looking over edge again he
sees that a few of the men had strayed to the side of the wall. Leaning
over it he grabs one of the men and hurls him over the side as he hides
yet again. When another man had come to check what was going on Altair
dug his hidden blade into the man's chest as he grabbed the shirt and
yet again tossed the man over the side.
He managed to do that with
two other men before they finally wised up, this is when Altair took in
a deep breath and jumped over the ledge to start his 'killing spree'.
His
robes were turning red from all the blood and he briefly wondered how
he was going to get it out. After all, it was this white assassin outfit
that was their signature look and he happened to pride himself on it.
When
about half of the men were dead Altair is allowed a breather. The
leader of this group a fat man wearing a pin stripped suit, his hair
looking like he had gotten electrocuted or something.
"Who is
this? I don't remember Konoha having someone like you!" the man yells
with slight fear lacing his voice as he points an accusing finger to
Altair.
Luckily Kakashi or Sakura hadn't gotten so close as to see
him at the back of the enemy. His blood stained robs gently rustling in
the breeze, his breath calming and going back to normal. "That's
because I'm not with them." He replies the man, releasing his hidden
blades he charges into the crowd; the men starting to fight yet
reluctant at the same time, seeing their comrades falling like flies
without Altair even breaking a sweat.
When there were only a
handful of men left Altair stops and stares at them, daring them to
charge. Looking at each other the men just drop their weapons and leave,
screaming and begging for mercy.
Looking back at the man Altair
starts walking towards him, at this point the man was sweating for his
life. He knew death was near if he couldn't convince Altair to do this
job or at least pay him off to spare him.
"Please! I'll pay you
whatever you want! Just don't kill me…" the man grovels as Altair stops,
standing over him looking like death.
Bending down close to the
man's ear he harshly whispers for him to leave and never come back.
Standing he starts to walk away before Kakashi or Sakura get curious as
to who he is. That's when the man takes advantage thinking he could
somehow kill Altair.
Pulling out a dagger he had pocketed from one
of the dead bodies surrounding him he rushed Altair the best he could
but still it wasn't good enough. In a split second Altair had grabbed
the dagger and used it to slit the man's throat, showing no mercy as he
had Zabuza and Haku he gets a look of disgust as he looks down at the
man. Dropping the dagger he continues to walk away, thinking already of
ways to explain his absence.
~:~
A
few hours had passes since the fight at the bridge. Altair had managed
to sneak away without any of his team members seeing him and had changed
into his 'normal' clothes.
Walking back to the house they were
calling 'base' he leisurely walks in, being greeted with a sold punch
from Sakura who was furious. If there was one thing he had learned from
Columbina it was that he should never, under any circumstances, even try
to defend himself when a girl was pissed like Sakura was now. So
swallowing his pride he just cries out in pain and cradles his head
"What was that for!" he yells to the floor, genially not know why she
was so pissed off for.
"For not sticking around to help us out
baka!" she yells at Naruto, he voice ringing in the house that all hell
was about to break loose.
"Sakura! Calm down!" Kakashi yells from a
room just down the hall, being bed ridden really didn't fit Kakashi
well. He felt more comfortable standing, teaching and fighting.
Looking
after the direction Naruto had heard his sensei's voice he starts to
slowly walk in that direction. "Kakashi sensei?" he asks timidly, he
knew that Kakashi was wounded in his fight with Zabuza but was it really
THAT bad?
"Hey Naruto…" Kakashi sheepishly says while waving his
hand once when he sees Naruto at his doorway. "I need to start training
with you guys more." He laughs as Naruto just stares at him not knowing
what he was expecting. Kakashi had bandages all around his torso, blood
soaking the right side. His left arm was in a sling and his one visible
eye showed he was just about ready to pass out. His face was far too
pale, more than Naruto wanted to admit. So there Naruto stood, face pale
from disbelief.
"Where's Sasuke." He finally spat out,
'If Kakashi is in this condition, how much worse of or better is Sasuke?'
"I'm right here dobe." Says that irritating almost mono tone voice of the Uchiha's.
Turning
with wide eyes Naruto is happy to see that for all the wounds he had
Sasuke was relatively okay. He was almost tempted to run and hug the boy
he was so relieved. Instead he just replies with a "What are you doing
up? Aren't you supposed to be in be resting or something?"
And so
the day went on with Naruto looking after his two comrades, keeping
watch outside just in case any of those men came back for revenge or
there was another attack. Plus there was Sakura trying to get Naruto to
tell her why he left when he did. Each time Naruto just told her that he
was injured badly and went in search of a doctor nearby. He knew she
wasn't buying but it was the best lie he could come up with. After all,
he was an Assassin; though he was trained in many things and mastered
all of them lying was one thing they never really taught them how to do
effectively.
When night fell and everyone was asleep Naruto stole
away to the rafiq. This was the first time he would report in late like
this and hopefully the last.
"Safety and peace brother, I was
starting to worry these men had gotten the better of you." The Rafiq
jokes, not bothering to take his eyes off the map before him.
"I ran into unexpected troubles." Is all that Altair replies with while placing the blood soiled feathers on the counter.
Grabbing
the feathers and turning the rafiq says "Yes, as expected with those
ninja tagging along. You must tell me how this one went."
Wanting to talk about it he retells the fight with Haku, how he killed Zabuza and the group of men.
When
the rafiq heard Altair's description of the man who had hired all those
would be assassins he couldn't stop laughing. "Did he really look like
that?" he questions in disbelief.
"Yes, he really did." Altair reples before taking a drink of the bottle of ale the rafiq had handed him.
"You
truly are a good story teller Altair." The rafiq informs while getting
up hold his hand out for the bottle as Altair takes in the last drinks.
"Maybe it's time for you to turn in for the night. Surly the ninja are
safe."
"Yes, you are right." Altair answers, his eyes heavy as he
lays back into the pile of pillows set out for visitors. The water fall
below the opening in the roof soothing and welcoming sleep, when he had
fallen asleep yet again a bluish white aura glowed from him signifying
another sequence had been completed.
When morning came Altair was
up and headed back to 'base'. Kakashi had stated that they were going to
have to stay there longer than expected while he heals. Altair was all
too pleased with this, he needed the break. The wounds he had but didn't
let anyone tend to were starting to get to him. Haku had really given
him a run for his money.
Wednesday when he came back from the
Rafiq he trained with Sasuke most of the day, pretending to lose to keep
up appearances. He knew he was playing with fire right now and didn't
want to look too suspicious. After training him and Sasuke had an eating
contest which no doubt embarrassed both Kakashi and Sakura. In the end
both boys ended up puking their gust out.
Thursday was spent
sleeping most of the day, while he slept Sakura took this time to tend
to his wounds. She was actually surprised at how bad they were. Cleaning
and bandaging them she stayed with this task most of the day. Sasuke
sat just below the window of Naruto's room outside; to prideful to admit
he was actually worried for his friend.
Friday was a better day,
Kakashi was just about good to go and start heading back home. Naruto
couldn't wait to bet back to that crappy apartment of his, to write
Colombina and eat some Ichiraku Ramen. He had actually taken a liking to
that place, not only was the food good but he had become friends with
the shop owner and his daughter. She somehow reminded him of Colombina
but he couldn't really place why. Maybe it was the personality….
Saturday
they were headed out, waving good bye at the old man and his family
Naruto wore a big smile and ran to catch up with Sasuke as he was
walking in front of everyone else. He was going to have fun pissing off
this kid all the way back. And it all started with one word, "Sasgay".
Naruto muttered it but he knew that Sasuke would hear it.
Face palming Kakashi just prepares his patience to be tried to the breaking point yet again on this trip.
~:~
When
they got back to the village they all went their separate ways. Kakashi
to report in on the mission, Sakura followed Sasuke who went to the
training grounds and Naruto to get some ramen. Oh how he so missed that
ramen.
On the way to the ramen shop he spotted Malik, running over
to him he scares the crap outta Malik. Laughing he greets Malik with a
simple hand shake and a bow of his head.
"Altair, if you ever do that to me again I will kill you." Malik whispers good heartedly at his friend.
"That's if you can." Naruto replies while starting to lead Malik off to the ramen shop.
"Where are you taking me?"
"For
lunch." And so they walked in silence for a few minutes, the obvious
topic floating between them with such expectancy for someone to finally
start talking about it.
"So, how was the mission?" Malik finally asks while walking into the shop.
"Good."
"What'll it be boys." The owner asks in his usual cheerful voice.
"Two bowls of the usual." Naruto says ordering not only for himself but or Malik as well.
"Did you get the intended targets?"
"Yes, they are no more." And with that Naruto found a bowl of ramen being placed i
Hey everyone! I'm extremely srry that I haven't updated the story
in a long time... or at least it feels like a long time haha... I have
had college work, it's been alot so much so I can't even sit down to
read a single ch. of any of my new books so sad really. But I made time
to write this little thing... don't wrry, it's not a full ch. yet, just
something to say I'm srry and that I haven't forgotten bout this. I will
try to update soon... I promise... Thanksgiving break is coming up
soon, so i should have time then. Again, I'm REALLY sorry I haven't
updated in such a long time.
~:~
"And what of the man known as Kisame?" Malik questions, starting to eat his own bowl though not as enthusiastic as his friend '
He's really taken a liking to this ramen as they call it, however he still eats like a starving madman.' He thinks while stealing glances at Naruto.
"Hm…"
Naruto replies with, finishing the bowl in almost record time. "I could
only find what we already knew of the man. The records they had of him
look more like blank black papers instead of reports, and the people
aren't much better." He recalls, already ordering his second bowl for
the two men. Looking over at Malik he notices that something is
troubling him. "What is it? What news are you not telling me brother?"
he asks, voice hushed so the others can't hear them.
"It is
nothing really… or at least not yet." Malik replies, his dark brown eyes
staring down at the now empty bowl of ramen then at his friend. "Your
team was severely hurt on this last mission…"
"Yes, I tried to finish the enemy off quickly but… I miss the days when I worked alone Malik."
"I
want you to teach these 'ninja' how to fight and think like an
assassin, or at least for the most part. I fear they will be dealing
with more enemies sooner than we would like." Malik states, voice flat
and eyes lost in thought as the second bowl of ramen is placed in front
of both men. "I also fear that you will have to leave this village
sooner than expected." Listening to the sounds of normal life here in
the village he shuts his eyes when Naruto's content slurp is cut short
and a small choke escapes from him, then silence engulfs the men.
~:~
"How was your mission Kakashi?" Saratobi asks, not really bothering to look up.
"All
things considering, it went well." Kakashi sighs, just wanting to get
this over and done with so he can go home and take a nice hot shower. '
So sore…. So very sore….'
"And what of Naruto? What have you learned?"
"I'm
not all too sure… I established he is an excellent fighter, better than
we would have originally guessed. He has mechanisms that he wears on
his forearms; I couldn't find them when I looked through his items.
Sakura says that during our encounter with Zabuza and Haku on the
bridge, Naruto showed agility, speed and knowledge in battle. Sasuke can
back this up, as I stated in the report he can vouch for Naruto's
abilities."
"Hm… you're free to go."
~:~
(Author Note)
Ok…
Sooo read an AC book that was on Altair's life… Soooo…. Imma go back
and tweak things… Like Bina… I have no idea where the hell I got
Columbina from… soooo yea… Imma go change love interest & wuts not…
Then come back and finish up the Ch… which I'm srry is taking forever
for me to do…
