[The Renegade] Chapter 5 - S-ranked mission (Patreon)

AN: new chapter up, enjoy!

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Chapter 5 - S-ranked mission

The Land of Wind shared a border with the Land of Rain, but that did not mean that Naruto's trip from Amegakure to Sunagakure was short. Sunagakure was located deep into the Land of Wind's desert; it was only after nearly four days of arduous travel through the desert that he finally arrived in front of the huge sandstone walls surrounding the Village Hidden in the Desert.

"Identify yourself and state your reason for entering Sunagakure," one of the chunin guarding the entrance to the village said.

All six Suna shinobi were looking at him with an expression of vigilance on their faces, ready to draw their weapons at any moment. After Akatsuki's attack on the village and the kidnapping of Gaara, although nearly a year had already passed, they were still cautious and suspicious of any potential threats.

Naruto pulled down the hood of his grey cloak, revealing his appearance to them.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I wish to speak with Gaara."

"Uzumaki Naruto?!" the chunin in charge said in surprise.

Although he was from a different village, Uzumaki Naruto was famous in Suna for having saved the life of their Kazekage. Furthermore, the news that Konoha had been saved from the leader of the Akatsuki by none other than Naruto had also travelled to the Land of Wind by now. Nowadays, he was known by them as the 'Hero of the Leaf'.

"We need to confirm your identity. Bear with us for a moment," the chunin said. Making a one-handed ram seal, he pointed with his other hand at Naruto and let out a low shout: "Kai!"

It was only after they confirmed that his appearance was not a Henge that they allowed him entry.

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As he followed the Suna chunin, unlike all the previous times he had visited Suna, Naruto took a good look at the village - from observing the way people were dressed and how they interacted with each other to the appearance of the streets, shops, and civilian buildings.

Unlike Konoha, which was built in a fan-shape with the Hokage Monument as the head, or Amegakure with its skyscrapers and its grid street pattern, Sunagakure was built in a circular shape, with the Kazekage's tower at the centre and eight tall and wide walls splitting the village into eight symmetrical parts.

"It looks like Suna has recovered from the attack a year ago," Naruto said while they passed by a bustling bazaar filled with people selling, buying, and haggling over prices.

"Yes. Kazekage-sama's diplomatic relationship with Konoha has done wonders for our village," the Suna shinobi said.

Soon, they arrived at their destination, and after leaving Naruto in the care of Kage Tower's bodyguards, the chunin returned to his post at the gates of the village.

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"Naruto! I had not expected you to come to Suna. But it's good to see you!" Gaara said as he stood up from his seat and came to greet Naruto when he entered his office.

Naruto found himself smiling at Gaara's warm welcome.

"It's good to see you too, Gaara," he said, and the two shook hands. "How have you been? And how are Temari and Kankuro?"

"Temari went on a trip to Konoha as my delegate. As for Kankuro, he is out on a mission."

Naruto and Gaara had not spent that much time together, but, as jinchuuriki and as enemies-turned-friends, the two of them felt a connection with each other. For Gaara, in particular, Naruto was his saviour.

After inviting Naruto to take a seat, ever the honest and direct person, Gaara said:

"I heard what happened between you and Konoha. To think that there would be a day when Uzumaki Naruto, of all people, would become a rogue ninja - I could have never imagined it. The loyalty and love you had for your village was something I have not seen in many other people."

"And that's why their betrayal had cut all that much deeper," Naruto said curtly.

Gaara took on a thinking posture as he interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on his hands.

"From what I understand, nobody really believed you were the culprit. From the beginning, everything was just a plan to bait Kusagakure into showing their cards and exposing their plot," said Gaara.

But, as it was always the case after escaping from the Hozuki Castle, every time he was reminded of how he was unjustly arrested and thrown into prison, Naruto couldn't keep his cool. The more he talked about it, the more he felt his ire rising.

"I find that hard to believe. And even if that was the case, why didn't anyone tell me anything? Did they really have that little trust in me? After all the times I've saved the village, after everything I sacrificed for them-"

Realizing that his voice was starting to resemble a shout now, Naruto suddenly stopped talking and looked to the side. After letting out a sigh, he said:

"Nevermind that. Whatever was there between me and Konoha, it's all in the past. I didn't come here to talk about them."

To everyone who knew him, Uzumaki Naruto was someone who always wore his emotions on his sleeve - he laughed when he felt like laughing, he screamed when he felt like screaming, and he punched people in the face when he felt like doing that too. It was unlike him to stop his outbursts and control his emotions like that, and Gaara didn't miss that change in his behaviour either.

A momentary silence was instilled.

"I came here as a diplomat, representing the Land of Rain," Naruto said after a while and took out a scroll from a pouch strapped to his waist.

"The Land of Rain?!" Gaara said, his eyes widening in surprise. "...Don't tell me, Naruto, did you ally yourself with Akatsuki?! I understand you don't like Konoha anymore, but is your desire for vengeance so high that you'd even go as far as to seek Akatsuki's help? They're the ones who are trying to hunt down all the jinchuuriki!"

"The Akatsuki isn't affiliated with the Land of Rain anymore," Naruto said. "Konan, Pain's former right hand, has defected. And she is the one who broke me out of Hozuki Castle. When my friends and comrades abandoned me, she was the one who took my side."

Gaara stood up from his seat and put his hands behind his back as he turned around to look at the village through the small circular windows of his office.

"Won't you at least take a look at the message in the scroll?" Naruto asked.

"You're putting me in a very difficult position, Naruto," Gaara said. "I received word from Konoha last week that they have started sending search parties for you. And now, not only are you a rogue nin, but you've also allied yourself with one of the former Akatsuki... and all of these things happened while the Five Great Nations are about to have a Kage Summit a few days from now."

"They can send whoever they want after me; I'm not going back," Naruto said resolutely. "But why are the Five Nations having a Kage Summit?"

"Why else? Because of the Akatsuki, of course," Gaara said, turning around to look Naruto in the eye. "The Raikage's brother was hunted down by the Akatsuki. Specifically, Uchiha Sasuke was the one who captured him."

"Sasuke did-?" Naruto said, the tone of his voice and his facial expression not giving Gaara any hints in regards to his inner feelings.

"Yes, he had joined the Akatsuki, and they have already hunted down all the jinchuuriki except for you. And with his brother now dead too, the Raikage is hell-bent on going to war with the Akatsuki and annihilating them all, starting with a manhunt for Uchiha Sasuke, of course."

The Naruto in Gaara's memories would have reacted in a very vocal manner to that news. Gaara would not have it put past him to even leave at that exact moment and go to speak to the Raikage in person and plead for Sasuke to be spared.

However, the current Naruto in front of him was silent, not showing any outward reactions.

"You're a lot calmer than I was expecting," Gaara said.

"Eventually, we all reap what we sow," was what the blond said after a while when he realised that Gaara was waiting for him to say something.

"Are you not worried about him? I thought he was your best friend."

"I chased after him for years to bring him back to Konoha. But I have defected from the village myself; what's the point in still trying to chase him down?" Naruto said and shrugged. "As for being friends, I don't know about that."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought I had many friends, I thought that the entirety of Konoha was my family," Naruto said. "But you know as well how that worked out for me: Sasuke shoved a lightning blade into my chest, and Konoha threw me into prison. There's only so much one can take, I am only human too. With this kind of friends and family, I don't need enemies anymore."

After saying that, Naruto stood up from his seat and took the scroll back from the desk.

"Are you leaving already?" Gaara asked in surprise.

"I can see you don't want to talk about Amegakure. Honestly, I half-expected it to go that way - Konan told me so too. After all, you were killed by the Akatsuki, and you're also the Kazekage; you've got to think about the Suna's prosperity first of all... ...I'll be on my way. Stay safe, Kazekage-sama," he said with a short bow and left.

Gara half-raised his hand, wanting to stop him from leaving, but he gave up in the end. As much as it hurt him for Naruto to subtly tell him that he doesn't see him as a friend anymore but as the leader of a village, it was true. He was the Kazekage. He couldn't put his personal feelings and relationships before the well-being of his village. Developing a diplomatic relationship with Amegakure - Akatsuki's country of origin - and aiding a fugitive jinchuuriki like Naruto while Konoha was searching for him would not be in the best interest of Suna. Not in the least.

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It was night. After an entire day of travelling through the desert, Naruto finally stopped and set up camp at the base of a cairn (a pile of rocks marking the road through the desert). The nights in the desert were very cold, so he started a fire and basked in its warmth as he ate some field rations for dinner.

"You're such a child... What you speak of are all fantasies. A ninja must sometimes make very harsh decisions."

The words that Uchiha Itachi had spoken to him through a genjutsu in the past came to Naruto's mind as he sat down by the campfire.

'Sasuke had joined Akatsuki... Does that mean that one day he will come to kill me too?'

Naruto clenched his teeth in frustration and anger at himself as he looked back on his past actions and behaviour. He could still vividly recall what Jiraiya had told him after the failed Sasuke retrieval mission a few years ago:

"It's not just jutsu or power - if you're a ninja, develop eyes that can make the right judgement. And if you're going to live as a ninja, become wiser. This world is no place for a fool. That's the reality."

It was a rare moment of seriousness on Jiraiya's part, a rare moment when the old pervert showed the wisdom that lay underneath his degeneracy. But he had been too full of himself, claiming that he would figure out a way to bring Sasuke back even if he had to do it all alone.

His power had grown immensely since three years ago; he had become one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha - no, one of the strongest even in the world at large. However, his mentality had not matured as fast as his power had grown. He had kept on living like an overly optimistic fool, blind and oblivious to the reality of the world he lived in. And that was also why Jiraiya's idealistic dreams had captured him so, making him believe that, one day, peace could be achieved by people understanding each other.

It was only after the Hozuki Castle incident that he was finally snapped back to reality and saw the ninja world for what it truly was - a place ruled by only three things: strength, self-interest, and hatred.

However, it was in this kind of twisted world that Konan kept her promise and came to his rescue.

"Yahiko and Nagato meant everything to me. Yahiko's dream... and Nagato's dream... if both of their dreams had been passed to you, then you now embody their dreams. Nagato put his faith in you. So will I. We, the Hidden Rain, will pursue their dreams together with you."

Despite Amegakure's precarious situation and the fact that both Konoha and Akatsuki were now hunting him down, Konan still took him to Ame and sheltered him.

"But I'm not the same person I used to be," he muttered. "Real peace - I don't have an answer to that. I've never had one!"

When Nagato confronted him, Naruto didn't know what to say. He did not have an answer back then either. It was only his willingness to forgive Nagato and his optimism that convinced the older Uzumaki to entrust his dream of peace to him. However, now that that optimism was gone, Naruto realised how unrealistic his and his sensei's dream of peace had been.

He felt as if he was betraying Nagato and Konan's expectations of him. They had chosen to believe in him and his ideals, but how could he live up to those ideals when he didn't even believe in them anymore?

'I'm sorry. I'm not who I used to be. I can't bring you the peace that you thought I would.'

However, as he stared at the brightly burning flames of the campfire, Naruto made a vow:

'Konan and her people... ...I will stop at nothing to protect them. Whoever threatens them - be it Sasuke or Akatsuki or even Konoha - I will destroy them.'

He didn't believe in world peace anymore. But he did believe he could achieve peace and prosperity for the Land of Rain.

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The day after Naruto's diplomatic visit to Sunagakure, a messenger bird flew through the open window in the Hokage's office.

"A message... from Suna?" Tsunade said in wonder when she saw the sigil on the scroll.

But after unfurling it and reading its contents, she loudly called out for her assistant:

"Shizune!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune quickly answered her call, having recognised the urgency in her voice.

"Send word for Kakashi, Yamato, Sakura, Sai, and Team Guy to come to my office."

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Hokage-dono,

Greetings. Today, on the 27th of September, Uzumaki Naruto came to Sunagakure as a diplomat on behalf of Amegakure. For obvious reasons, I had to refuse him. Unfortunately, he left right after, and there was nothing I could do to hold him. From my conversation with him, I have learned that he now resides in the Land of Rain.

I ask of you both as an ally of Konoha and as a friend of Naruto: please proceed with caution. He is not the Naruto we used to know. Not anymore.

Best regards,
Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage.

When Tsunade finished reading Gaara's short letter out loud, a silence so deep that one could hear a pin drop was instilled in the Hokage's office.

"I've been sending teams of Chunin and even ANBU searching for Naruto's whereabouts, but we couldn't find him for weeks. Who would've thought he would go to the Hidden Rain of all places?"

"Amegakure?!" Sakura said alarmed. "Isn't that the place where Akatsuki came from? Why would he go there?"

"That's what you need to find out," Tsunade said curtly and Sakura became silent.

Everyone straightened their posture and listened intently to what she was saying. Ever since Danzo and his black ops organisation tried to assassinate her, it appeared as though something changed at Tsunade. Unlike her easy-going and slob-like behaviour from before, these days there was a sharpness in her eyes and such an intimidating pressure that even Sakura, her pupil, didn't dare to act up or ask needless questions anymore.

"Neji. Your job in this mission is to ascertain whether Naruto has been placed under a genjutsu or not."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." Neji acknowledged her respectfully and bowed.

"Sakura!"

"Y-Yes!" the girl replied and stood to attention.

"Naruto has always had a weakness for you. Your job is to convince him to come back home peacefully."

"Yes!"

"Kakashi, Gai, and Rock Lee! Should Sakura fail to convince Naruto with words, your job will be to take him back by force."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the three replied seriously.

"Yamato, you are to support them from the side. You have my permission to use your most powerful Mokuton technique to restrain Naruto if he taps into Kyuubi's power."

"Understood."

"T-Then, what about me?" Tenten asked meekly when she saw that everyone was given a task except for her.

The girl involuntarily flinched when Tsunade's eyes focused on her next.

"From what I understand, you've made great progress in your mastery of fuinjutsu. Should Naruto need to be subdued and taken back by force, your job is to use your fuinjutsu and seal his chakra."

"I understand. Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Tenten said, her exuberant voice making Tsunade raise her eyebrows at her.

What the Slug Sannin wasn't aware of was that she was like an idol for most kunoichi in Konoha and not only. The mere fact that her hard work and progress were acknowledged by none other than Lady Tsunade was enough to fill Tenten with happiness.

"This is an S-ranked mission," Tsunade said, and the younger shinobi and kunoichi in the room gulped at her words. "Prepare yourself for the trip today. Tomorrow, at sunrise, you will be leaving for the Land of Rain. You are dismissed."

"Hai!" everyone answered in a chorus and proceeded to leave the Hokage's office one by one.

"Kakashi, stay behind after everyone leaves," Tsunade said, and Kakashi stopped in his tracks.

Once there were only the two of them left in the office, Tsunade stood up from her desk and walked in front of him. Even with his many years of ANBU experience and numerous dangerous situations in the line of duty, Kakashi couldn't help the way his body subconsciously tensed at her proximity. It reminded him of how he felt the last time he met Orochimaru face-to-face alone.

"I spared your life because Hiashi Hyuuga vouched for you, saying that you had been under an extremely powerful genjutsu when you attacked me."

"I am thankful for that," Kakashi said with a short bow.

"Nevertheless, I don't trust you anymore. Make no mistakes, Kakashi. Should you ever raise your hand against your Hokage again, genjutsu or not, you'll become nothing but a smear of blood on my fist. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Kakashi said.

"As for Naruto's retrieval, this mission is your chance to redeem yourself in my eyes. Do not fail me again, Kakashi."

"I won't, Hokage-sama."

"Good. I will be leaving for the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron today at noon. I hope to hear news of your success by the time I'm back. This mission is far bigger than just bringing Naruto back. Now that Eight Tails' jinchuuriki has been captured as well, Naruto is the only one left. Not only for his safety but for the well-being of the whole world at large, we need to protect him from the Akatsuki. We must not let them capture him, no matter the cost. They've already gotten the other bijuu; we can't let them get their hands on the Nine Tails as well."

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AN: While 'we' know that Sasuke got bamboozled by Killer Bee and that Obito realised that when he tried to extract his tailed beast, the rest of the world in the canon doesn't know that. Everyone except for the Akatsuki believes that Killer Bee was captured - that's why the Kage Summit even happened. So keep in mind that the information that the characters in-world have access to is delayed - sometimes by even weeks or months - compared to when the actual events take place.

Another thing to remember is that the canon has already been derailed in this fic, so don't expect all things to still go down as you know them.