Naruto looked at the multiplying circles, then started tracking out the flowing script on his fuuinjutsu. "What the-? Who put this smudge here?"
The Hokage moved to get a better look, and determined that Naruto's scribble had been appended by someone else. So this was an act of deliberate sabotage? "What does it do?"
"Well, this would just cause the whole thing to explode, except that one of the bits I added was a stabilizer," said Naruto pointing to one of the scrolls that overlay part of the main scroll. "Then there's this bit. I know I didn't do that."
"End result?" asked the Hokage.
"Well, this isn't quite the result I was aiming for," said Naruto as forms came out of the circles.
Danzo facepalmed. He wasn't used to it. He was the Chessmaster who operated in the shadows for the good of Konohagakure, certain of the rightness of his actions and plans. His every move considered and the various repercussions anticipated and addressed. Even his failures set his plans ahead.
Except this time, things had NOT worked out.
"You sabotaged Uzumaki's scroll." He was recovering from a heart attack, so his voice came out a bit less commanding than he'd intended. He repeated himself so as to be properly heard.
"Yes sir!"
"In three places. One of which he found immediately and corrected."
"That still left two," said the ROOT operative.
"The next he found after the event began," added Danzo. "It was only the third that was so subtle it required studying the scroll for problems that it was found."
"That is so, Danzo-sama," agreed the ROOT operative.
"The brat and the Hokage both know that the scroll was sabotaged," pointed out Danzo.
"And a false trail has been laid as to who accomplished it," countered the ROOT operative.
"Sasuke Uchiha?!" asked the Hokage. "You are certain?"
"No sir, but he was seen accessing the tower, his footprints and fingerprints were in the vault, and he was overheard speaking to one of his fangirls about how they needn't worry about Uzumaki because 'he would be revealed for the loser he was.'"
The Hokage made a small thoughtful noise. It was... possible. Not very likely, but possible.
"Ibiki is interviewing him now."
"Ibiki has finished," said Ibiki, opening the door and walking into the meeting.
"That was fast," said the Hokage.
"Sasuke Uchiha is an elite child among the current crop of genin," began Ibiki. "Unfortunately, he is about as subtle as a bag of anvils. It is very very unlikely he was the perpetrator of this sequence of events. It is rather more likely he will abandon the village and go rogue in an effort to kill his brother than to sabotage Uzumaki's work. It is also more likely he would steal the scrolls in order to study and replicate them in an effort to gain more power."
"If I had to dismiss every ninja who was at least slightly unstable, we wouldn't have many at all," pointed out the Hokage. "I can only think of one or two jonin that would still be on the active roster."
"True," admitted both the investigative ANBU and Ibiki.
The investigator thought for a moment. "Yuhi?"
"Been known to hit the bottle a bit more than is healthy," responded Ibiki.
"The Hokage's son?"
"Never mind playing 'spot the sane ninja'," said the Hokage drily. "Uchiha has been shoved forward as a scapegoat. What to do about it?"
"Nothing," counseled Ibiki. "Uzumaki was a victim, and Uchiha has enough issues to work through. Just put it out as something that happens between rival ninja and give both a talking to about cooperation and teamwork."
Metal clanged. Thick fingers worked with practiced ease, changing hammer for a vice.
She sang, the song coming from the depths of her being in the traditions of her people. Power flowed, shaped by the song and entering the metal itself.
Thorra Runehammer, dwarf member of the Harem, crafted a weapon for another member of the same group. Dwarves were considered standoffish by many races, yet that wasn't entirely true. Dwarves were very sociable, providing they knew the individuals in question. When dwarves accepted a friend or companion, the bonds were as strong as steel. Like steel, it could be bent or broken - just not casually.
Metal left the clamp to be reheated in the forge. Perfection in one's craft was always a consideration for the dwarven artisan. Though making weapons and armor was a hobby for many dwarves, with her and her family - it had been a tradition and primary profession for dwarven generations.
However, her family was gone. Taken in the storms of magic and destruction following the death of Mystra/Midnight. Gone was the reputation, gone the tools and equipment.
It all had to be built anew, but then building things was part of a dwarf's nature too.
"Wark," said Pen-pen, wondering what he would end up doing when the electricity failed or he ran out of canned sardines.
These were definite problems that he did have to consider.
The boy was insane. Pen-pen had just checked up on him and he was alternately screaming at the sky or sobbing. Well, Pen-pen was sympathetic but also not stupid. Kid might decide to try roast penguin in that condition.
There was no sign of the other human survivor, that redhaired girl who'd been in a coma or something close last time he'd checked.
Yeah, it was just him and that boy left. Did his life suck or what?
The light show had gotten his attention. Something like a thunderstorm had gone off while he was raiding the nearest convenience store. Except that lightning generally didn't look like it was following a pattern.
Not that he was concerned with that. He was a penguin, after all. Food, shelter, and surviving another day - that was about what he could handle.
Still, in his genetically engineered brain, a trace of curiosity sparked fitfully. What HAD happened?
That spark faded out as he discovered a can of tuna he'd somehow missed before.
"The problem, Danzo-sama, is that none of those summoned seem to hate the demon child," said another member of ROOT.
Danzo sat back on his bed, mindful that he'd had a heart attack recently and still not feeling 100%. "Oh?"
"Worse," admitted Torune of the branch family of the Aburame clan. "They appear to have enthusiastically taken to the Third's philosophies, and are poised to enter the ninja workforce despite the jutsu 'fitting' them into our universe."
"Meaning they've de-aged," said Danzo. "At least they pose no threat to us, being non-ninja."
The white-haired sixteen year old sat on the railing and let the breeze blow across his body.
"Toki."
"What is it, Ken? I thought you'd be with Yuria," said Toki softly.
"We're fourteen," said Kenshiro with a shrug. "It makes things a bit awkward."
"Yes, but I'm neither dead nor dying of a disease, nor is Yuria," pointed out Toki. "All things considered, changes I can live with."
"Unnn," agreed Kenshiro.
"Where's Rei, anyway?" asked Toki after a brief silence.
"Working out with that taijutsu expert and his protege," said Kenshiro. "He thinks the boy has possibilities to eventually learn one of the Southern Cross styles."
"Well, that's good," said Toki. "It'll help keep him out of trouble."
Kenshiro inclined his head, privately doubting that would work.
Naruto scratched his head. There were a lot of things that didn't make sense to him - but some things had come out during his "stern talking to" by several people about his rivalry with Sasuke getting out of hand.
He HAD succeeded in getting a "hero" and a "princess" - that Yuria gal and her boyfriend Kenshiro.
He HAD succeeded in getting something besides a girl. There were several guys who'd been pulled across this time. Even with his work being sabotaged by someone trying to kill him, which was something he was still working through, he could focus on the positive aspects.
Now though, he was going to try and say hello to the last remaining person he'd managed to summon across universes. As was typical, it had happened with the whole imminent death thing. Unfortunately, this particular victim had been pretty injured at the time.
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:27)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.