Kurenai Yuhi was already there.
Naruto sat next to the memorial for the fallen shinobi, Mitternacht continually rippling with thin neon-blue lighting along its black length.
Kurenai glanced at the Hokage, wondering if what she'd heard was actually what was going to happen. Also wondering exactly how she felt about it.
[Midnight, time to start.]
Naruto rose up and held the staff over his head. Words came from his lips, but the language wasn't familiar to any of those listening. A liquid sounding language that seemed to touch their ears but didn't linger long enough to really register.
Kurenai frowned as she tried to analyze it. She knew, somehow, that the voice was Naruto's but he was echoing words given to him from Mitternacht. She also knew, language barrier to the side, that the odd chant was a question and a welcoming.
No, decided Kurenai, it was an invitation.
Despite that, and despite being a jonin of the prestigious Leaf Village, and despite being a genjutsu mistress, Kurenai Yuhi couldn't completely suppress a jump as the first pale transparent form answered that call.
There were dozens of them gathered that she could see, and Kurenai had the distinct impression that many more she could not see had gathered there as well.
"Hear me, hear my offer," said Naruto, his voice sounding oddly mechanical and female as well as his usual male voice with the slightly rougher edge that he'd had since his journey. The two voices being spoken from the same mouth definitely added a further weirdness factor to the situation. "You who have died with your tasks unfinished. You who linger with regret. You who were not ready for that voyage. Hear me, hear my offer. Lay aside hate, lay aside anger. A choice before you I lay. When I open the Gate you may pass on, leaving your burdens behind. You may remain, returning to your restless passage. Or come to me that you may yet experience the world anew."
Naruto rotated the staff in a blur then moved to near the treeline and used the staff to sketch a square in midair. Glowing golden light marked the square, the lines clearly visible floating without actually being on a surface. At the end of it, Naruto went back to his original position and took a deep breath.
Chakra, blue and bright, became a visible haze around him as he lifted Mitternacht up and then brought it down to thump with deceptive softness on the ground.
The square he'd left behind shifted, becoming a door of gold and ivory that slowly peeled open.
Kurenai took a step forward as the light spilled out of that doorway. There was a sense of peace and tranquility radiating from that door. A sense of completion somehow.
Transparent forms moved towards it, seeming to define more fully as they approached that light.
"Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju," said the Third Hokage, tipping his hat slightly as two of those forms stopped in front of him.
They looked towards the light, inclined their heads towards their colleague, then stepped deliberately towards where Naruto was concentrating on the staff and trembling with exertion.
"Our time, is not quite done," said Hashirama.
"I think you'll need our help, and sometime soon," said Tobirama.
Kurenai stared at that scene briefly, then noticed others in the crowd. "TAKANO! REIJI!"
The two genin looked back at her, smiled, waved... and were gone through the door.
Kurenai Yuhi was only aware how close she herself was getting to the door when one of the ANBU was abruptly in front of her. The mask moved slightly from side to side and a woman's voice spoke. "No, Jonin. They will wait."
When they'd left, he'd followed.
When he'd gotten to the clearing where the memorial that Kakashi had explained was, he'd been surprised to see the forms beginning to define themselves.
All the more so when he recognized them.
His Uncle and Aunt glanced back at him, completely defined in the light from the doorway. Something passed from him to them in that moment he'd met their eyes. But what did THEY have to ask for forgiveness from HIM for?
He was aware of others, gathered here much as he had been. Watching the same scene and trying to make sense of it as much as he was.
It was when he saw two of them lingering on the grass that Sasuke Uchiha finally broke through his paralysis. "NO! DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN!"
His mother and father DID stop, then his father held up a hand - palm towards him in the universal signal to halt. Father and mother looked to each other, then nodded as one, and parted. His father went to the door of light and vanished beyond it.
Don't listen to Madara.
"Who's Madara?!" asked Sasuke, ready to charge across that grass and through the door himself. He glanced to where his mother had went and stopped.
She stood there, looking sadly back at him, then held up a hand and stepped forward, becoming a stream of vapor that joined other streams of vapor that swirled in a maelstrom that surrounded a black crystalline staff.
A black crystalline staff in the hands of Naruto Uzumaki?!
The Hokage stood there, so were two ANBU, plus a woman he didn't know. The woman in question had fallen to her knees halfway across the lawn, with an ANBU in between her and that gateway.
There had been other cries, other reactions, but those hadn't really registered on him at first.
Then the blue aura flickered, dimmed, and finally snapped off that had been surrounding Naruto Uzumaki as he dropped to one knee.
The gateway vanished, and the images faded away as well. A wind that sounded discontented and regretful muttered through the leaves and branches and was then silent. Even the insects were reluctant to break that silence.
"Those of you who have come here, there will be answers tomorrow. Finish up your missions early and be at my office around 2:30," said the Hokage, his voice reaching everyone present. "Do not mention this to anyone else, only that this will be a private meeting on my orders."
Sasuke knew that Kakashi would be late. Team 7 could wait anyway.
He'd have to leave and join up with his team soon enough, but first he wanted to see something with his own eyes in the early morning light.
Team 8 under Kurenai Yuhi. Their meeting place was not hard to learn of, it wasn't a village secret or anything.
There was Naruto. He could see he was older, taller, much more solid-looking, and had a solid air to him. Facing him was someone he did NOT know. A leanly muscled boy wearing red and black. There was that woman from last night, looking as if she'd gotten as little sleep as Sasuke himself had.
A large black mass moved, a head coming up and yellow eyes staring at him then at the others who were also hidden in the foliage.
"Is that... a dragon?!" squeaked some girl to his right.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what it is," answered Sasuke, who immediately frowned at the quaver in his voice. He was a ninja damnit! An Uchiha! Uchiha ninja did NOT get intimidated by fifteen feet or so of dragon looking them over.
"More friends to play with?" asked the voice of a young girl. It took Sasuke a few moments to realize that the dragon had just spoke and in such an odd voice for what it looked like.
"We have an audience," said the pigtailed boy, cocking his head to the side as if asking a question.
"We'll have to rein it in some then," said Naruto.
"Good," said the woman. "I don't want the training ground to need major repairs. Both of you keep to basic attacks."
"Basic?" asked the pigtailed boy.
"Yes, Ranma. Basic," said the woman.
"So, no 'army killer' attacks, large explosions, forming golems, fire techniques, earthquakes, weather control, or summoning monsters from other planes of existence?"
"No, Naruto. Likewise any jutsu that involves whatever that was that you used against that shopkeeper who spit at you on the way here."
"That was just a variant on 'Evard's Black Tentacles' Kurenai-sensei. I call it 'Evard's Overly Affectionate Black Goo.'"
"No, Naruto. You may not use that. In fact, it would be best if you never even mentioned that spell ever again within the confines of Konohagakure and I would strongly suggest you get permission from me before ever casting it again."
"What about..."
"If you have to ask, the answer is probably no. On the other hand, the 'jutsu' that you used to give Hinata that massage earlier may end up being used if we ever catch a prisoner and have to interrogate them."
"It was just supposed to relax her some cause she was so nervous," grumbled Naruto clearly.
"I think you overdid it," said Ranma.
"oooooo," said the crumpled heap of Hinata laying on the dragon's tail. "more please."
"No more massage for you, Hinata, you need to be able to function on today's mission," said Kurenai, though her voice sounded as if she were barely restraining some amusement there. "Okay, you two. Begin."
"Flight mode!" called out Naruto, leaping up and continuing up past the point he should have slowed and come back down.
"Don't think that'll save you," said Ranma, leaping into the trees.
"Hey, it's a basic defensive move," said Naruto.
Sasuke had cursed and started moving as soon as he'd realized Naruto was NOT coming back down. He had to see this, and know exactly how much the status quo had changed.
Just from the whole 'not falling down' thing - he was betting the status quo had just taken a dive over a cliff. It was just a matter of how deep the cliff was.
"Uhm, excuse me?" asked the unfamiliar girl, having approached the woman named "Kurenai" Sasuke glanced down to see the girl consulting the woman, then turned his head back up to see Naruto hanging in midair and make a one-handed handsign?!
"Shield!"
This was followed by several kunai and shuriken bouncing off some barrier Naruto had apparently put into place.
"Yes?" asked the group's jonin instructor.
"You're Kurenai Yuhi, Team 8?" asked the girl.
"Yes, and you're Tenten from Team Gai, aren't you?" asked Kurenai.
Sasuke kept glancing back and forth from his current vantage point. Hoping for explanations from one, and visual confirmation from the other.
"Yes, that's me," said Tenten.
Sasuke watched as several branches and eventually a tree stump were all hurled at the invisible barrier, and apparently the tree stump was enough to break through and cause Naruto to flit out of the way.
"Magic Missile!" counter-attacked Naruto.
"Remember we can't speak of last night until the Hokage gives the okay," said Kurenai.
Sasuke saw the streaks of (unsurprisingly) orange light go shooting off into the foliage.
Then a figure went zipping past him at very high, even ludicrous, speeds and was gone.
"What about the dragon, is she an S-Class Secret too?" asked Tenten.
"No, she's..." Kurenai's voice trailed off briefly. "She's Ranma's ninja partner."
Naruto flitted in and out of view, apparently trying to figure out where his opponent had gone.
"A dragon?" asked Tenten.
"Yes," agreed Kurenai.
The foliage overhead erupted and Ranma was briefly visible as he yelled and tumbled overhead, managing to catch Naruto.
Except that Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke abruptly.
"Oops," said Ranma, beginning to fall.
"Web," said Naruto, fading into visibility as he sprayed webbing from his hands towards Ranma.
"Shunshin!" said Ranma, moving abruptly out of the way.
"I don't suppose I can transfer onto THIS team?" asked Tenten of Kurenai.
"I don't think so," said Kurenai.
"Dimension Door," cast Naruto.
"Fierce Tiger Ball!" cast Ranma.
"She's sleeping," said Tenten. "She doesn't seem that thrilled to be around if she's sleeping through it."
"She's Naruto's fiancee," said Kurenai, "and why would you want to transfer off Team Gai to join my team?"
"Sword Of Admonishment!" cast Naruto.
"Log Thrown Accurately," countered Ranma.
"Because your team is awesome except for the sleeping girl," said Tenten. "And you have a dragon."
"What kind of special manuever is THAT?!" demanded Naruto.
"Who says you need special manuevers for sparring, dummy," responded Ranma as he faded out.
"Invisibility," said Naruto, also fading out.
"Well, you might have a point," said Kurenai, who then raised her voice. "All of you, go to your sensei. It's time to start with the missions. Naruto, Ranma. Time to stop."
"I am so ahead of you on points," said Ranma as he landed.
"Hah! In your dreams," replied Naruto.
"So we have a mission today?" asked Ranma, deciding he could bait the blonde later on through the day.
"Yes," said Kurenai, it's-"
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(Posted Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:16)
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