Naruto came to a halt in his movements as he sensed Sasuke behind him. He didn't land on the ground, but remained on the tree. "Why are you following me, Sasuke?"
The Uchiha landed on the same tree branch Naruto was standing on. "I thought we were partners," he started in am emotionless tone. "And now I learn that you're going out, leaving me to suffocate in that village."
It was a bit frustrating not having anything to do. Really, he was a warrior and waking up every day to know that there was no job waiting for him was a little bothersome. Why had he even spent days sweating and killing himself in order to become powerful? Wasn't it so that he could use this power? It was being wasted staying still in Konoha.
He wanted to do something that would challenge him, something that would push him and make him realise that he really did need that training he did with Itachi and with Naruto. Being in Konoha waiting for Tsunade to come up with an interesting mission was a complete waste.
Naruto always had something interesting to do, and although he could not get the details out of Yugao, he knew the blond was going to fight. He was like that and always up to something. His brother had admitted it after all... Naruto was a scheming person, manipulative and above all, dangerous. Well, if you were not his friend.
"Are you a child now Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a look on his face. "Do you really need to tag along in everything? I didn't call you because I wanted to go on my own. Besides, this is something a bit personal that I need to handle... Don't think for a moment that I didn't call you because I decided it was too dangerous; I'm not your mother."
But still, he would need to plan something for the Uchiha, otherwise he would insist in tagging along. Sasuke could be difficult at times. One way of dealing with this child was just giving him the toys he wanted and show him the playing field outside or else he wouldn't stop crying.
What could be worthwhile that would make the Uchiha turn on another way?
"I didn't say you were my mother!" Sasuke snapped a bit impatiently before calming himself. "Then, where are you going? I don't buy that crap about things being personal. The only personal thing for you is your mother. If she is back in Konoha, it isn't something you can't involve me.. The fact that you don't even want to tell him does leave me curious and even more interested in following you."
Naruto shook his head.
"What do you think of the current status in the Elemental Nations?" Naruto asked the Uchiha as he settled down on the tree branch. There was time allocated for disturbances, so he could manage with this one but in the end, he would not leave with Sasuke - they would take different paths.
"If that is your attempt to divert me away from the main subject, it is pathetic coming from you," Sasuke said with a snort.
Naruto's eyes went towards the Uchiha - who stared back fiercely - but the blond didn't say anything about the stare. His eyes looked down between his legs. "It is that kind of an attitude that makes me question if you really have grown. But let us get this straight, I will not be crossing the borders with you. I asked you an important question, now answer it, Sasuke."
Sasuke was just reminded of the Naruto who used to bully him when they were still young. Of course he was no longer that boy and would not allow Naruto to bully him around. Even so, he knew when to push and when not to. If it had been the days of the old, he would have put in an argument and the blond would have come up with a way to disable him.
He couldn't do that now because beating him up wasn't as simple as it was back then. But he knew Naruto would just come up with a way to get away from him without picking up a fight. Yes, that was very possible and since he didn't know where the blond was going, he could not risk that.
"I haven't given it much of a thought," Sasuke said.
Really, aside from his clan, there was nothing much that he thought about. He was never truly exposed to this world and how it acted to form a point of view. But what would it change if there was any difference? Would it affect how he lived his life?
His brother was someone who understood much about what happened around the shinobi world and Naruto knew it as well. their conversations used to go towards that line when they were talking. There was the issue of peace that his brother often brought up, but it was something that Naruto never entertained. He just didn't seem to care about it.
"That ignorant part of you truly bothers me," Naruto said in a flat tone. "You're going to be a leader of your clan. To remain ignorant means never knowing anything. Don't become a foolish leader, be knowledgeable of the things around you. No matter how humans may try to deny this, but the environment around us shapes our thoughts. Even I am influenced by what the world and the things that pertain to life itself."
"What do you want from me?"
"Learn about the shinobi world, Sasuke. without purpose, you just wonder about this world and eventually, you might fall into the dark-side because it will keep knocking if you just stay still without a purpose..." Naruto said. "This world is treacherous, it is evil, you cannot trust It, lest you're a masochist you enjoys being backstabbed. The weak are devoured, and people like you are easily called into the other side by the silver tongues of the masters of darkness.
"If you choose to ignore this world, it will give you a rude awakening and you cannot walk with me if you have not opened your eyes. I have big dreams, and those behind me must also dream big. If not, I will discard them unless there is a special reason..."
Sasuke stared for a few moments before snorting. No matter what Naruto said, he wasn't going to leave him. Sasuke wasn't going to say it aloud, but he knew the reality. As long as his mother remained, there would be no changes. It wasn't the Sharingan that attracted the blond - that kind of thing didn't matter. Naruto was most concerned about the effectives of a person than anything else.
"Then?"
"What do you do if you do not want the world, to rule over you, Sasuke?"
Sasuke blinked before asking. "Is that rhetorical?"
Naruto shook his head before standing. "You're a little bit bellow to have this kind of a conversation apparently and you wonder why I do not discuss some things with you. When we returned to Konoha, you were most interest in finding out about how the villagers would react to my return so that you could form a decision, but now you seem to have reverted to being a mere child.
"In any case, the answer is this: if you do not want someone to control you, you stop them, you control them yourself. I'm saying that this world influences me in ways I do not like and as long as I live in this shinobi system, I will be its victim. To stop being influenced, we must influence the system; we must shape this world with our own hands."
Sasuke was silent for a few moments. This was certainly something big and Naruto didn't just say things just for the sake of saying them. He was serious about changing things in the Elemental Nations. He knew that Naruto liked things going his way, but there were so many forces outside that surprised him every now and then.
"The main problem is the Akatsuki. Once they are removed, I may be able to see the world I desire," Naruto said calmly. He took out a scroll from his cloak and threw it at Sasuke. "Go to the Valley of End; you will meet Sai. Give him that scroll and request that he take you with him when he goes to back to the hideout. I will join you in a day or two."
Sasuke stared at the scroll for a few seconds before asking. "What is in here?"
"If you want to find out, open it," Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now, I think I have delayed my journey long enough."
"You still didn't tell me where you are going..."
Naruto waved his right hand dismissively. "I will fill you in when we meet up. If things happen, I might need your hands. So, be ready because I might send you somewhere by end of this day. It will really depend on how things favour me in my meeting."
After speaking, Naruto disappeared.
Orochimaru's Hideout
There was no doubt that he was walking within Orochimaru's den. The dark atmosphere, the eerie silence and the traps that were laid for unwanted guests just confirmed that this was indeed the right place. But just because this was the right place didn't mean that he would find the snake waiting for him. It would be a lie for one to say he has mastered Orochimaru's movements.
The snake Sannin was certainly good when it came to hiding. It may not even be far off the mark that he was able to know the location and possibly meet the man because wanted to see him. Orochimaru might be an arrogant, morally crippled sadist, but he was still a genius and a powerful shinobi with so much knowledge about this world, the hidden world that one would certainly feel naked when the snake dishes out his knowledge.
Of course the twisted part of the man and the arrogance made him appear normal. Well, perhaps that was how things were balanced out. If Orochimaru wasn't arrogant, he would certainly be one scary person. Naruto was sure that he wouldn't even be here alone - it would have been too soon to come and he would certainly appear to be a child in before the man.
Wasn't it something that he had such thoughts of that thing? Since when did he have such thoughts? There were very few things that he disliked, and Orochimaru was one of those things. An outright resentment wasn't there, but he had been tempted at once. He was just a little complex inside to have such feelings.
Or maybe he did have them, but buried deep inside a dark side of himself. Naruto shook his head, it was just ludicrous that he was having these thoughts. Perhaps it was the boredom that was making him think like this. There has certainly been nothing complex to make his mind wo-
The blond was pulled out of his thoughts when a stinking smell pressed into his nose. It wasn't just the smell, but also whimpers and pained cries. He came to halt and realized his surrounding; the passage was surrounded by cells with miserable humans inside, hurt, hopeless, just hoping to die but no energy to commit suicide.
It was just disgusting.
Not the pitiful humans inside the cells, but how far one human could go. It was a person with a heart doing this to other people. even though he really didn't care about other humans, he would not go this far. It was just immoral and really despicable.
Maybe he didn't just dislike Orochimaru. It was okay to thoroughly despise the snake Sannin. The man had put his mother's life in danger, ruined a good thing with Sunagakure, killed the Kazekage and was responsible for the Sandaime's death. It was alright to say he resented the snake and would not have a problem shedding his skin with his bare heads.
Naruto's indifferent eyes looked into some dead eyes. He looked away and continued walking without saying another word. 'I didn't think you'd walk away like that,' Kurama said to Naruto.
'What did you expect me to do?'
'Open the cells or just kill them yourself to help them from their misery. I'm sure they have experienced enough, death is the only good thing,' the Bijuu reasoned. 'Still, considering that you appear to have soft spot for powerless humans, I thought you'd do something. These are those you are willing to consider as humans not just monkeys.'
'I'm not that kind,' Naruto said. 'But my mother would certainly be disappointed if she found out about something like this. She has certainly taught me better. In any case, freeing them would be pointless. There is nothing that I can do for them. If I free them, they are just going to be captured again.'
If he tried to say something, it would appear as if he was trying to push some morals into the blond. Kurama could not bring himself to be like that. He didn't care about the humans. Yes, he wanted to point out that Naruto would be contradicting himself by just looking away from the situation, but if he did that, it could be read in another way. Besides, he was sure Naruto was very much aware of his actions.
The Bijuu chose not to say anything in the end.
Naruto walked for a couple of minutes before reaching what appeared to be a hall. Before him, there was a large snake throne in which Orochimaru was sitting with Kabuto right by him.
"It feels as if I have just appeared a majesty..." the blond said loudly.
"Why don't you get on one knee then just to make it a reality?" Orochimaru offered with a grin. It wouldn't be so bad to have the Kyubi's Jinchuriki kneel before him. he would certainly feel like a majesty. Then again, wasn't he the majestic Sannin already?
"I'd feel filthy bowing before the majesty of immorality," Naruto still managed to keep emotions out of his tone. The mask on his expression was just indifferent and the eyes didn't reveal anything.
It would be a day he would not forget. No, it would not happen, not ever. He had just admitted that Orochimaru was to be despised. He would rather skin the man alive than bow before him. The snake did not deserve such an honour, not even a mocking bow.
"Majesty of immorality?" Orochimaru mouthed before laughing. "I am honoured Naruto-kun. What shall I name you then? You just watched the subjects in those cells without a hint of pity but with indifference and just walked away. Are you any different? A person with morals would have done something..."
"I don't actually care for humans. In fact, I would rather have humans disappear from this world and just live with animals," Naruto responded calmly. That was certainly the truth, but of course his mother had to be present in that world. It would be meaningless for all humans to disappear without his mother appearing. Of course he wasn't going to tell Orochimaru something like that.
It would just be intentional stupidity.
"Kukukukukukuku," once again, Orochimaru laughed. "You're very interesting, Naruto-kun. Since our encounter a couple of years ago I have taken much interest in you. Honestly, I was surprised and impressed by what you managed to pull. Well, that is what one would expect from the son of the Yondaime Hokage."
"Don't be ridiculous, Orochimaru," Naruto responded in a flat tone. "Genetics don't necessarily have anything to do with your intelligence or what you become. Your parents may have a couple of idiots..."
Orochimaru stared at Naruto for a long minute before speaking once again. "Yes, true. There are many cases to reference. I guess it depends on your own skills and desire. But there are just some of us who are born geniuses and some like you, are created because of this world and the circumstances that life ushers into your life." The Sannin tilted his head to the side. "What do you want?"
"I want some information regarding the Akatsuki. I know you're a former member," Naruto said calmly. "I'm also led to believe that you have been keeping a certain redhead around your labs. My Intel suggests she may be Uzumaki. If true, I want her... her blood is very precious..." much more than Orochimaru or anything he is worth.
"Oh? You must be talking about Karin and yes, she is Uzumaki, but I cannot give her away. I still have some use for her. Maybe after I have finished using her, I will throw her towards your way," Orochimaru said with a laugh. "What makes you think I will even give you information about the Akatsuki?"
"We can negotiate..."
Orochimaru burst out in laughter. "Tsunade will certainly have Anbu sleeping under your bed if she learns about something like this. But what is it we can negotiate, Naruto-kun? I know that you're using Danzo's Root, your relationship with Itachi and I suspect that you may have been involved in the slaughtering of Suna's former council."
"I actually lied when I said negotiating with you," Naruto said calmly. "I would rather watch you burn slowly from the inside out than negotiate with you. I just wanted to see how much you knew. It seems you know a lot..."
That wasn't much of a problem regardless. Orochimaru wasn't going to go around at Konoha to tell on him. it wouldn't benefit the man if he did that. Perhaps a few threats of exposing him would be much more fun to him, but Naruto could handle that. He didn't fear the snake Sannin that much... no not even a little. This was something that was much lower than a human, fearing it would just be ridiculous.
Negotiating with the man would really just be a problem. The man had a magic hat full of tricks, Naruto would rather not have that. It wasn't the only reason he would not enter into negotiations with the snake - with what he had seen so far, it would just be dirtying himself 'partnering' with the man. Really, Orochimaru was an animal that needed to be brutally murdered than to be entertained.
Orochimaru tilted his head to the side, slightly surprised that Naruto would have the guts to do something like that. well, then again, this was the very same brat who had cut off his head when he had tried to brand Sasuke with the cursed seal. An embarrassing moment for him that had been.
Still it was different; at that moment, Naruto didn't have a choice but to try to attack him to save Sasuke - whom he had been protecting. Things were different now, he had come all the way from Konoha just to look for him. He knew that Root Anbus have been digging around his hideouts looking for Intel about him, locations and activities.
What was the blond banking on to save him? Orochimaru felt much curious than before. "This is interesting, Naruto-kun..." the snake paused for a moment. "What are you going to do now that you know that I know more about you?" the curiosity was clearly evident in the expression of the Sannin.
"I didn't have any plans of fighting you before I entered this place, but now I think it would be a sin to leave you be... honestly, I despise your very existence. To me you're not even human, but a an animal that must killed. You have wronged me, but aside from that, you have wrong many innocent people," he didn't care about them, but it didn't change the fact that it was 'things' such as Orochimaru had had nearly made him lose hope in humans ever being good.
"Kukukukukukuku," another fit of laughter from Orochimaru. "What are you going to do about it?" the Sannin asked again.
"I guess I should murder you," Naruto said taking a step towards the Sannin and his number two.
Orochimaru raised his hands in mock surrender. "Unfortunately, we were just on our way out, Naruto-kun, so we cannot play with you today. But I do have someone who will entertain you... and should you survive, we will see how strong you have become..." the moment the snake said those words, Orochimaru vanished into thin air.
As footsteps echoed through the hall, Kabuto bowed slightly, "It was good seeing you once again, Naruto-kun. Until then..." he also vanished.
Naruto stood still, he didn't chase after them. He probably should but that wasn't on the plans for today. If a battle was going to happen, it was supposed to happen here, if not, he would not entertain it. He could not have things go wrong that way when he didn't know what else to expect. Despite his arrogance, Orochimaru was still a powerful foe who should not be underestimated.
The blond Uzumaki looked ahead as the footsteps came to a halt; he was looking at a woman. "What is your name?" He probably shouldn't ask names of monkeys, but for everything to run in the way he liked, that was the best way to go about things.
Guren blinked at the question. When was the time she had an enemy who asked her that question? It certainly caught her by surprise. it was usually an exchange of jutsus and insults without the need to know names. Still, the woman responded, "Guren," she said.
"Guren... I see," the blond said in a thoughtful tone. "Orochimaru must not really have any use for you to leave you with me. It is also safe to assume that this hideout has outlived its usefulness. Well, if I discovered it, chances are that someone else was going to discover it as well."
What got to Guren was that he said Orochimaru no longer had any use for her. It made her narrow her eyes in slight anger. Her master still cared for her, and she was still going to be his vessel even though he has being putting her on hold for years now, she believed his words.
"What makes you say that? Do you even think that you can defeat me?"
Naruto didn't offer an immediate response to Guren, "When I was just a brat, I cut off his head and slammed a Rasengan into him... left him headless lying in the middle of a forest..." the Kyubi's chakra should have entered Orochimaru's system. He had specifically used a Rasengan powered by the raw chakra of the Bijuu knowing that it was poison to humans. Orochimaru was a special case, though wasn't he? "I doubt he would sell that memo to his tools though..."
Guren clenched her fists. True Orochimaru was a lot closer than that glass wearing nin and no longer told her things as he used to before. The number 2 was the one who did important missions and she was forced to take orders from the very man who she believed didn't love their master enough to be his right hand man.
"Even if Orochimaru thinks that you're strong, defeating you here would just prove my worth, right?"
"In all accounts it should," Naruto said calmly, "but I doubt you can do that, Guren. Well, I do not like to sound arrogant, so I will rephrase that and say, we won't know that until we-"
The blond trailed off when Guren slammed her foot down the floor and crystal spikes burst through beneath him. He quickly jumped up to avoid being pierced by the spikes. He didn't make the stupid mistake of taking his eyes off his opponent. When he jumped off, his eyes kept staring at the woman.
He watched her as she lunged towards him with a small crystal spear in her right hand. The woman was in front of him within a second, within the air. Guren drove the spear towards his chest. Her strike was quick, but Naruto reacted quickly by blurring out of sight.
He appeared on the floor once more, but not looking forward to a fight. "That is a rather unique ability you have, Guren. I don't think there is anyone else who has that ability. It is interesting... well, Orochimaru does like to keep himself surrounded by special people."
"Are you not going to fight?" Guren asked, seeing that the blond wasn't making any attempts to charge towards her.
"It would be meaningless to do so. I would rather not waste my time fighting a battle that does nothing for me in the end. I just don't fight for victory, unless the only desire is to kill the opponent." Naruto responded calmly.
Guren truly felt insulted by that response. She interpreted those words as that she doesn't have anything of interest and that she wasn't worth the effort. She was insulted, really so. If she hadn't been motivated a few moments ago, she now was.
"I will make you regret those words..."
Naruto shook his head. "You're confusing my response as a measure to your worth or power. I didn't say you were weak. Quite the contrary, you're a powerful kunoichi, it is just that fighting you doesn't benefit me in any way and it isn't the requirement for me to leave this place."
"What are you suggesting? Do you really think that I will allow you leave? Who wins will be the one to leave this place..."
"This takes us back to what I was saying," Naruto said as he folded his hands across his chest. "You've become expandable and perhaps no longer needed. Whoever wins should a battle occur is the one that will remain alive... Orochimaru must have known this, and he left you alone with someone who 'defeated' him when he was just a brat."
"Enough of this!" Guren shouted.
Naruto raised an eyebrow but he didn't get to respond because just then, the voice of a child spoke, "Guren san..." Yukimaru called as he walked into the hall with a worried look on his face.
Before Guren could even look alarmed at the situation, Naruto was already in front of the boy. He had moved so fast that she hadn't even blinked before he could disappear. A half of a second ago he was away from her and the next he was in front of Yukimaru.
He could not have seen the look on her face when she heard Yukimaru call right? Even if he did, there was little time for him to note the look, form a conclusion before rushing over to the boy. There wasn't a person who thought that fast, not even her precious master. How was he able to do it though?
Guren glared at Naruto. Attacking the boy was a smart move, but it was something that made her very displeased. Was this his plan to get out of here without fighting her? If so, it was stupid. This just gave her more than two reasons to fight him. The fact that she could prove herself to Orochimaru by defeating him was all the motivation she needed but this just made her a dangerous person.
"What are you..." Guren wanted ask, but she didn't get to finish as Naruto grabbed Yukimaru by the throat before turning to face her with the boy kicking in mid-air as he struggled to breathe and get out of the firm grip on him.
"It is interesting that someone who has so far lived to bring other people pain can have that kind of an expression," Naruto said in a calm tone, not even bothered by the fact that he was suffocating Yukimaru. "These eyes are innocent, and they are cared for. That much is evident by your expression, but does someone like you deserve to have something important to you?"
"I swear if something happens to him, I will hunt you down and murder you with my own hands!" Guren swore as she took some giant steps towards Naruto. Her tone was just dangerous and cold. A lessor man would have been frightened but it had no effect on Naruto whatsoever.
"When I came in here, I saw so humans who have been made to suffer by Orochimaru. Poor miserable humans, I can almost pity them... You might not have been involved in the experiments, but there is a chance that you kidnapped them from their villages. You took them from their beloved; don't you think it's only fair if I take something from you as well?"
Guren had no response to that. She certainly hasn't been a saint and has enjoyed seeing so many things happening in Orochimaru's hideouts. She had watched with joy when experiments kill each other but she could not stand it happening to Yukimaru. She had after all become attached to the boy. He was someone important to her and she could not just watch him suffer.
She knew that if she tried to attack, he would use Yukimaru as a shield. He wasn't even giving her an opening and with the speed she had just witnessed, there was no getting the jump on him. She was in a bind in this situation and it wasn't very pleasant. It was usually the other way around.
"There is redheaded girl named Karin, where is she?" Naruto demanded.
'Redhead?' Guren thought for a few moments. "I don't know..." she said.
"I'd say he has about a few seconds before the oxygen inside his lungs run outs and it will be lights out for him," Naruto said calmly.
"I don't know where she is!" Guren shouted.
"Really?" When the blond asked that question, Yukimaru was no longer kicking out, he was out of energy, out of breath and slowly drifting towards the world of unconscious bliss.
"I swear I don't know where she is. She keeps moving around the hideouts..."
Naruto dropped Yukimaru do the ground before responding. "I see," he said. "Would you mind 'escaping' this place now? Or you can free the humans while I set up explosive tags around this hideout..."
Guren looked at the blond as if he was crazy. "Why would I do something like that?" He had freed Yukimaru, she wasn't in any bind to do as he pleased.
"Never mind," Naruto said with a shake of his head. He created ten clones before speaking to Guren one last time. "Well, Guren... we will meet again... well, if Orochimaru doesn't kill you. If not, we shall meet..." he disappeared along with his clones.
Guren just sped towards Yukimaru without even pausing to think about Naruto's last words. she was most concerned about Yukimaru's health than anything. Naruto could wait, it wasn't like she was going to forget every word he had said to her anyway; she had a strong memory and would not forget this encounter.
A few minutes later
'I'm surprised that you bothered to free those people,' Kurama said to Naruto. the blond had walked away without looking as if he was going to do anything. Well, he shouldn't really be surprised. Although he has toned it down a notch, Naruto was still a mother's boy.
Naruto was hopping through the trees heading towards the fire country. When he heard the Kyubi's voice, he did not slow down; he just continued speeding through the forest, knowing that Sasuke was waiting for him.
He had to make another stop somewhere else. It would be for the rest of the day and he would be on the move again in the next day. He had told Sasauke that they would meet up in a day or two.
'Don't be surprised by my actions,' Naruto responded calmly. 'You're being awfully talkative,' the blond noted.
It wasn't like the Bijuu to speak to much with him in just one day. Usually, the Bijuu just kept its thoughts to it self. They only talked when he made his appearance in the cell. Perhaps it was getting bored being all alone with nothing but water as its surrounding and a lack of a changing scenery.
'You're just doing things that make me comment,' Kurama said calmly. 'Aside from that, I'm bored and I don't necessarily hate you enough to refuse speaking to you. You also much different from the other humans, and as you have said, we are somewhat similar in our dislike for humans.'
'Interesting,' Naruto said.
'Don't confuse my words,' Kurama said in a firm tone. He didn't need to explain for Naruto to understand what he meant by those words. The blond Uzumaki was smart enough to conclude things without them being spelled out for him.
'Don't take me for a naïve child,' Naruto retorted. 'I did what I did. It wasn't because of kindness anyway. In their state, the sexually demented and slavers won't take them. They are already damaged and the worst that can happen is that they can kill themselves.'
'Sometimes I wonder if you're really Kushina's son,' Kurama said. 'Why didn't you kill that woman? You're don't show mercy and I'd be baffled if you said that you have stopped killing humans or that reason you gave her was your real reason. You didn't fight her because you would've ended up killing her, that I understand...'
'She will be useful in the days to come,' Naruto responded calmly. 'I have tested her character and I know her weakness. Admittedly, her weakness is like mine, but that matters little. What is important is that I can use her, if she still alive when I need her power.'
Kurama couldn't help but laugh. The blond wasn't really above using humans, and really, he didn't have allies, he had tools. Maybe the Uchihas were a little different but everyone else was possibly tools for the blond to use for his purpose.
The Bijuu didn't say anything further though. He retreated to his own thoughts.
The following day
Unknown Location
There were chakra signatures all over the place, but a few moments ago, he hadn't been able to sense anything because of the barrier around this location. This was a base of operations for the Ne, but it also acted as a training ground. The house that was built in the middle of nowhere was surrounded by booby trapped fields and an underground facility beneath it.
Shinobi with plans had this kind of things around the Elemental Nations, why not him as well? Naruto was also planning things so it was only convenient that he also have his own hideout.
The Ne group was one that would get him in trouble if discovered that he was leading. As far was Konoha was concerned, Ne agents had died along with Danzo.
"This is quite the space you have created," Sasuke said as he appeared behind Naruto. It bothered him a little that Naruto had kept something like this from him, but he was impressed.
The blond was standing at the entrance of the house. With Sasuke present, Naruto opened the door and walked through the large sitting room into the what appeared to be a study. "Copy my hand signs with your Sharingan," Naruto said before doing hand seals. Once he did so, he flashed away.
Sasuke followed the same example with his Sharingan activated and disappeared as well. He appeared inside a large underground room. He could sense chakra signatures within, but his eyes could not see anything. He just followed Naruto out of the room and they went towards a passage that was lit with candles. The blond turned into a corner and entered into what appeared to be a war room.
There was only one person in the room and it was Sai.
Naruto took a seat beside the large wooden table before speaking. "Welcome, Sasuke," the blond said. "I hope you've grown enough that you won't become a liability."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Will you stop treating me like a child? I get that enough from my mother, and with her I cannot get mad because she is my mother, but it is insulting when you also treat me like a child and hide things from me..."
"I can believe that," Naruto responded calmly. "But your attitude sometimes makes it difficult to trust you with some things. Though you'd never sell out, I find some difficulty in telling you everything. Perhaps some parts of me still see you in the same light as you were before we left Konoha. In any case, I should start trusting you."
Maybe he also felt like an adult because he was sleeping with Mikoto. Really, sometimes Sasuke was just a child and he was the adult. Sometimes he needed to wait for Sasuke to leave the house or sleep for him to get serious with his mother. It was like parents trying to keep the eyes and ears of their child innocent away from the adult conversations.
"I'm listening," Sasuke said, his blood red eyes firmly on Naruto.
"I should start where I was..." Naruto started.
"You'd gone to Orochimaru," Sasuke interrupted before Naruto could continue. "I figured that'd be the only reason you'd leave Konoha. If it was the Akatsuki, you would have said so and we would have gone together. even if it was something that has to do with the future you would have told me. But why didn't you go with me?"
"Because your presence would have made things difficult. You cannot forget that Orochimaru once tried to brand you with the cursed seal. We already know that it might have been a plan to get you to become his vessel. With your presence, he would have come much trickier to deal with because he would have persisted in seeing how far you have grown. It is a little different with me because I don't have any special ability or bloodline, things that Orochimaru prices, especially the Sharingan."
Sasuke still didn't find the problem in that situation. If Naruto was saying that Orochimaru was dangerous, it was going to be easy to deal with him because the two of them wouldn't have had much difficulty in fighting Orochimaru. Maybe the problem was just Naruto more concerned with his plans than anything. certainly, if it was about the danger the blond was fearing, then both of them would have dealt with the situation.
Another matter was perhaps the hassle of dealing with the situation. If Naruto put had his mind to it, he could have worked out a plan that would negate all consequences that could arise from his presence.
"Is there any other reason?"
"Yes," Naruto said. "I was also handling something important for my clan. There is an Uzumaki that is with Orochimaru... before I went there, it was all just a rumour but now I am certain of it. there was the danger that we would not be able to find any other Uzumaki alive in the Elemental Nations - which would kill off any thoughts of restoring the clan."
Sasuke raised an eye brow at the response. He could understand Naruto trying to handle clan matters alone. It was something personal - anyone could understand it, but there seemed to be more to his explanation. "What would have happened if it had turned out to be false?"
"I would have been disappointed enough to eradicate everything that was within site. My mother wishes for this to happen, and to some extant; it is my desire as well," Naruto responded calmly. "We must limit the number of days Orochimaru has to live in this world."
Sasuke smiled, "Since you when did you start deciding who should live in this world?"
There were was no other way to interpret what Naruto was saying than that. Sasuke knew that it didn't just end with Orochimaru. More people would be removed from this world. The blond has admitted that he would rather not have most humans living in this world. The only reason he hasn't taken the effort to reduce the population was because his mother was alive and she would not agree to it.
Naruto didn't respond to that question; it was pointless. "I'll set a timeline and shall decide when Orochimaru must leave this world. Then, we will face the Akatsuki. Until every one of them is dead, we will begin you trying to 'manage' this world."
Sasuke snorted. Naruto wanted nothing more than to have the world in the way that would please him. There was no question that the blond found humans to be disgusting creatures, even though he was one of them. For him to live peacefully with his mother, this world would have to be peaceful. The how didn't matter, as long as it was shaped in way he liked, the blond wouldn't mind, even if it was shaped by blood.
"What is this?"
"Just a base of operations," Naruto said with a wave of his right hand. "To be able to control the future of this world, you need to have pieces that are able to move about and cause an effect. I cannot be everywhere at any time and there are things that I cannot do as Uzumaki Naruto... someone must do them for me." the blond looked at Sai and nodded.
"We have managed to spread our web all over the Great Villages, excluding Konoha and Sunagakure. The Cloud and Earth are both dangerous and cannot be moved by mere words. The Raikage is an understanding man, but he seems to respect strength more than anything and he gets emotional. Still, the Lightning is very strong... The Sandaime Tsuchikage is old, but not stupid. I assume his grandchild, will be the next Kage..."
Naruto nodded, "I must court her then," He said. "I can leave Kumogakure alone for now and look at the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. It might be difficult though, but I will try something. If she is touchable, I wouldn't mind getting the Tsuchikage to get an early retirement and a meeting with other dead Kages," he paused, "That would leave Kiri..."
"It is recovering from a civil war, but the Mizukage is someone we don't know much about other than that she is a dual blood-line holder..." Sai said.
"I have two appointments then," Naruto said. "You will accompany me to one meeting, choose..."the blond said to Sasuke.
"I'm curious," Sasuke started. "You have nothing to offer to Kiri, but I wouldn't be surprised if you managed to get the woman to like you. But if she is another shark, it would be difficult. What I am most interested in is how you will deal with the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. Iwa is notorious for its hatred towards your father, and I don't think she would be willing to listen to anything you say... how are you going to deal with it?"
"I guess you will join me when Kurotsuchi leaves Iwa," Naruto said. "I'm thinking about moving Sai back to Konoha. It will be difficult to explain it to Tsunade and if I manage to explain it to her with troubles, I will have a cloud of suspicion on me."
"Why risk that much?" Sasuke asked. "I know you wouldn't have a problem with the suspicions, but as you have said, things will move much better if we don't have the eyes of the Godaime and her Anbu all over us... if you get suspected of anything, I'm also included in it."
"I know," Naruto said. "But I want to have all cards close just in case Jiraiya sniffs this out. I don't underestimate his intelligence. Maybe it would be best if I let him know and 'beg' him to keep it from Tsunade. If this gets discovered I have him to cover up for me..."
"What makes you think he would do something like that?"
Naruto shrugged, "I think that will be the safest bet..." he turned to Sai. "Do you know where he is?"
"No," Sai shook his head. "But if you want us to look for him, we can."
"No, its fine," Naruto said. "You must prepare yourself though. If things go well with Jiraiya, I might have to move you to Konoha..." the blond paused as he stood up. "You know this place... it is like a safe house in case we have to run away from something or someone. I wanted you to see it... we can head back to Konoha."
Sasuke nodded and stood up. He figured Naruto had rested enough and even if he had not, the blond wouldn't want to stay the hideout without any reason. He would rather go back to Konoha where his mother was waiting for him.
They were going to get to Konoha by night. but it was alright, they would get to start a new day at Konoha afresh. "What else did you find from Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked as hopped through the trees with Naruto by his side.
"A potential new piece," Naruto said calmly. "You will know her soon enough. I have a feeling that it won't be long before we get to meet her. Things don't appear to be going according to plan and despite how obsessed she is with her master, she has other feelings that may sway to change tunes... when that happens, I will be waiting."
"Just be careful," Sasuke said. "You keep taking in 'pieces' if you're not careful, one of these pieces might betray you or you might just fail to control them..."
Naruto turned to Sasuke with a surprised look on his face.
"It is insulting when you give me that kind of a look because I just gave you a warning," Sasuke said.
"You just surprised me. I was not expecting such words to come out of your mouth," Naruto said. "But you were heard."
The Following Morning
Naruto's House
Yugao stood by the entrance of the kitchen, staring at Naruto - who was sitting at the kitchen table along with his mother. She hadn't heard him when he returned, but she wasn't surprised. He was Uzumaki Naruto after all. If his mother sensed him, it must have been just motherly instincts, nothing less and nothing more.
The former Anbu agent walked towards the table and settled down with mother and son on either side of her. she turned to Kushina with a smile, "Morning, Kushina," she greeted.
Kushina smiled, but she didn't give an immediate response; she was checking out Yugao's clothing and her appearance in general; the woman looked messy and her 'night' clothes were 'inappropriate' with Naruto present. It was okay when she it was just the two of them, but not when her son was seeing it.
"Morning to you too, Yugao," Kushina said with a smile. "Are you sure you should still be dressing like that? It is a bit revealing and despite everything, Naruto is still a male..."
Yugao looked down for a moment to see what she was wearing - it wasn't that she had forgotten, it was just out of habit or something like that. After a few moments of thinking, she shrugged. "I wasn't thinking that Naruto would be here... besides, Naruto isn't the type to get any funny thoughts. Unlike some perverts, Naruto is a decent person, right?"
Naruto's eyes stared with Yugao's for a moment before he looked away. The woman was challenging him for some game he didn't know and was not going to play. However, he knew that his mother would draw a meaning to his response. His mother wanted him to behave like a teenage kid, even though it was impossible, she still expected him to show interest in woman. If so, then she could have a hope of having grandchildren.
"That may be true, but it doesn't mean that I am blind," Naruto said calmly. "But I can ignore it."
Yes, he could certainly do that. If a naked woman just walked in here, he could handle himself. He could control himself from behaving out of character even though it would be understandable given what he would be seeing. Naruto was a lot more controlled and his experiences with Mikoto were helping him control emotions a lot better.
In that sort of situatiom, he would probably hurry to get some clothes to get the lady dressed. He was a person of manners after all.
Kushina smiled, slightly amused by Naruto's response. "You're not blind, huh? If I wasn't slightly embarrassed, I would have asked what you were seeing, and in detail as well..." the redhead Uzumaki said.
When Naruto's eyes turned to her with that gaze that made her feel as if she was naked, Yugao stared, "It makes me uncomfortable if you stare like that," the purple haired said.
Naruto shrugged, "I was curious," he said, but didn't explain anything; his focus went back to his mother as he addressed her on a different matter. "I have some good news, mother," he said with a smile, a small smile but a smile nonetheless.
"What?"
"I was able to confirm the existence of an Uzumaki," Naruto responded. "She has been living in Orochimaru's hideouts. It is possible the snake Sannin collected her because there was something special with her... he does like to be surrounded by people with special abilities. You can have no fears of her being a test subject, and she isn't actively a kunoichi."
Of course, he added that because if he had stopped with just saying that she wasn't a test subject, it would have left the door open for the idea that she could be working with the snake Sannin in conducting experiments. That would just mean she was one of Orochimaru's lackeys and was doing immoral things. his mother would not have been pleased with that thought.
Kushina beamed up, "That is great news, Naruto," she said happily. "Our dream doesn't seem to be fading now. This gives hope that we will be able to revive our clan."
Naruto nodded; it was a matter of reviving the hope. They could not continue hoping for something when nothing tangible motivated them. This also gave the hope that there could be another Uzumaki somewhere and if true, he would try to find them and sell them the dream to revive the Uzumaki clan.
"If she is with Orochimaru, do you think that he will simply allow her to leave?" Yugao asked, trying to reign down on the excitement.
"I don't think your thoughts are necessary, Yugao," Naruto said calmly. He knew what she was trying to do, and he did not appreciate it. "But to answer your question; Orochimaru won't obviously give her away like that, but if you want something you must fight for it. In this case, it might not necessarily involve fighting Orochimaru..."
"What do you mean by that?"
"She isn't always with Orochimaru," Naruto said. If she wasn't always with the snake, then he could strike when she was far away from him. There could be still some obstacles, but none dangerous as Orochimaru. "I can plan around that."
"Are you going to give her a choice?" Kushina asked. she got the feeling that Naruto would just snatch the girl away from Orochimaru and bring her here. She didn't want things to be like that. It would just be wrong. If someone was going to join their family, it would have to be by choice not by force.
"Of course mother," Naruto said. "What makes you ask something like that? It would be unthinkable for me to bring someone close to us who doesn't want to. It would be dangerous as we don't know what that person might do to any of us our sleep..."
That was something he had thought, but Karin wasn't necessary going to be given a choice. He had not thought of doing something like that but he had thought of what might happen if he didn't give her the choice. But just to be on the safe side, she wouldn't be allowed to live in this house - the Senju compound was available.
"I think I understand where your mother is coming from," Yugao said before Kushina could respond to Naruto's question. "There is a chance that she is with Orochimaru by choice..."
"Have you considered that?" Kushina added with a question.
"Yes," Naruto's tone was flat. "It would be unpleasant if she is with the snake by choice. There would have to be some damage control if not, I don't think such a person would be safe to live with, even though they are one of us. It isn't just blood that defines a person's worth and importance, but character. Yugao isn't related by blood, she is family - that was brought by her personality.
But of course I wouldn't just cast aside someone from our clan due to the shortage. There would have to be rehabilitation programme. If it fails, we will have to reconsider," Naruto reasoned calmly. "How was your time in my absence, mother? I hope the Godaime didn't take it as an opportunity to interrogate you for information about me..." the blond asked with a small smile.
"I wouldn't sell out my own son even if he was out doing something naughty," Kushina said with a smile.
"You know I don't do naughty things, mother," Naruto said. "I am a well behaved child and listens to his mother..."
Kushina laughed, so did Yugao. "You know, that isn't wrong at all," the former said with a smile. "You behave well and do listen to me. I'm so blessed to have a son who listens to me," the woman added.
A few minutes later
Once again, Yugao caught herself closing the door behind her as she entered Naruto's study. She was doing it a lot more often these days because she didn't want Kushina to hear what she was saying with the blond. Besides, there were things that happened in here and she didn't want Kushina to witness it if it happened again. Yugao shook her head, what was she thinking?
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you have become my shadow," Naruto said without looking at Yugao. "You keep following me whenever I'm in this house. Are you going to follow me when I visit the small room as well?"
"Small room?"
"Toilet," Naruto said.
"No," Yugao said. "Maybe when you want to take a shower, I might be tempted to follow, or better yet, when you sneak out to Mikoto's bed in the middle night. I bet I would see some interesting things," she was just teasing the blond.
"Well, it wouldn't be anything you've yet to see," Naruto said with indifference. "And nothing you haven't done. The reason the Sandaime pushed you towards me was because you were having an emotional breakdown with the loss of someone important to you... that person you were sleeping with..."
"Please don't say it like that," Yugao was quick to say. "You make it seem as if it was nothing but just the lust. But what Hayate and I had was love. Maybe you don't understand it, but I do hope that one day you get to experience it... and I don't mean the love you have your mother. I'm talking about romantic love."
Naruto was silent for a few moments before asking, "Do you wish to help me experience it, Yugao?"
"Huh?"
"What brought you here?" Naruto changed the subject because really, he wasn't interested in having that kind of a conversation with the woman. Something like that could come later; he was trying to solve some important matters now.
Yugao blinked before shaking her head. "Anko," she started. "You've had contact with Kurenai and now it is Anko... what do you want from her? I know it has nothing to do with friendship. You don't make friends Naruto, you attract things and people that you can use."
The blond Uzumaki raised an eyebrow at the blunt accusation. It wasn't completely false, was it? "I believe I was forthcoming with Anko... if you think I have something hidden, you can try to discover it yourself, I won't help you, and I won't entertain that subject ever again. I told Anko what I needed and that was it..."
"Anko is my friend, Naruto... I just don't want her getting hurt..."
"You really don't know your value, and that is slightly sad," Naruto said with a shake of his head.
Senju Compound
"Neh Naruto," Mikoto started in a quiet tone. They were lying atop of the rooftop, hidden by genjutsu. The sun was hitting just right, with a slightly cold breeze washing over the atmosphere. "What do you think about me? Personally... what would you call what we are doing if you were asked to name it..."
It was one of those tricky questions that women asked. Naruto was learning a few things, and really he had hoped that Mikoto would not ask him the kind of question, not now anyway. He had been struggling with his emotions regarding her. it was a difficult subject to touch on given that he hadn't gone all the way to care for people during those younger days, even now it was still the same.
The only difference now was that there were people he was close too, a couple of them, but he still did not go all out to care just for anyone. Maybe it wasn't the same. Yes, things had changed, he hadn't bothered caring for anyone back then. Humans were just despicable creatures that had done nothing but made his life miserable.
Yet, Mikoto had acknowledged him, she had called him her hero. The woman had given him an experience that he could not quite forget - It was unique and something that no one else could give him. He had learned to care for her since then. She was an important person, someone he could not discard; she wasn't a piece in in his magical box of tricks.
If anything, the woman had been the one to use him to satisfy her physical needs. Well, he was learning something from it and really, the experience got him to know much more about Mikoto. He might not be able to connect that well because he had his own problems with emotions, but really she was an important person.
"I wouldn't know what to call it if I was asked," Naruto went with the truth. "I mean, I am the person who cannot really understand all that it has to do with emotions. If I say I understand everything about them, I would be lying, but because I have had much time ignoring them, dealing with them makes it difficult for me, even trying to comprehend them.
"But what I do know is that you're an important person to me. The first person I admitted to caring for was Ino... she was a friend. Whatever it is, I feel that you're an important person in my life, someone that I could not afford to lose. There is really no one like you, because you're not a tool I can replace."
Mikoto was silent for a few moments; she was simply content with just listening to her thoughts. At least Naruto had given her a response, and it was more or less, what she had expected of him. Naruto did struggle to deal with emotions after all.
"You called me... I thought it was a booty call," Mikoto said, opting against commenting on what Naruto had said. "What did you want to discuss?"
"I found three women that could be useful and all three have different personalities. The manipulation game does yield great results but I wish to play the gentleman this time around with these women. I want you to teach me how to approach a woman," Naruto said. "
"Three more?" Mikoto said with raised brow. "Are you trying to create a harem of your own, Naruto? Kushina won't be pleased if she learns something like that..."
"Harem? I have no plans on creating something like that." Naruto was quick to say.
Mikoto smiled, "I know," she said. "But I am a little jealous; nevertheless, I don't think I can teach you that easily. What if I teach you and then you start liking them... leaving me..."
"You underestimate your worth," Naruto said to Mikoto. "What I want from you is how to be 'human'. I know some drills, but I'm willing to acknowledge that my appearance sometimes doesn't appear 'humane' and it puts some people on guard."
"First tell me the names of these people, why you want to get to them and maybe I will agree to it..."