NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Aftermath
No one knew she did it of course. But, even two weeks after she did it, Naruko was still surprised at how there were no affect effects of her actions. Albeit, she did think it out, and was extremely careful. Even to the point where even the Kunai techniques she used were far more standard, things anyone if they trained hard enough, and searched for could use.
Yet no ANBU confronting her. No Itachi swooping down, no Sasuke with the Sharingan bearing down on her - it was a tad bit surprising, albeit not that much. 'Still hard to believe that it went off without a hitch.' But although no one confronted her, it was clear Sasuke had changed a fair bit.
He didn't look at her, and she understood why. 'He believes Itachi will use me, so he's distancing himself.' It made sense, and at least temporarily solved the problem. 'He's more brutal in fights, especially too upper body attacks. He's not hiding the Sharingan either, I wonder if an ANBU or Gramps himself approached him? Has he told anyone that 'Itachi' came and attacked?' She didn't know, and she wouldn't approach him. After all, outside of Spars besides that one day she gave him scrolls she hadn't approached him.
'Mhm... Well, if he wants to approach me he will in time. For now, I'll just continue to do what I do. Shino and Ami are improving quite impressively, however. I suspect within the month Shino will be better than he was when he attended the Chunin Exams, at least before the finals that is. He would have gotten highly specific clan training during that month. As for Ami... Well, if this continues she should get onto a decent team. Maybe not a Jonin depending on the situation, but at least a Special Jonin with a combat specialization.'
She was proud to see the changes. It wasn't just these three, every student was far stronger than they should have been. One part was the fact that the training regime and academy had changed, but another part was her 'playing around' in spars that some people had grumbled about. 'My spars lasting a minute and a half longer than everyone else in the class on average looks bad on paper. But oh well. Because of my healing factor, I'm getting faster, well faster than they are. Which means I can see through their flaws and continue to 'guide' them. But it's to be expected. A Naruto who wasn't lazy and actually trained in the Academy proper should have outshone everyone, especially when Sasuke's potential wasn't truly unveiled. Speaking of training however...'
She looked down at her hand, where a slightly wilted leaf could be seen. 'I'm getting better at drawing out the moisture. I'm probably only a month away from being able to draw it all out at once. The start is the hardest part after all. Mhm, I wonder how the main body is doing?'
-Naruko-
"I told ya gramps, if I sensed an S-class traitor inside of the village I would have told you!" Hiruzen sighed.
"Naruko I can't tell you're lying, but I know you're lying. I have reason to believe Itachi was in the village." She stared for a few minutes before sighing.
"Alright. He comes to visit his brother and makes sure he's doing okay. He leaves after checking on him and doesn't go anywhere else. Doesn't check out the ANBU. Doesn't check out you. Doesn't check out the old mummy or his bases either."
"Thank you. Now what about two weeks ago?" She shook her head.
"Didn't sense him. Unless he learned how to suppress his innate chakra qualities and not just his quantity, control, and even potency, he wasn't in my range. Which means he was never near me when I had my Mind's Eye open."
He stared at her for a while, trying to read her, which was of course impossible, unless she allowed it. Only a Sage, a Jinchuriki, or something of that could ever attempt to read her after the Void. 'Unless I henge of course. Training that long to sneak up on a near-omnipotent being does have its pros.' "I see. You're sure you sensed nothing?"
"Positive. Based on what you're saying Itachi did something?" She shrugged. "Coulda figured he would do something eventually. You order someone to massacre their clan and they tend to go a bit crazy eventually, y'know!" He grimaced.
"He wasn't ordered." Naruko stared at him for a while before saying,
"Technically. Right? He wasn't technically ordered." He didn't respond, his eyes and face blank. "That's your problem gramps. 'Light' and 'Dark' exist in combination within people, not as separate forces working together. Am I free to go?" He nodded his head, eyes and face still blank. POP!
-Hiruzen-
'She was lying. I know it, even if she didn't show any signs of it. She did sense Itachi? Then why wouldn't she say - unless?' He thought it over for a few moments. 'Unless she didn't sense Itachi. During that time he should have still been in Iwa, looking for information about the Fence Sitter's Apprentice.' Realization struck him. 'So it wasn't Itachi, but her. Why? Unless...'
He slowly tapped his finger on the table. 'I see. There are three possibilities. One, Minato needs Sasuke or more accurately the Sharingan for something. Two, Itachi made a deal with her knowing that inside of Konoha she's the only one who could get me and Danzo to fully protect someone. Three, and the most unlikely one...' He looked at the wall holding the portraits of all the Hokage.
'But with them?' He sighed. 'I'm too old for this shit. Having to deal with Naruko's unwillingness to reveal her secrets, a Fourth War, my successor, spies, corruption, and predecessors' bullshit, all while that is still a problem.' He sighed, and as he did so he clutched at his back as a crack rang out in his office. 'Ohh... Damn age. Should have never gotten old, damn it Minato!' A grimace flashed across his face as he cradled his back while thinking about that night. 'Biwako. Bakshi...'
-Naruko-
Tapping her orange nails against the wood of the branch she sat on in the middle of her break she frowned. 'He noticed I lied? Probably because Gramps knows me too much, even with recent changes. After all, we've been meeting a lot more. Since I became 'whole' we've sparred probably more than he's sparred in general since retirement and then re-becoming Hokage.' Shrugging it off, as in the end, it didn't matter. War was coming, and the worst she'd get was a slap on the wrist. There were pros and cons to being a Jinchuriki. Your every movement was monitored, you can't leave the village without permission even when on 'vacation' as a shinobi, and during times of war you were... very strictly guarded. 'When the war starts even I would get punished if I ignored those rules.'
But in return? Most of the normal rules didn't apply. Especially when you were the only person in the village who could contain the Kyuubi.
Standing up she'd put a grin back on her face. "Alright gang. I'm not in the best mood, y'know! So let's have some fun. Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu! FREE FOR ALL!"
She proceeded to plunge a Tri-Pronged Kunai into the skull of a clone before it could even move after being summoned.
Needless to say, she won. 'Heh. I should use that joke at some point.'
-Itachi Uchiha-
Closing his eyes as his crow merged into him, he wouldn't even blink as he continued mid-movement Kisame in stride next to him. "Oh? Your clone back from spying on your little toy?" The gigantic blue fishperson whom he found himself the partner spoke mid-jump.
"Indeed. It seems Sasuke has awakened the Sharingan." 'She wasn't as brutal as I expected. When I saw that glint in her eye I expected her to throw the Kyuubi at him. Has she grown soft?' Perhaps others would think him insane for such thoughts. But he knew the monster that lurked within, for it was the same as his own. She would do anything to protect 'her Konoha' or 'her ANBU'. 'Even before she changed and awakened her Mind's Eye that monster lurked within. But it's only grown since then. It's why she came to me for that deal when she spotted me after all.' His lips quirked. "It seems his hatred has grown."
"Right. That's a good thing? I'm going to assume that's a good thing. Hey, the village coming up has some good Sushi, can we stop? I know they have decent Manju."
"Of course Kisame. Would you like to take that Iwa-bounty tomorrow?" The barely concealed excitement in the fanged grin he got was predictable. 'It's all about balance in partnerships it appears. They give you Manju, you let them wantonly murder fellow missing-nin.' Shaking off the ridiculous thought he'd focus back in on his previous thoughts. 'So did she grow soft, or is there a reason she went so light on Sasuke?' It was a question he'd ask himself for a long while...