What is Worth Protecting? -Naruto

#41 Issues Arise

"Ryou-kun! I think I may have gotten us into something..." Naruto paused as he walked into the door, seeing Sakura sitting in the living room. "Again." Finishing his sentence, he looked at Ryou who had Haruki out, plain as day. "Don't look at me like that, Sakura-san figured it out fast... not to mention, it's not like it'll be a secret forever." Ryou shrugged his shoulders, as Haruki's eyes shined at the blond. Babbling towards the blond, Naruto looked back towards Haruki and smiled brightly, Ryouichi silently handed him the baby while giving a quick kiss to the blonds cheek before walking past. "Hi Haru-chan... did ya miss me?" The smile was worth a million words to the blond as he giggled at the look.

Sakura who was silently watching the exchange couldn't help the smile, "You're really good parents, never thought you would be the first to have a child but suppose that happens." She said shrugging before Naruto looked towards her curiously. "You figured out what exactly?" Sakura stood up and silently leaned against the wall next to them, staring at Haruki who gave her a curious look. "When I saw Haruki, he resembled you way to much, not to mention what Sandaime-sama..." She paused as she felt a wave of emotions thinking of the old Kage. "He told us about your whiskers being aproduct of the Kyuubi chakra... and Haruki being three months didn't make sense... unless you were the Kyuubi Jinchuriki." She repeated her reasoning, and Naruto sighed.

"You were always the smartest girl in class." Sakura went silent afterwards before she looked towards Ryouichi. "Ryou told me the rest, said that it was going to be revealed soon anywa-" "Anyway, so it wouldn't hurt if you knew already... Yeah, sounds like him." Naruto muttered as she shook her head. "Is this why you left the team?" The blond gave a silent nod as he coddled the child in his arms a little. "How could I not... I wouldn't want to miss this... I was a mess after a week in the forest of death, I can't imagine much longer." She nodded in understanding, looking towards the two of them one last time. "I see... but why were you in the Chunin exams?" She pointed it to Ryouichi more than the blond.

"It was, so we would have more insight in the Chunin exams. My spies were one of the reasons why we were so prepared for this invasion... I just wish it was enough..." He really did like Hiruzen, he made a good grandfatherly figure when it came to the chats that they had, and he knew that Naruto was completely distraught from it. "Oh! Ryouichi, we need to help pervy sage with something, he said we should leave right away!" Sakura tilted her head at that. "pervy sage?"  She mouthed in confusion as Naruto looked over. "Jiraiya of the Sannin." She instantly had a look of realization, knowing what little orange book's author's name was. "Ah... Pervy sage..." She had to remember that one.

"What is it? His village just got invaded, what's so important to leave right away?" The blond sighed. "The next Hokage of course." Ryouichi's eyebrow quirked. "And why does he need us?" Sakura was curious as well while Iren walked into the room, curious to hear the commotion of the three teenagers. "Because he's going to ask Tsunade to be Hokage." Ryouichi frowned at the mention of the slug Sannin. "She managed to cure you of the illness but it was to far gone for me..." The will his father left him on his mind as he sighed. "Fine, the announcement will have to postpone, it would be bothersome to deal with the council than just a Hokage about it all."

"The council? My mom usually manages the civilians side of the council, it shouldn't be that bad?" Sakura offered, she had seen her mother up most nights sorting through copious amounts of paperwork, though most of the papers ended in the garbage can, most were absurd laws or bills that would make the ninja's lose most of their pay from the market so it would leave the village more of a marketing one rather than a ninja one.

"Mabuki Haruno, Yes I know of her, she has dealt with a lot of the hardships of this village, so I heard, though some people on the council will not have the same ideals, it's best to wait where there's an actual leader, I am the Daimyo, but most ninja look towards the Hokage, not me." shrugging his shoulders. "I am 'just' rich in the eyes of many, or so many think." Sakura couldn't blame him for that, she was also one to think that the daimyo was just a funding for the village, powerful for his riches, not also from actual power... 

 "Tsunade huh... gotta see what my old dear cousin has been up too.

...

Thirty minutes passed and Jiraiya, Naruto, and Ryouichi met up and started their way towards the last known location of Tsunade... Naruto had begrudgingly let go of Haruki who had fallen asleep, though he really wanted to take him with them, he knew it'd probably be the best. 

However... with Zabuza, he had somehow managed to be suckered in a conversation with some Jounins, a red eyes woman and a man who smelled of cigarettes. "What is that you want from me again?" Zabuza groaned, knowing he somehow managed to become a third wheel, and he was not in the mood  to play twenty questions. Just as he was wondering where the hell they were going his eyes caught sight of two figures, pausing the two in front of him looked back towards him. "Whats the matter?" Kurenai asked as Zabuza's eyes focused in on one of the figures... "Somethings wrong..."

...

Silent footsteps walked through the village, eyes scanning every corner before they were suddenly stopped by three presences... "Kisame Hoshigaki, It's been a while." Zabuza grabbed his executioners blade and brought it up to his shoulders. "Oh? The little demon of the mist, what are you doing here?" Zabuza gritted his teeth, knowing how overwhelming the blade in his hands was, and the person next to him doesn't even seem like a slouch either. "I would ask the same thing, but I'm here on business. How about you leave this village!" 

"I'm afraid we can't do that..." The three looked towards the other who said that, his hat being discarded, and Zabuza's eyes are the only thing that could be distinguished... "Those eyes..."  The spinning pinwheel swirled in their very eyes, "We are looking for Naruto Uzumaki." Kurenai and Asuma couldn't help but choke back a scoff. "Itachi Uchiha..." While Zabuza couldn't help but laugh, "So everyone wants a piece of the blond brat, trust me, I tried, I failed." Kisame's eyebrows raised at that, wondering how that could have happened, Kisame was declared as the deadliest of the swordsman of the mist, but Zabuza always seem to be on his toes when it came to sheer willpower.

"Interesting, the Kyuubi runt pulled a fast one over you, did he?" Zabuza lifted his blade and brought it forward, his chakra flaring. "Enough of this!" Kurenai shouted as she went through some handsigns, Asuma pulling out a few kunai, and Zabuza jumping onto the nearby canal... "Damn kid... what kinda mess did you get into this time." 

...

A loud sneeze had echoed through the forest, the blond stopping on a tree branch as Ryouichi and Jiraiya stayed back. "Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Ryou called back as the blond stood up, wiping his nose as he did, "Yeaah... Somebody is probably talking about me." Naruto stood up and his arm twitched once again, giving a silent curse, he shook it off as he heard Kurama mutter in the back of his mind. "I told you not to use that Jutsu, but nooo, Don't listen to the old wise Bijuu." Naruto heard the fox go on while he tried to tune him out. "Old sure, maybe not wise." He shot back as he heard a roar of disapproval from the fox.

Though he was right, the Rasengan he had used against Shukaku was indeed powerful, though there was heavy backlash when it came to the use of it... the lightning style Rasengan had arched through his arm before it hit the Bijuu, so he had to figure a way to stabilize the jutsu, or never use that jutsu again... Feeling the twitch again he looked up towards Ryouichi and Jiraiya who kept pushing forward... "I wonder if Tsunade could heal it." Kurama interjected by saying: "I will eventually heal it, though your nerves got fried, your lucky you're even able to walk cause of me." Naruto grimanced, "Don't use that jutsu again, got it..." Naruto just hopped this trip was going to be uneventful... how wrong he would be...

...

When the two cloaked Ninja were able to get away from the others in Konoha, they had gotten the information by complete and utter coincidence... "Jiraiya of the sannin then... this will be fun." Leaving Kakashi in a unconscious state almost as soon as he got there, the jounins were trying to get their bearings on what to do... "We need someone to go after them! If they find Naruto, who knows might happen to the kid!" A certain Uchiha had walked in on a interesting conversation... until his eyes turned red in almost a instant. "What can we do against them though Kurenai? It's Kisame and Itachi we have to deal with!" And almost as soon as the name flew out of his mouth, Sasuke was on the road, knowing exactly which direction they went...

...

TBC

Short but an update!