Naruto: Stray

By ghettomusick23

Summary: AU – Naruto is catalyst for so many things, Tsunade's new look on life, Neji's ability to let go off his grudge, and his influence reached a lot more people. But what if that luck, that gift he had was given to the other side then how would things play out.

Chapter 01 – Indiana

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its many money making properties.

" " – Speech

Italics – Thoughts

Molded, dusty, dirty, and overgrown with old musty moss. Toppled and dilapidated homes that seemed to have been abandoned years ago. Shinigami's Pass had earned its named admirably.

There was little to no light, the winding path stretched a good thirty miles east into one of the Wave Countrys' border cities, with houses doting the sides of the road at random intervals. There were abandoned carriages, abandoned clothing, family portraits, numerous items belonging to dead families littered the ground. The place was a breeding spot for bandits and renegade ninjas to take up camp.

Winter was coming and the Wave Country would have to prepare itself for another furious winter. The wind suddenly picked up to an almost banshee like shrill, but it does nothing to the two silent travelers walking the dangerous path. Their outfits are completely similar. Brown straw jingasa sunk over the eyes, providing no visual recognition. Eerie black cloaks with beautiful designs of blood red clouds that would tip off anyone with the knowledge that these people are not to be trifled with.

The taller one lifts his head, the moon casting shadows over his face, and mumbles something to his silent companion who nods his head in understanding. Tilting his head right, as if listening for something the smaller figure nods and suddenly vanishes leaving nothing but the slight rustle of leaves in his wake.

Continuing on in his silent walk the wind after having died down momentarily picks up again and the lone figure shakes his head in what appears to be annoyance. He hated coming here, to many memories he wanted to forget always seemed to come alive at their own accordance when he step foot in this country.

It was almost ironic that his bloodline allowed him the control of water, because his life seemingly resembled some sort of typhoon.

I took nothing but a blink of an eye and his youth had quickly transformed from a happy story to some disfigured nightmare. During his teens years he thought he finally could relax, but he was provided no such luxury. His mentor and father figure had been caught trying to plot the downfall of the Mizukage and been executed.

There was no trauma similar to when his mother was killed by his father; there was no blackout or need for revenge because someone else he loved was taken from him. No he simply got up the next day and continued on, slowly drifting through life again. Quickly rising through the ranks, garnering praise for his genius mind and powerful bloodline held a slight appeal for a time but after the glow of accomplishment fell he felt nothing but complete and total disregard for his own life.

His awakening, his salvation came in the form of an energetic, spiky blonde haired boy and his quiet, beautiful strawberry blonde haired companion. Now four years later he wondered how long until fate decided to test him once again. How long before his happiness would be washed away in a tidal wave of pain and lose.

"You're starting to depress me now."

The voice so close to his back snaps him out of his reverie, but no attack is launched. There is no need because he knows that voice as if it came from his own mouth.

"Is everything as it should be?"

The figure tips his jingasa up revealing sparkling blue orbs and a grin that somehow would signal trouble for anyone not in the know.

"Haku, we got to work on you're speech patterns man. You sound almost worst than Itachi-san. What's wrong with simply saying 'Is everything okay?"

Haku smiled at his partner. His presence was something similar to the rising sun at dawn. His joy of life and will to enjoy everything in it was infectious, smothering and dissipating any self imposed dark clouds as if they were some sort of phantom dream. He could almost understand Noriko's often times smothering reliance on him.

"Naruto-kun, have you ever thought that maybe you need to change?"

The smile vanished, switching to pursed lips and a frown. Haku could clearly see every one of his thought processes. First came the shock, which featured eyes round as saucers with his eyebrows almost touching his hairline. Followed by a brief flickering of anger and if everybody knew one thing it was Naruto could do anger. And then to finish it off a bit of contemplation and arguably one of the greatest poker faces of all time.

Haku arches one perfectly groomed eyebrow after several seconds of silence and Naruto shrugs his shoulders in deference. A habit he knew drove a lot of people up the wall but one he somehow couldn't or really didn't bother to break.

"What's the use of changing now. I like how I am."

And that was it. The answer was so Naruto Haku didn't bother pointing out the numerous flaws that always came with that answer. Instead he focused his attention back on the road, his sharp eyes instantly picking up a lone figure making a straight line toward their position.

"It's them. I saw them a few miles back."

"Why didn't you get it then instead of waiting?"

A slight pause followed, then a shrug was his only answer and Haku resisted the urge to role his eyes. Dusting a slight film of dust from his cloak, he readjusted the jingasa into its original position and turned toward the contact.

Naruto got the point and followed the same motions as his now silent partner. One thing the Akatsuki had going for them was the whole mystique behind the organization. No one knew them by name and very few even knew they existed. They wanted something; they came to you, not the other way around. They were inducing fear by merely staying quiet, remaining off the radar of the commoners.

That's why even he knew when to cut the crap and get to business. The Akatsuki didn't cater to screw ups and slackers. When you were assembled from the best of the best, failure was not an option, hell it shouldn't even be in your vocabulary.

So as the band of renegade ninja made their way down the road Naruto contemplated frying them with one big jutsu and getting it over with. They'd been out here far to long and he wanted to take his ass home.

"Don't even think about."

Haku's words were left on the wind as Naruto was already streaking toward the unsuspecting group.

If you asked him, he would say he was far from evil. Maybe his morals weren't as upstanding as some but currently he had no plans on world domination like some of his colleagues. If anything, Naruto was as blasé as him on certain subjects. His only concerns were to fight strong opponents and protect his friends. But for some reason the picture of Naruto descending upon the group like some phantom demon was always somehow disconcerting.

Seconds later Naruto stood up disregarding the many bodies lying at his feet and turned toward the one surviving figure. Normally he would leave Haku to handle the diplomatic part of negotiations, saving his time and energy for the more hands on part if needed but the dreary atmosphere, horrible weather, and lousy ramen he was constantly served had chipped away at the little bit of patience he had.

"Do you have the papers?"

The man was nodding his head so hard Naruto wondered if it was possible for his neck to snap and pop his head right off. They watched almost impassively as the man reached up across his shoulder, undoing the latches, and brought the huge scroll forward for inspection. Taking it, Haku unrolled the oversized scroll and quickly scrolled through its contents, trying to find any discrepancies.

Every country wrote and kept Jounin and Kage level documents, particularly forbidden scrolls in a certain code original to that village or country. He himself had been Jounin before his defection, allowing him a certain security rank and could make out only about fifty percent of the message. He hated it, but it seemed as if he would have to get Kisames assistance in translating the rest of the scrolls' contents.

Rolling the scroll up, he attached the latches and swung it around, placing it firmly on his back. Returning his attention to the man once more Haku nodded his head in thanks.

"We are pleased with your assistance. Hopefully we can meet in far more hospitable scenery next time."

Naruto blew out a sigh of frustration when the man continued his bobblehead impression. He had to admit that they were more than a little lucky to have run into the man. Tired of being the groups' lapdog it had taken nothing but a good sized payment to buy his services. One well thought out plan, a betrayal later and here they stood.

He didn't hide the fact that he wanted to choke the coward on the spot.

"Look whatever your name is you better hurry up and get out of here. My patience has been gone and you could easily end up like your friends."

No sooner than the words left his mouth the man was racing up the path, stumbling over various forms of shrubbery and debris in his haste to escape what he figured to be his death. The sight almost made up for the crappy weather they endured to get the damn scroll in the first place.

"You know, you could have simply said goodbye and been rid of him just as well."

Naruto looked at his friend and smiled, his fingers interlaced in front of his face, making him look like some diabolical evil genius or supreme prankster depending on your view.

"What would have been the fun in that?"

Any look of exasperation would have been wasted on the likes of Uzukmaki Naruto so Haku settled on shaking his head while turning around and heading toward meeting the others. Trust Naruto to drag some form of entertainment out of something so mundane as information retrieval.

"Can you say anything about the scroll yet?"

While he continued walking Haku scrambled his head for anything he could say out in the open, something non-threatening. The parts he were able to decipher were far outnumbered by the parts he couldn't. The scroll was mostly made up of a lot of political jargon that didn't interest any of them in the least. Nothing except the mention of Orochimaru and his activities of late caught his eye. A lot of the information was stuff they already knew more than enough about, but the mention of Konoha in conjunction with his name was interesting.

"It seems that an old friend of yours is causing trouble again."

He knew so many dangerous people that it was kind of hard for him to pinpoint any one particular person that was worth the Hidden Mists notice, but Haku said an old friend, which he didn't have to many of. Cycling through his mental index he quickly crossed of several names of the list before coming to two in particular.

Gaara had been pretty quiet as of late but it was almost ridiculous to bring his name up. Psychotic tendencies aside Gaara was if anything loyal to a fault. The attack on Konoha and subsequent missions proved that. If he was planning something with the Hidden Mist then it wouldn't be from his doing. Though he managed to surprise him once or twice Gaara was a soldier, an extremely dangerous one, but a soldier nonetheless. He could care less for politics and takeovers. Naruto sometimes wondered if being damn near unstoppable did that to a person, gave them a legitimate reason not to give a damn.

The next person seemingly posed less of a danger now, but he wasn't one to be trifled with either. His attack on Konoha robbed him of his hands, but what Orochimaru lacked in his own strength he more than made up for with his recruiting tactics. Four years after his failed invasion the Hidden Sound are almost as strong as they once were.

It was a testament to the man's silver tongue. Luring the most powerful missing-nin to his side when they needed shelter from constant pursuit. The screwed up part was that nobody did a damn thing to stop the man. No assignations, no attempts at lowering his strength, it was almost as if everybody was scared of him; but he despised the Sannin with everything in him and planned on being in attendance when one of them put him down.

"It's Orochimaru right?"

A nod was his answer and he quelled the sudden surge of anger trying desperately to gain release. The Kyuubi was not too pleased with that nugget of information.

Dam fox shut the hell up and stay back.

"What the hell is he up to now?"

Haku let out a sigh, irritation clearly clouding his tone.

"I can't make out the most important part of the scroll but from what I can read it seems our former ally has his eyes set on Konoha for some reason or the other. The Mist merely want him to return their ninja. They want no affiliation with him, even if it is their criminals and escapees."

Naruto could sees where this was going already. Orochimaru was anything but stupid and missing-nin from other countries carried secrets, secrets they surely didn't want the S-ranked criminal to have.

"Let me guess he told them to shove it where the sun don't shine."

Haku smiled at his crude but effective view of the situation. It did seem as if Orochimaru had been waiting for something to happen. Four years of quietly building up his forces and suddenly he was preparing to start up trouble again. In the way they did things, this really wasn't any of their business. He left for his own reasons, jealousy Naurto had told him, and the fact that nobody was given orders to terminate him told him loud and clear that he was of no concern to the higher ups.

Now he wondered if maybe that was the smart thing to do because if Orochimaru conquered Konoha, he would take personal pleasure in trying to wipe the Akatsuki from the face of the Earth.

"We need to convene with the rest of the group, quickly."

The urgency in Haku's voice was the only indication he needed on how serious the situation was. His friend would have made a very, very nice life living as a seer. His premonitions were rarely if ever wrong, saving their hide countless times. Naruto smirked, to bad they were always about something life threatening and Orochimaru was more life threatening having your sister tongue-kiss Kisami.

---

He was slouching in his chair again and even the unholy glare of Itachi could do nothing to make him move from his relaxed position. He was comfortable, posture be damned.

"When do you think they'll be finished?"

Itachi merely shook his head.

"It will be a while until they finish. The scroll carried more information that we anticipated."

Naruto nodded, continuing his game of trying to catalogue the number of facial muscles Itachi used in one sentence. Right now the highest number was two, maybe four if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He honestly didn't know you could talk without moving your lips. Just another amazing talent Itachi could do he had to learn.

"When will you grow tired of staring?"

Naruto started to shrug his shoulders before quickly catching himself, he glanced in the direction of his quiet, too quiet mentor and let out a sigh. The man hated it when acted like he didn't have a care in the world when in reality he didn't.

The painted nails and expensive clothing wasn't just for show. They were treated like royalty. They lived in a mansion; no mansion was too small of a description, you could call it a small fortress with its own little security force. Waited on hand and foot by servants paid for and trained by their employers, served the finest dishes almost nightly. If one wanted crab from the Kirigakure one night and elk from Konoha the next, well your wish was their command. The training complex was large enough to house an army, a necessity when you worked with massive ego packing criminals powerful enough to destroy half a city.

They stayed on an island in the middle of nowhere for goodness sake.

So what did he have to worry about? He did his job damn well if you asked him but if it was up to Itachi plenty. If he knew the man well enough he knew he could hold the Uchiha in account for all the missions he'd been getting lately. The man was the most uptight sensei in history; he didn't need any evidence to counter the statement he just knew.

"We have time to burn. Instead of sitting around collecting dust, I suggest we head outside."

The horror he felt swelling up inside must have spread across his face because he watched the side of Itachi lips crinkle, the closest he would come to a smile. He was somewhat glad that Itachi, boring and dull as he was had something resembling a sense of humor otherwise he would have all the characteristics of bird shit but at that moment he couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Closing his eyes he sent a prayer to whatever god had been watching him over the years, asking for some kind of miracle because Itachi and training were two things he couldn't handle right now.

"Naruto-kun, when did you get in?"

If luck was a justu Naruto had no doubt he'd be the most powerful ninja ever. Not only was he going to be saved from the wrath of Itachi but he was being saved by his own personal angel.

"Noriko-chan I was looking for you."

The look she gave him let him know she knew he was lying and just like a thousand times before she caught his unheard signal. She looked from him to Itachi, and then did once again when something clicked. Leveling a look at the blonde she shook her head already coming to some sort of conclusion.

"I didn't do anything."

She ignored him and turned toward Itachi. He would have gotten angry if she wasn't saving his behind.

"Itachis-san, you don't mind if I have your student for awhile do you?"

Keeping his gaze locked with his young charge Itachi seriously considered refusing before acquiescing and giving his answer.

"Naruto-kun and I can continue this later on, tonight." The sudden paleness on his face let him know he got the point. "I will return when they are finished, until then Noriko-san, I leave him to you."

When he was sure Itachi was well out of visual range he frowned, managing to slouch himself in the chair even further. What did it take to get a break around here? One day it was going to be the both of them, in the argument of the ages and only one of them was going to be able to walk away.

"It seems that I came at good time. What did you get yourself into this time?"

The sound of her laughter pulled him from his thoughts and he didn't bother trying to erase the smile off his face. Hattori Noriko, the first of Kumogakure's experimental Dengeki bloodline shinobi, the Lightning Country's number one kunoichi and S-ranked felon, born genius and all around hottie. Yes, Naruto could honestly say Noriko had it all. In eight years he hadn't seen anyone except Itachi beat her and recently she was getting awfully close to getting one on his mentor.

Her waist length strawberry blonde hair was drawn into an elaborate ponytail he knew she spent a good amount of time on, she always did. It had been a month she he'd seen her and from what he could tell she was still unblemished. It was an unspoken testament to her skill that very few people have even laid a hand on her. Sharp, perceptive green eyes that were able to take in so much with just a quick glance. She was epitome of what a kunoichi could become, heart wrenchingly beautiful and far deadlier than any weapon or jutsu could be.

"Nothing. He's just being anal about everything again."

Taking a seat in the chair next to him she folded her arms, looking straight into his eyes.

"I guess since you're growing up you can't stop by and let anybody know you came back alive."

Immediately, her tone of voice and body posture made him go into damage control. He knew it was something he kept forgetting when he went to sleep two nights ago and doesn't that beat all it happened to be this. An angry or even peeved Noriko was a bad thing when aimed at somebody else, but when aimed at him...

"Noriko-chan, we were tired when we came in and it totally slipped my mind."

"So what happened this morning?"

"Aya-san was showing me some new jutsus."

When it left his mouth he knew he was in trouble. The look she gave him would have killed him on the spot if she were able to do such a thing.

"Come on don't be like that. We got all day today."

She was stuck between wanting to smack him and let him figure something out or just strangle him. Aya-san told her he was going to be an extremely difficult job to mold but kami-sama she never imagined it being a full time job. If she didn't care about him so much she would have labeled him a lost cause a long time ago.

"When Kisami and Haku finish do you honestly think anything good is going to come out of their mouths. Their was a reason the two of you were sent chasing that scroll down for the past month"

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"With that type of thinking of course they're going to predict the end of the world. What if they tell us they found…"

"You need to cut your hair."

The statement was so off kilter he stopped mid-sentence.

"What."

"You need to get a hair cut."

Simple and to the point. She didn't know if she liked the fact that he was picking up traits from everybody around here and not all of them were good. Letting his hair grow out was one of the latest and she could guess it was something he was picking up from Itachi.

"You don't like it? I thought it was pretty cool, not as cool as your tattoo."

"I really didn't have any say so in it."

He waved her off.

"It still looks good. I'm thinking about getting one."

"No your not. You already have tattoos anyway, your whisker marks."

His lack of comeback let her know he was stumped and she savored the victory. Her Naruto was the king of comebacks and her victories were coming far too easily nowadays.

He opened hid mouth ready to make another argument when the library door opened up and out walked a bleary eyed Haku. Noriko didn't know how long they'd been in their but if his eyes were anything to go by he must have started before sunrise.

"Noriko-san you look lovely as usual this morning."

She glanced in Narutos direction and noticed his narrowed eyes. Sixteen years old and he was already territorial. Laughing at him would only bait him so she settled on giving Haku a friendly smile.

"Haku, I take it you are finished?"

His demeanor changed so quickly she had to blink to make sure he was the same person.

"I think you need to get everybody together."

His tone of voice was enough for her to not to ask questions. Haku was always smiling about something and for him to be so stoic and withdrawn was a sign. Easily slipping into her battle persona she turned toward Naruto and found him gone.

"Damn, at least somebody's excited."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Probably wondering what hell, right. The previous story was treading a lot of borrowed ground so I simply scrapped it and started over again. One way to remedy one problem was to make Naruto older. Eight years is long enough for him to grow into the type of character I'm writing.

Another thing is I got a lot of ideas from reading a lot of Farscape, Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop fanfiction. Basically anything not Naruto. Also the action scene was non existent but that was on purpose because next chapter is going to be a great, great fight. So if you like the previous incarnation I apologize for starting over but I'm sure you will like this one a whole lot better.