A/N: It is my sad duty to announce my oldest and probably most asked about Fanfiction, Left Hand of the Shinigami, is now DEAD. That's right. Dead. Deceased, six feet under, kaput. I have zero inspiration forit nor do I see it going anywhere anymore especially since it was just power up after power up with no real development. I am sorry to disappoint you, but that's how it is.
I hope you enjoy this fic and leave lots of reviews.
Chapter one: Enter Naruto Uzumaki.
It was a quiet day in Konoha, the Civilians and Shinobi across the village went about their daily lives as normal. In the Academy one Naruto Uzumaki was waiting for his Sensei, along with his other… teammates Sakura and Sasuke. Two individuals who proved that they had no value as human beings.
But they weren't his concern as of this moment, for you see, Naruto had a gift. He was able to see the Spirits of those whom have passed away. That's right. He can see the dead. When he first gained this ability it proved… overwhelming. Like he was gazing through a spyglass which showed him things he could never have perceived before.
The spirits rarely ever interacted with him. Spirits were slow to trust strangers, especially those of the living, regardless if they could see or not. Most Spirits went about their own business, though a select few became friends with the boy.
Naruto often saw a red haired female Spirit stalking him, she never spoke to him other than a friendly wave. She always kept her distance but usually stayed within sight, as though she were watching him. Another spirit was the ghost of Mikoto Uchiha, the mother of Sasuke whom was often infuriated by Sasuke's disregard for others, his ego, and his arrogance.
Today, Mikoto wasn't around… but there was one Spirit that was sitting next to the blonde. She had these purple markings on her cheeks. She would glance at him, then look away. As though she wondered if he could actually see her.
"I can see you." The blonde whispered to her, to avoid gaining the attention of his 'teammates'.
The girl jumped slightly in surprise and spoke to him "Sorry. I couldn't tell if you were looking AT ME. Umm, my name is Rin Nohara. Nice to meet you." She gave him a warm smile as she shifted in her seat.
"Naruto Uzumaki. So what are you doing here? You look like you're waiting for someone" the blonde whispered to her, hoping he might be able to help this girl.
"Oh. You noticed? Well… you're waiting for Kakashi Hatake right? He's… he is my teammate. Or was… while I was still alive." She spoke in a somber tone.
"What's he like?" the blonde asked since he wanted to learn more about his new sensei.
"Well… he was a bit of a loner. But he wasn't a bad person. But… after my death he has been torturing himself. He constantly visits the memorial for fallen Ninjas. His eyes particularly focus on the names of our team. I think right now… he needs some kind of closure." She answered him with a small smile.
"Hmmm. If ya want, I could help you out a bit. If you have something you wanna say, I could relay it to him." He offered since he could tell this girl needed some peace of mind.
"Really? That'd be great! I'll meet up with you later! If I know Kakashi then he'll be taking you to Training ground Seven." She spoke excitedly then phased through the wall and vanished.
"Hmmm. I wonder if she'd make a good Familiar." The blonde mused to himself silently, then in that moment a masked man similar to that of a scarecrow with silver hair walked in. He stared at the three with his visible eye. The Jonin then commented "Well aren't you an interesting bunch? Please meet me on the roof in five minutes." With that said he vanished in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto scratched his chin and shrugged, deciding it wasn't worth the energy to complain about the Jonin's tardiness. The newly formed Team Seven made their way up to the roof where Kakashi was conversing with a small girl. "Ummm… if you don't mind my asking, what're you doing up here?" the Jonin asked in a confused manner.
The girl appeared to be about Ten years old, wearing a black monks cloak with the Kanji for 'Hush' on her back and she wore no footwear. Her hair was black, with a crimson streak along her bangs. Her face was a pale, creamy and smooth like a porcelain doll. Perhaps the most interesting and intimidating feature on her was her burning crimson eyes.
"Hmm? Oh! It's Kesa-chan!" the blonde called out upon recognizing the girl. He jogged up to her and gave her a hug followed by a kiss on both of her cheeks.
"You… know this girl?" asked the Jonin with his lone eye widening.
The blonde shrugged and answered "Yep. This is Shizukesa. I sometimes do jobs for her every now and again. She doesn't talk because she has a scary voice."
"A… scary voice?" Kakashi asked, wondering if the blonde was being serious.
"Yep. Whenever she talks, people become deathly afraid of her. I'm not sure why. She has such a soft voice. Like a little bell." The whiskered teen commented in a casual manner. The red eyed girl merely rolled her eyes for a moment then presented a black leather tome.
The blonde skimmed over the contents for a few moments then spoke "Okay okay Boss. I'll take care of that after I'm through with my team." Shizukesa nodded in understanding and leapt off the roof, vanishing to the streets below.
Ignoring the odd exchange, Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets and spoke "Well, that aside, let's begin with a Team Introduction."
"What do you mean by that Sensei?" asked Sakura with a confused expression. This caused both Naruto and Kakashi to sweatdrop and think 'She can't be serious.'
"I think Sensei means something like this. My names Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, Kesa-chan, and a few other people that I won't name at this time. I also like spirits, ghosts and such things. I dislike rapists, liars and cheats, people who deliberately ignore their responsibilities, and people who don't respect the dead. My dream is, well, in laymen terms, to be the best I can possibly be." The blonde spoke, giving both an example and an introduction.
'Spirits? Ghosts? What a creep.' Thought the Fangirl in disgust.
'Hmph. Just another loser.' Thought the Uchiha in dismissal.
'Well now… he's much more interesting than I thought.' The masked Jonin thought with some amusement.
Kakashi then cleared his throat and spoke "Very good Naruto-san. My name is Kakashi Hatake. I have a lot of likes and dislikes. And, I haven't really thought about my dreams for the future." At this the Three Genin sweat-dropped since he only revealed his name.
"My name is Sakura Haruno. What I like is… (Blush.) My dreams for the future are… (Fangirl squeal.) And I HATE Naruto!" she yelled at the end while pointing at the blonde. The whiskered teen's only response was to flip the bird.
'Oh great. A fangirl. If nothing else she could be used as bait or a distraction.' The Jonin thought in grim amusement. Though he also hoped that she would grow up… however it most likely won't happen.
"Hn. My name is Sasuke UCHIHA, remember the name. My only like is power. I dislike too many things to list off. And what I have isn't a dream, for I plan to make it a reality. There's a certain someone… that I'm going to kill." The Uchiha spoke out which was followed by an ominous gust of wind.
'As I thought.' The Jonin mused while his visible eye narrowed.
'Sasuke-kun is sooooo hoooot.' The pinkette thought with hearts in her eyes.
"Oi. Shouldn't you be more focused on rebuilding your clan or something?" the blonde casually asked while cleaning out one of his ears with his pinkie finger.
"What's it to you Dobe? It's not any of your business what I do." The Uchiha snapped angrily.
"Well fuck you too. I was just asking a simple question. What's the point in hunting down the guy you wanna kill, if there's nothing left to go back to? You're dedicating yourself to a path of violence. Why not simply accept there was nothing you could've done, and focus on trying to actually build something for yourself?" Naruto asked in a sage like manner.
'Well I'll be damned. Out of all of them… Naruto seems to be the most mature of the bunch. Guess I shouldn't be surprised since he's THAT woman's child. Realistic yet… something more.' The Jonin thought with an eye smile.
"SCREW YOU DOBE! I LOST EVERYTHING! WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT I DO WITH MY LIFE?" The self-proclaimed Elite roared while grabbing the collar of the blondes jumpsuit.
"You lost everything that mattered. I'll give you that. But at least you had something to lose. I never did. I wasn't deciding anything for you. Merely giving some food for thought. And Sasuke? Would you kindly release me? I'm not into the rough stuff with guys." The blonde teased at the end with a shark like grin. A tic-mark pulsed on the Uchiha's forehead as he shoved the Jinchuuriki away.
"It's been fun. But there's something I need to take care of. Do whatever the hell you want with your life Sasuke, I couldn't care less if you get your own ass killed. No skin off my back." The blonde spoke in an amused tone as he walked off.
"One sec Naruto-san. I forgot to mention something. Tomorrow, we will be meeting at Training Ground Seven for your Genin test." Spoke the Jonin with an eye smile.
Naruto snapped his fingers and commented "I should have guessed the Academy was too easy. Lemme guess, this test is meant to see if we can make the cut as real Genin?"
"Very good. Now then, meet me tomorrow morning at Ten o' clock sharp. Oh, and don't eat breakfast or you might puke. See ya!" with that said the Jonin vanished in a swirl of leaves. Naruto smirked since this Jonin seemed to be somewhat reasonable. He sighed and made his way towards his appointment with Kesa-chan, but first he'd need to get some things.
Later.
Hiashi Hyuuga sighed as he sat and listened to the incessant and unintelligible arguments of the Hyuuga Elders. His daughter Hanabi sitting close by, her face a blank expression as she tuned out the noise from the Elders. The Clan head himself finally began to bang a gavel and call for order in this meeting.
At last he had succeeded in getting their attention and spoke "Elders, I know you are angry at last night's incident but we must…"
He was cut off by one of the Elders who shouted "INCIDENT? INCIDENT? SOMEONE LEFT THREATENING MESSAGES FOR US IN OUR ROOMS!"
Before Hiashi could retort, a pair of Side branch members enterer ushering in one Naruto Uzumaki, who was wearing a black trench coat with orange lapels, a black tee shirt with the Kanji for 'Spirit' on the front with a bandolier of throwing knives. On his back was an intimidating scythe that was longer than himself, and it has a long curved blade, looking like it grew out of the skull at the top end of the handle. A miniature skeleton adorns the scythe, which consists of the skull and a rib cage wrapped in thorny vine. The spine of the skeleton turns into the scythes long handle, which ends in a lower backbone. (A/N: Think the Undertaker's scythe from Black Butler.)
"Howdy there!" the blonde greeted in a rather jovial tone of voice.
"What is HE doing here Hiashi?" asked an Elder with a furrowed eyebrow.
"Recently I was contacted by a… interested party who promised an expert in dealing with these recent incidents." Hiashi explained, though in truth he wasn't aware the 'Expert' was Naruto.
The blonde grinned then pulled out a small notebook from his trench coat's pocket and began to read the contents as he spoke "Let's see here, your Side branch members have, for the past week, been making repeated complaints of strange noises. Whispers in the night, scratching sounds, footsteps in the halls but when they check with their Byakugan no one is there. About three days ago there was an 'incident' where Hinata Hyuuga quote 'Inexplicably imploded into a violent fit of rage.'
And most recently, last night in fact, death threats were written in the bed chambers of the Hyuuga Elders. Written in blood." The blonde listed off the happenings of the Compound with a knowing smile.
"Erm. Yes. That's correct. I trust you have an idea as to what's happening?" asked Hiashi with a raised eyebrow.
"I am absolutely certain you have a Spirit here. And it's pretty angry. And now its demanding to be heard. I suggest you start listening before it becomes truly violent." The blonde explained while he began to sharpen one of his throwing knives.
"A ghost? You honestly expect us to believe that drivel?" one of the Elders asked in an incredulous tone.
"I don't expect you to believe anything. Though let me make mention that there are Jutsu and techniques that screw with the boundaries of life and death. You have the Reaper Death seal, which actually summons the Shinigami. Then there's the Edo Tensei which brings out Zombie Shinobi. Sooooo, I don't think the presence of Spirits is THAT much of a stretch." The blonde quipped in a matter of fact tone.
"Indeed. Until evidence proves otherwise, I shall believe these incidents to be the work of a Spirit." Hiashi spoke since he found the blonde to be… surprisingly logical in his approach.
The blonde nodded in thanks then spoke "I shall now take my leave and question Hinata about her outburst from before. She might provide a clue, some important detail she might not have thought of."
The Clan head nodded and spoke "Of course. She is with her team at this time which is lead by Kurenai Yuhi."
"Understood. And I must also request Hanabi-san accompany me for now." The blonde requested in a respectful tone.
At this the Clan head narrowed his eyes and asked in an even tone "Why would you ask that?"
"Out of all the people in this compound, your whole clan even, Hinata-san seems to have reacted the most to the Spirits influence. If my current theory is right then it has a powerful connection to Hinata-san, and perhaps even Hanabi-san." The blonde explained in a direct and simple tone.
The clan head nodded in understanding, if this spirit also had a connection to Hanabi, then it might draw it out. "Very well then. But you are responsible for her as of this moment."
"Appreciate the cooperation. I'll take good care of her. Oh, and before I forget, when the job is done, my manager will collect the payment." The blonde spoke while extending a hand to Hanabi. With a small nod she took his hand and followed him out of the compound.
The walk was relatively silent as they sought out Hinata and her team, though the brown haired girl looked up inquisitively at the blonde. His hand felt warm and she felt like she didn't want to let go. "Naruto-san. If I may ask, why did you become a ghost hunter?"
"Who said I was a ghost hunter? I don't recall specifically answering to that job title." He replied in a cryptic manner.
She narrowed her eyes slightly at his avoiding the question, but then she decided to try something more direct "Why do you do what it is you do involving Spirits and ghosts?"
"Ah. That's a better question. About two years ago a 'certain person' Offered me a deal. In exchange for my loyalty and serving under her, she permitted me to and I quote 'Live however I pleased'. Most of the time my jobs work around dealing with the Spirits that linger here. Still, it's not a bad job. My boss and Manager are both super nice. They gave me a bunch of awesome weapons, and even trained me up some. I could probably take down a Low Level Jonin if I put my mind to it." The blonde answered her with a smile.
She was mildly confused by some of which he said, mostly involving 'Certain person' and the deal he was offered. But chose not to comment on it as she asked "Are you a Medium?"
"A Spirit Medium? Nah. Nothing so fanciful. But my eyes are something special. Here… See as I see." He spoke and placed his palm over her eyes for a moment, A tingling sensation filled her eyes as he lifted his hand away, suddenly her vision was an explosion of colors as she saw Spirits of the dead, or what she Assumed was spirits since they were walking through walls and other people. Believing this to be a Genjutsu, she hastily performed a Kai… but the Spirits didn't leave her vision.
"Pretty disorienting. I know. At first it's like looking through a kaleidoscope for the first few hours. But then your mind begins to process it and your vision shall become normal again… aside from being able to see Ghosts. Now that that's done…" He spoke then snapped his fingers, causing another tingling in the Hyuuga's eyes as the Phantoms vanished from her vision.
"H-how did you do that?" She asked since her mind was reeling in shock by what she had just witnessed.
"Surprised? Well, I just let you see the world as I see it for a few moments. If you want a more permanent set, you might wanna talk to my boss…. Assuming you ever meet her. She's pretty private." The blonde answered with a small smile, leaving his charge dumbstruck as she followed him.
Suddenly a loud yell of 'Yahoo' followed by the barking of a puppy came from close by. Signaling the presence of a certain Dog boy. With a smirk, Naruto took his charge to the Origin of the noise and found Kurenai and her Team sitting under the shade of a tree and getting to know each other.
"Howdy there Nai-chan!" the blonde loudly greeted as he approached with Hanabi.
The Genjutsu mistress blushed a bit then spoke in a light scolding tone "Naruto! I'm on duty! It's either Kurenai-san' or Sensei."
"Oops. My bad Nai-chan." He replied in an apologetic manner… while still speaking to her with such familiarity which made the Red eyed woman shake her head with a sigh.
"Huh? Naruto! What're you doing here? How do you know Sensei… and Why's Hinata's sister with you?" Kiba asked in a rapid fire manner.
"Me? I'm here on Official business and I'm afraid Hanabi-san is part of it. As for how I know Nai-chan… I kidnapped her, locked her in my basement and took advantage of the position she was in." He explained in a Jovial manner. At his explanation, Hanani had a Question mark over her head, Hinata was blushing neon red, Kiba's jaw dropped as he nearly emptied his bladder, Shino's glasses fell askew, and Kurenai looked like a horrified look on her face.
"DON'T TELL THEM WEIRD THINGS LIKE THAT!" She screamed as she attempted the throttle the blonde.
In response the whiskered teen could only laugh and reply "NOT IF THEY'RE TRUE!" A fiery aura exploded from the Genjutsu mistress as she tried even harder to strangle the boy, just to shut him up. Finally she broke down crying while beating the ground with her fist.
"You… you ruined me. You ruined my image as a Jonin sensei to my Team." She cried as she grabbed a fistful of grass. "I hate you. Go die already." She whined brokenly as anime tears fell down her face.
"Love you too Nai-chan. I know you enjoyed it as much as I did." He spoke with a broad smile. Kurenai said nothing as she collapsed to the ground, her soul seemingly leaking from her body. At this point Kiba passed out with a Nosebleed with Akamaru trying to revive him.
"All my teasing aside, Hinata-san, mind if I ask you some questions about your outburst some time ago?" the blojde asked with a charming smile. The Hyuuga heiress nodded in agreement her eyes kept glancing towards her Sensei.
Sensing her thoughts, and noticing where she kept looking Naruto spoke "Relax. Nothing inappropriate happened between me and Nai-chan. Anyway, How did you feel prior to your fit of anger?"
Hinata sighed in relief as her younger sister stood next to her. The Heiress poked over fingers together and spoke "Well… before I was angry… I felt… warm. Like I could soar above the clouds. And I couldn't help but feel like there was a hand on my shoulder, a comforting hand only a parent could use. Then when the Elders talked badly about the Side branch… I just… snapped."
The Jinchuuriki nodded and wrote something in his notebook then spoke "Thanks very much for your time. That's all I need to know."
"Wait… that's it?" asked Hanabi in a confused tone.
"Pretty much. Don't worry about your Spirit. She won't harm you two. Keep an eye or an ear out for any signs of unusual activity then give me a call." He spoke then offered them a business card.
"Umm. Thanks. I'll take Hanabi home. Naruto-kun? You… changed a lot since… well... before." Hinata noted with a small blush.
"Is that so surprising? You wouldn't happen to want a piece of me would you?" he asked teasingly making Hinata blush and squirm a bit under his teasing.
"Relax before you pop a Blood vessel. Anyways, thanks for accompanying me Hanabi-chan. I'll be seeing you two around." With that said he vanished in a pillar of black smoke, leaving two blushing sisters behind.
The Next Day.
"Man. This Hyuuga job is pretty easy and straightforward." Naruto complained as he walked towards Training ground Seven. Holding his hand… was none other than his Manager Shizukesa, her cold unblinking eyes staring ahead.
"Ummm Kesa-chan? You didn't have to come with me." He commented since his Manager was a bit of a workaholic.
"Shut up." Was all she said. For many, her voice sounded soft as a bell, gentle like a dove, but it had a chill to it like that of a stiff breeze in the winter. Naruto was one of the few people that could listen to the girl's voice and not be terrified for life.
"Whatever you say Kesa-chan." He spoke with a small smile. At last they arrived at the designated training ground Seven, where Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were all waiting. The former two looked absolutely furious at the blonde, while Kakashi himself glanced towards Naruto's direction with a narrowed eye.
"You're really late. You kept me waiting for an hour." The masked Jonin spoke in an even tone
"Would you have arrived on time if I did?" the blonde asked casually.
A sweat-drop formed on the Jonin as he realized the blonde's point. "All right. I'll make you a deal. If I come on time, then I expect you to do the same. Deal?" The Jonin offered with an eye smile.
"And every time you're late, you'll teach us all a Jutsu. All in the name of fairness." The blonde countered in a business like manner, earning nods of approval from his teammates which somewhat appeased them. Naruto may hate them, but he wasn't gonna go out of his way to make them miserable… unless they provoked him which he was sure they would.
"Done. We have an accord then. Excellent. Now ummm, why's that girl with you?" asked the Scarecrow with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't worry about it. Kesa-chan is just hear to watch." Naruto answered while patting his Manager on the head. The red eyed girl nodded at his statement and pulled him down by the collar to kiss him on the cheek. With that done she sat on top of one of the three posts, the center one to be exact.
"What the hell was that kiss about? She your girlfriend or something? That's plain creepy! She's like… Six years old!" Sakura yelled out while pointing an accusatory finger at the blonde.
"You sure she's that old?" He quipped with a large smile stretched across his whiskered cheeks. The other members of Team 7 now looking at the girl like she was some kind of alien lifeform.
"Errr. Right. Anyway, your test is relatively straightforward. Your goal is to take these bells from me." The Jonin explained as he held up two silver bells.
"Two Bells. So only two of us passes?" Naruto asked in a suspicious tone. Already perceiving that some kind of trick was involved.
"That's correct. You have two hours to take these bells from me. Kesa-san? Would you mind holding onto this clock for me?" the Jonin asked while presenting a clock. Shizukesa merely nodded and accepted the clock, placing it on her lap.
"Oh, and one more thing. You are free to use any means of retrieving these bells from me, such as Jutsu or Weapons." The Jonin added since he didn't want to leave the Genin without a fighting chance
"But Sensei. You could get hurt if we do that." Sakura commented ignorantly since she was a Fangirl with little understanding of Shinobi beyond her textbooks.
"Kakashi-san is a Jonin. I think he can take as good as he gives." Naruto commented while sharpening a throwing knife.
"Well, I'm glad at least one of you hasn't yet underestimated me. Your time starts now." The Jonin spoke while starting the clock, prompting the three Genin to run and hide amongst the trees and bushes.
It didn't take long for Kakashi to figure out Sakura and Sasuke's hiding places. Naruto however was proving more difficult to locate. Not being able to locate the boy visually, he decided to try using a bit of Chakra sensing.
"Yo." Greeted a voice behind him revealing Naruto himself.
"Hello to you as well. Buuuut shouldn't you be hiding or planning some kind of ambush or sneak attack?" Kakashi inquired since he hadn't expected the blonde to so brazenly confront him in the open like this.
"True. But who said I was here? I'm a Shadow clone." The now revealed clone answered with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Oh. Pretty clever. Using a clone to distract me." The Jonin commented with a bit of pride.
"Much obliged. Anyway, a mutual friend of ours met up with me just a few seconds ago and asked me to deliver a message to ya." The clone spoke with a small smile.
The Jonin pulled out his favorite orange book and replied in an uninterested tone "Yes yes. What's the message?"
With a smirk the clone answered "The Sanbi incident wasn't your fault." As soon as those word's left the clone's mouth, Kakashi froze up, his heart nearly imploded and he felt like he had a foot in the grave. What very little of his face that was able to be seen turned a ghostly white as he shook. His book falling from his hands and onto the ground.
"What… did… you… just…. Saaaaaaaaaay?" Kakashi asked with his mind doing backflips and somersaults inside his skull. His brain unable to process what just happened. Then as quick as a flash a second clone snatched the two bells off of him and tossed them to the first clone that neatly caught them between his fingers.
"Yeah I know. Bit unsportsmanlike to take advantage of the situation. But in all fairness you did say 'use any means necessary.' Still. I'll be a good sport and hand one back." The clone spoke while tossing one of the bells to the Jonin who caught it and clipped it back onto his person.
"Well now. I won't begrudge you for that. Excellent use of strategy in unbalancing your opponent. But you're only a clone. One good punch and poof. The second bell is mine again." The Jonin spoke while regaining his composure, all the more impressed at the blonde's use of strategy and psychological tactics.
"True. Though for the record… that message was legit. And you can't steal back the bell if I do this." The Clone spoke while the second clone dispelled. He pressed his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. As if in cue, loud and ferocious barking sounds came as a pack of Black dogs with burning red eyes lunged forward, wisps of black smoke following them from where their tails are supposed to be.
The clone of Naruto tossed the bell in the air, which was quickly snatched up in the mouth of one of the Black Dogs, then they began running in circles until a large pillar of black smoke formed into a vortex. Now Kakashi couldn't tell which dog had the bell, then the vortex dispersed and the Black Dogs ran off in all directions . With a smirk the Shadow clone dispersed leaving a wide-eyed Jonin.
"I know I said 'Anything goes'…. But that's just not fair." Kakashi muttered while slumping his shoulders at the fact that a Genin fresh from the Academy had managed to get one over on him. He sighed as he decided to focus his attention on the other two Genin and maybe devise a strategy for the Jinchuuriki in the meantime.
With Sakura.
"Okay. I'll give Naruto some credit and say the way he handled Sensei was awesome. But I bet Sasuke-kun can do even better! Now where is Sasuke-kun anyway?" the Pinkette asked herself as she ran through the woods, in search of the Uchiha.
"If you're looking for Sasuke, he should be west of here." Spoke a voice above her. When she looked she saw it was Naruto himself cleaning the dirt under his fingernails with one of his throwing knives.
"What the… how did you find me so quickly?" the Fangirl asked in apparent surprise.
"Wasn't hard. Not many girls with powerful vocal chords and pink hair here in Konoha. Anyway, I decided to be the bigger man and offer up some help. A certain friend of mine told me something good about this Bell test. If you promise to cooperate with me then I'll tell you." He spoke while his gaze glanced towards Rin Nohara who was giving a friendly wave in thanks for delivering her message.
"Hmph. If you really want to help me, then you should give me that bell you have!" spoke Sakura in a demanding tone as she held out her hand.
"And what would that solve? I give it to you, you might either lose it to Kakashi, or give it to Sasuke and he'll lose it anyway. The bells aren't even the point of the test." Naruto replied casually with a knowing smile.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked with a frown.
"You're supposed to be the Top Kunoichi. You figure it out. Anyway, I can tell you're not going to be cooperative. Don't say I didn't try and give a helping hand! Oh, and watch out for Genjutsu!" the blonde yelled out as he vanished into the tree tops. The pink haired girl raised an eyebrow at that, then moments later a shriek was heard that made numerous birds fly out of their hiding places.
Now standing over a fainted Sakura was Kakashi. The masked Jonin sighed and mumbled "She was given a warning and still fell for it. Gotta give Naruto props, that's for sure. Now what about Sasuke?"
With Sasuke.
The Uchiha was running as he sought out the Jonin Sensei, in order to stay as a Genin and test his strength as well. A branch snapped causing Sasuke to stop and turn in the direction of the noise. Preparing to throw a Kunai if it was Kakashi.
"Key part of Stealth? Misdirection." Spoke Naruto from behind as he held one of his throwing knives to Sasuke's throat. A bead of sweat rolled down the Uchiha's forehead as he couldn't believe that the Dobe snuck up on him.
The Jimchuuriki withdrew the knife and replaced it into his bandolier and spoke with a small smile "Let's get this straight Sasuke. I'm not doing this to be your friend or anything. In fact, I couldn't care less if you died. But I'm not here to have a dick measuring contest with you. I'll be blunt, you agree to cooperate with me for a spell, and I'll tell you how to pass this test."
"Hn. I already know how. I just have to get the other bell… or better yet take the one you have." Sasuke spoke as he got into his Clan's Taijutsu stance. The blonde sighed as he kicked some dirt in the Uchiha's face making him sputter and cough, then Naruto swept the Uchiha's leg from under him with a kick and planted him on the ground. One of his knives pressed against Sasuke's throat.
"That's not gonna work Sasuke. And I can already tell you're still trying to overcompensate. You do know there's pills for your problem below the belt right? Anyway, You can't take the bell from me, or Kakashi for that matter. And I'm offering you a bit of help. You wanna achieve your goals through your own power? I can understand and respect that. I'm the kind of guy that likes to do things myself., but I'm not foolish enough to turn away help when I need it. So, final offer. Your cooperation for information on how to pass this backwards test, mkay?" Naruto spoke in an almost too smooth fashion, as though he had already anticipated what Sasuke would do.
"I don't need help from someone that tells me what to do about my revenge! What do you know about it anyway?!" the Uchiha demanded angrily as he shoved the blonde away.
Naruto sighed and holstered the throwing knife before answering "Like I said. I wasn't telling you what to do. Was just offering food for thought. As for what I know about revenge? Trust me. I know plenty. There's quite a few people I have on my shit list. But right now, I'm content with how things are. Mmm? Seems like our two hours are up." As if in cue, an alarm clock began ringing signaling the end of the test.
Sasuke grit his teeth angrily at the whiskered teen for wasting his time. "You can stop glaring daggers at me. The bells weren't even the real test." Spoke the blonde with his hands behind his head as he walked off towards the three posts at Training Ground 7.
Minutes later, Naruto was sitting cross legged with Shizukesa in his lap, feeding him from a bento provided by Kakashi for the Genin. Sasuke sat by too as he ravenously ate from his bento. Sakura however was tied to the middle post, her bento sitting open in front of her making her stomach growl angrily.
"Well. So far… Naruto-san has proven to be the most successful for three reasons. Firstly, he showed an excellent sense of strategy. Secondly, he managed to snatch a bell from me. And finally, he understood the real purpose behind this whole test." Kakashi spoke while crossing his arms, giving a nod of approval to the blonde.
"What do you mean Sensei? Weren't the bells part of the test?" asked Sakura with a perplexed expression.
"Not in the way you're thinking. As Naruto attempted to explain to both of you, the bells weren't the real test. The real test was seeing if you could work together. Sakura, you were focused entirely on Sasuke that you're semi-dependent on him. Sasuke, you believe you're so far above the rest that they weren't worth your time." Kakashi scolded them since he wanted to end this charade.
"But Naruto didn't help us either!" Whined Sakura as she tried to shift the blame to Naruto, who merely flipped the bird as his manager fed him some more food.
"True. He didn't. But he understood the purpose of the test. He wanted to secure your cooperation before telling you." Kakashi explained with a narrowed eye.
"Then why didn't he just tell us directly?" asked Sasuke with a large frown.
"Don't act like I'm not here. And if I would've told you, would that have encouraged you to cooperate with me?" the blonde asked at the end in a rhetoric manner. The silence from his two teammates being his answer.
Kakashi sighed, he had a long ways to go with this bunch but still… he had another idea. The dynamics of this team wasn't going to work. Sasuke and Naruto constantly clashed, and Sakura was quite biased due to her fangirl nature. He needed to try something else, then a light bulb blinked over his head as he spoke "I think I might have something else in mind."
This caught the Three Genin's attention as they wondered what the Jonin was up to now "I'm going to pass all of you. If only because I feel sorry for Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto however… shall be apprenticed to a certain Jonin." He spoke the last part with an eye smile.
"WHAT! Why does the Dobe get to be an apprentice to somebody?" Shouted Sasuke in both anger and jealously.
"Several reasons. For one thing, I think my teaching style won't suit Naruto and nurture his growth as a Shinobi. Plus I don't have much to teach him anyway. The Jonin I have in mind will be a much better fit for him." The Jonin explained with an eye smile.
"Works for me. Though, you sure the only reason you're passing those two is out of sympathy? THEY are rather touchy when it comes to Sasuke." Naruto noted with a knowing smile which caused Kakashi to chuckle nervously. That Naruto didn't miss a trick for Kakashi was admittedly pressured by the Civilian council.
With a two fingered salute the blonde spoke "Peace out bitches." And walked off with his manager in two, Rin Nohara followed close behind and thanked the blonde for his help. However little it was.
"Think nothing of it. Part of the job Rin-chan. Though, if you really wanna thank me, you could be one of my Familiars." The blonde spoke in a casual tone.
"Familiar?" asked the Former Jinchuuriki with a raised eyebrow.
"Simply put, my Manager Kesa-chan acquires a finger bone from your person and makes it into a token. Allowing me to keep you at my side. And when the situation is appropriate, I channel you so that I may have access to the abilities you had in life." The blonde explained bluntly.
"Wow. That's really cool. But ummm… I don't really know where my remains are." Rin spoke while crying anime tears.
"Don't worry about it. Kesa-chan is really good at her job. She'll find your remains." The blonde replied while patting his manager on the head who gave a simple thumbs up.
"Then I'll happily be your Familiar! It'll be nice to have someone to talk to. Say… what's with that redhead over there? Is she yours?" Rin asked while pointing towards a familiar Spirit that had followed the blonde around since his first day on the job.
Naruto grinned and clenched his fist, causing a series of sharp whistling noises to ring through the air. Causing the red haired Spirit to be ensnared by a number of wires. "Gotcha. You've been following me around for some time. I wonder why you've never… approached… me?" as he got closer… he could see the problem. This woman's soul was incomplete as evidenced by the fact multiple parts of her body was replaced by static. At a distance it remained unnoticed, but on close inspection it was evident.
Incomplete souls were a tricky business. Rare, but not unheard of if the person used certain techniques to split themselves apart. Incomplete Souls are highly sporadic and unpredictable in nature since they followed their most base instincts and could be easily sent into a feral rage.
"Well now. Seems like you weren't deliberately avoiding me in the traditional manner. You lack the capacity to communicate your needs. Well then… let's bottle you up and see if we can find the rest of you." The blonde spoke as he pulled out a special sealing bottle meant for Spirits and crammed the incomplete Spirit inside. Fortunately, Spirits, no matter what state they're in, are surprisingly elastic in nature, thus they can be crammed into things like jars and such if they've been sealed correctly to prevent the Spirits escape.
At last he managed to seal his Spirit stalker away and placed her inside his trench coat. The rest of the walk to his and Shizukesa's apartment in the Business district where the more expensive restaurants, homes and such reside, was uneventful.
"Damn. No matter how many times I come here, I still remember what a shithole my old apartment was." Naruto commented as his Manager locked the door behind them. With her usual blank and expressionless face, she picked the blonde up with strength disproportionate of her small body and tossed him on the nearby bed. Removing her monk's cloak and exposing her small almost flat chest, and her smooth perky ass.
"Already? No foreplay huh?" the Blonde teased as his manager pounced up on him and removed his clothes. He wasn't sure when he and his manager began such a relationship, but he wasn't complaining. She was certainly… both energetic as she was domineering.
"Shut up." Was all she spoke in her cold whispery voice. She kissed him roughly as her small hand reached inside his pants to bring out her prize. Minutes later, the sounds of thumping, moans, and other inappropriate noises kept the neighbors up for nearly six hours.
The next morning.
"Fuuuuuuuck." Naruto groaned as he got up from bed, slipping on his boxers, he went into the kitchen. The smell of bacon enticing him to full awareness. In the kitchen he found his Manager Shizukesa wearing an apron in the nude. Cooking a hearty breakfast for him with a large amount of eggs and bacon.
"You raped and used me all night and now you're cooking me breakfast? Best Manager ever." The blonde teased, hoping to get a rise from her.
"Shut up." Was all she said in her whispery voice and pointed towards a chair with her cooking utensil. Prompting him to take a seat with a small smile.
"Good thing the Boss doesn't care about relationships between coworkers so long as we do our jobs and keep the books balanced." The Jinchuuriki commented in a joking tone. Shizukesa merely nodded and placed Naruto's serving in front of him on the table. Then she knelt down on her knees and pulled down his boxers.
"Again? We must have done it twelve times last night. I'm not sure we can… HELLO! Okay… THAT got me going." The Blonde spoke as his eyes widened at his Manager's actions. He merely shrugged and decided to enjoy the feeling as he ate his breakfast, the sounds of exaggerated slurping coming from beneath the table.
"Okay. You might have the underage and underdeveloped body of a ten year old… but what people don't know is you're really over three thousand years old. Soooooo, who's the real pedo?" he joked again. This time he jumped in his seat and groaned a bit "Okay. That kinda hurt." He muttered with a wince.
A few minutes later he finished up, his meal, and his business with his manager who gulped loudly while licking up a certain white substance from her lips. A knock came from the door prompting Naruto to open it, revealing one Anko Mitarashi.
"Hey Gaki. Seems your neighbors are filing complaints about the nightly noise." The purple haired woman spoke with a teasing grin, noting the underdressed form of both Naruto and Shizukesa.
"Oh yeah? Tell them that they can go eat a dick. I don't fucking care about them. So what brings your fine piece of ass over to my place? You looking for a threesome? Give me about two hours of rest and I'll be good to go again." The blonde spoke with a grin while checking out Anko's bust.
"First day and already sexually harassing your Sensei? Tsk tsk tsk. For shame Gaki-kun." She teased with a large grin on her face.
"Sensei? Ohhhhhhh. Kakashi asked you to take me on as an apprentice huh?" the Blonde realized with a smile on his face at having his Anko-chan as his sensei.
"You got it. I agreed more for your sake though. The paperwork has already gone through and I am your personal Sensei. And for the sake of our jobs, let's try and keep things professional while on the clock." She spoke while pressing her bust against his chest.
"Hey. I can be professional. No worries about that. Still, if nothing else, having you for my Sensei will be a hell of a lot more fun." He replied while grabbing one of Anko's soft mounds of flesh in his hand.
"There's just one itsy bitsy problem. Technically, you're still a registered Member of Team Seven until a suitable replacement is found. Sorry Naruto-kun. Policies about incomplete teams and all that." She spoke in a sheepish manner while rubbing the back of her head.
"Eh. No worries. If nothing else I can occasionally torment them for my Academy days." He spoke in an uncaring tone since he realized the possibility of this happening.
"True. Well, get dressed already Gaki-kun. We gotta meet them at the Hokage tower for Missions." She spoke in a dismissing tone since she knew it would be those boring ass D-ranks. Why they don't use those for Academy students she'll never know.
"Right. Right. Kesa-chan? I'll be heading out. Notify me if there's any developments on the Hyuuga case. Mkay? Don't forget about Rin-chan's finger bone token either." He called out to his manager who gave a small nod of her head and handed over his clothes and equipment to him. Then planted a kiss on his cheek, her face remaining blank as ever, but her unblinking eyes told a different story.
In one surprisingly fast motion, the blonde suited up and followed his new Sensei towards what would be, the more tedious and boring part of his Shinobi career.
End chapter one.
Next time: Naruto Uzumaki. Genin of Konoha, and 'Expert' of Spirits. How did Naruto gain these strange abilities? Who is this 'Boss' he keeps mentioning? And how shall he balance his duties between his mysterious 'Boss' and his duties as a Shinobi?