Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or anything affiliated with the name and everything it entails. I do own my plot, and my own written words in the series they are written.
There will be no important OCs in this work. I will do my best to keep the majority of the characters as close to their canon selves as I can, though I will stretch when I have to to get the story across. I have, however, taken some creative interpretations on certain aspects of the characters I hope entertains, even in their subtlety (or lack thereof).
I am a playwright first and foremost, which is why much of the story will be dialogue rather than action. I apologize if this bores you, but it is the style I learned. Please feel free to point out inconsistencies in both the Japanese and the English. Though I may be fluent in English, I boast no mastery of either language.
This story takes place in Naruto's 18th year of age. As such, it is considered an Alternate Universe in which certain events have taken place that may or may not yet have actually taken place in the actual series. In this specific case, the defeat of Akatsuki.
Naruto: Kinjutsu
Chapter 1
There Is A Reason Why A Kinjutsu Is Thusly Named.
"Obaa-chan!" shouted a boisterous ninja, slamming open the door as he strode straight into the Hokage's office, barely taking the effort to move his head to the side to dodge the thrown pen.
"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that!" shouted Tsunade, growling. She shook her head, knowing he wasn't even paying attention after he noticed the other occupant of the room.
"Oh, Sakura-chan! I didn't even see you there. Do you need something?"
"As a matter of fact, Naruto, I was just here-"
"She came to remind me to order you to come in for a physical, Naruto. All ninja have to take them every three years if they want to stay active."
"Wha-! A full physical? Sakura-chan no ecchi..."
"I WOULDN'T BE THE ONE DOING IT, NARUTO-BAKA!" She shrieked, slamming her fist down hard on the back of his head. "You just have to be checked to make sure you're still in good shape, that's all."
"No Thousand Years of Pain?"
"...what has Kakashi been teaching you?"
"Tsunade baa-chan, it's been 6 years since then and I still haven't forgotten the pain..." Naruto rubbed his butt, remembering a childhood scar. "As long as there's no anal probing, I don't have a problem with it."
"Well, I can't guarantee that..." Sakura grinned maliciously.
"...Sakura-chan no-"
"Finish that and someone's hand in you will be nothing compared to what I will do." She said, glaring. Naruto shrunk back, instead turning towards their Hokage.
"Naruto, what did you need that you came barging into my office?" Tsunade mediated, somewhat nervous about the look her apprentice was giving her favorite currently-intact ninja.
"Oh yeah! The guy in the mission hall said I wasn't allowed to go on missions! What's up with that?" Naruto shouted, pointing at Tsunade. "First you won't let me take on a gennin team, then it was the ANBU exam, and now I can't even go on missions? What the hell, dattebayo!"
"Naruto, I told you yesterday what I'm going to apparently have to tell you again today. You're on temporary medical leave. You've been doing nothing but A and S rank missions ever since Akatsuki disbanded, and from what I've gathered from some of your squad mates, even you can become fatigued. So yes, you're on leave. No missions, no insane fights, and no babysitting. Just relax. Find a girlfriend or something, right Sakura?"
"Tsu-Tsunade-sama!" She protested. "Naruto, if you've got nothing better to do, just go train.."
"Fine, if I have to. Oi, Sakura, before I go, you want to get lunch at Ichiraku's?"
"Sorry, Naruto, today's no good. I still have to talk with Tsunade-sama. We'll grab Sai and go tomorrow, okay?"
"Heh-heh! Better believe it!" He grinned, and started heading out the door. "See you later Baa-chan, Sakura-chan!" He shut the door. He wasn't even halfway down the corridor when Sakura's voice fluttered like a falling petal into his ear.
"You noticed it too, right Tsunade-sama?" But Naruto was already out the door, winking and waving a goodbye to a flustered Shizune who was still gathering the day's paperwork. She raised a quick hand in greeting and returned to her responsibilities.
Despite his not receiving an answer he liked, Naruto's spirit was not diminished. A quick lunch, he decided, and then to training! It was with this mindset that he found himself distracted as he strode out of the Hokage Tower, head held high and a grin from ear to ear. An unwise decision, he realized, as he came into contact with something – or rather, someone – very, very soft. The two tumbled to the ground, limbs entangled, his head shoved between two very soft mounds disallowing Naruto a glimpse at his dance partner. As he lay there, contemplating when the last time he felt anything this soft was, an undignified shriek gave him a keen insight on what – or rather, whom – he had landed on.
"ONEE-SAMA!" shouted a redfaced, blue-haired, pale-eyed young chuunin. Hanabi Hyuuga. Younger sister to- ah. Whoops.
"Gomen, Hinata-chan. I wasn't watching where I was going." He lifted himself off this comfy new mattress he had found and quickly stood up, offering a hand to his fallen comrade. Who would not be able to take it anytime soon, being as red as a tomato while seemingly unconscious. Naruto could swear he saw steam rising from her ears. "Eh, Hinata-chan?" No answer, so he turned to the sister. "Yo, Hanabi-chan. Nice day today, ne?"
"Uzumaki-senpai, you will please refer to me as Hanabi-san."
"Eh, but that's so formal... Come on, Hanabi-chan."
"It's because it's formal you should be referring to me as such! You don't see me going around calling you Naru- Naruto-kun..." She blushed, turning her head slightly in a huff to hide it. She knew she had failed when Naruto's grin grew larger still, and he looked ready to call her on it when the fallen jounin on the ground began to stir.
"N-Naruto-kun?"
"Hinata-chan! Ohayo! Did you enjoy your late-morning nap?"
"V-very funny, Naruto-k-kun."
"Well, I'm no Shino, but I try." The two shared a chuckle at the thought of their enigmatic fellow jounin trying such comedy. No doubt he'd be extremely successful, but anyone who didn't know him probably wouldn't enjoy it as much.
"What did the Hokage need you for, Uzumaki-senpai?" Hanabi questioned, eager to gain his attention back.
"Back to "Uzumaki-senpai"? And here I thought you would keep with "Naruto-kun" like your sister, Hanabi-chan." He grinned, completely sidestepping the topic, Hanabi noticed. Hinata, however, caught something else.
"N-Naruto-kun?" She stated, surprised. A quick glance in Hanabi's direction told her all she needed to know. They would speak on this more, later.
"Anyways, I'm off to Ichiraku's for some lunch! Maybe I'll bump into Chouji and we can have a contest!" Naruto's face grew eager for such a thing, and he raced off happily. Hinata took this moment to turn to her sister.
"Hanabi..." She began, stepping towards her. Hanabi winced, knowing she was going to be getting a lecture only an elder sister could give.
Naruto, however, was in visual range of his home away from home. He could already smell the miso simmering. He practically dove into the center stool at the counter, not noticing the "Hey!" of protest from his also-blonde stool neighbor.
"One pork-flavored miso ramen, and keep 'em coming!" He shouted.
"No," Said the brown-haired beauty behind the counter.
"EH?" Naruto shouted in dismay. "How come, Ayame-nee-chan?"
"Because you need to apologize and help them back up when you knock someone over on accident!" Ayame stated, placing a lid on top of a pot of ramen.
"But, I already helped Hinata-chan up..."
"She's talking about me, doofus." Stated a voice below him to his right. A startled yelp and a quick glance to his right revealed Ino on the ground, brushing a bit of dirt off her purple skirt.
"Ino-chan! When did you get here?" Naruto blinked, before offering her his hand. "Gomen, Ino, I didn't know you were there."
"Why am I not surprised? When it comes to your ramen, everything else escapes your attention." She accepted his hand and allowed him to haul her up. "So, you also knocked over Hinata? I'd better warn Sakura she might be next, or you'll probably have your face on the Hokage Mountain after all; after she decks you so hard you make an imprint. Anyways, I'm surprised to see you here again. I thought you were trying to cut back to one Ichiraku's visit a week?"
"What, you couldn't last a month, Naruto-kun?" Ayame grinned. "Shows just how good our ramen is!"
"What are you two talking about?" Naruto asked, looking confused. "This is my first visit this week. I've been craving Ichiraku's sooooo bad!"
"Huh?" Ayame blinked. "But, you were just here with Sakura and that pale boy yesterday."
"Yeah, I walked by when Forehead stormed out mumbling something about ink jerks."
"You two must be crazy, there's no way I'd forget eating with Sakura-chan and Sai!" Naruto huffed and turned to Ayame. "Now then, make mine a double order! I'm going all out to make up for this last week dattebayo!"
"Hold on, Naruto, I'm just finishing up Ino's order. Three plain miso, one pork, two beef, to go. Tell Tsunade-sama thanks for the business, as always!"
"I will! Thanks Ayame-san! See you later, Naruto-kun!" Ino quickly took her leave. Naruto resumed his conversation with Ayame, and when Ino could no longer see the small ramen stand, she doubled her pace.
Arriving at the Hokage's office, Ino knocked calmly. After hearing permission being granted, she calmly toed the door open.
"Someone call for some lunch?" She grinned, holding the ramen containers aloft. "Still piping hot, so make sure you blow on them!"
"Thanks, Ino-pig." Sakura said, taking one of the two beef ramens for herself and handing the other to Tsunade, who nodded her thanks and set it on the desk in front of her, next to a huge pile of paperwork. Shizune, who stood slightly behind her, quickly rearranged some of the papers so Tsunade didn't place the ramen bowl on top of them before accepting one of the miso ramen. Ino set down the remaining bowls and stood there in awkward silence while the three others in the room ate. After a minute, Tsunade looked up from her meal and Ino could feel her piercing eyes reach deep into her mind almost as effectively as a Yamanaka would be able.
"Something to report, Hare?"
"I, um, ran into Naruto on my way over here. Well, more like he ran into me. Literally." Sakura stopped eating, but didn't raise her eyes above the bowl. Tsunade merely gestured Ino to go on. "He was exhibiting the earlier symptoms we noticed earlier. The short-term memory loss, the complete disregard for his present location, all similar to what he has been showing all this past week."
"You don't suppose it's Ichiraku withdrawal, do you, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked bitterly, as she stirred her noodles.
"Speaking of Ichiraku, where are Hinata and Hanabi?" Ino asked, glancing around. "Their food will get cold."
"Hinata is currently watching Uzumaki-senpai. She seems to be the only one of us he isn't able to notice, ironically." Hanabi stated from behind Ino, causing her to jump. If it weren't for Hanabi's own stellar reflexes, she would have had a kunai sticking out of her throat. No one knew from where Ino had drawn said kunai.
"That's less ironic and more just sad," Shizune shook her head. "The poor girl being fine with just watching from afar doesn't help much."
"If you ask me, she should just bed him and get it over with. He wouldn't forget anything like that, you can be sure."
"We did not ask, Hyuuga-san." Tsunade's voice calmly demanded everyone's attention. "Keep in mind the only reason you are even involved with this situation is because you were one of the first to realize what was happening to Naruto, and no other reason. Everyone else here is an accomplished medi-nin."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. If I may, though, why I and not Konohamaru and his friends? They were also there with Naruto when he-"
"They are not here because they, unlike you, actually listen to Naruto and respected his wishes not to tell me. So they, unlike you, will not have to suffer through a hopeless attempt at finding a cause and a cure for Naruto's ailment while watching him slip away knowing they could do nothing to-." A loud slap echoed through the room, and Ino and Hanabi stared in shock as Sakura's handprint on Tsunade's face began to fade. For a tense minute, no one spoke. Then, Sakura broke the silence.
"Naruto will not die. He cannot. He beat Gaara. He beat Akatsuki. He repressed the Kyuubi itself. And above all else, no matter what injuries he took or how long he was out of commission, he came bouncing back with more determination in his little finger than any of us will ever feel for anything in our entire lives. Whatever it is that's erasing his memory and causing those... attacks on his system... we will find it and Kami help me Tsunade-sama if you give up on him I swear I will have your hat and robe, not for myself but for someone who knew better than to ever give up on the best person they will ever know."
Another moment passed. No one dared to breathe. Ino knew, as an ANBU, that she should have taken the blow for her Hokage, but something in her told her the woman needed it, and the only person powerful enough to knock sense into Tsunade was someone almost as strong as Tsunade herself. More silence. No one dared move, or even breathe. A small drop landed in a bowl of broth. Then one more, followed expediently by another. Teary eyed, Sakura stared directly into the similarly-teeming eyes of her teacher, a mere inch away. Their combined tears rained down into Tsunade's ramen bowl as the two let the release of pent-up emotion wash over them. Ino watched broken hearted as the two could no longer stand looking at their reflection in the eyes of the other, but wouldn't be able to look away until after the wave had passed. Hanabi stood awkwardly behind Ino, feeling in a way it was her fault, despite assuring glances from Shizune on the other side of the weeping women.
Tsunade, it appeared, was able to recover first.
"Sakura, I'm removing you from active duty." Sakura numbly nodded, taking a step back. "Your punishment will be to stay here in my office and find me some more information on what is wrong with Naruto. Hare."
"Hai!" Ino shouted, snapping to attention.
"For failing to protect your Hokage as a member of ANBU," At this, Ino winced, knowing that she had indeed failed. "Your punishment is the same."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." She stated, knowing that while technically not a punishment, it was the least of what she should have received. Tsunade wiped her face, before filling the room with her killing intent.
"As always, everything that happens in this room is an S-class secret. Are we clear?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Came four combined shouts.
"Good. Shizune, take care of my ramen and the rest of the paperwork. I'm going to bed early. Tomorrow... Tomorrow we redouble our efforts. And if I have to bring Naruto in myself to check him over more thoroughly not even the Shinigami itself will be able to stop me." She strode out the room, headed directly to her private quarters. Their was silence again, which this time was broken by Ino.
"Nice going, Forehead."
"Shut up, Ino-pig!"
"You actually struck the leader of your village!"
"She was giving up! And I didn't see you stop me!"
Shizune quickly tuned their fight out and began gathering the papers that had been scattered from the wind of Sakura's blow. A hand held some of the papers to her, and she nodded her thanks to Hanabi.
"You know," Hanabi began, "it would be a lot easier to pick all of this up and sort it with some of Naruto's Kage Bunshin." Shizune sighed.
"I know the jutsu as well, but it's too much mental strain for me to handle right now."
"Mental strain?" Hanabi inquired.
"From the bunshin. After all, everything the clone does the jutsu user remembers as well when the technique is done."
"Look, Forehea – I'm sorry, what did you just say Shizune-senpai?" Ino asked, distracted from her bout with Sakura.
"That everything the clone learns, the user does as well?"
"That seems like an awfully easy way to learn jutsus and such." Sakura complained. "No wonder Naruto's absolutely amazing at really difficult jutsu. Not that Kage Bunshin itself isn't a difficult technique. You can perform it, Shizune-senpai? That's amazing!"
"Actually, most of the older leaf jounin were taught it from the village's Forbidden Scroll, though I myself had to learn from Tsunade-sama. I don't know how Naruto would have ever gotten his hands on the scroll, and since Sarutobi-sama passed, no one's found where he hid it."
"But, Naruto has been using that jutsu for years, now! It's practically his main offensive jutsu other than his Rasengan. And the sheer number of them he can summon is absolutely ridiculous. I've seen him summon as many as a thousand!"
"That's it!" Ino shouted, triumphantly. "His Kage Bunshin! Shizune, you're a genius! Sakura, your memory just saved his! And Hanabi, I wouldn'tve even thought of it if you hadn't brought it up!" Ino quickly pulled the other three into a large group hug. "Quickly, we have to find the Forbidden Scroll and read up on Kage Bunshin!" She tried to run out the door, but she was yanked back by Sakura.
"Slow down, Ino-pig. Don't you remember what Shizune-senpai said? No one knows where the scroll is. We can't waste time looking for it with no leads. But I think I get what you came up with; how Naruto gets what his clones learn?" Ino nodded voraciously. "And he uses hundreds of them a day to train with... he's literally using a hundred lives' worth of memories! But, why isn't the Kyuubi handling the strain?"
"Sakura-baka! It's nothing to do with the strain! The human mind can only hold so much information! Naruto's gone and filled his entire brain up early, and now he's hit the limit of what he can and can't remember! The Kyuubi must be the one causing all the problems, since instead of Naruto forgetting things to make room for the new, he's probably being forced to hold on to everything he currently has, and any new memory is likely seen as some kind of... I don't know, invading virus or something?"
"So the Kyuubi is unintentionally killing Naruto?" Hanabi offered, trying to piece together everything said.
"Maybe, maybe not. Sakura, let me know when Naruto comes in for his "physical" tomorrow, I'm going to take a crack at his mind, see what I can find."
"I thought your dad forbid you from using your techniques on Naruto?"
"He did, but I'm sure it was only so I didn't learn about the Kyuubi, which I know about anyways. I don't think the Kyuubi itself can hurt me while I'm in there... can it?"
"Only one way to find out. Ino, are you sure?"
"What, Forehead, are you scared?"
"No! I just... what if it doesn't work? Ino, last night I had dinner – no, a date – with Naruto-kun. I sat in the restaurant for an hour before he finally showed up. He was sweating and looked completely lost. He couldn't remember why he was dressed nice, or even that he was supposed to meet me there an hour earlier. But he was so happy to sit down and eat with me, I could hardly get angry at him."
"Because he showed up, so he must've at least remembered something, right Sakura?" She nodded in confirmation.
"Please, Ino. No matter what. Help Naruto."
Those were the last words spoken that afternoon. In silence, the four of them finished putting the papers in order. Then, one by one, they filed out the door and went their separate ways. Some with hope lodged in their breast. Some with anxiety, nervousness, confusion.
But only Ino wouldn't be able to sleep that night.