Embracing the Storm
By Matt Bear, aka Grizzlyunderthere
This story is considered fanfiction. I do not own any characters/plot of Naruto. This means, what I write is not cannon and should be considered what it is. This story features character death and/or differentiation in character then the official cannon. Therefore this story is AU (Alternative Universe). Please keep in mind that I try to the best of my ability and if it does not live to your expectations...I'm sorry.
Notice: This story used to be called Toad, Snake, Slug! But, now it is currently the overall title of three or more volumes that are planned out. The first arc will be called Embracing the Storm. The second arc will be called Cherry Blossoms in the Wind, and the final one will be called Redeeming the Fallen.
Embracing the Storm
Chapter One
Disaster
"Oh, Jiraiya! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Orochimaru yelled as he brandished his sword, "Don't think I won't find the Kyuubi brat as well." As Orochimaru surveyed the scene he allowed himself to lick his lips much like a serpent. "Sasuke-kun, find Naruto for me!" he yelled as a cloaked Uchida Sasuke, bolted through the trees.
As if out of nowhere Jiraiya, bloodied and broken appeared behind Orochimaru, a spiraling sphere of chakra, burning in his hand. "Rasengan!" he shouted as he drove the ball of chakra into Orochimaru's lower back area and coming out on the other side. Orochimaru opened his mouth in a silent scream as he twisted his upper torso around plunging the Kusangi blade into the chest of Jiraiya. "It's over...we're both going to die now."
Orochimaru screamed in pain as he slid off of Jiraiya's now chakra less hand and said as he giggled insanely, "I'm immortal, Jir-baka. Not even the Fourth's prized jutsu can kill me" he said as he shuddered as pains racked his body forcing an agonized scream to escape his lips..."This should not be happening!"
Jiraiya bared his teeth as he fell to his knees in blood streaming out of the wound. "Perhaps, a side-effect of Shiki Fujin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal)?" He laughed as Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock.
"That old dead fool couldn't of?" Orochimaru said as his body was shaken by great racking coughs. Jiraiya just looked up and laughed.
"Just like the old days isn't it? When, Sensei was always one step ahead of your plans?" Jiraiya said as he pressed his hand to the wound.
"What did he do!" Orochimaru screamed as he screamed in unbearable pain.
"You annoyed the Death God when you escaped his grasp..." Jiraiya said with a broad smile as Orochimaru panted heavily. "Anyone who survives the Shiki Fujin is marked with God's disfavor. He's just performing payback, Orochi-teme." he said calling him by his old nickname. "Soon? Your soul will be pulled into the underworld and left to rot. Along with me." Jiraiya coughed as he pulled a kunai from his holster and looked at it.
"Going to kill me, old friend?" Orochimaru snickered as he groaned.
"I have words for my student, Orochi-teme. I'll see you in the next life." Jiraiya said as he drove his kunai into Orochimaru's chest piercing his heart. Orochimaru spasmed once as a black mist enveloped his body and disappeared leaving behind a ring with the kanji "Void" on it, a scroll, and the Kusungi. Jiraiya collapsed as he called softly "Naruto no Baka, come here." A rock beside Jiraiya shimmered leaving Naruto kneeling beside his master. About five foot six, Naruto stood much taller then when he left Konoha, but as Naruto cradled his master's head he suddenly felt much smaller remembering the first time he met the perverted Sennin.
"Ero-Sennin? Will you be okay?" Naruto asked softly as an explosion fired in the background. Jiraiya rolled his eyes.
"I took a wound in the heart, Naruto...I have three pieces of advice for you. So, listen brat. First, you have skill, if you'd just think! Remember to think when you get in a tight spot. Second, don't rely on the Kyuubi. It's a crutch just like a curse seal...its goal is not to help you. It's to get out." Jiraiya paused as he coughed some blood out.
"And?" Naruto asked as he fought back tears. Jiraiya smiled a bit as he cuffed Naruto upside the head lightly.
"Third, be sure to make friends with that little Hyuuga, plus take the ring Orochimaru dropped...it's his Akatsuki ring. That ring will help hide you from them. It blocks crying, against you. I heard a rumor that each ring can do something unique. Naruto, you will be Hokage. I've trained one of them, and you're like him in more ways then you think." Jiraiya said as he added, "Don't give up, now set me down and go for camp, pack up your supplies and the Scroll of Frogs...don't forget to study it. Take my headband." Naruto took the headband off and stuck it in his pack as he nodded. Jiraiya laid back and looked at the sky and muttered as his eyes closed for the last time "I guess it's off to the big cathouse in the sky." As he took his last breath one word escaped his lips "Tsunade"
"Ero-Sennin? Ero-Sennin? Get up, you old bastard! Ero-Sennin!" Naruto yelled as he punched the ground as tears spilled from his eyes "Get up! Get up!" Naruto scooped up the ring and slipped it onto his third finger to the right and ran as fast he could to the north jumping through the trees looking for the camp they had set up the previous morning. As he spotted it he positioned his fingers into a cross-shaped seal and cried "Kage Bushin no Jutsu (Shadow Clones)" as three clones appeared behind him and began to pack up the camp as the real Naruto strapped on a giant scroll to his back. This scroll was the Scroll of the Toads. It allowed any who signed it to summon the great toads, and the oldest signer of the scroll was allowed to read it fully and master the skills hidden within.
Naruto bit his thumb and slammed his hand onto the ground as he shouted "Summoning: Toad!" As the smoke cleared revealing a toad that was large enough to ride on.
"Treats? Where's Jiraiya-senpai, Naruto-dama?" the large yellow and green toad said in a gravelly voice.
"I'll give you treats soon; I need to get to Konoha fast!" Naruto said pulling out a bag called Fly Bites "Ero-Sennin is dead anyways. Orochimaru and he killed each other. I need to get to Baa-chan now!"
"Jiraiya-senpai's dead?" the large toad asked its lower lip quivering as Naruto hopped onto his back.
"It's not time to mourn him! Gamabisu, please move!" Naruto screamed as he kicked his shoes into the sides of the toad which began to hop in large jumping hops as the three clones tossed two packs to Naruto who caught them. As Gamabisu began to move at extreme speed Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as the scenery slid around him as he wept in silence. As time passed Naruto fell asleep on the toad's back. Gamabisu slowed down his pace as he sighed and filed a mental report for Gamabunta, the Boss Toad. As he looked for landmarks indicating his place he felt Naruto squirm from his spot on his back.
"Naruto-sama?" the toad asked as Naruto righted himself. The young Genin sat up rubbing his eyes wearily.
"Yea, Gamabisu?" Naruto said with a flash of a smile.
"Gamabunta has a desire to speak with you." The young toad grimaced as he imagined the words Gamabunta had for the young ninja. "Are you strong enough to summon him?"
"I think so…I may have to draw on the Baka Fox's chakra, but let's give it a shot." Naruto said nervously. He bit his thumb and drew a circle around him interlacing four points in symbols. It was a slower, but a much more sure way of summoning Chief Summon. "Summoning no Jutsu: Toad Summoning!" As he infused the circle with chakra, a toad the size of a mountain appeared behind him with a pipe and a ninja sword equipped to his back. "Boss!" Naruto shouted to the gigantic toad.
"Jiriaya. I felt his name get crossed out in the scroll! What happened, lackey?" Gamabunta said…er, shouted. It's not easy to have a quiet tone of voice when you're the size of a skyscraper.
"Orochimaru…attacked us as we were training. He put a jutsu over me just before he attacked and kept me hidden from his eyes. It was off the wall! They pretty much destroyed the clearing, but Orochimaru's weapon kept Jiriaya from surviving, so he went suicidal and drove a Rasaganan into his gut…then they started talking as the Death God, took his soul…Jiraiya died from his wounds shortly later."
"So, they took each other out." The Toad Boss shouted as he lowered his snout to Naruto's level "Get on. You need to inform Tsunade about this, boy." As Naruto hesitated about climbing onto the great Toad's snout remembering the last time he climbed on without great need the Boss Toad's voice rouse to unbearable levels "NOW!"
Naruto couldn't argue with that as leaped onto the Boss Toad's back as the Toad leapt a great distance beyond the ken of most mortals. The great distance traveled by Jiraiya and Naruto passed in mere blinks of the eye. "Now, this is traveling!"
"I suppose so." The Boss Toad rumbled as he leapt over a village. "We should be back in Konona before nightfall."
"Really, Boss? Jiraiya said we'd be heading back home today." Naruto sighed as he faded into silence as Gamabunta thought of the lecherous perverted ninja.
"Lackey!" the Boss Toad shouted irritably. Naruto's head snapped up as he responded with a murmured "Yes, Boss?"
"Don't act like Jiraiya is gone in vain. Orochimaru was Jiraiya's greatest pain in life. He died bringing justice to the one who got away. I remember when he was your age talking to a younger me. When I was Gamakichi's size." Naruto grinned at the thought of the great toad the size of a normal one.
"Ha! You were a runt too!" Naruto crowed as the Boss Toad screamed in rage and dived into a gigantic lake. When they emerged Naruto soaking he said "Sorry, Boss."
"Anyways, he was given the summon scroll of Toads when he became a Genin along with his team. He struggled to learn how to summon even one toad for one year. I became his only friend. His teammates treated him like he was nothing. Tsunade was in love with Orochimaru and copied his distaste for him. Then, they got into the Chunnin exams...and almost died when they were surrounded by Nin from the Hidden Village of the Rain. Jiraiya saved them with my father and they owed him their lives, but Jiraiya never had the respect of Orochimaru. He fought to get Orochimaru to respect him. By killing him…I think Jiraiya finally gained the respect of Orochimaru. Don't mourn him; he died doing the thing he needed to do." Gamabunta spoke as Naruto thought of one of the pictures Jiraiya let him see. It was much like the picture of Team Seven although The Third still had brown hair, and Orochimaru still looked…human. Naruto pulled out a small locket in the shape of the symbol of the Leaf. Flipping it open he looked fondly at the picture of the Rookie Nine and Gai's Team.
"I guess he really is a hero! Boss! Can you teach me about the Scroll of Toads?" Naruto said perking up. "I want to be just as strong as Ero-Sennin!"
"You do, eh? You're not going to turn into a pervert are you?" Gamabunta shouted as Naruto shook his fervently.
"No way in heck! I'll be just as powerful without the perverseness! Believe it!" Naruto said in the "good guy" pose.
"Good. Then let's dismount!" the Toad Lord shouted as he landed placing his chin on the ground. Naruto leapt to the ground shouting in joy. "Reminds me of him. I don't doubt he'll get just as powerful or more. He'll need every trick in the book to beat Sasuke." The Toad Lord thought as he crouched low to the ground looking Naruto in the face. "I think it's time to teach you how to use the weapon of the Toad Sages of the Past, Present, and Future. The Kawazu Buin (Toad Staff)!" The Toad Lord produced a pipe out of nowhere as he spoke. "The Kawazu Buin is a weapon much like the Kusangi. It's a legendary weapon. The wielder of it was the first of the Toad Sages. It's made of the legendary wood kurogane shinrin (iron wood)"
"Just a staff?" Naurto said pouting a bit.
"Just a staff!" the Toad Lord shouted sending Naruto flipping into a tree. "It's a staff of unparalleled strength, beauty and it has the ability to grab and latch onto things using a toad's tongue."
"Cool! Where is it?" Naruto said looking into the Boss Toad's mouth. "Did you eat it?"
"No!" the Toad shouted. "I'm not Manda you fool!"
"Then where is it?"
"You have to summon into this plane of existence. Toad is the seal." Naruto nodded as he flexed his hands into the seal of the Toad. "Now, call for it by focusing charka into the environment."
"Alright! Let's do this." Naruto said as he called out "Summoning Art: Buki Kawazu Buin (Summoning Art: Weapon Toad Staff)" A staff the color of ebony appeared in his hands. Upon the top was a toad's mouth pointing in the same direction the staff was pointing. "Wow! It worked!"
"You'll have to find a teacher to teach you how to fight with it." The Toad Lord said as Naruto swung it experimentally sending him flipping through the air. "It's obvious you've never learned any weapon but the kunai."
"Super Bushy Brows or TenTen can teach me." Naruto declared as he launched himself onto the Toad Lord's shoulder.
"Something to remember is that you can use the ability to launch the tongue of the toad by calling for it with the word 'Kawazu'" Gamabunta said as he launched himself into the air again. "We should be in Konoha soon."
"Home!" Naruto shouted triumphantly. "I've missed Ichikmaru Ramen so much!" Naruto thought about the other things he had missed as well. "I wonder how everyone is doing." Naruto sat down on the Toad Lord's shoulder and slept clutching the Kawazu Buin.
It was a normal day for the guards of Konona's Gate. Two Jounin were sitting on either sides of the gate talking in soft tones as they noticed a young man approaching the gate bruised and clothes stained with blood clutching a fancy staff. They shared looks of surprise as they noticed the black and orange uniform and the wearers' headband. "Who do you think that is?" the first Jounin asked pulling a senbon out of a holster and placing in his mouth.
"Uzumaki Naruto. He beat Hyuuga Neji in the exams last year. I heard that he was on a training mission with the Toad Sannin" The second Jounin said beckoning man sitting in the shadows. "Send a message to the Fifth that he's arrived early."
"There's no need. I already sent Pakkun with the message, Raido." The man said as he emerged from the shadows. As the silver-haired Jounin walked out of the small hut on top of the gates he looked down at the approaching young man with a smile showing up through his mask. "I need to talk to my student."
"You know that's against regulations, Kakashi." The Jounin with the senbon said irritability as he turned to find Kakashi already gone. "Pah!" he exclaimed spitting out his senbon.
"Yo."
With that word all heck broke loose. Naruto was distracted with memories when his first perverted sensei appeared in front of him, and as many dead people know, surprising a ninja is a good way of dying. Naruto's hand instinctively formed a Rasaganan and looked around him as he heard some clapping echoing above him.
"You finally got it down to one hand!" said Kakashi jovially hanging from a tree-branch as Naruto slammed it into a boulder destroying it. "And, you're looking good!" Kakashi leapt off the tree and landed in front of Naruto. "Where's Jiraiya?" Naruto could only respond by looking at the ground guiltily. "Oh…"
After a short while Naruto said "He…and Orochimaru are dead." Naruto spoke quietly. Kakashi's eyebrows shot up.
"This means Sasuke isn't going to get his body stolen anytime soon." Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder gently. "You did well." Naruto smiled softly, a mask for what he was really feeling. "We have to see Tsunade. Are you ready?" Naruto only nodded. A swirl of leaves surrounded the two as they disappeared from sight. A woman, a girl, two boys, and a dog looked at each other as the girl's eyes veins retracted.
"Naruto is back?" the young man with the dog on head said.
"Yes." The other young man said as he pushed up his sunglasses up.
"Naruto-kun!" the girl whispered softly, as if for her ears only. I doubt she had planned for the dog and the woman to hear.
The dog merely whimpered in exasperation as it went back to sleep. The woman on the other hand was making plans in her head after a little bit she said "Team Eight! Let's head back to HQ."
"Yes, Sensei!" all four said together although the dog barked it.
I'm sure Hinata will be shocked to my answer to her problem. The red-eyed woman thought as they walked through the gate moving towards Hokage's Tower.
As Naruto and Kakashi appeared in the lobby of the Hokage's Tower, two ANBU approached the duo asking "Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi?"
"Yo." Kakashi said giving the two a wave. The two nodded as one of them opened the door to the elevator to Fifth Hokage's office. The two allowed Naruto and Kakashi to pass as the elevator's doors closed. Naruto turned to his sensei as they began to move up the tower.
"Why didn't we just do that teleportation thing to Oba-sann's office?" Naruto asked annoyed. Kaskashi only smiled as he explained.
"Well, the Konoha Yooshiki: Shimasu Yusoo Kikan (Leaf Style: Spinning Transportation) is a faster way of moving from place to place but many things prevent it. That's why we don't use it in combat, besides, I'm sure if we caught the Hokage off guard during a nap she'd thump both of us." Both of them shuddered at that. The Fifth's punches were legendary at causing destruction.
As the doors open two more ANBU officers ushered them into the office one giving a friendly nod in Naruto's direction. "Welcome home, Uzumaki." He said as he opened the door and they walked through. The Fifth was sleeping on a stack of papers in a box with the word in on it. Naruto laughed as he said loudly "Oba-san is getting too old! Drunk old lady."
The Hokage sat straight up and flicked Naruto with her finger sending him flipping into a wall. "I heard that you little punk! Welcome home!" Naruto brushed the dirt off himself as he hugged the woman in charge of the Leaf Village. "It's good to see you again, Naruto." Tsunade looked at him examining him for injuries. "Looks like you've grown like a weed" she said as she looked at the door. "I don't suppose Jiraiya came? Miserable old man." She had muttered the last thing to herself. At this Naruto broke down entirely as he wept into her shoulder.
"He's dead, Neesan" Naruto sobbed as she let the words hit her like a ton of bricks. "So is Orochimaru, they took each other out." Tsunade felt nothing but shock as she comforted the young man while nursing tears of her own. Both of them? Gone? I'm all alone in the world, she thought as Naruto pulled out Jiraiya's headband and handed it to her. "He wanted you to have it."
Tsunade placed the headband on her desk as she forced a smile, Naruto's brilliantly blue eyes were tear-stained but his smile had come back. "Alright, brat. There will be a time to mourn later." Tsunade pursed her lips as she shuffled some papers into a neat stack. "Thankfully, you arrived in time for the Chunnin Exams."
Naruto straightened up faster then the words "Free Ramen: All you can eat". Naruto bounced up and down as he shouted "Yes! I get one more chance to prove I'm the best!"
Still the same, Naruto. Even after the death of someone close to you just smile and move on trying to make yourself an even stronger person. "The fact still remains that you do not have a team to take the test with." Tsunade said as she looked through a few files. "Sakura is currently a Special Chunnin, soon to be a Special Jounin if she passes her medic-nin exam."
"So, I have to take it alone?" Naruto asked as Tsunade shook her head impatiently.
"All we have to do is find a team taking that needs one more. Currently, Team Eight is missing one. Aburmane Shino passed the exam in Suna with Hyuuga Neji and TenTen." Tsunade said as she brought up the file on Team Eight from a stack of papers. "Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba, you know them both fairly well." She smiled as he nodded. "Alright, starting now you are reinstated as a Leaf Nin and a member of Team Eight."
"Yahoo!" Naruto shouted as he jumped up and down shouting "I'm back Kohona, I'm back!"
"Excuse me." A woman said from behind the door. "May I come in?"
"Of course, Kurenai." Tsunade said as the red-eyed Jounin, and her students walked into the office. As Tsunade surveyed them she leaned back in her chair examining them. "I suppose you want to know why I asked you to report to me directly after your mission, correct?" she pointed at Naruto. "He's now a member of Team Eight starting right now."
The reaction of Team Eight was like this. Kiba had a look of disgust on his face as he remembered his match with Naruto in the Chunnin exams. You couldn't tell anything from the look on Shino's face due to the sunglasses and heavy collar. Hinata turned a brillant shade of red as she ducked behind Kurenai who gave a slight smile as she made some plans in her head.
"It's nice to see you back Naruto." Kurenai said as she examined the young man. "I assume your training went well?" Naruto nodded eagerly. "Good. I expect to see you every morning at 10:00 am at Training Ground Eight."
"I know where that is. The one shaped like a mountain right?" Naruto said as she nodded.
"Exactly, I hope you're ready for a workout, Naruto." she said as she turned to the Fifth. "Is there anything else you needed me for, Hokage-sama?"
"I belive we need to discuss a few things...alone, if you would." Naruto turned to find Kakashi who had been previously sitting in a chair in the office reading one of Jiraiya's perverted novels. As he finally realized that the man had dissappeared on him Naruto swore softly as to not provoke a punch from the Mistress of Pain, Tsunade.
"As you wish." Kurenai said as she sat gracefully in a chair in front of the Hokage as she said "Team Eight! Dismissed!" All four of them walked out of the office into the night as Kiba shouted "C'mon Akamaru! Time to head home!" and waved to the remander of the group and darted off into the alleyway bouncing up the walls onto the roof. He quickly disappeared as Shino said "I'll be seeing you, Hinata." and walked into the shadows as he appeared to vanish into the air.
"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stammered in the moonlight. Her hair had grown out since the last time he had saw her, Naruto noticed as she said "Why are you b-back so soon?"
"Jiraiya's dead...him and Orochimaru both." Naruto said softly as if he was trying to come to grips with it himself.
"I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun." she said as she twisted her fingers nervously.
"So am I, Hinata. So am I."