Goryouho no Okibi

by Orion Lineus Black

What if, just when Jiraiya wants to take Naruto away on a 3 year training trip, he’s mysteriously called away? Falling into a trap by the council, Naruto is sentenced to duty as the chief caretaker of Goryouho no Okibi, the Five Sided Fortress of Blazing

I do not own Naruto, you have been warned.

No true pairing decided, though by the end of the chapter, you'll know where this is going.

Five Sided Fortress of Blazing Fire

What if, just when Jiraiya wants to take Naruto away on a 3 year training trip, he's mysteriously called away? Falling into a trap by the council, Naruto is sentenced to duty as the chief caretaker of Goryouho no Okibi, the Five Sided Fortress of Blazing Fire.

: Opening flashback:

Seated around the table were the members of Konoha's ninja council. From left to right, these were the clan heads that could be present for the meeting, Hyuuga Hiashi to the elder Ino-Shika-Cho team members. After them came the Sandaime's team mates, basically known to Naruto as Koharu-baba and Homura-jiji. Tsunade sat silently, fuming that she was unable to reduce his sentence to something more meaningful. Having nearly caused a riot by his openly defacing the council chamber, Naruto was about to be sentenced. Tsunade's hands were tied and she knew it. No one had told Naruto where Jiraiya had gone when he was supposed to be training him. He wanted attention and he most certainly got it.

"Uzumaki Naruto, as punishment for your deformation of council property, you have been commanded to serve in a community service commission at the old fortress on the other side of the Hokage Mountain. Within this scroll you have your orders to permanently relocate yourself and your belongings and take complete command of this … noble and historic Konoha property. As head caretaker you will begin restoration of this Konoha property starting the day after tomorrow. The property was severely damaged during the invasion and needs vast repairs. You will be supervised by either Anbu or Jounin when available. Umino Iruka has been assigned to be your primary supervisor when he is not attending to his Chuunin teaching duties" Koharu-baba smirked at me. What he'd give to rip that smirk right off her face. Unleashing the Kyuubi's chakra was tempting, but not even Naruto was that stupid.

"In addition, should you deviate from these duties; your punishment will serve to include Umino Iruka for a longer duration away from his regular Chuunin duties. While we will not dock an honorable Konoha teachers pay, he would be less than pleased to see a decrease in his … mission options. Don't you agree Homura-dono?" Looking over at his team mate, Homura merely grunted his ascent before looking away from the rest of the room. Why should he have to be present for the sentencing of the Kyuubi brat?

Looking to Tsunade for help, he was saddened when even she shook her head in the negative. If she could not help, then Naruto would just have to fight this thing on his own. He was his own man, self taught in many things. Iruka would be there to help him at the very least. Suddenly it then occurred to Naruto what they meant. If he didn't do his assignment, he wasn't just punishing himself, but Iruka as well. Without outright saying that they'd dock an honorable Konoha shinobi's pay, it would only seem like he received less missions, which would in effect decrease his pay anyway. As someone precious to Naruto, the council knew, they KNEW, that this was the only way that they could get him to do the required work. Scowling, Naruto decided to go out with some dignity, taking whatever was left of it. He'd be damned if these old geezers won one over Uzumaki Naruto.

"Hai. I apologize for my words and my actions against the council. I hope that at the end of this assignment, I will represent a more meaningful property for our village. If you will excuse me, I have an assignment to go and research" With a clipped bow, Naruto vanished.

Though his words were polite, his tone set his emotions to the contrary. Every shinobi knew that he was just attempting to save face and leave with his dignity together, but his body language and abrupt exit told volumes about his true opinion of the village council. One ninja though in particular, set out shortly after the council was dismissed to track down our favorite ramen eating blond.

: Flashback End:

Just as Naruto was finishing his 19th bowl of Ramen at Ichiraku Ramen, he felt the street divider rustle as another person entered the small noodle shop. Though civilians did frequent the ramen stand the new customers' steps were too quiet. The hair on the back of Naruto's neck rose and he smelled smoke. Spinning around with Kunai in hand, he almost stabbed Sarutobi Asuma, whom had his hand outstretched in greeting. Flushed with embarrassment, Naruto swallowed his ramen before speaking.

"Ara? Asuma-Sensei? What were you trying to do? You scared the hell out of me! I almost killed you!" the blond ninja shouted. It was true that any ninja, no matter how young, was still strong and aware of at least changes in air pressure and things like that. Even Naruto, academy flunky, failure of the academy exit exams 3 times, knew these things.

Asuma snorted before replying "Sure kid. You wish. Now put the kunai away, we have to talk".

While ordering yet another bowl of delicious ramen, Naruto was summarily informed that he was invited to come and visit the Sarutobi estates. Beyond that, all Asuma-sensei said was that he had something to give to Naruto from his father.

As Naruto leapt from rooftop to rooftop, he frowned in confusion before heading towards the Sarutobi clan estate. The memory of the third Hokage was fresh on his mind at the moment. Thinking back on it, he shouldn't have been surprised with Sandaime-jiji had a plan in mind for him even if he passed away early. When he'd received word from Asuma-Sensei of all people to come to the estate for dinner, he'd agreed in passing little knowledge of what he might be facing. He'd never been very close to the chain smoking Jounin, but still did as he was told.

Upon arriving at the estates, which while not vast and enormous like the Hyuuga clan, was just as majestic and wonderful to walk through. There were private training areas, as well as all of the necessary utilities. Having been here at various points in his life, he was comforted by the familiarity of this place. What did strike Naruto as odd was that there weren't servants present, as it was Asuma himself that answered the bell. For once, Naruto saw that the Jounin was not only out of his uniform, but not smoking as well. Almost suspicious, Naruto took a sniff of the air and found that the chain smoking Jounin still smelled like him, so it had to be him.

Smiling, Asuma indicated that Naruto should follow him as he spoke. "Welcome Naruto, I know it's been some time since you've been here, but I thought that what had to be said was best said here instead of at Ichiraku. I know that this place has been one of the few in which you are always welcome and the Sarutobi will continue to know such a tradition. For this purpose and this purpose alone, we are offering you a place to stay, should you ever need one. "Having said so, he led Naruto into his father's study, where he then did a sweep of the room and then sealed all the doors and windows shut. Then he opened the scroll on the desk and looked at Naruto pensively.

"Given what happened to father at the time of his death, not many knew that he did in fact have a will in effect ready to be executed. Heh, the old guy knew something like this might happen, crystal ball or not I don't know. So the gist of it is that he left you a few things, most of the things in there are fairly innocent and are in this box over here."Asuma pointed to a fairly large box by his chair that was about 2 feet by 3 feet long. Naruto nodded before accepting the box. Not expecting the weight, he had to rapidly adjust to the extra strain or crush his own foot.

Smirking, Asuma continued "Here's what I call the fun stuff though. Now, this scroll will explain the majority of the things in the box, that's easy. However, this scroll here" at this point Naruto noticed a number of thick scroll that were on the desk and wondered if they were all for him. They came in all the same colors, but each had a different wax seal on them. "Is actually a taijutsu style that a number of the Sarutobi clan members practice. This copy is for you. It's a style based purely on speed and evasion. If father chose to give these to you, then I trust his opinion on what you can handle. However, I'd like to caution you into remembering that even with your tenant, you are not super-human. You have limits, I don't know those limits, but I never want to find you in the hospital because you did something stupid with your training. Is that clear Naruto?" the glint in Asuma's eyes that promised pain if Naruto disobeyed him was starting to scare him. With a staunch nod, Naruto gestured for Asuma to continue.

"This scroll should be the first that you read" he gestured to a scroll with the Sarutobi seal embossed upon it "and in the process you'll understand what father meant to tell you. That being said heh, there are other scrolls here that deal with chakra control, several techniques that are Sarutobi clan favorites, though many of the Konoha Jounin know these techniques too. There are also training methods here on Kage Bunshin that father personally wrote, this copy is to be treated with extra sensitive care, are we clear? None of these things must fall into enemy hands, but this scroll is one of the most important that you'll have in your possession. "Naruto nodded his confirmation that he understood the nature of these scrolls.

"Kakashi I'm sure has mentioned at one point that there would be those that have the potential to be younger than him, but stronger as well. Father believed that of you and after the Chuunin exams I do too. I won't make it a secret that even I've been assigned to chase you around after a prank. While we were never allowed to harm you, I think learning evasion techniques will be good for you, so I've also included something from myself. I spoken with Tsunade about your abilities before giving these things to you and she agreed with most of what father and I are giving to you. Still, since I know that you'll be the caretaker for that fort, and that you'll be training alone or with only 1 or 2 ninja to supervise, I want you to take it slow. Especially the genjutsu, which I cannot stress enough the damage you could do to yourself. Now that I think about it. If Kakashi will let you, you're welcome to train with me and my team once a week. Ino's going to be learning a few genjutsu too and I think that the basics will help you. That's up to you of course, but I think you'll enjoy working with other genin. Questions?"

"er, yeah Asuma-sensei . I get that I'm suppose to do repairs on the fort, which I'll handle later. I get that I'll have time to train, even if I am by myself. I'm actually used to that. But what I don't understand is why Ero-Sennin left. Do you happen to know?" Naruto leaned forward eagerly, but could tell by Asuma's look and posture that he wouldn't tell Naruto very much.

Sigh "I don't know the details, but if he had to leave on such short notice, then I'd assume it was important enough. Assuming I know who you mean of course. You know that Jiraiya-sama has a spy network that rivals the best of the Kage's. I'd like to hope that he'd be back to train you, but I wouldn't count on him being back anytime soon. I'm sorry Naruto, that's all I know" Disappointed, Naruto scowled but slowly realized that Asuma-sensei was right.

Seeing the look on Naruto's face, Asuma decided to ask the question that had been plaguing him since he found out about Tsunade's return. "Tell me Naruto, honestly, did you really learn Rasengan in a month? You nearly killed that spy Kabuto with it?" Leaning forward eagerly, Asuma waited until he saw the smile that came across Naruto's face and watched as the genin broke out in story, throwing out vivid details from the battle that he'd been in with Tsunade and Jiraiya. What followed after this story was a trade of stories between both genin and Jounin that led well into the night. Asuma couldn't believe that the blonde genin before him had technically fought with all of the 3 sannin and lived to tell the tail. He was just a kid 'wasn't he?'

The next morning, dawned bright and early, at least it did for most of Konoha. For Uzumaki Naruto, the morning was filled with training, both mental and physical. The letter from the Sandaime was perhaps the most touching thing Naruto had ever read and it nearly brought him to tears. He recalled it word for word and would remember those last words until the very last of his days. The words the Sandaime sent to Naruto made the blonde feel as if he could conquer the world. That letter now sat upon Naruto's moving boxes in a frame that he'd keep for the rest of his life. Once he received his moving orders, he'd move into the fortress.

Dear Naruto,

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. I have watched over you for many years and am proud to call you one of my most promising students. If you are reading this, then it is indeed possible that I have passed into the next life. If that is so, then there is advice that I feel I need to pass onto you before it becomes too late.

While I was never able to truly train you myself, I would like to think that I gave you the tools and the chances to excel and become a great shinobi. Writing this has not been an easy task and I beg you to accept the burdens that I must place upon you. The years have not been kind to you and I regret that I was unable to help you until now. The will of fire is strong in you Naruto, just as it was with your father, the 4th Hokage. No doubt you may have guessed by now whom it was that has sealed Kyuubi into you at the time of your birth. While I do have in my possession many of his techniques, I believe the things I have given you here will be a strong steppingstone into the stronger techniques that your father no doubt would have left for you. Enclosed you will find entrance into his privately sealed scrolls.

It is with great sadness that I write this to you, knowing that I may not be able to see you or Konoha ever again. She is a great village, filled with many people precious to me and though she has not been very accepting of you, it is my hope that one day they will see the deeds that you have done for us. Have compassion and loyalty for this village, mercy for those whom have wronged you and acceptance of those whom will apologize to you. You have the makings of a fine shinobi Naruto and I know one day you will join me upon this jagged mountain top. From one whom has the will of fire, the burning passion to protect those that are precious to his heart, I pass to you my final student, the true legacy of the flame.

Love,

Sarutobi Sasuke

Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato

What was also the most puzzling thing though, was the number of seals that it would take to unlock his father's private scrolls. There were so many, in many different positions that made it almost humanely impossible to get into this scroll. The scroll was not only small when closed, but the number of seals layered onto it made it physically impossible to view the contents of the scroll. They changed rapidly every time Naruto pumped chakra into them. What made it strange was that while he could unroll the scroll; it was blank, thus being unable to be accessed even if it was opened.

The next thing that drew Naruto's attention was the initial description and details into the Kage Bunshin. They enlightened Naruto into the many ways that he could effectively use the Kage Bunshin during training.

Focused training with Kage Bunshin no Jutsu by Sarutobi Sasuke, Sandaime of Konohagakure no sato. Please see the attached scrolls for more advanced applications for this training method.

The training involved that I speak of herein this scroll is for Jounin only. No Chuunin or Genin are to ever read the contents of these scrolls unless ordered to do so by a superior commander. The dangers involved could kill those with low chakra capacities in mere moments.

It is widely known that Kage Bunshin no jutsu originated from Konoha, as it is sealed inside our forbidden jutsu scroll. However, what is not widely known is its ability to gain experience and information throughout the course of its use within training.

WARNING: There are limitations. The mind is a fragile thing and so while using this training method for more than a few minutes, one must be focused and have only a select number of clones present for training. The number will eventually increase like a muscle that becomes stronger but starting small is advised. The purpose of this training is NOT to have 3 or 4 different sets of clones attempting to practice on their own, that will only lead to mental instability. The true purpose is to provide a singularly focused unified train of thought between all the clones and the original so that true learning can begin.

It is known that a well timed training regiment will greatly increase the efficiency of any shinobi whom wishes to surpass his former self. Do not rush, nor should you be anticipating anything in the immediate future beyond the training you have allotted yourself for this time period. Have focus and turn nervousness into patience, eagerness into strength and ego into honor.

Called "The Living Mirror"

The basic use of this training method is initially most effective for taijutsu. First, start with 3 clones and the original. Have them face 2 on 2 and practice your taijutsu kata, while a fairly simple method, this combined with the other scroll on body language and translations will boost your ability to tell where and how an attacker might proceed with his assault.

Unlike using a mirror, the use of Kage Bunshin provides for a more interactive experience where the mind is aware that it is not they themselves in the mirror, but the mental and physical self that they wish to help and perfect abilities with. The experience gained from this method is 4 folds more effective than using a simple glass mirror which is only 2 folds effective. At any given point, no matter how many clones present on the field, the factor of effectiveness will always be a multiple of 4.

Make no mistake, there is no such thing as being able to intercept every blow and knowing beforehand what move is going to be used. Absent of the sharingan, which can still be fooled, this method will vastly improve your taijutsu skills. You can not only practice on your own, but observe yourself as well to locate any possible exploitable openings within yourself. When with more and more practice, the addition of more clones may be included.

Similarly, this training method can be used with ninjutsu and genjutsu, but because of the destructive nature of many ninjutsu and genjutsu, it is advised that the original is never included within these training exercises. In addition, another live human training partner is always advised.

Side Note: this method is also capable to being used during seal speed practice, stealth practice and tactics practice with used in conjunction with the proper manuals that were also provided with this scroll.

1

With only the morning to mark his progress, Naruto was curious as to how these 2 styles would play out. He'd only read the scrolls for the KamiKaze evasion style and practiced the elementary escape techniques. What he'd learned so far was that he would need more dexterity and flexibility. He was however; very grateful for everything the Sandaime had given him. The scroll on the body language and translations were what Naruto had grasped the easiest. He had already known most of those and could now reliably predict a person's body language and movements if he caught them in time.

Asuma and his father had collectively left several types of evasion techniques for Naruto. One set of techniques were an actual taijutsu style. The Kamikaze (divine wind) evasion style that the elder Sarutobi felt would benefit Naruto greatly. It apparently focused on the use of chakra for misdirection during combat. The style was in a basic figure 8 and would later grow into multiple streams of figure 8's. Designed primarily for use during combat, the style allowed for what appeared to be erratic series of sliding movements that would confuse the enemy. Though the training started as a figure 8, once the student gained a proficiency, they would be able to deviate from the figure 8 and theoretically develop any figure that they so desired.

While this evasion style was no great technique in and of itself, since Naruto knew that the Sharingan might be able to predict such a technique at slower speeds, it was what Asuma had given Naruto in combination with this style that would make it a true asset for Naruto to use.

What Asuma gave Naruto to study didn't even have a name. What it did have were series of escape techniques focused around the natural rotating ability of the most major joints in the human body. So far Naruto understood that when grappling with someone, it was natural instinct to want to lock a joint and go in for a choke point, normally the torso or neck. This style would prevent anyone from grappling with him to the point of being held down. In his mind, he remembered the parts of his fight with sasuke where he'd been grabbed and thrown away like a rag doll, had he known these techniques, Naruto believed that the fight may have turned out differently. He even suspected that when combined with Chakra he could theoretically blow the hand of the person attempting to accost him away like a hammered Jyuuken strike. Still mastering these 2 sets of techniques or styles or whatever might take time and that was even with his natural healing abilities and he still had chakra control and C and B rank jutsu to learn.

Stopping at Ichiraku for Ramen, he greeted Ayame and Teuchi before sitting down at his customary stool, this time reading up on basic chakra control excercises that advanced past water walking. One technique intrigued Naruto and that was the so called 'Spider Walking'. At this point, Naruto knew that ninja could stick to just about any flat surface and remain there. Yet the sandaime's technique appeared like something that he'd seen before but didn't remember where from. Spider walking was about rope walking, innate balance was the key and most upper genin could easily do it. Spiders walking just involved more rope apparently, a lot more. However, Sandaime's version also made rope walking much harder, having changed from a straight rope to an incline angle, not to mention you had to do this upside down or to the side while the rope was constantly moving. Eyes narrowed in confusion, Naruto wondered how the hell he'd do that while keeping his lunch. Sighing, he put the scroll down and enjoyed his Ramen. He would have to open the box from Sandaime-jiji when he got back home.

Of course as luck would have it, his lunch was interrupted by the appearance of none other than fellow platinum blond Yamanaka Ino. Upon entering the ramen stand proceeded to kick Naruto upside the head with her foot before standing over him while Shikamaru and Chouji snickered on the sidelines. Wondering what the hell was going on, Naruto waited on the floor for Ino to make her point.

"Naruto-baka! You're lazier than Shikamaru and he's a damn slug!"An indignant 'hey!' could be heard somewhere from somewhere above Naruto. "Asuma-Sensei invited you to train with us and you just blew us off to eat RAMEN of all things, we've been at field 10 all morning. At least you could have picked something else. What do you have to say for yourself?" before Naruto could response however, the lazy Chuunin replied.

Sigh "Ino, Asuma-Sensei said that he was invited and that we should subtly try to convince him, not kill him while he eats." Chouji nodded vigorously while they both joined Ino leaned over Naruto's body. Blinking up at the trio, Naruto replied.

"You're crazy Ino! This is precious ramen, you could have spilled it" he said, bolting up to check on his ramen. She was crazy, hitting him like that while he was eating. He had half a mind to try his new evasion jutsu on her.

Ino growled before trying to calm down. This was Naruto, this was Ramen. If there was one thing this guy was focused on, it was Ramen. Sighing, she decided on a change of tactic, after all you got more bee's with Honey than Vinegar. Pouring on the charm, Ino put on her best "alluring female smile".

"But Naruto … don't you want to train with me? I could always count on you to be there for me. You know what I mean. I've heard that you've grown stronger since the academy, wouldn't you like to prove it?" she smiled coyly, daring him to take the bait. She leaned up against him and gently ran her finger top down the side of his jacket. If he did join them, Asuma would teach her a new jutsu. All she had to do was get Naruto to the training field. Shikamaru and Chouji wouldn't help; they already had their own jutsu to learn. Now she had to earn hers.

Smiling brightly, Naruto opened his mouth to shout that he'd become way stronger since those days before his mouth clamped shut. Eyes narrowed, he looked at Ino and knew that she wanted something. There had to be a reason she was baiting him like he was a perv-. That was it, he saw the mask, and the fake expression on her faces and KNEW that she wanted something. After a lifetime of fake smiles and expressions, Uzumaki Naruto was second only to the interrogation squad when it came to looking into a person's face to tell fact from fiction. Squirming out of her reach, he finished his Ramen before looking back over at Ino, whose smile had slipped a bit. Uzumaki Naruto strikes again, raising his hands to scratch his nose.

For Ino, waiting for Naruto to respond to her smile was a test to her acting skills. He just sat there for another 20 seconds finishing his Ramen! At first, he'd looked so ready to respond, and now it was like the expression died off his face. Naruto was a ninja so he wasn't stupid, but he couldn't have seen through her could he? No way, it was Naruto after all. He couldn't see his way out of a clear plastic bag. He was Naruto, she'd give him credit for some of his abilities. After all, Shikamaru and Chouji had told her that he was actually one of the strongest genin but that didn't become true in her eyes until she beat him into the ground. Why the hell was he just sitting there like an idiot scratching his nose?

Shikamaru sighed in the background while watching Naruto pretend to scratch his nose and release a small burst of chakra.

"You know Ino that almost worked. Except for 3 small things that you forget."Here he got up and leaned towards her as if to whisper a secret.

"Nod if you understand me ok? 1. I'm a ninja" she rolled her eyes and grudgingly nodded

"2. Because I am a ninja, I can see underneath the underneath" here she nodded again. Did he have a point?

"3. Therefore because I can see underneath the underneath. I've already seen what you've got underneath that purple get up when you kicked me over and I'm not interested" where he was promptly puffed out of existence courtesy of the angry irate female who'd just perv'd her target of her own unwitting volition. Angrily launching herself out of the ramen booth she followed the traces of blond hair and loud cackling as both blondes beat feet around town.

Blinking at one another, the rest of team 10 set off to follow their errant team member at a more sedated pace, one grumbling about stupid blondes and the other munching on his chips.

When he'd told them to go and find Naruto, Sarutobi Asuma was hopeful that they'd get here in one piece on time. Surprisingly, Shikamaru and Chouji arrived before Ino and Naruto. Ino was panting, sweating profusely and cursing her fellow blond from her spot on the floor of the training field. Naruto, in a classic show of Naruto-ism (if such a thing existed), was happily grinning and looking no worse for wear, as if he'd just come from a nice stroll in the park. Sighing, he realized that Ino would need more training if she ever wanted to make Chuunin. At least the other two were sufficiently stronger. One was already a Chuunin, and both of them came from families that were physically more able to defend themselves. Ino's abilities were more subtle, which at this point was something that worked against her. Now all he had to do was actually teach her something that she could use.

"All right, gather around. Ino, congratulations on getting Naruto here, you've earned your technique for the day." Here Naruto scoffed but was otherwise quiet. They sat by the logs while Asuma spoke. This training area was like most others, a clear field surrounded by trees. "Shikamaru, Chouji, you two are free to stay if you wish, but you've got your training assignments already. "The two nodded, but remained seated. They were curious too.

"Naruto, since I don't know very much about you, you can spar me, I'd like to see how far you've gotten. Ino, you'll get your assignment after I fight Naruto, since I have a feeling Naruto might be useful." Still slightly winded, she nodded before sitting down by the log. She was interested in Naruto's abilities, since the last time he'd fought and won against Neji. That had to have been a lucky shot. She watched Naruto strip off his jacket, leaving him in a black shirt and his orange track pants.

Walking slightly away from his team, Asuma spoke to Naruto quietly." Now, Naruto, you can't use your other chakra. They don't know and you must not tell them. At no point does Ino get her mind switch jutsu even 10 feet from you? Is that clear? Other than that, try your best and don't get distracted. This is just a simple fight between me and you ok?" accepting Naruto's cocky smirk, he took a puff of his cigarette, waiting for Naruto to attack him. What he got in return was the Naruto in front of him turning into a puff of smoke.

'I don't think he got very far with only a day's worth of training. This should still be his abilities from before.'

Just as quickly as that assessment came to mind, so did a hail of Kunai and shuriken. Those were followed by 500 or so Kage Bunshin with Kunai poised. Cigarette poised for a puff, his eyes widened and he knew he'd have to get serious. Just how strong was this kid? 500 Kage Bunshin was just too many for even most ANBU, this was over kill. Asuma himself could only muster 150 if he was fully rested.

Even Shikamaru's eyes widened as he watched the entire barrage of Naruto attack Asuma. Quickly, his mind went to work, looking for attack patterns and weaknesses. With so many of the field, it became difficult to calculate which Naruto would be the next one to attack Asuma-Sensei. This was just insane, thought the lazy Chuunin. A small headache was starting to form before he was interrupted by Ino.

"Doesn't he have anything else? It's the same old trick he uses isn't it? Their solid Bunshin we get it, but what else can he do?" she seemed wholly unimpressed and Shikamaru silently chastise her for it before revealing his analysis. Ironically, her thought was that ninja should improve, but didn't apply the logic to herself.

"As troublesome as this will be, I've been analyzing Naruto's abilities since the retrieval mission" here he neglected to mention the actual target of the mission. "Abnormally high chakra capacity and use of advance ninjutsu well above our level are just the things on the surface. His mind is tactical Ino, very advanced and on the fly. His tactical planning skills, when he uses them, might surpass most Jounin. I'm looking into his fighting Asuma-sensei now and I can't predict where he'll go next. It's like his mind is constantly running a scenario for whatever Asuma-sensei will do next. He's up against a Jounin, so he knows that he can't be faster or stronger. Naruto knows that and is negating these weaknesses with overwhelming numbers and his vast chakra store. See right there where sensei blocked that 3rd hail of kunai? He's trying to position Asuma sensei by the tree's so that he can spring some sort of trap. Sensei knows that he's got a trap in mind so he's not going to go in that direction regardless of Naruto's attempts. So in response, Naruto simply sets traps everywhere else and moves onto another tactic. See where he's coming up from the ground? That's a tactic that won him the fight with Neji, it's almost like he's running through everythi-. Ino he's just testing Asuma-sensei, probing the defenses. He's systematically checking senseis' reaction timing and skills. Their strictly on taijutsu now, but I think they might move into nin and gen jutsu later." Shikamaru now had a slightly awed expression on his face.

"So you mean he's running a check list? That's real original." Ino scoffed, dismissing Naruto's abilities with a casual wave of her hand.

"Sometimes Ino, I wonder why you're a ninja. Sigh what you don't know is that the Naruto you knew from the academy isn't here. He's not the same genin who fought in the exam and he's definitely never been normal. Like right there, see how he's not pivoting? That's a test, sensei knows this too. Their both waiting to get serious and Naruto will go all out. It's the only way that guys ever known. My position in the Hokage tower grants me access to many things, but Naruto's file has been restricted to only Jounin and ANBU, with a classification deemed so high, only 8 people have clearance to see it. No one knows his real abilities and I wouldn't be surprised if he was way stronger than all of us." His frustration at not being able to see the file was making itself apparent. Things that Shikamaru could not figure out annoyed him. They made his life complicated and for the lack of a better term, troublesome.

"But what about Sasuke-kun? Isn't he stronger then Naruto? He was the best genin in our class." Ino rebutted and then added. "Besides, why does it matter? My Sasuke-Kun will just get stronger from here on out. "She said proudly. Then she turned to look at Shikamaru and what she saw made her cringe.

"You listen here and you listen good Ino because I'm only going to say this once. You had better stop thinking about-about that traitor. That mission that we had to retrieve him wasn't because he was kidnapped. Whether you realize it or not, that Uchiha-Teme left of his own free will. As leader of that mission, I shouldn't even talk about what happened. If Naruto hears you, he'll either tear you limb from limb or despise you. Let me tell you this Yamanaka Ino. Neji almost died from multiple stab wounds, Kiba and Akamaru almost died from Chakra exhaustion, I nearly went insane, chouji's heart STOPPED, and Naruto had his neck SNAPPED. Those were the lightest of the injuries that some of us suffered and now I have to sit here and listen to you sing the Uchiha's praises like the rest of the god forsaken villagers. If it wasn't for the fact that Suna came to help us, team ten wouldn't even exist. There would just be Asuma-sensei and 1 blond haired Uchiha fan girl that has NO IDEA WHAT REALLY HAPPENED!" before bothShikamaru and Chouji disappeared in a puff of smoke, signaling their departure.

Stupefied into shock, Ino could only sit there in silent thought that Shikamaru of all people told her off. None of what he said could be the truth, but at the same time, I wasn't like Shikamaru to lie. If even half of what he said was true though, she'd have to find out from the source, from Naruto himself.

Winded and fatigued, Asuma considered conceding the battle but quickly dismissed such an idea. Still, the kid had potential, if only someone would teach him.

"Come on Naruto, stop trying to hit me and just hit me! Show me what you can really do. This is Childs' play and you know it!" Taking the bait, Naruto quickly switched out of his Academy style and into the basics of the KamiKaze style, using Asuma as a field test.

:Flashback:

Sandaime had given Naruto the scroll of the basic academy taijutsu during his early training days, which Naruto had never been very good at. The teachers at the academy hated him and always taught him the wrong thing on purpose because of the Kyuubi. Once Naruto thought it over and really tried to remember his fights, he realized that getting the basics weren't hard.

After a certain point, he made it a style all his own. After months of study, he discovered that he could in fact now make small changes to the style. The mechanics of the fighting were what he wanted to find out. Was it a style that focused on softness forces rather than hard strength, what did he want to do with 

it? As he watched fights between the other genin, it came to him. Rather than being a counter to something that could be predicted, he wanted the mechanics of the style to be transitional. In effect the style looked like a cross between the Hyuuga Jyuuken and Gai-Sensei's goken. What he observed was that no matter what the fighting style, there was always a delayed transition from defensive to offensive tactics. The best styles were those that were able to make the transition between the 2 flawless and efficient. That was in part what made the Hyuuga gentle fist so powerful, what was a defensive position could be quickly changed to launch an offensive strike or counterstrike.

:Flashback end:

Lacking both the genetics of the Byakugan and chakra control to use the Gentle first, Naruto instead concentrated on the chakra being used as a hammer or giant spear coming out of his arms and legs.

"First things first" Naruto muttered while he launched an absentminded punch at Asuma in concert with the rest of his army of clones. It seemed as if Asuma Sensei was able to predict his every move, which wasn't hard since he knew the Jounin often played Shogi with Shikamaru. Frowning, he had to think up a plan. Asuma was smart, he was stronger and faster. There had to be a weakness that he could exploit, any kind of opening.

Slightly winded, Asuma realized that this was not only going to be a battle of attrition against a veritable chakra fountain, but against an opponent that took out the one tailed sand demon. Having nearly forgotten that, he cursed, realizing that Naruto still wasn't being serious. Well, it was time to go on the offensive, since Naruto wasn't going to anytime soon.

'uh oh … ' Ino thought as she saw Asuma-Sensei whip out his trench knives. He was getting serious. A surge of jealousy ran through her as she realized that she had never faced those knives unless it was a team exercise against sensei. He'd really never taken them to the point of going on the offensive voluntarily. She knew that sensei was strong, but if he was taking out the knives, he meant business.

She saw that as suddenly as the clones appeared, they all went up in a giant puff of smoke. All that remained was one Naruto, who finally took the offensive as well. Sweeping in with kunai in both hands, Naruto reversed the grip on his left hand and took a diving slash at Asuma's right side. Deflecting the blow, Asuma came in with his own trench knife towards Naruto's now exposed back. Spinning around in a hasty defense Naruto was able to intercept the blow, but not knock it away. The blonde staggered back with his rear leg leaving a small divot in the dirt behind him. He threw an explosive wrapped Kunai down in between the two and used the resulting boom of smoke and dirt to find a clear route to launch his next offensive against Asuma.

The next attack came from Asuma, using 2 Kage Bunshin to face off against Naruto while the original held back and watched. Frustrated with being underestimated, the blonde back flipped, launching 5 Kage Bunshin himself.

Ino knew that this was a serious fight now. Not necessarily to the death, but Naruto was fighting different now. Where before she saw that he was all smiles and confidence, he'd become grim determination personified. Blow after blow he stood back up when lesser genin would have fallen. He threw Chakra out there like nothing mattered and even Ino knew that her fellow genin had started using Chakra enhanced punches and kicks. Steadily, he saw his speed increase, his flexibility increased. It seemed as if the warm up was over for them both. They got serious with each other and she could definitely respect that. Asuma-sensei wasn't using his knives for any serious killing blows, but Naruto was definitely giving as good as he got. Watching him back flip, she heard Naruto call out.

"Ne, Sensei, let's see how you like this one. I hope you don't get too, jumpy!" Before black seals spread across the ground and a red toad dressed in samurai armor bigger than sensei appeared in front of Asuma. Shocked, Asuma watched as the Toad began its assault, providing Naruto with a more solid helping hand. The toad, jumping around to attack at odd angles, easily matched Asuma's speed with its powerful legs.

Surprised again, Asuma grinned as he faced off again with Naruto and another aspect of his training with Jiraiya-Sama. He'd begun wondering if Naruto would ever bring out a toad, just so he could have an excuse to summon one of King Enma's children. This would be a fun scene at least, as he too summoned one of his clan summons.

Finally remembering that the Sarutobi clan, as its name indicated, had a summoning contract of its own to use against him, he watched as another summon jointed the field. This time an Ape, in green armor arrived. Taking stock of the situation and grinning his accent, the ape took off after the Toad. Naruto watched as both summons slapped hands and bowed towards each other before whipping out blades of their own to face off. The two struck even, each delivering powerful blows against their opponents while their masters fought against each other still.

Knives spinning, Ino saw Asuma going for Naruto's weak spots, which Ino would never have considered hitting. 'Usually, Sensei goes for something easy to expose, something he could exploit. This time, his fight with Naruto shows just how intent Asuma-sensei was on taking this kid down" Ino thought as she kept watching the fight.

Suddenly, Naruto back pedaled and looked as if he was considering something. The hair on Ino's neck rose as she felt the chakra in the field build. Smiling, she saw her sensei realize Naruto was trying some sort of jutsu. He sprung forward, attempting to intercept Naruto when she saw Naruto Smirk. Too late, Asuma was fully committed to his attack pattern and let his momentum carry him right into Naruto. Naruto was suddenly faster, blazing circles around Asuma even as he landed and shifted around. Naruto had him and even Ino knew it. Now it was sensei that was on the defensive, Ino cheered! Silently rooting for her fellow blond, she watched as he spun around into Asuma's left side guard with a burst of speed. Then he immediately reversed and then went for the right, looked like he might have over balanced and was able to knock one of the trench knives out of Asuma's hands by planting one of his hands on the ground and executing a very unorthodox overhead whirling sweep kick. Grinning he leapt away, kicking the knife into the air where he caught it by the handle. Surprised, Asuma put his other one away, going back to pure taijutsu.

To Asuma, it appeared that Naruto had indeed learned something even from one day worth of study. That Spin move looked like something from the Kamikaze style. To learn that so soon after so little training made Asuma wonder just how far Naruto's learning capabilities went. Had they had a genius in sheep's clothing all along? How had no one noticed this? He certainly hadn't fought like this during the Chuunin exams and now it became very clear to the smoking Jounin that with the right support, Naruto was clearly a ninja above his class. Shit, the kid just adapted to changes in situationsso damn fast it was almost praise worthy. Still, the testing must continue, as Asuma also engaged Naruto using the KamiKaze style. After all, Asuma had trained with that style too, even if it wasn't his preferred style of taijutsu.

When Naruto realized that Asuma was coming at him with the KamiKaze style, he grinned seeing the true potential of what it could do. Asuma-sensei ran rings, figure 8's and any number of other ways around Naruto so fast that Naruto had to step it up a notch. He started his own figure, using the dance of the Kamikaze as a way to deliver blows to Asuma. Using it as a defense, the speed that the Kamikaze granted to him was almost unreal. The Jounin was naturally more agile than the smaller blonde, so he had greater reach, but Naruto had more chakra, using it to get out of the way at the last moment. Asuma was pushing him to do better, giving him the exhilaration that only a battle of this skill level could give him.

Ino watched as Naruto do amazing things with what he was learning from her sensei. She had no idea Naruto was this good at all? Though they weren't evenly matched, she knew that Naruto wasn't making it any easier for Asuma-Sensei. She looked at their feet and was amazed at the patterns that they were laying down in the earth. The dirt around the area they were fighting in was slowly becoming looser, making their fight look more and more erratic. They started sliding around the dirt of all things, as if they weren't bound by the physical limits of the dirt and earths' traction.

By following cause and effect, she saw how the fight would play out. If Naruto came in for another whirling kick, Asuma would try to disturb his center of balance. If Asuma tried that, Naruto would simply reverse course and aim for another spot to attack. When Naruto reversed course to attack that other spot, Asuma went on the defensive, sliding rapidly away from Naruto. When Asuma went on the defensive and slid away, Naruto went in for another Whirling kick, he himself trying to unbalance Asuma-Sensei. The pattern became apparent to Ino once she knew what to look for and was proud of herself and her fellow blond for doing so well. The two were now moving so fast in their accelerated pattern that the wind around them was whistling, not like the chirping of sasuke's Chidori, but like the roaring gale force winds of a storm.

Now back on a more level playing field Asuma and Naruto eventually came together in Ninjutsu. They each reversed out of their pattern simultaneously, though Naruto stopped several milliseconds after sensei. Both were grinning and winded, but looked ready for more. "Futon- Daitoppa" With a giant leap up, the attack missed Naruto by a hairs breath. She saw Naruto fire off more shuriken and Kunai while Asuma simply knocked them aside. Frowning, an army of clones came into being, each launching an even bigger hail of Kunai.

Sweat dropping at the amount of Kunai hail nearly blotting out the afternoon sun, Asuma then launched "Futon-Fuuryudan No jutsu" up at Naruto while said blond was preparing another over head attack. Realizing this might be slight over kill Asuma was ready to let the Jutsu go when Naruto pulled a defense that left the entire training field in rubble. There was a flash of swirling blue chakra before Naruto met the dragon head on and the entire field was drenched in water. The force of the blow was so strong from Naruto that his landing on the ground caused a deep explosion that left rings in the dirt gradually spreading out at one foot intervals as far as 20 ft in every direction. It looked as if team 10's training ground had become a theatre coliseum.

Deciding to end this Asuma called an end to the fight, walking towards Naruto and waiting Ino to join him and Naruto in the epicenter of the rings. Now slightly winded, Naruto sat down in the center, the deepest ring, where he was able to comfortably lean back to rest his elbows on the next highest ring. Arriving in deep silence, Ino looked at Naruto as if she saw him for the first time, realized what he was capable of and was genuinely confused as to what happened.

"Yare Yare Naruto-kun, I seem to have forgotten many things about your training. I could not help but notice the great improvement though. Was that what I think it was? The Rasengan? "

"Rasengan, what is that?" Ino blurt out, unable to contain her curiousity. Both ninja looked at her warily before Asuma in turn responded with carefully chosen words.

"The Rasengan is an A rank assassination jutsu with an S rank difficulty in training skills. Only 2 users that I knew of could use this jutsu, Jiraiya of the Sannin and the Yondaime Hokage. No one else could ever figure out how to manage the jutsu. It's rumored that Kakashi tried and failed, and that it took Yondaime-sama nearly 3 or 4 years to develop into the current jutsu that we just saw Naruto use. Though Naruto's use of the jutsu could use some polish, eh Naruto?" he asked, eliciting a nod from the tired shinobi. Though this fight had been great, it left Naruto feeling tired for the first time since his fight with Sasuke. There hadn't been many fights in his time where he'd feel this winded, ever.

Ino was struck dumb by the simple facts that were laid out before her. Naruto, dobe of their graduating class, was capable of using Yondaime's jutsu. Now she knew it wasn't just luck that advanced Naruto so far into the Chuunin exams. If he could learn such a jutsu, as well as summon toads what else could he do? This was the final nail in the proverbial coffin; she just had to know more about him.

Glancing curiously, at Naruto, as if again realizing something about him, she came to a decision.

"From now on Naruto, you train with us" she made it a demand, not a request. Shooting up from his seat, Naruto bitterly scoffed in an entirely uchiha way. On his face, Ino realized that it didn't fit his look and unconsciously decided that that needed to change very soon. It didn't matter that Asuma sensei was sputtering, it didn't matter that Shikamaru and Chouji weren't here to decide, she decided for them.

Sensing a ninja nearby, both Naruto and Asuma stiffened, Ino following a moment after. Looking around, they finally spied Kakashi walking leisurely towards them with his favorite orange book in hand. Sweat dropping at his perverted sensei, Naruto rose to knock some sense into his former sensei. Not totally unaware of Naruto, Kakashi simply dodged around the blond's attack and ended up using our favorite ninja has a seat cushion.

"Mah-na Naruto, for such an 'impressive' fighter you are very easy to trip."Kakashi said, his tone both mocking and yet impressed as Naruto opened his mouth to retort… and was silenced by having a scroll stuck in his mouth, Naruto angrily shouted even with the scroll stuck there.

"het ugth hahathi thehei" (Get up Kakashi-sensei!)

"Careful Naruto, those are your orders to get to the fort and settle in before sun down. You wouldn't want to defy those orders and do something wrong again would you?" Kakashi smiled from under his mask as he finally put his book away and got up from Naruto. Instantly the blonde ninja sat up and spat the scroll out of his mouth. Ino made a face and turned away as the scroll came unrolled before her. All she saw were 'remodeling prized Konoha fortress' and 'remain in Konoha for missions' before Naruto snatched the scroll up and rerolled it. That alone was enough to get her mind curious though, just what had happened to him?

"Fine, damn it, is that all?" This was perhaps the first time Ino had seen Naruto so disgruntled. He wasn't like this before, so her only belief was that Kakashi had something to do with it. She was proven correct with Kakashi sighed before speaking.

"Despite my short comings Naruto, I am proud of you. You've grown, and though you don't know it, are a powerful ninja. I just came to say that I'm sorry and that I hope one day you'll forgive me" He was of course alluding to his treatment of his 2 other students while he was so focused on Sasuke. It was time that Hatake Kakashi started listening to his own advice and forgets what the council had told him. He looked over to Asuma and his one remaining student and remained still; he'd leave if Naruto wanted him to.

"sigh Kakashi-sensei, I don't blame you, not completely, but part of me will always remember what you were never able to do for me and for Sakura-san. I'd like to speak to you once I get settled at the fort ok? Anyday around noon is good, be on time for once yeah? There are some things you need to know. "Now he sounded tired, not as if he'd just run 10 miles around Konoha, but as if he'd been dealing with something for many years now. Not exhausted, but just so tired. In that moment, he seemed older, as if something was a foregone conclusion.

Kakashi's reaction was even worse, for he seemed to deflate, but nodded in respect before disappearing.

Confused, Asuma chalked this up to something between teams, if Team 7 could even be considered that. From what he'd heard, the pinkette from their team went to train with Tsunade-sama. Orochimaru had his hands on the Uchiha brat and Naruto…. Naruto was here, by himself. His resolve to help the boy hardened, Ino's plan to include Naruto in training seemed like a solid idea.

Then an idea struck him ….. one that he was sure would get him in trouble too, but that would remain to be seen. He'd need to look something up first, but that was easy enough. For now though, he needed to train Ino.

"Naruto, since I know you've got to leave soon, I won't hold you up. Still, I think I'll have you and Ino spar for a few minutes, if you're up to it? I'd like to see how she measures up against you. It'll be interesting just because I think she might surprise you".

This was a calculated risk, since he knew Naruto was tired. Yet there was one thing Naruto could never turn down and that was a challenge. He saw the boy, who looked more recovered than even Asuma, think for a second.

"heh sure Asuma-sensei. That is sensei right? Since little Miss Ino here says I'm supposed to train here." He laughed uproariously while taking a small leap back from Ino's punch. Laughingly, he avoided her next punch too. As he grinned and taunted her, she almost caught him with a swift high kick to his head, where he again commented on what she's originally tried to tempt him with at the Ramen stand.

Asuma looked over to the shadowed side of the training field where he winked at Shikamaru and Chouji, while watching the two blondes taunt each other into the middle of the afternoon. Asuma was proven right, of course, since Ino did manage to nail Naruto to a tree. Then again, the resulting puff of smoke and Ino's frustrated scream was nearly music to his ears as he laughed at the two blondes.

2

Later that evening, after sparring with Ino (wincing at the few good hits she did in) Naruto and his troupe of Kage Bunshin got their first view of the fortress that they would be inhabiting and repairing. Far from small, this fortress wasn't nearly as big as Konoha itself, but it certainly seemed like everyone and their mother in Konoha could fit inside it. This wasn't a punishment; this was a sentencing to the death or something. Not even normal shinobi could finish this in the amount of time allotted; they'd given him this assignment and basically ended his ninja career! Angry, his fist shook, knuckles white and nails biting into his palm. Then he realized, if he didn't finish, Iruka would be out of a job too, he'd ruin Iruka- sensei's life! Huffing and puffing in anger, Naruto forced himself to calm down, there had to be a way to work around this. For the moment, everything looked like a nail, so he'd hammer the hell out of a bolt or anything else until it became a nail. He wouldn't let Iruka-sensei down and that was the bottom line.

Walking to the walls, he looked at the basic structure up close. The stone felt inordinately warm and like its name told, it was indeed a five sided fortress, a pentagon shape, if Naruto recalled from basic math. Yet unlike from basic math, the fortress had walls that jutted outwards, leaving it nearly impossible for anyone but a ninja to scale. Imbedded into the far side of the Hokage Mountain, this fortress was indeed fairly old and very dusty. Built of thick stone, it looked every bit the stronghold a fortress would need to be. The place wasn't a wreck but it had certainly seen better days. As a ninja fortress it was remarkably basic, there were already ways that Naruto's mind was working to fix the place. Things he could improve right off the bat was the huge section of wall that was gone courtesy of one of Orochimaru's snakes had crushed and the wrought Iron gate that was hanging by its hinges. Next would be the interior structure, anything that was weak with the supporting frame work of the semi stone fortress.

Walking into the main gates, Naruto saw the roof and that one of the halls had collapsed, probably from some jutsu missing. One of those support things had fallen apart right outside the wall of that roof, so there goes the explanation for that. To Naruto, who'd spent a lifetime hiding from angry villagers hoping to destroy his apartment, the place was a hazard waiting to happen. It was dirty, dusty and dilapidated. He wouldn't be surprised if there were termites, ants and all sorts of bugs all over the place. He also wouldn't be surprised if there were other wildlife inside these walls, as it didn't look like there was anyone else here. Of course there were border guards and things like that around Konoha, but it didn't seem like there were any people currently living here.

Moving into the interior, he opened the scroll. Reading while his clones followed behind, absorbing the layout of the pathways that they took, Naruto sent them out to poke around. In essence, he was at once, everywhere in the castle. While they were doing that, the original would find his way to his living space. This place was drafty, it smelled… well really old and he was almost certain that he'd never have enough time to clean this place. However … he wasn't Uzumaki Naruto for nothing and he definitely wasn't Konoha's number one must surprising ninja. Setting to work, he grinned, oh the idea's he had for this place. If they wanted it repaired, he's repair it alright, and make it his own personal castle.

Umino Iruka sighed while he made his way into the okibi. Only Naruto could manage to get himself into so much trouble so quickly. Not that Iruka minded spending time with Naruto; he'd missed the kid since he graduated from the academy. Though his memories of Naruto were remembered very fondly, they were still filled with some of the most exciting non-lethal events in Konoha, his birth excluded.

Walking into the gates, Iruka stopped … and blinked, and then blinked twice again. Then his head followed his eyes, as he rubbed his eyes and saw not 1 Naruto, but many Naruto. So many that they could read Kakashi's entire book collection at the same time, and that was saying a lot. There were Naruto's sweeping and other Naruto's writing, and some Naruto's lifting and some more Naruto's fixing things. Each had a number on the back of his jacket, signifying him to be whichever number clone the original created.

Number 37 walked by with a large rake for the leaves and chucked it to Number8 4. Number 27 came running off of one of the stain glass windows, exchanging a rag at the station from Number 5. Number 6 came by with a new bucket of clean scrubbing towels and exchanged them with number 5 before they shared a grin and number 6 went running off with the dirty bucket of towels. Now that he looked at it, there looked to be a number 7 and 13 labeled on the two buckets. Where those Naruto's using henge, did they change into other objects? Confused he realized that he really needed to find Naruto very very quickly. It hadn't been that long since he'd seen Naruto, if he didn't count that one mission with Shizune and fighting Mizuki again. Before he could open his mouth, one of the clones just pointed him towards the interior of the fortress and gave him a quick shove forward.

3 shoves, 2 grunts and a near miss with a piece of flying lumber later, Iruka arrived at Naruto's destination, the kitchen of all places. Said blonde was sitting upside down on the ceiling consulting with several of his maps that he'd stuck into place on ceiling he was sitting … err hanging from. Other Naruto's were running around doing various things, such as number 6 running back outside with another set of clean towels. If Iruka had bothered to pay attention, he would have noticed that all of the smaller numbers from 1st clone to the mid 40's where all concentrated on the interior of the fortress. Everyone else from numbers 50 and on were outside.

As number 3 passed him another list, Naruto stuck that onto the wall next to him and then looked up (down) at Iruka. Grinning, he flipped off the ceiling, but his work remained well in position. Greeting his old teacher, Naruto offered him a seat and another clone (number 16) bought them some water before vanishing into another task that needed to be handled.

"It's been a while Naruto, heard you got into some trouble?" Iruka was never one to hide how he felt about Naruto and how much trouble the blonde prankster got into. It was almost a game to see how calm Iruka could remain.

Embarrassed, Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before gesturing around him.

"This place is a dump sensei, no wonder no one wanted to fix it. This will take forever even with an army of Kage Bunshin. I'm going to spend the next month cleaning this place, and only after that month am I going to be able to start repairs, which means I'll have to find a way to repair them, which will take another month. If I'm right about my hunch, I'll have to wait at least a few weeks, before all the materials arrive, unless they arrive with help. If help does arrive, how the hell will we feed them? That's at least 4 or 5 months worth of work. I mean it's not so bad once you see what's underneath though. The place is essentially mine for the rest of forever. That's a long time to be in one place, but at least it means that I'm here doesn't it?" And yet as sad as that sounded, a small (very small) part of Naruto felt that it did give him some peace of mind to be working on this project. Mostly though, Naruto still wanted answers and since he'd already asked Iruka days ago about Ero-sennin, he was out of luck.

"Well I was just as surprised as you were, but now it looks like we'll be here pretty often. Since you're living here, I guess this means that I should too, if I'm to be your immediate supervisor." Confused, Naruto thought for a second before replying.

"Not that I mind Iruka-sensei, but why? You have a nice place to live in a nice section of town" Iruka knew this to be true too. But for the life of him, he didn't know how Naruto was taking it. He knew Naruto faked smiles for a lot of people. It just didn't feel good in his head to leave Naruto here at night by himself. It would get lonely and Iruka knew it.

"It's fine Naruto. It's nothing compared to this ... Piece of Konoha property. Did you know that when it was first constructed …" as he went into lecture mode, because Iruka just had to teach, and because he just happened to know about the fortress, he told Naruto about it while the rest of the cleanup process was going on well into the night. The two eventually retired to their perspective homes. Iruka and a bunch of clones would arrive in the afternoon tomorrow with all of his things and Iruka would rent out his apartment to someone else.

When the eventual reconstruction needed to begin, Iruka had questioned Naruto about how they would do this and received only his fox like grin. Days later, Iruka would find out that Naruto had sent for some outside help with the reconstruction. He would also find out that Tsunade had furnished a large chunk of Konoha's budget for the repairs on this "Honorable and historic Konoha property" as a way to get back at the council. In between the day would construction would begin, Iruka remained teaching at the academy and Naruto practiced missions with team 10 while training himself at night. Impressed, the Chuunin teacher was glad to see his once hyperactive student completely focused on his training.

Curious as to what Naruto was doing one day, one Yamanaka Ino decided to follow Naruto was he walked out of the west gate after their team training. With Shikamaru gone sometimes due to his Chuunin duties, it was nice to have a 3rd team member to train with again. Some days when all 4 were present, those made the most exciting training sessions as Naruto was not only probably the most combat intensive of them, he was also smart to boot. While he wasn't Shikamaru by any means, his ideas and strategies worked, usually contingent on a large distraction, much like Shikamaru would have done. They tried to mix it up, using other things for distractions besides Naruto's clones or some random explosion. It was a good work out and though it made Ino feel that she was improving, she felt like she was always playing catch up with the guys. They all trained, but it seemed as if she was getting the least results. Frustrated she nearly walked into a tree before realizing that Naruto was farther away than she wanted.

Catching up, she came upon his 'secret project' that he'd refused to speak about. So what was he doing at the old fortress? She heard it'd been nearly destroyed by the attack from Suna and Oto. As she watched him enter the premises, she realized there was a flurry of activity. Men in construction hard hats with drawing boards nearby had their attention focused on the outside wall. Behind the wall, she could see other men running wires into the center of the fortress. They looked like they were at some phase in construction now, so they had to have been here for a while.

The place didn't look dirty at all. Aside from the collapsed roof and the crushed wall, the place looked clean. The windows that did exist in the fortress were pristine, though why windows would be in a fortress was beyond her. What she did notice was that there were many naruto's running around. Each with a number on the back of his jacket, they were helping the workers with their tasks. Some of the clones were lifting, or hammering and mixing what might be cement. She saw the real Naruto talking to a guy with gray hair and a beard. A younger boy listened with rapt attention as the old man and Naruto exchanged words before splitting up. If what she thought was right, this was the construction foreman. Leaning forward, she nearly fell as the tree she was hiding behind vanished in a puff of smoke. Falling forward, she was caught in surprisingly strong arms.

"You know Ino, if I didn't know you were so nosy, I'd almost say you might be concerned about me." She was nose to nose with that voice and it was only now that she could place that very voice. The voice of course belonged to Naruto-baka, which lead her to look at the arms that held her up before she could land on said blonde. Blushing madly, she shot off of Naruto, totally red in the face. Watching the other blonde on the ground in front of her made her realize that the one she saw walking into the fortress was a clone.

"Ino, what are you doing here, this is a restricted area you know" the way he said it made her want to walk up to him and beat that grin off his face. She was eventually going to get tired of that grin, she knew she would. Watching as he rose off the ground and dusted himself off, she was also loath to admit that she didn't notice that Naruto had gotten the better of her. Grunting slightly, she spun on her heel and began to walk away. His questions fell on deaf ears as he chased after her. His even louder gestures almost made her turn around, but her resolve was set in stone, she wouldn't be first to speak.

Naruto blinked before giving up and reaching out to physically stop her. His hold on her arm was firmer than even he'd expected. She stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around to look at him. Frowning he tried to get her to turn around. When that didn't work, he took the initiative and decided to walk around to face her instead. What he saw made him smile too.

She's been waiting for him the whole time to stop her. She planned it, now he knew it and yet it didn't bother him in the least. She had stopped walking away and that was all that mattered for now. Smiling slightly his hold on her loosened but didn't completely let go. Blue met blue as they both stood staring at each other, each waiting for the other to speak.

Finally with a grunt, Ino tried to move past him, since he wasn't going to say anything, she'd just leave. Again his hold on her tightened and she grew annoyed with him. If nothing else, she felt that she deserved to be able to leave if he didn't want to tell her what was going on.

Without warning, he abruptly let go and walked past her. He pressed a leaf into her hand before smiling and leaving her alone in the clearing. What the hell did that mean? Watching his retreating back, she remembered and just couldn't let this go, she ran after him. So, both smiling, the two blondes made their way towards the fortress.

What didn't need to be spoken was the leaf that he'd given her. Many years ago, when they'd first met at the playground, she had given him a leaf as a present when no one else would give him the time of day. Today, he returned the favor and took time out to see her while he worked; welcoming her into what was now to be his new world. She appreciated the gesture once she remembered, but couldn't have cared less as long as she got to see what he was doing.

When Hatake Kakashi had requested to look in on Naruto for a few hours each day, he greeted this post with some skepticism. After all, if nothing else he expected his student to be training or something equally boring while slacking from the reconstruction. What he had not expected was for the blonde to have hired an entire company of workers that took to the repairs with gusto. His Kage Bunshin worked alongside these workers and they supported each other. Somewhat surprising, one of Asuma's genin, Yamanaka Ino was with him. What she was doing here he had no idea, but he had a fair idea that they were friends, so Kakashi was glad his student had a friend to spend time with. What became even more surprising that it was Tazuna that was the foreman for this project. He and Naruto could be seen pouring over the plans at every precise moment of the time that construction was going on.

It seemed that Naruto wasn't as stupid as he looked, since he understood most of the construction mumbo jumbo lingo that Tazuna and his men threw at the boy. They came all the way from wave for their Hero it seemed and these workers seemed very happy to be here. The men greeted Naruto with respect, if not admiration. It was always 'Naruto-san said this' or 'Naruto-san said that'. One man even accidentally referred to him as Naruto-sama. It didn't hurt that the men also became fans of Ichiraku ramen. He wondered how long it would take to have a separate stand set up at the fortress. Idly, he wondered who else was on schedule to guard him. His mind wandered back to that conversation he'd had with his errant student the one time that Kakashi had willingly shown up on time, though the date had been somewhat after Naruto's request was made.

:Flashback:

As Naruto had requested, he came to Naruto's … well Naruto's Fortress. The single eyed Jounin was greeted enthusiastically upon his arrival at the fortress by men that he recognized from the land of waves, chiefly among them Tazuna. Scores of Naruto clones ran all over the place, each with a different number on their backs, some which reached into the hundreds. He was then directed by a Kage Bunshin to a room with a large official looking door and wondered what the hell he was doing here. Where was Naruto?

His answer of course, caused his one visible eyebrow to disappear into his hairline as he opened the door curiously.

There seated in a slightly formal robe that lacked orange of any kind, was a young blonde that Kakashi could have sworn was the returned soul of his deceased sensei. While there was no hat on his head, the blonde sitting at the desk signing papers bore a frightening resemblance to the 4th Hokage and Kakashi wondered why he'd never noticed it.

Books on shelves and in boxes were strewn about the entire room, as well as various scrolls. Naruto looked up briefly and indicated that Kakashi should sit, but was otherwise quiet for several minutes.

The person sitting in front of Kakashi was so unlike the genin that he'd first met fresh out of the academy, so different that Kakashi now had to reform his plans for speaking with Naruto. Of course he'd had a plan about how to speak to his student, he wasn't some rookie ninja.

Still, it was apparent even to him that Naruto was different now. Not unlike the pose many of the former Hokage adopted, he was frowning at the pile of paper on the desk.

:End Flashback:

Naruto meanwhile took this all in stride, but didn't let it get to him. It seemed to Kakashi that Naruto was pretty serious about this project; even if the council had foisted this old fortress onto the one … person that they didn't think could finish it. It was just that he expected his student to be training, not doing construction. While it was true that he had a job to do, he would have thought both to be equally important. He was proven wrong when he asked to take the early morning shift instead of the later evening shift. Naruto was up even before Kakashi got there, training in what had to be the Kamikaze style. He'd seen him use it to mild effect against Asuma in that training spar, if you could call such a destructive match up a spar. He acknowledged that Naruto was strong, strong enough that he was easily Chuunin, if not Jounin level by now. This morning, Naruto had Kage Bunshin with him, half with him and half facing him in some sort of odd training. He supposed it worked, looking like some sort of synchronized performance. Normally he'd have dismissed it, but he thought about it and realized that the training would work, if someone was able to control how many Kage Bunshin they needed and the mental backlash of so many clones. In all of his fights, Kakashi had never noticed if Naruto had any mental backlash at all, so he supposed there wasn't any. One point that bothered him was that there wasn't much ninjutsu training going on. While Naruto's use of the select ninjutsu he knew was very effective, he was still limited to what he learned from Jiraiya before the sannin up and disappeared. He also wondered how this project was being funded. When he asked about the budget, all Tsunade-Sama would say was to smirk and tell him that it was taken care of.

Naturally, once Ino and Naruto started disappearing at the same time right after training, Shikamaru and Chouji got curious after a few weeks. This of course led to Asuma following the two while they followed Ino and Naruto. Secretly hoping for some gossip at the next Jounin meeting and slightly upset that Naruto wasn't taking his duties seriously and was instead spending time with Ino outside of training, he was pleasantly surprised to see both blonde genin head into the fortress. Each came bearing large items, Ino naturally came with plants. As she had once attempted to decorate the Sarutobi estate with a more 'feminine' influence, Asuma guessed that she might be attempting to do the same with Naruto's fortress. The fact that he even thought of it as Naruto's fortress was disturbing enough. What was in fact more disturbing was the long line of Kage Bunshin, with numbers 220 to 310 all arriving bearing a bowl of steaming Ichiraku ramen. While Naruto could eat, these bowls were in fact for the men who would go on break once Naruto came within eyeshot of them. Some welcomed him with a hearty slap on the back and a thank you, while others bowed and politely, if Asuma lip read correctly, a mumbled blessing for food from Naruto-sama. If that wasn't enough, the men welcomed Ino's as Ino-san. As if they thought she was 50 years old, though her mothering tendencies could be misconstrued as nosy teenage fussing.

Wide eyed, the remaining members of team 10 watched as it became obvious that those who were at the fortress working were a very tight group. They obviously knew each other well enough to trade amicable insults back and forth, especially about age, and in Ino's case, gender bias. If he again read correctly, Ino was waving away a comment about Naruto being her boyfriend. This one had Shikamaru on edge, since who would consider loud mouth Yamanaka Ino and hyperactive Naruto of all guys a good couple? Grumbling 'troublesome' he stood on a branch while Chouji sat silently watching.

Asuma also noticed that contrary to what the council believed, repairs were coming about a lot faster. Already, the entire outer wall was completely done. He didn't know how, since they'd have to be working around the clock for this sort of rapid work schedule to be physically possible. At some point Naruto had to sleep and he also still trained with him and team 10. Even with the Kage Bunshin active as much as possible, the kid would eventually have to rest. Ever since his spar with Naruto, Asuma noticed that Naruto's use of the Kage Bunshin had become more effective. He wasn't sure if it was because they were now being constantly used, or because Naruto was naturally just good and had held back during their spar. Already 4 and a half months had gone by and he'd watched Naruto improve so much, he was proud to have helped the boy along his path. Now if only Ino would be just as easy to press into improvement. The girl just needed to focus, but it seemed that she was only most focused when she was tending her garden and fussing over Naruto.

Still, it wasn't that Ino and Naruto didn't have their moments of bickering, nor were they ever quiet for very long. What it seemed to all of team 10 was that the two got along fairly well, even if they made fun of each other. Part of Asuma wondered how attached the two of them were becoming since love in a ninja's life was fairly dangerous even for genin. He'd let this play out and if he needed to separate them, he would. Of course, later on when he tried, he found out just how irate the two blondes could be. They had not only pranked him, but they'd pranked him together. His laundry would never smell the same after that day; neither would an entire section of the Sarutobi estate.

Of course, none could have been more surprised at the more recent developments than Tazuna himself. What he didn't expect was for the Sandaime to have set in motion the further exploration of wave country, including the addition of its territory through purchase into the fire country. From that point, the bridge was not only a major avenue of commerce, but also the focal point of Tazuna's career as a builder. He'd been doing some administrative work on the bridge when the letter arrived from Uzumaki Naruto, the namesake hero himself of wave country. In bold terms, the letter discussed the outright hiring of his services, plus a team of his 100 or best most trusted men on repairs to a fort near Konoha. Not that he'd been looking for work, but as an architect and designer, he'd always looked for ways to improve other structures. The bridge had been the symbol of hope for his home. From what he understood, the structure that the boy needed repairs on was much a symbol in the same way. Naruto's letter spoke of such preciousness and devotion to Konoha that the older bridge builder was inspired to help. The generous budget that had been set aside nearly guaranteed that Tazuna would have only the best materials to work with.

His arrival in Konoha was dubious at best, since they had met the Hokage and their Hero not at one of the main gates, but through an alternate route. Assured that there was nothing untoward about their arrival, he and his men got their first glimpse of what would be their home for nearly the next 6 months. What Tazuna saw was somewhat different from what Naruto had explained to him. Naruto's description had not included a photograph of the fortress but only just the measurements. He expected large, and that's what he saw, but what Naruto failed to include was a world of detail. The exterior looked tough, and old, yet had a classic look from a period that Tazuna had only been able to study through books during school.

That this structure was still in one piece was a wonder of time; that he got to work on such a structure might be the lasting wonder of his life. The external walls of the upper hall were held up by buttresses and had spires that jutted out elegantly. The visible arcs in the structure leant strength to the foundation with strong center keystones; high ceilings with large sculpted pillars lined the walls adding more stability to the building. The ceiling was complex and beautiful in the center hall with narrow windows and an upper circling balcony. Walls that stood so at so tall an angle that it made visible spying impossible except from a location on top of the mountain or 1 of 10 remaining trees nearby. The stone foundation itself was consistently warm, which at first startled the builders until it was explained that these stones were able to filter and store heat. The special stones gave Tazuna pause, citing that this fortress must have been very important for such materials to be used. When asked, Naruto had simply said that it was really really old, and really really important.

Tazuna himself had arrived with his tools and to Naruto's surprise, Inari as well. The younger boy was older now, but still just as determined as Naruto remembered him. The boy absolutely idolized the blonde and took to doing small tasks for him while learning his grandfather's trade. He could also be seen observing some of Naruto's training from his window early in the mornings.

Another question arose in the bridge builder when he arrived, as the structure was much too large for a mere 100 men to construct. There would need to be builders and manual lifters to do more work. Hoping that the blonde had not overestimated his skill, he was relieved to find that another set of Konoha citizens would be arriving to offset the work load. When asked who they were Naruto only smiled and said he personally knew all 500 of them. Surprised, Tazuna said he must have been popular, to where Naruto replied that of course he knew all 500 of them. Since they were all 500 clones of Naruto, of course they were going to know him very well. This surprise was perhaps the most awing for the men, and yet it only increased their esteemed respect for Naruto when they found out that he was perhaps the only ninja to be able to do so in the known world. Smiling sheepishly, Naruto had hoped to quickly put an end to such flattery by handing out the keys and deeds of properties for families that had chosen to remain on a permanent basis in konoha's village. This didn't help Naruto, since it only made Naruto seem even more revered and honored by the wave builders and their families. Naruto himself knew the situation and had discussed it with Tsunade weeks before the arrival of the wave builders. When asked by he didn't choose builders from the fire country, the blonde Hokage was given the response that for such a sensitive project, he needed to trust his builders and those of the fire country especially in Konoha didn't make that cut.

They settled the idea that since most of the men that had families living in wave country needed to stay there for that reason, Naruto generously stipulated that some of the men had a choice to permanently remain in Konoha with their families before, during and after construction. Several families found this attractive and thus have now taken up a more secure home inside of Konoha proper. When asked what their new neighbors did for a living, Konoha residents were given the polite answer that their neighbors were craftsmen of a sort looking for work in fire country.



'He's good' the AnBu thought as he sensed his most recent charge tracking him to and from the Hokage tower and the fortress property. The surprise was his own; since he knew that the blonde was suppose to be in front of him, not behind him wearing an AnBu mask with a whirl on it. As the AnBu passed by him, he blinked when the mousy brown haired youth flashed symbols to him. 'good day Moku-san, give Inu-san my best'. Almost stupefied, the AnBu missed a step.

'He's really good' weeks ago when he'd started this guard shift as a way to relax, he hadn't observed that Uzumaki Naruto had the ability to communicate in AnBu hand signals. Yet just as he's proven, the Kyuubi container could do just that. With a look for confusion, he returned the sign as he'd been taught 'Ja whirl-san' trying to cover for his mistake. Now he'd have to ask Inu-san to see if his student had ever exhibited the ability to use such signs before. Turning away, he headed towards AnBu HQ to report his observations to the Hokage.

Of course, in his haste, Moku-san failed to notice the other rookie AnBu whom had been observing the duo in passing. Thinking that he was following protocol, he too began using and passing along the information that whoever whirl-san was might secretly be AnBu. It would certainly fit his ability to communicate in signals and his detection of AnBu that were tailing him. Thus began yet another legend in the eventual logs of the bingo books in every ninja village.

For Iruka, the last 6 months had been surreal. In between teaching classes and his own training, he'd also started training with Naruto and learning about the things it took into rebuilding this fortress. This had been an eye opening opportunity as well as a doorway into something that he could do if he ever decided to quit being a ninja. Though that was unlikely that he would ever stop, the idea entertained itself in his mind whenever he was bored.

His training with Naruto had likewise taken on a whole new level of insanity once he realized that the boy nearly never stopped training. Day and night, he was constant in his schedule to train before bed and once he woke up. Though Iruka had skill and experience over Naruto, it was also true that Naruto had raw power over Iruka. Together they were heaven and earth, teaching one another the ability to be better shinobi. As brothers, they took to some of the teachings of the Sandaime. In Iruka's case, he focused more on his physical abilities, Naruto had the idea to dual focus both mental and physical disciplines.

Marveling at Naruto's maturity, he remembered the first of many examples that had begun as a simple request.

:flashback:

Once, when Naruto was doing work in his office, Iruka had entered to speak to him about a construction matter and had happened in on a conversation. Rather than kick him out, Naruto silently beckoned him forward to seat himself nearby. The man in the chair across from Naruto showed no visible reaction to Iruka's presence at all.

"Naruto-Sama, there is a request that I must make, but I am unsure as to how I should go about it. It deals with the health of my family. My father … he is a very sick man who cannot afford to live alone. My mother, bless her, has passed on and I am nearly the last of my family, save my sister. She has work in Konoha, again we thank you. As you know we have moved here as a family and thus have decided to reside in Konoha. I humbly submit to you my request for resignation, as I cannot do both my job and take care of my father." The man fell silent as he looked pleadingly at Naruto, almost as if he were ashamed to have to admit this to Naruto. Then it dawned on Iruka that maybe this man was ashamed to be asking Naruto this. If the man's reference to Naruto with that honorific was genuine, he bet that this man rather felt a lot of shame for having to involve the person who was technically his boss in these affairs. Looking to Naruto, Iruka saw him come to a decision.

"No Saicho-san"

Even Iruka was shocked at the briskness in Naruto's voice. Clearly this was a matter that could be easily resolved. Looking over at saicho-san, the man was clearly chest fallen and on the verge of tears. Who had Naruto become? How could he do this to someone? Opening his mouth to retort, both men were silenced by Naruto's hand. Silently, the boy rose from his desk to kneel in front of Saicho's chair. He put a hand on the man's shoulder and shook it firmly. He stared into the face of saicho and spoke meaningfully.

"Saicho-san, you must understand that you are a good worker and that I cannot afford to lose you. Correct?"

To this the man accepted the praise with a small shrug and a nod. Iruka wondered where this was going. The silence in the room was deafening when Naruto spoke again.

"Tell me, Saicho-san, would you quitting your job be able to provide for proper health care for your father? I have heard on good account that such medical care is expensive. What should you do if only your sister is working? How will she afford to keep all 3 of you hale and hearty?" Naruto inquired almost cruelly. Belatedly, Iruka should have realized that something was up. Naruto was quiet and solemn, but the glint in his eyes signified something funny. Iruka would remark on it later during a poker game that Naruto's only 'tell' was his eyes.

Saicho-sans eyes and posture indeed agreed with Naruto's remark before he too came to a decision.

"Then she shall quit her job instead of me quitting mine, as I make more than she does. We will find a way Naruto-sama. Good day" the man's head bowed and shuffled out of his chair. Iruka watched as Naruto stilled the man with an arm and requested that he should sit.

"I am not an uncaring person Saicho-san. I am serious when I say that I need you here. As such, I have no choice but to keep you here, it was stated in your contract…."

Resolute, the man sat down and bowed his head, his hair coming out of its ponytail as the man sat exhausted. Clearly this man was at the end of his wits.

"However, you make a mistake when you believe that I am some cruel tyrant, for I am not" there was an edge to Naruto's voice that Iruka didn't like at all. Saicho-sans look of total disbelief and horror made it clear to those in the room that his thoughts were anything but negative about Naruto. It showed in his bow and in his honorific that he believed Naruto to be a fair and just individual. He was simply caught in a crisis with no way out.

"I meant no disrespect Naruto-sama" Saicho-san replied miserably. This just wasn't his day.

Naruto nodded before replying.

"I am aware of that and honestly believe you. That said, I have no choice, my hands are tied with regard to your permanent employment" Naruto too seemed quiet and sullen. Saicho-san looked downtrodden and seemed to be again on the verge of tears. Naruto rose from his kneeling position and sat back down at his desk.

"However, in the future, I would have simply brought these problems to me first and foremost. I am not without any small measure of humanity" The way Naruto spoke nearly made Iruka angry. The man hadn't done anything to Naruto, this was just cruel.

"Still, I look at the contract and I suddenly see something that may help you. What was this line? 'All employee's whom are currently working on the reconstruction of Konoha's prized fortress are to be given free medical care for them and their families.' Isn't that an interesting line Saicho-san?" the grin on Naruto's face was infectious for the Chuunin ninja.

The man's head had risen so fast the Iruka thought that Saicho-san might get whiplash. The look of instant hope on his face was very clear, but guarded still. His eyes narrowed for a moment and both Naruto and Iruka caught it.

'smart man' both ninja thought.

"What do you want in exchange?" It was clear that he would do nearly anything to help his family.

"Neither myself nor Konoha are asking for anything that you aren't already aware of giving. Your contract states that you're devoted certain hours per week for this phase of construction and this Konoha ninja honors such contracts. In addition, I'll personally arrange for a medical ninja to attend to your fathers needs, here at the fortress on a permanent basis. Shall we arrange twice a week in addition to a regular medical physician?" Naruto set the agreement down before walking over to the older saicho.

The older man rose up, tears of joy in his eyes as he hugged Naruto for all that he was worth. Overjoyed he nearly missed the last part of Naruto's speech as he departed the room.

"Saicho-san. You understand that your family staying here does not preclude you from paying rent correct? As you will be residing here, I ask that you to be early to work from now on" The man nodded so fast that it seemed like his head might pop off. Iruka was surprised, Naruto might as well have asked him for both his kidneys and the man would have agreed. He watched as Saicho-san exited the room slowly but clearly still excited. Neither ninja would be surprised if he took off running and screaming words of praise about Naruto-sama's greatness once he was out of earshot. In fact he did just that, not realizing that ninja had above average hearing.

Looking over at Naruto, Iruka saw his pleased grin, his happy posture and decided that Naruto was damn well old enough to do anything he wanted. Remembering his original purpose for being here, he handed Naruto a set of documents before sitting down to converse with the blonde. They shared a smile as they heard a shout of joy drift in from the courtyard as Saicho-san no doubt went to tell his family the good news.

:Flashback end:

As the weeks passed by, Iruka noticed a marked rise in the foot traffic of Naruto's 'office' as well as an increased occupancy of the fortress interior. Hmn … he wondered, just who had done that? Looking over at the grinning blonde, he not only got his answer, but was glad that the answer held so much promise for the future.

3

6 months to the day that basic construction had begun and was now finished. To say that all parties were relieved was an understatement. The foundation was now completely sound, with every pillar, keystone and arc way completely stable. It by no means could take an earth quake, but for the time being, that wasn't necessary. She would be defensible against moderate level attacks and so long as no invasions happened for another 6 months, his upgrades could begin.

Naruto now sat in the library, since that was where he found the massive pile of books and made it into his office. A stream of sun glare filtered into the room through the gated windows. His plans for the fortress at the minimum were finished. It was as it used to be in its glory days. Gleaming stone walls and polished surfaces that reflected light whenever he walked by. His daily inspection of the grounds now yielded examples of his blood, sweat and chakra. It had started as a project to deal with the council's spite, but now it had turned into his own self evolving mission.

His training had progressed to a level where he was fairly competent putting most of his chakra into using the KamiKaze dance while wielding a single handed Rasengan. That had been a true test of his total chakra control and had in fact been instrumental in helping his chakra control. Starting slow and now having worked his way up, he could maintain the dance for nearly 10 minutes at full speed with a complete Rasengan in hand. His chakra was so much better now, that he could produce chakra pulses that exited his body when he expanded that chakra to knock someone away as they tried to grab him. The evasiveness and speed he now had without the Rasengan but still with the kamikaze style was such a vast improvement over how his first fight with Asuma-sensei had been.

Nearly daily, he poured over seal after seal, starting with the basics such as faulty explosive tags and working his way up to summoning scrolls. He still had no idea how to get his father's scroll open but the knowledge of who his father was gave him a strange peace. He was angry at the man who made his life a living hell, but also realized that he was not the only one and that his pity and disdain for the village could never overshadow the love he had for his precious people.

He had also discovered what that old-man Sandaime had given him in the box was actually AnBu armor and white mask with a whirl on it. It wasn't the newest, or the shiniest armor, but that never mattered to Naruto. It was something from the old-man, it fit well and that was all that mattered. It would defend him when he needed it. Now he was always dressed in the armor, sometimes underneath a larger orange jumpsuit. After all, appearances did need to be observed, both in public and in secret.

He had also been given his father's spare Hokage battle robe in blue, since the original had been buried with his body. Now that he knew whom he could visit, he made it a ritual to do so once a week. In these many months, he had come to his father's public grave site in his AnBu clothing to pay homage. Other AnBu were present, since they too paid homage to the former Hokage's, but since Naruto knew the signals, even without the tattoo, they believed him to be whirl-san and he never refuted it. Konoha had a very special set of identifying hand signals that had been set ever since the foundation of Konoha's first squad. The seals he specifically knew made him one of Sandaime's personal guards, if he knew those seals; he had to be both loyal and trusted by the 3rd Hokage.

How Naruto learned such a set of seals was almost bitter sweet. In a letter packed into the pocket of the armor, he found a note, asking Naruto to remember the word and gesture games they played while they ate Ramen together late in the night in the back booth of Ichiraku Ramen. At first Naruto was confused, but then the presence of the armor, combined with the note triggered a memory that Naruto had passed off as a fun game they played while eating Ramen.

: flashback:

"Now Naruto, I want you to be very careful and never show these symbols to anyone not loyal to me and Konoha. This is a special game only Konoha ninja play ok?" the old man had smiled.

A much younger Naruto nodded eagerly while slurping up the last of his Ramen. After all, whatever game was played by loyal Konoha ninja must have been a fun game. That was when he learned the signals, the Sandaime testing him nearly every time they ate together. It became their secret game and he in turn was inducted into the AnBu ability to use basic authentication and greeting hand signals.

:: flashback end:

Having discovered this, he relished in the ability to travel as an AnBu, not totally undetected, but basically free from hassle and the glares of the villagers. If anything, they seemed to shy away from him, wondering what he was doing in their immediate vicinity. The freedom this allowed him to travel was both wonderful and eye opening to the kindness of people as well. He saw much more when he wasn't being rushed away or glared at. Currently, he was rushing from his father's monument to meet with Tsunade at training ground where she was training Sakura. However, he forgot one small detail, that he was still wearing his Anbu gear and Henge. By the time he did realize it, he'd already landed in the rubble of the training grounds.

Tsunade woke up today and knew it was a bad day. The paperwork at the office was piling up, she was totally out of sake and Jiraiya was still missing. She was just as concerned about him as Naruto was, if not more so. So far, he'd only sent word that he was on an important mission and that he would be back for Naruto as soon as he could, but that he didn't know when that was. Frustrated, she had thrown her desk out the window earlier that day before leaving to meet with her apprentice.

Sighing as Sakura was slowly working through with the concept that she would be out to train her apprentice harshly and that Sakura should come at her with the purpose of killing her. Sakura was a fairly good medic; the girl had potential in spades and chakra control to boot. While that wasn't supposed to be very hard, the girl was skittish about actually using the combat potential such chakra control had.

She also wondered where the hell Naruto was. For all intents and purposes, he was the toad apprentice, just as his team mates were the apprentice to the other sannin. She'd seen him every once in a while. He'd been busy doing the construction work and while she had given him that budget, she was curious. AnBu did not report on the status of the fortress, only his activities at that location. It offered an incomplete report and that was frustrating. Iruka's reports had been likewise more about Naruto than about the construction effort, but from what she saw, Naruto was working hard on the construction, and not nearly enough on his ninja training. He was more of a construction worker than a ninja these days if she read both reports correctly. Just imagining him slacking off on his work and possibly going off to peep on women was enough to want to strangle Naruto. That damn pervert Jiraiya!

Feeling a spike of killer intent, 3 things happened at the same time. Sakura fumbled in her step as her masters chakra enhanced fist impacted the ground and an AnBu suddenly appeared. Just as she had been trained many years ago, rather than avoid the landing of the punch, she leaned in and timed a shorter release of chakra rather than trying to stop and blow her arm off. Then she made her escape and prayed that her apprentice didn't get caught in the blast.

Next, as the ground flew up, an AnBu in black with a blue whirl on his mask jumped onto the grounds and started deflecting and dodging the flying rocks that were scattering everywhere from the impact of her fist. He had grabbed Sakura and managed to drag her out of the impact zone as all the rocks came falling back to earth from the sky. He spun away and threw the younger girl feet first at a fairly large tree and watched as the pinkette landed properly while he returned to dodging and punching the larger chunks of rock in a faster blur of speed. She saw that he was fast, rushing out of the way at just the right moment to cut them in half. Did it not occur to the AnBu to stop?

Tsunade leapt away from the impact and cursed, she'd let her emotions get the better of her. The world turned into slow motion as only one of the sannin could do. Any true fighter knew that in the heat of battle, perception of space and time was different. She watched the figure use such speed and was still be able to see their opponent clearly. As she landed on a tree branch, she watched as the AnBu with a whirl on his mask managed to drag her errant apprentice away from harm and then turn to destroy the remainder of the falling rock in a matter of seconds. Whoever whirl was, he was fairly good with the KamiKaze evasion style and however he was destroying those rocks, he was being very effective. His overall fighting skills put him at AnBu, since his speed and abilities could only be mid to upper Jounin. So this was whirl? The AnBu reputed to be a remnant from her sensei's personal guard? She knew of 3 or 4 others, but had never seen him. She was impressed, even if he was using a rather large amount of chakra to quickly destroy the rocks. It was such a rookie mistake, why would an AnBu do that? Why was he so … short?

Then her eyes narrowed, the rocks were being destroyed by the impact of a fist, something that she was still trying to teach sakura. Then she watched more carefully and saw that though he was AnBu, he lacked a sword. Still she noticed that he was also using his elbows, knees and feet to cause even greater damage. Focused strongly on the fists and elbows, whirl also lashed out in a kick once in a while that were cutting pieces of stone and ground apart.

Her vision returned to real time as a few seconds later, it was over and all the rubble that now lay at whirls feat crunched under his foot as he stood in the center of the of the clearing. His breathing was strong and she didn't detect any sort of significant problem from him. Now she needed to verify who he was. As she and Sakura arrived in the middle of the clearing, she already began signaling whirl, testing him with the longest code of security that any Anbu that personally guarded Sandaime would know.

When Sakura fumbled in her defense against her sensei's super powered punch, she either thought that her sensei would stop or that this was going to hurt very very much. What she got was unceremoniously dumped on a tree while an Anbu when to clean up the mess from a punch she should have been able to avoid. In a matter of seconds, it seemed like to Sakura that the AnBu blurred away in a roar of wind and then not even 6 heart beats later the ground that had been falling on her was now a pile of rubble under the AnBu's feet. Truly, Anbu were the elite and whoever this guy was, he owed her life to him. She went to join her sensei in the middle of the clearing even as she looked confused at the two, they weren't talking, they were gesturing.

When Tsunade had started the sequence of gestures that she too had learned a long time ago, she was surprised to see such a rapid response. Though she expected him to know some of it, she didn't want to believe that there was yet another person out there who had been close to her sensei without her knowing about it. It made her annoyed that such an AnBu would show up unannounced in her practice area and even more annoyed that he knew each and every gesture sequence that she knew. Had sensei taught this man? Had he trained whirl personally so that he could fight? Though it wasn't exclusive to the Sarutobi clan, the KamiKaze style was a style native to Konoha. Its sister style, Karakaze (dry wind) belonged to Suna. It would be like sensei to teach his AnBu a style that their family knew well. She knew that Asuma used the style and that one day, his nephew Konohamaru might as well. Sighing, she finished and looked on at whirl, still displeased that he had intruded.

"Well Whirl? What do you have to report?" now she was just getting impatient. She twitched when he didn't respond and then repeated to herself that she shouldn't kill loyal AnBu, they were hard to find and keep. Almost like a pet.

"I am reporting as you requested ob-Hokage-sama" having caught the near slip she glared and even dared whirl to repeat the statement. Only Naruto got to call her that and he wasn't… even.. here. Wide eyed, she asked whirl.

"Whirl, who was your father?" That was a trick question if Sakura ever heard one, how was that any sort of proof? But then the AnBu with the blue whirl on his face went completely still.

"Yondaime-Otou-Sama" The Anbu bit out and Sakura gasped, the 4th hokage had a son? Of course he was in AnBu, but why had no one ever heard of him? The answer to that was that since she studied about the Yondaime, she knew that many enemy villages had been decimated by the Yondaime during the war. It probably wasn't even safe for him to be walking around Konoha, let alone saving the life of one errant genin.

"Come with me, Sakura stay and practice enhanced punches" Where she turned at a brisk heal and began walking further away, deeper into the forest. With no choice, Whirl followed her and Sakura was left alone in the clearing confused. She still wondered who he was and that meant going to the village gossip, Ino-buta.

Once out of earshot, she turned around a glared straight at Naruto and waited for his explanation. She was slightly confused, sober and annoyed and that was never a good combination for the busty blonde. He didn't look nervous, but then again, maybe the mask hid it well. He replied in his real voice.

"I was running late and didn't have time to change. I was going to use a henge, but then you blew up the floor when I landed there. I mean come on, were you trying to kill her obaa-chan? What if she hadn't been able to dodge that, we'd be picking up her battered body right now"

So that was it, he was upset at her training methods? Not even nervous was he? Hah, what a guy, what a guy indeed. It really shouldn't have surprised her, coming from Naruto. Smiling softly, she spoke to the blonde.

"Only you Naruto, could care that she almost got hurt, rather than worry about facing my wrath." She chuckled. It really was so like him to do that, to not even think twice about her hurting him at all. He trusted her implicitly and that warmed her heart. But as a Hokage, there was a time when she knew to be stern.

She followed up with "Explain this get up. Where did you get this? You couldn't have killed an AnBu. And the signals! Where in the great divide did you learn those? I can't believe you've been doing this the entire time that I've been hearing about the solemn and dedicated whirl-san that's never even been on a mission with anybody! AnBu and the Hokage admin think that you've been in seclusion since sensei's passing. They think you're the real deal because nearly everyone who knows the verification seal gestures has tested you already. "

What was most unnerving was that the whirl on his mask looked like they could move. Even as she stood there and he leaned against a tree, he looked and acted nothing like the Uzumaki Naruto that she had come to Konoha with. Hell, his skills weren't even the same. Once she connected the two of them, she gave him grudging respect for being able to fight like he did. He was no Jounin, but clearly better than most Chuunin. The records that were kept on Uzumaki Naruto stated he had genin abilities with the added use of Kage Bunshin. The records on the Whirl AnBu stated that his abilities were classified, that he was probably in the Sandaime's guard and that the date for this file had been created when Naruto was just 7 years old.

"In oji-sans will, he left a few things for me, you know? The armor and the mask came later on. What he really left me was a letter, and some training scrolls. His letter included who my real parents were, so that actually makes me happy. Some of the other scrolls were on Kage Bunshin, some on the Kamikaze taijutsu. Oh! I've managed to learn things about seals a bit too. I'm sure you're AnBu just tell you where I go and who I speak with, but I bet that they don't tell you anything about my training or about the fortress do they? Heh, the place looks brand new almost, and now I get to do upgrades!"

Part of her was impressed, and that wasn't easily so. Uzumaki Naruto had always had a way of impressing her, even at the onset of their meeting with the bet for her necklace. Now he'd not only learned and nearly mastered an entire Konoha taijutsu style, but also finished the fort in 6 months if she read him correctly. Just how long had sensei been planning to have Naruto become AnBu? To have given him armor, and a whirl mask, which she also thought was genius considering his real name. Upgrades? What sort of things was he talking about? When she asked, he voiced his ideas to her right there in the forest.

"Well, the walls are flat now and most ninja can scale flat and bumpy objects, so I'm having another layer of interlocking stones imbedded with concrete like 30 feet deep and 6 feet into the outside walls. Those interlocking stones will have an array of spikes of various lengths and unsymmetrical spacing so that anyone who attempts to find a pattern will actually still be impaling spikes on their foot. That makes sense right? I know I'm not crazy and Tazuna agreed to do it.

"The primary gate is not only going to be wood and steel, but iron carbine. It's stronger, and longer lasting. We completely remove the need for hinges because these doors will never open, only small sections of it will open to allow for people, the rest of the large gate will be built into those interlocking stones with the spacing spikes as well. There are no external openings except for anyone who attempts to jump into the open courtyard, or run right at the gate. I've had each and every area combed and there is no way anyone is getting into that thing anytime soon.

"It was a bit expensive, but since these stones were valuable, I've already added a layer of something that Tazuna said would make the stones un-melt able to fire jutsu. It doesn't mean that people are going to cook inside if fire jutsu are heating the walls, but that the walls can stand that sort of punishment, it'll just get a bit warmer. I'm already implementing the changes to have all the stain glass windows removed and replaced with gated narrow windows that are impact resistant. We have escape routes, but no one but me knows all of them. Select members of the construction party know a few here; other members know a few there so that for securities sake, no one person can give away our escape routes. Every door in the place has been reinforced from the hinges to the arcs to every keystone and pillar. Heh, even the scraps of stone we're keeping as materials we can launch at people if we get attacked.

"Now bear in mind, this fortress isn't fool proof, it's not perfect and it never will be. We've done a lot of freakin work to fix it up and even make it livable, but it'll never be better than a solid brick and mortar home. We have working plumbing on every floor in a large area. No one has a shower or anything in their rooms. We're stocked with enough supplies to last a couple months; and no, it's not all Ramen baa-chan. Daily, we're getting new idea's and I still believe that we can make her better, but that's it for now, we're working hard to make sure that if we are ever attacked or anything, we'll weather anything short of a storm from kami. We fly the Konoha flag, and we'll have a few new one's going up soon, but overall, it's a job well done so far. Oh and one of the last things I'm doing is having a stand built so that Ayame can make Ichiraku Ramen there instead of having to bring it over from the store inside of Konoha. That takes forever. I can't wait for Ramen that long and most of the men agree with me."

Now she was really impressed, and she let it show. For 6 months that was a lot of work to have finished and his projections seemed correct. The inclusion of Ramen was pure Naruto and she expected that. What she hadn't expected were so many changes, she bit her cheek to keep from laughing, and the council will love this! Oh the look on their faces, a camera must be nearby for that money shot.

Smirking in memory, she decided that she'd heard enough. She did have one thing to say though.

"Look Naruto, Jiraiya has good reason for leaving, trust him. He's a baka super perv, but he's also a sannin and your sensei. So in the mean time, train yourself. You've done a good job so far, I think what sensei left for your to study has been working well enough. I'm certainly impressed. What about Rase-" she was cut off as both felt a figure speeding towards them.

Another AnBu arrived, giving Naruto enough time to become Whirl again. This time, Neko landed on bended knee in front of both of them. Slightly surprised, the female AnBu gave no visible notice of Whirls presence.

"Hokage, Sarutobi Asuma and his genin team have just returned from their mission to Suna. They were attacked midway to returning here and chased into Konoha forest by the Eastern sector. One of the Sarutobi summons was able to send word to AnBu Rapid Reactive Defense Squad (RRDS) two" She said calmly. She watched as her Hokage paled before getting a response.

"Go to the training field to retrieve my apprentice and then send her to the hospital. Have her assist Shizune with prepping the emergency ward."

Watching as Neko sped off to get Sakura, she turned toward whirl, but only to be greeted by the retreating roar of wind as he sped away.

"Damn it N-WHIRL!"

As she listened to his song whistle away in the wind she thought 'damn it Naruto, be careful' before rushing off to the Hokage tower.

Rushing speed was what Naruto became as he began pumping more and more chakra into his legs as he used the Kamikaze in as straight a line the sliding patterns would allow him. Normally he would be moving in a fast figure 8 for fights, but for straight travel he's discovered that he could go in a decently straight line, with only a small gap between his legs instead of the wide circular dance he usually did. Tree trunks blurred by as he ran down the road for the eastern sector of Konoha forest.

'Not fast enough'

With fear bordering desperation, he took to the trees, using the Kamikaze in a straight line bouncing from tree to tree. Where he used to only skip between 6 forests branches at the maximum during his academy days, an accident that had occurred during recent training proved that he could over shoot that 6 and do triple or quadruple that speed provided he had enough chakra.

:flashback:

'Practice, practice and more practice. I've got the slower speeds down, but I can't seem to get the higher speeds, I'm just not moving fast enough.' He thought as he sat down to have a bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's. Sighing, he was nearly finished with his 13th bowl but was interrupted by an angry shout.

"Your food is terrible. Never in my entire life have I had such bad food. I'm a traveling businessman and I've seen my fair share of dives but this place sucks! How can you serve this slop? The broth is bland, the noodles are lumpy and your ingredients are totally subpar." His shouts became progressively louder, his voice drawing looks from outside villagers.

The bi-spectacle man didn't know the storm he had just provoked from within Uzumaki Naruto. How dare he call Ichiraku Ramen subpar? That broth was as filling as any soup in the world. The noodles were so tangy and tasty that nothing even came close in comparison. And those ingredients? Naruto himself had assisted with this batch himself personally from the only produce store that sold to Naruto in all of Konoha. That old granny wouldn't give him or Ichiraku bad ingredients if her life depended on it.

Getting tapped on the shoulder, the man turned around and looked down to see a young boy in an ugly orange jumpsuit glaring at him. Mistaking his look for jealousy, he flips the kid a coin before returning to yelling at Teuchi-san and Ayame nee-chan.

Getting another tap on the shoulder he turns around and see's his coin in the kids outstretched palm. Frustrated, he blurts out.

"Beat it kid, you ain't getting more money from me" Where he begins to turn around again. Like a petulant child, he expects his meal to be free.

Having done so far as to ignore Naruto, he yelps as his chair is suddenly reversed and he's found staring into the angry blue eyes of the kid who just wouldn't go away. Outraged, he begins a rant and attempts to assault Naruto for bothering him for such trivial things. Suddenly in a blast of chakra, the boy escapes the hold of the businessman and is found on the business end of a Kunai moments later as the boy reaches for his neck.

Now Naruto saw the salesman's anger brighten, but was still frightened by the knife. The man sneers.

"What are you going to do boy? You going to knife me with that blunt tool? That's rich." from behind Naruto, he notices several AnBu enter the establishment. These were usually some of the AnBu that protected him.

"Something wrong Naruto-san? Is this man bothering you?" the monotone of the AnBu may have been more frightening than an angry tone, as a quiet ninja is always a deadly ninja. What very few people knew were that AnBu were smart, they were always on Naruto's side or at least neutral, the sandaime made sure of that.

"This man was attempting to defame an honorable Konoha establishment, AnBu-San. They have done nothing to warrant this and do not deserve such harsh treatment. He has also attempted to assault a Shinobi of Konoha in his course of pollution of noise and idiocy."

Of course, once the pencil neck in the suit realized he was dealing with AnBu and other Shinobi, he nearly shat himself and cried as he was lead by both arms out of the establishment.

Naruto however, discovered something very useful, he could use his chakra to augment his speed. While nothing too original, the right balance could yield an incredible speed boost. From that day on, he trained daily and using small amounts of chakra in his legs to perform tasks at all times. He healed while he slept and continued on the next day.

:flashback end:

Soon he was shooting so high and far that he was breaking the treetops. Becoming an even faster blur, he passed by several other AnBu and they soon began trailing him. He smelled the blood now, even most ninja could. Channeling chakra into his nose, he smelled team ten and in particular, Ino.

'She could be hurt; we need to get her help now. The hospital is the only place that we could treat the entire team' his thoughts were rampant as he traveled as fast as he could. His crazy jumble of thoughts registered the chakra he was using, the power he was expelling as well as his surroundings and put them all aside. All that mattered was her, that blonde girl who'd wormed her way into his heart.

He'd noticed, after a little while that he was sweet on her. He didn't show it very often for fear of her rejection, but she had very much become a part of his life. He woke up thinking about when she'd show 

up and went to sleep wondering sometimes, what she was thinking about. By no means did this indicate that he loved her, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that one of his precious people was hurt. Bleeding out more chakra, the tree line broke as he arrived to a scene he would never forget.

In his mind later, the memory would be just as foggy. Reports from other AnBu later said that whirl took over, as he was the ranking ninja that arrived on scene.

Asuma had reported that they all felt the flaring of a large chakra just before their enemy all decided to retreat. Sound ninja this far into either Suna or Konoha borders spoke ill of things soon to come.

A statement of fact from Vulture-san stated that whirl took the girl in his arms, while she was still bleeding through the improvised bandages they'd quickly slapped on to stem the flow of blood from the injury on her chest and neck.

A strange statement by Chouji that was totally ignored was that whirl treated the girl almost delicately.

A statement of merit from Boar-san indicated that whirl directed with his usual straight forward attitude and gave out orders quickly. They were to get the entirety of team 10 as quickly to the hospital as possible. The girl was the priority since she was the most injured.

A collective statement from them all indicated that another burst of chakra literally erupted from whirls body before he disappeared in a blast of wind that shook the trees around them. Oddly enough, that same blast didn't misplace a hair on her head.

A medical statement later on said this.

While Asuma had fared better overall he was still very much in bad shape, with bruises, knife wounds and several deep lacerations in his arms. Many of his wounds were defensive, opting to stall the sound team while his genin made their escape. Ino fell first to a hail of Kunai and her team mates wouldn't leave her behind, so they carried her. He arrived at the hospital last, with a time of nearly 15 minutes from forest to hospital steps, having been taken there at top AnBu speeds. He arrived at 2:30.

Shikamaru was bleeding from his temple and both legs, his arms scraped and bruised. He had 2 broken ribs and was wheezing. He was more stable and thus had come in with the AnBu retrieval time with Asuma.

Chouji had nearly exhausted his chakra, slightly burning out his chakra defending his team mates with multiple jutsu at the same time. His injuries were more internal, with liver; lung and kidney damage his primary problems. He arrived second, assisted by 4 clones of whirl. He arrived 5 Minutes before Shikamaru and Asuma. All in all, 10 minutes from forest to hospital.

It was Ino whom had the most injuries, inside and out. Multiple deep cuts and puncture wounds that bled profusely were part of the problem, she coughed blood from internal abdominal and chest wounds and she was losing consciousness was the other part of the problem. If her internals were as bad as her external damage, they'd feared she might not have made it. If they hadn't gotten to her in time, she might very well have choked on her own blood.

It was finally reported that whirl arrived in Konoha via the air, rather than the ground, leaping over the massive gates of Konoha. It was said that the very air he rode on seemed to shimmer with light as he flew on the wings of angels to enter the hospital. His arrival was a rush of air, light and silence as his body gave out. He presented his- he presented the genin in his arms as much as possible and waited anxiously before Chouji arrived via his own clones. Presenting the other genin, whirl stalked over to a corner before falling dead asleep on his feet standing up by the emergency entrance desk.

Ino's arrival time you ask? She had arrived at the steps at 2:20, only 5 minutes after leaving the forest floor. What had taken 15 minutes for an entire squad of AnBu traveling at top speed with 2 mostly conscious passengers had taken whirl all of 5 minutes to do with one girl. Granted there were weight differences, but who counted? The man sleeping in that corner had broken a Konoha speed record, on the wings of an angel, or maybe a god.

The hospital staff eventually noticed that whirl hadn't left once he woke up, so had instead given him a chair to sit in. The AnBu, now awake, saw the chair and gracefully accepted. Their belief that not only was he AnBu, but genuinely cared for the members of team 10 was proven true when whirl approached one of the doctors to ask for their status.

The one of the older doctors, having survived through 2 wars and the Kyuubi attack, thought that whirl was not only a true shinobi, but a real commander as well. Soon, all the hospital thought very highly of whirl because he spent his time waiting for the team he rescued. In an age where speed was life, commanders who waited to see the end results of their missions were rare. Even if there were other mission leaders that would want to wait, they were usually given a new task fairly quickly. That whirl was here for so long meant that he must have been putting off his duties to care for this team, even in spirit.

They even gave him new respect for dealing with the Kyuubi boy when said loud mouthed genin arrived with a shout and curse to look for his friends. One look for the AnBu had quieted the boy enough so that they sat together next to each other. Both were out of the way and that was just how the hospital staff liked it. If only the rest of the visitors for the rest of team ten were so quiet. Yamanaka Inochi had been particularly vocal about seeing his little girl.

They witnessed both rising together to greet the lady Hokage, and though there was little height difference, their stances were a world apart. The AnBu was ever silent and calm, giving nothing away with his body language. The Kyuubi boy by comparison was a nervous bundle of energy, constantly tapping his foot and frowning. There, a quiet discussion took place between the three, where by whirl was ordered to escort Naruto back to his duties and make sure he did his job. They would be updated later on the condition of team ten.

4

Even as hospital staff, ninja or not, they understood what the dismissal of Naruto had meant. He was just a boy, a ninja true, and a friend of team ten, but still an annoyance. That whirl took him back to his duties without being told what those duties were meant that whirl must have been one of the guards watching the Kyuubi boy. While not entirely in hatred, the look several staff members had cast his way had been less than friendly. They resumed their duties with a lighter heart, feeling better that an AnBu like whirl was watching over the Kyuubi boy, keeping him out of trouble.

Sometime much later, Yamanaka Ino woke up in a world of pain. Nothing felt right; there was pain everywhere and not one part of her body that didn't feel horrible. With a groan she opened her eyes and even that hurt a lot. The light that filtered into the room was blinding, the noises she heard were thundering beats to her ears.

She could move her neck, but the rest of her was too sore to really move. Looking around, she found that she was alone, but not without comfort.

Looking down, she finds her blanket and smiles. Her mom or dad must have brought it. Many people didn't know that Yamanaka Ino still had a blanket. Granted, she only used it when she was sick, sort of as a safety net. Beyond caring about her image, she was glad to be alive. The last few moments she had before completely blacking out was the memory of someone carrying her? Maybe?

Strong arms held her securely as her senses filled with pain. She remembered the blissful moment when she fell into sweet unconsciousness from the pain. Her memories contained the rush of wind, the smell of the forest and unknown warmth emanating from whoever was carrying her. It had to have been a guy, sensei maybe? He felt pretty strong, stronger than Shikamaru. Asuma-sensei would know what happened.

Then she reflected on how she'd landed in this situation in the first place.

:flashback:

Coming back from the mission, they had stumbled onto the route of several unknown ninja. Scattering from the explosion, they each landed on an upper branch of a tree. They were already pretty close to Konoha, maybe a half hours run if they ran flat out. They could make it and then come back with reinforcements.

Then things got troublesome, as Shikamaru would say. A lucky shot from one of her opponents hit her and she went down. Never one to take things sitting down, she shot right back up and reengaged her opponent. Shikamaru and Chouji had enough to take care of for now. They were all busy defending themselves.

Cursing, she moved into strike position again, hiding inside a set of 10 Bunshin to catch her assailant. Those Bunshin were quickly ignored as she had to rapidly defend herself again. Her mind jutsu required her to stay still for too long. She needed a diversion of some kind and at the moment, her entire team's 

worth of diversions was already being attacked. Angrily, she blocked a Kunai slice, but missed the one that came directly after it. Receiving a shallow cut on her arm, she dodged and swung again. Her shot was deflected and a kick to her injured arm made her yelp in pain.

Alerted to her distress, Asuma-sensei came to her rescue. In his haste, he had been summoning an Ape and had just finished. He not only received a cut, but had to re-summon his Ape. He began the seals while guarding her injured body. She wasn't really that bad.

She saw one of the individuals rush in at Asuma-sensei's unprotected back. Not realizing that he was already defending, she took the blow with her shoulder, leaving a deep bleeding gash there before the other ninja retreated to another attack point.

Chouji and Shikamaru were working together to stop the other 2 of the four ninja that had set upon them. Both were already injured as well, Chouji being the one that was worse off. There was blood dripping down his arm, but he still kept on fighting with his dual attack alongside Shikamaru. You had to give it to the big guy, he had heart.

She suddenly felt dizzy, the loss of blood finally getting to her. While not inexperienced with the loss of blood, it was the severity that nearly cost her life. The memory of the fight got hazy then, she felt some sort of large chakra flaring, from somewhere out of their range. She fell unconscious once it became safe to do so, the indication of retreat from those that had attacked them.

:flashback end:

Now that she was awake, she could tell that it was morning and that it seemed to be a gorgeous sunny day. Too bad she was stuck in here, but even if she could have moved, she didn't want to. Wondering where everyone was, she was then surprised when Forehead of all people entered her room.

Seeing the girl awake, Sakura smiled while approaching her bedside and picking up her chart. Looking over a check list, she also looked over at Ino for several moments as if to confirm something and then spoke.

"So how are you feeling?" which was probably a stupid question, but perhaps sakura was suppose to ask?

"Like hell" her voice rasped. Surprised, she blinked before trying to clear her throat. Just how long had she been in here? Sakura saw her attempt and poured her a glass of water from the bedside table. Helping the injured blond into a better position, the medic watched as Ino drank the entire glass before lying back down.

"Well, I guess I'll talk and you can ask me anything afterwards that I haven't answered ok?" Getting a nod, she continued "You've been in here for about 2 weeks. You're still healing and that's why you're still feeling all of this pain. The medication we'd been giving you was a mild painkiller, but we've since taken you off of that. In addition, you've not only lost weight but muscle tone and your physical capabilities have been reduced. You will require a small bit of physical therapy once you leave the hospital, but with time and good eating and only light training, you'll be up and running in a few weeks. However, we have noted that you are now supposed to maintain a constant weight, where you will always have to be, since you were so light during the operation that any more blood lose would have killed you." There was an edge to sakura's voice that hadn't been there before.

Regaining her composure, sakura continued.

"Asuma-sensei, Shikamaru and Chouji are mostly fine. Chouji was the most injured besides you, but he's a fair bit sturdier than you are and that makes a difference. I say this as one of your friends. I'm not going to sugar coat it when I say this Ino, Asuma-sensei's teaching ability has been called into question and team 10 may be disbanded. Not because of the attack, but because of how he's been teaching. You should never have sustained so many injuries. They've been saying that you barely made it through the Chuunin exam and that you weren't ready then and that you aren't ready now. You were Asuma-sensei's responsibility and some of the council believes he failed you. "

The shock that went through her was not only profound, it was also devastating. Team 10 had become such an integral part of her life that she didn't even consider the possibility of doing anything else. It was such a foreign concept to be apart from them, her mentor and her brothers. Gaping at Sakura, she indicated for the girl to continue, as it seemed the pinkette wanted to.

"There's something else you should know. The AnBu team that went to save you guys? Rapid Response got to you guys just seconds after Whirl. He was the one who saved you according to the hospital staff and the AnBu. I was with Tsunade-shishou and Whirl-san at the training fields. When an AnBu contacted Shishou while she spoke to Whirl, it was so amazing. Whirl just disappeared in a blast of wind and took off in your direction. Rumor is that he's god-like fast. Rapid Response got there just after him, but he left way later than the response team. He got you from your battle zone to the hospital in about 5 minutes is what I heard from the staff. How crazy is that? His chakra was flaring so strong that we felt it, like a wave of heat, the rumor is that he can almost fly, he moved so fast. People are saying that he jumped over the main gate instead of going through it and then he …..

Ino's mind drifted off for a few seconds while sakura was speaking and realized that she had met whirl once before. The AnBu had been sneaking around the fortress and Ino had called him on it. Merely grunting his confirmation that he was looking for Naruto, the AnBu disappeared again the moment she looked away.

" else, he's the Yondaime's SON! Can you believe that? I bet no one else knows that Whirl is Yondaime-Sama's Son. It explains his speed, his abilities and why he's so strong. Can you imagine? He can't be that old either, since Yondaime-sama wasn't that old when he died fighting the Kyuubi. "

That last part caught her off guard. The Yondaime had a son, and he rescued her? She supposed it was his job or something, but the fact that their villages' greatest hero had a son was really surprising. Though it made an odd sort of sense, since the Yondaime was fast, his son had to be fast as well right? It was also somewhat depressing to realize that she was pretty weak and that even if Whirl was close to their age group, he was immensely strong. He had to be after all, he was AnBu, Elite.

Seeing the faraway look in her friends' eyes, Sakura decided to simply leave the room with a simple good bye and that she'd be back. Afterall, Ino-buta was her friend, of course she'd go visit her while doing her other hospital duties.

Ino eventually fell asleep, with only the thought in her mind that she wasn't good enough, that she didn't train hard enough.

Of course, the next time she woke up, the rest of team 10 were sitting or standing in various pts of the room. Asuma-sensei looked the same, save the small number of bandages on his person. Shikamaru was much the same, with a bored expression on his face. Though his attire was a bit darker than usual, it was actually Chouji that looked the most different. He now wore a brighter red armor, and no longer wore that weird forehead protector, instead going for a more standard one. If anything he looked even more like a tank than he did before. It was a look that suited him, as it suited his father Chouza as well.

"For a while there, you had us worried Ino." Asuma's voice was quiet, almost a whisper. In the quiet room, her sensei's voice still cut across the room with a trace of guilt. Looking at him now, hunched over in that chair, she could see the tiredness and the injuries that affected him more. He seemed tired, and had lost weight as well.

"If Whirl-sama had not been there, you would have died Ino" This coming from Chouji, whom for once was without a bag of food to eat.

"All of this work we've done and what do we have to show for it?" Shikamaru sounded downright depressed. What was the big deal, they were alive weren't they? But then, to them, there was a chance that she wouldn't have made it out of that alive without help from Whirl, whoever the hell the guy actually was. Well shoot, what you say to that sort of statement when even the lazy one on the team thinks we've been working towards getting stronger for nothing.

"As I'm sure Sakura-San has told you, there is was a chance that we'd get disbanded. That isn't true now, but we are on probation. No outside missions and we're restricted to training only once you're well enough. They want to test us in a month or so after you leave to see if we still deserve to serve together or be split up. "

They? They who? The Hokage? The council?

"So once your well enough, which should be in a few days, you'll be on bed rest at home for a week and then we'll start training" There was a determination in sensei's voice now. Something that hadn't been there before, and it almost scared her.

"We'll be stepping up the training Ino, you'll have to train on your own part of the time, since you have family techniques that we can't use. Just like before the Chuunin exam, we'll be training hard, harder than you've ever trained before. Within reason, we'll be pushing each other to the maximum." Her sensei finished and then marched angrily out of the door. She turned to Shikamaru for an explanation.

"Sensei feels guilty because he should have been able to protect us better, and that he should have trained us better to protect ourselves." Was his genius answer before both he and Chouji left as well.

Finally understanding that she didn't feel alone in her inadequacies, she spent the rest of the afternoon focused in thought about how to better improve her abilities.

The nurses noticed from then on, that day, that Yamanaka Ino was doing a lot of writing and thinking. She appeared to be doing something with long lines and had even requested books on chakra theory. Thus, she only stopped writing or thinking when she had to perform a necessary life functions like eating and then went back to thinking. It was almost unsettling how quiet she was.

The one thing that bothered her most though, was that Naruto hadn't come to visit her and that was something that she was both confused and hurt by.

Uzumaki Naruto, authenticated AnBu and fortress commander, was currently beating the life out of a tall tree by the fortress. Each impact bent the bark and pushed the tree more and more to the side. Rather than focusing his chakra to cut through or destroy an object, he was using it as a way to create shield with his fist. Using his chakra as a blunt object, he had eventually come to the conclusion that if the Hyuuga had a shield they could use while spinning in place, he could easily have a shield that spun in place around the front of his fist or hand.

Of course, the actual application was a lot harder than he had originally considered, but then again, it was easier to form a shield with a palm than a fist. Therefore, if he got the shield one way with a fist, the palm should have been a piece of cake to accomplish.

How wrong he was, as the palm proved infinitely harder, as he more often than not ended up blowing through whatever his palm touched. Not unlike the Rasengan, Naruto used a similar practice technique of spinning his chakra against a flat surface. The chakra shield for a lack of a better term shielded the small area in front of his fist or palm and then used the spinning motion to deflect whatever impact away from it. The only downside was that this technique had a predetermined deflection pattern and thus use of it more than once was likely to tip an enemy off to its weakness. Still, a shield was a shield. It actually led to the creation of the body seals that he was now developing.

The principals and theories about chakra and seals were found in several hand written volumes inside a sealed scroll that Sandaime-jiji had left him and he took to those like fish to water. Since he was able to do Rasengan, he understood most of the underlying principals required and used that knowledge as a focal point to compare the rest of the chakra theory he read about. Now that his chakra control was good enough to use Rasengan one handed, he practiced the Kamikaze style with it daily, often using a regular rubber ball to simulate its presence while a clone did the same during a spar. It became a dance of sorts after a while, with Naruto and a clone, then Naruto and 3 clones, and then Naruto with 5 clones and then Naruto with 7 clones. At the maximum, 19 clones of Naruto were active at the same time while using the rubber balls to do the Kamikaze style.

Now that he'd started practicing advanced chakra control, such as balancing kunai on key parts of his body, he was developing the shield better, and not just in his fists and palm. Soon, he noticed that his chakra sensing abilities were better, since he was able to feel chakra closely around him. He was even aware when ninja rushed past him while walking through the village. This was a fairly normal skill for even most genin, their senses active since a young age. It was actually the range that Naruto felt the chakra that was most intriguing. The scrolls had said that, bloodlines aside, the maximum even upper level Jounin felt non reactive chakra signatures was only a 100 yards at most.

The first time Naruto had expanded his 6 senses to the fullest, the 6th being the ability to sense chakra, he had been in the middle of the village and gotten a big head rush from the echo or ping that he had received from his senses of all the chakra in the village. Odd that none of the ninja reacted to his probe at all, even more odd that he could track a few of them if he chose to.

Soon, not only was Naruto lying on a bed of kunai while using his chakra to repel them, he was putting more weight on his body to test his chakra control. Then he moved on to climbing up the slick wet rocks of a waterfall that he'd found on the outskirts of konoha's central training territory that fed the water into the main area's around Konoha. Laying down a pipe under the Hokage Mountain would be hard, so instead Naruto and Tazuna dug a tunnel deep underground and diverted some of the water for a more permanent water source in the fortress. They had discussed it and the construction of a water treatment plant had been constructed in under a month after the time that Whirl had publically introduced himself as the fastest man in Konoha.

The reaming that Tsunade gave him for rushing off like that had not been pretty, in fact he still cringed at the memory of the scream and it's volume as she threatened to have him removed from Konoha forever. While the threat was empty, the look in her eyes was anything but. She stated that if he ever rushed off like that again that she would find a way to nail him and Kyuubi to the wall.

The one protest from the blonde came in the form of a subconscious message from Kyuubi.

"Listen to her gaki, she's right" before the youma went quiet again.

Seeing the look on the blondes face, Tsunade smirked when Naruto told her what Kyuubi had said. While it was no secret that Kyuubi occasionally spoke small words to him, this was the first time that the demon had been able to speak to him so directly. Still, the blonde Hokage the proceeded to congratulate him on a job well done, as well as be universally impressed with his speed and decisive thinking.

Of course, since Naruto could not read minds, he didn't know what his fellow blonde was thinking at all. If he did, it would have sounded something like this …. "What was even more interesting was that Whirl was reported to be very … careful with the blonde girl, almost as if he were concerned for her. This had the makings of either a very bad romance, or one of the greatest shinobi matchups in history. Now they had to see if Yamanaka Ino would pass the councils exam, since she was definitely the weakest member of team ten."



Thinking back on it, Naruto only remembered that he woke up in the hospital leaning against a wall on the waiting area. He still had his AnBu outfit and they had given him a chair. Collapsing gratefully into said chair, he'd had the foresight to create a Naruto clone and have it waltz into the waiting room, loudly.

Returning to what he now dubbed his home, since he hadn't been at home in his apartment, not really. He exchanged training scrolls and took off again back down the hall from his library. Now, this place, it had flare. It was the place that Naruto basically created from scratch. Though construction was still going on daily with the aid of an army of clones, Naruto had also taken time out to do some decorating. Beyond the usual things you'd find in a house, there was also a very large dining hall and adjacent kitchen where Ayame could now make Ichiraku Ramen. In addition there were several underground cellars for perishable goods and a weapons locker. There was also a laundry room and though the machinery was dated, it didn't matter since it was usable. What was really nice was that the place was now wired for electricity and phone and thus a hospital was located near the center of the fortress. Though no one had called, it was still nice to have a telephone in the building. He'd gone to the Konoha phone company, under a henge of course, and decided to put in phone lines in a few select places in the fortress that were hidden under lock and key, and then sealed away. There were now also several storm bunkers that were specifically made to withstand the intense crushing pressure of anything that the modern battlefield could send their way, Tazuna had said something about some sort of explosion warhead tipped missile.

The fortress now felt lived in, with a sense of warmth that even the drafty halls emanated. In fact, he now knew the fortress castle inside out, maybe even with his eyes closed. He knew every choke point and exit window in the place and every hideout and passage way that he'd built into the place. Several passages had been dug by just his hand alone and the made to look just as old as the rest of the castle and then hidden away. After all, this was a ninja fortress, there had to be something underneath it all.

With the construction going on daily, Naruto had also started taking time to do some light training with Inari. The young boy from wave was now growing up as well and saw Naruto has a role model of sorts. Snorting in disbelief that he was someone's role model, he realized that Konohamaru probably saw him in much the same way. The last time he'd checked, he didn't look like some sort of tall and strong hero, he was just Naruto.

The young boy who had been watching Naruto practice in the mornings had apparently picked up on at least a few of the aspects of being a ninja. Though he was fairly well versed in knife fighting which was almost scary when compared to how well the boys' physical balance and agility was. When asked, the boy said that since the only way he could train was to stand on a log that was floating down a stream. Unnerved by the slightly odd training technique, Naruto discovered that the boy had the basic tree walking technique down and was chagrined to admit that fact to himself. The boy showed promise, but refused to enter the ninja academy, stating that he would rather learn from Naruto. Without Tsunami there to command him, Inari was more often than not left to his own devices, where he evidently spent time in Naruto's library studying. Perhaps he should introduce the boy to ten-ten.



With a clone left behind to specifically teach Inari a few things, Naruto left to join team 10 on what would be Ino's first day back to practice. Without Ino, Naruto admitted that he both missed the girl and hoped that she wouldn't come back. He now got along famously with the male members of team ten and was especially close to Asuma.

The chain smoking Jounin had even started to quit smoking, stating that he needed to be at his best and that the smoke was just a distraction. Because he'd first studied the Kamikaze from a scroll instead of with a formal sensei, his version was less fluid than Asuma's, though with time Asuma-sensei had said that the ebb and flow of the taijutsu style would begin to make its appearance with him. The two regularly faced each other in combat and even Naruto noticed that Asuma-sensei was starting to use moves that he'd never seen the man previously use. It either meant that Asuma was using him as a test platform or that Naruto was getting so much better that the former smoking Jounin was forced to bring out more advanced moves in his arsenal of fighting skills.

Arriving at the training field, he realized Ino had gotten there before him and was stretching out, getting her muscles warm. Then he also spied the rest of team 10 a distance away, training at a much more strenuous pace. They weren't going to be training her really hard today he guessed, since she'd just gotten back. Still it felt good to see her, not only because team 10 missed her, but because he missed her. He'd come to realize it, even while visiting her when he had time, that he missed the fellow blonde's attitude and enthusiasm. They'd gotten closer while he worked at the fortress and she eventually joined in. When asked, Naruto denied she was his girlfriend. Now though … he was starting to wonder if that was something he could really seriously consider.

Sakura would always be his team mate, and maybe he felt something for her, but it just seemed like his feelings for the pink haired girl had dimmed. When he thought about it, though Sakura and Ino were friends, it seemed as if Ino was more significant in his life now. Not only was she a physical presence in his life that he missed, but also a mental one, his voice of encouragement almost.

As if she could sense his thoughts, the blonde girl turned towards the approaching Naruto and waved in greeting. Naruto was struck by how different she looked, skinnier, almost frail, if that were possible. Her hair had lost that luster he was so familiar with, as well as her eyes, which looked tired. She looked healthier now, but he remembered how she looked as she lay helpless on that hospital bed. It nearly drove him nuts that he was so helpless and had resolved to become stronger so he could protect her. Privately, he thought that this was also why his training had been progressing so fast, since he had a more defined purpose now.

Greeting her in return, the boy also began his stretches as Ino filled him in on what he was to be doing today. Apparently Naruto was suppose to be training her, lightly sparing and getting her used to physical maneuvers again.

Of course, Ino being Ino didn't take kindly to being treated like she was made of glass and was very vocal about her displeasure. Frowning, Naruto responded that she should be taking it easy because she was injured and even went as far to say that she shouldn't even be here this early.



What sparked was a near 10 minute period of silence as both considered their words to one another. She had insulted his intelligence about treating her like a child and he had insulted her ability as a ninja in general. Deciding to lighten the mood, Naruto took the first swing from Ino in jest and soon the two were zipping across the field, almost as if they were chasing one another.

Nearby, Asuma noticed that the two were having fun and decided to let them have their time together, since he had a fairly good feeling that they liked one another. While dangerous, Shinobi were not discouraged from having relationships, though they did have the uncanny ability to develop and continue between only the strongest of heart. If there was one guy who had heart, it was definitely Uzumaki Naruto.

As the afternoon wore on, the training between Ino and Naruto became more serious. He showed her some of the moves he'd been developing while she'd been away and she in turn passed him the notes from her stay at the hospital.

To say that Ino was surprised at Naruto's development was an understatement. She knew now that he was strong, and that he hid it under a very firm mask of cheerfulness. Feeling the pressure now, she felt that slowly but surely Naruto was out pacing her and it came to the point where she huffed and nearly stormed off that he asked her what was wrong.

Haltingly, she explained in a rush how she felt and that it seemed as if she were the class dead last. Realizing what she said in her carelessness, she turned to apologize to Naruto but only found him smiling. His next response was something she would remember for a very long time.

"Since you're at the bottom, it only means you can only improve doesn't it?" In time, she would come to believe those words of his with every fiber of her being. She would always strive to improve herself and years later when she told her children, she would remember that day with a smile.

Nervously, she took out her notes and showed them to him. Sitting together, the two poured over her idea's some of which Naruto outright discarded. It seemed that he apparently knew more than he let on, since what he was saying now made definite sense.

One idea that he'd thought was acceptable was the idea of using her hair as a weapon, using chakra to control her hair. That idea lasted until she realized her chakra control would have to be even better than before. Naruto rebuked with the concept that she could train with him, learning some of the things he already knew and then see where that took her. His positive outlook, even if somewhat forced, made her realize that not everything was linear in how you could train. There was always another way and he'd already proved it.

In the time before she was injured, they'd spent a fair amount of time discussing their past, in particular their missions. She admitted that there were great moments, and then not so great moment in her so far small shinobi career and that she would in fact bet that his career was more exciting. Frowning, Naruto had been more solemn in his stories about his ninja career.

There had apparently been many things that she didn't know about team 7 and in particular, Naruto himself. Prior to the Chuunin exam, she had followed team 7's exploits with the singular belief and focus that Sasuke was the main catalyst for all of these great and wonderful rumors/achievements. Finding out that not only was Naruto instrumental in several large scale attacks, but also having played a more major part in the sand invasion was somewhat of a shock to her.

She'd found out about their mission to the land of the waves, which explained why the men from wave that were doing construction were so reverent of Naruto. She had been caught by surprised that so many men would be so respectful of the blonde until she found out why and was just struck dumb by the fact that he had an entire Bridge named after him.

She learned that he had played the most intimate roll in the defense against Suna in his fight against Sabaku no Gaara. That had led to him reaffirming his ability to summon toads which included the strongest boss toad, Gamabunta.

That of course, was something Ino knew, since she had read up on how the Kyuubi was defeated by the Yondaime while astride said boss toad. Naruto seemed to grow increasingly uncomfortable while she spoke about the Yondaime and Kyuubi. To change the subject, he quickly continued in a rather prideful voice, about the rest of his accomplishments. From that day on, Ino never heard another word about his past accomplishments and when asked, Naruto had replied to her that they were done in the past and that he was focused on what was to be done in the future.

Looking back on it, she knew that was the point that she considered Naruto to be strong. It wasn't because of what he'd done, though that did help. More likely she believed it was because he strived for tomorrow, to continue on and constantly advance his own ability. It showed now too, since he knew vastly more about seal theory than she did, even though it had been her project at the academy.

He apparently had studied seals in the time she was gone and now she too was interested in just what he'd read in order for him to have gotten so much knowledge of seals. Next time she was at the fortress, she would be raiding Naruto's office for books.

That was another thing too, that Naruto had an office. While it appeared that Shikamaru was the one whom had the most advanced rank of their age group on paper, it seemed more to her that Naruto had the most responsibility to shoulder. After all, Shikamaru didn't even have a desk, though that pineapple head probably would at some point in the future. Idly, she wondered how Naruto was even awake and explaining seal theory to her, when he should have passed out into unconsciousness hours ago. She knew how busy he kept himself, how hard he trained. Secretly, she knew he was training as much as possible, even when she was not around. In his quest to become stronger, she had to wonder if he would burn himself out. Returning to the conversation with a nod, she then continued her discussion with Naruto about various ways that she could improve herself, which did also include training with Naruto in the mornings by themselves. Realizing that she would be spending more and more time around Naruto she blushed but since Naruto was so absorbed in his explanations, he didn't notice. Too bad the rest of team 10 did notice and Shikamaru did not look happy.

Between all the work that was being done at the fortress and all of his training, Naruto hadn't even considered the possibility that the next Chuunin exam was coming back to Konoha. Nor had he considered that he was a potential candidate, so it was something of a shock to him when one day, his presence was requested at the Hokage's office.

:Flashback:

'The Anbu had said that the request had come in not even 10 minutes ago and that he was requested to be there immediately' what the hell does that mean?

Thoughts were a jumble in Uzumaki Naruto's head as he wondered what was going on. The old lady never made him rush to her office before, so he guessed it was important. Of course, when he arrived, Asuma-sensei, Tsunade-no baa-chan and sakura were all seated in deep discussion. Unsure as to his purpose, he knocked on the door before waiting patiently to be addressed. The room went silent and he was gestured to sit at one of the remaining free chairs.

Clearing her throat, Tsunade surveyed Naruto with a small amount of apprehension. No doubt the blonde boy would be very unhappy once he found out what was going on. Sighing, she decided to be blunt.

"As you all well know, the Chuunin exam has once again been rotated to Konoha. In this case, I will be frank. I was given the decision between which of you two would be joining Asuma's team for the exam since Shikamaru was the only genin promoted amongst your rookie group. "

Shock lanced through Naruto as he realized that he had no idea that the exam was even coming up, let alone that he might be eligible. It would be great to go with Ino and Chouji to the exams and then make it to the finals. He'd be able to make Chuunin and be one step closer to Hokage. He'd be closer to finding Sasuke since he knew Chuunin had access to higher level information that genin.

Then he frowned and realized something else too. He'd have to do both the fortress repairs, his own training, and then on top of that, increased training with team 10 for the exam. Though he would love nothing more than the dump the fortress and take the exam, he came to an unexpected conclusion when abandoning the fortress caused his heart to ache. With a start, he knew, the fortress was his home now. He couldn't just very well abandon the place and leave the men of wave high and dry. It just wouldn't be the same without him, he'd miss the place and a part of him knew he'd regret not being there to finish the fortress. The exams were important of course, they were his stepping stone to his ambition, but he also knew he now had responsibilities to more than just himself. If he didn't over see the fortress, the men and women who worked there would suffer for it.

"I decline, Sakura-chan should go" was his immediate reply. He surprised even himself with how brisk and thought out his plans were. It was true that he was probably stronger than Sakura, perhaps he always was, but what mattered at this very moment were his other duties that didn't include the upcoming exam. It was a hard choice to make and yet now that he'd said it aloud, a weight had sort of been lifted off his chest. By no means would be stop in his quest to be Hokage or to find Sasuke, but his precious people came first and somewhere along the line, that became an entire fortress full of people.

Surprised too, were the other 3 faces in the room. It was clear to them now that Naruto was different, especially to Sakura. She's seen him training on and off with Ino and though that Ino had been teaching him, but with how he'd just answered, she had to rethink the situation.

"While that is not your choice to make, it was currently the correct one. Sakura as my apprentice, you'll be a welcome addition to team 10. You have just enough time to get together with them and really learn what their team has become. Take what I've taught you thus far and I'm sure you'll do fine. In the mean time, Naruto, yes you will be continuing your duties where you are needed, but I would ask that you get into contact with Whirl and ask him to come to my office sometime before tomorrow evening, I have a matter to discuss with him.

Now it became clearer to Sakura that perhaps both Naruto and Ino were being trained by whirl-san. After a moment of jealously, she remembered that she herself was being trained by the Godaime Hokage and that was nothing to scoff at. What she had to do now was focus on the exam.

Asuma meanwhile seemed proud of Naruto. The former smoking Jounin had expected at least some disagreement, if not an entire angry rant from the young man. To him, it felt like this was Naruto's turning point in life and he'd made that decision In a split second, perhaps too fast, but at least with resolve.

:End Flashback:

5

To Be Continued,

Please Read and Review, constructive criticism appreciated.