A/N: Hooray for this new chapter yayy, I have a newfound love of writing fics because I'm came across really badly written ones from Fanfiction.net (not that I blame them, most of the writers aren't... trained for writing).
I will try to update weekly! :)
Disclaimer: Naruto ain't mine. If it was... It'd probably center on developing pairings because UGH romance will never be old school.
Alsooo! For future references:
ITALICIZED portions are flashbacks or THOUGHTS...they can also be those parts when dialogue is emphasized. Easily discernible because I'll be putting, "...he thought to himself" and other marks :D
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 4
PERSONAL MISSIONS
"Have you found anything worth reporting?"
The Raikage's heavy steps and deep voice brought the shinobi to turn their heads to the entrance. The hint of worry and exhaustion in his voice was not missed by the people in his presence. They had been working day in and out trying to identify the bodies that were scattered in the room and separated based on a list of categories. The first of which was separating male from female, then by age groups and finally by the village or land of origin before any further taxonomy.
On the center of the room were three long tables with various medical instruments, vials will different colored fluids and other tools that served to help the people working on the autopsy of the bodies.
"Raikage-sama," Kozuya stepped forward while the rest of the men and women involved in the mission resumed their work. "I would like to walk you through the system we have formulated for this autopsy mission. The men and women here have all agreed that I will be in charge of overseeing the hands-on work that we will conduct."
The Raikage nodded and followed the old man with his assistant close behind him. Kozuya showed him the different groups based on village of origin and the Raikage easily noticed that there were more bodies piled from Konoha than the other villages. Moreover, he noted how rogue ninja (those without a village to call their own) cadavers were almost the same in quantity with the Konoha bodies. He made a mental note to let the other Kages know of his observations.
"Most of the body parts removed had something to do with the ninja's special abilities." Kozuya started, walking towards a specific body placed in the area of rogue ninja. "This fellow is a rogue ninja, we identified him as one of the followers of Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin."
Upon hearing this information, the Raikage turned to his assistant and nodded, giving her the signal to write down every information that they would receive from the autopsy group.
Grabbing his attention once again, Kozuya continued. "It has been very fortunate that different shinobi of various origins have been brought together here, Raikage-sama. I lack the knowledge of other villages outside my own and the Konoha shinobi in particular have so much information to offer about the history of rogue ninja from their village. Orochimaru apparently had been experimenting on—"
"Yes, yes, Kozuya-san. This is a well-known fact. What have you found with regards to the body of this ninja?"
Kozuya nodded and his faced turned gravely serious. "This particular ninja used his bones as a weapon. He could pull out one from his body and use it in many ways, a long sword for example. And he would seem to have an endless amount of bones to manipulate. Whoever did this took the main bone tissue from different parts of his body."
"What do you mean?"
"Bone samples, Raikage-sama, specifically from the joints and connecting parts. The knees, the elbows, the shoulders. It's as if they wanted to make a replica of this man but with only his abilities, using his bones as the foundation."
The Raikage looked down in thought. At the explanation of Kozuya, the rest of the autopsy team had fallen deathly silent, stopping their work to listen on the thoughts of the old man regarding their findings.
"Hmm, I see," the Raikage quietly brooded over what to do next.
"Alright, all of you start writing down the people you have positively identified and the condition of their bodies. Separate the information based on the cadavers' village of origin. From there, we include a second scroll directed to each of the villages concerned giving all of them information regarding the rogue ninja cadavers and their condition. Do I make myself clear?"
"Hai!" Everyone chorused and immediately set to work checking and rechecking each cadaver and listing their findings.
The Raikage, finding everything in place and satisfactory, turned to leave the room.
"Sumimasen Raikage-sama," Kozuya suddenly spoke amidst the fast-paced ongoings around him and the Raikage turned once again to face the medic veteran, a question hanging in the silence between them.
"I would like to know, has the Mizukage contacted you regarding my unexpected presence here?"
The Raikage raised a blonde eyebrow. "No," he replied curtly. "Is there something I should know, Kozuya-san?"
"N-no Raikage-sama," Kozuya bowed slowly. When he raised his body once more he was sporting a smile on his wrinkled face. "Arigatou, Raikage-sama, for the information." With a final nod the Raikage left the room, his assistant in tow.
When they were a good distance from the closed doors of the room the Raikage stopped walking.
"Raikage-sama?" His assistant spoke questioningly.
"Keep a watchful eye on that Kozuya. There is something he isn't being entirely honest about."
"Hai, Raikage-sama. I will alert the guards and the special forces."
"No," he said. "No special forces will be brought in. If he is a veteran medical nin, he would easily notice their presence and if he is hiding something, their presence would put him on guard. We need him to think we trust his story."
"Understood, Raikage-sama."
"Also," he turned to her this time, making sure she understood the weight of what he was about to say. "Make no mistake. All the Kages are counting on us to find something significant from this mass autopsy. Double, no, quadruple check the work of the people inside that room and make sure that the scrolls to be sent to each Kage are secure and not withholding any information. There could be something brewing just beyond the horizon and we have to make sure we are all on our utmost preparedness to face whatever threat is looming."
Turning once more to face away from his assistant, the Raikage started walking but this time his assistant didn't follow him. There was no reply as the assistant's footsteps indicated that she was walking back to the autopsy room.
The Raikage breathed deeply and looked out the window on his left while walking. We must protect the trust that was forged from the Allied Shinobi Forces of the Great Shinobi War.
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Naruto munched happily on the rice balls Hinata packed in the white box she had offered on his way to a mission. There were two boxes and he wondered for a second if she had known he would have a companion on his mission. Remembering Tsunade's words however,
"No one should know of this mission Naruto. So please refrain from speaking to your friends about it. Except for Sasuke, of course. I will allow you to take him on this mission. Only a few will know about this, mainly the Hyuga clan's Main Branch. They're just as involved in this as you are."
Finishing up his third rice ball, Naruto closed his packed snack and turned to his rival slicing away at a tree trunk not far from where he sat.
"Oi teme!" Naruto called out, grabbing his attention. Sasuke stopped mid-slice and turned his red eyes toward the blonde. "Don't you want any? I think Hinata prepared two boxes so we'll both have snacks on the way!"
"Tch," Sasuke muttered before continuing slicing up the tree with more force than he was previously using.
Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "What's wrong, teme? Why are you acting like you're having a tantrum or something?"
Sasuke's body stiffened and in a blink of an eye his katana was tucked back into its sheath and he landed gracefully in front of Naruto. "If you didn't notice, that girl only spoke to you. She must know how big your appetite is, which is why she prepared two boxes."
Naruto scrunched up his face in thought and started nodding to himself. "Mmm, you might be right teme, thanks!" And he started gobbling up another rice ball without a care in the world.
"Of course I am," without a backward glance Sasuke started jumping from tree to tree, heading South.
"Oi! Wait up!" Naruto quickly chased after him.
"What's our mission?" Sasuke suddenly asked when Naruto was able to catch up to the Uchiha survivor.
"Here," Naruto threw a small scroll in Sasuke's direction and he stayed quiet while he allowed him to read the contents. There was no use making a joke out of the mission, Naruto knew this was something serious not only to himself and the village, but also to Sasuke.
When Sasuke rolled the scroll once more and threw it back to Naruto, his demeanour had changed and the way he carried himself was more rigid than before.
"Why would the Hokage send us out to locate and bring back Karin?" The Uchiha's words were laced with doubt and confusion, but Naruto was able to pick out the hint of worry tinting his voice.
"I don't know. Tsunade no baa-chan said we'd understand once we returned with Karin." Naruto replied seriously, his eyes focused ahead. Sasuke glanced back, surprised that the usually cheerful blonde had suddenly turned quiet. Upon seeing his best friend's face, his eyes filled with understanding. He has changed. The war changed him. Probably all of us.
"So... Karin, huh?" Sasuke muttered. This will be interesting.
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"Tsunade-sama," the copy nin's voice was quiet but hinted at concern, and stern brown eyes turned his way. "Are you sure it was a good idea letting only Sasuke accompany Naruto on this mission? And why Naruto in the first place? You know that the war didn't erase the fact that Konoha has many enemies, and most of them would do anything to get their hands on Naruto—"
Tsunade raised a hand to halt Kakashi's speech and the silver-haired man complied. "I know the risk of sending him out there, especially with Uchiha Sasuke. The council has been very vocal about their... distaste toward the last Uchiha. But he needs this to prove that he had returned and that his return will not jeopardize the safety of Konohagakure."
"Then why Naruto?"
This time, Tsunade stood from her chair and looked out the window behind her, evidently turning her back on Kakashi. "Because Naruto has changed. He's more mature now. And he will understand the significance of his presence when the time comes and they face Karin. Only he should be allowed to handle such a mission."
"Permission to trail them, Hokage-sama." Kakashi immediately worried for the safety of his students when he found out that they were gone. Their mission had been kept a secret from nearly everyone in the village, especially their friends. Their friends, especially Sakura were repeatedly told that they were training under Tsunade and were not to be disturbed for any reason. Sakura had been adamant about obeying but Tsunade's words were law to the pink-haired kunoichi. She had dejectedly turned around when Shizune told her that Tsunade wouldn't be training her for a while.
"You need to stay here and make sure that the reconstruction and rebuilding of Konoha is both safe and secure. We can't allow any mistakes this time. And I trust your loyalty to this village. Now I ask you to trust your two pupils alongside me."
"What if their friends find out? I received intel that Hyuuga Hinata had known that they were going to leave for a mission. She was seen by ANBU who were following Sasuke at the village gates."
"Hinata has been informed of the situation. At least, the surface of it. She knows of Naruto's mission because her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, found it imperative that his daughter and the heiress to the Hyuuga clan would be aware of the politics surrounding the village."
"Then that means...?"
"Yes, Kakashi," Tsunade slowly spoke with a grave tone to her voice. "She still doesn't know of the plans that involve her future."
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"Raikage-sama," the assistant had returned to the Raikage's main office, carrying a number of scrolls with her. "The scrolls have been prepared and carefully checked and rechecked."
The Raikage nodded. "Send them out now. No delays."
"Hai!" She immediately went out of the room to deliver the scrolls to the messengers personally.
The Raikage was once again left to his thoughts.
"Raikage-sama!!" Someone shouted and the doors to the Raikage's office were flung open, revealing his assistant's shocked face while sitting on the floor with the scrolls scattered around her. The guards of the autopsy room came running towards them. In the center of the office, right in front of the Raikage's desk was a panting old man, staying on his feet by resting his hands on his knees.
"Kozuya!" The Raikage's voice boomed. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"Raikage-sama," Kozuya started, his breaths still coming in shallow pants as he tried to regain control of his labored breathing. "Please, Raikage-sama,"
"Raikage-sama!" The guards finally arrived, grabbing the old man's arms and in the process forcing him to drop two scrolls he had been hiding in his back. The Raikage immediately saw the insignia of Konohagakure on the scrolls.
The Raikage's fist came down on his desk and split it into two. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS, KOZUYA?!"
"PLEASE!" Kozuya fell on his knees in front of the Raikage. "PLEASE LET ME TAKE THE SCROLLS TO KONOHAGAKURE MYSELF!"