.:~ The Path of Shinobi - The Hidden Seal ~:. (A Naruto Story) Chapter 2 Up!

[Heald]

Preface

Greetings all. Thought I'd post a little preface to this story I'm about to do. You've probably never seen me around the Fanfic forum recently, save for the 'Retards on Ice' escapade. I was a face around 2000, back when I was obsessed with writing about my Golduck, and back when RPGs were done in the Fanfic forum, as there was no RPG forum until either late 2000 or early 2001, I can't remember. And by the way, those fics about my Golduck were grade-A manure. This led to a falling out with BBP and his crew and myself, as I was only 11 years old, and 11 year olds can't take criticism, something I'm still not sure I can handle, so be gentle.

One of my later efforts was a Legend of Zelda fic. I think I got 2 chapters up, both met with acclaim (even from BBP). I think this was in 2002 or 2003, but I never got past chapter 2. I remember I got an email from a dedicated reader two months after I abandoned it begging me to write another chapter. It was quite heart-warming, and I think I did get halfway through chapter 3, and then lost interest. I think this was probably around the time I discovered alcohol (or at least the heavy consumption thereof), and I might have had an N64 as well, or a PS2, so I was busy playing video games, or causing trouble in local parks as cider-addled lad.

I'd guess my next effort after that was a Star Wars fic from the point of view of an Imperial commander. It had no Jedis (or Pokemon), so naturally, people were not interested, so I abandoned that too. I also remember posting a light-hearted poem for a Summer poetry contest, but that's not really important. Then, a few weeks ago, Magmar dared me to write a short story with absolutely ludicrous guidelines to the content of said story. With a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a keyboard in front of my other, I hacked out about 600 words, and began to consider the very real prospect of coming back to Fanfic.

The truth is, I've never stopped writing. I just haven't had much success in fiction. I operated a successful opinion blog for a while, plus wrote for a bunch of websites. I even had a short stint of being paid to write video game reviews. Unfortunately, that website closed down, and I haven't really been able to repeat getting a job, since most insist on past credentials, and the website was taken off the Internet, meaning all my hard work, and any evidence of me writing there, was kaput. Bugger. However, any old person can look at current events and give their two-cents on them. I believe they're called 'hacks' or 'pundits' nowadays, and usually the only opinion people are willing to pay for nowadays is an out-of-date, racist and slanderous one.

Fiction has always been at my heart though. Probably like you guys and any wannabe Tolkien, Orwell or Shatner out there, I've got some stories I'd really like to share. And like most wannabe Tolkiens, I don't have the time or effort to make it happen. I suspect I'll get bored here in a month, and the onus is on you guys to make sure that doesn't happen. No pressure.

So, I've decided to make my first fic back a Naruto one. I've been inspired by both the anime (obviously) and the recent RPG by Kalah that sadly passed away in October (the RPG, not Kalah...unless I've been conversing with some sort of zombie for the past 3 months). It might just be a manga and a cartoon, but it has such a rich and diverse background in which anything can happen. Indeed, some of the characters I've introduced may surprise you, but again, that's what I love about it, and what I loved about planning this story out. When I've written fics in the past, it is sometimes hard to express a character's uniqueness; it is often the case that some characters will be too alike and will make one of them almost superfluous. That is not a problem I have had here, and I hope you enjoy engaging in the characters here as much as I have enjoyed envisaging them.

I'd guess the main, and only insofar, problem of setting the story in the universe of Naruto is issues of canon. Some writers are willing to throw canon to the wind and write whatever they feel like. I, on the other hand, have a massive respect for canon, and would find it difficult to attempt to rewrite the story. I have tried to stay as canonical as possible, but I have had to make up details to plug the gaps, although let me douse any fears that I have come up with simple 'a wizard did it' fixes; I have tried to come up with logical yet interesting ways to circumvent the problem that Naruto is still an ongoing manga, and therefore certain plotholes haven't been resolved yet.

The issue of canon also brought another issue: the time setting. I had three (and a half) choices. I could either base it in the present, i.e. in the time-line of Naruto (or Shippuden, hence 'a half'), or take it forward or backward in time. At first, moving forwards in time seemed to be the easiest fix: most of the already existing characters would be dead, and therefore canon would not be too much of an issue. However, with the manga still going, it'd be difficult to foresee where it was taking the story, and whether Naruto becomes Hokage or whether Sasuke returns to Konoha. It was a rather large headache, and one I'd rather not deal with. Setting it in the present time of Naruto posed the problem of simply retelling the story from the point of view of another, less important person, and to be honest, I'd rather not have my main characters overshadowed by some twerp with a fox with an anger-management problem locked inside his belly. Setting it in the past seemed to be the least obvious solution but in the end it was the one that made the most sense, and the one that I knew I'd be able to write best about. My one regret about having none of the main characters being born would be losing my favourite character, Shikamaru, but I resolved this by simply setting the story when Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, would be around 15. Therefore, I have set this story around 10 years before the death of the Fourth Hokage, complete with an all-new cast of characters, and for those fans out there, appearances from a younger Third, a still Leaf-loyal Orochimaru, the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio, a five-year old Kakashi and his father, and a still popular Uchiha clan. None of these characters will be central as such, but will definitely appear alongside the main cast. As I mentioned earlier, I've been inspired by the RPG as well, so anyone who participated in that may recognise a certain someone in this story (or at least the father of).

In closing, I really hope you enjoy it, and I would appreciate the feedback. If I know people are reading it, it will definitely encourage me to write more.

[Heald]

Chapter 1

The thumping of his head was an unpleasant way to wake up. His eyes were blurred and his ears hurt; the last thing he could remember was being in a loud bar a few hours before, surrounded by forked-tongued businessmen and sycophantic lackeys, and now he woke up in utter silence, with only the ringing in his skull to keep him company. The diplomat had overindulged in the sake, and his previous feelings of joy and regalement were now replaced with regret and sickness.
"Naki," he grumbled to himself, putting a hand on his sweat-covered brow, massaging his forehead. "You've done it again, haven't you?"
The night was hot; it was September in Konoha, yet the sweltering heat of Summer lingered on, bringing the occasional wet storm. The man's hangover did not help him in the sweltering heat and he almost felt feverish due to the excessive temperature. He turned on his side and suddenly his stomach turned. He gagged almost immediately, leaping from his bed. He clutched his torso in one hand, fumbling on his bedside table for his glasses or a light-switch, but his drunken movements clumsily knocked his glasses off the table, and his attempt to catch them resulted in him tripping over and crashing against the wooden floor hard.
"Great...those Leaf goons out there will probably rush in, thinking I'm under att-" he winced, but his stomach lurched again. He abandoned the spectacles and rushed towards the bathroom. He could feel his insides violently rejecting the night's spoils as he grabbed the bowl with both hands, and with a heaving breath, he emptied his stomach in one horrible movement. His mouth, coated in what he guessed was a beastly concoction of stomach acid, alcohol and tiny remnants of noodle, had a wretched taste and he began spitting out anything he could muster in order to rid himself of this displeasure. Another movement revealed itself and he clenched the bowl again, much to his distaste. This appeared to be the final one, and with that he finished spitting out the remains from his mouth and wiped his face off.

He stood up with one hand on the sink and took a glass, filling it with water. He took a gulp from his glass and looked ahead at the mirror. The moonlight was the only illumination he had, and he could only make out a blurry outline of his head, due to his drunken state and his lack of spectacles. He then realised that, despite all the noise he had been making, his supposed bodyguards hadn't come in to check if he was safe.
"What am I paying these goons for, for all I know, they could be gambling while some beast was killing me!" he spat. He shuffled back into the main room and picked up his spectacles, wiping the dirt from them with his bed-robes and placed them over his eyes. He then hastily slid open the door to his chambers, about to yell at his guards, but his words were stifled as he began to choke at the scene before him.

One ninja lay propped up against the wall next to the door, with blood imprinted behind his head. Two kunai were embedded in his chest, and most ghastly of all, his face had a long, deep gash straight up it, as if his face had been cleaved right open with a sword. The impact of this attack had ripped straight through the guard's Konohagakure headband, the two halves of which hung from his ears. His blood-spattered face betrayed his dying expression of fear, as his eyes were wide open, and his skin pale with fright (or possibly with blood-loss, but Naki hadn't thought of this possibility). Momentarily frozen in horror, a cold sweat began to envelop Naki's body as he began to realise the danger he was in. It was no longer the thumping of his headache that caused him discomfort but the beating of his heart, his pulse racing to levels he had never experienced. He snapped himself out of his shock and ran over to the balcony to search for his other guard. He was about to call out his name when a heavy impact slammed against his chest, knocking him straight back into his chambers, and as he fell to the ground his spectacles bounced off his nose into his lap. Naki began breathing heavily and loudly, panicking for his life. A dark figure, unrecognisable save for his cold, white eyes that shone in the moonlight, and a maniacal smile, stood in the door, with the aura of terror shrouding him. Naki wanted to plead for his life, to scream for help, but every time he tried to speak, he choked and began breathing for his life. Beads of sweat so large he could feel them weighing him down rolled down his forehead and arms; he wanted to run, to move, even to mop the sweat from his brow, but he simply sat there, paralysed with fear. The attacker stepped towards the cowering drunk and simply said,
"Be thankful your death will be swift and painless; those two fools suffered terribly, and to what end? To prolong your pathetic life for barely a minute. What a waste."
The tone of the attacker was calm and almost reassuring, yet it resonated with pure evil. The attacker calmly pulled a kunai from his robe; Naki was delirious from anguish and finally opened his mouth, attempting to scream,
"Wa-", but was cut short. His last breath escaped his throat in a bloody bubble, releasing along with it a gurgling croak.

The assassin carefully yet swiftly extracted the blade from the throat of the corpse, as to not shed blood. With one hand he propped up the body and with the other he reached into his robe, pulling out a scroll.
"Well, the fun part's done now..." he sighed to himself, and he prepared a jutsu. He noted the time, only quarter past two in the morning. He was plenty ahead of schedule, but he wasted no time in carrying out the next phase of his plan. He was precise and careful; not a single mistake as he worked in the darkness. It would seem that this time, this shinobi will escape leaving neither a trace nor with a scratch, just as his employer had specifically commanded.

---

This is a rather short chapter, but I feel it does serve its purpose, which will be revealed over the course of the next few chapters. Chapter 2 is already in the works, and should clear up any doubts about who the main characters in this story are. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!

[Bulbasaur4]

Ooo... I really do like your writing style! *misses it from the Naruto RPG*

I really do like the vivid description here. Makes one wonder what exactly is going on and really sets up the next part.

I'll be reading you... erm... watching... you...
Yeah! ^_^ Keep it going!

[Heald]

Chapter 2

"Daisuke! Get up already!"
The boy's eyes opened alertly, yet there was no denying the rest of his body was still drowsy; such was the trademark of his clan, to have such eyes. He lazily sat up and looked to his window, his dirty red curtains blowing in the wind. He walked over to the window sleepily, rubbing the dust from his eyes and brushed the curtains aside. He heard the familiar sound of barking he came to associate with his team-mate.
"Daisuke! Oh, for the - you're not even dressed yet!" a girl with short, messy brown hair down below yelled up at him. She was dressed in a short navy blue shinobi dress and black leggings down to her knee, and over her dress a Chuunin-rank military vest. Beside her was a small golden-haired ainu-breed dog, happily yelping in recognition of Daisuke.
"Oh hey Teiru, I guess you're out of the hospital then," he sheepishly offered. Teiru was obviously incensed by this remark and Daisuke came to look upon those familiar angry eyes.
"Oh jeez, I've done it no-"
"Yeah! I am! No thanks to you buster! You didn't even come visit me once! Once! And other thing-"
"Friends, please! No more arguing! You are upsetting the delicate team dynamic!"
Daisuke had barely noticed the other member of his team standing there. He was smartly attired in a traditional black jacket with a white trim, with black wide-legged pants, each with a long white trim down the outside of each leg. He, like his team-mate, was also wearing a Chuunin military vest over his clothes. On his left-side, he had a smart katana hilt, polished black with a dragon made of silver embedded on the side.
"Oh, hey Takeshi, I didn't see you there," Daisuke said with an awkward grin on his face. Teiru turned around and folded her arms angrily.
"Hmmph! Just get dressed before I get really-"
"Okay! Okay! Give me two minutes!" Daisuke interjected, pulling himself away from the window. Takeshi turned to Teiru and have a helpless smile.
"Please, Teiru, can we drop it just this once! I'm sure he had-"
Teiru, however, being the stubborn kunoichi with an infamously short-temper, simply snarled and Takeshi suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
"Whatever. You two idiots can catch up," she blankly said and walked away. Her dog stayed with Takeshi and let out an inquisitive whine. Takeshi laughed nervously and wiped a sweat-drop from his forehead.
"This is going to be a long day..."
Just then, Daisuke dashed out of the house with a Chuunin-vest over his head, dressed in a short-sleeved, three-quarter length legged black Uchiha costume, complete with the prestigious Uchiha fan on the back, catching Takeshi completely by surprise.
"Okay guys, I'm here-yah!" he cried. Takeshi turned around to see Daisuke, unable to see ahead due to his vest being over his head. As Daisuke finally pulled it down, it was too late and he crashed into Takeshi, with both of them ending up on the floor in a pile. The excitement had gotten to the dog, who was happily yapping and began licking Daisuke's face.
"Okay Orenji, down, boy, down! Ha ha!" Daisuke said as he fended his face off from Orenji's tongue, wiping the spit from his face.
"Orenji! Heel!" Teiru's voice called. Orenji whined again and ran off dejectedly to his owner.

Takeshi stood up in daze and hurriedly wiped the dust off his clothes.
"A simple 'good morning' would have sufficed- oh man! The polish is ruined! I have to change! I-"
"Calm down Takeshi!" Daisuke said as he grabbed the panicking Takeshi around the shoulders, shaking him out of it. "I'm sure Hokage-sama is not going to mind a few spots of dirt, okay?"
Takeshi held his breath briefly, then let out a sigh of despair.
"Oh, I suppose, but, oh man! Why today of all- what if-"
Daisuke sighed and felt a sweat-drop developing on his brow.
"Super, now I've set off Mr. obsessive-compulsive," he thought to himself. He grabbed the still fretting Takeshi by the arm and they began following Teiru.
"So Teiru is mad at me again, huh?" Daisuke said, trying to change the subject. It worked, as Takeshi instantly snapped out of his hysteria and turned towards his team-mate.
"Yes, which is why I wanted to know, why didn't you visit her in hospital?"
Daisuke was hoping he wasn't asked this, but he knew it was inevitable.
"It just...felt a bit weird, going to visit her, considering I was the one who knocked her out in the first round of the Chuunin finals, and sort of put her in the hospital in the first place. I thought I would have been the last person she would have wanted to see."
Takeshi nodded in agreement, and then replied,
"I suppose that's true, but when I went over to see her when I was in hospital with her, she was surprised, and somewhat saddened, that you visited me but not her. I think she is genuinely upset this time."
Daisuke stopped briefly, and looked ahead at the girl walking away from them. He paused to ponder this revelation.
"That's...unusual. I never realised...I..."
Takeshi shook his head and patted his team-mates shoulder.
"Do not worry, my friend. I'm sure everything will be fine!"
They continued walking forward and Daisuke ran his fingers through his long black hair.
"I hope you're right Takeshi," he replied. He turned to his team-mate and gave a small smile, and then his eyes looked at his team-mate's dark hair.
"Say, Takeshi, you don't normally tie your hair in a top-knot; what gives?"
Takeshi blushed and grinned back at Daisuke.
"Oh, this? Yeah...father insisted that now I'm a Chuunin, I ought to present myself as one. Father...is quite insisting."
Daisuke didn't doubt this; having met Bachoto-san (never daring to ask his first name, and he doubted even his own son, Takeshi, knew it either), he was perhaps one of the most over-enthusiastic and demanding parents he had ever met. He initially stifled his laughter but then let it out loud. Takeshi blushed even deeper.
"What is it? It isn't my hair! Oh man, why-"
"Oh no, it's not that," Daisuke reassuringly said, looking up at the sky. "It's just great to be back with the team."

The two eventually caught up with Teiru and her dog, who had stopped outside the Yamanaka flower shop, busily chatting with another ninja that had recently been promoted to Chuunin. Teiru immediately stopped conversation and turned to her team-mates with an icy glare.
"Well, at least you finally caught up," she scolded. The two smiled weakly, but then another person spoke up.
"Hey guys, looking sharp there," said the other ninja that was standing there. He had light-brown hair tied at the back and had a noticeably lean figure. He wore simple dark clothes, with only a Chuunin-vest distinguishing him at all, except for, perhaps, the cigarette in his mouth.
"Ah, Yoshiro! I'm glad to see you are well!" Takeshi greeted. Yoshiro nodded and turned to Daisuke.
"So how's the champ then? I guess you've had a couple of lazy weeks waiting for us guys to finish healing up."
Daisuke grinned and replied,
"Knock it off Shizz. I only won the tournament because you and Inashi couldn't finish each other off, speaking of which," he paused, looking around. "Where are your team-mates? Still in hospital?"
Yoshiro, or the Shizz as he was colloquially known as to his fellow academy graduates, shook his head. He took a deep puff of his cigarette, and then knocked the ash off and replaced the cigarette in his mouth.
"Nah, Suzume was working early morning here at Yamanaka's; I'm just waiting for her to get off. Inashi, however," he paused, looking up to the sky, and then continued to speak,
"Never even went to the hospital."
The other three ninja were visibly taken aback by this revelation. They had all witnessed the fight between Inashi and Yoshiro in the semi-finals of the Chuunin exams. It was a long, taxing battle for both parties, and in the end both parties ran out of chakra, so the fight was stopped. Both were promoted for their fighting prowess, but many spectators were shocked that there was neither a result, nor a real final round battle, which Daisuke, the winner of his second round match, won by default.
"Yeah, I was as surprised as you guys, but while I was searching the hospital for a place where the nurses wouldn't catch me smoking, I overheard a medic-nin reporting to a doctor that they still had not found Inashi. In fact, after he left the arena after our fight, the only thing I've heard from him was this morning, when he sent me a message saying he'd meet us at the Hokage's office."
Daisuke bit his lip. While he, like most of the other ninja of their graduating year, had known Inashi for nearly 10 years now, he remained an enigma. He was actually somewhat relieved that Inashi did not proceed to the finals, as he is one of the most unpredictable ninja he has ever met. The collective thinking of the group was broken by a familiar squeal.
"Yay! Hey everyone!" a loud girl hailed. They all turned to see an attractive girl with long, golden hair, dressed in a beautiful pink kunoichi dress emerging from the flower shop. She panned around the group staring at her and, with wide bright eyes, remarked,
"Oh, wow! A whole welcoming committee! Yay!"
Orenji began barking in excitement at the arrival of this new girl, Suzume, and she picked him up, letting him lick her face.
"Orenji! I've missed you so much! Come here!"
Daisuke had rarely seen Teiru smile, but there was something about Suzume that changes Teiru's personality completely.
"Suzume-chan! Oh my, that dress, and your hair! You're not trying to impress someone are you?"
Suzume blushed and giggled. She put down Orenji and began showing off her clothes.
"Oh Teiru-chan! No, this dress is actually very flexible, but a girl has to look her best, right?"
"Speaking of which," Yoshiro spoke up, "what about your Chuunin vest? It's not compulsory, but hey, it wouldn't hurt to look the part."
Suzume nodded and replied,
"Ah, I nearly forgot! Hang on, I left it in the back of the shop," and with that she dashed into the shop.

Teiru turned to Daisuke and snapped,
"Suzume visited me eight times when I was in hospital! What do you have to say about that?"
Daisuke groaned and sighed, "Why me?"
Takeshi was about to speak up, but was struck dumb by the sight before them. Suzume had emerged from the flower shop, but her Chuunin vest had been dyed a deep shade of lavender, with the red logo at the back dyed pink. The other four ninja took a brief moment to collect their dropped jaws, and Yoshiro grinned.
"Typical Suzie-chan."
Takeshi, obsessed with protocol, stood pointing at the vest, barely able to make a rational sentence.
"But...wha...vest...Hokage..."
Suzume gave a huge smile and said,
"Oh, you like it then! The green didn't go with my dress at all, but I found some of my mother's old dyes and thought I'd, well, you know! It looks great, huh?"
Teiru laughed and replied,
"Well, it suits you, typically. I suppose Inoichi isn't here?"
Suzume shook her head and, looking around, replied,
"No, he hates hanging around the flower shop. He went to see Chouza and Shikaku, I think".
Daisuke cleared his throat and spoke up,
"Well, I guess we'll see them at the Hokage's office."
Daisuke looked up at the sky and noticed the sun was quite high.
"It's nearly midday anyway, so we should probably get going too."
The other four ninja nodded and they set off down the street towards the Hokage's mansion, making idle conversation on the way.

The five ninja made their way through the corridors of the mansion towards the main office. Daisuke made a note of the time from a clock in a room they passed.
"Five to twelve. It looks like we won't get chewed out this time," he mentioned to his comrades, somewhat relieved. Teiru replied instantly,
"Good thing we got you up in time then, isn't it?"
Daisuke winced and whispered to the nearby Takeshi,
"I can never win, can I?"
Takeshi let out a small laugh, but Teiru stopped, a vein throbbing at the back of her head. Takeshi and Daisuke both stopped immediately and braced themselves for a tirade of abuse. Teiru, however, carried on walking. They both sighed in relief, having been spared this time.
They reached the Third Hokage's office but when Daisuke tried the door, it was locked.
"Looks like he's in a meeting at the moment," he said. Yoshiro stretched his arms and reached into his pockets for another cigarette.
"Guess we're a lil' early...no harm in a quick one before we go in," he shrugged, placing it in his mouth and snapping his fingers at the tips, lighting the end instantly. He took a big puff and wandered over to an open window. Suzume glanced around.
"Team 10 still isn't here yet...neither is Inashi...I hope he's okay," she commented. Yoshiro, still gazing out the window, piped up,
"He'll be here...he's probably off playing some stupid joke."
"Ain't that the truth," Teiru added. Suddenly, Orenji began barking in the direction of the corridor. Teiru sniffed in the air as well and smiled.
"Looks like Team 10 is here."
Everyone turned around and, no doubt, three more shinobi made their way towards the office. Inoichi Yamanaka, the long, white-haired ninja, was at the front. Chouza Akimichi, a rather stout ninja with scruffy red hair, was behind him, eating heartily from a box of rice balls. Shikaku Nara, a lazy black-haired ninja, walked alongside Chouza with his arms behind his head. Inoichi exclaimed to his team,
"Great Chouza, we're the last team here! Trust you to stop for breakfast!"
Chouza grinned and busily stuffed another rice ball into his mouth.
"This isn't breakfast, merely an appetiser! No, the other," he paused briefly to gulp his food, and then continued, "place we stopped at was for breakfast, then we had elevenses, and of course that other place for brunch, and..."
Shikaku yawned loudly and groaned,
"This is such a drag; I don't even know why I'm even here, I've been a Chuunin for nearly 2 years now!"
Chouza patted Shikaku on the shoulder and replied,
"Oh stop your complaining! The Hokage wanted all of us to go! Maybe we're getting our first mission as an all-Chuunin squad! Anyway, we're not the last! The clown has still to show up!"
Shikaku took a brief look around the group.
"Yeah, I suppose so. Where is that idiot anyway?"
"Beats us," Teiru answered. The three of them stopped and prepared to say hello to their fellow Chuunin when a loud unbolting sound echoed in the corridor. All eight of the ninja turned to the door of the office as it creaked open. Takeshi called out,
"Is that the Hokage?"
A familiar voice replied,
"Not quite, Takeshi."

A vibrant-blond haired ninja stepped out of office with a small child, only five years of age, with grey spiky hair and a blue mask covering his nose and mouth.
"Minato-chan!" Suzume cried and ran over to hug the ninja. He smiled and gave her a brief hug back.
"Hey Suzume, long time no see," he said calmly, before turning to the other ninja. "I heard you guys all passed the Chuunin exams. Sorry, I was away on a mission at the time so I didn't see the final round. Who won again?"
They all shiftily moved their eyes around the room, and then Daisuke spoke up,
"Well Minato, technically I won, but,"
"Ah yes, but the other semi-final was a no contest! I remember now!" Minato said. Chouza pointed to the child.
"Hey, who is the kid, Minato, you babysitting nowadays," he asked. Minato began to laugh and ruffled the child's hair. Takeshi then noticed he was wearing a Konohagakure headband.
"He's...wearing a headband, but surely...he couldn't have!"
Minato smiled and finally explained,
"Friends, this is Kakashi Hatake, the academy's newest - and perhaps youngest - graduate."
Inoichi began scratching his head.
"They're sure letting standards slip there...surely no one has ever grad-"
Shikaku nudged him in the ribs and said,
"You idiot, don't you realise it? That kid's Hatake's son...you know Sakumo? The genius ninja?"
Inoichi let out a brief gasp of disbelief, having realised what he just said. Daisuke shrugged and said,
"Yeah, but still...he must be something special to graduate at that age. How can-"
Daisuke was cut off by Kakashi turning to Minato and asking,
"Minato-sensei, why is that man in the corner pretending to be a table?"
The eight Chuunin were all confused by this somewhat random remark and they turned around. There was a table there, but it suddenly exploded in a cloud of smoke and a ninja appeared in it's place.
"Didn't expect to be outed by a child," he laughed. The other eight ninja stood there in disbelief. This ninja, disguised using the transformation jutsu, was dressed in a black top with red stripes over the shoulders, the right sleeve long and the left sleeve ripped from the top of the arm, leaving his entire left arm exposed, save for his headband that he had tied around his left bicep. He had black military-style pants, black ninja shoes and black fingerless gloves with metal plating, but most distinguishing of all was the clay mask portraying a maniacal clown covering his face, only showing his eyes, his right eye clearly bloodshot and scarred.
"See, told you he was planning a stupid prank," Yoshiro smiled. Suzume ran up to to the clown-masked ninja and hugged him, squealing,
"Inashi-chan! I've been so worried! Where have you been? I-"
"Relax, Suzume, I've simply been training," he replied calmly. Yoshiro put out his cigarette and flicked it out of the window.
"I must admit, you have caused quite a stir...the Hokage contemplated sending the ANBU to find you," Yoshiro explained. Inashi grinned and replied,
"Really? Is that true, Hokage-sama?"
They turned around to see the Third Hokage, Sarutobi, waiting patiently. He nodded.
"Indeed, two weeks is certainly a long time to go off training in secret, but you're here now I guess. Now, would you all please step this way, there has been an important development that needs your immediate attention."
The nine ninja nodded and followed the Third Hokage into his office, bidding farewell to Minato and his new apprentice. The nine ninja smartly lined up in front of the desk, behind which Sarutobi and two other Jounin sat. The Hokage pressed his hands together, lifted up his pipe and took a puff, and then proceeded to explain the situation.
"Last night, there was an attempted assassination."

---

This chapter is notably longer than the last, and has taken me about three days to write, non-consecutively. Anyway, it should clear up any doubts about who and what the story is about (at least the first third anyway).

[Bulbasaur4]

Ooo... I really liked this chapter! The character interaction was excellent and I laughed a few times at the comical moments- especially at the dyed chuunin vest part.

Your RPing skills show in your fan fiction work, which is excellent! This was very enjoyable to read and... adding a bit of your own character flair into it I see. :3

Anyway, I can't wait for the next chapter!