Naruto had long ago removed his last restriction seal as trees and unshaped colors blurred past him. Behind him was both of his friends as they strainingly tried to keep up with his speed while calling his name. Their calls fell on deaf ears as he sped through the trees with speeds not seen since the late Yondaime Hokage.
Naruto came to an abrupt stop next to a fallen tree. Sasuke and Hinata stopped by him not even five seconds later out of breath and crouched over. Sasuke was the first to catch his breath as he stood upright, Hinata came in a close second as she stood.
Although they were grateful at his stopping, they were confused that he stopped at this tree, they had passed many broken trees on the way here so what made this one so special. They took a closer and found what made this tree special. There was the imprint of a man in the tree like someone had gotten slammed into it.
Naruto didn't acknowledge their presence as he searched the area in a hurry trying to quell the nagging sense of dread that had built itself up quickly inside of him and refused to leave.
" Naruto what are you doing there is nothing here," Sasuke called to his friend as he followed closely behind him.
" Naruto are you okay, you just took off without warning us or telling us where you were going," Hinata said as they had caught up with him and were walking side by side.
" Something happened to Jiji I can feel it," Came Naruto's short answer as he continued walking around looking for any clue as to what he was looking for since he had no idea he was looking for either.
Sasuke and Hinata went silent when they heard the seriousness in his voice and the direness of the situation. They both shared a look as they split up to look for any clues as to what happened.
Naruto froze mid walk when he saw the pale dead body of his surrogate grandfather. ' No,' Naruto thought as his heart burned in agony. Naruto fell to his knees as he stared at the body in shock and anguish. Naruto didn't even register that his two friends were now standing on either side of him.
" Naruto," Sasuke said silently as he laid a hand on his teammate's shoulder in a caring manner. Naruto's eyes jaded as he started towards the ground blankly.
~~~<(Timeskip)>~~~
Naruto let out an angry grunt as he stuck his training post for the hundredth time this hour. Naruto's fists were bloodied and bruised but the pole looked much worse as it snapped in half like a twin after his last punch.
" Damn it," Naruto growled angrily as he stared down at his now blood covered fist. Naruto's vision started to get blurry as he continued to look down at his hands. Naruto for the first time in a week cried. Naruto sunk to his knees.
" I failed," Naruto said to himself softly as tears dripped down onto his balled up fist. Naruto jaw was clenched in angst. ' I'll make that bastard Orochimaru pay with his life,' Naruto thought in anger as he stood, slowly. Naruto created twelve enhanced cloned without moving an inch. The clones ran off in different directions set on one goal, find and terminate Orochimaru along with his peon Kabuto.
~~~<(Sasuke^P.O.V)>~~~
Sasuke with a barely noticeable flick of the wrist, let loose 10 kunai in quick succession towards some seemingly normal bushes. Sasuke's three tomoe Sharingan shot from left to right as the bushes transformed into people and quickly surrounded him.
" Did you honestly think that your illusions would trick my Sharingan," Sasuke said, his tone thick with arrogance and tad of annoyance.
" You think that those eyes will save you but they won't," The biggest of the four said with a cocky smirk. Sasuke just scoffed at the proclamation as he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
" Oh, is that so," Sasuke said, his tone filled to the brim with arrogance. The four turned around quickly and dropped into fighting positions. They settled their glares at the dark haired teen who scoffed.
" Tou think your tough shit don't you, you fucking pussy, I'll beat your bitch ass to a fucking pulp," The red-haired girl said angrily as she pulled out her flute.
" Oh, so you guys are finally going to attack I thought you guys were just going to bore me to death for a second," Sasuke said with a smirk and he stopped leaning against the tree. Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly as he prepared to fight his opponents.
The three males ran at Sasuke as the girl jumped back and pulled out senbon as she prepared to back up her team. The larger boy threw a punch at Sasuke, who just moved to the side before hitting the brute with a chakra enforced kick to the gut sending him flying towards the girl who had to jump out of the way lest she be crushed.
" You bastard I'll fucking kill you," Tayuya screamed as she threw four senbon. Sasuke saw them coming a mile away. Sasuke did a backflip to dodge the projectiles while simultaneously creating hand seals.
"; Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu;" Sasuke thought as he spewed out a large fireball. Sasuke reached into his pockets while still in the air and channeled some chakra into the seals Naruto placed in his pants, Kunai appeared in both of his hands as he threw them at the sides of the fireball.
As Sasuke planned the two had split up and dodged the fireball but both of his kunai were knocked out of the air by well-placed senbon.
" *tch* YOu annoying bitch, I'm going to enjoy killing you," Sasuke said darkly as he jumped back to dodge a large meaty fist that took up the place where his head once resided.
" Eat shit fuck head," Came Tayuya's "intelligent" response. Sasuke growled in anger as the three males circled him.
" I'm tired of this fuckhead lets up the stakes shall we," Kidomaru said as the clearing was filled with a large amount of malice due to all of the sound four activating there seals. Kidomaru jumped back into the forest while Tayuya replaced him. Sweat beaded down Sasuke's face as he stared wearily at his opponents.
" Where'd all that big talk go Uchiha. Now you see the difference in our power don't you," Sakon said with a cocky smirk.
" *tch* Shut the hell up," Sasuke roared as he deactivated his seals and charged in blind rage. Sasuke was subdued and beaten after Ukon joined in the fight.
" This power we have was granted to us by Lord Orochimaru and he is offering you the same type of power, be grateful we don't kill you if you want power like us meet us at the west gate a dawn tomorrow," Sakon said as they all disappeared.
" Kuso," Sasuke said angrily as he punched the ground and ground his teeth together in anger. ' They beat me and I had my seals off, I was at full power dammit,' Sasuke thought angrily as he punched the ground again.
~~<(HInata^P.O.V>)>~~~
Hinata stood outside of Naruto's compound office and listened to him scream out profanities and destroyed things. The smell of alcohol burned her nose when she opened the door. Hinata swallowed hard when an empty wine bottle flew past her face and broke on the wall behind her.
Naruto was frozen in terror as he looked at her. Naruto's hands were shaking almost uncontrollably before he sunk to his knees and covered his face with his still shaking hands while sobbing incoherently.
" Oh Naruto-kun," Hinata said sadly as she lifted his right arm over her shoulder and stood up albeit with difficulty. Hinata took Naruto to his room and laid him down on his bed where they had spent countless passionate nights together before. Hinata laid next to Naruto and placed his head on her chest as she hummed and played with his hair. Hinata barely noticed that she too was nodding off.
Hinata woke up some hours later to find that she was in the bed alone. Hinata sighed as she stood up and stretched. Hinata walked through the mansion and headed towards Naruto's office. Unlike last night Naruto's office was completely spotless and now smelled like lavender though the scent of alcohol still lingered slightly.
Hinata heard thumping outside in Naruto's personal training ground and let out a sigh. ' Of course he's training,' Hinata thought to herself as she shook her head.
~~~<(Sasuke^P.O.V.)>~~~
Sasuke walked aimlessly through the village as he replayed last nights events in his mind over and over. ' With that type of power killing my brother would be child's play,' That thought stopped Sasuke in his tracks.
" Sasuke-Nee," Sasuke was broken out of his musing by the sound of Hinata's voice. Sasuke blinked owlishly at her, Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Hinata which took her by surprise slightly but not enough to deter her from her goal.
" Naruto, he's training himself into the ground and I'm afraid that he might end up hurting himself, I was wondering if you would go talk to him you, you're closer to him than I am despite our relationship," Hinata asked pleadingly. Sasuke's eyes softened as he could put himself in Naruto's shoes considering he experienced the same thing except his actual family was taken and not just some surrogate grandfather.
" Yeah I'll stop by," Sasuke said as he turned around and disappeared in in a plume of fire. Hinata sighed as she also disappeared leaving a puddle behind.
~~~<(Naruto^P.O.V.)>~~~
Naruto dropped his last book on weapons as he opened his palm, a bead of sweat dropped down Naruto's forehead as he forced his chakra out through his hand and gave it the physical form of an ax. Naruto let out a sigh as some of his chakra rushed back into him after the ax lost form and dispersed.
" *tch* kuso," Naruto said in anger as he tried it again but this time he couldn't even give it a physical form. " Dammit, why won't this fucking work!?" Naruto screamed as anger clouded his mind for the sixth time today. Naruto's chakra flared wildly and lashed out at nothing but it left sizable gashed due to his wind natures potency.
" Dammit all," Naruto yelled in anger as frost covered his windows and his candle went out. The ground under Naruto's feet froze. Naruto noticed the changes to his office and calmed himself before creating shadow clones who got to work without being instructed as Naruto went to his training round to blow off some steam.
Naruto summoned another group of shadow clones but this time he drew from the Kyuubi's almost infinite reserves to make the clones more of a challenge. there were one thousand clones in all but it barely made a dent in Naruto's reserves.
" Come at me," Naruto ordered without a hint of hesitation despite the fact that he was in the gaze of a number of glowing red eyes.
Clones rained down on Naruto in the fifties all trying valiantly to beat their creator. Naruto weaved through many attacks while simultaneously delivering his own, all of them fatal or crippling.
Naruto barely noticed how late it had got as he savagely grabbed a cloned face before channeling chakra into his arm and crushing its skull resulting in it going up in smoke. Naruto was on his last hundred clones as he ripped through the overpowered clones like an unstoppable juggernaut.
' Faster, faster, faster, faster,' a mantra that repeated over and over again in Naruto's head as he tore through the clones one by one. Naruto was going so fast that anyone with mid jonin or below abilities would not see anything but the occasional streak of white and blonde hair. Just as Naruto was about to finish off the last of the clones a jonin rushed into his training grounds panting.
" Sasuke Uchiha left the village with the sound fou-ack," The jonin's neck was held in Naruto's right hand as his feet were no longer touching the ground.
" Where," Was the only word that came out of Naruto mouth as he focused his fierce glare at the brown haired man who lifted his arm and pointed towards the west gate. In a flash Naruto was gone and the jonin fell ungracefully on the ground with his hand nurturing his cold bruised neck.
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Hey guys sorry about not uploading at all for quite a while I got pretty bad writer's block and for those who thought I was giving up on my story I'm not and I don't plan on it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter
Ja Ne