Just to start this in an official note.
This is my first story in this site, I've heard a lot of things of this site from people, friends and other sources. So, I decided to give it a shot and bring my first story here into this site. A word of warning and attention though, I'm not a very good English speaker, English is not my first language but I do practice it enough to have a good conversation with people who has English as their first language.
As some of you may have notice, I may or may not have just made a grammar error in the paragraph above—maybe I've made one in this one too—so you'll have to excuse that too. I'm using this site as a place to practice my writing skills too, IGCSE isn't easy bros. So, again, you'll be seeing things like grammar errors, a little amount of misspelling, fragments and other issues that you may find in stories which are made by non-English speaking authors.
Oh, one more thing. I don't know if this is normal but… you don't have to actually leave a review for me. Surprised? Well, you should be. If it's just to say that you want more of this story or if you like this story then the number of follows and favorites that I'll receive is more than enough for that. So, I'm just going to say it here and now: leave a review only if you want to point out mistakes, errors, or if there are confusion in sentences and things like that. Critics are fine, but encouragements are more than enough through statistics.
Okaaay… now that I've gotten that out of the way, I present to you,
Tough.
Six steps, that's all he needs.
Underneath the sheltered and unmaintained roof of an abandoned metal processing factory in Konoha's southern industrial district, the sound of people cheering and shouting as if they are watching two animals fight is the only thing that people could hear from inside and outside the area. People of many statuses are here; thugs, merchants, lower nobles who have a decent seating in the village's society and even serving Shinobis could be spotted to the trained eyes.
Three hits, that's all he needs.
"What's the matter rook? You had enough?" a man. More like giant, really. His build is heavy, his form is huge, his stature is tall… yeah, a giant. Despite his intimidating appearance, he is quite banged up. His face is littered with bruises, old and new. There is blood on his chest, fresh and dried. Scars are everywhere, from his neck to his chest and his hips. His dark complexion mixed with the state he is in, as well as his build, makes him look like a person that normal people should not mess with.
A pause, but for a moment.
Then the giant starts to block off lightning fast punches, kicks, jabs, chops! The giant's large stature allows strength and endurance to brush off the hits that his opponent is giving him as if they're just small taps. But there is one thing that he can't keep up, it's the speed. The giant of a man leans backward for a punch, before throwing said punch at his much smaller and shorter opponent.
Don't flinch, take it.
An unbelievable sight. The shorter fighter takes the hit head on, literally. The giant's fist hits the forehead of the opposing fighter, but it's effects are reversed. Instead of the shorter guy taking in the pain, it's him who's in pain. The giant reels back his bulging and swollen fist, still feeling the aftermath of the impact. It's as if he just punched a freaking wall made of diamonds, studded in obsidian and hardened in the hottest fire there is! Needless to say, it hurts like a bitch. But that level of hurt is nothing when compared to the one that he's about to receive.
Once endured, take the first step.
The shorter fighter jumps, delivering a well aimed strike for the giant's chin, hitting it with his knee as it is a flying knee attack that he has just delivered. It does not stop there, after the flying knee is a roundhouse for the side of the giant's head with his other leg, hitting the head and breaking every both cheekbones and jaw even if it is just one side of the face that is hit. In a fit of momentum, the shorter fighter spins and draws distance between him and the giant, his blue sapphire like eyes glinting dangerously underneath the bask of unholy lights coming from the moon above.
And then finally, forget the second to the fifth step, just do it.
He jumps. No, he soars. He pounces. He strikes.
He was fast, coming at the giant of a man as if he is lightning itself. The buffed giant, in the midst of his pain, is not given any chance to react to his speed. He is simply there in pain as his death takes on the form of a bare and uncovered foot flying at him with great speed. Now, there is a common understanding. The faster an object moves, the harder the impact. But what if…
It's both hard and fast at the same time?
Yeah, you guessed it.
SPLAAAAAAAAT!
The audience is forced to cover their eyes as the foot connects, creating a display of inhumane execution and a rather bloody spectacle at the same time. The man no longer has his head, it's minced grey matter now. Everyone is quiet, then cheers start to erupt from every corner of the illegal and makeshift stadium. People cheering his name, his moniker, his alias, his fake identity. He rubs his foot, the one which is covered in blood and grime, on the cleaner side of the ring, just for comfort.
Then a man dressed in a ruined yet decent clothing enters the metal barred ring through the only exit and entrance, no doubt that he is the one responsible for hosting the event. He has a microphone in his hand, approaching the clear and unquestioned winner of the fight for the finishing words.
"Laaaadies and gentlemen! We have our winner: Iroooooooooon!" he brings the victor's right hand to the air, raising it as a sign of clear victory. The people's cheering intensifies, bringing a smile to the winner's face.
The victor hints the mike from the announcer's hand, he takes it and brings it close to his mouth. His face, covered with nothing more than a pair of goggles, is showing a bright and clear grin; taking his moment to let the people quiet down before he does his speech. Once everyone is quiet, he starts his speech with a small laugh.
"Heh, never thought that I'd be seeing you fucks again." Everyone responds to his verbal sense of humor with short laughs. "I see that we've got quite the audience here… lessee… there's that guy that I beat up last week, that guy that I beat up the week before aaaaand that other guy who I beat up before the two guys I mentioned." He gave a playful wave at the audience, making them laugh some more. "It's all good to see people who I didn't beat up too, I'm talking to you Hirano-san. What would your family say if they saw you here, betting on half naked men beating the shit out of each other instead of pushing pens behind your desk?" everyone's laughter just gets louder.
He coughs into the mike, tapping it a few times. "But le'me be concise here." He says with an edge. "I'm quitting. I'm dropping the mike. I'm taking a bow." Everyone is silent, they are looking at him with an expression that could only be described as 'are you fucking kidding me'. "Now before ya'll start drawin' your dicks out and beat your meat out of frustration, there's a good reason for this. I'm quitting, cuz I won't be fighting anymore, cuz it's boring." He states his reason with a slight shrug. "So, I'm giving a time out, until the new and much fresher blood comes in and start making names for themselves, then maybe I'll come back; giving them a taste of my iron fist. So that's it folks, I'm done, I'm droppin' the mike. This is Iron, signing out."
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
The Third Hokage's scream has never been so loud. In fact, this is probably the loudest ever since he got mad at his own pupils; the three Legendary Sannins of Konoha. Inside the Hokage's tower is an office and inside that office is the Hokage himself and Konoha's resident troublemaker, Uzumaki Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto is by no means a simple boy, in fact, calling the boy a boy is probably a mistake. For once, despite being only thirteen years of age, he appears to be two or three years older. He is above the average height for boys his age, his face is way too rugged to be called minor and his attitude too.
Currently seated in one of the guest seats that the office has, Naruto is sitting on it, with his legs on the Hokage's desk, propped up nice and comfortable. Not to mention, he is also smoking cigar too. This boy, even from a glance, is the sole reason for more than two people's source of frustration and white hair. The boy is trouble and what's more troubling; he admits it.
However, despite his attitude, he is… quite the looker for a young person he is. Easily mistaken as an eighteen year old makes him quite a sight to behold in women's and probably a few of the males'—who have gone astray of the straight path—attention. It does not help when he is quite ignorant about it in the first place, it's easily told by the state of his clothing. Wearing only an orange sleeveless vest with a furry white collar and a pair of matching but darker shade of pants with nothing to cover his upper abdominals, is the main reason as to why people—not necessarily women, men are too be it out of curiosity or interest—are always looking at him.
The way he dresses coupled with his sun kissed golden mane of a hair, his angular jaw lines and face structure, well developed and lean built body, and the most important part… his flirty and easy to approach nature… yup, it's no wonder that the Hokage—Sarutobi Hiruzen himself—does not allow him to visit his secretary even on her free time.
Sadly, it does not work the other way around so… it's a win for the blonde.
Right now, the blonde is halfway through his cigar, quietly ignoring the twitching old man on the other side of the desk as he continues to blow rings of smoke out from his mouth. Eventually, his fag is finished, leaving only the filter dangling from his mouth. He lifts his legs off from the Hokage's desk, flicking the filter away from his mouth and into the small dustbin a few feet away from his position. He crosses his legs into a comfortable position, his back leaned to the cushion of the chair and his eyes covered by the goggles he's wearing.
"Oh, so you're here Jii-chan, I wonder why I didn't see you…"
One of the Hokage's veins popped. "I WAS HERE THE WHOLE ENTIRE TIME YOU LITTLE BRAT!" The entire room, it's safer to say that the entire Hokage tower just shake the moment Hiruzen opens his mouth in a form of a shout. The old wizened Kage pinches his temples immediately, releasing an extremely long sigh.
"Eeeeh… that's a pretty long sigh Jii-chan, you sure you're still packed for the job?"
"And whose fault is it if it isn't!?" shutting his mouth once again, the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato sighs, this time not as long as before. "Anyway…" he delivers a sharp look to the blonde delinquent, one that has no effect on the blonde. "I believe you are aware as to why you're here?"
Naruto does not answer. Instead, he picks his nose. This causes the oldest of the two to twitch in annoyance at the boy's attitude and disrespect towards the elderly, a part of him that Hiruzen just can't seem to repair. "Meh, I have a few ideas. But I think it's because of that little stunt I pulled yesterday. You know; the one where I swapped the entire ANBU headquarters' barracks' inventory with anything but useful tools?"
The Hokage's face fell. "You swapped every useful tool inside the ANBU headquarters?"
"Uh… yeah, isn't that why I'm here?"
"…Itachi, we have a problem here."
Almost phantasmically, a shift of atmosphere happens in the small room, a looming form of darkness begins to appear on the corner of the room, before fully materializing into the form of a tall young man dressed in an ANBU uniform. The newcomer's form is taller than the blonde and the Hokage himself. His hair is long, tied to a single ponytail and just like the blonde, he has the looks of a very attractive young man. However, unlike Naruto, who gives off the look of a rugged and punkish delinquent, he has the look of a quiet and stoic charmer. Actually it's best described like this: people finds Naruto attractive because of his charms and attitude, people finds Itachi attractive mostly due to his look and not his dead fish attitude.
"Hokage-sama." The black haired young man, known as Itachi, replies in recognition of the village's leader. He then lands a gaze at the younger blonde. "Naruto-kun."
Naruto flicks a two fingered salute at the older male, while the Kage gives Itachi a silent look that the Uchiha understands too well. "I have confirmed it Hokage-sama. Every single useful tools, such as weapons, uniforms, gears and even necessary facilities such as the water heater has been replaced with either brooms, chairs, tables, sticks with two branches, and a refrigerator."
The two older male looks at the blonde. "Why a refrigerator?"
"Cuz it's getting too hot over there, you know me, I don't like it when it's hot." He grins. "At least not when I'm the only who's getting hot myself."
The leader of the village sighs and slaps a palm to his face, muttering lowly to himself. "Ugh… what have this child become…?"
To Itachi, the blonde's antics are actually beneficial in some aspects. Some; he says… not all. Anyway, the pranks or trouble he makes would be a fine training for his men, believe it or not. There is actually an idea from his part as the commander of the ANBU division to secretly let the boy do whatever misfits it is he'd do to the division, as long as it will not go too far and that it will only increase the potential in the ANBU rosters. So, yeah, Itachi is the main reason as to why all of his men are using broomsticks instead of swords for their mission right now.
The boy has skills, even he is surprised the first time he met the enigma. Itachi has never seen someone so skilled, so smart and yet so… gullible at the same time. Naruto is easy to approach, yes, but sometimes that easy is just too easy. Uzumaki Naruto, in his past experience, has always been a prime target for bullying by people, it is due to a secret that only a major percentage of the adult population in Konoha knows.
He is the container for the Kyuubi no Yoko, which explains all the fights, trouble and situation he would find himself in during his younger days.
"So, Jii-chan… can I go now? I need to train…" the blonde says lazily while looking at the ceiling.
"No you cannot." Hiruzen replies strictly. "We still haven't discussed the main topic as to why you're here yet. Yes, indeed, it is a surprise for me to learn that you somehow managed to sneak into the ANBU headquarters without getting spotted, but I will deal with that another time." He breathes in. "Now, Naruto… why didn't you tell me that you've been getting involved in underground fight clubs this past few weeks?"
Itachi raises an eyebrow. This is new...
"…Meh, I was actually going to tell you, really… but the thought suddenly slipped my mind." The blonde answers as calmly as he could, while still looking at the ceiling.
Hiruzen analyzes the boy for a moment, reading him from his place. He shows no sign of nervousness, or doubt in what he is saying. He's not lying… and that's what worries him. "Do you realize that those are illegal, Naruto? People who are involved, be spectators or fighters, are guilty for the same charge, if not more than the other."
The blonde stops looking at the ceiling, he instead finds his place looking at the Hokage straight in the eyes. Hiruzen stares back at those sharp sapphire orbs, mocking him of his failure. "I know, but I have a reason for that really." Slipping a hand into his vest's pocket, he then pulls out a folded paper-like item. He flicks the paper towards the Hokage, as expected, Hokages have good reflexes. "I want you to read that. Read that and tell me that what I've done is wrong."
Hiruzen gives the boy one last look, before eventually unfolding the paper. He starts reading, and the more he reads, the more noticeable his frown is. He then gives the paper to Itachi, who accepts it without second thoughts. The ANBU commander reads it too, though his stoic expression prevents even the slightest of clue as to what is written on the paper. Once the two adults have finished compressing whatever knowledge is forced into them by that paper, Naruto laughs.
"Filthy ain't it? People man…" he says with a click of his tongue. "they can do just about any messed up shit that you could think of. Human trafficking, drug dealing, that's not the problem. The reason as to why I involved myself in the underground is obvious, I want to root out all of the names you've seen on that paper. I know that I'm technically not a ninja yet, but those names are dangerous business… If you notice Jii-chan, at least three or four of the names written there have a political seating with authority inside and outside of Konoha, yeah?"
No answer from the Kage.
"I've been in the underground for three weeks, and I've learned a lot of things." Naruto begins. "Things like the secret illegal fights that I participated in yesterday, or even more extreme things like planned kidnappings of your grandson to be sold to potential buyers… are only some of the dirt that I discovered. And you wouldn't allow it, right?" no answer again. "The thing is, the name of the people written there are people who Konoha needs to be paying more attention with. I've done my part, now, as Hokage, you need to do your part Jii-chan."
"How do you know of all of this?" Hiruzen begins, his tone serious and light. "Our intelligence division does not know of any of this. The names you've written here are names of important individuals who have both my trust and acknowledgement, proving me this is nothing but a sign of accusation, and that could get you in trouble, boy."
Naruto is not dumb enough to notice the way the Hokage called him. He scratches the back of his neck, before eventually speaking. "Let's just say that I have a personal… eh… how should I say this…" he actually looks really confused, almost conflicted. "It's not a vendetta, it's not a grudge and it's most certainly not revenge… oh, I know, I know… let's just say that I have a personal relation with these people and that relation of ours is not a beneficial one, so when I learned that I've some dirt on them, I decided to rat them out to the Hokage; you." He spreads his arms apart, a grin appearing on his face. "It's not some sort of law intervention, right? You ninja folks didn't even know that you have wolves dressed in the same wool as yours. I just did my job as a good citizen of Konoha and report the smell to the authorities, right?"
Hiruzen's expression relaxed. 'This boy… I swear, sometimes he is too smart for his own good…' the aged Hokage shakes his head. "If I may ask clearly… what sort of unbeneficial relationship do you have with these people, Naruto?"
"Hmm… should I tell you… or should I don't…?" Hiruzen glares at him, but only to receive a smirk in return. "Okay, okay fine… see, it was actually just coincidence when I learned that one of them is involved in… 'criminal activities' such as the one I mentioned. I was actually just walking back home through the back alley when I heard a few of these thugs speaking to themselves. Oh you don't have to worry about them, I took care of them a few weeks back. So where was I… oh yeah, once I learned about what is it they're talking about, I decided to learn more by… well, beating the shit out of them for information, because I'm not as resourceful before as I am now. Long story short, I started to involve myself in underground fight clubs in order to get a few important figures' attention and maybe get some info on them in return. Then, as I gain the 'trust' of the more good smellin' but uglier lookin' people down there, I learn names. Most are written on the paper I just gave you and even more I know through memory." He chuckles out in amusement. "Konoha is really vocal and explicit when it comes to treating their pariah, after all."
Hiruzen flinched. Itachi merely watches as a mere, yet skillful, thirteen year old boy who is not even an academy student, make the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato flinch.
"Okay, I'll admit." Naruto sighs. "Maybe I do have something personal with them. But it's not entirely for that. I don't like people who does things in my village that could harm me and the people around me. If I know that such people exist, I'll hunt them down. And now that I have all of them on paper, I quit the fights and here I am in your office, explaining why you need to sign me up for ANBU immediately."
.
.
.
"…Uh for your information, that last part was a joke, okay?"
A look of disappointment crosses Itachi's eyes.
"What do you think, Itachi?"
He dismissed the boy just a few minutes ago, five or six, give or take. Now the office is only occupied by two of the most powerful figure in Konoha. There is the Hokage himself and his trusty and loyal ANBU commander, easily the second in command if he were to go through formalities.
Itachi considers himself a sharp person, he is the scalpel to make the cut in order for the tumor to be removed.
"The boy's right, our ANBU have been decreasing in terms of performance as of late and—"
"No, no." the Hokage swiftly cuts in, before Itachi could even go into that topic. "Not that, but this." He lifts the paper for Itachi to see. "What should I do about this? What should I do about him? How am I even sane right now…?"
Itachi takes a moment to eye the paper once more. "It's the real deal no doubt, it's not forged and from analyzing it's done by someone who's used to give this sort of information about people for a very long time… if Naruto-kun were to, let's say, write this down on his own, then he'd need at least ten years of experience in advanced spy and intelligence gathering training."
Hiruzen perks up. "Are you saying that one of our own have something to do with this?"
"Two of our own, Hokage-sama." The genius corrects, lifting two fingers. "Naruto-kun is involved, it's clear. But who is the other one? From my perspective, this other person, the informant, the one who has given Naruto-kun this piece of information is not guilty… that is of course, unless you think otherwise?" Itachi gives his leader a look, a stoic look.
But Hiruzen has been working with the young boy for quite some time. He knows that look. "I'm getting too old for this shit…" the aged man says under his breath. "Anyway, I want you to search into this matter deeper. Ask the Military-Police from your clan if you can Itachi, they might want to have a part in this…"
If Itachi is any lesser man, and if he is an expressive one, he'd snort at the mention of 'Military-Police'. "Yes Hokage-sama." He turns to leave, but before he could, he stops. "Hokage-sama, a word of advice."
"What is it?"
"Make Uzumaki Naruto a gennin."
Then, the Uchiha prodigy leaves the scene, leaving behind a stunned and speechless sixty year old Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot."
The next morning, everyone wondered why there is a red mark on the old man's face.
Waking up to the sound of his alarm going off, Uzumaki Naruto jumps out of bed and on to his two feet to ready himself for his morning training. Just a way to discipline himself for his future Shinobi career, getting a little exercise early in the morning is always a nice way to start the day, it's healthy too. Naruto, still dressed in nothing but his boxers, walks to his bathroom where he proceeds to give himself a light hygiene; brushing his teeth, flossing, face wash and things like that. He is not a neat freak, but it'll make him stay fresh throughout the day if he at least gets to wash his face and brush his teeth.
There's no need for breakfast really, since he mostly eat during the evening. A weird and probably unhealthy eating habit, yes, but he just can't get rid of it. More importantly than breakfast, his clothing. Since today is pretty chilly, maybe he should be wearing more than just a vest and a pair of trousers on. So after he's done in the bathroom, he goes back to his bedroom to put on his clothes, putting on a red long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of matching pants. His wallet too, just in case if he gets hungry during his exercise. Oh and one important thing, his goggles.
Yeah, now he's ready.
Making sure that his door locked and that all is set for the get go, he exits the rundown apartment complex with a small jog. This is his usual dailies: fifteen kilometer jog anywhere in the village, pushups and situps to get that aerobics going on, stretching for that muscle work and finally, a spar. Normally, this would take about more than four hours to complete, which is why he always wakes up early in the morning, about four or three depending on his mood. Today will be different, probably, something tells him that his sparring partner will be late.
After he is done with the first few initial exercises, it is time to greet his partner.
All alone standing in the middle of an unused shinobi training ground, one that is free to be used by the public—usually as a recreational site for the non-shinobi schools—is Uzumaki Naruto, sweaty and light due to the intense exercise he's been through earlier today. All that's left for him to do is to wait for his partner slash rival slash… uh… frienemy. The person who he is going to meet soon is not the most approachable of person… that person is… well, for status's sake, a jerk.
"You're early, Uzumaki."
Well, at least she's not a late jerk.
"I guess I am, Hyuuga."
Blue eyes meet pale eyes. The owner of the pale eyes blinks first, and immediately sets herself into a standard Hyuuga style stance. Naruto whistles, looking quite amused. "My, you're surprisingly eager today Hyuuga-chan, can't wait to get more spanking from me now could you?"
Even if it's just a little bit, a little weeny bit, a small red tint crosses the Hyuuga's face, before disappearing completely. The expression she is holding is still stoic, and despite his teasing she is calm and ready. This just makes the grin on the blonde's face grow wider than before. "Come on little miss Hyuuga, whenever you're ready." She sees the blonde smiling, and it brings a twitch to her eye seeing that smug looking expression of his. She hates to admit it but he has all reasons to be smug, because he has won all of their spars ever since the very first time. And it does not help if he was never even hurt during all of it.
Hanabi starts with the first strike. It's not like getting the first chance to strike will give her an advantage on this spar. She is fast for her age, her small and lithe form only increases that further. However, her opponent is skilled too. She has to admit, if he does more than letting her hit him as a training dummy while acting all smug about it, she will lose the moment he lifts his hand. But that does not mean that she will allow him. As a Hyuuga, someone that comes from the main branch nonetheless, she has her pride. And even though that pride of her has been shoved to the dirt for so many times in their previous spars, she will not just give up and let easy.
After sparring with him for quite some time, she knows his movements. Since she is using a main Hyuuga branch style, he will definitely dodge the first blow by either ducking or leaning to the back. She predicts this and is right. Naruto swiftly dodges the first strike delivered from her by leaning to the back, Hanabi follows up with a second strike in the form of another palm. Again, just like every single time they spar, he blocks it with his bare palms. What's irking her is not the fact that he is capable of taking a bare hit from a Hyuuga's palm; well, maybe that too, but it's the fact he is also fast and sharp enough to predict her attacks.
For simpler terms, Uzumaki Naruto is currently copying the Hyuuga's fighting style and using it against her.
As the young girl's irritation grow, the blonde's thirst for action too. Naruto ditches the copycat moves and begins to take things his own way, brash and unpredictable. The moment Hanabi backs away, she probably noticed that he is about to change styles, he prepares himself by jumping into the air with a flying roundhouse kick. Of course, his attack missed, and Hanabi is sharp enough to use this as a chance for a counter attack. The young Hyuuga comes in pitter patters, her palms up for the strike. Now he could be a real gentleman and let the little lady hit him as much as he likes, or he could fight back and irk her further. Since he is in a good mood right now, he'll do the former. He stands still, his hands raised defensively.
Hanabi is merciless when she barrages at the blonde with her flurry of palms, she even throws in a few taps with her fingers for added damage. But it's futile! He's so damn hard! Even hitting him is painful for her, and she isn't even throwing punches at him. Hanabi kicks the man, but his hands easily dismiss it without even showing the slightest bit of pain. She tries for another kick, but his hand grabs her by the ankle, yanking her and throwing her to the other side of the field behind him. As expected from the Hyuuga child prodigy, Hanabi easily lands on her two feet, skidding a few feet from her landing point.
She stands, albeit tired and huffing in exhaustion. What she has in speed and maneuverability, she lacks in stamina. Her precision is off the charts too, but it's complete useless when her opponent is someone who can tank even a Hyuuga's strike as if they're merely love taps.
"Hmm… you're faster today, Hyuuga-chan." The blonde says from his spot, barely sweating. "Faster doesn't necessarily mean better though, your strikes are something but it's useless when you can't even make me feel them. They might work on someone else, but not me." He then makes a thoughtful expression. "Which brings me to the question again… why am I helping you spar?"
Hanabi, after taking a moment to ease her breathing, answers him without batting an eyelash. "In order for me to improve. That's all." She says a little bit too coldly for someone her age.
Naruto frowns slightly, but he shows an uncaring expression a little while later. "Meh, if that's your reason…" he cracks his knuckles, does the same to his necks, joints and even legs. He gives the girl his determined look, only for her to give him hers in return. "Then let's see how far you've improved, shall we?"
This time, instead of Hanabi, it is he who moves in for the strike. Hanabi, while ready and prepared, is not capable of taking his swift and agile punches by deflecting or misdirecting them; leaving her the only option of moving her body to dodge his strikes. The girl is shorter, maybe that is her only advantage at dodging him. The Hyuuga's fighting style mostly involves misdirecting an opponent's strikes, so having to dodge fast attacks is quite the challenge for her. Naruto knows that he is not supposed to go all serious on the girl, because for obvious reasons; that and he doesn't like fighting with girls, especially with a little girl like Hanabi.
However, he has to say, Hanabi is a very skilled kid. He does not know what sort of training that those Hyuuga old men have drilled into Hanabi's young mind, but he knows that it worked well, at the expense of her attitude of course. If he is not mistaken… she is starting the academy this year, just after the graduating batch that will become genins when they have passed their exams and tests. But what does he know? He's not even in the academy. Sparring with her counts as a benefit in itself; he'd get to learn more about the Hyuuga clan's fighting style and he gets to have a sparring partner. But he can't help but feel sorry for the girl in a way; she's trying so damn hard to beat him but she doesn't know that he's tougher than diamonds… literally.
His body is not normal. Nope. First of all, it's damn tough; physically. People could stab him multiple times with a sword and have said sword returned in an unrepairable condition. He does not know how or why this kind of… unique and unordinary condition is present to and for him. Maybe it's some sort of mutation? He for once thought that the old man might've done some shady secret human experiment on him when he's a kid, but the old man was just as surprised as him when he first showed him his unique condition. He found out about his condition ever since he was young, and he told the old man since then; no one else.
Aside from giving him a super durable and strong skin or body structure, it also increases his… well, hitting power. Because science: if you use hard things to hit softer things, the latter would break. Duh. This also means that he is a walking tank, literally. He tested his unnatural conditions a few times by himself; even to a point where it would make him look like a suicidal runt on shrooms. Non-lethal Jutsus too, especially; whether it be huge Katon fireballs, torrents of Suiton waves, large Doton avalanches, sharp and strong Futon currents or even super fast and mean Raiton sparks; everything, he could tank!
Of course… this is not limited to there. Yeah. There is a way for him to make his body tougher, stronger, more durable and harder than what it already is. The answer is simple. Yes, chakra. He learns that ninjas actually use chakra to reinforce parts of their bodies in order to make them tougher and stronger. Hanabi is doing the same thing basically, but he is too busy inner monologing right now so he will ignore whatever it is she is doing to him. So, anyway, by using chakra he could make his body tougher than ever. He tried free falling from the Hokage Mountain once; people could still see the ten meter deep hole he made as an aftermath.
So, yeah, a mighty convenient thing he got going on.
But!
Yes people, there is a huge but.
No, not that butt. But but.
It does not come without a side effect. Noppidy nope. Since his body is already so… tough naturally, he could already easily break a few knives or even swords without even channeling chakra and distributing them throughout the entire parts of his body. So, if he were to channel chakra into his body… the side effects will start to show… physically.
Hanabi yells in outrage, frustration, annoyance and other sorts of emotion that no one knows that a Hyuuga could have. She tried everything; even spitting at the damned man! Nothing budged, not even the Jyuuken that she used! What's worse, he's still in the middle of day dreaming! What's even worse, her hands, feet, head and even forehead are in pain due to her hitting him! See?! Her. Hitting him. She's hurt. It doesn't make sense.
As Hanabi is slowly getting mad at herself, and the blonde mostly, at her incapability of even hurting the blonde in a miniscule scale; she notices something odd about the blonde.
"…Eh?" she watches as the blonde's tanned skin morphs into that of a brittle grey color, matching that of concrete. It then starts to get even creepier and weirder when dust begins to cascade from his hair like dandruff, his hair itself has hardened; they're all similar to spiked concrete. The young girl, confused and creeped out at the sudden display, takes a shaky step back while pointing a shaky finger at the stone turned man.
He blinks at her.
"Y – Y – Y – Y – You! What the hell are you?!" Hyuuga Hanabi shrieks in surprise and alarm.
Naruto blinks a few more times, moving his arms and realizing that they have gotten quite heavy and noisy when made moving. He then frowns, spitting out what seems to be a mixture of fine grounded concrete and water to the ground. "Damn…" even his voice has gone raspy from the drastic change his body has just gone through. "So already huh?"
Hanabi is still gaping like a fish. Maybe not a fish, since fishes actually close their mouths and opens them again. She is gaping like those dolls that they sell in the store with the pink lights. "What do you mean 'huh'?! You're a freak!" damn, there is no stopping the girl when she's surprised, huh?
Naruto falls to the ground on his back, intentionally of course. This causes more dust to appear in the air, and when he hits the ground, he hits it just like any other material made of concrete would. With a loud thump. "Ow, ow… dammit, I broke my neck…"
Hanabi jumps three feet to the air when his body suddenly lifts itself up without its head. The head is still on the ground, but the body is sitting down. She could only watch in mute surprise, confusion, fear and amazement as the body grabs the head and cradles it near the chest. Mixed with the staring and still live head staring at her, this is definitely creepy.
Pssssssssssssssh…
"Ah…" Naruto gapes.
"…Ah…" Hanabi's head trails down.
.
.
.
Would her father believe if she tells him that a living statue man scared her to a point where she'd piss herself?
"So let me get this straight." Naruto coughs to his fist before looking at the person in front of him with the most serious pair of eyes that he could muster. "You." He points to the Hokage. "Want me to be a genin of Konohagakure no Sato, but you," he points to Itachi. "want me to take the ANBU qualification test in order to be accepted as a genin?"
.
.
.
"Yes, basically." Both ANBU commander and Hokage answer as one.
"…"
"Wait! Don't throw that chair yet!" the old and wizened Hokage stops the young blonde ruffian before he could lob the chair to his face. Itachi is already hiding behind the desk, when it is reserved for him in the first place. "J – Just listen, okay?" he attempts to calm the rageful blonde down by reasoning with him. "At least listen first…"
Naruto slowly puts down the chair that he's holding above his head, he does so without breaking eye contact with the old man. Once the chair is connected to the floor once more, he sits on it again, this time willing to listen to whatever reason that the Hokage and the ANBU commander has for him.
Hiruzen coughs, clearing his throat to begin his reasoning with the blonde. Itachi is no longer under the desk, acting as if he did not just hide under the Hokage's desk with the threat of a flying chair aimed at him. "Ahem. Naruto-kun, we've seen… well, listen would be the more appropriate term here since we've seen nothing of your skill, however, your involvement in capturing not one, but ten people who are Konoha's biggest but the most secret of threats has gained my and the ANBU black ops' attention. We, Itachi and I, are willing to give you two choices. One, we will make you a genin of Konohagakure no Sato without having to go through the academy as a standard. However, you are required to take the ANBU qualification test in order to become a genin." He sees Naruto lifting himself up from his chair. "OR! Or two, you can join ANBU and work as a part of the intelligence division for the rest of your career."
Itachi and the Hokage holds their respective breaths in order to wait for the blonde's reply. Their body tensed when they see his lips part.
"…I'll take the first—"
The Hokage and ANBU commander suddenly drops to the floor, their arms covering their heads.
Naruto's left eye twitch dangerously. "I said, I'll take the first choice."
Aaaand they're back to their respective places.
It's such a weird thing in the office.
"Ahem."
'Take a fucking cough medicine you fucking old goat.'
"Then it is settled. Today is when you will begin your examination, you must arrive at training ground thirty six at three o'clock sharp. I will be there along with a few audiences to evaluate your performance. Of course… Itachi here will be there too." Hiruzen says with a small confirming nod.
Naruto shrugs his shoulders. "What about the test, is there anything I should know about it?"
The Hokage gives the blonde a secretive smile. "Now where's the fun in that, Naruto-kun? You will have to see for yourself later. Just don't be late, I don't want to have another tardy Shinobi on my roster. You are dismissed, Naruto-kun." The blonde lifts himself from the chair and quietly makes his way to the door, leaving the Hokage and Itachi alone inside the office.
Both men release a breath of relief. Then, their eyes met.
"…So you know too."
"It is in my duty to know, after all, Hokage-sama."
.
.
.
"I can't believe that Hiashi came running at me early in the morning crying about how his youngest daughter had just got scared to a point where she'd dishonor both her family and herself by wetting her pants."
"I can't believe that the youngest Hyuuga prodigy actually lost in a fight. And she is supposed to be meaner than me."
Both men agree on one thing; that the test that Uzumaki Naruto will receive, is in fact not a test for him to join the Shinobi ranks, but for them to know what skill he possess to be able to make a Hyuuga cry and wet her pants regardless of her age.
So I guess that is it for the first chapter. Again, you do not have to review unless if it's to point out mistakes or confusion. But please be merciful at this pitiful me, I am not a masochist… so anyway, the genre might be confusing… but since when has that ever been a problem for interested readers out there?
Oh and uh… I hope that you guys won't mind references to real life, other series or even famous people.
This is me, signing out.