Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Naruto series, if I did you can bet your ass I'd be enjoying my money somewhere on a warm tropical island getting drunk.
Well it's later than I promised but here's the next chapter!
*****Doctor Uzumaki*****
Doctor Uzumaki
Chapter 2: End of Trainee Years-Part One
There weren't very many things in the world that scared Naruto. When his classmates had all given an account of things they were afraid of Naruto was the only one, outside of Sasuke who didn't answer the question at all, to say that he didn't fear anything. Whether bold or foolish the young blonde had stated that he hadn't seen anything that could truly frighten him. The rare freak incident when he had been attacked when he was younger had lent way more towards determination and anger now than it did fear. Little did Naruto know that very day he would find something that would terrify him for the rest of his life and it would come from the most unexpected source.
Naruto at 12 years old had grown significantly in the past few years. He was now a respectable height for his age group neither the tallest nor the shortest in his class. As with all young shinobi boys in training he was already fairly muscled but he had a bit more muscle mass to himself than other boys in his class. His blonde hair had gotten a bit longer which he tied in a high ponytail but his bangs hang a bit down to his jaw line now which for some reason caused some people to stop and stare at him in bewilderment for awhile before they went back to either glaring at him or ignoring him. As he was in his final trainee stages his outfit had changed a bit. He wore black shorts that had cargo pockets, black steel toed combat boots, a tight short sleeved mesh shirt that ha d a grey sleeveless v-neck shirt underneath. He wore his weapons pouch on his hip, and his medical pouch strapped on his arm although right now his clothes were in tatters from burns, cuts, and various other things.
The young blonde had just jumped to a branch in what he believed in safety when his senses picked up something incoming. The blonde barely flipped up higher onto another branch before a lightning bolt struck where he was standing going through the branch and tree trunk before going out on the other side and doing the same to eight more trees. The blonde was wide eyed like a deer and decided to keep moving because he knew his pursuer was not going to give him a break to catch his breath.
'She's crazy! She's insane! She's trying to kill me!'
Naruto kept up a furious pace of jumping from branch to branch to ground in order to avoid the relentless attacks that kept coming at him and seemed to pick up speed. He knew then that meant she was getting closer and closer to him. How she moved so fast and efficiently still boggled the blonde. He was usually very good at sensing people within a close vicinity of himself but she eluded all of his senses with ease. Something told the blonde to duck and he followed his instincts anchoring his feet to the branch and swinging downward. He did get a glimpse of the bright red ball of energy that soared over his head and impacted several trees but he didn't have time to admire the destruction as he blocked a scalpel with a kunai he had drawn upon coming out of his swing. He came face to face with his pursuer and he fought off the urge to just scream as he looked at the smiling face of Retsu. Her smile irked him something awful mainly because she still had her good natured grin on her face and it made him think she wasn't taking him seriously. Gritting his teeth the young blonde stopped channeling chakra into his feet and let gravity take him downward before reaching in his weapons pouch and throwing several kunai wrapped in exploding notes at her. As the explosion went off he swiftly channeled chakra to his legs as he ran on the forest floor jumping over downed trees, boulders, and vaulting over streams of water.
As he turned around to see where she was he was taken by surprise by a fist to his chest that sent him spiraling backwards into a tree. He looked up to see Retsu standing in front of him armed with kunai that she wasted no time in launching at him. When he began his last year as a trainee he had been told he would be taking Evasion Lessons with Retsu. At first he was excited but then he quickly learned to dread and fear the woman currently trying to make him into a pincushion. He had thought because Retsu didn't take missions as a Combat Medic she wouldn't be as combat ready as Ryuuken or Riku but he learned quickly why no one in the hospital crossed Retsu Unohana. The woman was a powerhouse with a finesse only exceeded by Tsunade-Hime according to the old man. The most frustrating thing was that he couldn't rely on his budding sensory ability to find her and she was so fast and silent all of his reactions had to be instantaneous which they all said was the point. He personally thought they were trying to maim him for a few of the pranks he had pulled when he had gotten bored.
Naruto jumped, dived, twirled, and spun in order to avoid the flying weapons of death and had to back flip in order to avoid a foot crashing down on his head. He then had to spin on his hands in order to avoid another horde of kunai before he launched himself in the air pushing off the ground with his hands. Before he could land on the branch he was hoping for she was there lashing out with a fist, in a move that spoke of his long hours of yoga with Megumi he contorted his body around her fist and pushed off her outstretched arm towards another tree before trying to run away. He didn't get far before he found himself launching towards the ground courtesy of a kick from Ryuuken. Before he could get up he found Retsu and Ryuuken standing over him and he knew he was caught.
"That is NOT fair! You totally came out of nowhere!' the blonde yelled at the older male who merely raised his brow unimpressed with the blonde's words.
"Exactly. An enemy ninja is not going to be 'fair' and nor will they announce their presence to you if they feel that they can use the element of surprise to take you out. Remember as a medic..."
"I am responsible for the safety and well being of my comrades and I cannot do that if I am dead. I am to expect the unexpected, prepare for any scenario, and always be alert for more enemies than those that are seen. I know I know!' Retsu merely chucked hiding her mouth behind her sleeve as she gazed down at the young blonde.
'Well if you knew you did a very bad job of proving it. Let me guess you once again focused your senses all on me trying to figure out where I would strike next?' she knew she was right when the young blonde merely turned his head from them mumbling. She shook her head at her young student.
"I've told you before you can't continue to do that. Sure dedicate some of your sensing ability towards your opponents that you can see but I also told you to always check your surroundings. I know you can do that you've demonstrated it several times in practice. You must always keep your senses open in case other shinobi try what Ryuuken did.
'I know darn it! You just frustrate me so much with how easy it is for you to slip past my sensing ability! It drives me insane! GAAAAAAAAH!' the blonde threw his hands up before making his way back towards their more formal training ground near the hospital. She couldn't do anything more than let out a few more giggles as the bruised and battered boy made his way back toward their workplace. She turned to look at Ryuuken who was watching their blonde student until he was out of their eyesight.
"He's coming along very well don't you think Retsu-sempai?"
"Quite. He does get easily frustrated in certain situations but I think that is more due to his age than anything once he gets some field experience he will grow out of that. I'm pretty astonished though, I truly didn't know whether he would be able to finish the trainee program in time for his regular academy graduation but if he continues with how he's been doing these past few years at the end of this year he should make it."
"Spot on as always but we both know this will by far be his most difficult year. He has a lot of information, technique, skills, and tactics to know by the end of the year not only that but put on top of that most of the Academy this year is practical applications he has double the workload of his peers."
"Yes but I have a feeling he will be able to pull it off, I've never met a child so determined. We should be getting back to the hospital now but first..." without warning Retsu turned and launched four kunai that sped away swiftly and silently. Before her targets had a chance to react the kunai had already been lodged deep within their chest piercing their hearts with frightening accuracy. Ryuuken gathered each of the four bodies before taking a look at their mask and sneering in disgust. Setting the bodies ablaze he turned around to see Retsu with her eyes closed making sure that was all the uninvited guest in the area.
"I grow weary of that meddling old man. He should be tired of losing his little pets and toy soldiers to die by our hands by now." ever the picture of grace and calm she didn't appear as ruffled and irritated as her voice portrayed. Ryuuken merely nodded in response, he too had grown weary of the meddling old man of Root. Ever since Naruto had been removed from the orphanage and set up in the apartment complex where they all lived he had been unsuccessfully trying to spy on the young blonde and his comings and goings. Refusing to dwell on it any longer the young man and his older companion took to the trees and sped off towards the hospital.
********Doctor Uzumaki********
Naruto walked into the greenhouse and breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Megumi hadn't arrived yet. Megumi never tolerated any excuses for his tardiness unless it came from Riku or Retsu and she always found unique and interesting ways to make him regret being late. The blonde shivered at the thought of the last time he had been late to her lessons. As it stood lessons with Megumi were always the most relaxing for him. Botany, Herbology, Poison Theories, Antidote Theories, Parasitology, Chemistry, and Biology and being surrounded by the plants and learning about different things first hand made such a difference for Naruto. While he could say that he wasn't too bad when it came to auditory learning he excelled in visual demonstrations and actually getting to see what they were talking about in front of him. Megumi walked into the greenhouse before his thoughts could wander any further and made her way up towards the lone desk in front of his own small one. The greenhouse wasn't just the place where most if not all the medicine was made for the Hospital it also served as Megumi's Office. She was dressed as she usually would be with a short formal kimono with long sleeves and a her Nurse's Haori over it.
"Well Naruto here we are at the final year of your Trainee status! Now this year as I'm sure you have been told is often the hardest. Not only will you have periodic tests on all the things you have learned over the past few years, you are also about to engage in the practical applications of all those lessons you have been taught so far. This will conclude at the end of the year a mock mission in which you will be forced to survive in the wilderness with the bare essentials a ninja usually carries for five days. Now for today we will start off simple with poisonous plants and what they do to humans in various different forms and move on from there. So come on to the back we go."
Naruto didn't waste any time in following behind his sensei. Megumi and Naruto made their way to the back room where the laboratory was. Naruto had been in there many times but it never ceased to amaze him every time he stepped into the room. The laboratory was the third biggest room in the extensive greenhouse. It held many microscopes, vials, medical tools, various scrolls, potted plants contained in glass encasings, and a host of everything a scientist would need. Naruto always likened it to a mad scientist's lair with all the different things that were in there but always came up blank trying to imagine Megumi being a deranged scientist. He was excited because finally he would be able to touch things and do them himself instead of putting on all the protective gear and merely watching.
Without having to be told Naruto went over to the side closet and got out his protective gear. While a lot of the materials used in medicine were generally harmless the chemical reactions, fumes, and the actual poisonous and venomous substances could harm him if he didn't cover himself properly. Naruto put on the protective body suit that Megumi had designed years ago. It was a body hugging suit that sealed the wearers' body inside what she called its own 'biosphere' it didn't allow for any particles to pass through its layering while still allowing a full modicum of movement shinobi were accustomed to. The suit also came with its on slim helmet with built in radio allowing the wearers to communicate without exposing themselves to the chemicals and fumes.
"Since we are moving on to the practical applications of everything you have learned so far we will make three different substances today. First we will make a burn cream. Tell me Naruto what substances make up a burn cream, the process of mixing them together, and why Konoha is the leading supplier of burn cream? While you're doing this gather those necessary ingredients and begin making your cream."
Naruto didn't waste any time in going around the greenhouse selecting his plants and telling Megumi what he was picking and why. The first thing he headed towards were the 'medicinal' plants area of the large space.
"First thing I want to grab is the Aloe Vera plant since it's gel can be used to help soothe and treat burns, second I will pick up a lady fern which will also aid in treating the burn making the cream doubly effective, some comfrey to aid in the reproduction of the skin cells to encourage greater healing at the wound, some wormwood for pain relief, and some raw honey since it reduces the risk of scarring and is a great antibacterial ingredient." As he spoke he continued to pick up his necessary plants and placing them at his work station and then going to pick up all the tools he needed to combine the ingredients and make them into his cream."
Megumi smiled and nodded at the blonde showing that he was correct. Sure the burn cream was one of the easier remedies that they had given him lessons on but the amount of plants and reasons why they were added to the cream was something not even most jounin would know off the top of their head like he did. She watched as he finished prepping his station and began his work on the cream. Knowing he was being watched Naruto explained all of his steps.
"First thing I put in my bowl is the raw honey at a low temperature allowing it soften and be more liquid like than its current thicker composition. While in my mortar I am adding my aloe Vera gel, leaves of the lady fern, some dried comfrey, and some wormwood. I will now use my pestle to mash and mix these together before adding the rest of the Aloe Vera gel. Now I take my honey which is a lot less thick and combine the two into this vial and using the stirring rod to make sure they blend together. Now once they are blended and settled together I will let this sit until the substance thickens into a more creamy substance." Naruto explained all this while never taking his eyes off of his work. Naruto was actually giddy with excitement on the inside. He was finally able to do some work and showing that he actually knew everything he had been studying since his trainee period had begun. Megumi coughed lightly and gave him a pointed look.
"Oh yeah due to the fire nature chakra of most of the shinobi in Konoha there are often a lot of burn related incidents when practicing fire techniques or trying to learn new fire jutsu. This compounds in various burn creams and remedies needing to be on hand to treat those who suffer from such." Megumi nodded again to show that he was right before checking his burn cream and how effective it would be.
"Next up Naruto is a sleeping gas. Same thing as the first except tell me the effectiveness of different sleeping agents and who uses them the most." Naruto merely nodded before going about picking up his plants with a happy smile on his face. Megumi couldn't help but be amused despite all the harsh lessons he had to endure during his 'theoretical' years of training he stuck with it and was excited to finally be doing some hands on work that he call his own instead of merely being an assistant handing her ingredients. The boy did have a natural green thumb and seemed to love being around all the plants, which for a young man was very surprising. As she checked the potency of the cream on one of her lab mice, she could hear her student cutting and dicing his ingredients. She glanced back at him and couldn't help but smile at the look of concentration on his face but the big grin that showed he was truly enjoying what he was doing. Deciding to try and get some work of her own done she picked up a few plants and brought them to her own personal station across from Naruto's and began working. The two worked throughout the afternoon in enjoyable silence only interrupted when Megumi would ask a question and Naruto would answer. By the time Naruto had finished his other two projects it was time for him to grab some lunch before heading back to his evasion lessons.
*****Doctor Uzumaki*****
Danzo was not happy. There a lot of reasons one could say Danzo was not a happy man. Some people would claim he was still angry and bitter over the fact that Sarutobi had been chosen over him to be the Third Hokage. Some would claim that he was upset when Minato had died instead of becoming the Godaime his rival was once again back in power. Few people would say he was upset when Sarutobi had 'shut down' is Root faction. His subordinates all knew that he was angry on a two-fold scale. He had been denied the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and raising it as the tool it was suppose to be. He blamed Sarutobi for that, sure Danzo and the rest of the elders had maneuvered it so that no clan could adopt the child for fear of them using the power laying inside of him for their own personal gains to take power in the village but Sarutobi while defeated on that end had swiftly vetoed them in having him transferred into Danzo's care. Sarutobi's sentimentality for the boy was a hindrance to the village. While the other villages used their Jinchuuriki accordingly on did Konoha try to see them as people rather than the tools of power and destruction they were. This was the fault they had with Kushina and now the same with her child. The second part that upset him was the underhanded and sneaky tactics of the meddlesome shinobi of the Medical Corps. While they had not formally adopted the boy they had done so in every other avenue of his life. Sarutobi had fooled them all greatly when he suggested moving the boy to his own apartment instead of the orphanage since they exposed what had been going on there to the boy.
What none of them had expected when they agreed was for the boy to be housed in the same apartment complex as the Hospital and Medical Corps shinobi. They had all assumed that they boy would be placed in the Red Light District since that was the only feasible place where he wouldn't be bothered by those who stayed in the area. What Danzo had found out much later was the fact that the hospital staff adored the boy and had all grown fond of him. Then he also found out the boy had become interested in becoming a medical shinobi of all things. While Danzo could appreciate the usefulness of Medical Shinobi it was no occupation for a weapon such as Naruto. It was like using a broad sword to slice an apple inefficient and unnecessary. The boy should have been focused on becoming a full assault shinobi not a support medic from the back. When he learned that he was being taught by the staff he had sent his agents to spy on them. Then came the most frustrating part every single shinobi he sent was found either dead or sent to him dead. He had severely underestimated the power those medics had at their disposal. He would bide his time for now and wait but he would not give up. Naruto was a weapon to be controlled not a child to be coddled.
He would have to have a talk with the other Elder's and see what course of action they could take. The boy was slated to graduate the Academy at the end of this year. There were certain things that needed to be completed and done before then if he was to have a chance of getting to the boy. He looked up to see Fu bowing down on one knee apparently he had finished with the task he had been assigned.
"What have you learned Fu?" the older man leaned a bit forward as the young Yamanaka rose to feet and pulled out a scroll from his hip pouch.
"I was able to recover a few memories from the dead soldiers you sent after the Jinchuuriki. There wasn't much that they had seen before they were slaughtered. I was able to catch glimpses in the memories of the boy talking with his handlers but the agents were too far away to properly hear. The woman known as Unohana Retsu had apparently sensed them and before they blinked she had kunai in all their chest at the same exact point stopping their hearts and killing them immediately. We were able to uncover that he had four main instructors Unohana Retsu, Terohane Megumi, Hayabusa Ryuuken, and Hikari Riku. Upon looking up their registry in the shinobi files we were able to find that Hayabusa Ryuuken is a efficient combat medic and one of the head nurses of the hospital. He is eluded to be on par with Kakashi or Gai. Terohane Megumi is a talented nurse and a valuable support medic in the missions she has participated in. While not being a combat medic she is a vaunted genius of medicine, poison, and antidotes. Hikari Riku was the teammate of the former Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi Uzumaki Kushina. A skilled combat medic tutored by Tsunade before she left the village he is a very low key person whose file has been sealed by the Third Hokage. We were unable to locate Unohana Retsu files anywhere so it is assumed it was locked somewhere only the Hokage would know. The only other information we were able to obtain dealing with the boy was that he himself has befriended the heir of the Aburame Clan and they often escape from the village by themselves training or collecting specimens for the Aburame boy."
Danzo frowned, while they knew more now than they did before a lot of questions were still unanswered. He already know why Riku's files were sealed that didn't interest him. Unohana Retsu on the other hand did. He truly could not recall ever hearing of the woman and for her file to be sealed under the Hokage's seal was interesting. He would have to check into that soon. The newest information though gave him a small window of opportunity in which he could capture the boy and blame it on missing ninja he would assign Fu and Torune on that in case it seemed like a good opportunity. As he arose out of his chair and began to make his way out of the chamber with Fu behind him his mind began to plan for the future.
*****Doctor Uzumaki*****
Sunday was usually Naruto's day of rest. He would usually either be in his apartment reading, in the garden with the landlady, or hanging out with his only friend at his clan compound. This Sunday was no different except him and his stoic friend were right outside the village in one of the more 'hidden' training areas. This training area wasn't so much as hidden as it was abandoned. It was one of the many training area's that had been demolished by the Kyuubi rampaging throughout the outer layers of the village and no one had ever come back to clean it up. Thus when Naruto had stumbled upon it one day he decided to make it his. He had cleaned up all of the debris in the area, picked up all of the discarded weapons and equipment that seemed to be there in abundance and good shape, and had set up various training dummy's and other things to make it a proper training ground. It had taken him nearly two years but he could say that it had come together nicely. He had brought Shino here not long into their friendship because he felt he just had to share it with someone and why not his first friend his own age. He remembered how they became friends and couldn't help but laugh a little about it.
****Begin Flashback****
Naruto had been halfway listening to what Iruka was saying about the Second Hokage's sacrifice and reading his notes from his anatomy lesson for his test with Riku later today when he felt like his eardrums had shattered.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAH! HELP MEEEE! IT'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"
Frowning Naruto and everyone else had turned to stare at Sakura who sat frozen in her seat, eyes wide, and pupils dilated. You would have thought she had seen a ghost because she was so pale and paralyzed with fear. When everyone turned around to see what she was staring at a few more girls in the class screamed which caused the object of their scrutiny to rear up on its back legs and spread its huge fangs. Naruto recognized the creature immediately and hurriedly reached into his backpack and brought out a specimen jar never noticing the attention he was getting from a certain trench coat wearing bespectacled boy.
Before Iruka could protest and the others could think of what to do Naruto had leaped completely over Sakura and had pushed her back out the way towards her friends who immediately started comforting her. The spider reared back once again in the face of what it perceived to be a new danger. Naruto watched the spider warily noting the venom dripping from its fangs and moved swiftly trapping the spider in the jar before it could attack. Naruto swiftly flipped the jar with the spider inside and sealed it off. The spider banged against the container and kept trying to bite its way out without any success.
Everyone watched in a sort of stunned silence as Naruto made his way back to his seat eyes riveted to his new little capture. As the rest of the class seemed to calm down and resume their seats Iruka had instructed Mizuki to take Sakura to the school clinic to be checked on since she still seemed out of it and turned his attention to a student that he at one point thought would be a problem but had turned out to be the exact opposite.
"Naruto that's a very dangerous spider. You can't keep it as a pet you know, bring it here and I'll get rid of it so that we can continue the lesson." He watched as the blonde looked up at him with a severe frown on his face.
"No offense Iruka-sensei but this spider didn't do anything wrong so I don't see the point in killing it" which caused all of Sakura's friend to react and start yelling at him and calling him stupid. Several of the girls pointed out that the spider had readied itself to attack and was getting ready to kill their friend.
"First of all when you're suddenly confronted by something much larger than you that is screaming at you wouldn't you be ready to defend yourself as well? It was the spider's natural instinct to react to what it perceived to be a danger to itself. Look at him now does he seem like some vicious killer." Sure as day Naruto pointed to the now rather docile spider that seemed to be content to rest in its jar prison for now occasionally tapping the glass with one leg.
"He deserves to live just like any other creature besides I'm not keeping him as a pet I'm taking him to the hospital." The blonde glared at the girl who had spoken out causing her to lower herself so that she could try to escape his gaze. Iruka had to admit he was intrigued now the boy had presented a logical explanation for the spider's reaction but he was still curious why the boy was taking it to the hospital but Shino had spoken up before he could.
"And why are you bringing it to the hospital Uzumaki-san?" everyone had turned to look at the soft spoken Aburame heir. It wasn't often that the boy spoke and usually he would only speak to their senseis if he had been asked a direct question but never to ask a question of his own least of all to one of them.
"Oh that's easy this spider here is known as the Konoha Wandering Spider. A very rare species that's native here but can survive in other climates around the elemental nations. Their venom is very lethal and even the smallest of doses delivered by these fangs has been known to cause death in the unexpected. So I'm bringing to the hospital where they will be able to try and make an antivenin which can help people who have been or will be bitten by one of his relatives and it's another reason why he should remain alive." Shino merely nodded while his classmates gave him a much more calculating look. While Naruto never failed a test he never did make the top marks but he had just shown an in-depth knowledge of something none other than Shino truly had any idea about.
After class continued and then ended for the day Naruto was surprised when Shino had asked to walk with him to the hospital. By the time they had arrived to the hospital Naruto and Shino had discussed a lot about their shared passion in entomology which surprised Shino. Naruto didn't freak out when Shino had shown him his kikaichu and had questioned him about what it was like having insects living inside of him. Naruto and Shino then watched as Megumi had shown them how she extracted the venom from the spider and made an experimental antivenin. By the time Naruto had walked Shino back to his compound the Aburame had invited him to come tomorrow to his home to talk more on entomology.
****Flashback Ends****
Ever since that day Naruto and Shino had been best friends. Naruto would often spend nights over at the Aburame compound. They would often partner up for projects and just hang out and talk. Shino would come around the hospital from time to time with Naruto just observing what the blonde would do and had gotten to know a few of the people Naruto considered his family. Today they had decided to train a bit and then they would grab lunch and go bug hunting again. Currently they had just finished sparring when Naruto remembered something he wanted to talk to his friend about.
"Hey Shino, so yesterday I was in the library when I came across something very interesting in the old history books." The Aburame heir was too tired and worn out to properly get up and look at his friend so he merely turned his head to look at Naruto before he nodded. Naruto knew Shino truly didn't like to talk much but he understood the boy's body language.
"Yeah so in the history book I found, it said that there was once a Village Hidden in the Whirlpools. The strangest thing is that the it was said to have been destroyed during a war thanks to combination efforts of a few villages. The spiral that all Konoha shinobi wear was the symbol of the clan who founded that village. The Uzumaki clan specifically." He stared up into the air while he said that a look of wistfulness and sense of pride knowing that people who shared his name had once been a part of some type of village. Shino could tell his friend was intrigued by the information he had found.
"Astounding. Do you wish to pursue deeper into this information you have found?" he watched as the blonde simply nodded before he thought about it. "If the information you read was correct the best thing to do would be to discuss this with someone older who could shed more light on this conundrum. Did the book have any other information?"
Naruto paused in thought thinking about all he had read on the section that had dealt with that particular village. "Well yes, it said that the villages that attacked had feared the prowess in the Sealing Arts. This makes me wonder which one of my parents was an Uzumaki, it makes me curious if this is truly my clan or did I just get this name by random chance."
Shino nodded in agreement. He knew how much finding out about his family meant to the blonde. So far they hadn't truly had any luck trying to find out who his parents were. The Hokage wouldn't tell him neither would those he lived near. Shino had asked his own father once but both he and his mother wouldn't give him any information.
While they sat there in contemplation they never noticed a pair of eyes watching them from the shadows. As the boys got up and started making their way back towards the village the figure watched them both until they were out of its sights before slinking back into the shadows and taking off in the opposite direction from which it came.
Once Naruto and Shino had eaten back at the Aburame Compound they set off again to go bug hunting. Naruto was hunting for new specimens that he could use in making more antidotes, poisons, and curatives. Shino was hunting to diversify his own colony which he had a few successes with due to the help of his new friend who wasn't at all squeamish about Shino and his abilities.
After about two hours of searching the boys were on their way back. Naruto had found a tiny beetle whose scales and bite could cause paralysis but after examining it he concluded it wasn't anything he didn't already have enough of and gave it to Shino who was graceful and had caught a beautiful butterfly whose wings and body seemed to blend in with any surface it landed upon which made it very difficult for the two to capture but they did. As they were walking back something pricked at the edge of Naruto's senses as he grabbed Shino and moved them behind a tree just as three kunai embedded the tree that Shino had been walking towards. Naruto eyed the position of the kunai and figured that had they hit his friend they would have pierced his head, throat, and heart causing almost instant death, both boys were on high alert now and Naruto spread his sensory ability out as far as he could and got worried.
"Shino we're seriously outnumbered here. Do you think you could send a few kikaichu to your dad for help?" he whispered at the stoic boy who nodded before releasing a few of his insects as Naruto thought of what they could do. "From what I can sense there are like 7 of them surrounding us. I don't know what their skill levels are so I think our best bet would be to stall as long as we can without overly exposing ourselves."
"Correct. Best to fight with guerilla tactics and hit and runs to keep them away from us and discourage them from coming at us all at once." The blonde nodded before reaching into his pouch and wrapping kunai in explosive notes while using his sensing ability to throw them where he sensed the hidden people to be." Shino let out a few insects as Naruto then activated a smoke bomb as the kunai reached their targets. He and Shino didn't waste any time in moving towards the village. Naruto cursed as he sensed all seven coming at them from behind. Reaching into his pouch Naruto fingered another smoke bomb before whispering to his friend who nodded. Sure enough two of the seven put on a burst of speed and appeared in front of the two academy students. Naruto didn't hesitate as he threw the smoke bomb which engulfed the two who had come at them with swords raised.
Shino and Naruto ran through the cloud faces covered with their sleeves before continuing to run. The two shinobi were on the ground writhing in agony as their comrades jumped over them still in pursuit of the two boys. Naruto could sense the others catching up with them and nodded to Shino once again who seemingly understood. Shino didn't waste any time before flipping through hand seals and using his chakra to shape his jutsu. Once again Naruto pulled out his last smoke bomb and engulfed their area. Already weary of the last smoke bomb they shinobi halted their ground pursuit and took the trees in search of their targets. They noticed two sets of footprints heading in opposite directions and decided to split up and follow both.
***THE FIRST GROUP***
Coming down in front of the two boys they had caught up with they drew their swords and charged. Shino immediately ducked under one sword swing only to be kicked by another. As he slammed up against a tree he could see that Naruto's opponent was aiming to merely incapacitate him not kill him unlike his opponents. Shino spun out of the way of the sword stab and as it sunk into the wood spun again with all his strength catching the shinobi off balance and roundhouse kicked him in the face. He couldn't revel in his small victory as he had to pivot to avoid another sword swipe. And back flip to avoid another slash from the same sword. Managing to put some distance between the two of them Shino drew four kunai and threw them at the masked shinobi who automatically brought his sword up to block them but didn't count on the kunai exploding blasting him backwards. A startled cry caught the Aburame's attention as he turned to see his friend knocked out courtesy of a vicious uppercut. As the masked shinobi picked the blonde up and threw him over his shoulder Shino immediately rushed to his aid.
Before the Aburame could get their his two opponents appeared in front of and behind him simultaneously sliding their blades through his ribs into his heart. The two masked shinobi watched in silence and without care as the life in the young Aburame's eyes faded out. The three shinobi were about to report their successful capture of their target and the death of the other when both bodies burst into two dense clouds of black and brown that immediately swarmed them. The kikaichu were vicious as the black ones drained the chakra of their victims the brown ones began burrowing themselves into the flesh of their victims.
The masked shinobi couldn't even scream as the insects drained them and invaded them. By the time the insects had finished and began flying towards their master the three shinobi were on the ground lifeless due to all their chakra being eaten and the abundance of poison in their system. A single figure jumped down from the trees observing the bodies of the men before setting them on fire and erasing all evidence of their presence and leaving.
****WITH GROUP TWO****
Naruto and Shino had gotten a little bit of a distance between them and the group and whipped out three vials from his medical pouch before mixing them together and putting the concoction into one of his empty bomb shells. Nodding to his friend who was bit pale and sweaty due to the amount of chakra and kikaichu he had dished out. Putting his friend on his back he started running again. Opening his senses he felt their pursers split into two groups with the larger group going towards their clones. Breathing a slightly more relieved sigh he focused on the other two that were gaining on them rapidly. Knowing he wouldn't make it to the gates in time. He laid his friend out behind some bushes and ran out and set up one small trap before jumping backwards and waiting. He was banking on Shino's kikaichu reaching his father and help coming before long. He just needed to stall until that time. Soon enough two black masked figures jumped down out of the trees.
He could see them looking around for his friend and knew that if they investigated too thoroughly they would find and possibly kill his friend. He had to keep their attention focused on him, he slowly reached into his weapon pouch gripping the handles on a few kunai.
"It's too late he's gone ahead to get help! He'll be back with a bunch of ninja so I suggest you leave now!" he could see that one was focused on him but the other one kept looking around not paying him any attention. Naruto gritted his teeth, he wouldn't let them find Shino the boy had already overextended himself to get the rest of the pursuers off their tail he could at least keep these two occupied. Flinging the kunai swiftly and silently enhanced with some of his chakra he targeted the one looking away. The one eyeing him was the first to react and was about to block the kunai before one landed at his feet and exploded sending him into the air where he flipped and landed on a branch. The second one started deflecting the kunai and jumped out of the range of a fist from Naruto. He retaliated by kicking out at the blonde catching him in the chest. Stumbling back Naruto pivoted on his foot dodging another kick before grabbing the outstretched limb and bringing his elbow down hard hitting the knee and snapping it before flowing smoothly into a jump twisting in mid air and landing a double heel kick to the chest of his assailant. Landing on the ground the blond immediately swiveled to the left to avoid the hell drop from the first one and lashed out with a quick jab to the shoulder and jumped back when the shinobi swung his sword at him. With his senses on full alert Naruto back flipped over the sword strike that would have pierced his stomach and landed with both hands on the assailant's shoulder before he could react he swung down slamming his heels into the lower back and using the momentum to roll backwards gripping the shoulders tightly and throwing the ninja over head first into the ground and was rewarded with two pops from the shoulders indicating the shoulders were out of the sockets and his lower spine would prevent him from getting up anytime soon. Turning his attention and senses back to the other ninja he screamed in horror seeing his friend on the ground and the shinobi getting ready to thrust a kunai in his throat.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Pure power burst out from Naruto as a ball of glowing blue energy launched itself with frightening speed at the shinobi and impacted him full force. Naruto watched in awe and slight fear as the shinobi was sent flying so fast he was merely there one second and gone the next. He crashed through at least five trees before slamming into a boulder with his head bent at a very unnatural angle. Naruto could only gaze at himself and the glowing blue aura that surrounded him. He had known already that there was something in him due to the talks he had with Riku and the others but he never expected this. Using his sensing ability he checked to see if there was anyone else and was shocked at the amount of distance he could sense. He felt two presences much further away deeper in the woods that seemed to be coming their way not wanting to stick around he made his way over to his friend just as a dense cloud of insects covered him. Shino stood up groggily but feeling much more rejuvenated thanks to his kikaichu coming back filling up his chakra stores and raised an eyebrow at the glowing blue aura that shone around Naruto.
"I don't know either but I know it let me kick some ass! Come on I sense some people coming this way and I don't want to stick around to see if they're an enemy!" Wasting no time the two friends began running and making their way back to the village. Suddenly Naruto sensed a presence above them and pushed Shino out of the way as the shinobi crashed down where they had just been. Shino immediately sent out a swarm of insects towards the shinobi who ran through seals and cupped his mouth. Naruto recognized that stance and knew that the man was about to use a fire jutsu. Going off adrenaline and his instincts Naruto's body pulsed blue as he launched another ball of blue energy at the man which pulled the stunned shinobi clean off his feet and hurtling backwards towards Naruto who ducked and watched as the man suddenly stopped floating and crashed to the ground. Naruto was about to back away but the shinobi was a lot faster and grabbed a hold of him by the neck cutting off his air supply and picking him up off the ground. Shino's kikaichu were hovering waiting on the command but he worried if he acted the man would kill Naruto just to spite him. Naruto knew he was running low on air but he had one last trick as he ran through a swift set of seals and breathed out a cloud of black and purple smoke directly onto the ninja who dropped him immediately as Naruto glowed blue once again and launched another blast that sent the man flying backwards into a tree. Not wasting any time the boy lobbed his last bomb over the shinobi.
Shino watched as a combination of acid, poison, and venom ate away at the shinobi who didn't even scream as he was eaten away at the chemical mixture. Shino was worried though his kikaichu should have reached his father by now. Something was wrong he looked up to his glowing friend who clearly came to the same conclusion as they both took off towards the village. Naruto was still glowing and his senses picked up the same two shinobi that he sensed before had been joined by a much larger group and was heading their way. Naruto knew they still had a good teen minutes before they reached the gates and that was more than enough time for those ninja to catch up to them. He had only one idea he thought would get them out of the mess they were in.
"Shino jump on my back!" As a testament to their friendship Shino did not hesitate before smoothly jumping on his back as Naruto once again tapped into the mysterious energy he had been graced with and used it to direct it towards his feet. Praying that his gamble would pay off the blonde unleashed his power and was rewarded with a huge boost as he and Shino sped throughout the forest in a blurry blue streak. Sensing the shinobi getting further and further away Naruto kept using burst of energy to propel them forward until they could see the village gates. Then Naruto realized he didn't exactly know how to stop as they crashed into the gate with tremendous force which caused Naruto to fall backwards. Shino was swift enough to get off his back and look down at his friend forehead crinkled in worry as he simultaneously sent out more kikaichu and signaled to the gate guards for help.
"At least we got away" was all the blonde could say before he passed out from exhaustion and a head first collision into the wall.
*****Doctor Uzumaki*****
Naruto awoke to bright lights and a pounding headache. Glancing up he found he at least wasn't in the hospital but in his own bedroom at his apartment. Naruto glared at the persistent beam of sunlight that snuck its way through the tiny gap in his curtains and directly onto his face. Getting up he started moving towards the door and out to the rest of his apartment. Surprisingly when he opened the door the smell of food greeted his nose. As he walked down the hall and into his kitchen he noticed that Riku was at the stove cooking while Retsu was sitting at the breakfast bar drinking a cup of tea. They both turned to him as walked through the archway.
"Well good morning you trouble magnet. How are you feeling?" Retsu was the first to greet him and began checking him over and laying a glowing green hand over his forehead easing his pain away. Smiling at her gratefully he took a seat at the breakfast bar just as Riku was putting a plate in front of him.
"I'm much better now." He took a few bites of his food closing his eyes and savoring the taste. He loved when Riku cooked it was amazing. If the man wasn't such an amazing doctor he should have went into the restaurant business.
"So we've heard about everything that happened from Shino…" Riku trailed off letting Naruto steer the conversation. The blonde appreciated the gesture and began telling them everything he knew about what happened. Retsu and Riku both nodded having heard almost the same story from Shino yesterday. Then Naruto came to the most interesting part his new abilities.
"Suddenly it felt like something in me just burst free and before I knew it I was glowing blue! It wasn't a warm blue like chakra but more a cold type of blue and when I threw it at the guy he went FLYING! It was an impact shot he had to have flown at least ten meters with such force! And then I did the reverse with another guy I struck him with another blast of energy that lifted him completely off his feet and even floated him high before he crashed to the ground! Even more when I'm 'powered up' my sensing ability range gets HUGE!" the blonde was talking a mile a minute about his new abilities and both had to admit they were very intrigued with everything they had been hearing so far.
"I wonder if this is a kekkei genkai from my family" both stiffened at the whisper of the child they had grown to love. Retsu knew then with his newfound abilities he would be hard to placate with learning more about his family. She had never been in agreement with keeping the boy's lineage a secret from him but it wasn't her choice to make. She hoped though that the Hokage would at least tell him about his mother. She looked on as Riku decided to talk more with the blonde.
"Okay well since you've unlocked within yourself a special ability we will test out tomorrow okay? We need to see exactly what it's doing not just outside your body but inside. Also I have to tell you the bad news kid. Although there was plenty evidence of a struggle and fight none of the missing ninja were found." At the mention of the ninja that attacked them Naruto finally pieced together in his head what he had just done. He had killed three men, the revelation hit him deep and before either Retsu or Riku could react he was throwing up.
Retsu immediately knew by the look of abject horror on his face that Naruto truly remembered what he had done yesterday. Despite all the death he had seen occur at the hospital it still doesn't prepare one for the time when it is you taking a life. She knew now more than ever she would need to keep an eye on Naruto. He would most likely have nightmares for a few days and think terribly of himself just like his mother did when she had her first kill and even more she was going to be on the lookout. She was no fool she had a pretty good idea of who was behind the attack but until she had solid proof there was nothing she could do. She simply held the child as he cried and nodded to Riku letting him know she would handle this. As Riku made his way out the door Retsu allowed the boy to cry and get all his feelings out.
"I know right now you may not believe me Naruto but you did nothing wrong. You did what you had to do protect not only yourself but your friend. I won't lie and say that things will get easier for you but it this in the long term will help you. As a future combat medic you will have to deal out death as well as save others from embracing that eternal slumber. You are not a monster Naruto never believe that." She held onto to the young child as he stopped crying and gave her a hug to convey his thanks.
"I'm sorry for getting you all wet it's just I didn't expect to be so sad over killing someone who was trying to kill me. I'm supposed to be a shinobi in training and I couldn't handle a kill without crying and feeling sorry for myself." Retsu gently took a hold of his chin and made him stare directly in her eyes.
"Naruto shinobi are humans and we have feelings. Sure shinobi kill each other all the time but the fact that you can feel something shows that you have not lost your humanity. Trust me when you can kill indiscriminately and not feel a thing you are headed to a dark and dangerous place Naruto. It's a place few rarely return from it's the place where true monsters of the world lie. Never ignore your feelings Naruto for it is them that will help keep you sane in this world of murder and death." Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine as he glanced at Retsu whose eyes had taken on a far away and glazed look. Shaking his head free of thoughts he decided to shower and relax for the rest of his day since it was too late for him to head to the Academy and Retsu had already told him he wouldn't be reporting to the hospital until they needed to do some tests on him. As he stood under the shower he closed his eyes and felt around his chakra network. He could visualize his regular chakra a light blue flowing smoothly like a stream, usually he would only feel and see this chakra but not he saw much more. Although his chakra was abundant his new energy seemed to match or even be of much higher quantity. It was beautiful to watch. Unlike his chakra that flowed so smoothly, his new energy dark blue and black flowed strongly like a powerful river and it fascinating to see how his new energy was slowly spreading out and mixing itself with his regular chakra in places helping to smooth it out even more. Then he sensed something else, something dark, something old, something filled with malice, a deep red chakra that flowed around his navel. Using his sensory ability unconsciously channeling his new energy he was able to see the violent red energy being sucked into something bit by bit and being shoved into his own chakra stream and immediately being smoothed out by his new energy. Naruto was stunned, shocked, and very worried.
When he had studied up on certain kekkei genkai he discovered it wasn't unusual for there to be a second source of energy their bloodline draws upon, but he had never heard of their being a third chakra source in one person. Gazing closer at it he came out of his self induced trance and glanced down at his stomach. His eyes widened in disbelief as he gazed at what was on his body. Suddenly everything seemed to make sense the hateful glares, the names he was called, his own birthday. Too much was coming together and apart in his mind, his world was shattering apart and pulling itself together all at one time. It was too much he started hyperventilating and was overwhelmed and released a pulse of energy that had him falling down unconscious.
Retsu was sitting down in the living room enjoying another cup of tea when she first felt the pulse of chakra and then heard a loud crash. Not wasting any time and not caring if Naruto was decent or not the older woman burst through his bedroom and headed towards his bathroom. She gasped as she found him lying on the floor and as she turned him over she caught a glimpse of the complex seal on his stomach that was fading away. She couldn't draw any conclusions but she knew when he awoke he would have plenty of questions for them all and she for one hoped he wouldn't hate them all for it.
*****Doctor Uzumaki*****
Well that about wraps it up for this chapter! Sorry it took so long but I had some things to deal with in my personal life. Right now I have about two more chapter dedicated to this time in Naruto's life where we learn more about his life as a trainee, his new powers, what he's learned so far, and other important background information I want to give to y'all before we head to the meat of him becoming a genin, his team assignment, and his missions. If you think you know where the inspiration for his powers come from and what they're called be sure to say so in the reviews
