Naruto: The Bounty Hunter 1

The Bounty Hunter

Chapter 1: A Tragic Death

At first it was quiet in the village of Konoha. Nothing was stirring in the night. Nobody was sneaking around, quietly in the shadows. It was a peaceful night, until it happened. That was when everything changed.
There was a deafening explosion, which came just near the gates. Everyone was aroused and a special team of ninjas was sent to investigate. One of the ninjas wore the traditional uniform of Konoha, but with his forehead protector slanted, covering his left eye. A facemask covered up his lower facial features. The only thing that could be seen of him was his right eye, and silver hair. This was of course, the famous Copycat Ninja Kakashi Hatake. Kakashi wasn't alone as he raced to the source of the explosion.
The ninja on his right had complete pale white skin. His ink-black hair was blown away from his face as he traveled with his companions. He wore only a high collared midriff shirt, black pants, the traditional shinobi sandals, and gloves with his index fingers and thumbs exposed. On his back, he wore a small backpack. The only weapon he could be seen carrying was tipless tantō, or a small sword with no hand guard. This was Sai, a highly trained ninja who came from the ANBU division known simply as Root, formed by the recently deceased Danzō Shimura.
The kunoichi on Kakashi's left side was one of his best students. She wore a red top, black gloves, black high-heeled boots, black shorts, a short pink apron-like skirt, and pink elbow protectors. She had bright pink hair, and emerald green eyes. This kunoichi was probably known as one of the few most beautiful girls in Konoha. This was of course, Sakura Haruno. Sakura was very adept in both taijutsu and medical ninjutsu, courtesy from the training of one of the Legendary Sannin, the Fourth Hokage; Tsunade.
Sakura called out ahead, "Kakashi-sensei?"
The Copy Ninja turned his head, "Yes Sakura?"
"What do you think the problem is? What could have caused that explosion?"
Kakashi was silent for a while, worrying Sakura. She wondered if he didn't know what caused the explosion, if he didn't, then how could she and Sai be ready for what or who was attacking the village?
After a short period of silence, Kakashi replied, "I honestly don't know Sakura. But I'm glad you asked me, because I'm about to find out."
Kakashi lifted his forehead protector up from his left eye, revealing his Sharingan. He soon activated it and looked around for any chakra signatures. He soon caught two signatures coming from a few hundred meters in front of him. After close examination, he recognized one of those signatures.
"It's Naruto!" said Kakashi in surprise.
Sakura gave her sensei a puzzling look. "Naruto?" she asked, "You mean he caused the explosion?"
Her sensei gave a shake of his head. "Well…yes and no Sakura. Naruto was one of the two who set off the explosion. He didn't do it alone."
Sakura was startled for a moment. "Sensei, what do you mean Naruto was one of the two who set off the explosion. Are you saying that Naruto is fighting someone else?"
Kakashi nodded in response. "Yes he is. And by the looks of it, his opponent is really powerful." Kakashi seemed a little worried when he said this. Naruto had mastered the Kyūbi's chakra, from his training with Killer Bee, the jinchūriki of the Hachibi. But Naruto did not dare use the Kyūbi's chakra near the village in fear of damaging the place he called home.
"Is it Sasuke? Or someone from Akatsuki?" Sakura asked. She feared the answer might be Akatsuki, because their leader Madara Uchiha had now gone into greater standards in order to capture her friend.
"No. It's someone different. I don't know who he is. But I can say he's very skilled and very powerful." Kakashi replied. Sai spoke after staying quiet for a long time during the conversation.
"If our opponent is skilled and powerful to stand up against Naruto then we'd better hurry."
Both Kakashi and Sakura agreed to this statement and with greater energy went as fast as they could to help their friend.


Naruto was breathing really hard. He had been fighting for well over thirty minutes and it seemed nothing he did seemed to have any effect on his opponent. "This guy's good." Naruto thought to himself. "What should I do? All of my attacks have failed. Just who is this guy?"
A voice then came out of the shadows, "I'll tell you who I am. I'm your worst nightmare, Naruto Uzumaki. I have studied you for a long time. I know everything about you. I know your jutsus, your tactics, your strengths, your weaknesses, everything. So as you can see, there's no use fighting me."
Naruto's eyes widened at what the man said. He was surprised that the man claimed he knew everything about him. But what surprised him the most, was that the strangers comment seemed to answer what Naruto had previously asked in his mind.
Naruto took a moment to catch his breath. He glared at the man and said, "Even if you do know everything about me, I will fight you and I won't stop until I win! I never back down from a fight! So come on! Do your worst you bastard!"
The man was silent for a moment, waiting for anything else the blond haired ninja had to say. After a few moments of silence he replied, "As you wish. It's your life and if you want to throw it away, fine. Just know this: I have never lost a fight."
"We'll see about that!" Naruto snapped back. He then charged at the man, creating several Shadow Clones, and moved in to take the man down.
The figure took his combat stance; he was ready for him. He knew everything about this boy, so it didn't matter what tactic the jinchūriki executed. He would see right through it and counter it in the most efficient and least tiring move. He too charged at Naruto, ready to strike in for the kill.


Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai soon arrived at the source of the explosion. Naruto was fighting a mysterious man, in a crater, which seemed almost to be several hundred meters wide. Kakashi activated his Sharingan, and focused on Naruto. The blond ninja was breathing very heavily, and had several cuts and bruises all over his body. "He's in trouble." Kakashi thought to himself, "If we don't go down there and help him, Naruto will lose very badly."
"Sakura, Sai! We're going to help Naruto. Be careful! Judging by his injuries, and by how heavily he's breathing, his opponent is more than he can handle, and he's been fighting for maybe thirty or forty minutes."
"Yes sir!" Sakura and Sai both acknowledged their sensei's directions. They both went down to help Naruto, and question this intruder who was causing so much damage.


The figure turned his head at the sound of running footsteps. He noticed in the distance, three figures, which appeared to be running towards Naruto and himself. He instantly recognized them: Sharingan Kakashi, one of Konoha's best Jōnin.  To Kakashi's left was Sakura Haruno, a well-trained chūnin trained by Tsunade. To Kakashi's right was the ANBU Root member known as Sai, an emotionless ninja who used ink as his basic jutsu. Even though the man could take all of them at once, he was in no mood to fight all of them.
He turned towards his opponent. "It looks like your friends are coming to help you Naruto. But I'm afraid they'll be too late."
"That's what you think!" the blond haired shinobi snapped back. The man could see that Naruto was tiring and it would be easy to take him out. He charged at the boy and dodged a blow, from Naruto swinging a kunai towards him. He delivered the final blow.
Naruto convulsed as he felt a burning pain through his body. His body snapped and collapsed to the ground.


They were too late. Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura all saw the man thrust a sword through Naruto's heart. He pulled it out just before Naruto hit the ground, dust flying at the impact. Kakashi, and Sai were devastated. But the one, who was hit the most, was Sakura.
She saw her friend lying in the ground, lifeless. She was devastated because he was her best friend in the whole world. He had always been there for her, protecting her and helping her along the way. He always helped her, but now she couldn't help him. Not now, not when his life was taken away from him.
"Naruto!!!" She screamed his name in devastation, in heartbreaking agony. But Sakura also screamed in hatred. She now felt only one emotion towards the man who had come into her village, killed her friend, and now had taken everything away from her. Hatred.
"First Sasuke, now Naruto?" she thought, "Who's to be next? Kakashi-sensei? Ino? Sai? Shikamaru? Tenten? Who else will be taken from me?"
Sakura gave a death-threatening glare at the man who stood before her. She was about to go over to him and beat him to death for what he had done, except a hand shot out in front of her.
"Sakura, wait." Kakashi ordered. "Don't rush in at him. We have to be cautious." Kakashi studied the man and everything about him. He studied his stance, his weapon and anything that might have given a clue as to who he was.
Sakura was at first upset at her sensei's comment. She had watched her friend die, and her sensei was stopping her. But she realized that if she rushed in anger, she might end up like Naruto.
The man took a step forward towards the ninja and spoke. "Cautious indeed. I would be careful if I were facing myself in a situation like this. You certainly live up to your name Kakashi Hatake."
Kakashi took a good long look at the man.
He was dressed in a long black coat with bright red flames, short sleeves, and a high collar. He wore a Chinese style mandarin short-sleeved shirt with yellow tassels fastening it together, and a bright red sash tied around his waist. On his arms were long sleeved gloves, exposing his fingers, showing his fingernails, and toenails, painted black. He had black, spiked hair and metal earrings on both ears. His face was covered with a bright red mask with a swirl pattern similar to Madara Uchiha's. But unlike Madara's mask, his had two eyeholes. Strapped to his back was a black sheath, and the sword belonging to that sheath was in his right hand.
Kakashi gasped at the sight of the sword. It was one he had seen before only once. The weapon had a bright green handle, with a red tassel attached to the end. A circle with a sphere in the middle substituted the hand guard. The blade itself, looked like an elongated triangle, glowing a mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows.
The stranger noticed Kakashi staring at the sword, and behind his mask gave a devilish smile. "Ah, I see you know this fine weapon," he said, slashing the sword through the air. "You are right thinking that this is the Ryūjin, the Dragon Sword. I must admit it's a very excellent blade."
"Who are you?" Sakura asked in a furious tone. She wanted to know who this man was, so she could see if she knew him and how to take him down.
"You want to know who I am?" the stranger asked. "Fine I'll tell you." Suddenly the man faded quickly out of their sight. Sakura then felt someone touch the base of her neck, and her whole body went weak. She turned her head around to see the masked man behind her and executing a few hand signals. Once completed the man shouted out, "Mokuton no Jutsu!" Just then blocks of wood began twisting around herself, Kakashi and Sai. The man chuckled at how easily he captured his opponents.
"Forgive me for that little action." he said. "But I don't want any interruptions when I introduce myself. Although it seems I'm about to receive one." Without looking, the man quickly brought his sword behind him, blocking a blow from Sai's tantō. He then turned around and with one flick of the wrist, wrenched the tantō from Sai's hand sending it flinging and clattering to the ground. Before Sai could react, the man brought his hand to the pale-skinned shinobi's face, and slammed him to the ground. Before Sai could get up, tendrils of wood wrapped around him, and he was as helpless as a fly caught in a spider's web.
"Now then," said the man. "I was just about to introduce myself. I am a bounty hunter. My name is Chaos. You probably haven't heard of me, because I work in the shadows. I am known as the most infamous of all bounty hunters."
All the while, Kakashi was trying to figure out how to get free of the jutsu that currently bound him and his teammates. Chaos noticed this and casually said, "Don't bother trying to escape Kakashi. I've made it so that the wood is so tight that it numbs your arms, legs, and hands. And don't bother trying to use your Sharingan, because my dōjutsu will outdo yours."
"Just what do you mean by that?" asked Kakashi. He was puzzled at the man's comment. There was only one dōjutsu that surpassed the Sharingan and that was the legendary Rinnegan. But the man known as Pain, the supposed leader of Akatsuki was the only one who possessed that and he was dead. There was no way that Chaos possessed that eye.
"Why tell you, when I can show you." Chaos stepped forward and was soon inches from Kakashi's face. Kakashi was, for once in his life, scared because he feared this man. He feared him because he possessed the Ryūjin, and he managed to capture Team 7 without so much as breaking a sweat.
Kakashi then looked at the man's eyes to see what kind of eyes the man possessed. He stared hard, and long before giving a stifled gasp. There were ripple-like patterns around the pupil, with a pale red iris. The eye also had three tomoe surrounding the pupil, with an intricate pattern around them. The eye was unlike anything that Kakashi had seen; it wasn't natural so it obviously had to be the result of genetic experiments.
Kakashi glared at Chaos and asked in a solemn tone, "What is that?"
The bounty hunter gave a little chuckle and replied, "It's the ultimate eye technique which I personally created. You see, all the eye techniques are unique and are amazing in their own ways, but they have their weaknesses. The Sharingan has the ability to copy any jutsu, but if you don't have the skill necessary to perform the jutsu in exactly, it places massive strain on the body. It also can't copy kekkai genkai. The Sharingan can also see the flow of chakra and recognize genjutsu, but not as precisely as the Byakugan. It can also predict what moves your opponent is about to make, but unless your skill matches or surpasses that of your opponent, you can't block their attack.
"The Byakugan can give the user a near 360º field of vision, except for one blind spot at the back of the neck above the third thoracic vertebra. Another ability is that it can see through solid objects and genjutsus but there are some genjutsus, which it can be deceived. Another ability is that since it allows the user to see the chakra flow of an individual, the user can control that chakra flow by using the Gentle Fist style. But if the opponent is a jinchūriki, then they can use their bijū, or tailed beasts, to call upon more chakra. Since the user of the Byakugan can't see the bijū, they can't see their chakra points, and therefore can't halt their chakra flow.
"The Rinnegan is said to be the greatest of all the eye techniques, but it has its flaws. One ability is that the user can use all six elemental chakras, but if the user doesn't remember the hand seals or is fast enough to use them, then that ability is rendered useless. The Rinnegan also has no blind spots if there are other users who possess it. But if one of the users is temporarily blinded, then there is a blind spot created.
"By combining all three eyes together, I have created the ultimate eye. The Sharingan, amplified with the power of the Rinnegan, can copy any jutsu, even kekkai genkai techniques. The Byakugan, amplified with the power of the Sharingan, and the Rinnegan, can precisely see the chakra flow and halt all chakra flows of the individual, even if they have a bijū. That is the beauty of my eye."
Kakashi listened carefully to what Chaos had explained to him and his students. What he was saying made sense, by combining all three eyes into one; he had created the ultimate eye technique.
"But there must be a flaw in this dōjutsu, there must." Kakashi tried to think of a mistake the eye might have but it was no use. There was absolutely no flaw in the technique, or Kakashi hadn't found one yet.
Just then, seemingly out of nowhere, hundreds of Konoha ninja appeared, surrounding Team 7 and Chaos. They were armed and ready to fight, they were determined to take the bounty hunter in and question him. They wanted to know why he attacked one of the village's best ninja. Among the shinobi, was Lady Tsunade, and her assistant Shizune. Also among them was Captain Yamato, Kakashi's friend when he was once a member of the ANBU.
"That's far enough! I want you to step away from Team 7 and surrender to us immediately. If you do so, no harm will come to you." Tsunade shouted not with warning, but with anger in her voice. She was furious that this man had the nerve to come into her village and kill one of the best ninja's in Konoha.
Chaos simply looked around and chuckled at the sight before him. He then mockingly bowed in front of the Hokage and said, "I must admit, you have quite the army here Tsunade-sama. But as much as I'd love to stay and chat, I cannot allow myself to be captured. But as an act of sympathy, I shall hand over to you the corpse of Naruto Uzumaki. But know this: after you have finished with the burial ceremony, I shall come back to collect the corpse to collect his bounty. I now bid you adieu."
With a puff of smoke, he was gone, as if he was never there. A group of ninjas appeared at the side of Team 7 and freed them from the wooden tendrils. They then collected Naruto's lifeless body. Slowly and sadly they all walked back to the village, no one speaking a word. The clouds started to grow dark, and it began to rain a heavy downpour. It seemed that even the sky itself was crying at the loss of a very dear friend.


The ceremony was long and painful. Everyone had gathered for the funeral of Naruto Uzumaki, one Konoha's best ninjas, and everyone's greatest friend. Some were crying tears of complete sadness, others remained silent.
Hinata, and Neji Hyūga stood together, with Neji's arm wrapped around his cousin's shoulder. Hinata was crying with eyes closed, not wanting to see the lifeless body of one of her dearest friends. Neji stood beside her, not showing any signs of sadness, except a solemn and silent face.
Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Chōji Akimichi stood together. Shikamaru was the same as Neji, silent and not moving. Ino was sniffling quietly to herself, even though Naruto sometimes acted like an idiot, he was still a good friend. Chōji was crying almost uncontrollably, now who would he eat ramen with? Naruto was one his best friends and loved ramen just as much as he did, but now he was gone forever.
Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame stood near each other. Kiba was crying tears of utter sadness, his dog Akamaru, whining with uncontrollable sadness. Shino showed no signs of sadness thanks to his face being covered up. But he was probably just as sad as everyone else was.
Rock Lee and Tenten stood next to Gai-sensei. Lee was crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down his cheeks. Tenten was crying but not nearly enough as Lee, though she was just as sad. Their sensei kept a straight face, but in the rain, you could have mistaken the water streaming down his face, for tears.
Kakashi, Sai, and Sakura were standing together closest to Naruto's coffin. Kakashi and Sai both kept straight and solemn faces, but Sakura could not keep a straight face. She was crying tears of utter misery and depression. Naruto was one of her dearest friends, and he understood her the most, even at some times he didn't seem to understand her. She had now lost two of her original teammates, and this was enough to make her break down completely. Sakura could not bear to lose another teammate after she had lost Sasuke, but now she lost another dear friend.
Everyone was crying at the loss of Naruto, even Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi. Konohamaru was crying the most because not only was Naruto his rival, but he was like a big brother to him.
Tsunade stepped forward and gave a speech, as was the traditional custom. She spoke of how Naruto was one of Konoha's best. She praised him in how he never gave up, always looked ahead, and concentrated on completing his goals. Tsunade also said that after a few years, Naruto would be destined to become Hokage, but now that would never happen. She then finished the ceremony by placing his headband on the coffin and saying how the world would never forget Naruto Uzumaki.
Every single person in the village was silent as the hole was filled up. With every mound of dirt piled on top of the coffin, it seemed that barriers were being placed so Naruto's soul could not go peacefully to the afterlife. After the hole was filled, everyone slowly, and solemnly headed back towards their homes.


High up in the treetops, there was a lone figure that had watched the ceremony the whole time. Chaos sat calmly in the trees, allowing a moment of silence and prayer for the boy he had killed. He may have been a bounty hunter, but he showed respect to the dead. But the problem was, his bounty was in the grave. This meant he had to get his hands dirty.
Underneath the mask, the bounty hunter smiled. He smiled at how ignorant these people were. They didn't know the secret he knew. He chuckled at his thoughts as he carefully laid out his plans.
"Foolish Konoha ninja." he said to the village. "If only you knew what was in store for you. If only you knew what I knew. I will have my revenge." With that, Chaos flickered out of sight to carry out his plans.