Uzumaki Naruto: Forge Your Own Way
This is my third fic. I just came up with the idea when I realized I write best when I can be creative, where I can expand the boundaries of Naruto the series without actually screwing up the series. In my other fic with that kind of theme, Seals of Fate, I never ran out of ideas, but he never became too powerful to be unable to die. In fact, near the end, Naruto began losing power, until he was the Hokage, with little left besides his own skill. Like that, I intend for this to be a fic that expands the boundaries. I hope you enjoy it. Forge your own way.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its contents. However, I almost want to change my name so that I can claim that I do….
Chapter 1: Heritage and Home.
One day ago in the Land of Fire, a terrible disaster occurred. A colossal fox, the Kyuubi no Kitsune no Youkai, attacked Konoha, the country's city of shinobi. With a flick of its tails, it could shatter mountains, create tsunamis. It could decimate towns, cities, and do all that could make even the strongest man quake with fear. All but one man.
Shinobi fell to the ground left and right, dying either from fear of the creature, or from its actual attacks. A call sounded out for reinforcements, while shinobi desperately tried to hold on, until the Yondaime, their savior, could arrive.
Elsewhere, that very man was preparing himself for what he was about to do. His wife had just given birth to their child a few hours ago, dying in the process. In his arms, he held his son, Naruto. Looking down into his sons' cerulean blue eyes, he sighed, as he finished drawing the seals. Placing his son down, the tall, blonde-haired man kissed his son on the forehead, whispering "I love you" to the boy before walking out of the room.
Cutting his palm and performing five lightning fast hand seals, the man slammed his now bloodied hand into the ground, before rising 150 feet in the air. Shouting "Let's go!" To the toad boss, Gamabunta, upon whose head he now stood, the team quickly made their way in front of the nine-tailed demon lord. Gamabunta quickly drew his sword, and rushed in attempting to buy the Yondaime time, keeping the fox busy. However, the sword was re-directed by a tail back into Gamabunta's eye, as the toad quickly cried out in pain.
Regaining his composure, the toad rushed forward again, but this time dodged the tail, before stopping and grabbing onto the kitsune, burning his front feet. The Yondaime, at that moment, finished his seals and reached forward, the shadow of the Shinigami behind his movements. Reaching out with the death god's powers, the Yondaime grasped the soul of the giant kitsune demon, sealing it within his son and allowing himself to enter the death god's stomach, the price of using its powers.
Elsewhere, a crying baby boy was absorbing the Kyuubi's essence, his chakra coils adjusting to the massive wave of power that hit it just before the Kyuubi's soul became fully sealed. The process was horrifying for those nearby to watch, including only the Sandaime and an ANBU, killed for what he saw. Naruto was morphed by the Kyuubi, whisker marks appearing on his cheeks, his eyes turning red and slit as the essence of the demon was being sealed. Soon, his eyes reverted to normal, but the real question was how stable the young boy's mind would be… and whether or not the seal would hold.
The Sandaime just shook his head and sighed, dropping the ANBU he'd just killed and picking up the young Namikaze. He wouldn't be safe there, not until he could defend himself. Jumping from the window, the old Hokage shot a fireball into the room, incinerating all evidence of the ritual, and went off to find his student. The village would need to go without him for a day… Hopefully it would last.
(Next Day)
The Sandaime was off, in search of his white-haired student Jiraiya. Quickly arriving at Tanzaku city, he figured the best way to find him would be to search through every whore house in town. Arriving at the fourth brothel in town, a baby in his arms, the old man found him, and quickly dragged him out.
"Jiraiya, I need you to take care of him." The Hokage motioned to the baby, before attempting to hand him off to the man.
"You can't just come here and dump a kid on me! It's not even mine, I use protection!" he objected.
"I'm sure you know about the Kyuubi attack, that's why you're here, right?"
The white-haired man suddenly became serious, staring hard at the old man. "Yes, I was on my way back. I have some information for the Yondaime as well."
"The Yondaime is dead, as is Kushina. She died in childbirth. Only this boy remains of his legacy."
Jiraiya just stopped, staring at the man who was once his teacher and waiting for confirmation. Upon seeing the old man nod, he nearly broke down before calming himself, shedding a single tear for his lost student. Looking down at the child, he noticed the obvious similarities, then looked up again.
"This is… his kid?" he asked somewhat shakily.
The Sandaime nodded, before handing him over and saying softly "Uzumaki Naruto."
Jiraiya looked confused for a moment before a look of comprehension crossed his face, followed shortly by a wave of anger. "You mean Namikaze Naruto. I'm sure his father would have wanted safety for his children, but changing his name won't help that. He's a vessel and he'll be traveling with me, that's all the protection he'll need."
The Hokage was slightly taken aback by the biting edge his voice carried, but he quickly recovered himself. After all, It isn't a normal thing to see Jiraiya angry. He's usually giggling with perverted delight. "Sorry, you're right. He is Namikaze Naruto. I don't care where you take him, but I want him back in the village in 12 years. This is an official mission, SS-rank. Take him and train him, in 12 years I want him to be a capable ninja. Please… Don't tell him his heritage until he's ready to know… and don't make him perverted else I'll have Tsunade neuter you."
The last part of his speech was said in humor, breaking the ice in the conversation. Jiraiya simple nodded, and took the child before disappearing. The Old man just shed a few tears for Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime and the boy's father. He would've been a great father and trainer… 'Jiraiya'll take good care of him… please, just don't come back in 12 years as a pervert.' The man silently prayed before making his way back to Konoha. At least in Konoha they'll think the demon is dead… and the people can rebuild their lives.
(Six Years Later)
Naruto was sitting in front of Jiraiya. His hair was spiky, just like his father's, and his bright blue eyes shone. He was fidgeting slightly, since he never ran out of energy it seemed to be a habit he'd picked up. Twiddling his thumbs, the boy looked up, Jiraiya staring at him and thinking deeply. By this point, Naruto had figured when and when it was not okay to interrupt the man. This was, quite clearly, a 'do not interrupt' time.
In fact, Naruto had picked up a lot of things. Having traveled with his assumed father since birth, Naruto had learned quite a lot about the man. He was definitely smart, knowing lots of big words he was often asked to explain later. Naruto was a sucker for learning new words, liking to sound big and important, and he was often rewarded with candy whenever he said a particularly intelligent sentence, using the larger words correctly.
Naruto had also picked up a lot on body language, and knew that even at that moment he looked weak because he was fidgeting, but he couldn't help it. Jiraiya said he had something important to tell him, and Naruto was just itching to know what it was.
The blond-haired boy had also learned that Jiraiya was a ninja. Once, the man before him had formed a sparkly blue ball of an energy called 'chakra' which tossed a man back 50 feet, and it wasn't even complete! From that moment on, Naruto had decided he'd wanted to be a ninja. Since then, about two weeks ago, he'd asked his presumed father over and over if he'd show him how to use chakra… but until today was left unanswered. That is what Jiraiya was going to tell him, whether or not he;d train him to be a ninja… or so he thought.
In Jiraiya's mind, things were quite different. 'I'm glad he wants to be a ninja, that makes this so much easier… but he'd better know when he starts his training… no later or he'll freak when he finds out. And he's heard so much about him from me… he'll at least know he has potential… I'll have to tell him.'
Jiraiya looked down at the boy before him, trying to decide how to go about telling him. He studied the boy once over… again surprised by how much he'd grown. Having raised him from a mere baby, barely over a day old, he was surprised by how much he'd looked like his father… and his father's only remaining living student, an advent fan of his perverted books.
Naruto was wearing a black face mask to cover his whiskers, a faded gray T-shirt with a dark red spiral on the back. He also wore sandy tan cargo shorts that were just light enough to not clash with the outfit. They were a bit loose around the knees, just below which they stopped to allow good movement but were not short. His hair was long, spiky and hanging about an inch above the collar of his shirt. Naruto's eyes were shining, and looking up at Jiraiya, waiting for the answer.
Jiraiya just couldn't stall any longer… and decided to start, sighing, he sat down in front of Naruto. They were in a hotel out in rice country, and had the room to themselves, the futons next to each other in one room, the kitchen next door and the bathroom connected to the one they were in, also the lounge.
"Naruto… Did I ever tell you the name of my student?"
Naruto shook his head in the negative, and curiously wondered where Jiraiya was going with this. "Otou-san… what does that have to do with anything?" he asked, repressing the urge to yell it. He'd learned about a year ago that all his yelling and needless outrage were likely to get him killed one day, when an annoyed older Shinobi of the Mist threw a kunai at him, telling him not to be so loud. Jiraiya caught the kunai, but Naruto knew he wouldn't always be there. Heck, Naruto knew he couldn't possibly be related to the man, they looked nothing alike.
"My student became the Yondaime Hokage… the man who placed… IT inside you."
Suddenly, Naruto felt torn, because the man whom he'd grown to respect from Jiraiya's stories, was also the one who placed the burden on him. They'd already talked about the Kyuubi some, only the basics like the demon couldn't get out, it was slowly increasing his chakra reserves, and how it was sealed. He'd never talked to it, but occasionally, whenever Naruto saw a death that is, he'd feel a presence in the back of his mind.
"Also" Jiraiya continued. "His name was Namikaze Minato. He was your father."
At this, Naruto's hatred was suddenly gone. He no longer wondered why he'd been chosen to hold the Kyuubi. He knew from Jiraiya's stories and from how the sealing worked that his father couldn't and wouldn't have asked another person to give up their child. It made more sense now.
"Now knowing that… Do you still want to be a ninja?" Jiraiya said cautiously.
Naruto looked up, fire burning behind his eyes. "I will surpass my father… and do as he did. I will save the village he cared so much for… it's what he would want. For his legacy to carry on. I will protect the village he loved. Please… Otou-san… teach me."
And so the training began.
(Six years later… Training Montage!)
Naruto had spent the first two years learning non-chakra related information, such as theory and, more interesting, the writings of his father. Of course, he'd had to study a lot to figure out what the Hiraishin was, since even Jiraiya couldn't show him… and unfortunately Naruto still didn't get it. It has something to do with the kunai with the symbol on it forming an anchor, and sending a flash to it, converting yourself into light particles… whatever those were… for a long enough time to transport yourself with minimum chakra.
Naruto was actually quite adept at studying. When he was truly enthused at something, he actually managed to be pretty good at it. Anatomy and medicine was interesting, as were other sciences, but geology, math, and history were a bit hard. Except for the parts of history with war and famous techniques.. those Naruto had no problem with. His favorite was the story of the Kiroii Senko, the Yellow Flash of Konoha and the war between the fire country and stone country. It was recent, so the legend still and variations, but truly the Yondaime had been a man to be feared.
During the next year, Naruto unlocked his chakra and did physical training, using weights to increase his strength faster. He silently blessed the fox every time a torn muscle was healed quickly, allowing him to continue training. Needless to say. He heard a few unsettling chuckles every once in a while, but not much else. He finished the year off with 20 pounds on each limb, determined to add 2 pounds a month to each limb from then until he went to Konoha. However, little else was accomplished other than the physical training and learning how to use chakra.
In the fourth year of training, Naruto learned the three basic academy jutsus… and was given the first of his father's scrolls. However, if Jiraiya knew how much that scroll would've changed Naruto, he may not have given it to him.
The key to being a good ninja, is chakra control. More ninjas die of kunai than anything else because they either mess up a technique, or the other person has more stamina. However, every human being has a limit to the chakra that they can have. I think I'll have reached the maximum by the age of thirty. Therefore, I stress to whoever reads this that controlling chakra is the most important aspect for any ninja. A master of control could outlast any other ninja, assuming he or she has at least chuunin level reserves, because a well timed kage bunshin and kawarimi can kill any ninja.
At this, Naruto was slightly saddened that his father never reached the age of thirty, but was also curious about this kage bunshin technique. It sounded like you could switch places with it… but that would require it to be more than just an illusion. Naruto quickly learned the move from Jiraiya, but found he didn't have the chakra to make that many… using what looked to be 10 times the chakra Jiraiya used to make one….
Reading onwards in the scroll, Naruto soon found his path to 'beating' his father.
Chakra control of the highest levels can convert it into elements… The Nidaime could pull water from the air with chakra, but for the most part he was actually just creating strings of water to guide the rest of the water hack to his hands. Some of the more experienced Uchiha can even make fire appear without even hand seals, since their control can be better controlled.
Naruto was stumbled slightly over the word 'Uchiha'. He'd heard about the massacre, and it was off hearing the name again, but Naruto continued on.
My original attack, the rasengan, requires chakra of the highest level as well, as it is a shape manipulation. Also, Hyuugas need perfect control. If you are of any major clan of Konoha, my advice to you is to perfect your control… it is the most valuable aspect of any shinobi. Namikaze Minato, Yondaime Hokage.
In the fifth and sixth year of training… Naruto followed the advice. The scroll had a list of exercises that would help improve chakra control. Naruto found it hard… getting gradually harder to control as his reserves increased, but he was diligent about it. Naruto learned a few C and B rank jutsus along with his chakra control training, but Jiraiya was really more busy with work than with helping Naruto train. This did not mean he didn't get better though. Once, a truly dumbfounded Jiraiya walked into the clearing they were staying in after Naruto had been training for only 8 months, and Jiraiya found him on one hand balancing above the sharp end of a kunai… a weapon that Naruto got very sued to using. That and shuriken, Naruto seemed to have a natural affinity for weaponry… if that were his specialty he may have surpassed even the Ikeitanas (Tenten's family) in kenjutsu…. But he did not pursue it.
After a year and a half of training with control, Naruto discovered that his Kage Bunshin could help him train as well, and Naruto decided to get more help. Jiraiya had just returned from a long information gathering…. research trip, leaving Naruto in the woods on the border of Wind and Fire country. For the last six months of Naruto's training, he developed his fighting style and learned the Rasengan along with a few other elemental jutsus… while finishing his chakra control regiment, reducing it for what would become normal life in the coming days.
After 12 long years, Naruto finally returned to the village his father had cherished so much. Seeing ninjas at the front gate, he expected them to hate him for the Kyuubi, knowing that they would know about it, but instead was greeted by happy smiles, for both him and Jiraiya. Not even a trace of anger. Wondering why it had happened that way, Naruto thought back to the conversation he'd had with Jiraiya the day before.
(Flashback no Jutsu)
"Naruto" Jiraiya began. "You know some people know that the Kyuubi was sealed… right?"
Naruto nodded his head. He'd been expecting this.
"Well… they were told the contained died on the day after the attack by the Sandaime. As long as you don't tell anyone no one will know… I suggest you keep it to yourself. Unfortunately, once we get back I will have to leave… I'm sorry Naruto, but you can live on your own now… I am still needed as a scout for Konoha."
Naruto was breaking down, tears flowing from his eyes. In the past years he'd come to think of the man as more of an uncle or grandfather than a father, knowing who his real father was. The man had been a less important part of Naruto's life as of six years ago… but he was still his only truly precious person… one Naruto valued deeply. Jumping over to Jiraiya, he hugged him, crying for a good 30 minutes before calming himself and drifting off to sleep
(Flashback KAI!)
Naruto took out the key Jiraiya had slipped into his pocket, and the address written on the card that came with it. The apartment he was being given was apparently right near the Hokage tower. From what Jiraiya said, it was once the Yondaime's, and in it were various places for Naruto to seal the Yondaime's scrolls with blood seals, as they were now rightfully his.
Jiraiya waved goodbye, before vanishing to give his report. Naruto shed a tear, but hurriedly wiped it away before continuing on. He would be seeing much of the old pervert for a while… but it was okay. Naruto would survive…
Heading off in the direction of the apartment, Naruto took off at a stroll. Walking along, he looked in various booths that were being set up. It was the 10th of October, Naruto's birthday, and it looked as though the populace was setting up for a festival. Naruto caught sight of a banner that said 'Yondaime Special, 4.99' and Naruto remembered what Jiraiya had said about his heritage. He wasn't to tell anyone he was related to the Yondaime, or that he was even born in Konoha. He was supposedly an orphan from Wind country, found and trained by the Sannin out of generosity. However, anyone that personally knew the Sannin would probably have doubted that, but those that knew him personally in the village included only two people, the Sandaime and Kakashi.
However, Naruto was too lost in his thoughts to notice the girl walking towards him… another girl in two while they yelled at each other. THUMP.
Naruto almost fell down, but on instinct used chakra from his hands to repel the ground, pushing himself upright. He saw the girl falling as though in slow motion, but that was just because Naruto was used to seeing movements at a much higher rate. Putting a small amount of concentrated chakra into his legs, Naruto sprinted forward and caught the girl in his arms before setting her upright. Standing in front of her, he bowed to show respect, as he'd been taught when meeting someone 'formally' and said politely "Gomen. I didn't mean to run into you, I was lost in thought."
However, the girl was still slightly dazed, both from the sudden rush of being hit in the head and from the strange politeness of the boy in front of her.
"Who are you?" The blond haired girl asked. She was actually quite pretty, her platinum blond hair a little lighter than Naruto's own golden locks. She was wearing a purple dress and had a forehead protector wrapped around her waist.
"Ah, excuse me. I am…" Naruto remembered that he also wasn't supposed to refer to himself as a Namikaze, as people would recognize the name. Taking his mother's name, Naruto continued. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. Are you a ninja?"
"Yes actually." She said smugly, before turning to her pretty pink-haired friend in the red dress. "See Sakura? I at least look like one."
Sakura, not one to be put down so easily, responded in turn. "Ino-pig, you may look like one, but Sasuke-kun likes elegant girls, not pig-girls like you. Neh, I look like a ninja too, right?"
In Naruto's mind, neither of them really looked like ninjas, him having seen several deaths and knowing that in that bright red dress or with that platinum blond or pink hair they would probably die since they were really just big targets. However, he didn't say as much because he really just wanted to make friends, and these were the first girls he'd ever met his age, unlike those twenty year olds Jiraiya had tried to get him to 'have fun' with.
"I suppose you do… I mean, you have a forehead protector. I have to ask though… is that pink hair natural?" Naruto said, a quizzical look on his face.
"BAKA!" The girl, Sakura, said bashing him on the head. Naruto made a quick shield of chakra concentrated and thickened on that area, an easy task for him with his control. There was a cracking sound and Sakura brought her hand back, as she yelled about hit hurting. Ino was confused… having not seen the chakra shield… nor had Sakura for that matter, and she was wondering how the boy in front of them had just avoided being hit. However, she didn't get the chance to ask as he was no longer in front of her, he was taking Sakura's hand in his own, green chakra flowing from his hand into hers. In a few moments, Sakura stopped yelling and looked down at her hand to find it perfectly fine.
She looked up at Naruto in disbelief, before stating the obvious. "You're a ninja too, aren't you?"
However, she was surprised by his answer. "Actually, no. I am scheduled by the Hokage to take the academy exam later today, after I unpack from my trip, and then I am to join a genin squad. Apparently one of the teams is a little short-handed."
"Ah, so then you're my team-mate." Ino said "I'm on the team with only two people. So wait, unpack? Where are you from?"
Naruto shifted uneasily, body language Ino saw but ignored, curious as to where the boy came from. "Uhh… before I tell you, may I ask who you are?" Naruto said, nodding to her.
"Oh, sorry. I'm Yamanaka Ino… where are you looking?" She had seen his gaze shift over her, making her feel a bit uncomfortable, but he ignored it. Looking up he shook his head and grinned.
"Nowhere in particular. You're very pretty you know that? You too Sakura." Naruto said as he gave them both an eye-smile, as his eyes became upside-down U's, since they couldn't see his face anyway due to his mask.
Both girls blushed slightly at the comment, before continuing the conversation. "I'm actually from Suna… I was an orphan but I was found by a Konoha ninja who helped me train for the past few years."
They both gave him questioning looks, but when he didn't continue they just gave up, looking slightly exasperated. "So, what'd you train in?" Sakura asked, wanting to know how he'd managed to stop her fist.
'I don't suppose it could hurt to tell them.' Naruto thought, before responding. "I've been training in physical strength for six years, chakra control for 4 years, and I know a fair amount of jutsu. Really, I'm just chakra control fanatic." At the last comment Naruto gave them another eye-smile, while both of them stood, trying to regain their bearings.
"Wow" Sakura got out, before shaking her head. "Yeah, well, I graduated in the top of the class from the academy" Sakura said, trying to look good. Naruto could swear he heard Ino whisper "In book-smarts only" but he wasn't sure, so he decided to try his luck.
"Really? Cool… Well, I haven't sparred anyone in a long time, wanna go fight somewhere?" Naruto questioned anxiously. Sakura looked uneasy for a second before regaining her resolve and answered in the affirmative. They set off for a nearby training ground, arriving in about 10 minutes. Once there, They both took a stance, Ino acting as the referee.
"Hajime!" She called, starting the match,
Naruto just stood perfectly still, hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts. Sakura, in her measly kenpo stance, decided to take the offensive and charge. She lashed out with a punch, but instantly regretted it. Her fist slammed into some sort of shield the boy, Naruto, had made seemingly with just chakra. She heard a crack and saw she had probably fractured a finger, but she didn't quit. Jumping back, she pulled out a kunai and threw it straight at him. She was getting worried when he brought up his hand and didn't move. However, Naruto simple created another shield of chakra, this time a little weaker than before but at an angle so that the kunai just got deflected to the side.
In his head, Naruto was simply thinking 'How did Jiraiya get powerful here? I've barely used any chakra and she looks winded already. Man, I really owe Jiraiya and dad a lot, don't I?'
Naruto began walking towards Sakura, as she continued to jump around the field, throwing kunai and shuriken only to have them bounce off. She went in for another punch, but this time he dodged her, and put his hand up in front of her shoulder, just inches away. Creating another shield of chakra in front of his hand, he had it pulse outwards, releasing the chakra and blasting her away, only to skid on the ground and stop moving about 20 feet away.
Ino was awestruck at this boy who seemed to fight with just chakra… no hand seals, no taijutsu, no genjutsu or kenjutsu, just plain chakra manipulation. She quickly rushed over to her friend, but was beten by the blond haired boy who was already at Sakura's side, saying "Good match" and other comforting words while pumping that green chakra into her shoulder and hand. Moments later, Sakura was just sore, but was nonetheless amazed.
"Well Ino, looks like you have at least one competent ninja on your team. Him, that fat guy, and you. What a team." Sakura said sarcastically, still sore and slightly annoyed. She tried to bop Naruto on the head again, but instead it felt as if she hit a cushion… an odd sensation.
Naruto dispelled the cushion of Chakra he'd made to counter her punch and helped her up off the ground. Waving goodbye to the pair, he made his way to the apartment. Hey, he may even go out and see the festival today.
(At The Apartment)
Arriving quickly, he found the apartment in perfect working order. After finding out what his rent was, he took some of what he'd gotten on the two S-rank missions he'd gone on with the Sannin, and paid the manager in advance, greatly pleasing him.
Entering the apartment, Naruto found it quite well furnished. Taking out his scrolls, Naruto remembered when he'd first learned sealing and began thinking he should learn more about it, at least enough to be able to do Hiraishin, but for now he just knew storage seals. All he really needed. Unsealing his clothing, he put it in the closet. Then, taking out other personal items, he decorated his new apartment. It was rather cozy, with just one bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bedroom, but it was more comfortable than what he'd had the rest of his life, so Naruto was happy with it.
After settling in, Naruto opened up the door, walked out, and locked it behind him, before putting the keys back into his pockets. Making the two minute trip to the Hokage's office, he politely greeted the guards and asked to see the Hokage, but was refused because he was so young. Walking back out of the building, he hid around the corner and activated an advanced form of henge with chakra concentrated but hidden so that he could take on the appearance of Jiraiya. Moving back into the office, he ignored the guards completely, as he'd seen the Sannin do to most guards, before entering the office, closing the door behind him, Naruto quickly found himself being attacked. Performing a Kage Bunshin, he placed it in front of himself to take the hit, simultaneously using kawarimi with a chair to block the door and to hide himself. Coming out from his hiding spot, he looked at the Hokage and with a smile said:
"Well, Ojji-san, did I pass?"
"With flying colors" the Hokage said sagely. "Jiraiya said you're about chuunin level, but your chakra control is that of a jounin or better. He says it's probably about as good as an ANBU's. Seems he was right, you didn't need to use hand seals or even flare chakra for any of those moves. For that I applaud your control. However, he said you do have your flaws. I suggest when you begin working with your team that you learn to deal with ranged chakra attacks."
In Naruto's mind, he was happy with the praise, but sad that the Hokage knew his weakness. Now he was at a disadvantage if he ever had to fight the man, which hopefully would never have to happen.
"I will. What team am I on?"
"Team 10. Your sensei is my son, and yes he knows that you're the container. Only he, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and I know what you are, so you have nothing to worry about. Your team mates are Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji, two fairly respectable students."
"I know" Naruto responded. "I met Ino earlier today. She's… nice?" Naruto said, as more of a question than anything else.
The Hokage snorted, but passed Naruto his team specs. "Meet them at training ground 14 tomorrow at 8 AM, you have to complete the genin test with your team."
"Thanks Ojji-san. And thank you for the apartment. I never thought a vessel could be treated like this." Naruto said, shuddering as he though back to his encounter with Gaara 4 years ago in Suna. Jiraiya had been there to get information from a spy and Naruto wandered off. He saw a boy get someone else a ball, but they called him a demon and left him all alone on the swing set. Naruto tried to go play with him, but when he reached out a wall of sand came up and blocked it before lashing out. Jiraiya grabbed Naruto and shunshined out, before explaining to Naruto that not all vessels were like him.
"No problem Naruto." The old Hokage said, before turning back to his paperwork. Naruto left out the window, and quickly made it back to his apartment, thinking to himself 'survival test tomorrow, eh?'
Arriving back, Naruto was about to unlock the door when he stopped. Checking his wallet, he decided to go out to the festival for a few hours first, maybe meet a few people.
(At The Festival)
The festival was full of people, all drinking or playing games, or eating, or even dancing. Naruto had learned how to dance from Jiraiya, who said it was important for fitting into the high class world on infiltration missions. Naruto was unconvinced, but eventually Jiraiya took him on an S-rank mission that required just that, it required Jiraiya to guard the Fire Daimyo and thus serve as an escort for another person there, staying near the Daimyo. Jiraiya caught the assassin on the dance floor, casually trying to stick a needle into the Daimyo while he danced with his enormous wife. Jiraiya led his partner over discreetly and stopped the assassin without ever drawing attention. This mission actually convinced Nartuo of a lot, including the fact that any skill one may have may very well save a life in a mission.
Thus, Naruto stood on the edge of the dance floor, just looking around. He spotted Ino and found himself staring at her as he'd done earlier, just more intricately. Yes, Jiraiya was a super pervert, and unfortunately living around him for 12 years made Naruto into one as well.
Naruto, noticing the form of Ino moving towards him, looked down into his drink so as to not be caught staring at her body, however developed it was for a 12 year old. Soon Ino was standing in front of him with a blush on her face.
"I just wanted to thank you for catching me earlier today." She said quietly, almost a whisper. She was clearly blushing, but her head was lowered so it was less visible. She turned to leave, but Naruto saw his chance and grabbed her hand.
"It was no problem, honestly. Care to dance?"
It was at this moment that Naruto looked up and made eye contact, before Ino turned and looked behind her. Naruto looked behind her as well and saw Sakura staring at the two of them. Ino turned back to him, and squeezed his hand for a moment.
"Uh, actually, I should probably get back to Sakura, I told her I'd go play that shuriken game with her."
"Oh." Naruto said rather inelegantly. He let go of her hand and looked down, then back up with a clearly fake smile that didn't even show in his eyes, the lower half of his face not visible. "Okay, sure."
Ino looked up guiltily for a moment, before bowing her head a bit and asking "Would you like to join us? I mean, if you think you can keep up."
The last part was clearly a taunt, and Naruto was not one to back down. Even if he was less loud, he still didn't like shots at his pride. Deciding to make the most out of it, he nodded his head yes and said "sure" one more, before following her to the booth.
The game was quite clearly for ninjas only, with tiny targets moving around on wires attached to engines. When you played, you had to choose a speed, and it adjusted the score. There were 10 moving targets in all. On slow, each was worth 1 point, on medium each target was worth 2 points, and on hard each was worth three. Sakura went first, on slow, and got all 10, earning herself a teddy bear.
As Ino was about to start, Naruto held out a hand to stop her. "I'll make a bet with you."
"eh?" Ino said, confused.
"If I beat you, you have to let me dance with you." Naruto said smugly, smiling demurely beneath his mask.
Ino looked at him curiously, then smiled deviously. "And If I win?"
"I dunno, what do you want?" Naruto said, not really caring.
"You have to kiss Sasuke-kun on the lip and get us a picture of it, which means you have to show us your face too."
Sakura suddenly got an evil smile as well. Sasuke had already lost his first kiss to Kiba, which was as gross as the dog boy himself, but even Sakura had to admit, this Naruto guy was hot. If he as handsome as his body was ripped, he'd almost rival Sasuke-kun. Just the thought of them kissing got Sakura a little excited.
"Nice one Ino!" Sakura said, slapping her blond friend's hand for a high five. Naruto just shrugged and said "Okay."
Ino almost swooned at the thought. "And you have to do it shirtless." Ino tagged on. Naruto just shrugged again. By this point, several other fangirls had crowded around and were discussing the bet, cheering Ino on.
"Go ahead. Dozo." Naruto said, waving his hand for her to go. Ino got it set on medium, and hit all but one giving her a score of 18. She too got a teddy bear, then looked to Naruto, giving him a look that basically meant 'Beat That'.
Naruto, however, was curious. Was Sasuke a girl? Was she hot? Wold he want to kiss her? He decided to ask, just in case. "So, is Sasuke a girl or a guy?"
This started the chatter all the more, until Ino explained he'd just moved to Konoha, and all the girls settled in understanding. "He's a guy."
Suddenly they felt the temperature drop. Naruto did NOT want his first kiss to be with a guy. "Does it matter when I do it?" Naruto said apprehensively.
Sakura sensed he was uncomfortable with it, and began thinking about why, before coming to a conclusion. "It'll be your first kiss, won't it?" Sakura teased.
Naruto shuddered before nodding his head. Suddenly, the girls were laughing, most likely at him Naruto concluded. 'At least they think I'm hot.' Naruto thought to himself.
Shaking his head, he cleared it before concentrating. "Since I could be getting kissed this way, and you added something onto your bet, I get to add something to my end, right?"
Ino was already confident she would win, so she just nodded her head in the affirmative. However, she soon wished she hadn't.
"If I win, not only do you have to dance with me, but right after I win you have to kiss me." Naruto said, confident he would win.
The reaction from the girls other than Ino was just one long "Oooooooh" while Ino blushed terribly. Naruto told the guy in the booth who had been listening the whole time to turn it up to hard. The targets became a blur, and the girls wondered what he was doing. Only chuunin and jounin could do that level of difficulty, usually.
Naruto quickly threw out the 10 shuriken, hitting 7, getting a score of 21. By this point, a crowd had gathered, and had all heard the bet. They were looking at Ino expectantly, who shuffled up nervously and instead of finding his lips pecked him on the cheek. The crowd "Awwwww'd' and Naruto took her hand, leading her to the dance floor as a slow song started, ignoring the look Sakura had at him hitting seven of 10 chuunin to jounin level targets.
Taking Ino's hand in his own, he put his other hand around her waist, and was about to direct her to the same when he found she'd already done it. Apparently these girls could dance too. Expertly leading her on the dance floor, Ino was quite surprised that he could actually dance, as in the academy only girls learned it. This Naruto guy was getting more and more interesting.
Soon, however, the song finished and they abandoned the floor, only to see Sakura tapping her foot expectantly while three other girls looked at her with jealousy in their eyes. Naruto just led her off the platform and handed her off to Sakura before heading over to a ramen stand.
'Ramen… interesting.' Naruto thought, before ordering a bowl of miso pork ramen. Tasting it, he soon scarfed it down, it being gone in seconds, without the owners ever seeing beneath the mask. He soon ordered two more bowls, getting them down just as fast. They'd only seen one other person eat that fast and that was Kakashi… The similarity was weird.
Naruto actually finished a total of 7 bowls by the time he left, only 10 minutes later having taken a break after the first three and the fourth and fifth to let it get down. Finding himself full, Naruto pondered his team mate Ino while walking home. He was lucky to have her on his team, she was a fun girl. Not too bad with shuriken either. Naruto then realized he'd forgotten his prize, and was about to go back and get it when he realized he'd already gotten his prize, rubbing his cheek.
Arriving at his apartment, Naruto found it was already 11 PM, and just plopped down on his bed, setting his alarm for 7 AM. Tomorrow would be a busy day.
End Chapter
Hey all. I hope you liked the chapter. Yes, the theme I'm expanding on will be chakra control, as we almost see nothing of true manipulation other than the Hyuuga's use of it and the rasengan. It is under-used. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, I plan on putting updates up pretty often.
